![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Vae Victis Miniatures Review #01 Pt. 1
Apr. 11th, 2025 05:18 pm
I've been painting up miniatures for my partner's long running TTRPG campaign. I was looking for some magic user-y type models and some clerics; we're in a religion heavy campaign in an arc that involves assaulting a besieged magic academy.
I was looking for something that would paint up well. I see a fair number of 3d printed models that are way too over designed and don't paint up very well. At least, not in the way I paint models in an 'Eavy Metal inspired style with bright contrasting colors and large dark shadows.
I found WiseToadMiniShop on Etsy. They had a sale going and a nice collection of Vae Victis mini sculpts. I'd seen Vae Victis models on other Etsy shops before, but hadn't pulled the trigger on buying any.
Pricing
I bought Flagellant Sister, Butcher Witch, Vampire Bride, Cleric Priesthood Set, Human Wizard, Magic Academy Set, and Female Apprentice Sorcerer. With the sale that was going on, it cost me ~$100 with including tax but with free shipping. For what I received, that was a very fair price. Especially since the package came with a card letting me know that if I posted a painted model in my review, I'd get a permanent 25% off -- as someone who paints a lot of minis not from a single war game line, that's an excellent offer.
Sculpts
The details on the models were really crisp and clean. The details are large enough that I think my chunkier painting style will look really good on the models. The sculpts are almost cartoony in the way they're stylized, which IMO looks excellent in 32mm. Models that try to look too realistic in 32mm rarely look that good to me. The 32mm here looks very close to Games Workshop's 28mm Heroic.
A few models had hands or arms that had to be glued on. I was super nervous when I saw this, because I'm really clumsy and gluing resin models with super glue always ends up in my fingers covered in glue. To my surprise and delight, there were no flat joins! There were nice, big chunky slots that the pieces slid into perfectly. My fingers had 0 super glue on them afterwards -- which is amazing, wonderful, delightful, spectacular. I hate the feeling of super glue on my fingers so much -- it's a sensory nightmare.
The female models aren't cheesecake. Vae Victis does have a cheesecake line (Bae Victis) which are kind of cute, but all of these are from their regular line. The closest thing to a cheesecake model is the moon cleric, who is in a toga with some side boob.
The models have a lot of personality! There is a lot of movement and character in each model. All of the different magic users and clerics look distinct. Though, the halfling magic user looks a bit like a cleric to me with the big staff, but maybe that's because I'm looking for an excused to paint an Avandran cleric.
There aren't a lot of spindly bits, which is excellent since these are printed in resin. In the few models I bought that have tails, the tails are close in to the model, rather than outwards away from the model. I have 0 concern about the tiefling or catfolk models losing their tails.
Images (Unprimed)
I was looking for something that would paint up well. I see a fair number of 3d printed models that are way too over designed and don't paint up very well. At least, not in the way I paint models in an 'Eavy Metal inspired style with bright contrasting colors and large dark shadows.
I found WiseToadMiniShop on Etsy. They had a sale going and a nice collection of Vae Victis mini sculpts. I'd seen Vae Victis models on other Etsy shops before, but hadn't pulled the trigger on buying any.
Pricing
I bought Flagellant Sister, Butcher Witch, Vampire Bride, Cleric Priesthood Set, Human Wizard, Magic Academy Set, and Female Apprentice Sorcerer. With the sale that was going on, it cost me ~$100 with including tax but with free shipping. For what I received, that was a very fair price. Especially since the package came with a card letting me know that if I posted a painted model in my review, I'd get a permanent 25% off -- as someone who paints a lot of minis not from a single war game line, that's an excellent offer.
Sculpts
The details on the models were really crisp and clean. The details are large enough that I think my chunkier painting style will look really good on the models. The sculpts are almost cartoony in the way they're stylized, which IMO looks excellent in 32mm. Models that try to look too realistic in 32mm rarely look that good to me. The 32mm here looks very close to Games Workshop's 28mm Heroic.
A few models had hands or arms that had to be glued on. I was super nervous when I saw this, because I'm really clumsy and gluing resin models with super glue always ends up in my fingers covered in glue. To my surprise and delight, there were no flat joins! There were nice, big chunky slots that the pieces slid into perfectly. My fingers had 0 super glue on them afterwards -- which is amazing, wonderful, delightful, spectacular. I hate the feeling of super glue on my fingers so much -- it's a sensory nightmare.
The female models aren't cheesecake. Vae Victis does have a cheesecake line (Bae Victis) which are kind of cute, but all of these are from their regular line. The closest thing to a cheesecake model is the moon cleric, who is in a toga with some side boob.
The models have a lot of personality! There is a lot of movement and character in each model. All of the different magic users and clerics look distinct. Though, the halfling magic user looks a bit like a cleric to me with the big staff, but maybe that's because I'm looking for an excused to paint an Avandran cleric.
There aren't a lot of spindly bits, which is excellent since these are printed in resin. In the few models I bought that have tails, the tails are close in to the model, rather than outwards away from the model. I have 0 concern about the tiefling or catfolk models losing their tails.
Images (Unprimed)
