**Special Note For Anyone Using My Review**
1. I review individual miniatures based on their quality, not what I think their rarity slot should be.
I've seen a couple reviews that, after praising a piece with a solid sculpt and paint job, knock down the rating a couple stars seemingly because they feel it would fit a better rarity slot. That is nonsense to me. I don't think it helps anyone looking at reviews trying to determine the actual quality of a piece in hand. I keep that type of conversation reserved for Erik's weekly Friday Preview blog or the review of the set as a whole.
2. For those new to pre-painted miniatures, please understand that no piece is going to look as close to quality as the digital 3D render. It just isn't going to happen. Think of the renders as what to expect conceptually. But in practice digital renders don't have to deal with real world techniques such as shading, washing, and other methods used to make a miniature look more than just a shiny cartoon once it is on the table. **
My Official Grade For Half-Elf Bard:
Quality of Sculpt: 2 out of 2 Stars:
A somewhat cluttered sculpt, as many medium rare pieces tend to be. However, the quality of the clutter is very well done. The sword hilt is very discernible. The sword strap between her breasts is discernible. Even the buckles on the straps of her bodies are sculpted well enough to be visible. The violin is well done, as is the placement of her hands on the instrument. I really like the simplicity of the bow. Instead of trying to go overboard making a spectacular bow, they kept it simple. It works.
Moving down the body, the wrinkles of her breeches are evident and well sculpted. The sculpt of her boots is some of the best I've seen on a medium miniature. The tip of her coat ends and you can clearly see her breeches, and then her boots. It's a small thing, but very well done.
Quality of Paint Job: 2 out of 2 Stars:
My piece does not suffer from any runs or blotches. In fact it's one of the best painted pieces in the entire set. The face, in fact, is one of the better female faces I've seen on a Battles piece. Sadly enough, the sculpt has the bow blocking most of this well-painted face. Oh well.
If this piece suffers from anything, it's the colors used. Again, some drab colors keep this from being a standout piece of the set. It's nowhere near as drab as Cayden Cailen's.
Overall appeal and usefulness: 1 out of 1 Star:
This is definitely one of my favorite Half-Elf miniatures, and a top-five bard miniature, too. The appeal is perhaps dampened a bit from the color scheme, although it fits the theme of the piece well enough. She's a confident musician, not a cocky, garish character.
Bonus points for being a discernible Elf. You can clearly see her pointy ears, meaning you can use her as an Elf or Half-Elf. Good looking Elf miniatures are somewhat of a rarity in the Pathfinder Battles line.
My Advice For Cherry Pickers:
Do you want a instrument-playing bard? A female bard miniature that can easily pass as either an elf or half-elf? Do you just want the lead musician in a tavern band? How about an NPC Bard loyal to a high lord but willing to help your party? This miniature can serve any one of those rolls, and more.
Don't sleep on her. She's already gone from some of the third party sites, so if you want her at an affordable price, make sure you catch her when Paizo puts her back up for sale.
(based on 4 ratings)
