First Legion: November and December Releases

Now available for sale, and/or on pre-order, a small army of figures from First Legion covering a wide range of historical periods and theatres of conflict, starting with some Romans

The mounted officer pictured above is one of 8 new additions to the Roman range which also includes two casualty figures, two standard bearers, an officer on foot and a legionnaire attacking with a sword

All of the Romans are now available on pre-order and should be ready for shipping around the middle of December

The mounted crusaders I featured in an earlier post have now been officially announced and are available for closer inspection on the company's website. They include the following figures and look mightily impressive. I have included some of the company's advertising literature alongside the appropriate figures

We are very pleased to release the first of many planned Mounted Crusader Knights! During the siege of Acre in 1291 the Crusader Holy Orders launched several mounted charges out of the city at the Mamluk Army in fruitless spoiling attacks. Hopelessly outnumbered, Grand Master Guillaume de Beajeau led 300 men out on horseback into ferocious melees in a vain attempt to destroy the Mamluk siege engines wreaking havoc on the walled city. Now, with our mounted Crusaders, these desperate struggles can be faithfully recreated in lifelike miniature displays the world over! With the superb sculpting and painting that you've come to expect from First Legion, these figures will make a wonderful addition to any serious Crusaders toy soldier collection

Guillaume de Beajeu was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1273 until his death at Acre in 1291. He joined forces with Jean de Villiers, Grand Master of the Hospitallers, in an attempt to stave off the imminent disaster facing them at the hands of the besieging Mamluk forces. At one point during the siege, he charged out with some 300 Mounted Knights in an attempt to destroy the Mamluk war machines but he and his men were beaten back. During the latter part of the siege, he heroically tried to prevent a Mamluk breakthrough with a mixed force of Templars and Hospitallers and was mortally wounded. Despite the heroic sacrifice of the Holy Orders, the city fell a few days later. Shipping, end of November

Mounted Templar standard bearer, shipping mid December

Mounted Hospitaller, shipping end of November

Standard Bearer of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, shipping mid December

Staying in the desert, but moving on a few hundred years, here are some seated infantry to ride in the back of the desert version of the Opel Blitz supply truck

If you've already bought into their Stalingrad winter range then you've probably been waiting with baited breath for the announcement of the following release, the winter version of the aforementioned Opel Blitz, together with a couple of hard pressed troopers desperately trying to get the thing started!

Troopers available separately

My particular favourite, this poor soul is trying to thaw out the frozen engine block with the aid of a lighted torch. Rather him than me!

Last, but by no means least, the first Renaissance Landsknechts are now available for pre-order and are due for shipping around the end of November. Here they are, in all their multi-coloured magnificence

The Renaissance is a fascinating period of history, spanning roughly from the 14th-17th Centuries.   Though primarily a cultural movement with a resurgence in art, science, and literature, as well as an age of great exploration, it was also a period marred by military conflict as the great European powers of the time vied for control and dominance. It was an age of military innovation where the use of gun powder and cannons first came to prominence and were used alongside the heavy cavalry from the previous centuries. As such, it is typically referred to as the "Age of Pike and Shot" as the pike and the arquebus/musket were two of the primary weapons of the period. Though we intend on providing broad coverage of the period, First Legion has decided to launch the range with the Battle of Pavia in 1525, the climax of the Italian Wars between France and the Spanish Empire resulting in Spanish dominance of the Italian States for the next 200 years. We sincerely hope you enjoy our initial effort at recreating this fascinating, and very colorful, period of history!

Officer

Drummer

Standard bearers

Wow! Happy hunting!