The dwarf is in da house

As some of you might noticed, I stopped doing reviews here on blog a while ago (circa 2 years...), the reason being, that I started doing reviews for Figure Painter Magazine, and simply didn't have enough material for reviews. But with this little beauty, and the company that made it, being covered not long ago in one of the issues, I decided to do a short review here. I'm not sure if I'll be doing them here too often, but I'll at least try to do it once in a while.

The company that made this beautiful bust is Spira Mirabilis and you can find them on Facebook.
As you can see the box is pretty awesome, with the seal and all. And hay used to line the box for protection suits both the box and the subject.

The bust is sculpted by Lucas Pina in scale 1:12. And as many other cool pieces recently it is a Limited Edition of 300 copies (with mine No. 42)
The cast is almost primer ready... I seriously couldn't find a single mould line or other issue, and I say almost only because I had to remove this small bar of resin underneath. Other than that I could just wash it and prime.

 

There is not really much more to say... The bust is one of the best casts I've ever seen, and I will most definitely keep my eye on Spira Mirabilis in the future.

cheers
'eM

Painting buddha set - inbox, part one - Brad and Yanet

I'm still watching the DVDs, and I don't want to review it before I finish all 6 of them, so  today I'm gonna show you Brad and Yanet, two beautifully sculpted miniatures you can find in the set.


Minis:

(here is the photo of both pieces painted for the DVD,
left one painted by Ben Komets, right one, by Rafael Garcia Marin)

Name: Brad and Yanet
Scale: 1:32 (54mm)
Material: resin


The box in the box:

Inside the big black box you can find, among other things, small metal box containing mentioned earlier miniatures. It is a really nice touch, telling you how much attention and care went into preparing the whole set. When you think about that, minis could be simply protected by the bubbly bag or just a plastic bag. The box is purely to spoil us, I guess:D


In the shiny box:

In the metal box, between two layers of foam, we can find multiple parts of resin. Once again, pretty good protection. Even rough treatment during the delivery shouldn't damage thin and fragile parts.

 

 

 

Quality of the cast:

Below you can find a close up portrait of our couple. As you can see there are some mould lines, but in the non crucial places, so they should be easy to remove, if you'll be carefull and patient enough. The most important part, at least for me, is that all the details are crisp and clear.

A bit more work, even if easier, will be with the base, to secure it properly to the plinth, you'll have to remove all the extra resin on the sides. Other than that though, the cast of the elements for the base, is perfect and very detalied.

Assembly:
Looks pretty easy. Miniatures are casted almost as single pieces.The only tricky part, at least for me, will be drilling holes in he wrists and hands to pin them. Assembly of the base, on the other hand, will be pretty straightforward. Nothing should go wrong here;]


Overall opinion:
Beautiful couple. Really nicely casted and packed/presented with lots of care. It's even more imperssive when you remember it's just miniatures added to the painting DVD. I doubt any other company would take so much care and effort to prepare them.
And I'm pretty sure they would sell very well on their own, as a separate kit.

Figure Painter Magazine and Me

Figure Painter Magazine issue no 3 is out now. And  you can find my two articles inside.
I started the collaboration with the magazine with the previous issue, where I did a review on Andrea's lovely piece Norse Lord. This time I went a step further and next to another review (Spellcrow's Plague Prince) I managed to prepare a step by step article on my way of painting true metallic metals.

And because it looks like it may turn out to be a long-term thing,  I thought I may share it with you:)
I hope you'll like it:D

cheers
'eM

JMD Drummer - review through the courtesy of megazord_man

Hi guys,
today I have something special for you.
Well it's still a JMD review, but the special part is that it was done by one of my friends, John, aka Megazord_man. Great guy and even better painter.
So here it is:

English Drummer 57th Middlesex Regt. One of the more famous JMD busts.

The mini: 

(c) JMD Miniatures

painted by: David Zabrocki

Name: English Drummer 57th Middlesex Regt
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: RT003R
Sculptor: Remy Tremblay
Range: Historical
Material: resin
Scale: 1:9


The bag:

Having brought this directly from JMD alongside a number of their other miniatures I can say that the packaging consisted of each mini double bagged, all surrounded by bubble wrap and securely contained within a cardboard box. It was also sent international recorded / tracked so I could see where it was in the world. I will say that shipping was expensive though and unfortunately this is the only option. This and all the minis arrived without breakages.


In the bag: 

Quality of the cast:
In a word super! Yes there's a slight line running up either shoulder but it's virtually not there and would take minutes to clean. However, there's no bubbles on him at all (a slight one underneath) and it's extremely crisp and flash free. I was hoping for a great mini and they certainly didn't disappoint. There's a great deal of detail to his face that's not obvious on a first glance - a slight scab on his left cheek for example.

Assembly:
It looks like the strap going over his left shoulder will need a slight trim to allow his rucksack to be fitted properly but once again it's a quick and easy job.


Summary:
I'm extremely happy with this iconic bust that's fully of character if slightly disturbing. The quality is lovely to make this package well worth the buy. David Zebrocki's paint job of this mini must really be seen too, it's a true master piece that shows how to add character to a mini.

