We’re riding a wave of Wild West excitement at the moment; while much of that buzz stems from the upcoming plastics for Dead Man’s Hand it doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate goodies from elsewhere. Knuckleduster Miniatures’ latest are a fine example, a set of gunslingers – the Avenging Angels – for Gunfighter’s Brawl.
Six figures are included, based on film characters who are out for revenge. Before we get into the details of the specific characters we’ll talk about the pack as a whole. The figures are all cast in metal at about 32mm scale (there’s variation in the heights between the different figures). They each come with a laser-cut wood base and have slotted tabs on their feet. The casting detail is crisp and clean with barely a visible mould line. All of the models are one piece so you’ll be able to start painting quickly.
We have to mention that some fine details on the sculpts resulted in certain parts being extremely bent on the figures we received. Of note were gun barrels on Johnny Welsh (which looked comedically bent) and Liver Eating Johnson’s blade (which honestly looked like he was carrying a far from threatening banana skin). With some careful bending, we managed to straighten the blade but Johnny’s raised barrel snapped, so we had to do a fix that thickened it up a bit. We don’t have huge concerns about this as a major issue in quality control – it is something that can happen as models get bashed about in blisters – but it’s obviously a pain when the most fragile parts of models are at a breaking point before you get them out of the blister!
Who’s in the pack
The six figures are a really mixed bag of characters and, as with most releases from Knuckleduster Miniatures for Gunfighter’s Ball, much discussion was had in the office over who each one was. Some were instantly recognisable – Buzzard Cohorn (showing some True Grit), Johnny Welsh (a bit of an Outlaw, this one), and Evans (who we suspect is still Searching) are going to spark recognition in those with even a vague interest in Westerns – while others are a bit more obscure. We think we’ve got them all worked out now; the Avenging Angels name connects these characters together as they are all on a quest for some kind of vengeance.
The likenesses on Buzzard (the Cohen brothers / Jeff Bridges version) and Evans are really clear, even at this small scale. Clint… we mean Johnny Welsh is good too, other than his bendy guns! It’s not just in their faces and clothing either, the way they carry themselves and are posed greatly adds to the instant recognition, which is impressive stuff.
The second half of the pack is slightly more obscure. Liver Eating Johnson (who connects most obviously to historical gaming, if that’s your cup of hooch) represents Jeremiah Johnson, Diedre is Ellen from The Quick and the Dead, and Danny is Mal from Silverado – not such iconic films or roles, but they make for some excellent figures. Danny has real swagger in his pose while Diedre just looks cool as a cucumber.
This is a set of fine figures that will appeal even if the movie references go over your head. Should you be a fan of the genre they’re probably already in your shopping basket!
