Hinterland Miniatures's Princesses Review

A few years ago now, my good buddy Johnny posted a picture on his Facebook profile of a woman in a hussar uniform. I was immediately intrigued and looked a little. Well to my happy surprise, this was not something out a Victorian Sci-Fi (VSF) dream or from a steampunk's RPG. It was real!

Crown Princess Viktoria Louise and her sister-in-law Princess Cecilie seemed to have been into military uniforms! The Kaiser even granted Viktoria the right to form a unit of hussars (light cavalry).

While I doubt that the unit was little more than a sideshow and an attraction, in an alternate history OR in a VSF setting... what about then?

But the coolest part of it is that Hinterlands Miniatures has made a line of miniatures for these ladies! No longer is the world the sole property of men, but now the ladies can also take part in the taming of wild Africa, the exploration of the canals of Mars or the founding of Venusian bases!

Review

There are three criteria I consider when reviewing: Cost, sculpting, and painting.

1- Cost These minis come in at around 2.50$ each (13.50$ for 5/6 infantry or 3 cavalry) with characters at 3$ each. They are a tad pricy, but not so much so. As I don't plan on building a FULL army of them, but rather provide some colorful units for a game, that's fine. Plus there are very few female characters out there. So the price is acceptable.7/10

2- Sculpting The sculpting is done IIRC by Paul Hicks who has done work for many companies. I like his style as his miniatures are full of character. These ladies don't disappoint. The Mounted Princess Viktoria, riding amazon-style was a great surprise. She really seems to be leading her girls. While Cecilie really seems to be ready to command a WWI charge. The Command squad is also very nice. Though I personally don't mind, these miniatures cannot be described as Booberellas, and their uniforms are perfectly adequate for an afternoon of hunting in the savannah followed by afternoon tea. Anatomically correct, characterful, female miniatures: without a doubt top marks for this. They are really quite impressive.10/10

3- Painting After they came in through the mail, I put them on a base and admired them for a while, worried I would mess them up with a bad paint job. But much to my happy surprise, they painted up quick, well and with details popping through my average skills. Definitely a big plus! Unlike the Over the Wire minis whose sculpts were "okay", but who painted up great, the ladies from Hinterland have awesome sculpts AND paint up quickly and nicely. Another top marks. 10/10

Finally, I would strongly recommend these figure to anyone seeking to field a unit that will no doubt draw stares and attention. These ladies are great! If you are dilly-dalling, fill your shopping cart now! What are you waiting for? 9/10

Oh! You want pictures of how I painted mine? I'll be posting them over the next couple of days.

The Minis...

Being the proud father of two beautiful daughters, I renamed the princesses "Princesse Josiane" and "Princesse Kitty" after them.