Strelets R French Foreign Legion 20mm 1/72

     Strelets R continues to be the largest producer of new figures in the "20mm" market the recent torrent of U.S. Civil War products has finally run dry and they are back to covering more diverse sunjects. First up we find the new French Foreign Legion  Early XX C. Cleanly molded in a fine medium gray plastic that retains detail very well these figures are actively posed and realistically proportioned.
        The figures are well -detailed and cleanly cast with only the faintest of traces of flash anywhere. Inside the box you will find an officer and trumpeter, a light machine gun with a two-man crew and thirty-nine standard FFL troopers. There are three of the those Strelsi figures as a bonus for those who collect such things.
         I really like this set except for a small point; they seem to be from the entire "early twentieth century" the uniforms and equipment are spread over a period of time from the turn of the century to the end of the Rif War (which, given the other sets in this series of releases, is the likely intended target). This is a very broad period when one considers the changes in weapons and tactic over the first quarter of the 20th century. The heavy back-packs and neck-cloths point toward a pre-First World War timeline while the helmets and machine gun would indicate a post-war situation. Not a deal-breaker, military organizations have long been known to only issue new equipment when the previous issue has been thoroughly worn out. I plan on using them all together as part of a small Rif Wars project.

the cover art

 

the back of the box

the box with contents,

I would happily trade away the Muscovite for another command sprue

the Command Sprue, Side A

Command Sprue, Side B

I particularly like the sensible crouching position of the officer and trumpeter, 

no time for sword-waving heroics here!

Infantry Sprue Side A

well-proportioned and finely detailed

Infantry Sprue, Side B

the drummer probably could have been stuck on the Command Sprue 

with the time-traveling Russian and two spots freed up for more useful figures

well-done poses, the sort a soldier would adopt

 rather than the stiff "range-drill" positions one often sees

close-up of some of the crisp casting on these figures

I really like these two figures, they did a good job on the machine gun too

     Aside from the chronologically challenged uniforms (which don't pose a problem to me, but you should be aware of) this is a great set; cleanly cast, well posed and well detailed. They will fit with the FFL figures by other manufacturers fairly well and are opposed by Strelets R's own Rif Warrior sets so there are few concerns about compatibility. With over a hundred motion pictures about the FFL I'm sure I can get these painted before I run out of inspiration!

Very Highly Recommended