"The Indian Trapper" - Thunderbird Miniature Review

[Guy]

Thunderbird Historical Miniatures

TB54001
"The Indian Trapper"
54mm resin
Sculpted by Pongastorn Kantaboon
Painted by Doug Cohen
12 resin parts + cord for reins

Thunderbird Historical Miniatures of Tulsa, Oklahoma officially opened for business this last Saturday, November 1st. I wanted to start out the reviews I will be doing with their first mounted figure, a Mounted Indian Trapper sculpted by the talented hands of Pongastorn Kantaboon. The kit is comprised of 12 resin parts plus a section of cord / thread for the reins.

I wanted to show their packaging as the figures Thunderbird Miniatures are releasing come in a sturdy grade cardboard box with all the parts in individual zip-lock baggies. The baggies are sandwiched between layers of bubble wrap to protect the parts from damage during shipping. Each kit comes with a color photo of the finished figure on the box top to serve as a painting guide. Additional photos can be seen on their web-site which will be posted at the end of the review.

I decided to photograph the components of each zip-lock and the first is the Trapper / Indian. Above we see the Trapper torso cast to his saddle along with his left arm and bedroll.

The next bag contains the 2 horse halves as well as the tail and mane.

The next sealed bag contains the right arm with the rifle cast to the arm and hand as well as the quirt and left hand. There was also the tassle for the end of the Trapper's hood on his jacket cast as a separate piece. Care must be taken when removing these items from the casting block. I used a jewelers saw to remove both items and had no problem.

The final bag contained the resin base plus the thread / cord for the reins of the horse.

The Indian Trapper

The above views show the attention to detail Pongastorn has show when he sculpted the saddle with fur pad under it. The homemade saddle itself as well as the belt knife, powder horn and shot bag are all cast together with the main section of the torso and head.

[ continued in next posting ]

​

 

[Guy]

Close-ups of Trapper Torso

Above we see close-ups of the torso section of The Indian Trapper where you can see the different components, sash, powder horn, belt knife a little closer. Amazing detail is crisp and clean.

Above you see the right arm and hand holding the rifle. Again care needs to be taken to remove the rifle as the barrel is thin. I opted to use a jewelers saw so that less torque was put on the barrel when removing the casting block.

Above is the separately cast tassel for the hood of the hunting coat he wears.

Above is the front and back side of the left arm and bedroll.

Above we see the left hand holding the quirt and is cast onto the casting block. Again care needs to be taken when removing the hand and quirt.

[ continued in next posting ]

​

 

[Guy]

The Indian Trapper's Horse

Above we see both sides of the horse's head. The mane and ears are cast together as a separate piece.

Above are each side of the two horse halves showing the locator holes and tabs for correct alignment. Again I was pleased to see Pongastorn's highly detailed horse with flank muscles and veins.

Above we see the front and back of the tail and mane. The horse's ears are attached to the mane and when dry-fitted to the horse fit very well.

Above is the resin base which has pre-drilled holes for the pegs on the bottom of the horse's hoofs. Dry-fitting the two horse halves into the locator holes was good.

Additional Box Art Photographs
Painted by Doug Cohen

Conclusion:
An exceptional kit depicting a Native American Trapper. Well designed and casted by Thunderbird Historical Miniatures. All dry-fitting was good. Care must be taken when removing several parts from casting blocks. Highly recommended. An exceptional figure.

Thunderbird Historical Miniatures
web-site
click here

R286
​

 

[DEL]

Thanks for tis, the quality of the photos really confirm what I thought from a ne earlier pos.
This is a cracking little figure offering lots of scope.
Thanks again.
Derek

 

[mario]

Hello Guy

This figure is really excellent.

Great photos and fantastic review.

Congratulations my friend.

Warm regards

Mario

 

[vergilius]

thanks for the review Guy !

 

[Tommi]

Thanks for the review Guy, an outstanding piece of casting and a beautiful figure.
Tommi

 

[megroot]

Looks great.
And Doug did some great brushwork on this.

Marc

 

[Zlobov*S]

Guy thanks for the review!
I waited for a long time to see figure Pongastorn in circulation!!
Also I prefer "resin kit", big possibilities to repeat exact model authors.
I congratulate "Thunderbird Miniature" and my colleague Pongastorn!
Yours faithfully.

 

[chippy]

Thanks Guy for a great review on this kit , I've had my eye on this one since I first saw it mentioned as a forthcoming kit. Your review has made up my mind that this will be my christmas present from Mrs Chippy, although I will have to order it, pay for it and wrap it myself! Roll on christmas.