The REVIEW thread.

[supervike]

We get lots of news about upcoming minis, but very few actual reviews of the minis themselves. Orb just did a nice one on a Femme Militant mini, and I think it would be a helpful and fun feature for us to use more often.

The rules for this thread are simple...

If you are reviewing a mini, you HAVE to actually have that mini on hand. Tell us about the casting quality, the price, the assembly, the packaging, the size, what you plan on doing with the mini (gaming, painting scheme, etc.), Pics are not necessary, but would be nice.

Also, lets try to make it as honest and open that we can...no 'fanboy' reviews (overlooking a bad detail just because you 'love' xyz company)...

Anyone want to go first?

[Guest Eastern Front Studios]

Vikey I think that might work well..would we limit the reviews to just minis or mini related products?..for example..dragonforge resin the handpainted rpg components used with minis.

[Duende]

Ok, maybe this thread should start with the most obvious and fitting to begin...

Wyrd Miniatures!

So far my collection includes Bishop, Viktoria, Taelor, Misaki, Pandora, Living Impaired, and Apparitions.

So far, I've been really impressed with the casting quality, flash and seams are pretty minimal and easy to clean up. Minis that come in multiple parts fit together well so there's no groaning over parts that just don't seem to mesh together like they should.

The metal is good quality, and has stood up to some inadvertent abuse (ok I dropped one.... a few times) and he managed not to break or bend. I think that is a very good point since I've gotten turned off to many Confrontation figures because of the flimsy metal that frequently breaks under little pressure.

Also, being cast at 32mm scale makes them slightly bigger than the average Reaper mini, which I do prefer, easier on the eyes, both mine (I don't have to squint so much) and theirs (bigger eyes easier to paint).

Sculpting quality is very good, the figures are well-proportioned and not so plain to be boring and not going overboard on detail either. My only gripe in that area is the propensity for multiple straps on the arms and legs of some of them. The rules seems that if they must have a strap on thier outfit, then they should have a million of them!

Also, most are on slotta bases which makes them easy to re-base for dioramas or any other special base (all of mine are, except for Misaki who has pegged feet). None of the infamous Reaper-style broccoli bases to gripe over.

The packaging has also improved recently, with the minis now coming in clamshells with Wyrd info card, which I find preferable to something like blister cards (like Reaper) since I can use the clamshells to hold my flocking materials.

The price is also a good value per dollar and I've never had a problem with the service buying directly from the site.

Overall, I'd recommend them to anybody. Unique designs, the steampunk-style makes them easy to fit into sci-fi or fantasy scenarios, and great sculpting and casting... I'd recommend them to anybody here.

Ok, vike, there you go! I'll admit I may be slightly biased considering the site I'm posting on, but I tried to be as honest as possible. Any other opinions?

[vincegamer]

I'll agree on the Wyrd minis but with one caveat.

The only 2 I have are Taelor and Vasili.

Taelor is great.

My only negative comment on Vasili is that his hands are tiny and fiddly.

It was nice to be able to position them individually, but they were hard to glue and kept popping off. I finally drilled them, but they were so small the drill bit poked through. Nice option, but I don't think it was worth it.

[supervike]

@Mick...any reviews of stuff of interest to gamers, modellers, and painters would be cool and fun.

@Duende....great start! Only fitting to have a Wyrd review to kick things off proper like.

Ok, I'll give my first review as well.

28mm Drantakhs from Regiment Games

I was looking for some gun toting alien types and stumbled across the Drantakhs from Regiment Games. They are sculpted by long time industry favorite Bob Olley.

First of all, they had a 'special' deal when I ordered...if you ordered a pack of 'four' you also got the squad leader mini for free. I ordered two packs of four (one pack light armor, one pack heavy armor) and so ended up with 10 minis for 30 bucks (and that was including postage!!)....so I feel I got very good value.

Size wize, the minis fit perfectly well into my existing lineup of misfits....They look good standing next to everthing from Alpha Forge to Wyrd, so I am happy about the size.

The castings were bright and clean, with very little if any flash or seam lines. Clean up was a breeze with these guys and much appreciated, as that is my least favorite mini activity. The sculpts are well detailed, the camel-like alien faces are neat, and the weaponry and armor are all very convincing.

