Reviews

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model – Review

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Today Benathai paid me a visit and showed me one of the latest products from Games Workshop’s Citadel Finecast range: The 25th Anniversary Space Marine. Review of this model may be of interest to some of you, so I decided to share my impressions from unboxing this miniature.

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review

25th Anniversary Space Marines Captain

So far it’s been the best Finecast model I’ve seen, and Benathai’s opinion is exactly the same.

The model was created to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Warhammer 40.000, so the inspiration with nostalgic memories of the beginnings of this system is tangible. And that is great! I join the choir of sentimental voices from the miniature painting and gaming community, as the RPG-like character of scenarios from the first edition of Warhammer 40.000, also known as Rogue Trader, was a great approach to miniature wargaming and it emphasized the fluff of that universe. This is also reflected in artwork from that period, which put much emphasis on individual character of depicted personalities.

The company managed to hit a soft spot with this model and approach, and in my humble opinion this way they managed to reach the target group of not only gamers but also collectors and miniature painters, because the models – even if based on early Warhammer 40K artwork – stand up to current standards of the industry. And it must be said that the models faithfully represent the characters depicted. If you haven’t had a chance to compare them, here you go:

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (4)

There’s also another model based on an iconic artwork from the past – Games Day 2012 special miniature based on the cover of 2nd edition of Warhammer 40.000. (I hope to be able to get this one ^^ – leave some for me!)

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (5)

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (6)

Ok, let me return to describing what I expect to be another collection of air bubbles trapped in resin.

Close examination

In order to prepare our 25th Anniversary Space Marine review, we took the miniature under magnifying glass (ok, not quite, but two pairs of eyes scanned the miniature for flaws carefully in strong light). And here’s what surprised us:

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (2)

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (3)

A decent package – the box is one of those that protect the model inside, so no parts of the miniature were broken.

Quality of the box and print cannot be called anything but good. It opens like a book revealing photos depicting a painted version of the model.

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (4)

So the first impression was a very pleasantly surprise that the sprue isn’t deformed as much as I would have expected after my first experience with Finecast models. Was it a good omen?

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (1)

We spotted mould lines in a few places:

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Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (10)

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (11)

Will you agree they don’t look all that bad? The one running along the banner is the worst of them, but fortunately it’s not a bad place and should be easy to fix. Mould lines on the marine were going in pretty acceptable places and fortunately all of them were shallow.

The only thing that I would like to mention as a negative surprise was the amount of flash, seen for example on the backpack.

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (12)

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (13)

Also the scenic base insert was slightly warped. Nothing that wouldn’t be easily fixed, but it should be mentioned nonetheless.

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Hunt for bubbles

It’s time to take a closer look to those infamous air bubbles:

Warhammer 40.000 25th Anniversary Space Marine model - review (14)

Did you see what we saw? Is it a kind of magic? Can Finecast models really look unlike foam?!

The few holes we found were completely compensated for with the quality of the sculpt. The surface is smooth. And have you paid attention to these shoulderpads and leg plates? Details are crisp, clean and sharp.

Benathai commened that “these are self-painting details” – and I think he’s quite right 😉 These are difficult times for professional painters, as with such models it suffices to learn to use washes for detailing and even inexperienced painters will achieve good results. 😛

Conclusion of our 25th Anniversary Space Marine review

How positively surprised we are with this model! Is this a sign of improvement of quality of Finecast models? I wish! Unfortunately I am afraid it may be too early to announce such positive changes, because we might be simply lucky with our miniature. Examples seen in the internet seem to confirm my doubts.

So far it’s been the best Finecast model I’ve seen, and Benathai’s opinion is exactly the same. Hasn’t it been for the photos of less fortunate castings we’ve seen in the internet, we would believe it’s a moment that Citadel Finecast models begin to live up to their name.

We’re going to have another example of this model soon, so I hope it won’t disappoint us and our expectations are not too high. Of course we will inform you about it.

Reviews

Privateer Press plastic Warpwolf – Review

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A while ago Privateer Press announced that they would introduce plastic figures into their miniature range to counter the ever-increasing price of metal. Nowadays Privateer Press has a nice selection of plastic figs and as one of those figs is the new Hordes plastic Warpwolf – review was in order.

Privateer Press Plastic Warpwolf Review (1)

This set contains enough components to build one of three warpwolves. The advised retail price is $34,99.

What’s in the box?

Upon opening the box I find all part of the warbeast sealed in a plastic, with the stat cards nicely tucked away in a small recess on the bottom of the box.

