To bitch, or not to bitch… That is the question…

by | Jul 10, 2013

I have a major (Some would say obsessive) thing for Space Ships. In all their multitude of form and function they appeal to my inner child and remind me of watching awesome cartoons when I was younger. I have no problem admitting this, I've always loved the concepts people have come up with, and doodled most math classes to the destruction of my final grade. As part of my decision not to burn out on humanoid type figures again I've taken up other games and decided now is obviously the time to indulge in my Space Ship fetish. Towards that end I'm putting together my Zenian League: Rense System Navy fleet for Firestorm Armada. This brings me to the heart of today's post; when is it appropriate to bitch about the state of a miniature when it arrives on your doorstep? What is that tipping point where you're actually justified in sending off that email, or going back to that store and being that guy. You know the one I mean...

Anyway, I need to start by stating that 95% of the miniatures I opened up from Spartan Games were stunning, some of the best in both detail and fitting that I have ever played with. The flash was little, the mould lines were excellent (Except for the exception), and overall I was amazed at how they looked when assembled (My inner geek was making spaceship noises as I pitted the fleet against imagined armadas... But I digress). 

The one problem I had in this batch belonged to one of the smallest ships. One of my Phoenix Class Destroyers had come out of the shipyard with problems... Right from the start it I could tell there was something wrong, it just... looked different than the other one (The destroyers come two to a box). At first I thought it was just the one line, and I figured I could make it some battle damage, but as I looked a little closer I realised there were more problems. But were they enough for me to raise my voice in protest? I figured now was the perfect time to show the beauty of macro photography... ^_^
















At the end of the day I decided to put an email through to Spartan Games and see what happens from there. My reasoning? Without substantial work the miniature will not fit together correctly (See the lean when sitting on top of the engines; that's from the mould line around the back). Now in the interests of full disclosure its probably important to note that I got these through a secondary supplier as part of winnings for a painting competition, plus I'm in New Zealand...

I'll let you know what they say ^_^