They do come on integrated bases, which I hate. Luckily, all but the 'running' one fit nicely onto a round standard size base. I attached them to the base, and used a bit of putty to hide the presculpted base. I'll just need to clip the running ones base back before I do that.

A slight complaint, the two packs I recieved, the 'heavy' and the 'light' are actually the same poses, just with the armor added on the heavy. So, of the 10 minis I have, there are 5 different poses, (the four you see below, plus the squad leader) and then the poses are repeated with heavy armor. I suppose this is ok with gamers, but as a painter I'd prefer not to have repeating poses. Still, its just a minor point.

These little fellows would work great for a diorama or a raiding party in a variety of sci-fi games. I have not decided exactly how I will paint them, although I am leaning towards black leather, and realistic looking armor.

I have to say that for the price and quality of the sculpts I would highly recommend these to anyone looking for a little alien sci-fi action.

Here is a pic from the website:

heavies:

[Nathan Caroland]

Also, being cast at 32mm scale makes them slightly bigger than the average Reaper mini, which I do prefer, easier on the eyes, both mine (I don't have to squint so much) and theirs (bigger eyes easier to paint).

I am curious if this is a general feeling here about the size as generally, I find that all of the Reaper I have are actually of the same size or larger than a goodly portion of the Wyrd stuff, though there are obviously exceptions as there some older ones that I have that are smaller as well. Of course, I might have just managed to buy all the bigger ones of Reaper out of a personal gravitation towards the size so ...

But thank you all the same. And yes, the hands on Vasyl are fiddly, along with Viktoria if I'm completely honest. It is something that we've since changed in our later releases as we heard loud and clear about that.

[vincegamer]

well, it did make giving him a bowling ball easier in some respects, but cutting and filing his fingers was a pain because there was no good way to hold the hand still while working on it.

As to size, Reaper has 2 classes of fantasy figs: Dark Heaven and Warlords.

One tends to be larger than the other, though I can't recall which.

I don't actually have any reaper minis I can think of so I can't compare.

[supervike]

Warlords are on the whole, slightly larger than the Dark Heaven line.

The Wyrd women have a petite look to them (not as petite as the Hasslefree ones) but this works very well for the overall look of the rest of my minis.

[Nathan Caroland]

Thank you.

Now, back to the reviews (and a good one you had there Jim).

I'm curious what folks think of some of the other lines out there, what they do right, wrong, etc. Very interesting thread for me to be honest.

[gi6ers]

OK then, If we're all having a go..

Bob Olley - Scrunts, Texan Scrunts and Scrunties, Gravestones, and Scenery:

Bought direct, Bob and Jackie are very polite and even faster to deliver than hasslefree.

Good clean sculpts with minimal mould lines, the newer lines come with slotta-bases, some of the older scrunts come with integrated bases. The multi-part minis all had interchangeable arms so you can mix and match to a certain extent.

The gravestones and scenery bits are spot on for 28-32mm sculpts, lots of detail such as flowers growing on the gravestones, I've bought gravestones from 5 manufacturers and these are easily the most detailed.

Bob has a very distinctive style of sculpting that suits all levels of painters and the sculpts themselves are well worth the (low) price.

[Hinton]

Well, as far as miniatures go, I can only comment on Reaper's Dark Heaven Legends line since that's the only kind I've bought. It's nothing against any other companies, but they were the first site I came across so I've just kind of stuck with them. I'll probably be picking up some from Wyrd before too much longer.

For the most part, Reaper does have some pretty decent miniatures by some great sculpters. I like Klocke's sculpts as well as some of Garrity's. No real problems with excessive flash/mold lines (although there have been a couple...). Reaper has been great as far as customer service and I haven't run into any delivery problems.

They do have a pretty wide selection of minis that can be used to fit into just about any category, whether it's fantasy or sci-fi. Although their CAV and Warlord lines are pretty specific, they could still be used in other settings.

Their Master Series Paints are outstanding. They come with flow improver already included in them and are available in triads: shadow/base/highlight. This makes it much easier to determine color selection and takes away some of the guesswork; this can be especially helpful for those new to the hobby. The MSPs come in dropper bottles and there is a bit of a debate over which is better: paint pots or dropper bottles. Personally, I use both and don't really have a preference.

