From the Comments

In Regards to not completing the Union Figures:

From Mannie Gentile:
"Very sorry to hear of this unfortunate turn of events. I'm always on the lokout for well-sculpted reenforcements and was eagerly anticipating your Union troops. I hope things developed favorably somewhere down the road. Mannie Gentile Toy Soldiers Forever!"

Believe me, I'm very sorry as well.  We were a phone call away from giving the factory the go ahead, but finally decided that it wasn't the right time.  The devil is in the details, but trust me, we're better off focusing on something else.

In Regards to the Russian Figures:

From Tom:
Great find Beau! INMO the Varangians, Scythians and Wolf-Hounds look the best. The Scythians look like potential enemies for Conte Spartans. Tom

From Anon.:
Toy Soldier Headquarters Inc - under Foreign made then Russian made 1/32, have figures that are similiar to these. Maybe contact them? If you do find a U.S. dealer please post it. Thanks.

From Anon.:
They seem to be excellent sculpts with the exception of the goofy stance on the legs and large feet (due to no bases) Also all the heads are facing front even the archers. The rifles lack detail. Maybe on the Varangians they can be cut at the legs and Conte Viking legs and bases converted on? I would buy several sets but would also prefer an American dealer to buy from.

Very Interesting Figures, and yes, I did see that Toy Soldier HQ has some for sale.  If you have never purchased from Kent at Toy Soldier HQ, I highly recommend it.  He's one of those guys that knows the hobby from way back.  Excellent dealer. 

In Regards to Custom WWI Figures:

From Tom:
I wish someone would do some decent 1/32nd WWI figures. I don't really care for the AIP figures.

From Wayne:
Totally agree. I've been wanting some 1/32 WWI Figures since I was a kid. One of the reasons I got into 1/72 scale figures was the Airfix WWI sets. I bought AIP but they just don't do it for me. Wayne, the Old All American

From Anon.
The metal figures done by the Old Northwest Trading co., I believe sculpted by Ken Osen in plastic would be awesome. I think he also sculpted the WW2 Conte G.I's. Can't go wrong with sets of Brits, French, Germans and Americans.

I take a different view on the AIP WWI figures.  While they are not done in the style that we may expect from companies, their charm lies in that they are reminiscent of the old dime store soldiers, but done in plastic.  They also cover a wide variety of topics that most makers wouldn't touch with a 139 foot pole.  But whether WWI falls into that particular category, no one will know until someone actually does it.

Ken Osen is one of my all time favorite sculptors, possibly my absolute favorite, because of the quality and the amount of work he's done.  And yes, several of those WWII sculpts were put out by Conte in plastic, but there were also a ton of German poses as well that were not done in plastic. They are (were??) available in unpainted metal kits at around $15 each from ONTC.  Great poses though!