Unboxing - Ixion Hale

Another unboxing for you guys - Ixion Hale!

Lovely black character series box! It really does add to the boutique feel of some FW kits!

Blister pack style inset?

Checked by cards - seems this one was boxed a little while back now!

The packaging is very tidy - good protection with blister foam

The picture gallery above shows the key parts in nice detail - we discuss this more in our YouTube un-boxing video (link below!) but the details are slightly softened. The detail is all there, nothing is lost, but as compared with several other FW character series kits (Eidolon & the Terminator librarian as examples in my own bunker) the kit seems slightly softer. It may be that this is due to the numbers cast, simply a one off bad cast (although the details are still stunning) or perhaps this is how it is meant to be. Several videos on line (Here and here) seem to show slightly better quality - pot luck some times!

Here the details can be compared - are my standards too high?

Brother Handro and I discuss the options for this character in the video - essentially it's a build your own as a Legio Custodes Shield Captain.

In Inferno this chap is a very flexible character with a range of equipment and weapons. I'm imaging a build including a paragon spear to represent the halberd will do nicely. There are some conversions replacing the helmet holding arm with a plastic Custodes shield (like that by Marcel Kinrade found here) - this would allow the WAAC tactic inclusion of a Praesidium shield for extra -1 to hit & re-roll failed invulnerable saves. 2+/4++(re-roll) and -1 to hit is strong, but not what I'd run all the time - Magnets? Watch this space.

Overall, I like this kit. The finish is a slight disappointment, but if you haven't got him already (Brother Handro: "and like this sort of thing!") then buy him now!

Der H

Thought for the day:"Do not question the Will of the Emperor!"

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Unboxing - Legion Sicaran Punisher

The second of our un-boxing articles is the mighty Sicaran Punisher - this time added to the mighty Word Bearers for Brother Handro (Der H: "Add it to the wall of shame!").

We've done a YouTube video on this one - check it out over on our channel The Hobby Butterflies and check out our other videos as they arrive!

Ooooh, a nondescript box!

The new white boxes from Forge World are quite nice - makes things feel more cared for than the bags of loot!

The hull for the Sicaran hasn't changed (as expected!) and is still very crisp considering the age of the model. The attachments for the track/sides is still unfortunate in that this rear panel is often warped and needs some TLC after de-spruing!

The parts for the new turret are really nice - crisp detail (the mould is BRAND new so should hope so!) and a relatively straight barrel. The detailing on the ammo feed is particularly sharp.

Overall a very nice kit - check out Brother Handro's progress in a future blog post!

Der H

Thought for the day: "Heresy grows from idleness"

Unboxing - Bolt Action US Army infantry (Winter)

A two part review today guys!

First off we have the Bolt Action US Winter infantry.

A slightly old kit than the others reviewed so far - 2015 it seems! A nice box of miniatures indeed!

I have these guys to mix in with my plastic airborne to make an early Battle of the Bulge force with poor supply of winter gear.

Rather than bombard you with photographs, check out our video!

The second part I did not film, this is the Winter army HQ set.

This set comes with an HQ, a medic/stretcher beared, a radio man and trooper carrying said radio, and an additional trooper.

Carrying a stretcher!

These are nice casts with a good amount of detail. The single separate head will be helpful - I hope to use a plastic head on him, and use the metal head elsewhere to add to the feeling that this platoon has grabbed what little gear they can before marching into Bastogne.

Hopefully you'll enjoy the video - we have a different style lined up for a few more unboxings this week!

Der H

Unboxing - Custodes Aquilon Terminators with Infernus Firepikes

Today I'm going to jump on the un-boxing band wagon and show you the parts for the new Custodes Aquilon Terminators with Infernus Firepikes

As with many Forge World products, these beauties come in a free box! Huzzah!

This is the first Forge World kit I've bought with instructions and a leaflet explaining the models.

There is a brief guide to working with resin and a label for the parts and how they go together! 

Lets look at the parts eh! 

My first thought was  "wow, these guys are big!"  Brother Handro and I regularly complain that the models look so small at Warhammer World, but these actually feel bulky. The pads are several leagues larger than Terminator pads!

This picture, odd as it is, shows the hoods. I've included it for a) completeness b) a demonstration of the quality of the kit and the reliability of casting. The eagle claws! Look at how perfect they are!

The pikes themselves are beautiful! 

It wouldn't be a Forge World kit if the claws/blades weren't bent! This has already been fixed under a hot tap - if this is all I can complain about then....we'll, then I guess it's quite good....(Der H:   "I've never been one for words...") 

Torso parts, leg guards and daggers - the story behind the dagger means every Custodes must have one! 

Three helmets and one bare head - descisions desicisons....probably all helmets! These chaps will be Ixion Hale's bodyguard and so they need to be faceless!

Look! They can be painted! The proof is here! 

