Reviews of Armies in Minature (A.I.M.) Figures

AIM figures are 10mm, and include ranges of Republican Romans and Carthaginians, Imperial Romans and Barbarians, and Samurai. AIM figures are sold in packs of 24 foot or 12 mounted at $4.95 (USD) per pack. They are available through Tom Dye's Games Figures Inc. and are sold through the MinifigsUSA storefront.

Chris Brantley on AIM Samurai

The newest AIM release (March 2004) are 10mm Samurai, identified as the Sengoku-jidai! ("The Age of the Country at War!") range. Figures are sculpted by Chris Bennett. Foot figures feature cast-on sashimonos. Mounted figures have a slot where separately cast sashimonos can be inserted. The Phase One release is complete and includes Ashigaru foot (with teppo, bow, long yari or various weapons), Samurai foot (with bow, no-dachi, yari or long-yari), Warrior Monks/Sohei (with bow, yari or various weapons), mounted Samurai, foot command for Ashigaru and Samurai, mounted officers including a special daimyo pack, and accessories (man-portable pavises and Nagashino wooden field palisades). Phase Two, due out in late summer of 2004, will include personality packs for the major clans, including clan leaders such as Takada Shingen, along with personal bodyguards and messengers. Also forthcoming are waterslide decals for clan sashimonos and rules for mass battles.

Sample pictures include Sohei, Samurai with bow and yari, Samurai with no-dachi, and Samurai with long yari.

The range is very extensive and very well sculpted. Fanaticus received a score of assorted sample figures for review. I can report that they are true 10mm (from top of base to eye-level). The detail is superb at this scale, and the figures are very cleanly cast with very little flash and no mould lines. The hardest figures to clean-up are the mounted figures, which are cast separately from the horses and come attached at the feet to a solid divot of lead that will have to be cut off. Since I mentioned the horses, let me just say that they are perfectly proportioned and very nicely detailed; better looking steeds than you'll see in many 15mm ranges. The posing on the sample foot figures is also worthy of comment. Bennett has succeeded in scupting these figures with animated but very realistic poses that really bring them to life. With the variety of figures and poses available, this should make for very active looking armies.

What didn't I like? The cast-on sashimonos were pretty sturdy, but the long, slender weapons and others banners are so thin that they are easily bent. Most of the no-dachis and yaris in the sample pack required straightening after shipping. The metal gives instead of snapping, which is good, but I can foresee that this army will require careful handling. On the plus side, the weapons are well-proportioned; the yaris don't look like tree trunks as often occurs in the smaller scales. (Tom Dye responds: "On the longer items like yari and banners, our dilemma was do we thicken them up and get complaints for them being telephone poles, or do we do them as close to scale as possible and let folks drill out and use piano wire? We opted for the later as those that want to use wire will do so anyway.")

These 10mm figures will also be demanding to paint, since they have as much or more detail than you will find on 15mm figures (for example, you can discern individual arrows bound together in a sheath on the back of the Samurai archer). For the patient painter, that detail is a real bonus. For shlubs like me, it is frankly intimidating. Thank goodness for professional painters.

In sum, AIM's 10mm Samurai are highly recommended, and I look forward to seeing more of Chris Bennett's work.

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Last Updated: April 9, 2004

Comments, suggested additions, and/or critiques welcome.
Direct them to Chris Brantley at IamFanaticus@gmail.com.