Scale – 54mm
Material – White Metal
Code – FR54-26
Sculpted by –  Anthony Sabatier

     La Meridiana Miniatures are a new company to me, this being the first of their figures that I’ve seen. It depicts a Native American “Medicine Man” wrapped in a Buffalo skin, and although that might at first seem to be quite restricting – as far as clothing, which is almost totally hidden – it does offer quite a canvas for patterns on the Buffalo skin itself.
     The model is cast in White Metal, the parts being laid out in photo #2 and these are well cast with just a small mould part line running around the sides of the components. The metal appears soft and easy to work with, and the line is quite restrained and shouldn’t take much work at all with a file to get rid of.
     Smaller parts are well cast, and none of the components have any pitting or mould faults. Facial detail is good, and with a little care, a weathered and ageing face shouldn’t be too hard to render.
      The parts come in a nice glossy box, with pictures of front and back views of a finished model, painted by Danillo Cartacci. Maybe the detail he’s added is a little much for the average modeller to contemplate, but it does give you a good idea of what could be gained with careful painting and perhaps some long evenings spent with a fine brush.
      Some soft foam sheets protect the parts; although with the nature of these, there’s probably little chance of damage being done in transit. They appear to fit together well, once the small mould pips are removed, and breaks between them have been made in a logical manner so that little if any filler will be necessary.
      It’s definitely a painter’s piece in its “raw” form; but I dare say that by changing little more than the headgear, a different tribe could easily be depicted – well, within reason.    
      Basically though the cloak is what will make or break the model, and finding some decent references is probably going to be the top priority for anyone attempting this model.
     I’m not saying that high levels of decoration are the way to go, although if you’ve the level of skill that Mr Cartacci has……well, I’d certainly be adding complex designs. However, I’m sure that something much simpler could still look impressive; the addition of a small scenic setting too, will probably allow the model to be made into a restrained feature within a collection.
     This is a nice model; it has a peaceful appearance that is reminiscent of the straight “up and down” poses popular a couple of years ago, but with facial character enough to lift it far above the simple clothes horses for uniforms of those times.
     Thanks to Matt and Celine at El Greco Miniatures for sending this along for review, the model is available from them at the address below, or by visiting their website.

Adrian.

El Greco Miniatures
67, Westhill
Stantonbury
Milton Keynes
MK14 6BG
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0)1908 313055
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Home Page: http://www.elgrecominiatures.co.uk