New Andrea Miniatures

[Pedro Molina]

Vikingo, 925 D.C
Escale: 54mm
Material: White Metal

 

[Sturm Grenadier]

Great defined detail. The wind-blown effect on the hair and fur cloak look very realistic. Regards, SG

 

[diamond cutter]

Both are very good, a bigger scale for the viking would be cool

 

[Helm]

I'm with Pete if only it was a 90mm or even 75mm

Steve

 

[Paul-H]

I see they also have a new book out on painting their Pin-Up range as well.

Paul

 

[ubbi]

an interesting viking for what concerned the pose and without beard and so shabby as he had a very long piratesque campaign, we have to remember that vikings were proud of their look as for their dressing and physical appearance , there is an interesting testimony from a monk during the period of Alfred the great in the second half of the 9° sec. in Great Britain , he describes a viking and he was so surprised how that norse was always in the habit of combing his hair, was very well dressed and plenty of jewels and , this is the main surprisingly thing for the monk, he took the bath every Saturday contrary to the habit of the people of that period that unlikely took the bath so often, for that all the women were in love with him...usually we have an idea of the vikings as they look like dirty and shabby like brutal barbarians but in the most cases they were far from that... coming back to the figure i have to admit i don't like the sculpture of the fur , there is a lack of hair in my opinion.

 

[Mirofsoft]

Nice work but not attractive to me

 

[Edorta]

I like it, a nice challenge to paint it in many ways, giving to him a poor look like in the box art or it could be painted using richest colors too. I like this weathered look, considering that the quality of the clothes and weapons depend of the owner.

Military miniatures painted by Eduardo Garcia

 

[Aveleira]

It's a nice figure, but not my kind of thing... In fact, I think Andrea Miniatures is forgetting the 75mm scale...they only do 54mm and 90mm, except the Samurai series... And in my opinion they are getting behind other companies. The 75mm it's becoming a incredible popular scale...and with good arguments to support it. It might be a good idea to start a 75mm range.
Just my opinion, which doens't mean that their figures aren't great.

Regards
Pedro

 

[Babelfish]

I usually like Vikings but I have to be honest, I find this one quite hum-drum and disappointing, and I'll be giving it a miss.

Not Andrea's finest hour IMHO, and not in the same league as their "Viking Raider 793 A.D." or "Winter Is Coming".

- Steve

 

[Wheels]

Agree with Babelfish.
Those 2 figs are very dynamic

 

[renarts]

I'm with Ubbi on this one. There is a lack of detail on the cloak that degrades the figure for me. The lack of adornment can be can be overlooked and paint can "richen" the appearance of the tunic and braise. Giving it a status but campaigned look. My "detail" gripe is one of continuity. Hair blowing in the wind, heavy fur/leather cloak blowing in the wind, tunic hanging in a dead calm with no evidence of wind.
On an up note, I like the defiant pose/stance of the figure and he is well equipped with pouch, thor's hammer amulet and baldric. Nice mask of resolve on his face. For 54mm this is not a bad figure and will go into my grey army for work, though I'll toss the fur cloak and make him a wool replacement.

 

[Figurenfreund66]

Oh my God, what is that? A realistic-looking Viking, I do not think so!
Only the fur could have done with a little more structure, and it is not for a heavy bearskin correctly!
But that's peanuts!
A great character even without the cliché - thank you!
regards

Hendryk

 

[Tecumsea]

Yawn.................Safe but Boring

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Well, not so rich vikings may very well have looked just like this. But the weapon was usually an axe then rather than a sword given the difference in price between the two. And also how divers an axe would when the sword is just used for fighting.

The local levys(Hird) consisted of ordinary farmers who only served as warriors in time of need. Or when second or third son joined up with local traders/raiders as there where no land for them to inherit. Especially before AD 850, before the big viking fleets going to France(Frankland), Germany(Saxland), England, Ireland or Spain, the raids where not organized and more the work of a local prospector who wanted to gain riches and respect.

What I think is overdone on most norse figures for the late ironage is the figure being furclad. Fur was not usually worn in that manner and not in cloaks. And if so, only in wintertime. And I mean real winter time with +40cm of snow and temperatures below -5 degres Ceclius. The use of fur for more like blankets, and used in beds, chairs and the alike.
So for all of you manufacturers. Lose the friggin fur. With the exception for some decoration on helmets, headwear, scabbards etc.

In this perticular figure I would like to see the hair and moustache a bit more defined. Im thinking of buying it but I will surely try to lose the fur cloak or at least sand it down to make it look like wool.

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

 

[ubbi]

completely agree with you Janne , if we have to depict a poor viking , especially in the early viking period his main weapon would be an axe or a spear with a scramasax as second weapon and not a sword , a fine sword ( the finest were produced in Frankish Germany, for example the Ulfeberth signed frankish spathas, ) in that period was a very expensive item ( more less the equivalent of 20 cows ) , each sword had a name ( sometimes also axes and spears had ) and was inherited from the father to the son for generations. I agree also for the cloak fur , it was a out of the ordinary item , a common wear was a hood , but i don't remember a viking figure with a hood in any scales yet..

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Ubbi, isnt the hood more medieval? Theres no depictions of it as I know?

Swords where not that expensive but a really good one might have been. Here in Scandinavia iron is easy to obtain iron from Limonite.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limonite

I was long ago myself involved with this matter and studies with replicas of actual early ironage smithens and its easy to obtain 20kg for just one days work. However the knowledge to make a good sword was not common if presnet at all? It happend a lot of times that the swords became bent in battle and had to be straighten out. Usually by finding a somewhat flat and sturde place and place the sword towards it and moving in back and forth with the foot pressing it down to the surface.

Wasnt Spain wellknown for its fine swords, or was that later on?

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

 

[ubbi]

Hi Janne , the sagas very often describe men wearing hoods, there was also a king , Harald greyhood.... this is a hood found in Greenland

even if is more less 2oo years later of the viking period, it is thought to be more less the same style the vikings used, we have also examples in some of the runic stones of the viking time like this , where we can see warriors wearing hoods,

for the swords , yes, some more simple swords were no so expensive , usually were swords with only one wedge , the more complexed damascus shaped swords with composite materials to reach flexibility, lightness and strength were very expensive . Only very few blacksmithes could do the job and it costed one month of working..It is very well explained in the Hurstwic site , one of the best site IMHO for the viking age, probably you already know this site , being you as me fond of vikings...http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/viking_sword.htm

cheers
stefano

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Hello!

Im not familliar with the Greenland Hood find. Do you have more information on this? Additionally, Greenland wherent settled until around AD 1000. What is the carbondating?

What on the Sanda-stone from Gotland is thought to be hoods?

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

 

[ubbi]

Hi Janne , the first figure upper right it is thought to be odin wearing a hood ,in books descripting the viking mythology i read also that Odin usually wears hood when he is wandering near people to hidden himself , also the second figure down left probably wears a hood , the first probably a phrygian type cap, a common type of cap used by many german people, you can also read about hood always in the Hurstwic site http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/clothing.htm
for what concerned the Greenland hood is 200 hundreds later more less..but very similar of the types used in the viking age..

cheers
stefano