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A review of ‘The Fireplace’ resin kit.  

Finished model by James Copp.

Kit details…

Kit name…The Fireplace.

Height…45 mm approx.

Scale…28 mm.

Material…Cold Cast Resin, specifically SmoothCast 320.

Colour of resin…Cream/off white.

Number of parts…9.

Sculpter…James Copp, TLA username ‘thewhitetree’.

Sample kit provided by… James Copp

Price…N/A, TBA.

Parts list :- 1 x Fireplace section, 1 x Teapot, 1x Candle holder, 1 x Beer mug, 1 x Book with Quill on top, 1 x Cooking pot, 1 x Pipe box with pipe, 1 x Fire logs with fire, 1 x Dwarf shield.

Overview…

This kit started out in life as a base simply to display the Games Workshop Bilbo Baggins miniature from the Lord of the Rings range.  However so much interest was shown in the finished model when James uploaded the images of his finished model into his gallery on the TLA web site, that it has now taken over and gained a life all of its own.

The kit featured here in this review is one of seven product tester and review samples, supplied by James.  There were only seven kits produced in this form, I received one of the kits to review, Richard Heath, (Yith), and Stephen Spence, (Quendi), have also received a copy of the kit.  The other four remaining kits were distributed by the artist at his discretion.

Review…

Let me first start off by saying that this is a lovely little kit, the quality of the casting of the parts is very good, the definition of the parts are crisp, and there is little evidence of any mould lines on the parts.  The quality of this kit by James is much better in fact than a lot of resin kits I have seen and built over the years.  Resin kits unfortunately tend to vary greatly in the quality of casting, but this is one little gem of a kit.

However one word of caution here, and I cannot emphasise this clearly enough, this kit has some parts that are very small, and when I say small, I do mean small.  So unless you have some degree of skill in handling very small parts, you may struggle handling some of the parts that are included in this kit. 

Resin kits in general are not for the amateur modeller or the faint of heart, and this kit is no exception. However if you have the skill level required to attempt a kit such as this, you will find the model very rewarding indeed.  You may need a magnifying glass to paint some of the parts however, so please take note that you have been warned, if you wish to obtain one of the kits from James in the future.

With the review kit, James has provided a selection of parts intended for display on the mantle piece, more than you can in fact actually use.  You will have to choose which parts you wish to use on the mantle piece, it is a matter of personal preference which parts you want to use.

These parts include a Teapot, a Candle in Holder, a Beer mug, a pipe box with pipe, a book with quill, (heaven alone knows how he managed to sculpt such tiny parts, let alone paint them).

Two tiny copied portraits are provided on the instruction sheet, these portraits are included if you do not fancy trying to paint the pictures yourself.  James has also cleverly decided to include a Dwarf shield to fit over the picture frame, just in case you decide that you do not want to have a picture in the frame at all.

With the fireplace, you have the option to have a cooking pot or to have an open fire with logs and flames, another nice touch.

                              This picture show’s the parts in the box.            Close up of the  parts.

The instruction sheets…

Two instruction sheets were included with the review kit.  I will look at the main instruction sheet first.

The main instruction sheet is laid out in three sections, the first part has a brief overview of the kit and in the ‘Kit Contents’ is a parts guide.  Also included in this section are the two portraits for the picture frame.

The second section deals with the tools required for use with the kit and assembly instructions.  The instructions are in 9 steps which are easy to follow and are clearly written.

The third section deals with a painting guide for the model.  James has not used GW names for any of the colours used in the guide, something that I am quite happy with, as it will make the painting of this model somewhat easier for the hobbyist who does not use the GW paint range.

Instruction sheet.

The second instruction sheet show’s how to remove the ‘slotta rail’, and how to drill and pin the feet of the from the Bilbo Baggins miniature, and in my opinion another nice touch.

Instruction sheet.

Overall, the instruction sheets are well laid out, and James has put a lot of effort into producing the sheets. However, there are what I would term as some ‘Americanisms’ in the assembly guide though for some of the terms for tools and materials.  However, I am nitpicking somewhat here, and you should find it easy enough to work out what substitutes to use in the UK and Europe.  I understood exactly what James meant straight away, because of my previous experience with resin kits from the USA. 

The sample kits came in a nice presentation box and were individually numbered from 1 to 7, my kit for obvious reasons was number 3.  The parts fitted snugly in a foam insert, to keep then safe from breakage in transit.  The box on the review kit was overly large, and apparently this is one of the changes that James will make, when he is ready to produce more of these kits.

The Box.

Summary…

All in all this is a really nice little kit that is well thought out, well produced and cast, with well laid out and clear instruction sheets.  James has gone to lot of time and effort to produce this kit and it shows.  I know just how much work James has had to put into such a small model, a fact unfortunately that will be lost on a lot of modellers. 

There is no doubt in my mind that this kit will make a smashing display piece for any Lord of the Rings or Tolkien addict. 

I feel privileged to have been able to sample one of James’ creations first hand, and to have been asked to write the review for this kit.  My model will be proudly displayed in my own display cabinet, when I finish painting it that is!

I cannot recommend this kit highly enough, if you are into Tolkien, or are a serious LOTR modeller, then look at obtaining one of these kits from James.  One word of warning though, apparently they will only be produced in very limited quantities.

My version of the kit.

I hope that you enjoyed reading the review in this article.