A good review

What makes a good miniature review? To be honest, that’s still a question we are working on at Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy. The main and themed reviews are one of our most popular features, so we try and make them interesting and as varied as we can.

The most important part of the review has to be the picture. I always try to take the best possible photograph, sometimes taking several attempts to get it looking ‘just right’. I will often take a good one, just to see that a bayonet has strayed into a face - where possible I try to ensure that the models don’t touch. As noted in my previous blog, I use Tamiya Smoke for preparing metal models, as it enhances their detail - which unfortunately can ruin them in the process. 

The words themselves should give an idea of what the model is like with a little background and the extent of the range. We always comment on the casting quality and mould lines (if any). A good review should be ideally be objective, not subjective. I may or may not be interested in the figure and maybe the sculpting style isn’t to my tastes. I do like the ‘realistic’ style of miniature but they are more tricky to paint than the caricatured style of sculpting. Whether I like or dislike the figure is irrelevant - I may not (for example) personally be into the Great Norther War in 10mm or 28mm Great Paraguayan War, but each model will be reviewed the same. I also like to add what else the model could be used for and on its compatibility with other ranges - as gamers always like to know can X be used with Y.

Finally we add that little sidebar of information. This contains the size, which is always measured from the top of the base to the eye and to the head, the price and website details of the manufacturer. For our themed reviews we also mention the extent of the range. Remember, comment & critique is always welcome, so if you have any ideas on how we can improve our reviews please let us know.