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Hey everyone!

To all those interested, I'll be posting up reviews of the models I (finally) received from this long over due Kickstarter campaign. I'm intending it to be image heavy. Apologies if this is a rehash, but it is just my individual opinions and experiences.

Although the campaign annoyed me greatly, I'll be attempting to keep an open mind about the product itself and to not be instantly biased to hate on it.

For shipping, It was confirmed on the 31st of Jan that it was accepted for shipping and delivered on the 13th of Feb. For those liking to confirm, my tracking info was LX014429143CA.

I've gone through my models (7) and have photographed the model, good parts and bad parts. I didn't really give photographs to parts that I deemed 'acceptable' as I thought it to be a little fruitless.

I hope those interested finds this information useful. If there is anything you'd like to know/see specifically, I can try to meet your request.

I'll post the posts as I author them.

Cheers




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ok, so the delivery and packaging.

It took 2 weeks to send from Canada to Australia. Not overly bad considering it had to clear customs etc. So Let's dive in.

This is the package from the outside. Standard looking label. My gripe here though is that there was no Signature on Delivery, although clearly stating it is valued at $625CAD. It I wasn't in an area where they don't deliver to your door, this easily could have been sitting at my doorstep. A little concerning, but, nothing bad happened. I have the parcel.

http://imgur.com/Ll4WfbG

Let's open it up! Each model seems to be inside of it's own bubble wrapped and sealed bad. Contents initially don't look damaged and have travelled well.

http://imgur.com/pcFQIcj

Here they are all spread out. Again, look to have travelled well. Each package has a brief description to outline it's contents. Whilst not overly 'retail' in appearance, this is after all, a Kickstarter delivery.

http://imgur.com/BFsDywT

Once I had removed all the packets, I saw some 'floating' parts in the bottom of the box. These ended up being the 'Super Secret' Miniature, oddly being sent 2, and the 'Jackalope' Miniature for the Tree Walker/Woman. Bit sad to see them just floating around the box, but hey, they were in there and I got an extra 'Super Secret Mini'. Cool. Casts for these seemed ok.

http://imgur.com/vJSmUVc

So to wrap up the 'unboxing'... Seemed to go alright. Nothing overly bad to report yet.

Coming up next... Spider Demon!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
So, before I start breaking down the models... I'd like to take a moment to talk about the material and the presentation.

This resin appears very odd. Whilst I have vast experience with resin miniatures from many different manufacturers, this stuff is different. Let me explain;

It seems very 'plastic-y'. It doesn't seem to capture sharp detail nor does it seem to hold a 'crispness' that other resins that I've experienced. If anyone is familiar with the Reaper Bones plastic miniatures, the cast quality seems really similar. Most details are often soft. Far softer than the CGI sculpts portrayed. I read this numerous times from other backers, but I had to get it into my hands before I could really make a decision.

The resin is also oddly flexible. When manipulating some of the flashing, it seems to bend excellently from a tabletop gaming preservation point of view. I think this may in turn be the issue for the soft details is the material used is somewhat rubbery. I had no fear of items snapping by bending them as I would with other manufacturers. That said, I didn't give any pieces excess force, but more than I typically would.

The next thing I noticed was the amount of mold release agent on the model. My skin is SUPER sensitive to most MRA used in miniature casting. I can feel my fingertips irritated within minutes of holding an unwashed miniature. This MRA didn't do that to me. But this MRA is also very slimy and grease like. I could actually leave finger prints on the models due to the amount still sitting on the model. I'd say it's a very non-active and non-toxic MRA, but the sheer amount I think again could play into the soft details. Flooding the finer parts of the mold.

All in all, I think with the resin used, the casting methods and the mold release agent, deeper and further accented sculpting on the CGI model would benefit if they wish to continue using the materials they currently use. Or simply, look at better alternatives.

I'll be interested to see how these models wash up and take to sanding / shaping / heat correcting warps etc.

Just my long winded 2c. Anyhow, onto the Spider Demon...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The Spider Demon.

This is how it looked when I poured it out of the packaging.

http://imgur.com/CUaQOfi

Organised roughly to look for missing pieces.

http://imgur.com/9tHLX3n

After inspecting all the parts, I've noticed various 'soft' details over parts of the models, but I'll start with the good.

