Federal Light Artilleryman 1863

By Adrian Hopwood Company – Thunderbird Miniatures Price – Scale –75mm Material – Resin Code – TB-75001 Sculpted by – Alan Ball I’ve not heard of this company before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened the box. I can’t say that the box art enthused me, the main picture is rather small and the two “thumbnail” shots ( one of the back of the figure, and the other of the artwork that I take it inspired the piece ) are just that – very small pictures that don’t allow you to see much detail. The printing certainly doesn’t help either as it’s rather grainy. So, not high hopes then…. Well, it’s a nice surprise to open the box and see that the quality of the parts far outshines the outer wrapping. Seeing that Alan Ball had done the sculpting should have given me some confidence, as I know his offerings of old, and he’s rather good usually. The castings are well defined, the sculpting being reflected with some fine details, and there’s plenty of character in the face to allow a reasonable painter to gain a believably gaunt and hard-bitten appearance to the model. What you see in the picture on the box is exactly what you get. By that I mean that the saddle, the bedroll and stirrups are all in the kit, and carry enough of their own detail to look realistic. The groundwork is perhaps a little weak, in that there are several air bubbles in the example I have, but I think it safe to say that most folk usually make something else to stand the figure on anyway, so it’s not really a disaster. The rest of the figure and it’s accessories are clean as a whistle as far as air bubbles go, and mould part lines are restrained and should be easy to clean off with a scalpel or file. The resin is of a grey colour, and appears to be quite soft and should be easy to work with. Parts split is logical and will allow the more adventurous to change out the head ( or just reposition it ), or resculpt new arms – should they with to change the pose at all. I think there’s a nice little figure here, I just hope people will be adventurous enough to look inside the box rather than judging it by it’s cover. 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 63 Glebe Drive Brackley NN13 7BX United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0)1280 840364 Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Home Page: http://www.elgrecominiatures.co.uk