Reaper Miniatures – A Review By TIM

Having been blogging for a while and wanting to branch out into other genres I started, thanks to the influence of other bloggers, to explore the world of fantasy.  When I first discovered Reaper the site which is based in Texas did not as I recall ship to the UK.  If they did then the costs of shipping were extortionate.  In either event I found myself searching for a UK distributor and discovered a supplier in Mighty Lancer –

https://www.mightylancergames.co.uk/ –

and it was here that I made my first foray into the world of Reaper Fantasy figures. 

The only problem with Mighty Lancer af that time (it may have now changed) is that they got their figures from the US via bulk shipments which they made periodically.  From what I could see they did not stock the whole Reaper range but if they did not have what you wanted you could pre-order.  Better than nothing but far from ideal.  Since those early days (which ironically weren’t that long ago) Reaper have expanded their own operation and now supply within the UK where the whole range is available through their site – 

https://www.reapermini.com/

So what do I consider the pros and cons of Reaper?

Well the pros are many.  The quality of the metal ranges are top notch as far as I am concerned.  The figures are well packaged and rarely have any mould lines or flash which require attention.  If and when they do it is minimal.  The sculptors all do an amazing job but the work of Bob Ridolfi and Bobby Jackson really stand out in my opinion and their detailed work is simply stunning.  I wont claim to be a fantasy expert but to my mind the range is very extensive and and it is hard to believe there is not something to be found here for everyone interested in fantasy figures.  There are several filters on the website to aid your search but personally I prefer to sit down with a good mug of coffee and browse through a hundred pages of superb metal figures!

What of the cons?

I guess much depends on your point of view of course.  For me I don’t consider that there are any but I can see that some people would bulk at a few things.  Firstly there is the price.  Reaper aren’t the cheapest figures on the market by any means but you get what you pay for as far as I am concerned.  I view them as works of art and art work doesn’t often come cheap.  That said prices vary considerably and often I have found it possible to find the same figure brand new on Ebay cheaper and with free postage.

I am not a war gamer so I have no idea how well these figures fit with the games that are out there, I will leave that for someone else to review.  As a figure painter I think a vast number of the figures make for stunning stand alone pieces.  However, I also do dioramas and vignettes and here I find a slight problem in aligning pieces together to achieve composition.  In fairness this could be down to my imagination and creativity as much as anything else.

Reaper do a few ranges one of which is their “Bones” range which is essentailly a white plastic range of the same metal figures but the prices are much lower.  I have never bought or painted a Bones figure so I do not know how extensive the range is or what the quality of the figures are like.  From the comments of other bloggers opinion is divided.  Some seem happy with the Bones figures whilst others feel they leave a lot to be desired.  Reaper now do a Bones Black range which I believe are superior and more expensive than the white countrpart but again I an unable to comment.  What can I say, I’m a metal guy!

Over a few years now I have done a fare number of Reaper figures, both stand alone and dioramas and vignettes.  I rate these figures very highly indeed and they are my go to range for fantasy figures.  I have plans to do many, many more!

Below are links to just a couple of my Reaper models.

TIM

 

https://theimperfectmodeller.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/viharis-tenspire-a-28mm-reaper-wizard/

https://theimperfectmodeller.wordpress.com/2019/11/16/tom-goldentome-a-28mm-reaper-figure/