I've received a couple of their brushes that I wasn't overly happy with. It may have been a bad batch, but the ferrules came right off the handle. With one of them I hadn't even used it yet; I just picked it up and the ferrule fell right off.

They also have their Learn to Paint Kits which are not only a great place for those new to the hobby to start at, but they're also a great value. You get two minis and a bunch of paints for about $25.00 (USD). In addition, the instructions were written by Anne Foerster, an award-winning painter. The instructions could be a bit better and more detailed, but I believe they are currently working on improving them.

My one "complaint" would be the infamous broccoli bases; I hate those things. I don't have the tools (yet) to remove them, so I've had to either just paint them or find some way to cover them up. Some of the more recent minis (3100's) have moved away from those bases.

Overall, Reaper is pretty good.

[gi6ers]

I like reaper sculpts although they do have a good amount of duds, I'd disagreee about mould lines and miscasts, especially on the older stuff, I've had a few bad castings with excessive mould lines but overall they produce a good line with some very innovative sculpts - Wereshark for example.

I buy from the UK, often these are cast over here and so this is probably aimed more at the UK vendors.

[callumrice]

Why do people avoid GW models?

Ill do a quick review on some new Eldar models then.

I was not a keen fan of GW of old, their models had too many mould lines, not enough detail and generally were not of the outstanding quality their prices demanded. Now though, I find GW/citadel minis MUCH more professional. The detail in the models these days are great, mainly in the new lines. I have the striking scorpions boxed set and understandably people are put off by the £18 price tag for 6 models but before I have even started painting them I find the models fascinating, as far as sculpts go. There seem to be no casting issues, no/very slight mould lines and general prep of the model takes no time at all.

I see a lot of models, especially on this forum, where the principle behind the model is great (a woman blood bowl team for example) but the models, although ok, lack the "punch" the newer lines Citadel minis are producing.

I understand people are not a fan of their prices, their policies, their profit making etc, but to me their models are the pinnacle of what model making/sculpting should be. I would much rather spend £18 on six awesome models that actually get me excited about painting them than buying mediocre models that Im not too fussed about, just to say that I own them.

Get the guns loaded then and shoot me down!:ahhhhh:

[lauth81]

I see a lot of models, especially on this forum, where the principle behind the model is great (a woman blood bowl team for example) but the models, although ok, lack the "punch" the newer lines Citadel minis are producing.

I guess you refer to the Wicked Elves team from Shadowforge. I got it and I like them. I even planned to do a review in here in the next few days, with some pictures of my paintjob so far.

I don´t play Warhammer Fantasy Battles, I don´t play W40k, for me it´s only Blood Bowl. And there´s the problem: The BB models (except for the new human team) are from the "old mold" (literally: most sculpts are from the early 90s). They lack what the newer GW minis might have. Look at the official Chaos or Wood Elves teams for example. Boring poses, few variations (normally you get 4-6 different models for a GW team).

The GW policy of very low support (2 releases per year for BB, Necromunda, BFG, Inquistor and Warmaster -> every other year one release for YOUR preferred system) for the so called range of "specialist games" gets really out of whack if you consider the recent release of new rules for BB (Living Rulebook 5). There are new teams and new types of players, and for some you can´t find an official GW mini for (Ulfwernerer anybody?), unless you start some converting and not everybody can or wants to do that (most BB players I know aren´t much into painting). And ironically GW insists of only using their models in the 4 official tournaments.

The talk out there is about a new box set for BB in 2007 with a new set of dwarven models in it. Keep your fingers crossed ...

As long as GW doesn´t support his "specialist" games, others will step in and produce minis for BB. Shadowforge, Impact!, Heresy and others produce the models wanted by the market, GW doesn´t.

On a side note, IMHO, GW made a huge step backwards with the new releases for WHFB (Battle for Skull Pass box). Look at the night goblins for example: Not as customizable as the edition before, smaller, less defined. I converted a night goblin regiment of the old edition into a BB team, which was fun, I´ve got 16 unique and different models out of it. No way I could do that with the new sprue.

And as far as I can see, there´s not much difference between the new and the old Eldar. (Eldar are the one faction that almost brought me into playing 40k, I like the models)

[gi6ers]

Get the guns loaded then and shoot me down!:ahhhhh:

Don't have anything against GW, they got me and a LOT of other people into the hobby. If I don't like the price of something, I just don't buy it.