Privateer Press Plastic Warpwolf Review (2)

Our plastic Warpwolf review needs a detalied rundown of the contents of that little bag, which are:

  • 3 different heads, one for each class of warpwolf
  • 3 left arms and 3 right arms
  • 2 left hands and 2 right hands
  • Torso and pelvis area
  • A pair of legs
  • A tail
  • Round 50mm base
  • stat cards.

Privateer Press Plastic Warpwolf Review (3)

Upon first inspection the pieces look good. The quality of the cast is good. There is a nice amount of details and a bit of variation between the pieces. Every piece has a little peg to fit in a corresponding hole on the body. They fit with no gaps, but you can see where the parts come together, so I needs a bit of putty to make those areas nice and smooth.

Privateer Press Plastic Warpwolf Review (4)

Privateer Press Plastic Warpwolf Review (5)

Privateer Press Plastic Warpwolf Review (6)

Privateer Press Plastic Warpwolf Review (7)

When I look a bit closer to the individual pieces I can find no air bubbles, no heavy flash and little to no moldlines.

A big plus is that the moldlines are on easy to reach places and not crossing or obscuring small details. The heaviest moldline in my case was one crossing the torso and it was easily removed using a sharp knife.

Privateer Press Plastic Warpwolf Review (9)

A special note for gamers

There is a possibility to magnetize this kit, but it’s not as easy as on the plastic warjack kits. The pegs and holes have an odd shape and you might need to file down and cut a bit in order to get a magnet in. The best idea is probably to choose a set of arms which you like best and only magnetize the heads and hands. Keep in mind when magnetizing that the fit of each part is not completely seamless. You will be able to see where the different parts come together.

Conclusion of my plastic Warpwolf review

After the Khador warjack kit, this is only my second plastic kit from Privateer Press and I’m pleasantly surprised by the overall quality. It has definitely improved since the warjack kits and it shows that PP puts in some effort to create a good product.

I like the sculpt as well. It’s personal taste of course but compared to the old models I think the different models in this kit are quite an improvement.

Now that you have read my plastic Warpwolf review you must be wondering would I recommend this model? Yes, to both painters and gamers. It is a good-looking fig of good quality with a nice mix of details. It’s easy to assemble and doesn’t require much work in the way of cleaning.

Good job Privateer Press!

Reviews

Brushes review: Winsor Newton series 7 vs Rosemary and Co

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I’ve been using brushes from Winsor & Newton series 7 for over two years now. I think it’s a good time for me to write a brushes review.
In fact it’s been the same lot of brushes all this time, and that’s quite big thing, that they have lasted so long and kept a really good shape. I guess it’s one of the best recommendations I can give to the Winsor & Newton brushes, especially because I don’t really treat them too good….

Unfortunately though, nothing lasts forever, and I’ve noticed recently that my brushes are dying on me slowly, losing the shape and point. So I was forced to buy new ones. And because I like to experiment a bit from time to time, I decided to give a try to Rosemary & Co brushes series 33. I read a lot of good stuff about them and they are fairly cheap compared to Winsor & Newton series 7, and way more easily available in the UK than Raphael brushes, so I thought, “why not”?

I received them a few days ago and already had a chance to try them. I’m still not sure yet if I’m gonna love them or hate them, but because I know that choosing a right brush is very personal thing and things that aren’t working for me could be awesome for someone else, I’m not gonna judge here, instead I’ll try compare both sets I have in hand.

The competitors

Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sabre.

Size: 00, 0 and 1

Winsor & Newton website.

Brushes review: Winsor & Newton series 7 vs Rosemary & Co. (1)

Hand made brushes for water colour & gouache. Known in our miniature world as one of the best, Winsor & Newton made quite an effort to describe them for us in detail, so I’ll just show you some links: Here’s a short description of Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable brushes and here you can find a description of making Winsor & Newton Series 7 Brushes.

Winsor & Newton series 7 brushes come in two series: standard and miniature, the difference between them is the size of brush head, miniature are shorter and I prefer those, but like I said, this is a very personal view.

Rosemary & Co Pure Kolinsky Sabre, Series 33 Pure Kolinsky Pointed

Size: 00, 0 and 1

Rosemary & Co website

Brushes review: Winsor & Newton series 7 vs Rosemary & Co. (2)

There is not as much detailed information about these brushes, but as the manufacturer states, they are also handmade from the finest Kolinsky hair.

I read that for miniature painting two series are the best: Series 33 Pointed and Series 22 Designer. I decided to buy Series 33.

Ok, time for some actual comparison

On the picture below you can find accordingly from the top: W&N series7 and Rosemary & Co size 00, 0 and 1 (the top brush met my cat at some point and you can see how lucky I was that Mr Bombel decided to eat the rear end of the brush).

