by Ken Whitehurst

In addition to their stunning Huntsman Spider Tank kit, previously reviewed here, Ramshackle Games produce a line of 28mm-30mm metal figures for their post-apocalyptic skirmish game, Nuclear Renaissance. Ramshackle Games’ website includes the following in its introduction to the Nuclear Renaissance universe:

In the not too distant future, the once sprawling metropolises of man are now nothing but dust. Wars, over-consumption and the wanton destruction of his own environment has left the earth as a barren rock. Across these trackless wastes, gang fights gang for the possession of scant resources, food and bitter glory. Move fast, stay in cover and watch your back. Outside of your gang is a short life of hardship and starvation followed by a quick, pitiful death.

For this review, Ramshackle sent along three figures from this bleak world: Larken, Hareward, and Isembard Kickass Brunel. Each is available from Ramshackle Games’ online store for £2.50.

First Impressions
On first sight, these three figures appear highly out of proportion with one another. Larken is a large, barrel-chested figure. Isembard is a tall-thin character. Hareward, in contrast, is very slight and considerably shorter than both other figures. Certainly a variety of sizes and shapes is welcome in a game of eccentric characters. The extraordinary differences here, however, are hard to ignore. It is hard to reconcile Larken and Hareward when examined side by side. They don’t merely look to be different heights, they seem to be different scales. It’s as if Hareward is designed to be a 25mm figure, and Larken and Isembard 28mm or 30mm figures. (My measurements actually put Larken and Isembard at approximately 32 mm ground-to-eyes, and Hareward at about 26 mm.). As you can see from the line-up photographs, Larken and Isembard’s hands are larger than Hareward’s entire head.

Issues of scale aside, the figures are very clean right out of the bag. They are mounted on highly-detailed integral metal bases designed to fit in the recessed center of plastic rolled-edge bases (included). Hareward and Larken are single piece figures. No assembly, other than gluing them to their plastic bases, is required. Isembard requires only the attachment of his left hand (clipped from a sprue that contains two different hand and weapon options).

Individual Inspection

Hareward

Hareward is a very small figure, particularly in comparison to the other two reviewed here. As noted above, Hareward is not simply short, he is out of proportion with the other figures. He is would similarly appear small alongside most other 28mm and “heroic 28mm” ranges. When viewed by himself, however, Hareward is a very nicely sculpted figure. His tattered cape is nicely detailed and flowing. The full head of hair peeking out of his gas mask is nicely detailed.

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His tunic and pants are oddly reminiscent of the Rocketeer (sorry, no helmet and jetpack), and he holds what looks like a shotgun in his right hand. Hareward’s base includes industrial metal, complete with rivets, which serves as a nice reminder of the Nuclear Renaissance setting. The figure is crisply detailed, and perfectly cast. No mould lines or flash are visible, even after the ink-wash I applied to enhance details for the photographs.

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Larken

Larken is a big, ham-fisted bruiser of a character, wielding some sort of flamethrower. He stands on a rocky base. Unlike Hareward, Larken does have a slight mould line. In addition, he is cast in a slightly backward-leaning pose that seems a bit unrealistic (as if he would just fall over). Regardless, Larken does have some nice details, from the goggles on his head, to his bushy mustache, to the rivets on his suit and the ribbed seams along his sleeves.

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Isembard Kickass Brunel

According to the Nuclear Renaissance fluff, Isembard Kickass Brunel (yes, “Kickass” is his middle name) envisioned the Huntsman Spider Tank. As befits such a madman, he holds a pair of strange wrench (ahem, “spanner”) weapons, one of which is connected to the obligatory steampunk gearbox by an unwieldy tangle of hoses. He sports a trench coat, vest, and stovepipe hat, and reminds me instantly of the Butcher from Martin Scorcese’s Gangs of New York.

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Like the Butcher, he is quite tall and menacing in appearance. As it turns out, however, he is modeled after the 19th century British engineer, Isembard Kingdom Brunel, who created the Great Western Railway. The casting of this model is also nearly perfect, with no visible mould lines. The glue-on weapon hand does require a bit of cutting and cleaning, but very little. The choice of an alternate weapon (a flare pistol) is a nice touch.

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Overall
The overall quality of the Nuclear Renaissance line is very good. The castings are clean, and many gamers will approve of the single-piece and two-piece figures. The line of figures brings a fairly unique aesthetic to science fiction skirmish gaming. The miniatures include steampunk details, such as gears, hoses, rivets and goggles, and reflect a type of science fiction that could easily have been thought up 60-100 years ago. All in all, they evoke a unique, and bleak, world of gangs fighting over what remains of a formerly civil society. Fans of conversion and multi-part miniatures will, of course, be disappointed. However, these figures are filled with details, and do not beg for add-ons.

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Conclusion
At £2.50, the Nuclear Renaissance figures are not an incredible bargain. Hareward, in particular, seems a bit small for the price. That said, the price is not really a big deal, particularly given the quality of the castings. Ramshackle Games have a unique line they should be proud of. If their distinctive mish-mash of steampunk gangland superheroes (villains?) appeals to you, check out the rules, which are available as a PDF download from Ramshackle Games’ website, and get started on your own post-apocalyptic gang.

Pros

• Very clean castings with plenty of detail
• Minimal assembly
• Distinctive look

Cons

• Unique look may not be useful for other games
• Figures appear out of scale with each other