Review Medieval Cuman Horse Archer from HiMini

[Nap]

Hi to all

We are lucky in that we are seeing companies announcing releases here on Planet Figure , many new ones and from Russia , all of which are producing high quality products .

A new company to the market is:

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Who are they ...well they are a member of PF firstly and supporting our feature FOTM which I thank them for , based as I said in Russia , my contact is a guy called Vasily .

The name Himini comes from breaking down Historical Minaitures to HiMini ...or as Vasily's daughter says it " Hi Mini" as in Hello ....LOL

The slogan "A POSSE AS ESSE" = old latin meaning "From possibility to actuality" ...in otherwords from an idea to what we are seeing .

Vasily has been very helpful in sending me much of the references they used in the piece we are looking at , this was announced by him here:

https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/cuman-kipchaq-horse-archer-13th-century-by-himini.118586/

The sculpt is based on a rich nomad from the steppes of the Northern Black Sea and the Azov region in the early 13th century

One thing to note is that the modern perception of horses in this area and period is that they were more modern day pony size with the majority being less than 140cm at the withers.

Lets have the references now:

Living History pictures:

Here are a couple of good books on Medieval Russia



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Lets look at the release

Title: Cuman Horse Archer 13th Century

Referenece: HI-75-002

Material : Gray Resin

No of pieces: 28 plus Insert ( 4 parts not needed see note below **)

Sculptor: Stepan Nikolaev

Artwork: Vladimir Alekseev

Casting: Russian Company local to Himini

Note : Numberes 1-50 have a bonus item in the form of a statue of a Cuman/Kipchaq Warrior as sculpted at the time ( see references) ...nice addition

Prep

This is not going to take long to say .....MINIMAL , small casting pieces to remove , tiny bit of filling where the horse is put together , remove items from casting posts..

Initial thoughts

• Very impressive presentation
• Casting of high quality using 100% smoothcast 300 resin ( details from Himini )
• Minimal andvery fine casting lines that I can see with or without my optivisor!!!
• No air bubbles
• Fit is very good indeed on figure

On receiving the review item I was presented with a high quality well printed card push over surround , on the front a framed picture of the box art and on the rear various views of a unpainted version highlighting the head options .

What I like to see is that the sculptor has taken the time to sign the packing as well as the insert that is inside the box.



Taking off the cover I have a bio degradable wooden box , laser cut ...continuing with the enjoyment for the customer.

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Opening the box I see a very well packed kit surrounded by recyclable material , with parts in plastic bags or nestling safely in the packing.



There is also a nice insert printed in both Russian and English with a history of the piece and the company..and a picture of the sculptor

Pieces consist of : 2 horse halves , head, tail , saddle, reins, 2 stirrups, 2 hair pieces , arrow, 1 bow case and 1 arrow quiver , sabre, dagger, main torso, right arm , left arm with bow, right leg , 3 head variations and finally a base .

** Note :

In the 3rd picture you will see top right and left loops and weapon heads , these were originally going to be to make a spear as in the reference picture no 2 but Himini decided not use that option but left parts on sprue's

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Lets look at the resin !!

Starting with the Rider's torso and arms/leg

The rider is cast with just the left leg in a riding position the left being separate to ensure a accurate fit to the horse.

Suffice to say the sculpting is really very good and certainly as we expect in today's hobby , this is highlighted by the casting quality on all the area's of the model.

Our archer has his upper body turned to the left in an action pose of firing the bow , wearing a mail top , nicely worked ( this is based on an original found in a burial near Kovali )

Over the mail we see a belted bib carrying metal plates ( seen in statues as in the free item in the box )...I have to say that the work and undercuts on the belts is well defined .

Neck and arms locations are well cast ready to take the pieces ...no additional excess removal needed , making fit spot on

He wears a flowing caftan , very well depiction of the folds in relation to the movement , the caftan is also textured .

On his legs we have trousers with the high boots which also has the specific suspension to the waist ...a Cunman/Kipchaq thing

On the right leg we also have the same work on the folds , you will note a tab of resin on the boot inside ..this fits cleanly into a cutout on the saddle on right of horse...nice thinking there.





Arms

The left is extended out holding the bow , excellent work on the folds of the sleeves ( on both arms ) , the hand is gripping the bow as it should , you can feel the power on the action .

