Lead Empires

The final model from the latest delivery by Ravenstar Studios is the Lares-Class Fast Grav Tank (not to be confused with the Mercury-Class Fast Grav Tank from the same range which is stunningly similar). The model comes with a selection of four different cannons. Additionally, there is a small detailing bit that is to be glued to the rear of the hull. The quality of casting is on the same level as the two minis mentioned before. At the moment this concludes the review of Ravenstar models. There is another mini I would like to get my hands on .... a walker type tank. But this will be something to be ordered in the future.  Dimensions: length 90mm, width 50mm, height 30mm

This chunky boy comes from the same batch as the Mage Grav Sled ... the Passer Grav APC by Ravenstar Studios. As can be seen it's a single cast made from resin with two additional bits for detailing the engine inlets. Again, it is a more rounded design following the pattern of the Grav Sled. Interestingly, the part underneath the hull is detailed as well. As with the Grav Sled the model needs some polishing in order to remove some leftovers from the production process. Dimensions: length 95mm, width 45mm, height 30mm

Next up the Mage Grav Sled by Ravenstar Studios. It may be used as either a manned (scout?) vehicle or as an unmanned drone. It's a multi piece model made from resin with a chassis and various turrets to be added as you wish. The overall appearance deviates from the more angular shapes of other vehicles which makes it quite  suitable for a non-human armies. In this it is similar to the Cimexian vehicles which I reviewed a couple of posts back.  The details are quite nice but it requires some touching up and cleaning due to (very minor) flash in the grooves and on the smaller bits.  Dimensions: length 58mm, width 40mm, height chassis 15mm, height with turret varies

From the same order as the Bastion APC comes the Warmonger MBT (more main battle tanks from different producers will follow in the future). Essentially, it is of the same quality as the Bastion, although there is a small residue on the back of turret which was left from the casting process. Nothing too difficult to remove, though.  As the APC it is offered in two variants (tracked and grav). It's much larger than the Bastion, though. RPE was nice enough to sell it with two different types of big guns and a small machine gun. A big plus in my book. One seems to be a conventional gun while the second one fits into the category of plasma firing cannons.

 Reinforcements have arrived ... finally I would like to add.  Ral Parther Europe has re-released a couple of tanks from the Critical Mass range after many moons of absence. In this case we got the Bastion APC in the grav vehicle version. There is also a tracked one which looks quite nice, too. However, I am more into the sci-fi space magic trope; so here we are. Both versions are very similar to the IRL german Marder IFV in appearance.  The details are excellent. There is some small flash at the bottom from the casting process but nothing that is very obvious. The miniature is made up of the main body (hull) and four metal parts for the turret. The assembly should be very simple and straight forward.

Another grav vehicle from Khurasan Miniatures - the Huntarr Zenegg IFV  - which is almost as large as the XM-51 (just short of 5 inches). It is a four piece resin cast model of the same high quality as the aforementioned vehicle. This one is clearly of 'alien' design which makes it stand out from the usual suspects that follow the human design concepts. What I like most about this mini is the shark-like front that gives it an aggressive appearance.

 Produced and sold by Khurasan Miniatures this is a three piece cast of a grav APC made from resin. There is no flash but there are some larger left overs from the casting process. It shouldn't be too difficult to remove these, though. The details are very crisp and rich. The model is large (!) in comparision to any other 15mm tank mini currently in my possession. But then ... the title says it all - it's a superheavy. IMHO, it would also be a fitting tank for armies in the 20mm scale. When placed next to tanks from other producers, it will easily tower over them. Of course, opposing players may use the tank's size to their advantage on terrain heavy gaming tables.

 This one is another vehicle from Alternate Armies; this time from the Laserburn and Asgard range. The vehicle as such fills a niche as an open-top light utility craft. It is neither an APC or an IFV. The main body is a single piece resin cast with some metal bits (landing gear, guns and a roof top). There is some flash and left overs from the production process but those can be easily removed. The details are good; however it seems to be an older design as it can clearly be seen that a lot of handwork was done while designing it.  When I'll start working on the projects for the air lander I might kit-bash it into something like this ... (not exactly but similiar)

 Okay, this APC by RAFM is a mixed bag as you will see in the close-ups.  I really like the design. Seriously! It is sleek, modern looking and something that would be a logical evolution of some IRL modern IFVs that popped-up lately (i.e. the swedish CV-90 or the german Puma IFVs). The vehicle is a one-piece solid resin cast with a small metal turret and four struts (landing gear). The details are good with exceptions (see below). Now, here is what is not so pretty. There is noticable flash at the mold lines. This will require some work to remove. The cast is a bit warped and uneven in some areas of the hull. However, I think this won't be very apparent once the APC is painted. On the table and with growing distance to the eye these areas will be too small and too hard to notice. What I like less is the small turret. IMHO it could be a bit larger and maybe more 'technical'. I might replace it with something from other kits. More on that in the future when I start my project...

 This is first metal mini in this review.  The Advanced Grav Lift Infantry Assault Vehicle is from the grav vehicle range (obviously) from Ground Zero Games -  the big grand daddy of 15mm scifi gaming. It's a multi-piece mini and quite chunky in comparison. The details of the vehicle are very nice. There is some very, minor flash and no 'miscast' whatsoever. The overall quality is very good. In terms of size it falls inbetween the AA and DSG vehicles