So in summary I am very pleased with this kit! It is crisp, well checked and well boxed. I suppose my only criticism will be revealed in the summary of my discussion with Will Hayes - stay tuned for that later this week!

Der H 

Review - Bolt Action - Battle of the Bulge Campaign book

Everyone else seems to review stuff so I guess I'll jump in too!

As war-gamers we (many of us!) surround ourselves with books related to our little plastic/metal/resin men. Forge world books are my main vice - they do look pretty when all lined up!

Over the weeks and months of this blog I want to take a look at various campaign/rule books, from new releases from FW right through to ancient tomes like the Angels of Death Codex - more on that another time.

Today I wanted to take a look through the 2017 Campaign book: Battle of the Bulge for Warlord Games' Bolt Action rule set. 

The cover, as with several of the books released by Warlord/Osprey, has a mat finish with gloss characters. As expected it comes across as finished, designed and gives the impression of a really professional product! 

The inside is FULL of fantastic pictures of Bolt Action miniatures in nicely finished terrain. The sand bags, the trees, the snow; it all makes me want to make some Bolt Action Battle of the Bulge terrain (cough!).

Those who own previous Bolt Action publications will be used to the other style of image found scattered throughout; the Osprey drawings. These give a great sense of the conflict they describe and are a nice contrast to the miniatures for BA. 

Of course the real reason we buy these books is for the rules, scenarios and the new unit entries!  The Battle of the Bulge gives each of these in good measure.

The narrative and their associated scenarios give a good overview of the historical details of the conflict including the initial setup right through to what would be one of the largest, and possibly most gruelling, battles for the US forces. There are 12 scenarios, from the early stages including the fleeing German forces are nicely covered with rules for ambush missions and art-stealing trucks, right through to the Colmar pocket. The French/Belgian forces take a significant role in this book and to me, as someone who mainly wanted this for the 101st Airborne side of the conflict, was a nice surprise.

The Bastogne section is one of the sections which will get the most love I imagine. The Band of Brothers episodes which cover this stage of the conflict are some of the most popular and the emotional interviews with those that served there still resonate with us. 

The description of the conflict around Bastogne covers the 'feeling' of the conflict well, and the scenarios around this stage of the battle are thematic and flavoursome.

Foy; this assault is a famous scene and stars one of my favourite characters in the history of the 101st - Spiers. The stories that surround this man are open to discussion, but they help convey some of the legendary moments of this particular theatre. The story of Spiers taking over Easy and leading them on having been stalled in the open is one thing, but running through German occupied Foy and then running back must have been genuinely unbelievable to those that saw it. It would be easy to make his rules cheesy or to have them unbalance the game, but the guys at Warlord have made an interesting character. He counts as a Captain to represent the remarkable leadership he was known to show, and he conveys two special rules. One allows a nearby unit to remove a pin marker when activated, very useful to keep units in the fight, the other allows a 4+ save when Spiers is removed as a casualty - if he passes he doesn't die but continues the fight!! 

Foy isn't just about Spiers; it has a host of other special rules attached which I will review at the end. 

Spiers is also not the only special character. The Germans have several, including SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Joachim Peiper who is of course represented by the direct order model which comes with the book if purchased from Warlord directly. He has some nice, subtle rules and also has access to a Panther...(Der H: Handro! build your Panthers!). Others included are Sgt Jose Lopez and Sgt McNiece.

There are also a number of rules for extra HQ choices which took my fancy - one is the chaplain. I'd associated the chaplains with actions in Northern Europe - again the visuals from BoB of the priest performing the last rights on the wounded in Carentan stick in my head! They aren't really for combat but will allow a similar pin removal mechanic to Spiers - a nice touch in this game. 

The other I immediately liked was the intelligence officer - an HQ unit upgrade (attached to an HQ unit) which allows, on a successful role, the choice of a dice from the bag at the start. This could be open to some cheesy lists if coupled with Spiers and a chaplain but then again, going first isn't necessarily better, and once you go it's then one less dice in the bag - good mechanic Warlord! 

Other units to catch my eye were the Feldgendarmerie, US military Police, non-combatants and the Ersatz units. The latter have some nice articles on Warlord here and here.

Extra/Special Rules! 

This book, as with many of the theatre books, has a special rules section in addition to the rules scattered throughout. These include;

- Rifle Grenades - a nice little addition to add some nice cinematic moments to your games, especially for infantry heavy lists.

- Snow - rough ground

- Mud - this includes a mud table with effects for vehicles and artillery - don't get buried deep!

- Frostbite - pre-game casualties (brutal) and a further modifier with cold weather clothing.

- Poor weather and Fog

- Foxholes/Dug in - a nice set of rules to cover the cinematic effect of units being dug into the tree line

Summary:

This is a great book. Mark, Alessio and Paul should all be very proud. If this stage of the war interests you - BUY IT!

Der H

Though for the day: "Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish The justice among men and nations. Amen" - Father J O'Neill