Cretan Archer

This is the Cretan Archer that first appeared in the Miniature Figurines 72/73 catalogue as PB 14s and subsequently in the 75 catalogue as PB 14.

Both PB ranges were based on Phil Barker's books Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars and Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome. This figure is taken from illustration 14 in AMPW.

The 's' designation was used to distinguish the newer 25mm style of models from the preceding, smaller 1/72nd range. The transition was soon complete and the 's' - special - was dropped from the figure codes thereafter. 

The base is stamped PB 14 on the upper surface in the usual manner.

This simple figure stood in the ranks of many a Macedonian, Successor and Greek army throughout the 1970s, some doing sterling service for many years thereafter. Consequently, it is one of the more common finds and turns up fairly frequently on the second-hand market, often in decent numbers.

Unusually, this example still has the feed to the bottom of the bow intact, an interesting piece of mould-making technology that has survived unscathed these many years.