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Reviews of Donnington Miniatures

Barry on Donnington Ancient Artillery

I would recommend Donningtons range of Acient Artillery. My friend and myself bought some Scorpions (Art1), Carrobalistas (Art3)-(both the equivalent to Essex XEQ1), and two Onagers (Art5&6)-(stone thrower). The detail is exceptional!

Simon MacDowall on Donnington Late Romans

There are 15mm figures in (mail or scale) armour, the best are by Donnington which are actually based on my book. My favourite is the one based on Plate A with spangenhelm and scale armour. Donnington is pretty hit and miss, some of their figures are terrible, others excellent; their Late Romans are amongst their best.

Paul Stamper on Donnington Skythians/Thracians

My Skythians and Thracians are both Donnington. These figures look rather old-fashioned when compared with Gladiator, Essex, Chariot, etc. They are chunky, with fairly basic sculpting and require a little more care and imagination to produce a really striking paint job. On the other hand Donnington cover a wide range of armies and figure types, some of which you might not find elsewhere. Add to that that they are nice people and sell their figures as singles, not packs and I would certainly consider them.

Paul Harrison on Donnington

I have Dark Age Barbarians, Late Imperial Romans, and Hoplite Greeks. The quality is on a level with Essex. The variety of types for each troop is excellent. I have aquired all of mine second hand so cannot comment on their supply turnaround. The catalog references specific drawings in the WRG books so is very useful when selecting troops.

Stephen Montague on Donnington

My experience is that the figures are often crude and all their horses are dreadfull. However there late Romans are superb! My advice would be to order a few samples of the range you are interested in before you buy to see if they are worth having. As a quick summary of the figures I have, the Numidians are crude. The Ancient Spanish are basic but paint up well and as noted the late Romans are first class.

First a few notes on Donnington's style, their figures stand about 17 to18mm tall and often suffer from fairly crude sculpting. The latter problem shows most in clothing, especially cloaks, and the horses. In fact the horses (which you can choose separately from the rider) are all so rough that, with a couple of exceptions I won't review them only list the catalogue number and descriptions. The figures I got from them most recently had a lot of flash on them, which is also a minus point.

Another problem is the poses, which often look awkward and stiff. I get the feeling that they were often chosen more for their ease of moulding than the way they look.

One other thing to note is that the catalogue numbers for the Samnites and Celts may not be accurate. This is because I have had the Samnites a while and can't remember their codes, and in the case of the Celts it is because I got them second hand. In both cases I have tried to match the catalogue description to the figure, the ones that I am fairly sure are correct I will mark the code of.

