Unboxing: Infamy Miniatures One Shot - Goblin Chieftain

Despite not yet having assembled or painted anything from them, Infamy Miniatures have impressed me since they started up. Leading off with a small IndieGoGo campaign, then a Kickstarter for the upcoming Infamy: Welcome to the Big Smoke game,

Having backed both of those endeavours, I was interested when James announced the Kickstarter campaign for the first model in his One Shot range, the Goblin Chieftain. While Goblins aren't usually my cup of tea, this sculpt had enough character to it that I was interested - and when a pledge option opened up that allowed me to pick up this figure, along with 54mm versions of a couple of the characters from the Big Smoke, I jumped right in.

As was the case with both previous crowd-sourcing campaigns he had run, James did an excellent job in keeping the backers updated. This was predicted to be a campaign with a quick completion - the campaign completed in January 2016, with the two unpainted pledge levels predicting delivery by May 2016.

Given I'm writing this post in April, and have had my parcel for over a month at this point, I think we can safely say these expectations were comprehensively met.

Excuse the tissues - I have a cold...

The box was slightly damaged when it turned up, which I'm pretty sure we can blame on Royal Mail. I was a little concerned about the top bulging up a little - it looked like it was possible that the box was slightly too small for what was being placed inside.

So, what am I expecting to find in this box, aside from an invoice of some form and packing material?

• 2 copies of the Goblin Chieftain model, one with a custom tin
• 54mm scale Nikolai Tesla (from the Big Smoke)
• 54mm scale Sergeant Crookes (from the Big Smoke)
• Concept art card and print
• One random¹ standard model from the Big Smoke range
• A pre-release of the Big Smoke Mrs Hudson model, which I picked up from the BackerKit.

Let's open it up, and see how things look - onward, my trusty modelling knife!

Note the creases on the flaps of the box

My first surprise here was finding two tins², rather than just one - I was under the impression it was only the one I pledged for, as opposed to the bonus one, which would get the full treatment. At first glance, everything seems well protected by the air bags, and nothing seemed to want to move when I shook the box around.

Having removed the tins and air bags, these items were at the bottom of the box. The boxes at the right-hand end of the box seem to contain the 54mm Big Smoke sculpts, and were in good shape. They're quite a tough plastic, so I didn't have any concerns about the contents.

I can't quite say the same thing for the art print - given the tins for the primary model have a lip on them, and the print was sitting over a dip in the bottom of the box, there is a little damage to the print near the head of the chieftain. Not significant to ruin it - especially if put in a frame - but an unfortunate bit of damage that could've been prevented with some card or foam over the top of the print to prevent the ridge making contact, along with a section of card underneath.

One set of phat loot.

Now I've gotten everything out of the box, time for a closer look in one of the Goblin chieftain tins, and check for the 28mm Big Smoke figures.

Looks like I'm good for weathering sponges now...

I'd wondered why Games Workshop had stopped putting foam in its blister packs, and now I know why - it looks like James has bought them all for use with the One Shot packaging. Fortunately, the amount of foam in the tin means it is almost impossible for the resin parts to move about - though I do wonder if a couple of sheets under the model might be a good idea, given the fine resin spikes on the Chieftain. The smaller numbered art card was sensibly up against one side of the tin, and a suitable lipped plastic base topped off the tin. If anyone is counting, I seem to have ended up with 007³ and 024.

Time for your close up, Mr Bond.

In terms of casting quality, there's nothing to complain about here. All the details are crisp, all spikes are intact. While some careful work will be required to remove the pieces on the casting gates safely - as well as the vents on the legs of the chieftain - there is no slippage, and very few mould lines. This should make cleaning the model straightforward enough. This is a seriously well cast set of resin parts, even on the spindliest component.

I checked the chieftain in the second tin, with the same results - and I also found that this tin was where my random Big Smoke figure⁴ and Mrs Hudson were hiding. Both of them appear to meet the high standards of casting that I'm coming to expect from this company, though one of them was missing a base.

Overall, then, I'm really quite chuffed with the contents of this package. Infamy communicated clearly and comprehensively, and managed to exceed my expectations in terms of when my reward would be delivered. My only slight niggle would be the packaging of the art card, but hopefully that'll be something they learn from if they do another Kickstarter in this vein.

Speaking of which, this is a company that I'd certainly be happy to back in the future. After all, dealing with Infamy Miniatures has probably been the two best experiences of backing something on Kickstarter I've had to date.

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¹ - We were able to indicate our preference as to which model from the standard Big Smoke range we got. Given I'd mostly gotten exclusive figures when I backed that one, I asked for either Sergeant Crookes or Mad Pete, though there was no guarantee we'd get the ones we asked for.
² - While I'm thinking about it, I do like the idea of using tea caddies as tins for this model, given now tightly the Big Smoke ties in to Victorian London.
³ - Cue the music...
⁴ - Sergeant Crookes, reporting for duty.