Review: Tania Tanker from Raging Heroes

I'm going to start by apologising to Raging Heroes for having taken so long to get round to painting this figure and writing this review post - sorry guys! I hope that the wait was worth it.

So, where to start with this review? I guess a bit about the company. Raging Heroes are a "boutique" miniatures company based in France, specialising in (mainly) female character figures for fantasy and SciFi gaming. The figures are digitally sculpted and the masters are 3D printed. I believe that all of the figures are available in resin, with some available in metal as well. Prices aren't cheap (character figures cost 13.95-24.95 Euros/£11.89-£21.26; "grunts" cost 19.95 Euros/£17.00 for 3-5 figures), but you aren't likely to buy many of them so maybe that's not an issue. You can buy direct from the company or through some distributors/retailers (there is a listing o their website).

There are three main factions in their "Toughest Girls of the Galaxy" range - the Iron Empire, the Kurganovas and the Jailbirds - Tania is from the last.


This is what came in my package:

Blister contents

The figure sprue

Let's open up the baggie and get a closer look at the sprue:

Cutting the pieces from the sprue was quite easy, although do take care as some of the parts are quite brittle (such as the pistol grip on the smaller weapon). Clean-up of the flash was also quite quick. I did encounter some mould-line flash on the figure after I'd primed it. There wasn't much and it was quickly removed with some light filing (then washed off and re-primed).

Assembly was simple using superglue, although I did find that the straps were a little bit short - that might have been me slinging the weapon a little lower than intended. The gaps were easily corrected using some small slivers of venting flash.

It seems that I forgot to take a pic of the primed figure before I started painting (or I did but it's not in the folder with the rest of the pics...). You'll just have to take my word that I primed black with the airbrush.

I did a lot of umming and aahing whilst trying to decide how to paint her up. I could have followed the scheme on the packing. Or I could have gone for a more military look (like the ones Kyle painted up in "Catachan" style during the last Challenge). Or, given the pose, I could have gone for a "Rosie the Riveter" scheme - I went with that, but with some little touches that I thought would look good, like the red boots and the dark pink dungaree straps. I also painted on a bracelet just for that little extra touch.

Anyway, here are the pics of the finished figure:

Finally to round off this post, my opinions. The sculpting is excellent - the right combination of smoothness and sharpness, which made painting fairly easy although some of the recessed detail on the metal arm was a bit soft. This figure was resin, which I'm not a fan of, but it is also available in metal, as are most of the character figures.

Would I buy other figures from their ranges? Possibly, but only for the challenge of painting them as I don't have any gaming use for them. There are a couple I have my eyes on.

Would I recommend them to other painters/gamers? Yes, if you are after some excellent character figures to add some variety to a gaming force for a certain system from a certain Nottingham-based company who shall not be named here, or simply for the challenge of painting something a little different. Price-wise, the character figures are comparable to that certain company, but the "grunts" work out about double the price.

Going Quiet For a Couple of Weeks

Hi all,

After the recent splurge of activity and WIP posts, I'll be going quiet for a couple of weeks. That's because I'll be working on the Raging Heroes review figure I was sent on and off and won't be taking any pics until it's finished. I may also have to go down to my dad's again at some point.

I do have a big SYW game at the club lined up for Monday (it's a public holiday here in the UK) and will try t take pics for you - I'll have quite a lot of figures making their first appearance in battle - last time I fielded 10 foot, 6 horse and 2 guns; this time my Russians will have 16 foot, 16 horse and 4 guns which should give me the opportunity to maintain reserves and allow for a strong offense or defence in depth.

SYW Russian Hussars, Hussar General and Wagons Roll!

Or maybe trundle.

Yes, I'm back from the wolds of Sussex and have flocked the bases since getting home. I guess you want the pics, don't you?

Group Shots:

Gruzinskiy Hussars:

Moldavskiy Hussars:

Or they could just as easily be the 1st or 2nd Novoserbskiy hussars, who wore exactly the same uniforms...


Hussar General:

Prince Aleksander Petroskiy is a very minor royal, something like 200th in line for the throne, so is allowed to risk his life on active military service as a general in the cavalry. As a young man who loves to cut a dash, he has modeled his flamboyant uniform on that of the hussars he has the pleasure of commanding. Apparently many of the young ladies at court have been known to swoon when he appears in uniform at balls...something to do with the tight breeches I am told.


Wagons:

Well, that's enough flamboyance and frippery - back down to earth with some elements of the artillery logistics train.

Yes, two wagons driven and escorted by members of the Fusilier regiments created from the remnants of the Observation Corps after it was disbanded. Of course, it was only when I went to do the flocking that I spotted that I'd painted the coats of the drivers in a slightly darker shade than the escorting fusiliers. It's hardly worth me going back over them now, but I will have to remember it for any future wagons. I should probably also buy and paint up some loads for these two conveyances.


As always, all the figures are 15mm from Essex

WIP SYW Russian Cavalry Day Ten

I did get the varnishing done last night and even got them all glued onto the bases. That left me free to add the basing gunk when I got home from work this evening. As well as the hussars, the "hussar" general and the wagons are being done at this point. The following pic was taken a couple of hours ago, just after I'd finished adding the gunk.

The gunk should be cured enough for drybrushing when I get up tomorrow morning; I'll also glue the wagons into position on their bases. I'll do the flocking on Sunday evening when I get home from my dad's. You'll get some nice close-up pics then.

WIP SYW Russian Cavalry Day Nine

And they're finished! The painting at any rate - I still need to varnish them. I might do that before I go to bed (late to bed - watching the Olympics). Then tomorrow I can pop them off the painting sticks, glue them to the bases and add the basing gunk. I'm going to be away again this weekend, so I'll take them with me to do the drybrushing and flocking. I'll be doing the hussar general and the wagons at the same time.

As I won't be taking any close-up pics tomorrow, I've included a couple for this post:

That's it for today folks!

WIP SYW Russian Cavalry Day Eight

I may have been a bit ambitious in my suggestion of what I would get done tonight. I did get all the highlighting done, but as I was - somewhat madly for 15mm - doing them using thin layers (two in the main colour, two in a highlight shade) for the uniforms and shabraques it took quite a while for each of the four colours involved to be done.

Here's how they're looking now - the reds, blue and yellow are popping very nicely :)

Tomorrow I'll kick off with all the lacing and cords. Luckily that's just two colours. Then it will be the other details, the metals and touchups. I'm pretty sure I'llbe able to finish them and maybe get them varnished as well.

WIP SYW Russian Cavalry Day Seven

I actually did a little bit more work on the hussars last night - the wood, flesh and flesh wash. Which was just as well as I ended up leaving work a bit late today. Even so, I've managed to get a fair bit more done - I just need to wash the saddle rolls tonight, then tomorrow it will be onto highlights, metals, details and touch-ups.

Time for WIP pics methinks: