Dark Alliance

Dark Alliance war trolls, heavy cavalry of the dead, and wargs

Dark Alliance offers a range of fantasy figures, somewhat generic though no hobbits to be found. Detail is good but there is a lot of flash on some figures. These come attached to sprues, tricky for the cavalry, and need to be clipped off. Colors vary. There does not not seem to be a specific color associated with a given set.

The figures are manufactured in Ukraine. Prices vary a lot. This seems to be an offshoot of the company, Red Box.

Martian Metals

Martian Metals held a strong presence in the 70s and 80s with a variety of licensed ranges, notably Steve Jackson Games, Runequest, and Traveller. At the time, 25mm was still a dominant range so 15mm seemed like something new, especially since rules like the RPG Traveller suggested them.

Ultimately, a fire wiped out Martian Metals and the company closed its doors. The molds appear to have been lost. The Martian Metals Ogre miniatures were produced under the Ral Partha brand with strengthened gun barrels.

Caesar Miniatures

Caesar Miniatures look better than the box cover suggests. They lean heavily on WW II, contemporary combat, fantasy, and biblical stuff. The figures I have seen use lots of grays though some use brightly colored plastic like the strikingly blue Sea People.

The sculpting is attractive but the figures seem a bit thin. Their fantasy figures are a draw though I lean a bit towards the more extensive and eccentric line from Dark Alliance out of Ukraine.

These are pretty easy to come by. Most big suppliers carry them. If you ever travel to Taiwan, they are about half price there. A few hobby stores carry them and they are worth looking for. I have a collection of undead (or dead for Dark Alliance so their undead and zombies are a help.