Brushes review: Winsor & Newton series 7 vs Rosemary & Co. (3)

As you can see the Rosemary & Co brushes have slightly shorter handle and visibly longer brush head (all of my brushes are short handle, but then Winsor & Newton only comes like this, with Rosemary & Co for an extra few pennies, you can choose a longer handle).

The difference in the shape of brush heads is even more visible on the close up below:

Brushes review: Winsor & Newton series 7 vs Rosemary & Co. (4)
From left hand side: R&C 1,W&N 1, R&C 0, W&N 0, R&C 00 and W&N 00.

W&N series 7 (miniature I believe) are more triangular in shape, significantly shorter, and seem a bit more solid, but still pointy at the end (remember I’ve been using them for over two years!). Rosemary & Co are slimmer and longer, and thanks to that seem to be a bit bigger than the equivalent from Winsor & Newton7. It’s especially visible with size 00.

When it comes to painting, the longer hair in the Rosemary & Co brush seems to be softer than Winsor & Newton7 head, and gives you different level of precision (it’s hard to say if it’s better or worse – just different).

I understand that sizes can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and everyone needs to choose sizes that fit them best within every range, but I guess the pictures of brush heads will give you some ideas what you can expect:

Brushes review: Winsor & Newton series 7 vs Rosemary & Co. (5)
Size 1
Brushes review: Winsor & Newton series 7 vs Rosemary & Co. (6)
Size 0
Brushes review: Winsor & Newton series 7 vs Rosemary & Co. (7)
Size 00

Brushes review: conclusion

I can’t judge the endurance of Rosemary & Co brushes so far (ask me in two years), and I can’t tell you what’s good for you when it comes to the shape of the brush head, so there is no conclusion as such:)

I can only tell you that for me, I’m more comfortable with the shorter hair, so I’m probably gonna buy a new set of Winsor & Newton series 7 pretty soon (with maybe extra brush or two – size 2 or 3, for larger scale miniatures). It’s absolutely not because Rosemary & Co are worse brushes, they’re just not for me. However, if you prefer longer hair then these might be the brushes for you.

At this point, the only thing I can think of that Rosemary & Co brushes may be better at than Winsor & Newton series 7 for me personally, might be freehands. They gather more paint in them (due to their shape), so they should allow longer strokes between refilling paint. But at the moment it’s just speculation, I haven’t tried them this way yet.

I hope this short article will help you make a more conscious decision when it comes to buying new brushes, especially if you need to buy them online, without checking how they feel in your hand. If you have any comments about the differences between these brushes or your favourite ones, please share with us, so we can all learn more.

Cheers

— ‘eM

Events, Reviews

Warploque Miniatures: Jebzakkah B’Ork – Review

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WWarploque Miniatures is a new company and it’s all backed up by one man: Alex Huntley, a multi-talented, 18 year old arts student from the UK. His skill hasn’t gone unnoticed in the industry, he already has some commercial releases under his belt, including one of Maelstrom Games’ epic Banebeasts. Definitely a name to remember!

Funding the project

Warploque Miniatures gets its funding from kickstarter projects. Before sending the sculpts to the caster Alex wants some money in his pocket, which is quite understandable for a young guy like him. Currently there’s a kickstarter project running for his second wave of Swamp Orcs. If you are interested in supporting Warploque Miniatures please check out the Ulule (a Kickstarter variant) page here: https://www.ulule.com/cast-up-the-bayourks/, thanks!

His own line is a mix of monster sized figures: trolls, a dragon and a giant, and some smaller ones: halflings, boglings. Apart from his zombie pirate line there are also some orcs, of which I will be reviewing one today. All of the sculpts are full of character and very unique.

This model’s full name is Jebzakkah B’Ork – Bayourk Chieftain, and it’s one of the bulkier sculpts in the current Orc line. For a fair 10 GBP you get this one-piece resin cast:

Photo: Warploque Miniatures: Jebzakkah B'Ork - Review (1)

Photo: Warploque Miniatures: Jebzakkah B'Ork - Review (2)

Resin quality and casting

With Finecast still fresh in our memory it is understandable that some people fear this medium. But rest assured, this is the good variety of the stuff 🙂 The casting has been outsourced to Nottingham-based Black Dragon Castings, a company which I never heard of but they certainly know how to do their thing. A flat tab at the bottom connects to only a few vents which easily snap off the main model. No big deal really. The mold lines on the model itself are a bit hard to find but not very prominent and easy to clean. The resin used is very sturdy, the casting is faultless, no bubbles, gaps, etc.

The sharpness of this cast is probably a bit too good for this sculpt. Where the character and the sculpt is very well done, you will notice that it is created by a sculptor which is only doing this for a few years. The detailing is quite rough and bulky, and some parts, like the pants, really look like a slab of putty put onto the main body and modeled into shape with a sculpting tool.

