T-34/85 Spring 1942 Italeri Zvezda 1/35 built painted model kit

T-34/85; one of my oldest 1/35 builds. Bought it when a local model kit shop was closing down, and hence it was on sale, as usually they were prohibitively expensive, at least compared with any 1/72 model kits, those days that buying off internet seemed impossible. In those times, as I believed I would never have many 1/35 kits, I set myself on trying to detail the interior, without much info available (about 20 years ago.)

 

Indo-Greek Kingdom Yavana 1/72 25mm Soldiers Ancient figures miniatures figurines Zvezda Alexander

This are some soldiers I painted a very long time ago, but only made pictures this last week.

They depict some of the many Indo Greek Kingdoms that appeared after Alexander, properly the Yavana kingdom more likely.

Inspired by Rome II, and as much historical sources as possible. Not much is known about them, Greeks in the area intermixed gradually until losing their language and culture.

I had these spear Macedonian Cavalry with some damage, and I thought it would be cool to paint them and modify them a bit. I added two foot slingers that had around, and made some slight modifications to make them more "Hindi", and with their skin colour, considering there had been intermixing for a good few centuries.

Hope you like them  :P .

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Turkish Cavalry Zvezda Ottoman 1/72 painted soldiers XV

Here is my third project this summer  :-) . I haven't found the time to photograph the civilian romans in all their glory (would require a field trip, ideally) so I photographed the Turkish Cavalry of Zvezda, which I just finished yesterday, after being about 9 years in the making  :lol: .

I left them half painted, as I wasn't being very convinced, and I lacked some colours to finish them properly (I believe, it was gold and pink I think).

Anyway, a change of country and 3 removals later, with some damage to them, and more than one battle fought half-painted on wargames , here they are  :-) . I tried to make them very colouristic, but I saw the need for some light inkings-shadowings. I experimented mixing with the varnish, as I didn't wash before the figures, and all the same, Zvezda plastic is so slippery, that without varnishing your work has disappeared before your eyes in no time.

Hope you like them  :P . The Grand Vizier lost an arm in battle, and I had to make due with another Zvezda arm. If I find it, I'll rectify it  :-) .

Simon de Monfort Army - English Medieval Infantry Zvezda 1/72 Painted

Lately I have been into Medieval-ancient stuff, and here I present you with my Simon of Montfort army, for the Barons War. I interpreted that they needed to be identifiable if they had to battle against the king of England, so I've left clear in all of them the coat of arms of Monfort. There is a few conversions here and there, and I've mainly used the Zvezda English Medieval soldiers and Medieval peasants revolt.

Zvezda THE SPARTANS 1/72 set 8068 Greek Army hoplites 3d modelling thermopylae 300 miniatures figures

Now we review a set that marks a new era in miniaturism, the Spartans!

The artwork is very nicely done, the composition is good and it has force. Some of the faces look a bit Assyrian to me, still, good artwork all the same.

Now, in the back box we see something unusual, the first signal of the revolution. 3D renderings of the soldiers?? yes, my fellow collector/wargamer, this figures have been sculpted by computer, not in any sort of clay. It has been the cold hand of a machine (directed by a designer, of course) who has given life to these figures. It gives the impression of buying a expansion of Rome Total War instead of soldiers! It serves it's purpose, but I would have preferred that somebody actually painted the figures.

Curiously, this is the first box of hard cardboard I have seen soldiers packed inside.

These are the poses;

THE FIGURES - 5.0 out of 10 - (41 figures, 12 poses)

The first thing that struck me while I was examining these soldiers is that they lack life, animation. The computer designs might be exceptionally accurate, flawless in nearly all aspects, but the poses lack movement, they are all like statues.

And if you don't agree with this view, which is completely personal, all these figures have diminute feet and hands. They are fat and unathletic, completely unlike somebody which has been trained nearly his entire life. They seem decadent Romans! 

The swords are utterly short. Yes, it is known the Spartans had very short swords, but I think this is disproportionate. 

And well, now we'll pass onto the positive side. Nearly all soldiers have separate arms with shield, which give a very nice sense of realism and profundity, something that manufacturers like HaT have never achieved (and forcing you to modify the poses if wanting to achieve full realism). 

The sharpness is total, absolute. Every detail sticks out perfectly, and you can say exactly what is everything without zones of blurryness or zero detail. 


