Aventine Miniatures Review

[Hitman]

I recently posted an article (July 21) asking for help in locating 28mm mounted Roman Officers and a fellow LAF member suggested Aventine Miniatures out of Northern Ireland, a company I had never heard of prior to this inquiry.

As an update, I ordered these figures July 23 and received my package on August 3 (7 business days later) from England to Canada (with a Canadian postal holiday on Monday included). The package arrived with no problems through Canadian Customs. When I opened the package I must say that I was absolutely dazzled with some of the most beautiful metal sculpts that I have ever seen.  They have such amazing detail, and the prep work on them is absolutely minimal. Whoever casts this product is incredible.  The seam lines are almost non-existent and required very little filing and there was absolutely no excess flashing whatsoever. What a tremendous product! In comparison the metal horse figures from Warlord Games have some of the worst flashing and excessive metal deposits on them that I have ever seen.

As for the size of the figures, although the horses are just a tiny bit bigger than Warlord Games and Wargames Factory horses, they will still fit in perfectly as the size difference is insignificant. The mounted officers are a bit larger, but not so much that they won't blend in as well without too much difficulty. Besides, they are mounted figures and I want them to stand out a bit anyways. Aventine Miniatures also have horses that have tiger skin blankets on them, however these are not on the website, but they are also available. Keith Branagh (owner of Aventine Miniautares) mentioned this to me in an e-mail and included a couple of them to use as well at no extra charge. I am glad he did, as they will certainly add further character to my armies.

Keith also provided a couple of samples of his standing command figures for me to review. As for these standing officer figures, the detail on them is eye-popping. The only downside is that they are significantly taller than the Warlord Games and Wargames Factory figures which is a shame since I like the Aventine sculpts a lot more. Size-wise, they are a bit shorter than Games' metal "Massive Chiftain" figure, so they could be used, but not with the rank and file troops. Although they are larger, I am still planning on using these figures, but will put them on a base with the overall General so they don't look so out of place.  

Overall, I cannot find a bad thing to say about these figures, and can only praise them both in quality of sculpting and cleanliness.  They are absolutely gorgeous figures and will look phenomenal on the tabletop.  I also want to highly commend Keith Branagh's prompt first rate service and professionalism. He was a pleasure to deal with, kept me apprised of my order at all times and I am extremely glad that I was referred to him and Aventine Miniatures.  

As they continue to expand their ranges, I will certainly be keeping an eye open for interesting figures to add to my collection and gaming needs.

Hope this review helps others in their decision.
Regards,
Hitman
 

[archangel1]

@Hitman

I'll second your appreciation of Aventine's quality and service.  I've only made one order so far, but will definitely be making more.  I only have a couple of slight quibbles about some of the figures.  One of the archers I have, who's drawing an arrow from the quiver on his back, looks like he's dislocated his shoulder or elbow in so doing and several of the figures have got calves almost the size of their thighs! Otherwise, they are gorgeous, in a virile sort of way.

Mike

BTW - I did get caught by customs! Maybe the elephant in the box wasn't as quiet as he could have been!

[Aaron]

Make that a third from me. The product and customer service are both as good as it gets IMO. One of these days I have to get back to my Etruscan project...

[Hitman]

Archangel1;
Elephants don't like it when it gets hot, so they start to make lots of noise!!  They probably set off the noise detectors at Customs....
Regards,
Hitman
 

[archangel1]

It's really hard to say what triggers a Customs' inspection, isn't it.  I've been caught only about 1 in 25 lately and the only thing different, that I could see, was weight.  I've had some relatively expensive orders come straight through and even a 16''x10''x13'' box from California arrived right at the door without a problem but they were all 'lightweight'.  The Aventine package, although small, was comparatively heavy and it got waylaid.  I think maybe method of shipping and packaging plays a part, too, with First Class or Priority Post allowing an easier transit.  Whatever the case, I can't really complain because I'm way ahead on saving the costs of duties and 'handling' compared to a couple of years ago.