Showing posts with label 4 stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4 stars. Show all posts

Saturday, September 6, 2008

French VAB in Bosnia

Picking the right color to make your figures and vechicles is a difficult decision. When someone finds that perfect great looking color though, maybe then its time to start hitting the eye dropper!

1)Accuracy : 4 - Listen I love the VAB as much as any vehicle lover can. And I think i've pointed this out before. When you flip something you are also flipping extra details! There are 2 shovels per vehicle and I am not sure if thats how it is in real life.

2)Design : 4 - See flipped shovels. On the upside this thing has amazing technical skill in it. Look at the flag or even that infamous shovel! Its got small detail that makes it really fun to look at; not to mention print.

3)Standard : 5 - I could see this with other IFOR troops in the database no problem at all. There are some extra details but it is for smaller things.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - Vehicles are getting more and more common but they're still very specfic to the individual. As is the unique factor in this comes from the time spent in detailing the sides.

5)Usability : 5 - This is ready to print. Click print and go ahead and start cutting.

Total : 4.6 out of 5 Stars - Some minor technical problems but overall a very nice vehicle with a great choice of colors.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Operation Jedburgh Teams, SOE and OSS

Clive has always made really interesting sets displaying many of the lesser known and lesser thought about aspects of ww2 British. I was surprised when I saw that he made a set of actual soldiers, for fighting! ooh wow (not sarcastic)

Accuracy : 5

If Clive did a something on a figure and a photo said otherwise, Id trust Clive, not the photo. Clive takes great pride in his research and they look right.

Design : 3.8

This set, is actually not that amazing from a design aspect (except for the radio men, Those are awesome) Frankly, I expected more from Clive in this area because he is so good at making poses of "ppl in action" and all these guys are doing is standings around

Standard : 4.5

This Set would fit nicely with alot of things in the ww2 section.

Uniqueness : 4

The radio set makes this unique and so does the large history blurb, but besides that its not Super out there.

Usability : 4

This set is actually quite useful for wargaming and such, even the radio set could be used some how, Its Not bad.

Total : 4.2 out of 5 stars

A decent set, nice radio guys but I expected more from Clive in the normal infantry.

Thunderbolt Air Raid/Disaster Siren

Few can strike fear like an air raid siren. Looking up for Bears, and around for Tornados. The cold war fear machine is recreated in all its glory in this figure.

1)Accuracy :5 - I can only assume it is accurate because I had no idea that these had designations. Some of the colors seem off from sirens i've seen but because of my general lack of knowledge I can not degrade this pieces score.

2)Design : 3 - As a whole the design is ok. When we look at the details though the set kind of declines. There could be a lot of tweaks to make this look better. A darker outline color and possibly some shading for an item this large.

3)Standard : 3 - This will not conform with other sets in the same era. For the most part the lack of an outline makes it look a little awkward against something that has a black outline for example.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - As a whole this is very unique! How can't it be, it is not like we have a section on Post-War sirens!

5)Usability : 4 - There could be some trouble cutting this out. The main reason we have outlines is so that errors in cutting can be hidden. In this case it will look like the pole is a little odd. Also anything this large needs a little work not to become a wind sail!

Total : 4 out of 5 Stars - With a little more outlining and shading this would be a perfected piece. As is it has some design flaws that hinder its construction.

Iranian J10

J10s are an amazing aircraft that are being in some of the, 'enemies,' of the world today. Alexz is the first designer to really tackle all the unique designs.

1)Accuracy : 5 - Looks drawn from a blueprint which in this case is a good idea. Due to the need to be accurate in aircraft design.

2)Design : 2 - I do not really like the design of this camoflauge. It is too pixelated for a modern aircraft. Somehow it needs to blend in a little bit better. Plus with the detail on the tail and nose it feels incomplete and somehow out of place.

3)Standard : 5 - Would fit in on a table even with the design differences above.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - We can easily say that no one has ever made an Iranian J-10 on the site before :). And its great to see someone actually taking the time to go ahead and do some kind of work like this!

5)Usability : 5 - Follows the basic formula for aircraft on the site. Print; fold; and play. Therefore it is extremely easy to use!

Total : 4.2 out of 5 Stars - A good figure that may need some work in an advanced photo studio such as GIMP or photoshop to really get the true essense of the actual aircraft.

101st Airborne Jeeps

A warzone is a warzone because it isn't easy to make everything look all pretty. Nothing is ever ideal and that is why this set is one of the coolest ones in theory on the site.

