A Moment in Time from El Greco Miniatures

Today I return with my first actual review of the year!

It has been a troubling time for us all recently with all the negativity going around the world, so it is very nice to be able to immerse our-selves in this marvellous hobby of ours to escape from the daily grind. I am happy to be reviewing my first ever purchase from El Greco’s own branded range.

If you have been living in a cave or just do not know about El Greco Miniatures, they are a store based down in Cornwall (I say down because I am waaaay up North) where you can find many of the awesome miniatures from all across the world. Especially historical subjects.

With Brexit hitting the UK, and it seems Europe too (specifically on shipping costs etc), I recommend you look at using UK based stores such as El Greco Miniatures and Mr Lee's Minis.

Today I am looking at the resin 54mm kit A Moment in Time 1755. The First Nations history is something I have a very deep interest in. I have a very dear friend over in Canada who is Full Blood Cree so I have an emotional link to this genre too.

While looking for a kit from El Greco, A Moment in Time was a clear winner. So let’s take a look at the kit and see what I thought about it.

The kit...

The theme of the kit is two scouting characters, which I assume are Iroquois warriors, that have happened across a clock sitting in a shallow brook. One of the characters is crouching down and looking at the clock and I can imagine he is pondering on how it arrived at its location and who it could have belonged to. The other is stood up looking into the distance with possibly the same thoughts on his mind.

The kit is cast in resin. Scaled at 54mm and is sculpted by Alan Ball with the box art painted by Marion Ball.

On opening the delivery package I can see that El Greco has put some thought into the presentation of this kit.

    


The box is super rigid and printed with the company logo. It is wrapped in a printed sleeved with a full colour printed box art adhesive label added to it.

 
Opening the box there is a contents sticker also on the inside of the lid which is a nice detail to keep track of what is, or should be in the box.


There is an information leaflet with all the relevant info on it, and two packets of scenic foliage which is a very nice touch to add to the base once painted.


Inside the wood shavings packaging is a ziplock bag with the miniatures inside, and the scenic base.


The base is cast in one piece and is full of detail. Tree sections and roots are nicely sculpted. The ground is suitably detailed with varying texture. Instead of just mud the rocks look very real and the brook bed is so nicely done too.

This is one of the nicest scenic bases I have seen and is not just a throw away piece like many bases. Ending up being swapped out for home made scenes.




In hand you can see the sculpting is real nice. The clothing textures are done well and the folds and creases are as you would expect them rather than seeming forced or exaggerated.

The anatomy is fine and the feathers are small but still detailed. One of my most hated things to paint but I still love the aesthetic of the native genre.


The clock which looks like it was made in the style of a fusee bracket or mantel clock type is nice and crisp with no casting defects. I think it may need some weathering or damage doing to it as it has fallen of some ones wagon perhaps? Who knows? It all adds to the mystery of how it got to its resting place.

The sculpted aspect of this kit is really good and it will be nice to paint at some point in the future.

What about the casting quality?

On close inspection with my old man specs on I can see the casting was done quite well. It wasn’t flawless but it was one of the cleanest kits I have seen cast.

As you know I do like to hunt for mould lines. I found several but they are really fine and placed for the most part in places you will not see once ready to paint. The only issue with one of the mould lines is it was placed on the wrong side of the arm. The mould has been cut along the folds of the shirt, but if the mould had been cut on the underside of the arm there was much less detail for a mould line to run along.

So that was my only criticism of the kit.

The mould lines will take minutes to remove which is much better than what I have witnessed in recent times, so this made me happy to see. There was zero flash to remove and all parts were cast perfectly; no bubbles or miss-aligned parts. 

I can see the kit will be quite easy to assemble and I look forward to painting it once my mojo returns for this part of the hobby.

To summarise; I am happy to have chosen A Moment in Time and I am very happy with the overall quality of the product. El Greco has put together a good product and their service is spot on too. If I was asked to recommend a store and a product then this is one of the best experiences I have had when shopping on line for a new project.

Where can I buy from?

If you wish to purchase the kit head over to https://www.elgrecominiatures.co.uk
It has a very nice price tag of £46.50 (or £38.75 without VAT) and as I say the service is top class. Take a look through the whole store and see what they have in stock; you will not be disappointed.

You can follow their social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram too which will keep you up to date on new lines added to their offering.

Do you collect miniatures of this genre and have you painted this kit?

Please let us know about your experiences as we would love to see your feedback and your work from any of the El Greco products.

All that is left to say is I hope you are all keeping very well during these dank times and just remember to not drink the paint water...



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4 comments:

  1. A beautiful kit from a great company. Highly recommended.

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    1. Thank you. I'm certain Norm is going to enjoy painting this one.

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  2. I have the original casting of this kit from Michael Roberts, bought about 20 years ago. That kit didn't contain the foliage to dress up the base.

    It also appears there is a slight difference in the casting of the two halves of the squatting man. His arms have slight indentations which fit over his knees, and I had to do some minor surgery to get his posture right so the arms sit properly. This casting looks like the fit of the torso to the legs is tighter.

    I'm glad to see El Greco has picked up the rights to the old Michael Roberts molds - looking forward to a few others I remember lusting after back in the day!

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    Replies
    1. Cheers Jon. Good information which I certainly didn't know. Even better hearing that it sounds like they made improvements to the kit too.

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