Hi everyone!
A long while ago I asked on my Facebook page what to do when you receive a mini with very low quality. I mean, air bubbles galore, rough resin and parts that almost look melted. Should I contact the company? Still write a review? Many people responded with a solution I hoped for: contact the company, hope for a replacement and write te review.
So that's what I did. Here is the full story:
I purchased Natasha Com Operator through the CoolMiniOrNot shop. When I received her, it became clear that the quality was really inferior to what I had seen online in reviews and pictures. I took some pictures for myself and wrote an email to Raging Heroes. I got a reply within a day and they agreed that the cast quality was below standards and must have slipped quality control. They would send me a new one. It arrived in my mailbox a few days later.... Great costumer service! So what about the mini?
I was really relieved when I unpacked this mini. None of the flaws I had seen before were there :).
Natasha Com Operator is part of the Jailbirds army, that was funded through a very succesful kickstarter campaign: Toughest Girls of the Galaxy. To some kickstarter backers, she was a so-called freebie. As I was on a temporary hobby stop at that time, I unfortunately did not back this kickstarter. Still, I was eager to get a Raging Heroes sculpt, as their second kickstarter was under way (this time I obviously did back, I mean those minis are awesome) and I wanted to see what quality I could expect.
Contents
The mini comes in a blister package and is enclosed within a small zip bag. She comes with a small card of the box art and a gaming base.
Sculpt
This miniature was sculpted in Zbrush, a digital sculpting program. What I found interesting about the sculpt is the dynamic pose, and that she is shouting. I do appreciate that her face is not covered, as painting female faces is what I like most about painting minis :).
Quality
The cast quality is good. The details are all well defined, but not very sharp edged. There are a few minor mold lines that should be asy to remove. The surface of the material looks a little rough on the pictures, but this should not show up when you have painted the mini. There are some airbubbles, but most of these are covered by other parts of the mini. There is very little flash, but also that can be removed easily.
Assembly
All parts are part of one sprue. Removing them will take some care, as you could easily damage some parts. But the material is soft enough to cut away the material gently. The pieces are fitted together by ball joints and they fit really well, greenstuff will not be necessary but might make it look better. Some tiny air bubbles can be easily closed with some (liquid) greenstuff.
Conclusion
I am happy with the quality of the sculpt. It is not as crisp as some other resin models. But these minis are also meant for gaming initially and the price is also lower: €14, which I think is a great price for this mini. And to imagine that some Kickstarter backers got her (and several other minis) for free. I think she will be a lot of fun to paint!
I also want to praise the great costumer service at Raging Heroes. They were fast with their response and sent me back a mini immediately, no questions asked! Great :D.Currently, they are working hard to fulfill their second kickstarter, and I am super happy that I backed this time. Those minis will be awesome!!
I hope you enjoyed this review. If you produce miniatures, and you would like to me to review one of your minis, please feel free to contact me.