Let's not have an anti-GW rant please, it's REALLY dull and it happens on every other forum.

[callumrice]

I understand your points lauth81, but most of them are the GAMING aspect, I was referring to the quality of the models. Agreed with the battle for skull pass, somethin has went seriously wrong with the dwarfs, absolutely no detail or character at all, but I wasnt referring to them. I was mainly talking about the new eldar models, of which there are great differences between the old and new models. A lot of people make judgement on this when they do not actually have the models to hand. The difference in the striking scorpions is subtle, but only if you have the models to hand you will note that they look considerably meaner, more agressive and all round a much cleaner model. An amazing revamp if you ask me.

[callumrice]

and agreed gi6ers! :-)

[Duende]

I understand your points lauth81, but most of them are the GAMING aspect...

That's one of the reason why I don't get GW anymore. Yes, I agree the quality of many of the sculpts has improved over the years, but they are catering more to gamers than painters. As callumrice said, you can get a box of 6 models, but I'm not interested in 6 models of (basicly) the same mini in different poses. I like finding the really intriguing individual that I want to paint for the pleasure of painting, not gaming. But since it seems the most interesting individuals are usually some sort of HQ model, it's priced nearly 2-3 times the cost of a similiar sized mini by any other company (generally speaking). Now that GW also seems to be phasing out thier blisters in favor of boxed sets (see the CMON thread), it really doesn't do anything to make me any happier with them.

Granted, it was GW minis that first got me into mini painting, the first minis I ever got to paint were Eldar Swooping Hawks, and I briefly had a sizable Eldar army, but I don't game (no local GW stores and I didn't enjoy it anyway), I've had my fill of painting squads and want to concentrate on single models. I think GW is a good resource for gamers and new painters, but are a poor source for people who paint only.

So that's my feelings for GW, I don't hate them, but I don't like their gamer-centric attitude. Sure, they've been producing better quality stuff, but since I don't need an army, I'll take my money elsewhere.

:girl:

[callumrice]

Fair points Duende, I aint trying to sway anyones thoughts on GW, I just thought that since we were reviewing models that it wouldnt seem fit if there were no GW reviews.

[Ritual]

I just recevied a small package from Hasslefree today containing THIS little beauty and I thought I'd do a little quick review of it.

Artemis is a 40 mm resin miniature sculpted by Kev White (of course). It comes with a sculpted resin base and is in two parts plus a sword sheath (not counting the base). It's more expensive than the ordinary HF minis due to being cast in resin (£7.50 on pre-order... probably £8 once the normal price has been set), but compared to the same-sized John Blanche minis (£15 each) they are a bargain. She is also available in a white resin version made in a very special resin variety with a completely opaque white porcelain finish. This one costs a bit more, but still way below the Blanche minis. The purpose of this version is for those who don't want to paint theirs but only have the mini itself as a display piece.

The sculpt is one of Kev's best so far, IMO, and that's saying a lot. The cast is also extremely good and shows none of the defects that can regularly be found on ForgeWorld or Ilyad resin casts. No visible air bubbles and hardly any traces of mould lines.

The slightly larger size and beautiful design of this mini makes it a perfect miniature for a really classy paintjob, if you're feeling like putting a bit of extra effort into something.

HF's customer service is legendary, but this time it took a bit longer to get the mini. This was due to an overwhelming response to Artemis, clearing out the complete stock in four days. When the mini arrived it came with a few pieces of candy and a personal note from Sally! No complaints here!

[gi6ers]

While we are on the subject of the mighty Hasslefree, got this through the post this week: Link

He's a metal version of the resin they released earlier this year. Mould lines are minimal and the mini is probably the most detailed bit of lead I've ever bought. Sculpted by Tom Meier and far too cheap at £3.30.

[supervike]

I've had this little fella for a while, but just got around to assembling him...

Thats the studio image.

First of all, the infinity minis are much more delicate and small than I thought they would be. It is very well sculpted, and the cast is almost perfect. I really had to search for seam lines. I didn't care for the teeny arms, since I had to assemble them... I don't completely understand the requirements for casting, but it seems that one of the arms could have been precast attached. The small arms, and even smaller area to attach them made for some fiddly and frustrating work.

