I've never tried Zvedev figures before. I purchased sets from three manufacturers for a Russian Napoleonic army project. These figures were by far the best designed, best detailed of the group. Well sculpted and animated, these are a fantastic purchase. Can't wait to paint them.

I understand that Napoleonic battles were mostly fought by two close-packed formations of soldiers, and Zvezda tries to recreate the feel of Napoleonic tactics by making rather stiff poses meant to be placed in formation. But I would have liked to see a little more variety. Of the twelve poses provided, half of them have 6 figures of the same pose. Again, I would guess this is to simulate the close-order combat of the day, but the figures look a little too much like toy soldiers. I would have liked to see some wounded figures, or some dead figures, or just some disheveled figures. The soldiers' uniforms are pristine-perfect, not a belt out of place or a coattail wrinkled. They look more like they're on a parade ground than in battle. Still, one can't really fault Zvezda for this - after all, it is the pattern of all Napoleonic figures, bar few. If these had been World War II figures, doubtless we would have seen some more interesting poses. And all this said, the figures are still of top-notch quality. Well sculpted, well proportioned, with perfectly straight rifles and no flash.