Exhuming Smart Max!

The regulars in the readership know what a committed fan I was of Smart Max's product line, es- pecially their SMOG 1888 series. Superb design and sculpture; VG+ to Excellent casting; and above all, creativity and imagination to . . . well. . . the Max! Regrettably, the line is no more. I don’t know the particulars behind its untimely demise. Its denouement was not unlike that of Knight Models, in that the wargaming foundation eventually overtook the miniature edifice, and 
we were left wondering what might have been. . .

My disposable time has been at a premium of late, so relatively little time has been spent at either bench. What I have been doing is reviewing my miniatures’ “bucket list”, and checking on the availability of core figures for future projects. I came across my project list for Smart Max, and two entries immediately caught my eye: Kaïn Finger (LXX) and Mister Honk (XXXIII).

In 2011-12, I kit-bashed two kits of Mister Honk to create a Great White Ape of Barsoom. This has been one of my all-time favourite creations, and I truly wish I had it in my collection. This past weekend I was browsing through eBay when I stumbled across two kits of Mister Honk at very affordable prices; the same seller had one kit of Kaïn Finger. It was time to revisit the past—literally and figuratively. . .

The Mister Honk kits will eventually – hopefully – be my second Great White Ape of Barsoom, and pave the way for the Barsoomian denizens in my ‘great grey army’. Kaïn Finger has been on my project list for nearly a decade, and I am just glad to have the opportunity to bring this crea- ture of the night to the light of day. . .

More to follow. . .

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003