Introduction:

Black Army Models is a small company from Hungary with an out-of-the-box business strategy, releasing figures of civilians, insurgents and guerilla fighters, as well as characters based on movies and TV series. One of the latest 1/35 scale figure releases from the company depicts a motorcycle rider, probably inspired by one of the leading characters from “Sons of Anarchy”.

Review:

The figure is packed in a hard cardboard box, with the pieces safely secured in a zip-lock bag. The front of the box features Black Army Models logo and a box art image, crediting Gabor Szabo as both the sculptor and box art painter.

The kit consists of 4 pieces:

- full torso with legs and arms,
- right hand with weapon,
- left hand,
- head.

The pieces are cast in grey resin. Closer inspection did not reveal any imperfections in the resin, just some thin flash on the lower legs, easily cleaned using the back of a sharp x-acto blade. I noticed the cigarette held in the left hand broke during transport, but that shouldn’t be a problem to fix using stretched sprue or some wire. Both hands fit the arms well and the figure is very easy to assemble. I did have to do some putty work to fill the gap between the weapon stock and the right arm.

The figure depicts a motorcycle rider which could be used in a variety of different scenarios… a gang member, post-apocalyptic survivor, etc. The anatomy of the figure looks good with a natural and well balanced pose. The figure wears a leather vest over a hoodie, baggy jeans and boots. The leather vest is a primary visual identification of a motorcycle club member, usually adorned with large club-specific patches located in the middle of the back. The patches contain a club logo and name, and are referred to as the colors, with only members allowed to wear the club’s colors. The experts could choose to paint the patches on this figure, while the rest would probably prefer making custom decals instead. The facial features are nicely rendered, with a short beard and greasy hair adding to the character.

The figure is armed with Uzi submachine gun, a weapon offering a combination of firepower and compact dimensions. The sculptor followed the basic rule of safe weapon handling, positioning the figure’s finger off the trigger.

Conclusion:

The Rider is one of the latest 1/35 scale figure offerings from Black Army Models and, in my opinion, one of the most remarkable figures the company released so far. Yes, the sculpt is very impressive, resin pieces are well cast and the fit is perfect, making the figure very easy to assemble. However, the best thing about this figure for me is the subject… far from mainstream, but with tons of that cool factor we all love in a miniature. Together with a 1/35 scale motorcycle, this figure would make an amazing vignette.