The right arm is bent at the elbow pulling the bow string fully back ( you will need to add this ...fine fishing line is a suggestion)

I like the work on the hands , good details on the fingers on both , including finger nails , the right hand is sculpted so you can add the bowstring easily

Fit of both arms into the torso is clean and accurate

The Turkic style bow itself is the correct style and shaping again as seen in research and found in burials





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Onwards

Head

We are being spoilt here by Himini ...a choice of 3 !!!

2 different helmets , one bareheaded , there is also the option of hairpieces and a face mask ( more later on these )

2 helmet types one more pointed in shape , the other less so , both are finely sculpted and casting again is very good

The faces on all 3 are the same and the 2 helmeted versions also have a mail neck curtain ..same comments apply on this as with the torso.

On the more pointed face there was a slight bit of excess resin ( flash ) ...easily removed to no detriment of the face .

If you choose the bareheaded version after fitting the 3 braided hairpiece you will have the distinctive style high on the head.

The facial features all have a nice moustache with sharp eye and mouth definition , also well done are the eyebrows and the furrowed forehead on the bareheaded version

The decision is your ...which head !!!







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Lets look at the pieces on sprues now



The sabre is the distinctive nomadic type widely in use during the period , fitting easily to the torso , lining up with the sabre straps correctly , on the opposite side there is some nice decoration ( you will see this later in the painted version)

The reins are cast to fit simply to the side of the horse , you could if you wish use modelling foil cut or fishing lead strip



The arrow that is about to be released ( fit on the opposite side as advised by PF member Bob Orr ) , is a good cast , with the flights and the head being well shown

2 types of cases , one a quiver with arrows in ....you will note the different type of arrowheads in this ...great research , the casing on this is decorated with a lattice work pattern on the front.

The other has no arrows as this is the actual bow case , again nicely detailed on the front and the lower edges and upper corner

See Note** ref 3 items from the left



Face mask ...this can be fitted on the face or held up ...nice in comparison to the original references used, details includes a moustache which leads up to the ears ( with earrings ) , on the chin we have a metal ring and at the top the hinge for the mask ...very nice to see such work



Full hairpiece , a knife and another version of the hair and is typically in 3 braided style using sculpture artifacts to confirm this detail

See Note ** ref left hand piece

The knife is based on one of the most famous finds near a village called Zolotarevka , fit again easy when married up with torso




Stirrups ..obviously!!,...good shape and fitting well to the boots and to the inside of the figure

You can see the actual saddle in the first parts picture again this is a good item high at the front with decoration evident at both edges

The Statue ...based on original items of course ...and a great idea as a bonus , nicely textured for the stone effect , showing the armour , boots, and hair style ...again you can see this in the parts pictures 1 and 4

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Now to the Horse and Base

Cast in 2 parts split along the centre , comparing with the figure it looks small in scale but is very accurate in relation to the size used at the time , Muscle work is very good , with fetlocks having details of the hair , anatomically including the "vital parts" are all very well sculpted .


There is good supporting plugs for the legs , you might like to still pin as well.

The horse tack is well done with really nice buckle work on strap undercuts having some decoration on the hanging ends .

The head again has really good bridle work with decoration , the horse features are good with the nostrils flared , ears back in the fury of the movement.





The mane is flying around again adding dimension to the piece , the same detail goes into the tail itself as well.



Fit is by using a good plug into a well formed cutout , you will need to use filler at the join

The base is a large oblong with a textured surface with rocks ...you can use this of course or as part of a larger base.

There are the locating holes for the horse which you can see here



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Final Thoughts

Well what to say really except WELCOME HIMINI ...a great piece , very well researched indeed , very well presented from the packaging ,box to the resin , casting is again very good indeed.

I have no doubt we will be seeing a lot more from Russian companies , they really are pushing the quality standards very high indeed and HIMINI are one of them.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

For more details

No website at the moment , this is planned and currently in progress

but you can contact Vasily either by :

Message on FB page

Or a PM via this forum to user ID HIMINI

Email: [email protected]

If you are in the UK then El Greco Miniatures are showing the releases

As a final finale lets have some pics from Himini

A big thanks to Himini for the review item and of course for you all for looking in

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Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[MattMcK.]

Nice product and a great review!

 

[T-34/85]

As always Nap, another great review. Excellent piece and something that’s now on my must have list.

Tom

 

[jknaus]

Thanks for the great review. I got this and its gorgeous.​

James​

 

[arkangelo]

Very good and complete revision Nap

Ark