Something Like a Review of Reaper Bones

The base was an experiment, i'm not
too happy with how it turned out.

So, i've managed to tear myself away from Skaven for long enough to finish painting up this guy (Reaper Bones Ogre Chieftain) so i though i'd throw together a quick review to answer some of the questions i had about the Bones range of minis.

First impressions:
Now, this is probably the biggest thing people seem to want to know:  If you buy one of these expecting a plastic model, you're going to be sorely disappointed. It's probably more accurate to describe the material as a hard rubber, rather than a soft plastic. if you get what i mean.

The downside here is that, whilst minimal, mould lines will need to be 'cut' off rather than scraped. which can cause some problems. The detail is also a little soft in places (you can't see it that well in the picture, but the mammoth on the gutplate - parts of the front of it's head just kinda merges with the plate without any real defining line) but, for the most part, the detail is crisp and well-defined (the face on the club is a stand-out part of this model)

Hobby Prospects:
Reaper say that these models can be painted straight out of the blister without any priming or prep. I, on the other hand, primed my models using an airbrush with Vallejo Acrylic-Urethane Black Primer (because i'm all fancy like that) - i have read that some primers can react badly with the polymer ('never dry' badly, not 'explode, kill you' badly) but i experienced no problems whatsoever (i've also read that the Army Painter line of primers work fine, but i've not tried them out). The Main reason for priming, for me, was that the models are cast in white plastic, and i'm not a fan of painting over a white undercoat.

As for converting? I was left a little unimpressed. The problem i've had is back with the material again - it's a little too flexible to give you a clean cut with snips, so any clipped off bit need to be cleaned up with a knife - not a huge problem, but still an inconvenience. Aside from that, green stuff sticks to it fine (probably better than plastic, definitely better than metal) and super is your go-to type of glue.

Summary:
I feel that this review comes across as a bit negative, but i actually like these range of models (the Gnoll Warrior is a bit iffy, tho). Plus, that guy up there (if brought direct from Reaper) will set you back £1.62. So, while i'm not the type of person who defines quality by frugality it's very hard to argue with a nice looking model for less than a bottle of coke and a packet of crisps (or a single pint, depending on what you order). Like some of Mantic's stuff, i'm willing to overlook some minor issues if the price is low enough.

If i had to give the Bones range a rating out of 5, i'd probably give it a high 3.5 - it loses a couple of points because of the small issues i mentioned and the limited selection currently available (although this last point will be invalid once they start expanding) i'll be picking some of these up again in the future.