Mongol Warrior - An In-Depth Review (Pegaso Models)

Mongol Warrior – the PRELUDE

The Mongol Warrior is one of the latest releases from the giant that is Pegaso Models under their Samurai and Far East series. It arrived in its traditional dark blue box sealed with a gold sticker depicting the boxart by Matteo di Diomede. This is a 16 part, white metal figure captured in 75mm scale, it also comes with a textured base and is sculpted by Ebroin, first impressions of this attractive kit are very good. The parts are nestled between layers of foam and as always come with a reference sheet.

SCULPT AND CAST

The kit can be considered as consisting of five central parts, legs, torso, head and the two arms, everything else is then attached to build the various layers of complexity and detail. The torso attaches to the legs accurately with no need for gap filling but as always it is highly advisable to pin the heavier metal parts. The various garments are heavily ornate and decorative, from the leather moccasin style boots to the tunic and through to the various elements of armour and weapons. The silk looking pantaloons are loose fitting, decorative, sporting realistic looking folds, creases and seams. Around the waistline we have various holes to attach the weapons, we can also see the quality of work regarding the tunic and the fine chainmail.

The kit in full

The armour for the most parts consists of boiled leather with metal detailing and trims, once again heavily decorated. It was both functional and particularly aesthetic to look at. The arms attach via peg and hole assemblies and there is some cleaning up to do along the joints to get the arms to fit accurately. Even if some putty may be needed the leather strips to the neck guard and the chainmail will cover any joins. The pointed and plumed, steel helmet again shows careful engraving and detailing.

The long handled axe correctly sports tassels, decorative once again and attaches to the right arm. In the left arm, attached via a hole in the back of the hand that nicely lines up with the strapping we have the round shield. The shield itself is a work of art, created to resemble the traditional, woven wicker and supported by metal reinforcements. At the top of the arms we have grooves to accept the shoulder armour, once more made from boiled leather and metal trims/detailing.

closer look at the armour and garments

We then have the various weapons including bow, sword and dagger along with the carrying case and quiver, all intricately sculpted with various patterns and motifs present. What looked a complex kit at the beginning actually goes together very well, just take time to study the parts and dry fit prior to assembly.

The cast is of a high standard, soft mold lines will need removing with a scalpel blade and I would recommend polishing smooth with wire wool before a wash in soapy water prior to priming.

some examples of the intricate detailing and motifs

DESIGN AND ORIGINALITY

The Mongol culture is one that is rich and exotic and the sculpt perfectly captures these traits mixed in with a considerable level of military prowess. The Mongolians were known for their battlefield tactics, a mix of harrying skirmishes and heavily armoured infantry. They would regularly set traps, lure the enemy, use their bows and knowledge of the land to disorientate, confuse and ultimately weaken those that opposed them. As such the sculpt perfectly captures these warriors of Mongolia. The pose is aggressive and confident, a nice balance to the composition and with enough open spaces present to allow the Artist to produce some freehand patterns to the various fabrics. There are actually just a few releases depicting the Mongol warriors and certainly none of this standard.

DESIRABILITY

Everyone with an interest in the historical genre are all too familiar with the releases of Pegaso Models. This Mongol Warrior is of a very high standard, from presentation, sculpt and through to cast. Pegaso have been around for some two decades and are the pinnacle of what is achievable in our small world of figures, their loyal fan base and those who are slowly coming to appreciate the various subjects within this genre will surely look at this latest release as a desirable project, especially for those more advanced painters or those looking to push their skills.