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So, this is my review of the Ultraforge Plague Demon and the Demon Wings. While I will do my best to remain as neutral as possible, there are a couple things I should point out first:

1)I am an Ultraforge fan. I had high hopes for them prior to this, my first kit of theirs, and they delivered well. I will try not to let this cloud any criticisms I might have..

2)I am NOT nit picking with any criticisms. In my effort to remain neutral, I will try to point out everything I see with the model, good or bad. Remember that, though something I say might seem trivial to you, it could be a big deal to someone else.

3)Yes. There are a LOT of pictures. Around thirty, in actuality. Anything I say or point out, I will try to show.



Now, on to the review:

I was fortunate enough to get the very last kit Plague Demon that Ultraforge had in stock. The wings were one of only 2 sets remaining. These things went fast.
The prices on these models were a bit hefty (more so the Demon than the wings), but almost worth it (Granted, I am rather tight fisted). Regardless, the “bang for your buck” is better than what you’d get from Forgeworld for something similar.
At $8 US shipping per item ordered, I presumed that their “Ship Fu” must leave something to be desired. Why do I have to pay for shipping twice? Are they unable to send my items together?



When the package arrived, I discovered that the kits were, indeed, sent together. I was happy about that, as it meant I got them at the same time. I was unhappy, however, that $6.45 CA shipping, a bubble envelope, 2 ziploc bags, a bit of foam to wrap each kit in and 2 pieces of packing tape cost me $16. Eight bucks would have more than covered those costs. I see no reasonable excuse for changing for each item. If I had ordered the Lord of Pestilence model – which I almost did – I’d have been quite angry. At best, an additional $2 per item to cover packaging costs would be appropriate.

There you go, folks. My big rant is over. That is the worst thing I have to say in this whole post. Not bad, over all. Huh?

So, the first thing I did was open the Demon kit and go over the pieces, then the wings. Good stuff.
Here is the “front” image of the kit:



This is the “reverse” image. It is the back half of the torso, legs & scythe. The other 4 pieces were simply rotated to show you the opposite side.



Hmm. Where to start?
How about from the bottom up?

I wanted to see how the base would compare to a standard 40mm base.



A bit large. Since I wouldn’t want to game with this model resting right on the table, I’ll need a base. Either a plasticard base will need to be created, or I’ll have to use a larger GW base. Hmm. Decisions, decisions…

As an aside, in my opinion, a LOT (of good) can be said for a company who does THIS:



I’d have preferred a solid base, for stability and heft, but a hollow base is NO problem.

So, we’re done checking out the base… Let’s take a look at those gams.

Here we have a view of the amount of flash on the bottom.



Not a small amount, but definitely nothing excessive. If you paid attention, you noticed that there was a rather large bubble in the resin that Ultraforge filled in before sending the piece. The GREAT thing about that is that the bubble is on the bottom of the piece and would NEVER show… but would weaken that section of the piece. So, they filled it. That’s quality service, right there.

Here’s another image showing flash on the legs:



Present, but not horrible… not even bad. These things are going to be easy to clean.

I didn’t bother to take any pictures of the torso. It’s pretty well seen on the website, and the only thing of note are 2 obvious flash lines running down the sides. Easily seen, but still not a big deal. Oh… and the other reason that there are no images of the torso is because I kinda forgot to take them. : )

The arms, however, are attached to the torso, and I DEFINITELY remembered to photograph those.
Here are a couple images showing the flash lines on the top & bottom of the arms, as well as the incredible detail.
Good stuff:
Left arm (top)


(This next image does show a bit of the torso, but it was meant to show the flash under the left arm. This will, officially, be the hardest of the flash to clean… STILL not a problem)



Top of the right arm:



Bottom of the right arm:




Here are the biggest problems with the model, as molded:



Those are the bottoms of these:



I don’t really know what the heck to call ‘em, so I’ll just refer to them as vents. They almost look like they could be vents for pus to ooze out of. Right? So, if you look at the bottoms of the vents, you’ll notice that they seem to have pieces of resin stuck in them. That’s what I thought, at first, anyway. After about 10 minutes of trying to work them out with a pair of modeling tweezers and an Xacto, I’ve come to the realization that they’re molded in.
What’s the big deal?



Not a good fit. The pins would have to be snipped off, or the holes would have to be drilled (risky on pieces this small) for them to fit right. Fortunately for me, it won’t matter, as I’m putting wings on him.
But, still…

Now, to the head:

Flash:



Flash:



Not too bad. Here’s a close up of the face.



The interior of the mouth leaves a tiny bit to be desired. I’d have rather seen the inside sculpted, as well. This is the only place this model pales compared to Forgeworld. A Forgeworld model would have a detailed mouth.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m okay with it. I saw the images on the site and knew, full well, what I was getting.
Still, though. It WOULD be nice.


