Grishnak Models War Maidens Review

I recently purchased a set of 5 War Maidens from Grishnak Models. Aside from their Russian-language vk.com page, there isn't much of a web presence. However, they can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]. This company created a minor stir in the gaming community about 6 months ago by releasing these models to the public, filling a niche for good proxy models to play Sisters of Battle in Warhammer 40,000.

The niche market
Games Workshop has been rumored to be working on plastic kits and a proper army codex for many years, but these rumors have never panned out. The old metal model line is still sporadically available on their website, but they are outrageously expensive and not at all designed for customization.

Prodos Games recently released their Space Crusade game and miniatures line, but their models are to my mind far too absurd for the grimdark universe of 40K. Their prices aren't bad, but the aesthetics are just... well, wrong.

Raging Heroes is another company that has stepped up to offer a line of Not-Sisters to the gaming market. Their models are still a little more cheesecake than I want, but at least they are well-designed and well-sculpted.

The Grishnak line, though, looked like the best option to me. Good prices, a style that blends well with the established GW aesthetic, and not a single stupid battle bikini or combat stiletto to be seen. Cheesecake has its place, but these are supposed to be warrior women in power armor, so I want them to look the part.

Ordering
The price, including shipping, was just under US $33.00. Not bad for 5 models, a combi-weapon sprue, and international shipping. Five 25mm round bases were also included, which is to be expected, but isn't always actually provided.

I sent payment via Paypal on Oct. 30. Tracking information says they arrived at a Moscow post office on Nov. 5, were processed through Russian customs in 5 minutes on Nov. 6, and arrived at US customs Nov. 10. Delivery to my home in the western US was Nov. 16. This means it took just over 2 weeks in transit, including the US holiday weekend of Veterans Day. All told, I was satisfied with the entire process.

The Models
OK, enough beating around the bush. Now it's time for a lot of photos and descriptions. The models are cast in resin, and the quality is superb. The resin isn't brittle, there is almost no flash, and I haven't found any bubbles or other flaws. The instruction sheet says to use a knife rather than clippers. It is in Russian, but Google Translate did well enough for me to confirm what the images indicated.

The boltguns are designed so a small tab near the muzzle needs to be trimmed away before attaching any of the optional underbarrel accessories, which are shown below along with alternate weapons and an extra helmeted head.

The models were all shipped in individual ziplock-style bags. I took a couple photos of one model next to an official Games Workshop Sister Superior to show the scale similarity. Incidentally, you can see how little cleanup the resin models require, and now much needs to be done in comparison for the metal model.

The remaining models are still unassembled, and I am considering whether I want to build them as intended, or whether I want to modify them with aftermarket parts. The arms also look like they can probably be swapped between models easily enough that two sets of 5 can be made as distinct individuals rather than pairs of clones.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion
I do have a few minor complaints. First, I don't like the sculpts for the bare heads. I think the faces are the one weakness to these models. However, each model that includes a bare head also has a helmeted or masked option, and the accessory sprue also includes an extra ornate helmet. Second, the frame is designed so that considerable care is needed on the arms and backpacks when removing from the frame and shaving to fit. Unfortunately, I know enough about manufacturing for injection molding to suspect these were the best of many bad options for this kind of project anyway, so I can't really criticize this too heavily either. Third, the bust on each mini seems over-exaggerated. However, some degree of exaggeration may be necessary at such a small scale, and once the model is assembled, the effect is minimized.

Enough of the negativity. On to the good stuff. The sculpting and casting quality are superb. Fit between the parts is excellent. The fabric flows wonderfully in each sculpt. The price is competitive. These models blend well with the existing metal models thanks to common design elements and nearly identical height when assembled. The proportions and postures of these models are very good all around. The emblems are definitely similar to Games Workshop Sisters of Battle, but since GW don’t own the fleur-de-lis, and the inquisitorial symbol bears a tiny skull rather than the GW crossbars, it implies without blatantly copying anything. The consistency of the resin minimizes the cleanup difficulties mentioned previously, and indicates a high degree of customization should be possible.

In short, until Games Workshop actually releases plastic Sisters—probably around the time Firefly: Season 2 and Half-Life 3 are released—these models are probably the best options on the market for starting or expanding your Nuns with Guns faction in any sci-fi game system.