And then comes the shields, which the 3d modelling gives them a very nice and sharp design, but the scorpion, wild boar and the bull head seem modern logos and not by any means ancient designs, as they are very sharp, simplistic and without rounded ends. Zvezda continues to engrave all shields, and in this case I would have appreciated that it made some without design so we could choose. All the same it is not too hard to remove with cutter.



HISTORICAL ACCURACY - 9.0

The other thing that struck me was the lack of the Lambda symbol, but after research this seems to be correct, or at least anybody (unless you were at Thermopylae) can't say otherwise. After so much time seeing the lambda symbol everywhere, it seems that now it's use is contested, and some historians even put in doubt that it was ever used.

Maybe two poses with the raised crest are a bit strange, but you can't say much against.

It puzzles me that there is no cloaks, nor anything else that marks them as Spartans to differentiate them from other Greeks (wonder how on earth they knew who was who in battle among themselves......). Zvezda has followed the historical certainties and has turned down doubtful possibilities.


ARMY REPRESENTATION - 5.0
"The army representation score is the potential of the soldiers to be used for other purposes different to the one originally intended"

The absence of the lambda symbol makes that these troops could really pass as any greek, so there is some scope there, but limited to the Greek polis of this era. They would need some heavy modifying to transform into hellenized peoples like Illyrians, or succesor states of Alexander. Sadly they are not very good for modification, as the plastic is very slippery and the figures are a bit fat and full of detail.

The figure of the Helot could be useful as nearly anything, from a herdsmen, subjugated auxiliar of an Armenian army to a just a poor trader.


FUNNESS - 6.5

"I feel that many reviews are oblivious to this point - there are fantastic figures, which you can´t say anything against, but they are just too "correct", maybe too static, and so just boring. So I feel that this is an important point when deciding if you buy a set"

Mixed feelings here. By one side you get the first representation of a Helot (at last!), and a little lamb to be sacrificed by a officer, a very nice touch by Zvezda. 

By the other hand, they are Spartans, they should look awesome, and they don't. They don't seem fierce at all. There isn't any cruel pose, or specially ferocious one, nor a challenging one. 

And, for once, Zvezda has become mad with the quantity of each pose. They give you two different musicians (which is not indispensable) and 9 figures of the same hoplite! and 6 men with their shield on the ground! they are Spartans, not idle Beotians!


Personally, I can't call them Spartans. For me they would be Spartan allies, something like a Peloponnesian league mix. 


WARGAMING VALUE - 6.5

Plenty of musicians (two!), and two different commanders, but these troops are just Spartan hoplites, forgetting all the peltasts, archers, and in a very minor role light cavalry (clearly done to represent the famous 300 Spartans). The 6 men with their shield on the ground won't help either. 

PRICE-VALUE RATIO - 6.0

"The price value ratio of this soldiers will vary between every shop you go, and the best I can do is judge by their average price on eBay and online stores"

They are more or less at 11 €, which is not very good value, considering the 41 men and all the flaws mentioned.



PAINTING AND GLUING - 4.0

Same Zvezda plastic as always. Clean it with detergent to paint it, and hope it doesn't break because you won't be able to re-glue it solidly.


OVERALL VALORATION - 6.0

This set has completely disappointed me. I thought from looking without paying attention to the details that this was an awesome set, but extracting the lamb and soldier ready to sacrifice this is a forgettable set. The Zvezda original "Greek Army", although the detail wasn't so sharp, is still by far the best Greek set ever made. 

Zvezda has earned a name for making flawless figures, and this set is just not in the level of their other figures.

Conclusion; 3d modelling starts a new era, but not necessarily a better one.


If you have enjoyed this review and want to say thanks, the best way is to click in one of the advertisings in the blog. Every little help will be appreciated. 






PAINTED EXAMPLES

I haven't painted mine yet, but if you do, please send me pics to tam_cob@hotmail.com and I will include them here!

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next battle!

Zvezda VIKINGS 1/72 IX-XI AD north warriors Set 8046 norse miniatures figures Harald Hardrada

Today we review some epic miniatures, the Vikings.

A very good and correct artwork, showing the real poses made in the same set. The box art is good, but the figures inside are even better.

On the back we can see the painted soldiers (excellently, not like Mars, which is to show how not to paint them) and a brief description.  

Once open, this is what we see;

SCULPTING - 9.0 out of 10

Usual Zvezda set; detail a bit diffuse everywhere, without very sharp detail, but perfectly (and when I say perfectly, is perfectly) made proportions, lifelike poses (not the plain pseudo-egyptian poses we get in HaT and similar),  and absolutely no flash at all. 

All the shields are given separate, which gives a very nice detail to figures.


HISTORICAL ACCURACY - 10.0

We have a perfect historical accuracy here. Maybe we should have more axemen, the chief could wear a more special and ornamented helmet and shield (horned helmets are now regarded as unhistorical by modern historians, but for those we have seen hundreds of films and other representations, to see a full set of Vikings without any horns seems strange).

Another thing is that these Vikings seem Swedish Vikings of the east, the ones that confronted the Slavs, mainly for the archer with that hat and a bit for the standard bearer, but is nice to see an approach not so directed to fight in 1066 at Stamford Bridge like other sets.

ARMY REPRESENTATION - 7.0

Two or three could be used for any Dark Age barbarian/germanic faction (the skirmisher could be used as a Goth of the 3rd century to a light Medieval troop), many also could be used for Medieval kingdoms of the north like the Denmark, Norway or Sweden, or early Russian kingdoms. 

Finally, some could be used as early Angles, Saxons, Frisians or Jutes. 



FUNNESS - 8.3

"I feel that many reviews are oblivious to this point - there are fantastic figures, which you can´t say anything against, but they are just too "correct", maybe too static, and so just boring. So I feel that this is an important point when deciding if you buy this set"

Vikings are always a fun theme. Maybe this are very historical, wargaming-adapted and correct Vikings, which makes them not so fun, but nevertheless we have besides the unique leader and standard bearer, a nice Berserker biting his shield, and the very interesting figure kicking a enemy, literally a figure I've never seen before, but you can be sure that Vikings bited, kicked and punched, any sort of way to defeat their enemies. 

You could say that this set is more really like a Viking Army, like those of the late Viking age, and not so much an adventurer gang of wild Vikings like those of the early Dark Ages.


WARGAMING VALUE - 10.0

Zvezda is a wargaming-concerned company, and this set gives everything a wargamer might need. There is many Vikings made, but none so useful to wargamers as this one. The leader, the standard-bearer/musician, the skirmisher and archers, etc.

PRICE-VALUE RATIO - 8.0

"The price value ratio of this soldiers will vary between every shop you go, and the best I can do is judge by their average price on eBay"

Not everything could be perfect in this set. The cheapest is about 8-9 GBP, and it can be more on retail shops. The question is that you are only given 41 figures, which seems a bit few, to make way for the shields that are made separate.


PAINTING AND GLUING - 5.0

Zvezda plastic is not too good to paint and glue, it will not be required glue if you don't to modify them, but painting them can be a bit tricky.


OVERALL VALORATION - 8.5

When they were released, there were existing already 4 sets of Vikings (Emhar, Orion, and Strelets have made two), of which I already owned two,  I don't like having more than one set of every faction, nevertheless , I did buy this set making it my third pack of Vikings. 

Is this the best set of Vikings? many would say yes, but my heart is still with my first set, the Strelets Vikings against Franks, but this is a very personal opinion. 

If you are a wargamer, this is your set. If you want epic and diorama usefulness, maybe the Strelets Vikings against Franks is better. 

I strongly recommend getting this set, even if you already have some of the previous sets. They are very nicely made, and although can be a bit expensive they represent very well a Viking army.

In my opinion, the Orion and Emhar sets seem to be very early Vikings, nearly more Angles than vikings in the Emhar one, and the sculpting of all the 4 previous sets are inferior in quality.


PAINTED EXAMPLES

Thanks to Miniaturas Aconcagua, I can show you this great way of painting them!

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next battle!

Today we talk about... Zvezda 1/72 Zaporozhian Cossacks 8064

Welcome to the second entry of this blog. This time we'll change the era and we'll speak of a 16th century set, the Zvezda Zaporozhian Cossacks.

Here is the box artwork;

Box art is good and absolutely shows everything you get (11 poses), which is very welcome in this world of box arts that show you great figures that you never get. The quality of the drawing is very high as in all Zvezda boxes.

And also as usual in Zvezda, on the back we find a clear picture of everything given, and superbly painted, that functions as a great guide when it comes to painting. 

Once open, this is what we see;

SCULPTING - 7.5 out of 10

Nothing to complain about here. The detail could be a bit sharper everywhere, it´s  kind of a bit "diffuse", if compared to other manufacturers such as Caesar Miniatures, but everything is well done. 

About the height, they are a bit taller than   they should be for 1/72, but it´s not very important. 

What is a bit worse, is that the mounted figures are as tall as the dismounted figures, this in the same set, which is a bit of common problem in Zvezda, where all cavalrymen seem bigger than the foot soldiers. 


HISTORICAL ACCURACY - 9.0

This set shows that it is supposed to cover from the 16th to the 18th century, this is maybe stretching it a bit ; they are better used as 17th century.

Maybe we are missing a bit more firearm weapons, but as it is a set that stretches across 3 centuries this is acceptable.

The cannon on the wagon would have to be subjected in a more sturdy way; it seems that it could snap with a single shot.

Besides this, I see a very good historical accuracy.

ARMY REPRESENTATION - 3.5

They don´t score too highly in this aspect, as their clothes, weapons and haircut limits their use to just what they are, Cossacks, although they could pass for some other nomadic tribe of the same time era, like the Astrakhan Khanate, or Kazan peoples.

The cavalrymen with the lance doesn't have anything that identifies him specially as a Cossack, and could be really a russian soldier of the same era.



FUNNESS - 8.3

"I feel that many reviews are oblivious to this point - there are fantastic figures, which you can´t say anything against, but they are just too "correct", maybe too static, and so just boring. So I feel that this is an important point when deciding if you buy this set"

Making  so bellicose a tribe as the cossacks means they need to have aggressive and combative poses, and these are well made here. We don´t get any "I am just passing by" pose, nor "I don´t know what to do now" pose.

The only lack here is, first, we could have a few more  poses, although thanks to removable arms you can modify slightly each pose and give them a bit more life.

The big drum is something very nice and appreciated. The three drummers  maybe are too many,  one or two  would have been probably  enough.

We are given, as always, 3 unique figures, which is hugely appreciated.  

Also we are given 9 sacks, probably of gunpowder, or maybe some smuggled goods. It is a very nice touch to fill  the wagon up a bit.

The wagon with cannon is also a very fun addition, this will give plenty of life for the dioramas and the like. 
Curiously we are not given horses to attach, so we'll have to draw them from another set, but it is not really a problem if you have a good range of other sets.

A 

WARGAMING VALUE - 7.0

Wargaming value here is not very big, as we know Zvezda tries to give you a bit of everything and you end up with few figures, so you would have to buy another set or use it along with the Orion Ukrainian Cossacks.For a wargamer maybe you'll prefer the Orion Cossacks, which are more standard and better, but you would have to also purchase their cavalry then to have a full army. 

All the same Zvezda gives you the musicians and flagbearer which Orion doesn't have.

PRICE-VALUE RATIO - 7.5

"The price value ratio of this soldiers will vary between every shop you go, and the best I can do is judge by their average price on eBay"

The average eBay price is 12 €. I was lucky to get mine from a retail shop for just 6,50 €, so that was a great price. 12 €  might seem a bit steep, but you are given 8 cavalry figures, 19 infantrymen and one wagon, and many brands will take 10 € just for 12 cavalrymen, so it´s not too bad.


PAINTING AND GLUING - 3.5

They are made with the typical Zvezda plastic, which is quite bad to glue and worse to paint, always very slippery. If you dont apply a good primer, you´ll have to apply two or three coats of paint.

About glueing, fortunately everything fits so well that glue is hardly needed. 


OVERALL VALORATION - 8.5

It is in overall a very nice set, and as with 99 % of Zvezda sets, worth having. If you are a true Cossack enthusiast, this is a must. If you want to have a nice representation of the Cossacks, this is also a must. Either way, it will probably be a good purchase, even if the Orion infantry and cavalry sets are quite nice too.

I am not specially a follower of this era,  my main interests being pre-16th century and WWII, but these were so nice and they just asked to be bought. 


PAINTED EXAMPLES

 These figures have been painted by myself.

Now, thanks to Model Maniac, a great modeller and miniature painter, his rendition of this great set;

You can see more of Model Maniac's work on his website; http://www.falconbbs.com/

Thanks to Miniaturas Aconcagua, we can show you yet another great way of painting them!

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next battle!