[REVIEW] Miniaturemen: New manufacturer, full of charm and originality.

On Sunday the 10th of July, I attended the Barrage Wargames show in Stafford. I'm currently within the Staffordshire area, so it's a perfect annual convention to get to on my doorstep. 
While there, I came across a manufacturer I'd never heard before called Miniaturemen.  
They're an English company, small start-up sort, that offer models and components that might be compatible with other miniatures ranges...  This includes cool things like cacti and flaming barrels, things that make for great modern or post-invention of musket terrain accents.

Their biggest model line is their range of Orc Cowboys. They caught my interest, and I bought a model called 'Mounted Cowboy Orc 5 Hoodoo Green' for £8. 

 The mounted cowboys come in a cardboard box such as this, with their content listed on the front. Inside, you'll find a plastic bag that was wrapped in bubble wrap which contains the metal components of the rider, as well as a resin Bison which is also wrapped in another piece of bubble wrap. They should survive being mailed pretty well with this packaging. 

So, onto the model. This one at least was three components in total - some of the others may be two or more pieces. 
The Bison (or Buffalo, if you prefer) is a single piece including the base, which is detailed, and the legs of the rider. This one also has a water canteen tied up on the rear of the left side of the 'saddle' as a detail.
The quality of the resin is nice. It's sturdy, without feeling brittle. It is neither powdery, nor greasy to the touch and did not need scrubbing or washing before painting. 

The highlight of this model in particular is a teeny tiny scorpion to the rear of the base, which is a nice bit of character. 

The casting on this piece was almost flawless - there was a noticeable casting mark on the belt of the torso waist,which is not visible when the model is assembled.

  
There is also what looks like a small mold slip on the detail of the base - but worry not! This mold slip is easily fixed, as I'll show later. 

 The rider in this case at least is made of metal, instead of the resin of the bison.

For some people, I know that metal is a deal-breaker, but I actually really like the weight metal adds to a model. It makes it feel more significant. 

This model is made up of two components: The right arm, holding the shotgun with the left hand attached, and the torso, with the left arm without its hand and the head as a single piece. 

Upon test-fitting, We have a very nice, snug joint between the right arm and the torso.

The joint between the left hand and arm is a little looser, however, if you're a dab hand with green stuff, or you paint a little thicker than most, then it won't be an issue. It doesn't look too bad as it is, if you're not up to the challenge...  

The torso join has a bit of give to it, which will allow  you to slightly pivot the model for subtle pose difference, but it's not so much of a gap that you'll have issues with it fitting. In fact, the worst of the gap can be placed on this front side where the gun arm will hide it.

From the rear, there's actually no visible gap - so bonus points to this manufacturer, even with two different casting materials, everything fits together well! 

So, onto that base with the mold slip... Yes, if a model is 'defective' in any way, you're entitled to take it back to the manufacturer and get a replacement - I've done this myself on occasion if a model was too bad to work with.
But, this is a small company, and I like fixing things up if it's possible so as to not harm their profit margins, and this tiny slip wasn't really too big an issue - especially because the base is sand textured, so... Step 1, get yourself some sand and use PVA to plop it on the base along the mold slip. 

Step 2, flatten that sand down onto the base so that it isn't sticking up too much, the mold slip isn't visible and then leave that sucker to dry, then brush it lightly to remove the loose sand. You'll then have this.

That's... it. Job's a good'un. You fixed a mold slip issue, the company isn't harmed and you don't have to wait for a replacement model. Everybody wins. 

So, I painted the whole thing and then assembled it, so that I could get into all the areas of detail. Here's what a completed model could look like. 

So, after having painted him, what do I think?  
 He's nice. 
It's got a nice weight to it without being too heavy, the detail is really well preserved, the molding issues are incredibly minor and easy to sort out if you even wanted to in the first place... And it has a nice character; Unlike Kromlech's Orcs with masses of teeth, these Orcs are more humble - they have teeth that protrude from their mouths without there being too many, they have fairly sunken eyes and a pronounced bottom lip that really gives the models a look of their own. 

I really like the style. 
I don't know of other manufacturers that really make cowboy Orc components. 
The clothing of the models and the look of the weapons look time-period correct and the choice of a bison as a mount is an interesting one - it is eye-catching and impressive due to size, but at the same time it's imaginative and raises questions as to how and why they ride them. 
It's not just a horse because cowboys, it's not a boar or wolf as is typically stereotyped... No, they went with something suitable to the setting that still hasn't really been done before, causing for something that definitely stands out amongst the competition.

I'd really love to not only  see the range expand, but for it to become its own miniatures game at some point - They have potential, with their Brothers Grimm Goblins to make their own whole setting - perhaps Natives could be a whole other race.  

This company is my pick of the show and the one to watch going forward in the future, so give them a visit and show them some support. They have a website and an eBay front, with this line of models being available from both.