Ruairidh

This spiky fellow is a character for my Jungle Deep setting, whose name by the way is pronounced "Rory" (took me a while to figure that out, and boy is it easier to say....).

 

This is another Oathsworn figure.

I promised to do a quick review of the Oathsworn range, which I have only just discovered but greatly appreciate.  I thought it would be interesting to compare them with Dark Sword (DSM), who are my usual purveyors of anthropomorphics.  So here we go :

Sculpture :

Oathsworn are very good, just the right amount of detail.  They are quite chunky, but in a good way, and with anthropomorphs that is not an issue anyway.  I like their swords a lot : chunky enough to avoid "spaghetti-sword" syndrome, but well proportioned.  They also have a true flat edge, which happens to make NMM a lot easier.  So 8/10.

DSM is however a level above, with exquisite detail and perfect proportions.  I would not give utter praise to all of their figures - some of their felines, in particular, are a bit odd-looking - but they still deserve a 10/10.

Anthropomorphism :

Basically, do they feel like animals behaving as humans ?

Yes they do, definitely.  DSM has a slightly cartoony style, especially for certain figures; I suppose you could say they are more "cute".  Oathsworn has a more down-to-earth gritty style, in keeping with their Badgers & Burrows universe, they are therefore more "cool".  I happen to have a slight and very subjective preference for the latter, so would give DSM 9/10, and Oathsworn 10/10.

Catalogue :

Both companies have a very wide-ranging catalogue.  I haven't counted but I'm pretty sure DSM have more figures, but Oathsworn have enough, so 10/10 for both.

Exotism :

How many different types of animals are available ?  DSM has almost everything you can imagine (snail cartographer, anyone ?); Oathsworn concentrates on animals found in the UK, but does have some exotics, such as a really great platypus (I don't think there are any platypii in the UK....).  I would give DSM 9/10 on this, and Oathsworn 8/10.  Neither seem to have elephant-men : come on guys, you know you want to....

Size and compatability :

DSM figures are all roughly the same size (with a handful of exceptions), whereas Oathsworn correlate the size of the figures to the species (the Badgers & Burrows universe distinguishing between different "bulks" of creature).  Both choices are of course valid, but it does mean that I can't use some of the Oathsworn figures as I feel they look odd.  A pity as their Badger or their Bulldog looks great...The smaller Oathsworn figures (mice for example, which are around 20mm) are however easier to mix in.  This is all pretty subjective so I won't rate this comparison.

Material :

As far as I know, all DSM figures are in metal.  95% of Oathsworn are too, with the exception of the larger figures which are in resin.  Personally I like both metal and resin, and the capabilities of each are well exploited  (my chum has some large Oathsworn resin minis, so I've seen them) so 10/10 for both on this.

Customer Service :

I buy my DSMs from Magister Militum, customer service is perfect despite Brexit, so 9/10.  A plus, is that all of their figures are painted on their website, which is good for inspiration and also getting a feel for exactly what is represented in terms of small objects.  Oathsworn show a fair chunk of painted figures, customer service is as good as at Magister, and they do offer a little extra : the figures arrive with the mould lines already filed down, and the bug chunk of metal that you often find under the base, already lopped off.  As I absolutely hate preparing figures, this is a big plus for me, so Oathsworn get 10/10.

Value for Money :

Sure, DSM figures are expensive, but they are exquisite little things and well worth it, in my opinion.  I firmly believe that all the people who participate in carving out the little metal or resin guys that bring us so much joy, should be correctly compensated for doing so; a caveat however is that I take time on each figure, so I admit I don't need to buy bucket loads, and I also tend to purchase only what I am sure I will paint in the coming year, so I don't spend money on figures that then collect dust.

So despite their high price point, 10/10 for DSM.

Oathsworn however, get an 11/10.  How is that possible ?  Well, they don't price their figures high enough !  I would pay at least 50% more for them.

The Scores on the Doors :

At the end of this rapid review, both DSM and Oathsworn score 67/70 !

These are fantastic figure ranges, each with different good points, and different excellent points.

 

The hedgehog agrees with me !