Wednesday 7 November 2012

Black Hat Miniatures' Civilians

Black Hat Miniatures are not a very well known figure company, although I have mentioned them before on my blog when I reviewed their small range of five zombies and their six contemporary skeleton soldiers that I converted into zombie soldiers. Now, I am going to review their two sets of five contemporary civilians from their 28mm scale Mutants and Madmen range.
I haven't named any of these figures (my bad!) and they don't come with names, which is a shame. At the far left is the "only gay in the village" whose fondness for pies and fast food is clearly obvious. Note the piercings on his torso. I think he's a rather creepy-looking character. I normally just paint the eyes on a figure in black and white but this guy has piecing blue eyes.
Next to him is the owner and chef of a greasy spoon cafe, holding a dishcloth or a small towel behind his back. His vest is stained and the fact that he can't be bothered to wear a shirt indicates that he doesn't give a damn about his appearance.
In the centre of the group is what I consider to be one of the finest sculpted figures I have ever seen. This figure was a joy to paint and is a masterpiece in sculpting. Why? Because of the little details, and I do mean little. You can see that he is eating a huge beefburger sandwich. If you look closely at his tie you can see two drops of tomato ketchup that have spilled out of his sandwich and landed there. Those two drops of sauce have been sculpted on his tie! The coffee cup he is holding came from a shop called Coffee Stop. I know this because the words "Coffee Stop" have been sculpted on the cup! Just incredible work.! I've added this figure to my collection of detectives as that seemed to be the most obvious vocation for him. He kind of reminds me of detective Andy Sipowicz from NYPD Blue.
Many of you may recognise the fourth figure in line as Gap from Team Vampifan. Yes, this is him in his original form. I converted Gap by removing the guy's baseball hat and adding glasses and an assault rifle slung over his right shoulder. Even Gap himself (yes, he is based on a real person) acknowledged that this figure bears an uncanny resemblance to himself. This figure has been given a goatee beard and is the epitome of surliness and apathy. By the way, the CBA logo on his baseball cap stands for "Can't Be Arsed!"
The last figure in line is an angry-looking chap with his tie undone and his shirt hanging out. He also wears a donkey jacket, (a heavy coat for those of you who have never heard of a donkey jacket) which you rarely see these days. His fists are clenched and he looks like he's ready to start a fight. Don't mess with him!
The first three figures in this group are African/Americans and I figure they are all related. At the far left is what could be a pimp or a drug dealer. He certainly has the feel of the criminal element about him. Note the excessive amount of gold he is wearing - sunglasses, necklace, bracelet, wristwatch and belt buckle. His casual clothing shows that he belongs on the street.
The hulk standing next to him is most likely his personal bodyguard. He may look like a fat slob but check out those muscles on his arms. He too, wears a load of gold bling. His black leather waistcoat prominently displays his allegiance to Black Power. No white trash allowed in his neighbourhood!
In the centre of the group is a potential girlfriend of the pimp. She could be one of his stable of whores, but if she is, this is her in her daytime clothing. She is dressed too casually for a streetwalker and her hair looks like it has never seen a comb.
The fourth figure in line has the look of Steve McGarrett of Hawaii Five-O fame about him. The brightly coloured shirt and hairstyle made me think of Mr. McGarrett. He stands in a very relaxed pose with his arms folded.
Finally, we have a Jamaican dude with his hair in dreadlocks and wearing a t-shirt with the slogan "Surfs Up." He is the most animated of all the figures shown here, crouching down and pointing with his left hand. Once again, he is very casually dressed. These figures are primarily lower class citizens.
I think that all ten figures are incredibly well sculpted, and in the case of the detective, outstandingly well sculpted. Normally, I'd have no hesitation in recommending these to you but I must warn you of one major problem with them. That has to do with their size. Black Hat describes them as being 28mm scale but frankly, that is a joke. They are closer to 35mm scale. They would fit in well with the likes of RAFM and Horrorclix but they tower over a lot of other figures. I have said many times in the past that I am not a scale purist, so their height does not bother me but I know that many of you do not share my view on this matter. So, be warned!
The figures are available separately for £2.50 each. However, it is far better value for money if you buy the two sets of five for just £9.00 per set. That's what I did, although I did buy an extra figure to convert into Gap.

