Voyevoda of the 17th Century from Blast Model (sadly closed)

Blast Model is a company quite new to me which I found through Mezzer's Minis in the UK. Based it the Ukraine and focusing on the historical side of things genre wise. To date they have seven 54mm and their first 75mm figures in their catalogue.

Everything so far has been sculpted by Filin I who is also a sculptor previously unknown to me.

I've been sent a couple of their figures to review and decided to go first with the Voyevoda 54mm figure.

Straight off the bat the wood box grabbed me. Silly I know but I'm a sucker for interesting packaging and also enjoy wood puzzles. This box reminded me of those puzzles in the way that it looks like I could take it apart and put it back together.

Box label is simple (apart from the laser burned logo on the top of course). Just a sticker as you can see. Does the job though.

Box contents

All parts sat snugly between a couple of bits of foam like packing. Safely together in a couple of zip lock bags. Everything looking safe and undamaged.

Just six parts including a base. Nothing complicated which is always a good thing to see.

Also on an initial and very quick look while unpacking, a definite absence of excess resin and flash with the exception of the base. Again, another sign of a good product.

Thought I'd take a look at the Blast Model site and Mezzer's Minis to see the price. Just 14€ or £14 depending on where you buy from. Not bad from an initial look. But how is the quality?

Up close

As you can clearly see there is a bit of a stepped mould line on the robe but otherwise it's really clean. Especially for the price point.

Nice looking definition on the different parts of clothing and armour and some interesting details to look at and paint too.

Finding good images for reference wasn't the easiest as there seems to be many different ways to spell Voyevoda. Voivode, Vojvoda, and Wojewoda for example. Essentially though it is a Slavic title denoting a war-leader or warlord. From what I found this looks fitting for the title.

His heavy fur lined coat is draped on a shoulder and really shows a level of status.

Well cut so it fits into place with ease and with the left hand and arm as part of the section. Good call there.

Present again is a bit of mould line on the sides but otherwise not really much to clean up at all.

Right arm is holding out his mace in what looks like a heavily gloved hand. Not the best sculpted fingers I've seen but I've seen worse on more expensive miniatures.

Some lovely details on the armour and the stitching which is well reproduced in the resin.

I'm honestly completely clueless on exactly what this part is to be truthful. So can only guess.

Now I think it's a scabbard for a curved dagger but the only weapon I see on him is the mace in his hand. I'm very much likely wrong though and my historical knowledge is seriously limited. Please; if you know about what this is, let me know. Cheers.

Last up is his base.

Couple of bits left over from the casting which came off really easily and didn't leave much to clean up. No mould lines that I can notice.

Now I'm still not sold on most pre-made bases. They sometimes seem like an afterthought and for some reason on many historical figures often look a bit more like a mound in the middle of a flat plinth top. I honestly wouldn't use it myself preferring to create the basing from scratch. But I'm obviously not going to be the same as every modeller.

Not a bad size or pose at all.

Final thoughts

Frankly... pleasantly surprised with the Voyevoda figure. Intriguing presentation with the packaging and what I would gladly refer to as a bargain.

Whilst I am a really fussy sod when it comes to sculpting at a technical level, I can't deny that Blast Model and Filin I have managed to create a quality which would usually be at a higher price point. Good pose and variation of materials for painters. A good choice of subject for sure.

I would gladly recommend this range and brand. Especial to those tempted to have a try at painting 54mm historical miniatures. Being able to pick up a miniature for under £20 (including postage) usually means sacrificing quality or size. Even many 28mm and gaming figures cost more these days.

Where to buy

You can buy a copy of Voyevoda direct from https://blast-model.com or from https://www.mezzersminis.co.uk if in the UK. Definitely give their range a look and I have another coming soon.

You can follow Blast Model on Facebook and Instagram if you would like to keep up to date on future releases and see their current range.

Thank you for checking out our reviews. Don't forget you can subscribe via email so you never miss an article. Until next time, stay safe and happy hobbying.

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