Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => SuperHero Adventures => Topic started by: psyberwyche on 23 May 2014, 09:53:33 PM
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So, with all the excitement around Knight Models' Marvel range, I realise that there are very few photos of the finished products online, and virtually no scale comparison pics. As a result, I had to purchase the first wave blind, but that didn't put me off as I'm a huge Marvel geek :-D
Warning - I'm incompetent at posting photos on this forum, so it may take a few edits to get this right...
Today I assembled my first two models - Hulk and Thor.
(http://s25.postimg.org/il1jze86j/2014_05_23_18_36_23.jpg)
First impressions - Hulk is frickin huge! Seriously, at first I thought they'd sent me the 70mm model by mistake. Scale wise, for me he's out of whack, closer to 1:35 than 35mm lol bearing in mind also that Thor is a lot bigger than Spider-man, for example. Granted, some artists draw Hulk bigger than others, but my, this is a heavy chunk of metal!
The poses and sculpting are great, and the painted examples on the website and packaging are stunning. Sadly, that's the end of the good news. As with the Batman line, as others have reported, the casting quality is pretty poor. Hulk has heavy pitted areas around his neck and in the recesses of the muscles - these will have to be filled later with liquid green stuff. Thor suffers from some shallow detailing, particularly around the hands and face, where I think I'll have to use the paint job to define the fingers, mouth and eyes, as the detail is hardly there on the casting.
Hulk is a mammoth metal model - every component needed to be pinned, and sadly most of the parts were a poor fit. I had to use a Dremel to grind down areas between the components so that they'd sit mostly flush, but even then the joins aren't perfect as the casting is uneven. In some areas, I'll need to use a lot of green stuff and try to sculpt inbetween the gaps, which isn't really my forte. Thor also suffers from poor fit - the left leg and base are integral, and have to be joined to the rest of the model, but only after grinding away the joints, which aren't a snug fit and are covered in flash.
Lots of flash and mold lines I'm afraid, which go over important bits of detail, like the chainmail of Thor's arm and across the fingers. Thor had a bit of an issue with the two halves of the mold not quite meeting up, so the model was misaligned very slightly. I think more thought should have been given to the chopping and casting of the models by the sculptor.
So - will I buy more? Call me crazy, but yes! These are the best (read only) licensed Marvel models on the market. Heroclix just don't do it for me. The posing and general sculpt is great, and very dynamic. The quality of casting is poor for the price, especially when compared to my other recent purchases from companies like Statuesque, Anvil Industry and Studio McVey, which are much cheaper and virtually flawless. However, if you have the modelling skills and tools to put the flaws right, you'll end up with some awesome models.
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Is that pic displaying correctly for people? If not, just right click and open in new window. If anyone can advise on how to get Flickr pictures to embed, please help!
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I just tried fiddling with the image myself and it wasn't going to play.
Yes, big, big Hulk there.
I also saw the Wolverine model in the Knight Models range ... very sweet. I'm one of those Logan fans from way back when, who then got annoyed when X-Men came out and suddenly everyone's a fan. Noooo! I was doing it before it was cool!
I'm not special any more.
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Sharing is restricted on your Flickr account (so check your settings there). Direct link to image here:
https://flic.kr/p/nr48YF
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I've ditched flickr and found a new host. Success! My public service post can resume lol
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Went to the Knight Models store - they are missing CANADA as a shipping option, and the VAT is being charged. >:(
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Thought I should take some more photos to illustrate the flaws I mentioned earlier.
First pic shows the shallow detail on Thor's face - his face kinda blends into his cloak over the shoulder. Also, the metal seems strangely textured. (click image for closer look).
(http://s25.postimg.org/8cj8bc99n/2014_05_24_19_10_24.jpg)
Second pic shows the pitting around Hulk's neck, which will have to be filled before painting as it's quite severe in places.
(http://s25.postimg.org/ac4fghsz3/2014_05_24_19_08_56.png)
For both models to have similar flaws suggests a problem with the casting process rather than a one-off production error. (http://postimg.org/image/8cj8bc99n/)
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Just noticed more Knight previews are up: http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/2014/06/10/89731/
Not really into DC, but the Adam West Batman looks awesomely campy. And must... resist... Thing!
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I know it's up close, but jesus, did they sand cast thor?
i'd add in an extra fold to the cloak just to stop it looking like he's wearing his flabby cheeks over his shoulders. :D
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With the prices on those I would expect better casting quality.
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Return them as faulty casts and get replacements?