This is the last installment of the series of reviews for the minis I sent to White Ape Painting Studio to have painted. It was a first for me, and I sent Cathy a small batch of minis that had been sitting for years waiting to be painted, as new purchases kept getting placed in front of them. Eventually, I realized that while I did want - heck, I needed! - these minis for the gaming table, I just was not going to ever paint them myself.
This last batch was twelve 15mm British colonial lancers, from Old Glory, IIRC. I asked that they be painted as the 17th Lancers, circa 1870-1880. Cathy doesn't paint a lot of historicals, she tells me, so I sent along a few pictures as references for her. Here's what I got back:
Not a bad looking unit, all told.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOwC1znGLxmq4xHSVKvOEt9cbels-FvnLzP7osVo6d2jZEQFouFBh2M1Ot2MMT0NwcJmakZejBnhOZOElkzYvr5HoaI6ZAtFPi-f5HO3Gr61RF_XhbNlFnTsZI8As706PHr8wTZ62278C/s320/DSC05190.JPG)
The rough coat on the horses is actually my fault. I had primed them already when I sent them to be painted, and the spray I used left a bad grainy finish on parts of the horses. you can kind of see it in this photo. I am happy with the face and details on this particular lancer.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YLeIadjApmxomA_97-wAEnAdR5o_HsKqIFAkNnFrLxAH7juq04kH95eWtJMPxWQL3yJzstOX4uGcMuBVT3rHU-nrgQTCtaATE1BR1qSRAaqZUj99dG44Ero4jON_W0TJy8XoQg5AOJ2n/s320/DSC05192.JPG)
My only real disappointment with Cathy's figures were the three light-colored horses in the lancers. All of them are going to need touching up, as you can see in the photo below. The riders are fine, but the shading got a bit out of hand on the horses and I think in her hurry to get the minis returned to me in time for Historicon next month, she just missed neatening them up. I could send them back to her - she guarantees her work - but for this little bit of fix-it, I don't think the wait and the postage would be worth the trouble.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0q6F3XI-PVCATBp6B0l0obu6eIPr0QJz-_xjGanpNsTKHRTm8HV_cHF7VRa4jeWIa0RXIHg2mH4HiYkv3afH74SpmEXGSn2C8oKPDblEbXNzNDK1KOYDrAqDhZ1YmtGwuUKClqCc4SRBR/s320/DSC05193.JPG)
Overall, I was pleased with Cathy's service. She kept in touch and responded pretty quickly to my emails. She sent plenty of pictures and fixed a few details on the lancers when I pointed them out (example: she had painted the sabre scabbards white instead of bright steel - difficult to tell from the pictures I sent, and white matched the belts and such). For $2 per 15mm cavalry, I think it was a good deal.
So, if you are thinking about sending some of your massive lead pile out to be whittled down, I would say give Cathy at White Ape a try. I will be sending her some more business in the future, after all my Historicon spending is done and I get back to a 'normal' gaming budget.
[Post Script Added 06.10.09: Cathy has offered to refund my money on the three cavalry figures I am not satisfied with. Sounds more than fair to me. I like doing business with folks like this, who stand behind their work.]
1 comment:
Looks like she does good work.
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