Happy Monk - scoring of the casting

Casting score card.

Materials - A mid grey resin, the carves off quite easily, and sands well.

Parts break down is as follows; upper and lower torso, left foot, gourd/ drinking container, branch, 2 x resin runners with 4 x flowers & 1 x butterfly. No base included, although the right foot has a pre made peg that will allow for drilling out and mounting.

Air bubbles - found one (and just 1) under the right elbow. a 15 second fix. 2 marks

Texture - smooth on the skin, robe and necklace of beads, texture on the soles of the sandals (where raised) texture on the branch is okay. 2 marks

Fit - very good, torso joins along a natural seam line, as does the left foot/ sandal. The gourd/drinking vessel will need a bit of gap filling, however there is a peg & hole to help with fit on this also.(it fits to the right hip, just under the sash). 4 marks for the torso fit, the left foot, and branch

Mould lines - only visible under a magnifying glass - so don't be that up tight, it's a hobby!

Mould slippage, short pours or rough casting? none present.

Overall view. Minus the 3 marks for lack of instructions, subtract another for the single air bubble I found, I'll give this a score of 22 out of 26 marks.

A off beat and interesting subject, within the 54mm range. I have already contacted Ernst with a quick impressions review, and advised him that I would also do a review.

For a first figure, it is nicely sculpted, cast with a logical part separation (and better, a smart way of hiding the seam on the torso)

I do this review to offer feed back to Ernst & his team of co-artists, he stays in communication with queries (he can be contacted via Planet Figure, via private message. I'm not aware of other websites he attends, although Cool Mini or Not is likely) and to see more of his work in the future.

I would buy from this person again, and if the subject matter appeals to you, would encourage you to buy with confidence also.

From Latvia to Australia is a good test for a mailed package, both for potential damage, and time for delivery. It arrived intact, and in a realistic time-frame, for a good price.

There is a link to "White Rabbit Minis.com" on the box - this website is under construction, I had to Google search for a image of a completed figure. Ernst and his team are working on this for the future.

The lack of instructions or images is understandable, for a first run or limited run kit, the lack of a base helps keep the cost down. This kit is not a table top gaming figure, and I cant recall too many Tamiya kits where a base is included for each soldier.

Recommended with confidence.

Note - reading back over this, I will have to rework the scoring system. Errors are mine, it's still a nice kit, and an excellent first start.