1)Accuracy : 5 - A high mark for accuracy because of the theory. For the most part given the situation around the battle of the Bulge they would not of had the time to clean and ready the tanks. This set shows this by having soldiers just sticking out of the sides and ready for combat in any way they can.

2)Design : 4 - With the above said there are things in here that need to be fixed. There are no backsides; reducing the detail; and there seems to be an unlimited amount of shovels for the 101st! There are 2 shovels per vehicle. I'd assume in the situation they wouldn't have that kind of access. I would recommend following the Canadian soldiers in the UN method. Have other pieces of equipment hanging off the side!

3)Standard : 5 - Would fit in in the situation. They are built for a very specific section in time and ergo ready for that time period.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - Overall this set has an amazing look and feel which gives it something unique to the site.

5)Usability : 5 - Click print and you are ready! All you have to do is fold them up and you are ready, and there are enough extra pieces that there is an ability to have lots of unique configurations.

Total : 4.8 out of 5 Stars - A great set that with a little more attention to detail would be absolutely perfect.

Romanian WWI set

Its fun to see all these individual sets for even the more minor nations of the major conflicts. This is an interesting joint venture from Night Wolf and Mike.

1)Accuracy : 5 - A very interesting design with good attention to detail. There isn't anything that really screams inaccurate in this set with the realistic weapons, helmets, and gear.

2)Design : 3 - This is wonderful designed from top to... not bottom. The only downside is the bases! Oh god the bases. They need one unifying idea. One color; or one color and one idea (for example extra grass.) Otherwise soldiers have different poses facial hair, hair colors, and detail! Also backsides would of been a big plus!

3)Standard : 5 - Will fit in with most of the stuff in the WW1 section. Because of the Zulu modification poses the dynamic idea is alive and well; in ww1!

4)Uniqueness : 5 - Has a unique feel to it. A different nation using differnt weapons equipment etc etc. The soldiers feel unique upon themselves. There are enopugh pieces to make everything unique and interesting.

5)Usability : 5 - Officers and individual items give this set a very functional use. If you print out the current page you have enough figures to be ready to play a good sized game.

Total : 4.6 out of 5 Stars - With some minor tweaks this would be an ideal set. As is its just slightly sloppy. Give it 30-40 minutes and it'll be perfect and ideal.

3D Tiger

Some things should be 3D, and somethings shouldn't be 3D. Fourtantly the Tiger in all its bulky glory should.

1)Accuracy : 4 - A nicely designed and accurate piece. The hindrance is that this may not be 100% accurate in its dimensions.

2)Design : 5 - Nicely designed with an attention to where pieces go and how to put it together. The items are marked and thus it makes it nice and simple when assembling. Though could still use some instructions.

3)Standard : 3 - Does not really fit in with the other vehicles on the site. It would be the only thing in 3D on your table if you used only JG figures.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - Without mentioning standard this actually is highly unique. Having 3D vehicles for the big stuff is useful. For example the Gustav gun would of been ideal for 3D, and this being 3D makes it very unique.

5)Usability : 5 - Even though it takes longer to construct I could see this being a central focus in a squad based game. Therefore the score for usability is extremely high.

Total : 4.4 out of 5 Stars - A great piece that could change the way we make the, 'big stuff,' on juniorgeneral!

3D Kubelwagen Automobile

3D vehicles are something we do not have a lot of on the site. Teodor introduces some of his own with his 3D Kubelwagen.

1)Accuracy : 5 - A very accuate vechicle. Based on established designs already on the site. The only questionable variable is the added berth factor.

2)Design : 5 - Very well designed, although for the most part it is a redesign of someone else's vehicle. This makes for an interesting option in the future. If people can go back and take what we already have on the site and rearrange them into 3D vehicles it leaves open a huge option for future items.

3)Standard : 2 - On a downside this doesn't really work well with anything else we have on the site. Out of 1100 pieces of equipment, soldiers, or other things there are something like 5-10 actual 3D pieces of work. This would look great as a stand alone piece but if you needed a Kubelwagen for JG figures it would look awkward.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - As mentioned above, hardly any 3D vehicles so when we see one its unique!

5)Usability : 4 - Not as easy as simply printing and putting on a base. This said it is built to not be as such and also give you some better looks! The actual construction of this 3D wise is nice and simple and in the end a great job.

Total : 4.2 out of 5 Stars - A nicely designed 3D piece that falters because nothing else really matches it.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Cold Weather CD Workers

Civil defense is a topic of great importance for the US during the 40's-50's. Mysteriousoozlefinch attempts to decode their uniforms and equipment in this great little set.

