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

JMD Demon - review

Mighty demon... for me personally the best mini JMD released. One of the best minis there are.
Kinda reminds me of Diablo, and probably that was the sculptor's intention.

The mini:

(c) JMD Miniatures

painted by: Jéremie Bonamant Teboul

Name: Demon
Manufacturer: JMD Miniatures
Product code: JAG001R
Sculptor: Jacques Alexandre Gillois
Range: fantasy
Material: resin
Scale: (1:35) 54mm


The box:

Now, that looks much better you must admit. Proper, stiff cartboard box, with a nice photo on the top.
But this particular mini was bought by me almost two years ago, so I have no idea now it looks now.



In the box:

Quality of the cast:
For such a complicated miniature, the quality of the cast is great. Crisp details, nice surface and what's most important, amazing texture on the whole mini.
There are some flaws, some delicate mouldlines, but all that can be easily removed and if you add a little extra effort to restore texture around the fixed area, it will be invisible.


Assembly:
I did most of the assembly over a year ago, and I don't remember any tricky parts. You just need to remember to mask the joining lines with the surrounding texture.
To be fair the only question you need to ask is, if you want to paint it completely assembled or in few bigger pieces. It is important, because his left hand is very close to the knee, and it might be tricky to operate there with a brush.  I guess I'm gonna do that as whole, if I'll find a courage to finally paint this demon.
Below you can see how the mini looks at the moment, after initial priming, but before final fixes around joining lines.

Summary: 
I'm not objective here, that's for sure. For me, this demon is one of the most beautiful miniatures ever.
I guess that's the best summary I can give you.



Where to buy:
JMD miniatures
SKminiatures

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

cheers

'eM