MSzwarc
Well-Known Member
I'm not especially interested in Highlanders or the Scottish clans, but I do enjoy the sound of the bagpipe, so when Andrea recently released this Scottish Piper (1690), I decided to get one. Living, as I do, in the Middle of Nowhere, I must purchase figures sight-unseen, relying only on photographs, the reputation of the manufacturer, and, when possible, the reviews of other modelers. Since I already had a couple of 54 mm Andrea figures that were nicely detailed, well cast, and with good fit of parts, I had no qualms in ordering the Scottish Piper (MSRP $29.95, Red Lancer $22.95).
The figure arrived, packed in soft foam in a box printed with several clear photos of a finished figure. As with my other Andrea kits, there are no assembly instructions or painting guide other than the box art. This can be a little daunting, especially for a beginner like me, but with a little careful study, the assembly can be puzzled out. As for painting, Andrea now includes a list of the Andrea paints used to paint the box art figure, but alas, no hint is given as to how or where on the figure these colors are used, so one must rely either on the box or one's own imagination.
The figure itself is nicely detailed and cast, and consists of 12 parts, with 4 of them attached to a sprue. Casting seams are very faint, but the targ and right hand have pouring gates to be removed. The face is well defined, with a wonderful expression. The targ and the basket on the sword are quite detailed, as are the shoes. The kilt and cape are well shaped, but, unfortunately, have no cast-in guidelines for painting the plaid as I have seen in other Andrea kits. The ribbon or sash on the three drone pipes looks a little heavy for the scale, but this can be easily remedied.
The fit of the left arm and bag, and the right hand are good. However, the kilted left leg mates very poorly with the torso and right leg. What is worse, though, is that it is very difficult, for me at least , to see just where, and from which part, to remove material so that these two pieces fit together well with the kilt properly up under the cape in the back, as well as allowing the kilt front to fit properly, and the feet to match the depressions in the base piece. There are several spots along this rather long and complex joint that seem to need attention. This will require careful study and paring to get it right.
Although the fit of the parts is not on a par with other Andrea kits I have, and aside from the fact that Andrea doesn't include assembly and painting guides for these figures, the subject is very appealing, and with a little extra work will make up into a goodlooking figure.
Mike Szwarc
The figure arrived, packed in soft foam in a box printed with several clear photos of a finished figure. As with my other Andrea kits, there are no assembly instructions or painting guide other than the box art. This can be a little daunting, especially for a beginner like me, but with a little careful study, the assembly can be puzzled out. As for painting, Andrea now includes a list of the Andrea paints used to paint the box art figure, but alas, no hint is given as to how or where on the figure these colors are used, so one must rely either on the box or one's own imagination.
The figure itself is nicely detailed and cast, and consists of 12 parts, with 4 of them attached to a sprue. Casting seams are very faint, but the targ and right hand have pouring gates to be removed. The face is well defined, with a wonderful expression. The targ and the basket on the sword are quite detailed, as are the shoes. The kilt and cape are well shaped, but, unfortunately, have no cast-in guidelines for painting the plaid as I have seen in other Andrea kits. The ribbon or sash on the three drone pipes looks a little heavy for the scale, but this can be easily remedied.
The fit of the left arm and bag, and the right hand are good. However, the kilted left leg mates very poorly with the torso and right leg. What is worse, though, is that it is very difficult, for me at least , to see just where, and from which part, to remove material so that these two pieces fit together well with the kilt properly up under the cape in the back, as well as allowing the kilt front to fit properly, and the feet to match the depressions in the base piece. There are several spots along this rather long and complex joint that seem to need attention. This will require careful study and paring to get it right.
Although the fit of the parts is not on a par with other Andrea kits I have, and aside from the fact that Andrea doesn't include assembly and painting guides for these figures, the subject is very appealing, and with a little extra work will make up into a goodlooking figure.
Mike Szwarc
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