The Brit, The Yank, and The Hobby, The Dark Ages with Footsore Miniatures

Our latest episode is now live! This time we talk all (some), things Dark Ages with Bill Thornhill US owner and sculptor of Footsore Miniatures.

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Enjoy the show, and we should have our next out in around 2-3 weeks

Footsore Miniatures 28mm Late Roman Elite Infantry review

I've long been a fan of the figures produced by Footsore miniatures, however had never taken the plunge into painting any (I do have a pile of Saxons accrued over the years waiting for colour...).

 

 Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and one of the new UK owners is my friend Andy Hobday (along with Mark Farr in the UK, and Bill Thornhill in the US). When he asked if I'd like to review some of the Late Roman range, I couldn't say no really!

 

 Being a fan of the period in general, and anything Roman specifically and was very kindly supplied with the figures shown in this review, and a few more to come...

 

To start with, I've painted two packs, Late Roman Infantry Command, as well as late Roman Elite Infantry. Both packs contain 4 white metal figures, no spears or bases are included, however shields are included.

Casting is first rate, any flash or mould lines are minimal, and also positioned in places that will not be too noticeable one the model too. 

 

A pin vice will be needed to drill a hole in the hand for the spears, I've used Footsores own brand of shield, using the 50mm spear/javelin pack. The Draco does need to be fitted to a spear tip or length of wire too.

Detail as exceptionally crisp, and clothing and cape folds are beautifully subtle and realistic. 

 

Apart from shields and spears, all the figures are single piece castings too, so require very little work to get ready for painting. 

Painting was a pleasure, I'll probably do a write up either here or for Footsore themselves listing the colours I used, however it's too many to list in this review.

 

 Basing however, was done using Games Workshops Valhallan Blizzard, and Warlord Games Forest Ground Cover. Shield designs are decals from Little Big Man studios, and work very well with the Footsore shields. 

At £6.50 for the heavy infantry, and £9 for the command pack, with spears in packs of 20 at £2.75 prices are around average to slightly more expensive than other manufacturers, however in terms of detail and quality these are stunning figures, and I  wholeheartedly recommended these models.

You can get some Late Romans, or any other of a range of Dark Age miniatures from the Footsore Miniatures website, and shield designs can be found at Little Big Man Studios, finally, to contact me regarding any aspects of the figures, or to ask me about commissions, please check out my work facebook page, Volley Fire Painting Service.

 As an added bonus to this review, we've been joined by Bill Thornhill on The Brit The Yank and The Hobby podcast. To listen, either join us at our Facebook page, or check us out on iTunes or our RSS and Libsyn feeds.

 

 

 

Warlord Games 28mm 1/56 Stuart Review

Todays review is Warlord Games new M3 Stuart, kindly supplied by them for me to take a look at. 

This kit is part of their continuing partnership with plastic kit manufacturer Italeri, and follows the norm of that range of kits by being relatively complex for a war-gaming model, but also superbly detailed. 

There are some smaller and fairly fiddly parts, so this may not be to everyone's taste. Personally I like it and prefer the fidelity this approach offers, however if you're looking for a quick bash together model for the tabletop there could be some frustration. 

Instructions are a massive leap forwards to most war-gaming kits, being clear 3D renders, with relevant parts labelled by suitable symbol, so the Soviet star for the Lend Lease variant, the Desert Rat for the Western  Desert British vehicle, and so on. 

 

Each variant possible is identified at the start of the instructions too, and the instructions suggest dry fitting before applying glue, which is nice to see. 

The kit includes parts to build a British M3, a Soviet lend lease M3, a British M3A1, an American M3A1 in Tunisia, and finally a USMC M3A1 with hull flame thrower.

 

 Also included are 3 commander figures, one British, one American and finally a Soviet one. These figures are ok, but I'll be replacing mine with a metal one at some stage. 

 

The set is rounded out with a  nice little decal sheet and quick reference cards for Bolt Action, as well as a set of smoke markers. No stowage is included, and I found quality of moulding to be excellent, with a nice slide moulded main gain.

 The  only real imperfection was a sink mark in the centre of the hatch, which I only noticed once painting was complete, hence the map... 

 

The only other addition I made to the kit was the addition of an aerial made out of jewellers wire. 

Assembly was simple, and took me around 45 minutes to put together. It pays to go through and highlight the stages relevant to you before starting building. 

Also, use a good plastic glue or solvent, such as Plastic Weld or Tamiya liquid thin, as super-glue will be an exercise in frustration. The new instructions served to make assembly relatively easy though, and fit was good.

 

I've prepared a painting guide for the model which should appear on Warlords website in the not too distant future. Overall I found the kit to be very well designed and an enjoyable project, and at £18 is pretty good value.

I look forwards to adding another 2 to my collection to make a troop.  As ever you can find more of my work at Volley Fire Painting Service, and you can get your own M3 Stuart at Warlord Games.

For more on the war in the desert, or historical gaming chat in general, come over and join us at The Brit, The Yank and the Hobby Podcast