This is beautiful:



Talk about a snug fit! Man! This thing won’t need but a little glue here! Very nice.

Next, we have the scythe.
Of course, there are the obligatory flash pictures:



I test fit the scythe to the arms, and it’s not bad. Not a perfect fit, but it’ll be fine. Holding the left hand in place, I took this picture of the right wrist:



That will do just fine, once glued.

So, here’s something I want to point out:



In my opinion, this just shows quality craftsmanship.
Compare THAT image to this one:



Are you wondering what the heck I’m talking about? Notice that, in the first picture, there are chains along the waist line. Once the torso is put on, these chains aren’t noticeable… but they sculpted them on anyway. I like that.

Okay… after showing all this, you’re probably wondering JUST how big this is. I mean, we all saw the pictures on the site of it next to the sculpting armature. Well, I don’t know about you, but that still didn’t give me a really good idea of the size of it.


Hopefully, THIS will be a really good image for you:



You can see that this model, clearly, dwarfs the DP model. Very nice.


So, now on to the wings.
First, of course, is the flash. This is one wing, but it’s fairly similar on both:



These next 2 images show how nicely the wings attach to the back. Comparing them to the vents, I could be convinced that the original sculpt was winged, and the vents were added later to make it a more diverse kit.



So, finally, I found myself wondering just how well these wings stood up against the plastic GW dragon wings that almost everyone uses on their Daemon Princes. Certainly, the quality is better… but how about the size?



As you see, they’re smaller. Not amazingly so. Just a bit. I actually prefer their size.

One last note… If you go through the images, you’ll see that some of the pieces have a bluish hue to them, while the others are a definite cream color. This is NOT a trick of poor photography. I used a “Reveal” bulb that mimics sunlight. These are the actual colors.
I wish I could tell you the reason for this. I have NO experience in casting with resin or different resin types, so I just don’t know.
It could be that the pieces were bade during different castings and, thus, different patches of resin. It could also be that different pieces needed to be more flexible, so they were cast in the tan resin.
If anyone knows, please enlighten me.

So, there you go. That’s it.
Not a literary masterpiece, that’s for certain, but I hope I gave you enough detail and images to see what kind of work Ultraforge does.

My grades:

Casting quality: A
Sculpt quality: A+
Value for the dollar: B+ / A
Shipping: C+ / B (Only because it arrived swiftly. --In about a week. Otherwise, it would be a C at best.)

Thanks for your time, all.

Eric

That's what I call a thorough review! Looks like Ultraforge is firing on all cylinders. Thanks for making the effort.

Now I really cant wait for mine to arrive. It looks great.

The fit of the basic parts of the model, bodey, legs, head all seem to fit nice. It was the same with the giant too. And I love how they take care of the model before shipping: fill in and clean up a bit. For the price you pay for forgeworld.....they SHOULD be doing that too.


Now, on to your complaint....not to nitpick, but you had to notice that at check out....I know I did. *shrug* sucks, but thats more an issue of their automated check out rather than human error. They need to look into it however.

Cant wait for the other demon prince, the horned one.

Nope.
You are exactly right. I did wonder if everything was coming separately, thus the separate shipping charges, but the pessimistic side of me presumed I was just paying double.

Regardless, it's something I was willing to do... That doesn't mean I LIKED doing it. LOL But I was willing to.

Thanks for the feedback!

Eric

Thanks for the review.

This would be good for the Articles section of Dakka. You
upload the images to the articles server (different from the
photodump at the bottom) and there are tutorials that help
you write the article.

It helps preserve the information.

MM and Carmachu,

Do you think the shipping charge deal could be handled with a quick phone call or email to Ultraforge? They may not even realize that their system is set up that way. I'm not really convinced that we should be saying "Buyer Beware" over a simple logistical error.

The last review of one of their pieces was also more positive on the shipping due to how well and safely the pieces were packed. Obviously with something this expensive and fragile, it's important that it be packed and padded well. That might be a nice point to touch on with the shipping portion of the review; how good was the packing?

Other than that, it's a great review with excellent photos! I second the motion to make it an article.

looks good, am hoping to get one of the new demon sculpts. doesnt seem as good a deal as prev kits tho being as that winged demon ended up more expensive than the giant but looks a lot smaller.

I would have thought they would combine shipping. I realised they dont on multiple models when I went to order the giant and the treewoman and it was going to charge 2 lots of postage. I ended up just ordering 1. Perhaps thats something Ultraforge need to consider for the future.

Good review - great miniature, but I've cooled on Ultraforge a bit since I learned that all of their products are limited runs.

whitedragon wrote:MM and Carmachu,

Do you think the shipping charge deal could be handled with a quick phone call or email to Ultraforge? They may not even realize that their system is set up that way. I'm not really convinced that we should be saying "Buyer Beware" over a simple logistical error.