Photo: Warploque Miniatures: Jebzakkah B'Ork - Review (3)

But at the same time I think this is where the strength of this model lies. There’s no arguing about it: this model is targeted towards gamers, not showcase level painters. The big details make it easy to paint, and if you’re a bit more skillful with the brush you will get nice big surfaces, like the skin, pants, hat, to work on your blending. All in all it’s a very rewarding model to paint.

Photo: Warploque Miniatures: Jebzakkah B'Ork - Review (4)

Gamer says…

This brings me to another point of criticism: a gamer wants to glue down his model on the base and start painting (or even gaming) right away. But the problem here is that there’s no base supplied with the model. For most painters this isn’t a problem since they probably have a large stock of unused bases. But I can imagine that some people will be surprised to see there’s no base with the miniature (especially those large monster bases). I used a 40mm square Rackham base.

Photo: Warploque Miniatures: Jebzakkah B'Ork - Review (5)

painted by Gerrie 'Corvus' Schenck

I would like to conclude that there really isn’t any excuse not to buy this figure if you’re looking for an Orc in your army or for your roleplaying game. The sculpting work can be improved (and it will improve over time) but like I already said this isn’t really a problem when you’re looking for an easy to paint model.

Photo: Warploque Miniatures: Jebzakkah B'Ork - Review (6)

painted by Gerrie 'Corvus' Schenck
Reviews

Games Workshop: FineCast Jabberslythe – Review

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Jabberslythe is a brand new Games Workshop model following the “We-need-big-monsters” trend assumed some time ago by that company. It was released as a part of their (in)famous Finecast range of resin miniatures.

Photo: FineCast Jabberslythe - Review

FineCast or not so fine cast?

This huge beast, barely fitting the 100 x 50 mm base it comes with, is packed in the standard GW box. Its size is also well reflected in pricing. You can buy Jabberslythe for 40 GBP (66 USD, 52 €). For that price you will get 14 pieces requiring cleaning and assembly; and a plastic rectangular base. These bits are of course attached to few sprues. Frankly speaking, all the stories about quality of Finecast models caused that I was pretty nervous while checking my copy of Jabberslythe. After all, that’s a lot of money I paid for it. The first quick look was actually pretty reassuring, but then I’ve started to check every single piece.

Photo: FineCast Jabberslythe - Review

As you can see, there are no problems with the cast. Bits are clean, details quite crisp, no air bubbles. What happened to the frame though?

Photo: FineCast Jabberslythe - Review

It’s so heavily deformed, that in few cases resin bits connecting elements within the sprue were broken. I’m pretty sure that all this had an impact on shape of individual pieces. We’ll get back to it later. Another frame, another issue. Lots of flash requiring cutting off. Nothing really problematic, but it will add some time during preparation of the mini for painting.

Photo: FineCast Jabberslythe - Review

More examples of deformed frames and flash:

Photo: FineCast Jabberslythe - Review

Photo: FineCast Jabberslythe - Review

There are not many mould lines, but some of them will be annoying to remove, especially one across teeth of the beast. I haven’t seen any air bubbles on bigger surfaces, but it is really clear that GW has problems with smaller, thinner elements.

Photo: FineCast Jabberslythe - Review

You can see that spikes are cast poorly. Such imperfection could be found on almost every similar piece of this model. My first thought was that this is not a real problem, as it is a chaos monster. Casting mistakes like broken spikes can easily by justified or hidden (e.g. air bubble is a wound leaking with blood). What would happen though if I bought a slick eldar tank or elven mage? I guess I wouldn’t be too happy in such case. After checking quality of the cast I tried to fit few elements. There are several pieces with pegs or slots which should make assembly easy.

Photo: FineCast Jabberslythe - Review

It should, but it doesn’t. Gaps between different parts are sometimes extremely wide. I wonder if deformations shown above contributed to this problem.

Photo: FineCast Jabberslythe - Review

Man, you will need a lot of putty to fill these! Many companies already proved that you actually can cast a multi-part model which requires just a minimal amount of gap filling. GW, please, ask them how to do it or at least add some green stuff to every box!

Photo: FineCast Jabberslythe - Review

The sculpt itself is nothing special. I usually like big monsters, and this one is no exception, but some of the painters may be looking for something more… sophisticated. On the other hand, it’s a model provided for gamers and it will sure look impressive on the gaming table.

Jabberslythe review: conclusion

So, do I recommend this model? Well, if you’re not a gamer, there are more interesting alternatives for your collection on the market. If you’re a gamer (with a WFB Beastmen army) you’ll probably get this one no matter what I’ve written here.

As a final word I’d like to repeat my request: GW, get to work and improve the quality!

— Nameless