Mantic Newsletter - Basileans

Let's hope my girlfriend and her obsession with any model that has pretty wings on it doesn't result in me having to buy her some of those Elohi...

...too late.....

Grab your sword, the Basileans are nearly here! There is now less than 1 week to go until the Basileans are released!   Yep, this is our biggest army launch yet and unlike previous army releases, it’s all coming in one go - this means you can pick everything up at once, rather than having to wait until the following month to get everything you want for your army! To make things extra easy, we’ve put together two incredible value for money army deals that contain a mix of heroes, cavalry and infantry from across the range. Not only that but pre-order one of these deals before the 31st August and get a free copy of the Basilean Legacy with your Army! The Holier Than Thou Army Deal contains 155 miniatures and is a 1650 point army, saving you a huge chunk of change over purchasing the sets individually. The Army of the Archangel contains 79 models and totals 1500 points. Building a Basilean Army Army Sets are a traditional feature of all Mantic Armies and the Basileans are no different. The Basilean Army Set is a great value box that contains a little bit of everything, including 5 Basilean Paladin Knights with command, 10 Paladins on foot with command, 10 Sisterhood with command, 20 Men-at-Arms with spears and hand weapon options, and 3 mighty Elohi! Couple that with the 32 page Kings of War Core Rules Booklet and you’ve got yourself a great starting point for your army or the perfect addition to an existing collection. Basileans are fully compatible with all major Fantasy and Historical gaming systems. From there you can expand your Army Set with some ranged support like theCrossbowmen, or some fast attack choices like the Basilean Panther Lancers and thePanther Chariot. All of the miniatures in the Army Set are also available as separate kits, so you can get whole regiments of Paladin Knights for example, or a Men-at-Arms Horde. Then there are also four incredible hero sculpts to choose from: Grand Master Sallustis on Nakir, Ur-Elohi Jullius, Ur-Elohi Samacris and High Priest Berosos! Of course, if you’re going to be using your Basileans in Kings of War then you’ll be needing The Basilean Legacy Kings of War supplement, which contains all the rules, stats and background you need for your army. More than just that though, it’s packed full of all kinds of extras including a total of three army lists – yep, the Forces of Nature and the Forces of the Abyss are in there too – an expanded Magic Artefacts section worked on by members of our forum and new Magic spells. The Basilean Legacy is a beautiful book packed full of art and new photography meaning if you play Kings of War this is a must-have purchase. The Basileans and The Basilean Legacy Kings of War supplement begin shipping on the 26th August and will be available from all good hobby retailers. Pre-order them now on the Mantic Webstore!

Steampunk Joker and Harley Quinn?!?!?

I should probably create a new label called 'things I'd like to do but probably will never get around to...' or 'I need as bloody break from this crew a week thing...'

So lets get this out of the way right at the beginning so as to save any-one feeling the need to point it out...what I wish to do has been done already...several times...by people who are probably better painters than me as well...but I'm going to do it anyway...

Seamus, the Mad Hatter is either The Joker or Jack the Ripper or something in the middle and has been painted as these concepts by many people with The Joker being the one that is most popular. Now the reasons are understandable though depending on the writer Seamus is either a comic relief, barely competent Adam West era Joker or in the better (imo) stories we get to see him more as the violent yet bored sociopath that Alan Moore wrote for us in the Killing Joke graphic novel and personified in the disturbingly brilliant portrayal by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.

Somewhat of an issue with doing a Joker themed crew using Seamus is the fact that the only female he spends any time around is Harley Quinn...and there's just the one of her...and she should really be the Henchmen in the crew. Though I could probably paint Madame Sybelle in Harley Quinn colours the theme would immediately break down as they don't look even vaguely similar and several million fanboys would probably attempt to murder me for doing so, lol.

A while ago I thought about using this piece of artwork...

...as inspiration. This kind of stretches the concept of a Joker crew but keeps to a tolerable theme that I could perhaps live with. The other idea I had was to simply paint all the Belles in the crew in Harley colours but I'm not sure how that would look and it doesn't really solve the Sybelle/Henchman issue...

The more I think about it, the more it seems that there's no ideal way of doing this using a traditional Malifaux crew and I'd have to basically make a hybrid one out of members of others in order to get a Joker, Harley, Jokeresque Henchmen look. Even more irritatingly the latest bit of Molly background in Wyrd Chronicles has dashed any hopes that I had of her still being usable with Seamus which was my last real hope for a Harley-like Henchman for him.....