FIGURE DESCRIPTION
Ancient Italian states.
ITF7* Samnite, Heavy, central disk cuirass, javelin, scutum. The figure is standing holding his shield in front of him and his javelin behind. He wears a helmet with a long trailing crest with a feather sticking up on either side of it. This figure and the following Samnites are unusually well sculpted for a Donnington figure and look pretty good. I would say seven out of ten.
ITF8* Samnite, Heavy, triple disk cuirass, javelin, round shield. This figure is similar to the last one except he holds his javelin point up. Another good figure another seven out of ten.
ITF10 Samnite, medium, javelin, scutum, advancing. This figure is walking forward shield held in front and javelin held at an angle so it just pokes over the top of the shield. The figure wears a helmet without a crest but with a feather sticking up at each side. Another seven out of ten.
ITF14 Samnite, medium, throwing javelin, scutum. This figure is similar to the last except that he is striding forwards javelin raised to shoulder ready to throw. Yet another seven out of ten.
Ancient Spanish
IBC1 Spanish cavalry, heavy or officer, spear, oval shield. Cavalryman wearing chain mail and helmet, holds longish spear upright almost at arms length. A Gallic looking cavalryman, a bit on the crude side and a bad pose so it gets four out of ten.
IBC4 Spanish cavalry, unarmoured or medium, spear, round shield, sinew cap. Typical Spanish light cavalry. Has the same bad pose as the last one but the detail is slightly better so five out of ten.
IBC5 Spanish/Celtiberian General. A fairly classical looking figure, which has a chest plate with a face on it. The pose is pointing forwards with the left hand whilst holding a sword at his side on the right. The main problems with this figure are a badly sculpted cloak and a face lacking in detail. It makes for a very undistinguished commander. Five out of ten.
Horses: IBH1 Walking; IBH2 Walking; IBH3 Trotting/pawing Horses crude but harness detail well done.
IBF1 Spanish scutarius, unarmoured spear, squared shield, sinew cap. The figure stands holding his shield in front of himself while his other arm is behind him holding a spear upright. I tried to improve the look of these infantry figures by altering the position of the arms, however in a few cases they snapped off, so be careful if you try it. The detail on the figure isn't too bad (you can see the handle of his falcata sword), however the folds on the clothing are a bit crude. The figure paints up well but the bad pose gets this figure four out of ten.
IBF2 Spanish scutarius, unarmoured spear, squared shield, crested sinew cap. This figure is walking forwards holding his shield in front of him and his spear upright at the side. Another bad pose with less than average sculpting, however it paints up well. This figure gets four out of ten.
IBF3 Spanish scutarius, unarmoured spear, squared shield, standing. This is the same as the last figure but bare headed on a bad hair day; it gets three out of ten.
IBF4 Spanish scutarius, unarmoured spear, squared shield, advancing. This figure is walking holding his spear at the trail (to use an anachronism), with the spear pointing downwards. The description fails to mention that he is wearing a sinew cap. A much better pose and not a bad figure, five out of ten.
To add a general note, on mass these figures look pleasing and make one of the more colourfull armies thanks to the shields.
IBF8 Spanish caetratus, unarmoured spear, round shield, sinew cap, (two positions). The two positions are: Walking with the left leg leading, holding the shield to one side of the body and the spear at the other. The other is walking leading with the right leg, spear held out in front butt resting on knee, shield held up to the side. The figures are average but the poses are bad four out of ten.
IBF9 Spanish caetratus, unarmoured spear, round shield, Crested sinew cap, (two positions). The poses are walking like the last ones with the spear held out awkwardly at the side, the shields are in slightly different positions. Again a bad pose spoils an ok figure four out of ten.
Numidian
NUC1 Moorish prince, unarmoured. The figure wears a long flowing robe and cape; it carries a sword and shield. This figure is the reason why I chose Donnington's Numidians; no one else seems to make a command figure. Unfortunately as noted the sculptor isn't very good at depicting flowing robes and the figure generally lacks definition, so three out of ten.
NUC2 Warrior, unarmoured, javelin, round shield. This is basically one figure with its javelin holding hand in three different positions. The positions are; holding the javelin up out to one side, holding it behind the body point down and ready to throw. The figures are not to bad; you can see their hairstyle. Only one of the poses is unsatisfactory, if the sculpting had been a little better I would have given them a decent mark, but I think they deserve four out of ten.
Horses: NUH1 Trotting (2 positions); NUH2 Running (2 positions)
NUF1 Warrior, Unarmoured, javelin, round shield (three positions) The figure is walking forward shield held close to the left of the body. The positions are holding the javelin behind the body pointing down, holding it up to the side pointing down and throwing it. The comments for this figure are the same as its mounted counterpart, so five out of ten.
Celts
CC1* Cavalry Warrior, heavy, spear, port helmet, round shield. This figure is wearing chainmail armour and a helmet. He holds an upright spear at arms length. Another uninspired figure with a clumsy pose four out of ten.
CC5* General, heavy, winged bird helmet, rearing horse. The figure is waving a sword in the air looking dramatic, however because of the clumsy sculpting it doesn't work. The figure also looks smaller than the others do, though after measuring it I know it isn't. Another four out of ten.
CC7* Cavalry Warrior, bare chested, spear, round shield, cloak. The figure is another holding the spear out to the side pose. The figure has spiky lime washed hair and a reasonably detailed face. For once the sculptor has done a good job and even the bad cloak and clumsy pose can't detract from a good figure. It gets seven out of ten.
Horses: CH1 Walking; CH2 Cantering; CH3 Trotting; CH4 Rearing; CH5 Trotting/pawing; CH6 Generals horse, rearing
CF2* Carnyx blower. The figure is bare chested and spiky haired, stepping forwards blowing the carnyx. An excellent figure very dramatic eight out of ten.
CF5* Warrior, unarmoured, spear, oval shield. This figure is holding a largish spear out to the side, as it walks forward. The figure is nothing special and unfortunately wears a cloak a definite five out of ten.
CF9 Warrior, unarmoured, sword, squared shield. This figure is striding forwards holding his shield out in front of himself and holds his sword out at the side (I twisted the sword around slightly so it points forwards which looks better). Detailing is all right on this figure (it has a long face) but the pose lets it down five out of ten.
