Painted Figure Review 

Hinds Figures (15 mm) samples from Painter No. 1. 

Reviewed by Martin Buck

This is a painting service review; the figures are supplied by the customer or purchased by Hinds Figures on the customers' behalf. The prices quoted are for the painting service only and do not include the cost of the figure.

Hinds Figures are a well known dealer in second hand figures; they have brought together a team of individual figure painters to provide a painting service to wargamers and collectors. The Hinds Figures website lists a number of painters and each painter has an individual periods covered and price list with photographic examples of their work. The two figures reviewed below are from painter Number 1.

Painter Number 1 offers a two tier service of wargames and collectors standards. The wargames standard figure is an 18th Century Prussian grenadier and the collectors standard figure is a British Napoleonic infantryman.

Subject Wargames Standard Figure: 18th century grenadier probably Prussian. Figure is 15.6mm from sole of shoe to eye level. Current price is £0.85, £1.00 from January 2005.
First impression is of a neatly painted figure with all his equipment picked out in appropriate colours. On closer inspection the figure does lack shading and highlighting. 
The shako is topped by a red pom-pom which is only red to the front, the shako plaque is brass and some black lining does give an impression of detail. The back of shako is divide into three yellow panels with white lining, the base of the shako has a red band with brass buttons. The face and hands of this figure, are better sculpted than the Napoleonic figure, show shading and highlighting, a brown moustache all neatly executed. The plain blue jacket has red turnbacks and cuffs with brass buttons, there is some over paint from the buttons and these are poorly defined and vary in size. The buff waistcoat and trousers are block painted with the black undercoat allowed to provide a division between the two garments. The plain black gaiters have a row of brass buttons up the outside seam and these are more consistently painted than the jacket buttons.

18th century uniforms are quite plain and the painted figure reflects this. Assuming our painter is paid at the national minimum wage level, £0.85 this figure represents around 10 minutes of our painters time.
Eight or ten of these figures based in an element on the wargames table will look adequate.

Subject collectors Standard Figure: British Napoleonic infantryman. Figure is 15 mm from sole of foot to eye level. Current price is £1.75 with no indication of next years price.
First impression is of a small figure crammed with detail. As the two figures are of different subjects and different sculpting styles it is difficult to make a direct comparison, we are concerned with the painting service and not the merits of the original castings.
The shako has a red and white plume, white cords and tassel and a brass plaque all of these are neatly picked out with no stray paint. The face has visible shading and highlighting consistent with the level of sculpted detail. The red tunic has yellow collar, epaulettes and cuffs, all have white lining and the cuffs have a fine gold line. The white button loops, cross belts etc. are very well defined with black lining. The sleeves and tail of the jacket are highlighted. The trousers are painted in two shades of grey over a black undercoat giving a shadow, main colour and light grey highlight. The rest of the equipment is painted to similar standard showing where the extra time spent on this figure has gone. The cost of this figure represents around 20 minutes of our painters time.

Overall both figures are painted to a good standard. I've seen many figures painted to the wargames standard on tables dying in hordes, the collectors standard figures may not perform any better in wargaming terms but the difference in the level of effort put into the figure is readily apparent.

Please remember to mention Wargames Forum when contacting traders!

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