Find Your Way, Midnight Miniatures

What we want to show you today is one of the latest works from genius sculptor Lucas Pina. It’s a wonderful combination of a traditional fantasy character with the unique style of the Spanish sculptor.

REVIEW

Let’s review the newest miniature from Midnight Miniatures: ‘Find Your Way’.

UNBOXING

First thing we find when opening the box is this insert card, with the limited number hand written. As you can see, the series is limited to only 200 copies.

The box art shown in the image is the one painted by Marc Masclans. The print quality of the insert does not reflect truly the great standard of the painting in this case. You can check out better views from the box art here, where you can really appreciate the quality of the Marc’s work on this bust. There is also an alternative version painted by Enrique Velasco (emuse) which is also a magnificent job. Check it out here.

The miniature comes inside the plastic blister, extremely well protected wrapped in two layers. This guarantees that the miniature will get to you in full shape, despite how badly the post services may treat the package. This is very important in this case, since as you will see, there are some very fine pieces that are very fragile and sensitive to this.

The smaller parts of the mini come wrapped inside a plastic bag, convenient because there are a couple of very small and fragile items that could be lost or damaged if loose inside the blister.

The quality of the sculpture is top of the line. Here are some bigger pictures on the main piece of the bust so you can appreciate the quality and beauty of the volumes.

Surfaces are clean and very versatile for a painter of any level. Wrinkles are very painter-friendly and do not seem to be complicated to interpret. Even the hair, normally one of the poorest parts of a miniature, is up to a very high standard in this one.

The resin is very good, offers crisp details and we see no major flaws at first sight. There are a few mold lines, but nothing that can be cleaned easily with an x-acto knife. The resin however can be a bit unfriendly to the knife, so we need to be careful with this one.

We see just some minor slippage that should not be too difficult to fix with a bit of putty in the shoulder parts of the vest.

The model shows Lucas Pina’s signature on the back.

Details are important, and here we see the rest of the pieces.

A closer look at the backpack shows how the sculpture is a perfect blend of detail and painting possibilities. We are not big fans of sculptures that are too detailed and are painful to paint. This is certainly not the case. On top of the backpack we see one of the places where resin pours into the mold, we will have to take care of that one with the knife too.

Assembly is simple and easy. The fact that the map and hands are separated from the body will make painting very easy. It can be fixed temporarily to sketch on the mini first, and then separated for careful detailing on the map. Perfect!

We can’t wait to lay our brushes on this one!

CONCLUSIONS

If you want a fun paintjob, that can go from relaxed painting to a very complex idea, this bust is for you. It’s a hobbit (or a halfling) and we love that, but it’s also a very versatile idea with lots of possibilities. We are talking about classic fantasy, but the concept is so open that it could be interesting even to those less passionate about this setting. It can also be a great present to a loved one who does not understand a thing about fantasy. And the map can let your imagination run wild with freehands! We see nothing but options for the painter on this one!

PROS:

• Main points for this miniature are on the sculpture: top quality, volumes, expression… everything! Lucas Pina is unique, and this bust shows that.
• Versatility

CONS:

• Limited availability quality bust. Run while stocks last!
• Some minor mold lines, nothing that can be fixed very easily.
• Quality busts are pricey but worth it!

You can find Midnight Miniatures on their facebook page, website, and the bust is sold here.