[Lantz's Corner] MaxMini Review

Lantz here to welcome back to my little reviewer-neck-of-the-woods. This week I'm bringing back a webstore I reviewed earlier on this year, this time with some of their newer products. In my previous review I was quite pleased with the entire experience I had with MaxMini. Is their service still spot on? Is their product still up to par? Since the beginning of this year I have upgraded my camera and review format so we'll give MaxMini a much more defined review this time around and answer those questions. Find out all of the sexy details after the break.

Since my last review didn't include details on their webstore, let's take a look at that. The webstore itself is pretty damn clean cut. As someone with a hint of OCD in their blood I can truly appreciate a clean webspace. The categories to the top-left are direct and to-the-point on what you're looking for. The newer items below that, and new items of the month at the bottom center give you a good place to start as well:

(click to enlarge, you can also take a pill for that)

To the right we have the typical Login along with something I cannot thank MaxMini, and other webstores with the same feature, enough for: A currency converter. While it hovers above something I truly loathe (you Twits and your Twitter,) nothing makes me happier than a foreign country catering to my North American-bred laziness. There's also no surprises when using an outside currency converter that's inaccurate; we've all been there, and it's no fun.

The larger companies out there could definitely take a lesson from such a simple feature... *cough* ForgeWorld *cough*

When selecting a category for products the organization continues. Pricing, quantity, a picture, short description and title for each product is kept clean and tidy for easy browsing. I've mentioned this in numerous reviews before, but cleanliness of a webstore can directly impact sales in a big way:

It's no coincidence that the up-and-coming webstores like MaxMini have cleaner webstore interfaces than webstores that go without notice, which in this humble reviewers opinion is due to having a less organized layout and not necessarily a worse product.

All right, now that I'm done swooning over webstore organization, let's move onto shipping. Last time I ordered from MaxMini I noted they had one of the fastest shipping times of any webstore I'd purchased from. This time around was a bit different, but I'd like to note one simple fact before I continue; MaxMini was not at fault for the issues with shipping. You see, the US Postal Service is...well, it's just awful. Not just around where I live, but it sounds like everywhere. About two weeks after I ordered my items the package was held at the Postal Office. Not set on my doorstep, put in the mailbox or held at the front office for my flat. Now that's all fine and dandy, but you would think if this was done I would have been notified that my package was right down the street; ha, silly you and your assumptions.

My Nemesis.

For a month and a half Przemek over at MaxMini and I were scrambling with one another trying to find package information only to find it had ended up at the Postal Office and sent back overseas when I failed to pick it up in a timely manner. Bravo US Postal Service, bravo. I would like to note that Przemek was kind enough to send out a new package without even getting the original back and kept in constant contact with me until I got my purchase in-hand. This sort of customer service is truly appreciated in this day and age of money-hungry companies that cut down on their customer support in order to make their CEO's wallet more poofy.

So...two and a half months after ordering my package (Przemek grabbed the tracking # for me this time upfront,) it finally arrived. The box, which I found in the mailbox this time (funny how they didn't do this the first time around,) was pretty conventional for packing. Packing peanuts were aplenty, and packed tightly so there was little movement in there:

The items it contained were all in separate plastic baggies; Candles, Books, Skulls kit, the Bionic Bits set and the item I had been waiting months for since I first saw the forum sneak peek; Gothic Backpacks.

First we'll take a look at the Bionic Bits. I ordered some of these last time, but with the better camera I wanted to show these things off a bit more.

As you can see, the details on these items are still superb. Everything I said about these bits previously still holds true and that goes double for the intricate detail involved when these were sculpted.

Next up, the Candles and whatnot. This came with four different candles, two different skulls, two grails, two books and a scroll. As you can see below there's just as much thought and detail put into these items, but it's far more impressive with their ridiculously small size:

There's going to be a bit of cleanup needed on the bottoms of the candles at first glance. Other than that everything else is pretty clean and void of mold lines.

Finally, the item I was by far the most excited about; the Gothic Backpacks set. These items were one of the first that MaxMini has used CAD sculpting in, and I think there's a definite crisp difference between these and other items I've reviewed for them. I look forward to their future projects using this tool. I'll shut up now and let the pictures wow you:

Pros:

Great webstore layout
Customer service is delightful and responsive
Good shipping rates
Fine detailing

Unique product line

Cons:

Some clean-up work needed for excess flash

Conclusion:

Once again I'm very pleased to throw some money at MaxMini. They're continuing to excel in the miniatures business, and that isn't by luck. A combination of customer relations, online setup, shipping prioritization and a large yet captivating product line make for a great experience for those who shop with them (and you should!) Be prepared for a third review at some point in the future on this company.

~Lantz

(www.twin-linked-awesome.blogspot.com)
As always, if you're curious as to what conversions I do with the products I review, click the link above!