1)Accuracy : 5 - Everything is detailed here. The items they used to test out (I am assuming Radiation?) or something of the sort. Uniforms seem to be up to par with other things that he has made in the past also.

2)Design : 3 - As a set this could be vastly expanded. New poses, items and people are on the line for something that could be added. As a set all of the figures are walking around with their hands held out and the variety is simply not there. A good feature in this set is the boots :) I love the boots they are bulky and have a great look towards them.

3)Standard : 5 - Mostly fits the same standard set forth on other sets of this kind. There are not to many other things of this sort so if you needed CD figures you could keep them in a nice style.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - Not sure how many others will make a set like this. Its very person specific, someone has to have a love for this information to decide to make the figures. Therefore the future fleshing out will focus on individual personality and not necessarily a vast need for the products.

5)Usability : 4 1/2 - Yes this is ready to be printed out. However the pieces are there to be added and mixed. Meaning that its not completely there, and that in the end there is some assembly required.

Total : 4.5 out of 5 Stars - A decent set with a kind of limited use in the world of wargaming. With a unique design, however, they are ready for almost anything you are ready to throw at them.

Opel Blitz Truck

What happens when you take everything into account and design a new set? It comes out amazing.

1)Accuracy : 5 - There is so much true to life detail on this set. The opels carry boxes with detail, have gears with detail; its just detail all over the place. Amazing.

2)Design : 5 - A very good design. Last time I reviewed some of Jhighs work there were some minor problems with the wheels. This time around they have been improved highly and look awesome.

3)Standard : 4 - Unfortunately there are some qualms with standard. As a set it looks amazing but it may not fit in with other WW2 vehicles on the site. As much as this matters in a wargame situation is not that important. I see these in a support role; and ergo not always next to some of the other designed vehicles on the site.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - Looks hand drawn and instead of producing just a couple of the same old infantry troops jhigh has taken to his specialty; aka greatly detailed vechicles and created another great set.

5)Usability : 5 - Ready to go! You have a good set, with a ton of variety. Simply pick what you want and format the paper and go ahead and your ready to play!

Total : 4.8 out of 5 Stars - Great set, maybe not conforming but its not the worse thing in the world. An amazing set that should set the standard for Opels in the future!

F-15I Ra'am IDF

F-15s are some of the most powerful creatures in the sky. 707officer has looked at the pictures and given his depiction some amazing teeth!

1)Accuracy : 5 - A very accurate piece. Colors, markings, and small details. Everything comes in a great little package ready to be used. Down to the small detail on the bombs!

2)Design : 3 - The wing format on this aircraft kind of bugs me. This is a personal thing but it distracts from the design in some ways. As I grew up I drew alot of aircraft like this just for the hell of it. When I saw others draw them with weird wing shapes it kind of 'irked' me. There is a weird design perspective on this aircraft which makes it stand out a little oddly.

3)Standard : 4 - Even with the wierd wing format this set will fit in with your average figures. Since its built to be in the sky the wings give a kind of perspective.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - Simply do not have much like this on the site right now, so this is a great job. The detail is beyond what we usually see on the average paper miniature.

5)Usability : 5 - Print and play. Needs a stand but that as always should be left up to the end user to figure out the smaller details.

Total : 4.4 out of 5 stars - A great piece of art that falls short in some key perspective details.

UN Canadian Peacekeeper M113s in Yugoslavia

A mouthful to say not to say write. The long name of this set is made up with extreme amounts of detail and foresight.

1)Accuracy : 5 - UN vehicles are not that hard to design. They tend to just be white with a UN symbol on it. Extra details add an interesting aspect to this, such as flags and extra helmets hanging on it.

2)Design : 5 - A very well designed piece. Mud is everywhere. It represents something that we do not always have on the site, unideal conditions. To even compound this further we see detail all over the place which just makes this ultimately one of the more interesting pieces you'll see.

3)Standard : 3 - As I said earlier... everything is not dirty on the site. And until people being making dirty versions of their vehicles we will not really have anything that fits into the simple amazing look of this design.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - Dirty! This M113 could use a good washing, their crew being Canadians are just clearly lazy *sigh*. As said before its so unique it hardly fits in.

5)Usability : 5 - It is based and ready to be printed. You'd have it in your game in a couple minutes.

Overall : 4.6 out of 5 Stars - A great job that is simply to dirty for its own good.