Words and photos: Jon Keyes

Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures

 
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Demon
Persian Assassin
Octopus


cheers

'eM

JMD Octopus - review

Today I'm gonna show you another bust, beautiful Octopus. I  can't really decide if it's a he or a she, but eitherway it's one of my favourites minis.

The mini:

(c) JMD Miniatures

painted by: Alban Berger

Name: Octopus
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: VDB007R
Sculptor: Romain Van Den Bogaert
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: 1:10


The box:

This bust also came in a plastic bag with a tag on top. This time it was a bit more risky, as the bust has some rather thin tentacles. But hopefully, in a parcel sent via post, it would be protected by some bubblewrap.


In the box: 

Quality of the cast:
The level of detailing is excelent here. All the little wrinkles and texturing of the skin is really amazing. But as you can see on the photos, there are some flaws. They're not hard to remove, but you need to be prepared to some cleaning.
Some little blobs of resin where tentacles are touching the skin, little mouldline on the left shoulder under the tentacle. And of course the big one... the mess on his neck at the back. It's gonna be mostly hidden under a tentacle, but still some work needs to be done to make sure it doesn't show after assembly.

Assembly:
With a little bit of practice with driling and operating in tight spaces it should not be a problem. Tentacles are thin, but not too much, there is still place to drill a nice holes for pins and make sure that everything is securely fixed together. Just make sure that the joining line is not visible.


Summary:
I must say I'm a big fan of this bust. Not perfect, but absolutely cute and the face... it's simply suberb.
Here you can see what I've done so far on him.

Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures

 
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Demon
Persian Assassin
Drummer bust


cheers

'eM

JMD Persian Assassin - review

Short review of an iconic piece: Persian Assassin.

The mini:

(c) JMD Miniatures

painted by: Remy Tremblay

Name: Persian Assassin
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: RT001R
Sculptor: Remy Tremblay
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: (1:35) 54mm


The box:

I am fully aware that the box on the photo doesn't belong to the mini I'm talking here, but all of them are exactly the same. Plastic box with the mini in a plastic bag, and smaller bag for smaller parts. Not the most secure packaging, I know. But luckily for me all ordered miniatures arrived undamaged.
On the other hand it might be the packaging provided by the middle man.


In the box:

Quality of the cast:
What can I say... It's not perfect. And for some reason I wqas expecting more from this mini.
Delicate, but still visible moudlines on his legs, and arms may be tricky to remove. Damaged/moved detail on his sword will most probably end up gone completely, and I can only hope that the inner side of his right arm will be invisible after glueing the piece together.
Other thing that worries me here are these extemally thin parts of his robe. They're integral parts of this mini's charm, but it may be a problem to clean them and glue in place.

Luckily for me, the face and other crucial parts of the mini are nicely casted. Surfaces are smooth and if I'll be able to fix the aformentioned issues and glue it together without breaking anything it should be pleasure to paint.

Assembly:
As you can see mini consists thin and fragile parts. Only for that reason it's gonna be a difficult task  demandind steady hands.
And I'm not quite sure If I should paint it fully assembled or in parts...


Summary:
I must say, I was slightly dissapointed when I checked my copy of this pretty iconic miniature. Still full of charm, and rich oriental feel, but the cast could be better.
Of course  it doesn't mean I'm not gonna paint it, or enjoying doing it. But I just feel that JMD accustomed me to  better quality, and this one feels a bit like a downfall


Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures

 
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Demon
Drummer bust

cheers

'eM

JMD Ghoul bust - review

Today, quick review of a simple 'one piece' bust, simple, yet impressive.
Ghoul  sculpted  by Romain Van Den Bogaert.
BTW first, and so far only, JMD miniature I ever painted.


The mini:

(c) JMD Miniatures

painted by: David Waeselynck

Name: Ghoul
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: VDB002R
Sculptor: Romain Van Den Bogaert
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: 1:15


The box:

Again, this bust came in a plastic bag with a tag on top. But again, there is nothing that can be broken, and I bought it during the show, so it was not a problem at all.


In the box:
Sadly the bust was a bit dusty when I was taking the photos, and I had no intention of using this photos for a review...

Quality of the cast:
Outstanding, simply outstanding. There was  some issues with his upper teeth and palate,  and slight line through his head,  but all that was really easy to fix. And the level of detailing and texture is simply awesome. Especially when you  keep in mind scale of this bust and the fact that it's over 2 years old already. Below you can see some details of the bust.

Summary:
Like I said at the very beginning, this bust may look very simple, but at the same time is very impressive. With interesting sculpture (especially the spine at the back), face full of expression, and big eyes perfect for some experiments, it is a very interesting canvas for painting.

Below you can see what I was able to achieve with it almost two years ago. I must say I'm s till proud of this paintjob. Hopefully today I'd be able to paint it betterm but bare in mind this is my first bust ever.

Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures

 
Other JMD reviews:
Succubus
Sikh bust
Medieval bust
Yodleur Des Cascades (aka Pencil head)
Demon
Persian Assassin
Drummer bust


cheers

'eM