Warriors of Chaos Leaks

I'm not much of a follower of Warhammer Fantasy, other than the fact I own an army of Orcs & Goblins, that are mostly unbuilt, and untested, and another army that can switch hit on occasion, but i like the minis. Having said that, there are a few upcoming minis that tickle my fancy.

Namely the Valkia model, and whatever that Nurgle guy is. He's probably a champion or sorcerer, but I think he'd make a stand-out Herald for my daemon army (Now if only Heralds of Nurgle were any good)

Here are the newest leaks of the upcoming WOC in the White Dwarf from Nafka via Kurl Veranek on Warseer

~Muninn

A review of Reaper's Bones miniatures

As a regular customer of Reaper Miniatures I've been keeping my eye on the development of their newest bid at breaking away from the high price of tin: Bones. A series of classic/popular miniatures cast in white plastic.  An interesting idea, but they hadn't produced anything in plastic that I'd want to buy, so I wasn't going to go out of my way to get it.

Then their Kickstarter happened. To make a long story short, if you gave them $100, they'd send you 221 plastic minis, and good sculpts to boot. That's about .45¢ a mini. It isn't a bad deal, it's an insane deal. When I think about how good a deal it is that crazy robot from Futurama blows up in my mind. Unfortunately I didn't buy into it for a few reasons (biggest being that my wife & I are expecting twins, and $100 literally buys a crapload of diapers).

Now if you are kicking yourself for not knowing about the kickstarter you can still buy into the deal for an increased price-tag of $150 (about .68¢ a mini).

I popped into one of my friendly local game stores yesterday and saw they happened to have a few Bones minis in stock, so I figured I'd see if they lived up to the hype, and take you through the pros & cons point by point. Here's the mini I bought, & painted up Thursday.

and my finished product:

Cost:
The first thing you notice, aside from the fact looks like it's carved from prison soap, is the price. I paid $2.00 for it. In pewter this mini costs $6.50. Crazy kickstarter deal notwithstanding, that's still a fine price. I'm a firm believer in "You get what you pay for" though, so I've been unreasonably wary up to this point.

Build:
The mini comes entirely glued & built. I'm fine with this since all the mold lines were easily accessed, but it could get tricky if they have any that make it difficult to clean.

Once I got into the painting I also found that whoever assembled it got a little fast and loose with the glue. A bunch appeared to have run down & pooled a bit along the mini's side. It was mostly hidden behind the mini's beard though, so it was easy to cover up.

Quality:
Looking at the mini itself it looks decent, but definitely not crisp like you'd expect to see from metal or resin. This didn't really surprise me, but it's still notable. A good paintjob can redeem a cruddy miniature anyhow, so I wasn't too worried.

Probably the most notable thing about the quality itself is the plastic. Once I got it home and opened it up I found that it was soft. Like, bendably soft. It was no problem to bend the hammer and have it spring back into place.

If I were to rank mini plastics from hardest to softest I'd say the hardest/most brittle is Privateer Press, then Games Workshop, then Bones, then plastic D&D minis. Although Bones might even be comparably soft to the D&D minis. I tried not to manhandle it too much.

This softness also made it far harder to clean the mold lines. Don't bother using files, just a fresh X-acto.

I'm curious about some of the other molds & weapons on their other minis. How bendy will thin blades, staves, or bows be? How easy will it be to readjust misshaped bits? (I imagine the hot water trick will work, but who knows?)

Modeling/Converting:
I didn't do any modifications to the dwarf I picked up, but I have a few thoughts on this subject.

First, make sure the bits are attached to something sturdy. Like I said, the plastic is soft, so a stable base is going to be idea. Second, I wouldn't do any weapon or hand swaps without pinning. On that note, I'm not so sure how easy it will be to drill the plastic. We'll have to see.

Paintability:
Reasonably paintable. I didn't put in too much effort and got a good quality looking mini out of it.