Canadian CH-146 Griffon

Its good to see something that isn't necessarily built upon a military basing for the website. Half-Track has made a great piece which shows off this ability.

1)Accuracy : 4 - This is an accurate set based on what i've seen of pictures of this. The only downside is that some of the interior detail which was clear isn't in this.

2)Design : 4 - All in all this is a wonderful design. The colors are amazing. They draw your eyes to the figure and keep it moving. The downside is there isn't much detail coming from inside the aircraft itself. On pictures i've seen there seems to be a lot of detail when they open the doors also.

3)Standard : 4 - Its a toss up in this situation. On one hand this sets a nice standard for color and for the CH-146. On the other hand the lack of interor details (grayed out windows) removed the almost perfected look of this item.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - Very very unique! Its not just another war machine, its built for something completely different. The fact that he has decised to design something like this is admirable.

5)Usability : 5 - Click print and you are ready. Once again you may want a stand but otherwise its very nice and functional.

Total : 4.4 out of 5 stars - A great piece that needs maybe 30-40 minutes of work to be a perfected piece.

Eurocopter Tiger

Complexity is just a part of the modern battlefield. In this case the new Tiger is one aspect that just has to be added into the equation. Half-tracks Tiger does a great job of this.

1)Accuracy : 5 - This baby is accurate. Down to the little panels switches and nobs of the cockpit! It is just fun to look at and explore. But its also extremely functional, and the detail isn't there too take away but simply add to it.

2)Design : 4 - Only one thing is missing from making this the standard for new variants on Tigers. This needs pilots! It desperately needs them in fact because with all the detail in the cockpit the missing factor is disappointing.

3)Standard : 5 - Sets the standard for the Tiger on the site, but it also is a lot like other vechicles of the modern era should it should be easy to fit in.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - We do not have many modern helos on the site so too see it is refreshing. This is a unique piece of work which is unique in its design and usability.

5)Usability : 5 - It *should* be ready for most wargame situations. There may need to be some stands for the character but that is about it.

Total : 4.8 out of 5 - A great piece that is hindered by one simple over sight.

Hong Kong Special Duties Unit

A good portion of modern sets tend to disappoint with their lack of motion, while dazzling with their amount of detail. Micheal Smith has managed to put both ideals in one set.

1)Accuracy : 5 - Using both street, and tactical clothing Micheal has shown how conflict can come at the most inoppurtune times. The detail goes even deeper with the use of front and back designs which just end up giving a good complete feel to the figures.

2)Design : 5 - It has front, backs, and all the inbetween. There is a good variety in the set which keeps your eyes moving and everything extremely interesting. The poses are fun and full of movement while the soldiers look like they are actually performing their actions.

3)Standard : 4 - Its sad to have to say, 'something is too good for its section,' but at this junction it is. These will not fit in very well with the static poses we currently have on the site. If Micheal Smith makes some Hong Kong based criminals then this would be vastly different.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - We haven't really seen anything like this on the site quite yet. At the rate it is going right now I hope we do, but it seems like the modern, cold war designers are falling back into the ease of static poses.

5)Usability : 5 - Click print and you are ready for conflict. This is a nice easy to use set that is already based and understands its period.

Total : 4.8 out of 5 stars - An ideal set which needs some supporting materials to be a little better.

Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale

707 has always been a master at making extraordinarily detailed sets but the one thing they tend to miss is the practical use in wargames.

1)Accuracy : 5 - What can I say, this set is detailed. In fact most people seem to think so on Google also :). As you type this in and you tend to get something that looks almost exactly like this. Sometimes you may even find this set right up there!

2)Design : 3 - The set is ok in design. The main downside comes from its inability to include any bases for the soldiers. They just float there, and that is a horrible downside to a set that looks amazing.

3)Standard : 5 - Heavy detail is a requirement for modern figures at this junction. With the amount of people who look into every piece of detail on a kit it takes a keen eye to understand that you need to make sure you keep it realistic! This is no exception.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - Only set of its kind on the site. Plus the way they are standing and some other poses are completely unique to this set! The setting mine is one of those areas.

5)Usability : 3 - With bases this would be a 5. As is this set is not ready for printing and still needs some work in order to be used in any type of gaming.

Total : 4.2 out of 5 A great set that just needs maybe 10 minutes of work to be perfect.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Gual Swordsmen

Such a small percent of our site is filled up with the highly gamed porition of the Ancient periods. Private Toasters new set is a welcome filler to the void!

1)Accuracy : 4 - There could be some extra added features to make this more accurate. I.E. detail on the shields which seem to be in other depictions of the Guals.

