Mimi and Toutou have arrived....

At last my order from Tumbling Dice has arrived! If you recall I has placed an order for the entire range available for the Lake Tanganyika campaign - 6 models in all although I received two packs each of Mimi and Toutou making four models in all for this type. I will query this with Paul at Tumbling Dice as I think that the catalogue listing may be incorrect as it does not mention they are priced at £2 for two - I ordered two packs thinking it was one model in each. A minor point though, and not one to raise the blood pressure.

I have had a preliminary look at the models and they look very nice indeed and are multi-part affairs. How they compare to the offerings from, I believe, North Park Miniatures in New Zealand I cannot say but they certainly seem to be very detailed. I will have a closer inspection this evening and will try and get some pictures as well.

All the vessels have seperate guns and masts where applicable and the large Graf von Gotzen has a resin hull with the deck fittings being cast in metal. My first thought when I saw this was that it seems expensive for what it is - £12 - and on closer inspection I noted that the underside of the hull has around 1mm of excess resin, thereby raising the overall height of the hull. This would not be a problem if one used testured bases as this would be covered and would look fine as the 'water' would then be at the right level for the hull. I do not texture my naval bases though so I will have to smooth this away. It may be a design feature but if it is then it not really to my taste.

I am really looking forward to tackling these models and hope to do so at the weekend - it will be good to get some filing, gluing and painting underway again.