August Preview: Bear Cavalry, Normans and Space Legions

This month, we are expanding three very different ranges: two new Bear Cavalry units, a highly modular selection of Norman infantry and cavalry, and the first complete Space Legions unit for our new tier, The Crusader.

Each range approaches modularity differently, from compatible historical equipment to mirrored science-fiction components and alternative scales.

Bear Cavalry

The new Bear Cavalry consists of two distinct units. One retains an aesthetic closer to traditional hussars, while the other draws more strongly from Russian and Ottoman inspiration.

This distinction opens up several possibilities. One could serve as a Tsar’s Guard, while the other could represent a more generic cavalry unit.

Both kits are fully compatible with each other. With a few minor adjustments, they will also be compatible with the cavalry sets we are currently developing.

A note about the Hussar lance

Some of you may notice that one of the Leasir Bear Cavalry riders holds his lance in an unusual position.

The characteristic wooden ball found on the Polish hussar kopia was known as the gałka. It is commonly described as both a form of hand protection and an important part of the lance’s counterbalancing system.

Polish military historian Radosław Sikora, in Fenomen husarii, examines the construction, balance, centre of gravity and different methods of handling the hussar lance. From a mechanical perspective, moving the point of grip forwards or backwards would change the balance experienced by the rider.

This interpretation remains open to historical debate: the evidence does not establish that every hussar routinely moved his hand around the gałka. Our miniature follows this documented mechanical interpretation of the lance rather than treating the gałka as a purely decorative feature or necessarily as a fixed Western-style guard.

Normans

We are introducing three new Norman units:

• Norman Hand Weapon and Shield

• Norman with Spear and Danish Axe

• Norman Baron on Horse

The two infantry units are fully compatible with each other. Together, they include eight bodies and sixteen sets of arms, giving you the components needed to build the main body of a Norman army.

We have dedicated considerable time to the modular head-and-shield system. Our aim has been to combine the flexibility of multipart construction with a broad selection of hoods, helmets, shields and mail armour.

We believe this system offers a degree of flexibility rarely seen in comparable ranges. It allows you to represent virtually every combination of heavy armour worn by foot infantry during the period, while keeping the individual components interchangeable.

We are particularly interested to hear how the modular heads and shields work for you. A great deal of development time has gone into this system, and your experience assembling the units will help us evaluate it properly.

The possibilities will expand even further when we develop the cavalry and add enclosed helmets. The Norman Baron on Horse is an early example of the system we intend to apply to the mounted units.

We also know that there are plenty of Neverra players here. Although these are historical miniatures, we are sure some of you will find a place for them in your fantasy armies.

The Crusader and Space Legions

The Crusader is our new tier, and the Space Legions Tactical Squad is its first complete unit.

For this range, we have changed the assembly system slightly by adding additional cuts at the waist. These cuts multiply the possible assembly combinations and give us another point from which the components can be exchanged.

Mirrored pieces also add useful possibilities to this particular range. We do not normally provide mirrored versions of components, but here we will include the selected mirrored pieces that we believe offer genuine value. These parts will also be supplied pre-supported.

The Space Legions Tactical Squad will be included in two different scales.

The first is close to the size used by most manufacturers with comparable ranges. The second is a true-scale version representing the size these miniatures should have in relation to the rest of the LastSword range.

This true-scale version is approximately 6% larger.

We would love to hear what you think about these new systems. How would you use the two Bear Cavalry styles? What combinations would you create with the Norman components? And which scale would you choose for your Space Legions?

Historical reference: Radosław Sikora, Fenomen husarii, chapter “Kopia husarska”. Sikora’s analysis of lance balance and handling is discussed in Piotr Florek’s academic review.