2)Design : 4 - Beards seem to be a major downside to this set. Each Gual has the same beard in a different color! I would recommend that these get changed just very slightly to give more variety. Otherwise this set is a very nicely designed set.

3)Standard : 5 - As the Ancient sets get replaced by works using Bens poses they get more and more standard. With these guals the standard is kept up and impressively so.

4)Uniqueness : 4 - All in all this is a unique set though it could use some variance in some of the beards and faces. The shields need just a little more detail on them to be better and more unique also.

5)Usability : 5 - An absolute dream to print out. This is ready to be formated and printed for actual wargame use! Variety in the figures styles will give you an amazing look and feel on the battlefield.

4.4 stars out of 5 - Overall a grand set that suffers from just a few set backs that would otherwise make it perfect.

Friday, August 29, 2008

British CVR(T) Family 5-7

Some of my favorite vehicles in the world are from the British CVR family. The small style of the scorpion always seemed to appeal to me as something of an interesting vehicle. Jeff High has posted a pretty good creation of these figures.

1)Accuracy : 4 - The set seems to be reasonable accurate with a good amount of detail on some of the pieces. The colors seem to be a basic color scheme that could of been enhanced just slightly but otherwise it is up to par.

2)Design : 4 - Unfourtantly there seems to be too little detail on the wheels. Its not that it ruins the feel of the total set but it seems like there is almost too little design versus some other parts on the work. For example a huge amount of detail is given to the Sultans Commander turrent which has lots of very interesting features but little to the wheels.

3)Standard : 4 - Jeffs work fits right into the modern battlefield figures, but it doesn't nesscarily match the others. Mostly again on the wheels and a couple other small detail features. But its not a huge deal in the end.

4)Uniqueness : 4 - There have been a couple of other figures of this type on the site before so its not nesscarily a new figure that has been posted. It is a slight improvement.

5)Usability : 5 - A set like this is absoultly simple to print out. If you need these vechicles for your army then its a very simple and painless process to get these formated and done.

Total : 4.2 out of 5 - A good attention to detail that could use a slight amount of more work to make it a perfect and new standard for varients on the site.

Baily Bridge Construction

Clive is known for his love of the WW2 british. Furthermore he understands that there were a lot more things going on then tanks and machine guns! His Baily Bridge Construction set is an example of the detail and skill that is put into his work.

1)Accuracy : 5 - As an overall group of sets the Baily Bridge Construction is ridiculously accurate. It details every aspect of its construction and goes inch by inch to make sure you get maximum detail.

2)Design : 4 - The design is great albeit limited. There are new poses; some top down to show you were things would go, and also some pieces of equipment. It gives a lot of individual detail and a good complete design.

3)Standard : 5 - The WW2 section is large but mostly very unified. This set is no different as the infantry looks like all the other Clivian infantry. Therefore it will conform with mostly anything else!

4)Uniqueness : 5 - Highly unique; we honestly have nothing like this. Its an attention to detail one gets when they are highly passionate about a subject such as clive is.

5)Usability : 3 - This is a great Diorama piece, but a wargame piece? I think it would be hard pressed to find itself on a wargame table unfourtantly. The detail is there but at which aspect do you print it out? The orginal bridge that Clive uploaded works better for this role. The Diorama aspect of this is amazing.

4.4 out of 5 - An interesting and unique piece that doesn't quite have the range of use that it could.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Soviet Infantry in Afghanistan Conflict

Afghanistan has been in a level or perpetual state conflict for a couple decades now. Half track has created a very interesting set of Russians to represent this long period of history.

1)Accuracy : 5 - It shouldn't be too hard to put together a set of soldiers based on this conflict. There are tons of images, and videos of it. Therefore the large variety of poses have a wide degree of variability which had to be researched.

2)Design : 4 - Only downside? No Backsides! If there had been any backsides this would be pretty much a perfect set. Otherwise the amount of detail is very well put together!

3)Standard : 5 - They stay within the standard put forth by other figures in this section. The snipers and gunners seem to work very well with other figures.

4)Uniqueness : 5 - This pose uses almost everything available to produce something comprehensive. There are differnt uniforms arm positions, standing, laying down, wounded, or brand new gunner positions. Its a great set that allows for a high amount of variability.

5)Usability : 5 - Very easy to get ready to play, the soldiers are based and ready to go. Just randomly select a bunch of them and put them onto a page!

Total : 4.8 out of 5 Stars. - Add backsides and this is a perfect set ready for any table experience.