Norman Knight, Antioch, 1268 from FeR Miniatures

Welcome back and this time we have a classic figure sculpted by Raul Garcia Latorre for the old Elite Miniatures company. A few years back FeR Miniatures picked up the rights to the range and have been slowly working through the old miniatures, cleaning them up, and getting them cast in resin (they used to be in white metal). This range is named Elite Classics and really does contain some gems.

Knights are cool!


There, I've said it. Whether you are into historical, mythical, or fantasy, knights just capture something in the imagination. King Arthur, Richard the Lionheart, dragon slayers, Dungeons & Dragons, even Monty Python chased the Holy Grail. Knights, even with questionable hair, can really make for a painting project.

And so... here is today's talking point. Norman Knight, Antioch, 1268.


In the standard hard plastic clamshell packet you can straight away see what you're getting. Full colour front sticker with all the important information shown and a great bit of painting by Alfonso 'Banshee' Giraldes (yes, he doesn't just paint fantasy). He also went for quite a common heraldry if you search for Antioch Knights. But this could easily be painted in all manner of heraldry.

As you can see we're talking 54mm scale here. However; usually you'll find that measurement is to the eyes. With this 54mm is to the top of the head. That does lead this figure to look a bit small compared to many others in the same scale. But don't let that put you off. You'll see as you go through that Raul Latorre was really on form when sculpting this and the details are well worthwhile.


Six parts are what you'll find here. And bare in mind that this is and older traditional sculpt from before 2008. So all those cuts and textures have been created by hand. Plus you'll likely find the photos you're looking at may well be enlarged too.

Nothing that looks like it will be tricky to assemble on here. Though interestingly, I usually find historical figures also come with a sculpted base too. No loss to me as I enjoy basing. But I've started getting used to seeing them included.


The knowledge of anatomy that Raul already had over ten years ago is evident straight away in the face and neck. Great muscle structure and shape. And that bowl haircut just fits too well. Nothing fancy and overly styled.

Faint mould line running around the sides behind the ears and some cleaning to do at the bottom of the neck. Nothing that took long at all.


On to the main body.

I love that cloth. The twist, folds, and creases really give a great feeling of a robe secured by those belts. Though if you're the sort of painter who really likes to get into the volumes in a miniature, you're going to have a heck of a lot of micro volumes right here. But it's also going to be a great place to put a nice eye grabbing (or desaturated and weathered) heraldry. Even a simple single colour will work well here against all the chainmail and the padded knee armour.

Speaking of chainmail. This is quite stylised. But really works. For me much or that comes from the way the armour has areas where it slightly curves like cloth. Which is how mail armour is seen in reenactments and museums. Not tight fitting but with room for movement, because it isn't going to stretch. Plenty of texture it you like to drybrush or overbrush your mail armour on miniatures.


Similar to the head, there are some slight mould lines but still nothing of concern. Under the feet needs the most cleaning and again, it's and area which will be out of view. 

I do like the photo on the left. As someone who likes to use a zenithal highlighting approach in their painting I can really see how those folds and creases will be fun to paint.


The knight left arm and commonly his shield arm is a simple straight cut which follows the line of the surcoat which once that excess bit of resin is remove fits in place spot on.

The join for the shield is also excellent with a deep grove where the hand grip fits into place. The forearm strap fits perfectly between those two square parts on the shield. Lastly there is also a shaped dip in the sleeve showing how the solid shield interacts with the cloth.

Bit of cleaning on that top corner of the shield. Did need a bit of careful carving on the inside because of the rivet detail, but the edge and front are flat so sanding worked perfectly.


Lastly and importantly for any knight; the sword arm and scabbard.

Clean up on the arm was just a mild mould line thought the sword was slightly curved. Hot water to soften the blade and then holding it against a flat butter knife (don't tell my wife please) while cooling in cold water had that fixed in a few minutes.

A little trimming and sanding was needed on the end of the scabbard and along the sides. Nothing more at all. When it came to positioning the scabbard onto the body I found that the location and peg are spot on and it looks ace.

I have to say that the way this figure assembles is pretty much comparable to most digital sculpting for the ease and quality of the joins. 


Couldn't resist showing the size using a trusty and common paint bottle. Did say he's small didn't I. Obviously not when compared to gaming 28mm figures. But then those are rarely as in proportion or as detailed as this figure.


Sorry about the finish photos being so over exposed and bright. The resin colour is like the photo with the paint bottle. And I cannot take these photos again because... well, he's now primed black. Yes, I like this figure and have him based and sprayed ready to paint aim aim to enter it into a historical painting category at some point. I'll admit though, my initial urge was to paint it with a Monty Python heraldry. But I'll take it a little more seriously (please stop booing).

In case you haven't guessed by now; I really like this figure. It just captures that knight look that I grew up with, watching films, playing role playing games and tabletop wargames.

If you're on the fence and unsure on this... go for it. At 28€ or £23.50 UK (both including taxes), it's a fairly mid priced figure for 54mm.


If you would like to add one of the Norman Knight figures to your collection, you local official FeR Miniatures stockist should have it or you can buy direct from https://ferminiatures.com/shop/all/norman-knightantioch-1268/

Of course you can also keep track of future FeR Miniatures releases via their Facebook page and Instagram.

Thank you for your time and support over the past year and hopefully you find these reviews of use. We'll keep them coming.

Take care and stay safe. Happy hobbying.

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