Captain by SpudaFett

What I love: It is instantly identifiable as Captain by anybody who has read Romantically Apocalyptic, and it is commemorating a scene I haven't seen anybody else choose. It is endearing and the overall quality is good. I'm pretty sure having this on my desk or on a bookshelf in my home would make me smile every time I looked at it.

Things I would suggest:

1) Clothing: While easily recognizable here, the Captain is always seen in the RA comic wearing black clothing, not red. I think the red looks very good on this piece, and it compliments the scooter well; but for matching a character, I would try to find some black fabric that has the same general appearance as what's in the comic without being too much of a pain to deal with on such a small scale. I would also like to see those thread ends on the coat trimmed much closer, preferably on the wrong side (inside).

2) Scooter: This miniature uses a different model of scooter than was featured in the strip, but I am willing to accept that he could easily have just snagged a different one at some point. The big thing I would like to see here is a crisper line between the red and the silver on the front and steering rod. There is also the possibility of snipping down and appropriately painting the handle bars to make them more like the original.

3) Mug: While this one is acceptable for its purpose and easier for mounting, I think it would be possible to use one with a more realistic handle. It would need a good adhesive, and might require special casting work, but once the original mold was made this would be fairly simple.

4) Head/Gas Mask Paint and Molding: I can't tell from this shot if the mask is a special casting job or put together from pre-existing bits, but a little tweaking on the details of the physical design would get an even closer match. Based on this particular photo, I feel the paint used has a little too much of a matte effect. Using a high gloss would be overdoing it, so I would recommend trying a mixture of gloss and matte paint to get that slight shine the Captain's mask always seems to have. On the eye glass, though, I would try using the highest gloss possible to get that purple to really stand out.


The things I've suggested are small changes, and I'm basing my opinions very heavily on my experience with the construction, alteration, and painting of miniatures used in tabletop gaming (such as Warhammer and Necromunda). I've done some of this myself, and have had a few friends over the last several years who were very heavily into it.

Overall, this is an awesome piece. If it were possible to purchase from a small line of these, I would be happy to have it as is, and just chalk up the differences to individual interpretation and having to meet the demands of making consistent multiples as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.

----- E