The everything miniatures wargaming thread

[The Brain]

Come to think of it, Wargames Atlantic's Goblin Warband (which I plan to use as LOTR orcs) has some guys on the sprue that are designed to work both as standing models (squatting with feet far apart) and spider riders, and there's what I think is a saddle on the sprue as well. They are meant to go with the same company's spider models, but who knows what might work? NB I don't know if they're smaller than the Oathmark riders, they're still on the sprue and require assembly to know for sure.

[Jacob]

Thanks for the details. I think I still don't have a decision yet...

For my own uses, I'd be okay with the old GW goblin wolf riders but I never bought them while they were on the market

[Jacob]

Also, I actually finished a few more minis:



More pictures on my blog, as usual.

[Threviel]

Love the "Ancient Copper" look on the skeletons. Everything looks really good.

[Jacob]

Love the "Ancient Copper" look on the skeletons. Everything looks really good.

Thanks!

[The Brain]

Very nice! Which manufacturer(s)?

[Jacob]

Very nice! Which manufacturer(s)?

The Skeletons are Oathmark and the Dwarf is from Bronze Age Miniatures. It's worst named miniature company to search for, because "bronze age miniatures" will give you a hit on all sorts of historicals first.

I quite like their "troll" miniatures as they have a very proper Nordic feel to me:

[The Brain]

Cool. I actually have those Norse trolls, still unpainted.

[Jacob]

Cool. I actually have those Norse trolls, still unpainted.

I have a lot of minis, still unpainted

[Jacob]

To bring politics into this otherwise non-political thread...

IMO Brother Vinni miniatures are morally dubious. Not because of the BDSM/ sex stuff, but because one of their minis is a "Ukrainian slave girl" (naked, in shackles) which - as I understand it - is modelled after Yulia Tymoshenko as a political pro-Russian anti-Ukrainian statement.

I actually thought Brother Vinni was a Russian company, but it's still in business online (so not affected by whatever internet issues there may be in Russia). Maybe they're Hungarian or something?

In any case, given current events I think it's dubious to give money to a company that has a Ukrainian sex-slave miniature modelled to represent the nation of Ukraine / a prominent pro-Western politician as a model.

[The Brain]

That's good to know.

While I'm in this thread, have you checked out The Assault Group's fantasy line? I noticed they have some warg riders. Just thought I'd mention it since TAG has been mostly historicals.

[Jacob]

No I hadn't seen those. Thanks for the tip!

[grumbler]

To bring politics into this otherwise non-political thread...

IMO Brother Vinni miniatures are morally dubious. Not because of the BDSM/ sex stuff, but because one of their minis is a "Ukrainian slave girl" (naked, in shackles) which - as I understand it - is modelled after Yulia Tymoshenko as a political pro-Russian anti-Ukrainian statement.

I actually thought Brother Vinni was a Russian company, but it's still in business online (so not affected by whatever internet issues there may be in Russia). Maybe they're Hungarian or something?

In any case, given current events I think it's dubious to give money to a company that has a Ukrainian sex-slave miniature modelled to represent the nation of Ukraine / a prominent pro-Western politician as a model.

I couldn't find anything in a short search that indicates that the whole "that's supposed to be Yulia Tymoshenko" is anything more than just a guy saying something on the internet.  It certainly doesn't look distinctly like her with either head.  Apparently, Ukrainian slaves were popular in the Ottoman Empire because Ukraine was right next door and not Muslim.

In short, I don't think you should make your buying decisions based on such a dubious bit of "evidence."

[Jacob]

I couldn't find anything in a short search that indicates that the whole "that's supposed to be Yulia Tymoshenko" is anything more than just a guy saying something on the internet.  It certainly doesn't look distinctly like her with either head.  Apparently, Ukrainian slaves were popular in the Ottoman Empire because Ukraine was right next door and not Muslim.

In short, I don't think you should make your buying decisions based on such a dubious bit of "evidence."

Personally, I think the alternate head provided for the mini is a pretty good rendition in 28 mm of this picture of Tymoshenko. The hairstyle is a pretty solid match IMO.



When the mini was released (IIRC 2012) it was widely (but not universally) understood among people seeing it to be referencing Tymoshenko. Given the context of the time, the title of the mini, and the  close match of the hairstyle, I was (and remain) persuaded. At the time I thought it was in poor taste, but left it at that. Now, given current events in Ukraine and the conduct of Russian armed forces against Ukrainian civilians, it puts beyond what I consider acceptable.

You are, of course, free to make your own purchasing decisions. For my part, I'm going to avoid buying anything from a Russian company selling naked minis of "Ukrainian Slave Girls" even if I didn't think it wasn't intended to depict Tymoshenko specifically (though I do).

While Brother Vinni hasn't come out and said anything on the topic, to my knowledge, I'm not going to send his company any money. Even beyond that, I think now is a good time to avoid buying Russian products even if they are not hit by current sanctions.

[grumbler]

Tymoshenko's famous hair braid was chosen by her when she was trying to move away from the "Princess Oligarch" image to go into politics.  She chose it because it is so closely associated with country folk traditional looks (in the mythologized version of them, anyway).  Without the traditional hairdo, there is nothing "Ukrainian" about the slave girl.

Now, I wouldn't buy those figures if they were put out by Cousin Vinnie, let alone some Russian "Brother Vinni", so have no problem with you boycotting that manufacturer.