CF10* Gaesati, naked, running with sword, squared shield. This figure is wildly charging forward arms out. This look good the body is well sculpted including spiky hair, the only fault is the sword which looks to short and blunt. Seeing this guy charging towards you would be intimidating. Eight out of ten.
CF12* Gaesati, naked, standing with sword, squared shield. The figure is standing with shield held in front, sword arm back, the tip of the sword on the ground. Another well-sculpted figure in a more passive pose, which I would say, looks defiant. This Figure gets seven out of ten.
CF13* Gaesati, naked, running with spear, squared shield. The figure looks more like it is walking than running and is holding his arms out at his sides. The figure is again well sculpted but the pose is clumsy only six out of ten.
CF14* Gaesati, naked, hornblower. The figure is walking forward blowing a curved horn, it also carries a shield. The figure is well done but not very inspired six out of ten.
CF15* Gaesati, naked, standard bearer. The figure is walking forward holding a standard (supplied separately and in this case is a boar) and a shield with a curious reverse hourglass shape. Another good but not great figure six out of ten.
CF16 Warrior, unarmoured, half naked, sword, squared shield, limed hair. The figure is striding forward shield held closely in front of body, sword arm swung back with the sword pointing down. Well sculpted, looks like he's resolutely striding forward looking for a fight, it gets six out of ten.
CF17* Warrior, unarmoured, half naked, sword, round shield, limed hair. The figure is walking forwards, shield held to the side, sword waving in the air. The figure is well sculpted but the pose isn't to good six out of ten.
CF22 Warrior, unarmoured, half naked, sword, squared shield, limed hair, running (2 positions) This is the running Gaesati figure with trousers on for one pose. The other pose is more of an advancing one with arms thrown out to the side. The first figure is nicely dramatic the second dull. The first gets seven out of ten the second six.
CF24 Warrior, unarmoured, limed hair, jacket and breeches, squared shield, sword, advancing. The figure is stepping forwards shield held in front sword arm behind the body with sword raised. The positions are slight variations of shield and sword arm positions. The figures are well done and look quite ferocious seven out of ten.
CF25* Chieftain, heavy, Marne helmet, waving sword, squared shield, advancing. The figure is walking forward shield held in front of him, sword arm behind with the sword pointing upwards. This is a pretty average and undistinguished figure five out of ten.
CF28* Warrior, Unarmoured, jacket breeches, boar helmet crest, sword, shield, attacking. The figure is walking forwards shield held in front, the sword is also held in front just above the shield. A very likeable figure seven out of ten.
Middle and Late Imperial Romans
PAC1 Catafract, Kontos, Face mask. The figure is sitting holding the lance upright in a fairly static pose. The figure is well done with the details of the armour clearly visible, even the pose is just right for these lumbering heavies. An excellent figure eight out of ten.
XRC11 Clibanarius, mail coat, splint leg armour, kontos, bow, buckler, helmet, 3rd to 5th cent. The figure is sitting quietly holding up a very long lance. Again the detail is well done another excellent figure eight out of ten.
XRH1 Catafract horse, plate chamfron. With the horse hidden under well rendered armour this looks much better than Donnington's usual horses and a good match for it's rider eight out of ten. Ignore the plate armour in the description its scale armour.
XRH2 Half armoured horse, plate chamfron. All the comments above apply to this horse as well another eight out of ten.
XRFA1 Legionary, muscled cuirass, spear, large oval shield, helmet, standing, 3rd to 5th centuries. The figure stands holding the short spear close to one side of the body and the shield on the other. The figure is not bad at all but I would have preferred the shield in front it gets six out of ten.
XRF7 Auxiliary, Tunic and trousers, spear, small round shield, cap over helmet, advancing, 2nd to 4th centuries. The figure is trotting forward with the spear held close to the body and the shield held in front. Not a bad wee figure, active without being frantic, just right for regular auxiliaries. A seven out of ten.
ART1 scorpion catapult, 4th cent BC to 1st cent AD. This is moulded in the position of just starting to be rewound. It is very well sculpted; indeed the word delicate comes to mind for the look of it. A superb model ten out of ten.
ART19 Imperial Roman Optio, mail cuirass, commanding, plumed helmet. The figure is leaning forwards lining up the catapult. It is not a bad figure though not as well detailed as it could be so it gets five out of ten. Note I demoted my figure by cutting of his plume, he now makes an excellent crewman rewinding the catapult.
ART24 Imperial Roman crewman, mail cuirass, pointing holding dart. Not a bad figure this, but again not as well detailed as it could be, five out of ten.
Ostrogoths (Italian Goths)
DGF2 Archer, tunic, wide trousers, bow, cap, advancing. The figure is running holding his bow across his body. Quite a nice figure this looks like Santa's little helper. It is well sculpted and posed, it gets seven out of ten. Note I got these by mistake as I intended to get the earlier Ostrogothic bowmen. Receiving these ancient hippies in their flares and pixiehats was a surprise, however I have become fond of them, even if they always run away. If you want earlier bowmen try GOF 10,11 and 12.
Goths
Note the cavalry figures all have the same basic pose. The shield is thrust forward almost held flat covering the horses neck and head. All of the ordinary cavalry figures hold a rather thick spear thrusting forward, the rear end of it resting on the shoulder. All have cloaks streaming out behind them.
GOC1 General or king, mail shirt, pteruges, sword, late Roman helmet, cloak, shield. The figure is holding up a sword in a nicely dramatic pose. It looks good and is nicely detailed apart from the usual bad cloak; it therefore gets six out of ten.
GOC2 Standard bearer, mail shirt, dragon standard, Helmet cloak shield. This figure holds aloft his standard so the dragon's tail flaps dramatically. Again not a bad figure let down by its cloak so it gets six out of ten.
GOC3 Noble, long mail shirt, spear, spangenhelm, cloak, shield.
GOC4 Noble, mail shirt, pteruges, spear, spangenhelm, cloak, shield.
GOC5 Warrior, tunic, spear, spangenhelm with camail, cloak, shield.
GOC6 Warrior, tunic, spear, spangenhelm, cloak, shield.
GOC5 Warrior, tunic, spear, bareheaded, cloak, shield.
I have listed these all together, as the figures are in identical poses and with the exception of the bareheaded one you can't tell them apart without picking them up for a closer look. They are all ok and the aggressive pose looks good especially on charging horses. They look excellent painted up So they get seven out of ten.
Horses: GOH1 Walking; GOH2 Trotting; GOH3 Cantering; GOH4 Running GOH5 Rearing

Brian Kearney's Review of Donnington Picts

My first Donnington figures were Anglo Danish, Vikings and Normans, bought in the early Eighties. These were approx. 16mm tall, rather thin, and of restricted animation (the infantry tend all to stand sideways on, spear to front and weapon in the left hand extended to the rear, although this could be bent carefully, to point over the shield). Although they were a lot better than other ranges I had bought at that time, they now look rather dated, somewhat stilted and lacking in animation. They do have the advantage of being sold individually, ideally suitable for the smaller DBA armies, without waste.

Recently I built up a Pict DBA army, nominally 5th/6th Cent, with some elements of Scots/Irish mixed in for variety. These figures are part of the Donnington Wars of King Arthur range. On first impressions they are larger and bulkier than my first figures, being approx. 17-18mm tall. There appears to be little or no variation within a figure type, the only exception being a cavalry figure I bought.

On to the figures. The catalogue references are taken from the 1995 issue but should not be different now. Some of the figures are based on illustrations in the WRG books, Armies of the Dark Ages (ADA) and Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome (AEIR), and I have referred to these where possible. NB my ADA is the 1st edition so references may have changed, AEIR is the current 4th edition.

Cavalry
ABC3 Pictish Noble, dressed in mail shirt, spear, helmet, cloak and buckler (ADA, 31) The figure (and the rest of the cavalry) seems a bit "dumpy to me, i.e. short and wide! However, when sat on his pony, one gets the correct impression of the mounts then most likely available.
ABC4 Pictish Warrior, Tunic, Javelin, buckler The only figure that I got in two variations, one with javelin vertical (more a spear by the thickness) the other with javelin at 45 degrees
The horses are from the general Dark Age range, and are in basic trotting, standing or galloping poses- no real dramatic action poses!
Foot
ABF7 Pictish Spearman, long tunic, spear, buckler. This figure is advancing (walking) with spear at 45 degrees, held close to the blunt end. Tunic has clearly defined hem, aiding the painting. He has a small beard.
ABF9 Pictish Spearman, long coat, spear, square shield (ADA 33). Standing, spear upright, facing forwards, full beard. Tunic has deep creases, easy to create depth/highlights when painting.
ABF12 Pictish/Scots Noble, Long tunic, waving sword, buckler, cloak. Standing, sword aloft. Poor detail on legs, moulded as one. Cloak not bad, plenty of area to practice those tartans/plaids.
ABF26 Scots Irish/Pictish young noble, tunic, spear, cloak, squared shield.
ABF27 Scots warrior, trews, throwing spear, cloak, round buckler. One of the more animated figures among those purchased, bare chested, moustache, flying cloak (as in ABF12, good for tartan/plaid)
ABF29 Ulster warrior, tunic, spear, oval basket shield (AEIR 107) Standing sideways, facing front, spear over top of shield-my least favourite figure (being a moderate painter I rely somewhat on the figure to help me, but I just could not get this one to work. I was never satisfied with the shield).
ABF34 Pictish noble, long tunic, javelin overarm, "brat" cloak, buckler A somewhat chunky, hunched-over looking figure, with a very thick javelin. This looks like AEIR 105, which is a Scots Irish warrior, described as a lower ranking member of the warrior aristocracy, so I may have got the Donnington reference wrong.
ABF40 Scot, waistcoat, breeches, sword, buckler, advancing But mine had a javelin-so again I might have the ref. wrong. AEIR 106 or ADA 37.

On the whole I am not displeased, but having seen Chris' Feudal Castings pictures there are better animated figures out there.

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Last Updated: Sept. 2, 2001

Comments, suggested additions, and/or critiques welcome. Direct them to Chris Brantley at brant@erols.com.