The pieces fit well, and I shouldn't have to do any gap filling before priming.

The mini also came with a neat looking automatic rifle of some sort, although I don't see where it goes on the mini. I'll happily use it as a bit for something else. The base that comes with it is the cheap-o standard kind...I much prefer the more premium raised rim base like Wyrd or Dark Age uses, especially considering the price of the mini... I paid $8.50 for it, and that was at a discount from the War Store. Infinity's pricing is almost insulting, and I have to admit, it is the reason I haven't bought more of them...

The figure itself is a futuristic ninja, but could fit in many different applications, from Sci Fi games, to a modern commando, and even a fantasy setting for not so picky gamers.

I cannot recommend the mini to a casual mini buyer, mostly because of the cost and the fiddly bits, but more serious collectors and modelers might be able to ignore the price.

[vincegamer]

That looks like a cool mini, but yeah, I couldn't stomach the cost.

Okay, I'll do a review of some minis I bought but haven't yet painted.

BIG CITY PD

by Tactical Miniatures

They are the same scale as the mass of stuff out there, though they seem smaller (I got Kage Dar at the same time and the cop with pistol is exactly the same height).

I think it's because they aren't bulked out. They have fairly realistic proportions for people who are fit but not weight-lifters.

The detail is really very good. Each one has a distinct face and hair style. Each has a pistol, flashlight, handcuffs, hand radio and extra ammo clip on the belt.

The chevrons and shields are sculpted on the shoulders, which makes it easier to paint but isn't really a good thing in my mind because I prefer to freehand.

There are mold lines and some minimal flash. The lines are small though and should file easily. On the lunging cop it runs down the center of his face, which is unfortunate, but still filable.

Overall I am really pleased with them, and will be painting them up soon. My sister is trying to be a cop so if she gets in, I'll paint the female cop and give it to her.

[supervike]

Hi me again, your friendly neighborhood supervike.

I've a new mini I'd like to review, its the wardroid 1 from Pig Iron Productions:

Thats the pic right from their website....

First of all, I've had this little fella for some time...but I just assembled and cleaned him, and here is what I thought.

Its a very blocky armored robot figure, so cleanup is very tedious. There were mold lines, which is not a big deal, but because of the figures blockiness, the mold lines were only a couple millimenters long, and then you had to change direction, repeat...If it were just one mold line on a smooth leg for instance, one or two quick sweeps would clean it.

The figure comes with a metal sprue, which contained the arms, weaponry, and head. The arms went together with ease, because of a nice peg and groove design. The assembly was a snap.

The weaponry is also very blocky but has a cool overall look. You have the option of using the metal hand or the other gun, (both included) but I like the fist best, so thats what I used.

The one part that I probably won't use, is the head. It too is done in the blocky style, but it makes the whole mini appear like a high school science project....I haven't attached any head yet, but I think even a plain skull would be an improvement. It makes me think of that terrible 80's movie..."Short Circuit" I think...."number 5 is ALIVE!" blah.

Another quibble I have is that a base is NOT included with the mini. That seems a bit odd to me...especially since there are pegs on the bottoms of his feet to be mounted on a base.

Price wise. I noticed the going price is now $12.99. I believe I paid under 10 bucks when i got him, but still, that seems a bit high for a figure that is only a little larger than an 'averaged' sized 30mm human.

The figure would work in many different sci-fi games. I plan on using him as part of my 'Cyborg' army for Alpha Forge.

Once again, I can't say I highly recommend this figure. The price and the terrible head (and lack of a base) make it iffy at best. Unfortunately, it is my only Pig Iron mini, but I don't think you should judge the company by one lackluster mini.

Check out Pig Irons website...they have a bunch of GREAT looking futuristic soldiers and Tanks... http://www.pig-iron-productions.com/index.htm

Also, now they do have a Wardroid 2, and better yet a CONVERSION pack for both Wardroids. That pack has great looking heads and weapons allowing one to upgrade to a much cooler mini. But, do I want to pay another 12.99 for the conversion pack?

The jury is still out on Pig Iron.

[witchfire]

i got that droid too

i tought they just forgot the base in my order

but it seem there is never one & that is weird

considering the peg under the feet