Tabletop Review: Splintered Light Miniatures Elf Rangers

            We all have them: those miniatures that were so cool they got you to start a whole new scale. For me, it was Splintered Light’s Elf Rangers. They were the spitting image of Tolkien’s mysterious Dunedain warriors, and I knew I had to find some way to paint them and get them on the tabletop. I succeeded in the former, and, being quite pleased with the models, was delighted earlier this year when a second set of rangers was released, this time with melee weapons. I am slowly building up my 15mm forces for the day when I can send them into epic battle. In the meantime, my thoughts on these fine models:

Content 5/5 & 3.5/5

The archer pack comes with 3 sets of 4 unique sculpts, and the melee pack with 4 sets of 3 sculpts. All of the sculpts are quite different from each other, yet none of them seem jarringly out of place when based together, with the exception of the lone swordsman (swordelf?) in the melee pack. I would have liked either a fourth sculpt of another swordsman or a pack entirely composed of spearmen (preferably all with the little bucklers). For that, the melee pack loses a point-and-a-half, but is otherwise a very nice set of models. I am a fan of the subtle variations in kit among the archers: some have curved bows, others more organic looking ones; some have spiky cut tunics, others are straight, etc.

Quality 4/5

These sculpts are fantastic. The amount of detail crammed into the cloaks, the quivers, the face masks, etc. is amazing, and they paint up very easily and very nicely to boot. A picture is worth a 1000 words, and I hope my paint job has done justice to these models:

The detail of these models warrants a 5/5, so why the 4/5? There is a small but noticeable size difference between the archers and the melee rangers. The first time I saw it, it seemed like a huge difference to me, but after setting the models up to get some photographic evidence, it turns out the size difference isn’t as bad as I thought it was, and is barely noticeable in this photograph; the melee troops are just a bit bulkier:

Value 4/5

12 models with multiple detailed sculpts for $8 USD is a good price for 15mm fantasy, and 10% of it goes to fighting child trafficking in Atlanta (props to Dave!). Dave also let me buy the ranger personality on his own when I ordered the archers, and has offered to let me purchase 1.5 sized packs or packs with command figures mixed in (more props to Dave!). Mr. McBride is always a pleasure to do business with, so if you’re looking to expand your 15mm collection or have gotten bit by the 15mm bug, give Splintered Light a try.