THE GOOD;

This is the torso. And no, it's not because it's a 'booty'. This part seemed to have nice details and was quite well cast. Aside from the heads, I thought this part would be a 'feature' to the model once assembled and painted.

http://imgur.com/guYhTyf

THE BAD;

Wow, where to start. These are the parts I found issues with that I wasn't happy with. By happy I mean, it's a lot more work that I should have to put in cleaning it up. Just my opinion, but to each his own.

http://imgur.com/En5wCVK

The heads. Both heads while cast nicely from the front, both had massive issues with the horns looking from the back. Mold slips and flashing was horrid. Again, it wouldn't overly be seen from the front, but what's the point in concealing an issue.

http://imgur.com/7bec5RU

http://imgur.com/Ggdguly

http://imgur.com/ROBzulZ

http://imgur.com/H3K2k21

http://imgur.com/3HTe600

http://imgur.com/fZGKAEr

http://imgur.com/BBxrKmI

The next part was the left arm. Specifically the hand. There are some fine delicate parts here. The fingers have massive flashing and mold slipping. I'd have to spend a while to clean this up, all the time trying to avoid breaking anything. Also, the detailing on the 'armour' is very soft.

http://imgur.com/SQZ8rus

http://imgur.com/AovMyOS

Next, the upper 'arms' where her upper 'talons' / 'spidery legs' are. Both have massive slip lines.

http://imgur.com/DGMezG0

http://imgur.com/pwaUoSK

And finally, the right leg. There is a slip on the outside where majority of the detailing is. If this slip was on the inside of the leg where it was smooth and out of sight, I'd not have bothered mentioning it, but the fact is, it'll take a long time to clean this up so that it's barely there.

http://imgur.com/IFRwKbW

Overall, it's ok. More work on the miscast parts that I think it's worth, but again, that's my 2c as a collector and painter.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
The Tree Walker / Woman.

I'll try to standardise each post, give or take a tad of variation.

As poured out from the packet.

http://imgur.com/qguzCeG

Organised.

http://imgur.com/HlI8coH

THE GOOD

The heads are cast very nicely. No real slipping or miscasting. One small issue that was inside the 'neck' cavity so no issue once assembled. The 'womanly' head has some really nice scars/cracks in her face that cast up really nicely. I really like these parts.

http://imgur.com/lQI7iXS

http://imgur.com/aFd8NYl

THE BAD

The right arm and the base. The right arm has a stupid amount of flashing, slipping and seams. The base really suffers from an extreme lack of detail. It looks like something you'd get with a cheap action figure. The detail is not clean nor crisp.

http://imgur.com/Ki81DA8

http://imgur.com/2pRIjl2

http://imgur.com/n1RvBOv

http://imgur.com/NBFfHMY

Overall, quite good. Excluding these two parts I really liked this model. Details could be sharper on some parts, but not overly disappointed.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The Vulture Demon (#1, I bought 2).

Poured out.

http://imgur.com/tuYu0Tv

Organised.

http://imgur.com/npSPTyo

THE GOOD.

The torso (minus a small slip that I think I can fix easily enough) is quite cool. Although a bit soft on the details, it's a nice piece. Also, the 'evil minion' which is an egg. Again, soft details but it is a nice cast and should clean up well.

http://imgur.com/NQLkPAK

http://imgur.com/abfX1sJ

http://imgur.com/e65djNy

http://imgur.com/Ua4cuH6

http://imgur.com/0SKLf6q

THE BAD.

The blade arm, staff, base and left leg. Various mold slips.

http://imgur.com/I7i6Sok

The blade itself seems to be misaligned b about 0.5mm or something. There is a big 'flat' edge coming off the edge of the blade. This is not flash.

http://imgur.com/SIVaxBk

http://imgur.com/ngUIB3p

The staff looks like it was poorly glued together in 2 separate bits. There is a slip/heavy seem running the whole length. This will be a nightmare to clean up.

http://imgur.com/FRXQbRJ

http://imgur.com/RxZINJb

The base looks as though the bottom half missed getting enough resin when it was poured, or the mold broke, as it isn't a 'nice stable flat surface' at all. While I could spend the time sanding it flat, it isn't really the point when it's not meant to come like this.

http://imgur.com/NaoQZi8

http://imgur.com/MLVuCg6

And the left leg. Slip and seams.

http://imgur.com/GI8ZJIE

Overall, it's ok as per the others. But the QC section seems to have a very loose interpretation of quality it would seem.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
The Plague Angel #1 (Bought 2)

As poured.

http://imgur.com/1YSiGyi

Organised.

http://imgur.com/Dmo6fVv

THE GOOD

The torso is actually quite cool looking. There is a mold slip, but I think I can recover this one. So, it's the good part of the model, but it also has to come under bad for the slip.

http://imgur.com/nljQtFn

http://imgur.com/CYn3cRL

http://imgur.com/y3jjPcC

THE BAD

This seems to be a trend, same with the Vulture Demon staff, it seems they have difficulty casting the big long components well. The seam/slip on this thing is horrible. It's worse in person than in the pics. Annoyed by this piece.

http://imgur.com/ZBAwJPO

http://imgur.com/k81Ipg8

http://imgur.com/SfF97xI

http://imgur.com/oZd6eEe

Overall, if it wasn't for the staff, I'd say this was the best one yet. Although it has cleanup to do, I felt most wasn't going to be too much of an issue. The staff though... ugh.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
The Warrior Demon

As Poured.

http://imgur.com/Y51BJ1p

Organised.

http://imgur.com/DEvLk9B

THE GOOD

Again, have to pick the torso. But again, there is a slip issue on this piece, right where the butt meets the legs. I did a dry fit and it's going to take some work to make it look normal. Again, shouldn't be too bad, but it's an issue I'll have to address.

http://imgur.com/7YqoHyM

http://imgur.com/NfGByAt

http://imgur.com/VRFxYuf

http://imgur.com/kwdk7aE

http://imgur.com/QaxKYU5

http://imgur.com/5jtIGy1

http://imgur.com/P5Whet7

THE BAD

The torso as mention and pictured, both legs and base. I also encountered some small air bubbles on this model. They are just below the surface, but you can see them. I'll have to drill them and fill them.

http://imgur.com/9k5NfjQ

The legs. Bad slipping. Really bad slipping.

http://imgur.com/5vrVC9j

http://imgur.com/3T1KzIR

http://imgur.com/6AVAx4T

The base. Again, looks like a cheap rock for a childs action figure playset. Very low retail.

http://imgur.com/chFwKHZ

Overall, this is the model I was most excited about. The cast is nice, but the legs need a lot of work. When it's already lacking in detail crispness, cutting that away to remove a seem.... annoying.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ok, so I've gone over my initial models. Now is the 'duplicates' that I bought. Now, these had an array of their own issues, some similar. If you want to read please keep going. They aren't really a rehash. But they are the same model.

Thanks


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Plague Angel #2

As poured.

http://imgur.com/2yFjEtU

Organised.

http://imgur.com/KbZQ4fB

THE GOOD

This is the sad part, this cast was nowhere near as good as the last one. Wasn't happy with most of the model.

THE BAD

Lots. Of. Slipping. I'm not even going to break down each part, but this is all the slips.

http://imgur.com/Ltjdeqt

http://imgur.com/QLJNHQN

http://imgur.com/EkIJibS

http://imgur.com/xs19nV6

http://imgur.com/8RqziEI

http://imgur.com/BZYSBCG

http://imgur.com/5pOrvt4

http://imgur.com/JpoSGwe

http://imgur.com/OyZ8ClA

http://imgur.com/Zvvoore

http://imgur.com/YTLymHZ

http://imgur.com/Ew2BrwM

http://imgur.com/nkJgUvd

http://imgur.com/gaGorlE

http://imgur.com/DKNPS3L

http://imgur.com/Vg9aTld

http://imgur.com/J4wzBTr

http://imgur.com/OQpkMEF

http://imgur.com/tJUBNHi

Now, whilst a lot of these I think I could manage, it was the sheer abundance of seams I'd have to spend hours on cleaning up that frustrated me most. Nearly every piece has a slip os some sort and while I can salvage most, it wouldn't be a 'pleasure' but a labour to build.

Overall, this was a very disappointing model.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The Vulture Demon #2.

This model sucked the most for 2 reasons. 1, it was the last one I opened and 2, it was the worst one of the lot.

Maybe by this stage I was getting pedantic, but I found issues with nearly the whole model. But here is where I'm going to differ in this review.

Whilst inspecting the wings I noticed a MASSIVE discrepancy between the cast quality of each wing. Where one wasn't too bad, the other was so soft it almost looked like it had been melted. I've tried to capture this in images, and I hope you can see what I mean.

http://imgur.com/46HQXKu

http://imgur.com/j9XxMEq

http://imgur.com/XfxP5HH

http://imgur.com/O28gGZX

http://imgur.com/DoAPq8K

http://imgur.com/AXdPM0K

http://imgur.com/J1tKU2B

But, enough of the wings, on with the show.

