Dan Morton
A Fixture
First of all I want to thank Andy Cairns for asking me to review his 90mm scale ANZAC Horseman. I’m honored and pleased that he would consider me. Andy has generously helped me many times with my sculpting and I consider him a friend. In doing any review, as I told Andy, I believe all of us strive for accuracy and honest opinions. So - here we go.
I enjoy Andy's sculpting, particularly his portrayal of clothing drapery and folds. These are very well done on this kit. The fit of the parts in the kit are impressively precise. They all go together easily and firmly.
Second, because I know how much work he must have put into it, I want to be as positive as possible. However, I regret that there are things about the kit that trouble me.
The horse is powerful, heavily muscled like a plow horse, not a leaner, sinewy riding horse. He’s a beautiful brute! The horse Andy sculpted would look fine pulling in an artillery team or a GS wagon, but I don’t think he looks right as a riding horse. Oh sure, you could ride it, but I don’t think a cavalryman would normally do so. An army would put that kind of horse to work hauling something. The casting of the horse has a bit of flash, but nothing serious.
The saddle is cast as one piece with a separate u-shaped rolled blanket and leather bag to be fitted over the saddle cantle. They fit on the horse and on each other tightly.
Third, the head of the figure looks anatomically just a little too small for the rest of the body. At first I thought the body itself was out of proportion, but it is just the head. And the head isn’t out by much, but it is noticeable. There are three hats - a pith helmet, an Aussie slouch hat and a New Zealand slouch hat - all beautifully done. On the figure, there are minor amounts of flash and casting waste to contend with and I would sand smooth and re-line one of the trouser seams. Nothing seriously wrong in the casting of the figure or the hats. The lower arms and hands are cast separately to allow proper adjustment for reins. A large piece of lead foil is included to make the rifle sling and the reins. The SMLE rifle is accurate and well done with minimal flash.
I believe Andy intended the kit to be adaptable/convert-able by the modeler to become a particular New Zealand or Australian cavalry regiment. As it is, it doesn’t portray either one, but conversion is possible without a huge amount of work. Personally I wouldn’t have chosen that approach - I would have made one or the other.
I don’t like the fact that there are no instructions. One of my favorite sculptors and kit makers, Jon Smith, is, in my opinion, the best in the business about this. He provides not only instructions, but a very accurate, simple history and painting recommendations for every figure kit.
Please note that the kit photos above can be increased in size by double-clicking on them. I'm attaching some photos of re-enactors - Light Horsemen and NZ Mounted Rifles - to [hopefully] give you modelling ideas!
Finally, I should probably mention that I showed an earlier version of this review to Andy and he wanted me to post it even with the critique.
All the best,
Dan
I enjoy Andy's sculpting, particularly his portrayal of clothing drapery and folds. These are very well done on this kit. The fit of the parts in the kit are impressively precise. They all go together easily and firmly.
Second, because I know how much work he must have put into it, I want to be as positive as possible. However, I regret that there are things about the kit that trouble me.
The horse is powerful, heavily muscled like a plow horse, not a leaner, sinewy riding horse. He’s a beautiful brute! The horse Andy sculpted would look fine pulling in an artillery team or a GS wagon, but I don’t think he looks right as a riding horse. Oh sure, you could ride it, but I don’t think a cavalryman would normally do so. An army would put that kind of horse to work hauling something. The casting of the horse has a bit of flash, but nothing serious.
The saddle is cast as one piece with a separate u-shaped rolled blanket and leather bag to be fitted over the saddle cantle. They fit on the horse and on each other tightly.
Third, the head of the figure looks anatomically just a little too small for the rest of the body. At first I thought the body itself was out of proportion, but it is just the head. And the head isn’t out by much, but it is noticeable. There are three hats - a pith helmet, an Aussie slouch hat and a New Zealand slouch hat - all beautifully done. On the figure, there are minor amounts of flash and casting waste to contend with and I would sand smooth and re-line one of the trouser seams. Nothing seriously wrong in the casting of the figure or the hats. The lower arms and hands are cast separately to allow proper adjustment for reins. A large piece of lead foil is included to make the rifle sling and the reins. The SMLE rifle is accurate and well done with minimal flash.
I believe Andy intended the kit to be adaptable/convert-able by the modeler to become a particular New Zealand or Australian cavalry regiment. As it is, it doesn’t portray either one, but conversion is possible without a huge amount of work. Personally I wouldn’t have chosen that approach - I would have made one or the other.
I don’t like the fact that there are no instructions. One of my favorite sculptors and kit makers, Jon Smith, is, in my opinion, the best in the business about this. He provides not only instructions, but a very accurate, simple history and painting recommendations for every figure kit.
Please note that the kit photos above can be increased in size by double-clicking on them. I'm attaching some photos of re-enactors - Light Horsemen and NZ Mounted Rifles - to [hopefully] give you modelling ideas!
Finally, I should probably mention that I showed an earlier version of this review to Andy and he wanted me to post it even with the critique.
All the best,
Dan
