In this article I shall be reviewing the Urien, Teyrn of Mon on foot model from Mierce Miniatures for their Byrthoniaid kindred. Apologises for no WIP pics of it being built as I had built and painted him a while before writing this article.
Detail
First of all the detail on this model is pretty damn good for an infantry sized model, ranging from the intricate metal work on the shield to the dagger on his belt. This detail was quite intimidating to a more average painter such as me as you want to do the model justice given the high quality. One thing I was very fortunate about with this model, indeed every model I have bought thus far from Mierce, is the resin being such high quality meant al the flat surfaces were so not suffering from a rough texture some resin can be prone to. On top there were no air bubbles in the one I got so this is another plus for me as it can be devastating to lose key detail this way.
Putting together
For the most part the model goes together quite well (sorry no WIP pics as I built him a good while ago) I would personally recommend you glue each part on and give that part a few extra minutes for the bond to be secure as I found being a bit over zealous I kept risking undoing the work I had already done. A key issue however with this model and from what I have been told by my friend who collects the Anglecynn faction a lot of the infantry models can suffer from is an inherent weakness around the ankle joint. If too much pressure is applied to ether cut the sprue from under the feet or scrape them you risk snapping the ankle joint. This did happen to me with his right foot though fortunately (somewhat) the break was clean so a quick dab of glue and he is back together. The only other issue I found putting this guy together was applying the arrows to his quiver as the contact point is so small and it is so easy for you to let go too quickly and they fall off (which mine have done) so this is one of those things I emphasise take your time whilst gluing just to be safe.
Painting
Once he was built I gave him overnight (mostly as it was late when I put him together) for the glue to completely harden and then primed him in GW black primer. After this the paint went on like a dream the smooth resin made it so easy to apply paint though washes were a minor problem on the shields back with it being so smooth. with the model being so good I had to spend my time thinking how I wanted each part to look as not only did I want to try and do the model justice it would influence my later infantry schemes.
Final Thoughts
Overall I would rate this model 9 out of 10 for me my only minor niggle being he is a bit static in his pose but that is a personal preference of mine that I like my characters to have a sense of motion. The price tag of £12.34 delivered is about in keeping with single character models I am used to from companies such as Games Workshop and I am more than happy to say it is of at least comparable if not superior quality to these. I know the price might be a bit of a deterrent which for Mierce I know it can be but the sheer quality of the miniatures and customer service from the company themselves I would enthusiastically recommend this model. If you want to make a bit of a saving on him I would suggest the Urien, Teyrn of Mon on Foot and on Horse pack which effectively reduces the cost of the on foot version by a small amount.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to a new article soon.
Jonathon