Introduction:

Studio McVey is a company specialized in producing miniature resin figures. Formed in 2007 by Mike and Ali McVey, the company works with the very best concept artists and sculptors in the industry to create an incredibly imaginative range of resin miniatures for collectors and painters. Each resin miniature is limited to 750 high-quality castings.

After publishing several Studio McVey reviews on Historicus Forma (link) I’m happy to have received a newest limited edition mini from the company, the first in their range to include a vehicle and in my opinion one of the most impressive Studio McVey releases so far: OF-1 Nikiita Perostek (SMM-30).

OF-1 Nikiita Perostek:

The kit arrived safely packed in a hard cardboard box, with the zip-lock bag containing resin parts additionally protected inside a bubble wrap. As with all Limited Edition miniatures from Studio McVey range, Nikiita also comes with a signed certificate indicating the casting number of this particular piece.

OF-1 Nikiita Perostek is the 30th model in Studio McVey’s Limited Edition resin miniature range. Roberto Cirillo initiated the creative process by designing the original concept for this figure, while the talented hands of Jacques-Alexandre Gillois transformed the conceptual idea to a wonderful sculpture. Nikiita is envisioned as a part of Studio McVey's Sedition Wars universe: she is one of the Vanguard's youngest and finest speeder pilots, but found herself in a tight spot running from Firebrand insurgents. The young ace is using all the skill and evasive tactics she learned in the academy to shake the pursuers off.
Nikiita is a multi-piece resin miniature and comes supplied with a 50mm round plastic base, scenic resin base insert and a clear flying stand. The whole miniature stands 70mm tall from the bottom of the base to the top of the head.

Sculpting:

The sculptor did an amazing job on this miniature. Nikiita is depicted on her vehicle in a well balanced action pose: she is leaning on her speeder bike, holding the handlebar and turning to fire a submachine pistol at her pursuers. Her outfit includes a tight flight suit with reinforced shoulder, elbow and spinal areas. Her flight gloves feature armored finger and wrist protectors, while the high boots have reinforced toe and heel guards. On her head, Nikiita wears a crash helmet with a strobe light and protective goggles. Her hair, tied in two ponytails, is flowing in the wind conveying the sense of movement perfectly.

Nikiita’s speeder bike is a really cool futuristic concept. The elongated wasp-waist fuselage features central air inlet and stabilizer canards in front of the main wings. The main wings are engineered for high-speed flight: these are rather short, mid-mounted and slightly canted downward. They also feature downward cranked tips and twin cannons. The central part of the fuselage is the cockpit with a small instrument panel/flight display, pilot seat, pedals and handlebars. A windshield is installed to protect the pilot from wind and flying debris. Most of the rear fuselage is taken up by the powerful anti-grav repulsor engine. It includes side vector-thrust exhaust nozzles which give the speeder some extra maneuverability. A vertical stabilizer with rudder is fixed below the propulsion system.
I really like the idea behind the speeder bike; all the vehicle features give an impression of a fast and highly mobile rocketship designed for running reconnaissance missions.

The resin base insert is a very welcomed addition to the kit; depicting a rugged wasteland terrain it completes the scene nicely.

Casting:

Each resin miniature from Studio McVey range is strictly limited to 750 copies thus ensuring the highest resin casting standard. Indeed, as with all Studio McVey figures I reviewed so far, the casting of this miniature is absolutely astonishing. Other than some tiny flash residue casting leftovers, I did not find any defects in the resin whatsoever. The level of details on resin parts is amazing for such a small size model; the speeder bike features are extremely sharp, with well defined panel lines and hollowed out cannon barrels. I particularly like the engine system… the turbine blades, exhaust nozzle and all the wiring is beautifully rendered and should look great painted. All the intricate details on the pilot and her outfit are magnificently transferred to resin as well.

Assembly:

With 20 pieces and no instructions in the kit, the assembly could seem a bit intimidating to novice modelers. The speeder bike consists of 13 parts, most of which are easy to identify using the pictures on Studio McVey website. The general fit of the parts is really good: many of them have pin locators which help in positioning the pieces correctly. I did some fine-tuning to optimally adjust the anhedral angle of speeder main wings and decided to use additional solid pins to firmly fix the wings to the fuselage. I had to use some putty during the process. The pilot consists of 5 parts; those pieces also feature pin locators so assembling the figure should not be a problem. The figure fits well to the speeder cockpit although it has multiple contact points… the feet should be positioned on the pedals, the butt on the speeder seat, and the right hand is holding the handlebar.

The speeder can be fixed to the resin base by using clear flying stand provided in the kit.

Painting:

This kit will definitely shine if you let your imagination guide the brush. Choosing a cool speeder bike paint scheme, simulating wear and tear on the vehicle, adding military markings or reproducing engine glow… I really can’t wait to start painting this one!

Conclusion:

I think the first thing most people see in this kit is a “fast and furious” speeder bike. With a sleek fuselage line and the powerful engine it conveys the image of a highly mobile scouting vessel perfectly. A young pilot in dire straits compliments the speeder nicely and tells the story of a recon mission gone wrong.

With an amazingly cool concept and perfect cast, Nikiita Perosek is another winner for Studio McVey. Well done!