Product Review: Scibor Sci-Fi Dwarves

Lately, I've been cleaning out the backstock of my miniature collection and buying up a few pieces here and there that I've always had an interest in but never really had a place for. One of my most recent purchases were two "Not-Squats" from miniature designer, Scibor - he of CoolMiniOrNot fame...

I bought Dwarf Sturmgrenadier #1 (#28SF0016) and Dwarf Sturmgrenadier Officer (#28SF0015). Altogether, with postage from Poland, they cost about $20 and they took just under 3 weeks to reach me here in Chicago. I've never ordered anything from eastern Europe, so I'm not sure how typical of a wait it was. The shipping details on Scibor's website state about 2-3 weeks for delivery, so I guess that wasn't bad.

I received them in a bubble-wrap envelope with a plastic box inside and everything seemed to make the journey perfectly. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the minis both came with a 25mm round scenic base!


My first impressions were good. Detail was crisp and there didn't seem to be much flash or mold-lines. I didn't expect the Dwarves to be so big - both measuring ~1" tall. After a quick wash to remove any mold release, I assembled the regular Dwarf first and it took about 10 minutes to clean him up and assemble the gun. The one problem with this figure was the holes on the barrel of his gun were a bit uneven but, after mulling it over, I sort of like that detail. It fits with the persona of this model being somewhat "rough-and-tumble". Here he is, assembled, below:


Next up was the Officer and I had a few issues with him. First (and most minor) was that I had to round out the back of his right foot where it met the trenchcoat, as there was some resin buildup. Next, the barrel of his pistol lacked its sight and was diffifult to cut from the sprue without warping the soft resin it was cast in. Additionally, the helmet spike was just a triangular mass of resin with no real detail to speak of and I simply left it off. Here he is, assembled, below:


As you can see, the barrel of his pistol sags ever-so-slightly downward. Someone's not very excited! Overall though, the Officer's detail was just as crisp and there wasn't much flashing or moldlines to remove.

I'm pleased with my purchase, as the minis are very characterful and unique. Watch for the complete versions to show up here in a few weeks!

Pros:
-Very unique characters
-Dynamic poses (especially considering the subject matter)
-Crisp, clean detail

Cons:
-Slightly too soft resin, for my taste
-Lack of fine detail on weapon barrels (a common problem with resin casting...)