31 comments:

  1. These are great! I never really look to hard at Black Hat, and I think I'll have to change that.

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    1. As I said at the beginning, Black Hat Miniatures are not so well known, but I do like a few of their ranges.

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  2. I must admit I don't like all the sculpts. I do Like all the painting, especially Mc Garrets shirt which really is special. I can see myself picking up a few of these, but not all. Thanks for bringing them to my attention!

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    1. It's just as well that they are available separately then, Clint.

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  3. They're lovely figures indeed, but the size is an issue for me. I got some a while ago, but decided that they were simply too big to fit in with anything else I have. They're still sitting in a box, unpainted...

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    1. I knew that their size would put off some people. It's such a shame that you had to find out the hard way.

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  4. very beautiful figurines, a good job on the paint

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  5. Nice work on these. I really like the African American's in the second batch I may have to get the big dude. Great job Bryan they are brilliant.

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    1. The bodyguard is a great figure and to be honest, it doesn't really matter if he is over-sized.

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  6. Funnily enough, I was looking at these figures on their website only last night!!! Great work Vampie!

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  7. I had these in my hand at a show a few years ago but they were fecking huge...to me that is, good job mate!

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    1. Fran, it is quite fair to describe them as "fecking huge." They certainly won't be to everyone's taste.

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  8. Some great characterisations here buddy. ACE!

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    1. Many thanks, Bob. They are indeed, full of character.

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  9. These do look good and even if they look a little cartoony I'd still have gone for them, ecept for their size ! They'll probably make some of the street Violence range look small!
    Nicely painted as always, but it does look like you put a bit more of your "magic" into these

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Joe. I agree that they do have a cartoony look to them but I don't see that as a bad thing. Yes, some of them do dwarf a lot of the Foundry Street Violence figures.

      It was very astute of you to mention that these got a bit more "magic" lavished on them. They were such a delight to paint. Maybe it was because of their size that gave me space to work with. For me, these were a labour of love to paint.

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  10. Great job on these Bryan! I especially love the Hawaiian shirt you did. Your painting of the shirt really makes the miniature stand out! We have the same opinion on figure scale... I don't mind the difference in size and actually think the larger miniatures make the survivors stand out on the table within the zombie horde. The difference between 25mm to 35mm miniatures represents a height difference between people in real life, who could be anywhere between 4 feet and 7 feet tall. Another great set of miniatures painted by yourself! I sure with there was an edit function for our comments here on blogger. The only option to edit is to delete your original post and start again. Hopefully you can remove my deleted posts Bryan.

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    1. Thanks, Darkoath. The guy in the Hawaiian shirt certainly does stand out, doesn't he?

      It is precisely because we humans come in all shapes and sizes that I don't mind figures of differing heights.

      I have permanantly deleted your deleted posts for you.

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  11. Neat paint work. I'm inspired by the Hawian shirt! I want to try one now.

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    1. Thanks, Dave. I wish you well in your painting project. Hawaiian shirts are tricky beasts to get right.

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  12. The guy in the suit from the first group of figures looks a little like former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder O_o

    http://p4.focus.de/img/gen/r/s/HBrs4wWG_Pxgen_rc_308xA,308x171+0+104.jpg

    http://bc02.rp-online.de/polopoly_fs/brandt-elmar-kanzlerpuppe-1.2155513.1317172934!/httpImage/824027218.jpg_gen/derivatives/rpoPanorama_786/824027218.jpg

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  13. My god Bryan some of these guys are perfect for my projected trailer park town! Great paint jobs, too.
    I'll be picking some of these out :)

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  14. They are cool, i love the big fat guys, i wish i had your talent for painting

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    1. Thanks for the compliments, Shintokamikaze. The fat guys are cool, aren't they?

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    2. looking in the mirror, i would have to say yes

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