Doubtful.
Though I can't, for the life of me, think of a valid reason for it, the website makes it clear before you even place your order that you will be paying "per model:

Ultraforge's Website wrote:Shipping Information: Our mail-out day is Tuesday. Every Ultraforge kit has a flat shipping and handling fee of $8 USD to anywhere in the world. Expect your order to safely arrive via air-mail in 2-3 weeks, depending on where you are in the world. We are proud to provide our miniatures worldwide. We can not bundle shipping.

All kits except the treewoman have that quote in their description.

Mannahnin wrote:The last review of one of their pieces was also more positive on the shipping due to how well and safely the pieces were packed. Obviously with something this expensive and fragile, it's important that it be packed and padded well. That might be a nice point to touch on with the shipping portion of the review; how good was the packing?

Other than that, it's a great review with excellent photos! I second the motion to make it an article.

While I won't COMPLAIN about shipping, there was nothing to get overly excited over, either. It was done as it should be. No better. No worse.
All the pieces of the kit were put in a ziploc. It looked as if they were PLACED in the bag (thoughtfully for fit), rather than just tossed in it. This was good. Each ziploc was wrapped in a strip of thin foam padding (one eights of an inch thick or so) that encircled it 2 or 3 times. The strip, which was about an inch or so wider than the ziploc, was then placed in a bubble envelope.

if soneone had decided to step on the envelope, or something similar had happened, I'm certain I'd be looking at broken miniatures. For your "typical" shipping, however, it was adequate.



Unrelated to shipping


I have this piece mostly assembled, now. the head and wings are glued to the torso, and the legs are glued to the base. Once I have it painted, I'll assemble it the rest of the way.

I discovered something that I didn't pick up on while creating the "review."

The legs on this kit don't really seem to match the body.
Go back and check out the images.

His body is bloated, fat and pustuled. He has internal bits sticking out of multiple gashes on his torso.
His legs, on the other hand, are muscular and draconic, with spikes jutting out of them. There are no signs of decay and rot anywhere.

It's almost like the torso was simply created to attach to a pair of legs from another model (the Wardemon, perhaps?).

Now, don't get me wrong. It'still a great model, and I still love it. This changes nothing I've already said. I just find that a bit curious, is all.


Sophia, if you happen along this thread, I'd love any insight on this.

Thanks!


Eric

Gitkikka wrote:Good review - great miniature, but I've cooled on Ultraforge a bit since I learned that all of their products are limited runs.

As a "mom & pop" operation, that's to be expected. The key is to buy early or wait until they get around to having another batch created.

Also, in my opinion, it actually "up's" their stock, as it means nobody in MY gaming group is going to be dropping their own copy down on the table, too... not for a while, anyway. If you had any idea of the size collections of PAINTED models these guys have you'd understand how big of a deal that is (one guy could drop 6 to 8 -maybe more- balanced 2000 point armies on the table at once... and that's just his Chaos models).

The trade-off of small print runs is the service. You get a far more personal service with a small company and (with the obvious exception of TheDropZone :shudder, that is almost universally better. You think Forgeworld is going to fill holes? They don't even make sure you get all the right pieces. LOL

Eric

MagickalMemories wrote:It's almost like the torso was simply created to attach to a pair of legs from another model (the Wardemon, perhaps?).

Now, don't get me wrong. It'still a great model, and I still love it. This changes nothing I've already said. I just find that a bit curious, is all.

If you look at the pictures of the other, yet unreleased, demon, you'll see they have the same legs. I assume it was done in order to cut the costs of molding.

thanks for the reveiw. How would you compare Ultraforge to Forge world? (as far as timley service/quality of casting,moldlines n flash)
p.s. That DP in the pics looks great. nice paint.

Vulpus Terra Miniatures wrote: thanks for the reveiw. How would you compare Ultraforge to Forge world? (as far as timley service/quality of casting,moldlines n flash)
p.s. That DP in the pics looks great. nice paint.

There is no comparison.
I give Ultraforge higher marks all the way around.

You didn't mention quality of sculpt. I'll go on record to say that FW wins, only for consistency (see next paragraph). Sculptors skill, however, puts UF right alongside FW.

The ONLY place I tip my hat to FW over UF is in certain sculpting areas. As I mentioned above, there is the issue with the inside of the mouth that FW would not have ever done, and there is also the issue with the generic legs (Heresy, I know, but I'm contemplating taking some greenstuff to them... probably won't... but thinking about it...). While the legs DO look as good as anything FW would do, they don't really "go" together aesthetically.

Still, though, a sharp model.

Oh, and thanks for the compliment on the DP. I can't take credit, however. That's a Blue Table Painting iece. I did the converting and basing, but the paint is all BTP.

Eric

I'm contemplating having someone (skilled) add a bit of greenstuff to the legs to make them match the torso better, rather than using them as they are.
I'd like to know what YOU think about that. What are your opinions?
Would it be heretical?

Thanks!

Eric