Medieval Warrior Bishops
Valdemar/Rodion Miniatures 1:72 Scale Figure Review
Medieval warrior priest and bishops often accompanied knights and infantry into battle, particularly during the crusades, and they personally led medieval armies to protect their worldly realms. Since it was forbidden to spill christian blood, some warrior bishops used blunt clubbing weapons like the mace to circumvent this prohibition. Valdemar Miniatures is the first manufacturer to cover this subject in detail, and they have done a good job at it. The mounted and dismounted bishops will be popular with diorama builders and wargamers alike. The mix of separate weapons offers great variety in figure poses, although the figures’ hands require some work to actually hold these weapons and shields.
Contents
4 Bishops in 4 Poses – 22 mm equal 158 cm Height
- Mounted Bishop blessing the Troops
- Dismounted Bishop receiving
- Dismounted Bishop advancing
- Dismounted Bishop attacking
Medieval Horse – 18 mm equal 137 cm Height
- Shield (2)
- Spear
- Sword (2)
- Mace
- Axe
Evaluation
Excellent choice of subject, warrior bishops are unique in this scale.
The miniatures may be included in any 13th and 14th century medieval army.
Poly resin figures with crisply detailed weapons. Diorama builders may find these figures very interesting, but wargamers must take care not to break the fragile resin weapons in the heat of a fight.
Compatible with ESCI, Italeri, Revell, and Zvezda
The medieval horse included in this set is very small, and too fat to accomodate an armoured rider. The mounted bishop does not fit into his horse’s saddle properly. His robe would have to be trimmed carefully to seat him correctly. However, it may be better to place this warrior bishop on a more impressive horse taken from another set of medieval figures.
Hands need to be drilled open to accept the separate weapons included in this set.
The separate shields should be fitted with straps to attach to a figure’s arm.
There are no painting instructions included in the set, but the Valdemar Miniatures website shows a few pictures of painted warrior bishops which may be helpful.
Poly resin dust is harmful if inhaled or swallowed, which is why these figures should be cleaned and sanded out of doors. Undercoat, paint and varnish the figures to properly seal the resin.
The Medieval Bishops produced by Valdemar/Rodion Miniatures are a welcome addition to the growing range of 1:72 scale medieval miniatures. Wargamers may want to mount these relatively brittle poly resin figures on command stands alongside other medieval figures, in order to protect them from breakage.