PuppetsWar: Barghest Fiends review

PuppetsWar are for some a company that will need no introduction. Which is good because outside of being based out of Warsaw, Poland and knocking around since early 2010 they give little away on their website and simply let their product do the talking. No frills, just “this is what we do”.

For those not familiar you’ll find the usual fair of GW compatible weapons and accessories through to alternate troops, bikes and tanks with thinly disguised names that will crack a smile, including shoulder pads for “Planet Devourers” and Emperors “Demon’s Children” or a certain flyer named “Thunder Crow”. I’ve certainly been tempted to pick up some bits to make a start on some Thousand Sons, but it’s one of their recent releases that tempted me to take the plunge.

May I present the Barghest Fiends:

Puppetswar teaser

Pure evil stalking from the gloom

One look at the teaser image and I knew I’d finally found something to use as an alternate to the Workshop’s FineCast Khymerae and pulled out the wallet. Cue a lot of waiting. It’s at this point it’s worth pointing out the shipping details: “Puppets War will assemble the package within 12 working days after receipt of payment.” 12 working days? Now I have no clue if they cast to order but I guess it’s a popular new mini, did turn up on day 11 and other members of the Corehammer collective have had bits delivered in a couple of days so small wait’s no biggie.

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Them’s some big dogs.

First impressions? Blown away by the crispness of the detail. I’m no resin expert but this stuff seems to be somewhere between Forgeworld and Spartan in density and detail. It doesn’t have the sheer adamantium immovability feel that you get with Spartan’s boats, but still feels sturdier than the ever familiar Forgeworld casts. It is head and shoulders better than Finecast.

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100% anatomically correct.

Putting these together is a simple affair. Everything just fits, tabs and sockets are all letter coded and it’s worth noting that the kits they do with alternate weapon load-outs or jump packs come with magnets and pre-drilled magnet holes. They don’t however come with bases, so be aware you’ll be needing to grab your own.

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Sum total of the air bubbles.

On closer inspection I found next to no mould lines, certainly nothing obscuring any detail or any difficulty to remove and some tiny air bubbles across the shoulder of one cast. Again nothing obscuring detail, we’re talking pinprick here not ball bearing sized that crops up in GW’s resin of choice. But then I encountered the flash.

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Not the good Flash. AAAaaahhh.

At first it’s all too familiar, easily removed and fairly minor, just one of those side effects of using resin. However here’s the snag. Between tail and hind legs of one sculpt (I had two of this sculpt, both were identical) the “flash” is over 1mm thick and far too substantial to attack with a knife. Now I guess you could just paint it black so it’s not noticeable, but I’d know it was there so out came the pin vice to remove some material.

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Swiss cheese time

With a bit of effort the flash cleaned up well and again is in an area that’s not in direct sight and tucked out of the way, but it does mar an otherwise top drawer cast. I suspect something can be done with the mould to prevent, or at least minimise the thickness of what amounts to overspill so already given PuppetsWar a heads up.

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Almost done

Overall I’m well impressed by this batch of Fiends and, flash issues aside, heartily recommend taking the plunge if you’re teetering on ordering a squad. If they sort out the flash on that one sculpt they’d be elevating a good product to great one and I can’t wait to get these mutt’s painted up. Here’s a taster of how imposing they look on the battlefield.

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This entry was posted in Gaming, Model Review, Reviews, Warhammer 40k, Warhammer Fantasy by John. Bookmark the permalink.

About John

After growing up on a farm in North Lincs John was attracted by the bright lights of Manchester at the turn of the century. He attempted to play drums in a few discordant bands through school and college before realising he was a better listener and could have more fun in a mosh. A reader first and and self confessed Rule Geek who enjoys poring over codexes and spends far too long painting. John hates the taste of Badab Black.

2 thoughts on “PuppetsWar: Barghest Fiends review

  1. Hi John,
    from all reviews and articles about the fiends i found online, i liked yours the most.
    I am currently also thinking about buying a set of 15 for 40k.
    Im just not sure on which base size they would fit best.
    Would you recommend 50mm round bases, bike/cavalry bases or some of the newer oval bases (they have various sizes) from GW?
    Thanks, Daniel.

    • Hi Daniel, Glad you found it useful.

      50mm or cavalry bases are the best fit, depending on which you think are best aesthetically. I used 40mm and a couple of the feet hang off the edge without using cork to build up the base.

      There’s examples of a few on the Puppetswar Facebook group:

      My 40mm
      https://goo.gl/ms7HXF

      cavalry:
      https://goo.gl/15oMPP

      Possibly 50mm
      https://goo.gl/A2FE8c

      Whichever way you choose they’re fun to paint.

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