Saturday 12 March 2016

Ainsty Castings Assorted Weird West Figures

I have mentioned on my blog before that I am keen to get into Wild West skirmish gaming and to that end I already have the two Shadows of Brimstone (SoB) board-game starter sets and the THW Weird West rules supplement, High Moon, both of which I reviewed on my blog earlier. See here for SoB and here for High Moon. Obviously, I got a bunch of figures with the two SoB sets but what else do I have in the way of Weird or Wild West figures? The answer to that is loads of figures, but sadly most need re-basing and re-painting. They were bought many years ago. Some are over 40 years old! However, I have started to actively collect more modern manufactured miniatures, starting with these two sets from Ainsty Castings Weird West range, which I bought earlier this year.
 
These three figures shown directly above and below are from set WW01 The Good Guys 1 and consist of a gunfighter, a townsman and an Indian princess. The gunfighter is armed with twin Colt .45 revolvers and could just as easily be used as an outlaw. Indeed, Ainsty have named him as Billy the Kid, but I won't be using him as such. My preferred choice is as a generic gunfighter. I do wonder why Ainsty would class such a notorious outlaw as a "good guy?"
The townsman is named Abe on Ainsty's webstore, after Abraham Lincoln, whom students of the occult will know was secretly a vampire hunter! What? Have you never seen the film, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? I'm more likely to use him as a townsman, possibly a doctor, which is why my version doesn't really look like the former U.S, president. He is armed with a hefty axe.
The title "Indian Princess" does not sit well with me. I see her more of a squaw, warrior or scout. SoB features an Indian Scout character as one of the heroes and provides a figure for the male version but not the female version. She'd fit that role admirably. She is armed with a hunting knife.
The next set, WW02 Bad Guys 1, shows why these are described as Weird West as opposed to Wild West figures. They contain a Victorian vampire, a werewolf and a zombie (mislabelled a mummy on Ainsty's webstore). Rules for all three types of villains appear in the High Moon supplement, making these a "must have" buy if you own this set of rules.
All six figures are very well sculpted and were a lot of fun to paint. I can use all of them in High Moon, but only the good guys and the zombie in SoB. Rules for vampires and werewolves in SoB don't exist for this game at the time of writing.
Sets WW01 and WW02 cost £7.50 each or you can do what I did and order set WW03 Good Guys and Bad Guys which contains both sets for the reduced price of £14.00, saving you a quid. Expect to see more Weird West and Wild West posts on my blog in the future.

24 comments:

  1. very Nice. I painted those figures about 2 years ago and really enjoyed them. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. Looking at those figures I suspect you did.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I certainly did enjoy painting them, Clint, and I'm very glad to have them in my collection.

      Delete
  2. Interestingly (to me anyway) High Moon was the name of a Weird West comic online a few years back. DC comics had a program where they supported online comic creators. Eventually they canceled the program. I believe High Moon can still be found someplace and is well worth the effort and possible expense.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's very interesting, Jon, and is news to me. Something to look out for.

      Delete
  3. Love the figs but I to restrain myself and keep my purchases to my few games I play as just back in I could spend s small fortune on everything I like

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean, Damon. I couldn't possibly afford to buy everything I want. It's all about being selective and prioritising.

      Delete
  4. Nice stuff Bryan, and I reckon that werewolf is one of your best furry-fiend paintjobs to date - terrifically scary eyes and teeth!! Certainly wouldn't look out of place upon the set of "Dog Soldiers". That Victorian Vampire also looks awesome, and there's certainly a trace of Phantom of The opera about him or "Interview With A Vampire"? I may now need to get these minis as I love 'em all on account of your paintjobs but will wait until a show as I see "Ainsty's" P&P is rather high for six minis (imho). I for one would certainly welcome seeing more "Weird West" from you Bryan - especially as you convinced me to buy the rules and I've yet to get any minis for them :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanks, Simon. Once again, "Dog Soldiers" gets mentioned. It's one of my all time favourite films! I do like the vampire as well, but the zombie is a bit "meh!"
      I can assure you that there will be a lot more Weird West posts on the way as this is a subject I keep working on in secret. Hopefully, I'll be able to advise you (and others) on what figures are worth getting.