The pouring.

http://imgur.com/ccTVtgu

Organised.

http://imgur.com/EfiDZ7D

THE GOOD

I don't even know.

THE BAD

Well, this had slips everywhere. More so than the previous Plague Angel #2. I'm very disappointed with this model. Again, I won't itemise each part. But here are the pics.

http://imgur.com/8zoNXTF

http://imgur.com/XYSYMae

http://imgur.com/SRHxspT

http://imgur.com/INB9HGG

http://imgur.com/EfWbv1P

http://imgur.com/2qtwIH8

http://imgur.com/mi0tGEs

http://imgur.com/oVYf11f

http://imgur.com/jlEYvep

http://imgur.com/3yRPV69

http://imgur.com/FAWeNFz

http://imgur.com/yV3jvDH

http://imgur.com/GCbH6xU

http://imgur.com/sRSQVkz

http://imgur.com/j7eW75P

http://imgur.com/smDHQ7N

http://imgur.com/jeSpKcf

http://imgur.com/jsZzFml

http://imgur.com/DewZnho

... and the weird parts. This head had 'wart' looking miscasts on it. One filling it's entire nostril. Look closely around the beak joint, side of beak and the nostril cavity.

Beak

http://imgur.com/j3mJDom

Nostril

http://imgur.com/SWVveZe

Overall, disappointed. Again, I might be able to clean a lot of this up, but this isn't the 'display' models promised in the campaign.






Automatically Appended Next Post:
To capitalise on this post, I've taken the liberty to screenshot aspects of the campaign I thought relevant. All this can be seen on the live Kickstarter page;

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jeremyglen/creature-caster-first-wave/description

Here we can see, we were told we'd receive certificates of authenticity and a digital art book link. We've been provided neither.

http://imgur.com/5LV9AWG

Further more, I purchased a painting DVD in the campaign. Due to certain events, the DVD was never published. We pleaded for a refund or to add it to our shipping costs. We were granted neither. We were told that we'd get videos from the Creator himself, not a professional art studio, and we'd get a $30CAD voucher for their online store once it went live. Knowing most people wouldn't take up that offer, supporting this company any further.

http://imgur.com/1p8IGVP

I now link these images, discussing quality of the product to be delivered. I do not feel we received what we were told we'd receive.

http://imgur.com/nyJe3gz

Just look at the detail on this example dragon here... seriously?

http://imgur.com/yMgWKjw

Now the final piece. We were told we'd be getting an additional extra to the Plague Angel model POST campaign. This was never discussed with us but when I opened the package, I noticed 2 'stubs' to replace the wings with. This is so you can have the model without wings. We were actually promised this style of feature for the warrior demon, but it was never discussed for the Plague Angel. It's sad that they used this idea as the scapegoat for the extra item we were meant to receive for this model. If you compare all the other additional items we 'unlocked' compared to this, it's a bit of a kick in the teeth.

http://imgur.com/hfgbeEh

To sum up my experiences... If I could go back 3 years ago, I'd never have backed this knowing what I'd receive. The models themselves aren't horrible, but they aren't exactly exceptional either. This seems to be the frequent norm with backers on Kickstarters... but hey, it's all a gamble at the end of the day.

I'll bee seeking replacement parts for the parts I have the biggest gripes over. I'll see how that fairs. I'll update with the response I get.

At least I got a free 'extra' minion and jackalope..? And no apparent missing parts..? That's a plus.

Any questions that you'd like to ask or images I could maybe photograph, let me know and I'll see what I can do. I'm by no means a professional, so I'm limited to my Smartphone imagery.

Happy modelling all.

I now link these images, discussing quality of the product to be delivered. I do not feel we received what we were told we'd receive.

http://imgur.com/nyJe3gz

Just look at the detail on this example dragon here... seriously?

http://imgur.com/yMgWKjw

I didn't think the 'anatomy, balance and realism' was all that, as far back as when the guy owned Ultraforge. Better than some, but the approach to anatomy seemed about the same - substitute 'realistic' for 'big and shrouded in greebling'. (And balance! The pose on that dragon looks as awkward as all get out. It looks like it's trying to stuff itself in a scale suitcase.)

Ahem. But I digress. Commiserations on the wonky bits you recieved. I didn't look at all the pics (something about imgur is wreaking havoc on my browser) but I got the gist with with those bird parts, especially the mismatched casting on the wings. If you can't get replacements, can you make use of the ones you've got?

Please embed the pictures, it makes reading the review much easier

I tried embed the images, but it wouldn't work.

Use the img tags and paste the image url in between them like this: