Art: The painted illustration on the front cover depicts the German Knight against a bas relief of a battle during the Crusades. This German Knight is specifically modelled after King Adolf of Nassau, Duke of Luxemburg. King Adolf reigned from 1292-1298. As with the Knight of the Outremer, also from this series of historical figures from The Crusades, Ignite Toys tries to capture historical accuracy in this 1:6 Scale collectible action figure. The inside front cover provides a full page regarding the history of the Franks, Bavarians, Saxons, and Swabians from the 4th Century until around 1273 A.D. The synopsis provides information regarding the German Crusaders.
Headsculpt: The headsculpt is very nicely detailed. The German Knight looks like a young Darren McGavin. He has wavy bright rust colored hair and ruddy skin. The paint applications are perfectly applied to everything.
Gear: As you can expect from Ignite Toys, the weapons are made from diecast metal, and so is the amazing helmet. The last bit of gear are riding spurs with leather straps and metal buckles.
The Helmet: As you can see in the photos, it is meant to be worn with the goat mascot on top. However, the goat is affixed to the helmet by one screw and it can be removed. Without the goat, the helmet looks a lot meaner. For battle action, the German Knight looks awesome without the goat on the helmet. Apparently the goat motif was part of King Adolf's Royal Armor, so only the King probably wore it.
The Shield: As you can see from the photos, the Shield has the leather padded armrest and three leather belts to tie the arm in place. The inside of the shield also illustrates how much attention to detail has been put into this set by Ignite Toys. Look at the photos and check out the detail in the simulated wood grain and the metal grommets for the shield's simulated leather cover.
Weapons: The metal Swords are burnished and each sword has a unique engraved pommel. One sword has an elegant green scabbard, and the other one has a maroon scabbard emblazoned with the German Royal Crest. The handle has a quilted pattern. The battle mace and its wooden handle look like they might be a bit small and too thin.
Clothing: The figure has a white smock, shorts, bonnet, and black long stockings with pull-up straps. Over that is the chain-mail smock, long johns, and balaclava hood. Over that is the green smock and and double leather belt to loop the sword scabbards and battle mace. The German Knight certainly has a lot of clothing and gear!
Overall: In the flesh, this set literally shines. It is bright, detailed with precision, and it looks good. It would make an excellent display piece to be proudly displayed in anyone's collection. This German Knight is a work of art. The German Knight is pretty amazing, and would add a touch of class to any collector's home or office. The MSRP on this set is $89.99 but some online dealers have it at a lower price.
Grade: A+