      Delete
    2. If you could just give me a little warning as to when the great trailblazing to the old Weird West begins my wallet would greatly appreciate it, Bryan. As an aside I'm about to dip my toe in the great "Heroclix" mountain across the Pond, so let me know if there are any others you want apart from the ones you've emailed me and I'll see whether I can get them as part of my order :-)

      Delete
    3. Whilst I will be showcasing some new Wild West figures next time, they won't be Weird West. It'll be a while before I review more Weird West figures, so your wallet is safe for now.

      I really do appreciate your offer to get me a few Heroclix figures for me. If you get me a Harley Quinn (or two) I'll be more than happy. She's top of my wanted list. I know that you know I want her. Anything else I mentioned would be a bonus and I can't think of anyone who wasn't in my e-mail.

      Delete
    4. All ordered Bryan, including a Darkwing Zombie I thought you might like - if you haven't got one already?

      Delete
    5. Cheers, Simon. Greatly appreciated! Not only do I not have a Darkwing Zombie, I have never heard of him (or her)! So. thanks for the surprise.

      Delete
  5. I've a;ways had a soft spot for the cowboy genre. My favorite film is the Magnificent Seven. Always been tempted to game it but never got around to it. I may rethink this now. Hired guns ride into town to save it from marauding zombies. Plastic Cowboy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry for thinking out loud on your site. Your figures inspired me so much.

      Delete
    2. Thanks, Bob. Your idea for a Magnificent Seven vs a zombie horde scenario is a great idea and right up my street.

      No need to apologise for thinking out loud, my friend. Good ideas should be shared!

      Delete
  6. I wondered when we'd see these, Bryan. Nice work. The cowboy reminds me of Tom Sawyer from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie and the mummy is I believe supposed to be Bubba Hotep, from the film of the same name. The Indian princess looks like the Indian scout from Night at the Museum, whose name escapes me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a good call on who the figures could represent, Jez. I never made the connection but I like your way of thinking.

      Delete
  7. Some nice figs here man, my fave has to be the werewolf he's a cracker!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Andy. The werewolf sure is a cracker!

      Delete
  8. Lovely figures Bryan and great paintwork Dude!
    Billy the kid looks the one from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, maybe that's why he's in with the good guys. The vampire reminds me of Armand from the Anne Rice novels, when they meet him at the thearte in Paris.
    Interesting genre Dude, can't wait to see more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Bob. Oh man, how could I have forgotten "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure?" Good call, dude! What a great film! I definitely see the likeness between the Victorian Vampire and Armand. There will definitely be more Weird West to come.

      Delete
  9. Excellent job Bryan and I can see the camera is working well great pics!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers, Simon. Yes, the camera is working just fine, I'm happy to say.

      Delete
  10. Hi Everyone,This was how me and my Boyfriend became VAMPIRES. I got a guy from the internet called Lord who was a VAMPIRE so i told him that me and my boyfriend would love to become a VAMPIRES so he asked me of my Name ,Country, Age ,State , address and in the next 3 days i got the blood sample through the DHL which me and my boyfriend took in the blood into our body and in the next 30 minutes we turned into a VAMPIRE so if you are interested in becoming a VAMPIRE. First: Vampires is not at all like in the movies or books, Sure. I understand. You are young; you have the whole world open to you. You can be anything that you choose if you apply yourself and try hard to work toward that goal. But being a vampire is not what it seems like. It’s a life full of good, and amazing things. We are as human as you are.. It’s not what you are that counts, but how you choose to be. Do you want a life full of interesting things? Do you want to have power and influence over others? To be charming and desirable? To have wealth, health, and longevity? contact the vampires creed today via email: Richvampirekindom@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete