Pathfinder Battles—Rusty Dragon Inn: Bartender

She is great for a bartender or a serving wench. The face came out especially good. There is nothing to complain about with this one. The only reason I didn't give it a 5* is that it is still just a NPC bartender miniature; It doesn't have the wow factor that some other miniatures have. But for a bartender miniature, she is spot on.

**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 Bartender:

Quality of Sculpt: 2 out of 2 Stars:
Given that this is a rare piece, I definitely expect a good sculpt. This is a great example of the type of sculpt that can be simple yet so well done. Her apron is discernible from her skirt. Both of these cloth types are discernible from her pants/leggings. You can see the ripples on her apron and the skirt, helping to give it a three-dimensional look. Her left arm is holding a tankard of full of bubbly ale--and you can see the bubbles on top of the tankard! Her right arm is holding a cloth rag; the cloth rag has ripples, too, adding to the three-dimensional look. Her hair is well done, too. The sculpt allows for thick, visible strands of hair.

Quality of Paint Job: 2 out of 2 Stars:
The paint job is pretty important on this one. As others have noted, the way the colors are clearly defined yet work well together make it very appealing to the eye. Best of all, the colors used and shading techniques applied really allow this piece to stand out for such a small thing.

The face is smiling, and you can see her red makeup. The eyes are there and placed appropriately on the face. Even the nose is well done. The face is not as good as most of those you'll find on the Iconic Sets, but that is too be expected. It's better than most human faces, definitely.

It looks like Paizo is learning how to really utilize the scaled-back steps to make better looking pieces. While a couple of the early sets were well done, when pieces from that set weren't well done, the results were horrible.

Overall appeal and usefulness: 1 out of 1 Star:
She's a bartender. She can also be using as a serving girl. She's not really fit for combat, but as a rarity, you really needn't worry about that.

The stark contrast in colors used on this piece work really well, especially since they naturally go well together.

My Advice For Cherry Pickers:
Like other single-occupation NPC types, you're either going to need a bartender or not. Some miniature users don't even set up miniatures indoors during their indoor encounters. If that's you or your group, then you just don't need her. But if your'e the type that likes to set up combat anywhere using miniatures, be it indoor or outside, you'll want this young lady.

A rarity not just in this set, but other lines out there as well. Once she's gone she'll be hard to find for an affordable price on the singles market. Snatch her up when you can!

A well-done mini with a good paint job -- the colors are distinctive and don't blend into each other. I can tell where her shoes start and leggings begin, her blouse is off the shoulder and doesn't blend with the flesh there, her apron is distinct from her skirt. Her face is done well, with no bleeding on the lip color and the eyes in the right place.The only slight complaint I have is how she is holding the bottle -- the neck seems to disappear into her hand rather than gripping it. Still, a very nice piece.

I got one of these minis in my case and ordered a couple extra online. Nicely done. No complaints at all.

I picked up a handful of Rusty Dragon singles over the weekend including this piece and I have to say, after a few disappointing sets (muddy paint, blurry faces) every single piece in Rusty Dragon I've seen so far is a call back to the first few sets where the eye placement was spot on, the colors were rich and accurate... just a fantastic set from what I've seen so far.

I'm reviewing the bartender because she's clearly going to be a hard to find piece and cost a bit more. If the piece I got is any indication, this is one of those cases where you won't regret spending the extra few bucks to get the rare piece. Even better,the common and uncommon pieces I've seen in hand are nearly or just as good.