According to the Reaper website: "[The Bones miniatures] take paint without priming. Our Master Series Paints cover these models perfectly right out of the bottle, and the paint sticks -- standing up to most sorts of tabletop abuse your friday night group would be able to dish out."

I'm gonna call BS on that.

I figured I'd give it a shot, just to see how well it worked. The paint spread fine, and stuck reasonably well, but after drying the paint rubbed off with even gentle handling (the only caveat is that I use citadel paints, not their Master Series, which I don't care for). I'm definitely going to have to seal this guy before I let anyone touch him.

Summary:
For a 70% drop in prices you get a pre-built white plastic mini. The details that aren't as sharp as metal, the plastic is soft, and while you don't technically have to prime it, you really should. The range is slim now, but if the Kickstarter is any indication they've got support, and a bunch of new minis coming out in the next year.

I can see myself buying one of these again.

~Muninn

If Sci-Fi shows were Chapters

The worlds of Warhammer & Warhammer 40k are rife with puns, homages, and word play.  Some of these are pop culture references like Sly Marbo (anagram of Rambo) or Kruellagh the Vile (Cruella De Vil).

Warhammer 40k also seems to draw from a handful of science fiction sources for inspiration (Tyranids & Alien, Kroot & Predator), and I decided to do the same. I, like many other 40k players, am a big fan of the sci-fi genre, so I thought I'd turn to popular television shows for inspiration for a new crop of Space Marine Chapters.

Blue Palms
Sci-fi show: "Firefly's" shadowy villains, the Hands of Blue
Colors: Black, white, and light blue
Concept: The Chapter's home world of Muir orbits a blue star with abnormal properties. Some attribute the sun's peculiar radiation as the cause the abnormally high levels of psychic manifestation in the populace. The Blue Palms regularly cull the weaker psykers (or donate them to the Black Ships when available) and recruit the strongest, leading a much higher than average number of librarians.

Time Lords
Sci-fi show: The Doctor's race from "Doctor Who"
Colors:  Dark red & gold
Concept: at one time this chapter was one of the strongest forces within the Segmentum Pacificus. They were known for an ardent adherence to Imperial code and ceremony, occasionally to the point of infighting over particular minutiae of laws. Today they are all but forgotten with only a single  apothecary known to be in operation.

Sacred Scrolls
Sci-fi show: a set of religious texts from "Battlestar Gallactica"
Colors: White & black
Concept: These marines hold a curious set of beliefs in regards to their forebears. They consider the Primarchs and Emperor as a pantheon of Gods, including those fallen to Chaos. This worship would be considered heretical to the Imperial Cult, so they will go to unreasonable lengths to avoid working alongside those who would take issue with their faith.

Obsidian Order
Sci-fi show: The Cardassian intelligence agency from "Star Trek DS9"
Colors: Royal purple & sage green
Concept: a number of outside observers have noted that this chapter appears to have filled the niche left by the Night Lords. They are brutally efficient in their intelligence gathering efforts, as well as their wartime endeavors.

Peacekeepers
Sci-fi show: a ruthless military organization from "Farscape"
Colors: Black & red
Concept: The Peacekeepers were established in the Ultima Segmentum a century prior to the dispersal of te warp storm that revealed the modern Tau to the galaxy. Since the appearance, they have taken it upon themselves to "deter" imperial worlds from joining the burgeoning xenos empire, and making examples of any who do.

Painting contest: Dark Apostle

I had a tough time picking what to put together for this competition. As it turned out with Dark Vengeance, the Gnarloc, and a table full of Daemons & Space Wolves makes for a ton of choices.

That being said I figured I'd keep it simple this time. I've  been excited by the mace wielding Chosen since I first saw him, so I figured he'd make a great showcase piece.

I took it kinda easy: no scenic base, no drastic freehand, just a clean, quality mini with a good scheme. College students weren't really back into town & my buddy Yorrik is sitting this one out to be a judge (since he'd placed in three other painting competitions), so I figured there'd be minimal competition.

As it turns out, I was wrong.

One of the store regulars submitted a stellar looking Ork Bomba, complete with scenic base and a freehand gretchin pinup girl painted on the side (it is all at once impressive and disturbing). He placed some questionable looking aquarium plants on the base, but I know when I'm beat. Odds are good that I'll come in 2nd, and walk away with a lesson about underestimating my fellow gamers. I'll probably post shots of all of the competition's models keep you informed about what happens.

~Muninn

More Chaos pics

Here are some more shots from the upcoming White Dwarf. A lot of good looking stuff here (grabbed from Faeit 212)

Now that I get to see a profile of the Hell Drake's head I like it a great deal more. I also like how the various wing segments appear to come from an eight-pointed star. The swept-wing look also makes it appear to be slowing down to attack.

The new champion appears to have been made right alongside the DV Chosen. I'm really hoping that it's a plastic clamshell pack instead of finecast too, it seems likely since it looks like it's on a pre-modeled base. The horns seem a little big, although I like that they're reminiscent of a Bloodletter's horns.

As I'd hoped it looks like the Warp Talons & Raptors come from a single plastic kit. You can see the similar bodies & jump packs when you compare the two. Side by side you can see that the legs are exactly the same, although there differences in the feet. The Raptor feet appear to have crampons of some sort, while the Warp Talons have talons (go fig). I'll be interested to see how they are applied, maybe separate foot bits?

I'm neither excited nor disappointed by the new Sorcereror or Dark Apostle. Compared to the awesome things they did with the Dark Vengeance box I was hoping they'd step up the look of the Sorcerer. I suppose an alternate head or two could boost it in my opinion, but it still lacks zazz. I'd probably like the apostle better without the enormous Chaos halo, and the overuse of "purity" seals.

What can be said about the Mutilators that hasn't already been said about Kuato from Total Recall?  I can see where they were going, but I think their GPS sent them into an ugly, arse-faced ditch.

That being said. I'm still not discounting any of these guys until I see them in person. Now I'm mostly looking forward to seeing what they rules look like.

~Muninn

Dark Vengeance: Tactical Squad

I finally finished the DV tac squad today. Turns out my "quick" scheme isn't as fast as i'd hoped, but I'm getting them done, and that's what's important.

I'm not really happy with the sergeant's face, so I'll probably go back over that, but overall I'm pretty happy with them, & I hope they sell well once the time comes.

~Muninn

Chaos leaks are Here!

Naftka over at Faeit 212 has released the first images of the new Chaos Space Marine goodies, and Ican't help but share them too

First, the Helldrake. It is, for lack of a better word, Bitchin'. My first impression wasn't one unmitigated of awe, since this shot doesn't do a very good job of showcasing the head details, and the backside appears a touch unfinished from the angle it was show at. Other than that, it looks like it'll be hell on wings.

The Maulerfiend & Forgefiend are neat and appear to draw heavily from the Juggernaut aesthetic. I think I favor the Forgefiend at the moment, just because I like the head a bit better. Things could change once I see them in a different light though.

Good lord, please let these Warp Talons be plastics. There are so many details & slender blades I don't think I'd want to even attempt to tackle them in finecast. I'm pretty sure they are, and I'm pretty sure they'd look amazing on the battlefield. The little flavor description makes it sound like they pop into & out of the warp as a way of stalking & ambushing victims, so I'll be curious how their rules work. Maybe always count as night fighting, Warp Spider-style teleportation, or special deep strike rules?

To me this guy looks like a haunted Techmarine. Again, the picture doesn't leave me overwhelmed since from the angle it's really cluttered lookin. You know when you're watching the Transformers movie, and there are two robots rolling around fighting, but you can't really tell what part belongs to what robot? That's how I feel about this guy.

 Maybe they should have painted him as something other than an Iron Warrior to break up the silver.