....I'm also hoping that the new Molly looks something like this ;-)

I'm open to any bright ideas you might have...and if those ideas give me an excuse to buy a new M2E Malifaux crew to convert then that'll just be a bonus now won't it, lol. Worse case scenario will be Seamus as Joker, several Harley's and a somewhat out of condition Catwoman styled Sybelle...

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

Tyranid Rumour Compilation

Tyranid Rumour Compilation
I don't really do things like this that often any-more as 40K new releases no longer excite me particularly...however I was asked the question so here's the answer...more or less...

Tyranids are after Space Marines
Codex Launch date: 1st Saturday in November...probably

New Minis:
Tyranid Prime - Finecast
Harpy - Roughly size of the heldrake. Pretty much looks like the picture in prior codex.

Doom of Malantai - Clamshell package
Parasite of Mordrax - Clamshell package
Termagant - Sprues re-cut for more options (some chatter says Genestealers)
Mycetic Spore

New "Big Bug" kit (Because every fucking army needs a vastly overpriced book-end apparently) Tyranids will be receiving a large plastic monstrous creature - the new kit in comparison to the Tyrannofex will have similar size ratios as the Wraithknight to the Wraithlord

New Rules: 
Altered FOC - Apparently to help counter the lack of Allies. 3 HQ, 4 Elite, 6 Troop, 4 Fast, 4 Heavy. Purchasing the 3rd HQ choice unlocks the extra Elite, Fast, and Heavy slots.

The previously mentioned "BIG BUG" – Larger than Tervigon sized HQ unit. Oval base, hunched over, but wider. Has 18” synapse. Psyker 4. Prime version: Grants FNP and Counter Attack to Nids in 12.” Stats like Tervigon, except 2A, Shadow in the Warp

Pyrovore - Gains Torrent and a steep points reduction.
Hiveguard - Gain Skyfire - New weapon upgrade option (available to a handful of units) that grants skyfire with an "enhanced ability" to ground FMCs.
Termagants – Gain Fleet. New 10 unit box. Includes options for Spike rifles and Strangleweb. Curled tails. No rippers on sprues.
Tervigon – Upgrade options for Termagant spawns to give them full options, but they are quite pricey.
Tyrant Guard and Hive Guard - Dual-build plastic kit. 3 models. All options for either unit.
Lictors – Small point increase, gain new “Surprise!” rule (all shots against Lictors the turn after they appear are snap shots). DeathLeaper now an upgrade character.
Carnifex - Significant cost reduction
Harpy – Big overhaul. New model/dual-combo kit, Flying Monstrous, Sonic Screech combines with Vector striking. Additional Spore Mine Cysts may be purchased as upgrades. Default Stranglethorn has new upgrade options.
Ymgarl Genestealers - Special arrival rule is shared with the Lictor, may now purchase standard Genestealer biomorph upgrades.

New Flyer - Fast Attack choice, the alternative build for the Harpy kit.

Tyranids will get a massive overhaul with Psychic powers. Look for many new non-overt force powers that represent the chilling, horrific, warp-stifling power of the Hive-mind. Two new Tyranid psychic powers lists. One list is destructive powers, one is augmentative powers. More existing units will have the option of manifesting Psychic powers.

Aside from a few old chestnuts, look for almost all new Tyranid enhancing abilities, and other new chilling and damping abilities to use on enemies of reflect the horror, hopelessness, and dread of fighting the swarms under the psychic interference of the hive-mind. Look for concepts such as dampened psychics for opponents mixed with bio-enhancement powers to bolster the swarms.

Shadow in the Warp will remain in the codex, but receives an overhaul that is apparently going to piss many people off....that could mean anything though...

That's what I have so far.

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

Crew a Week Challenge - Ortega's Additions...

I have these and despite the fact that they are currently without M2E rules I thought I'd get them done to go with my current Ortega crew project.

Latigo Pistolero's...

In 1.5 terms they're expendable Minions with some useful synergy with 'Family' members. Hopefully this will be a theme that continues when they've got version 2 rules. This does mean that I've hot eight models to paint but I've managed higher totals than that...

...reading that last bit back, it does seem a bit like I'm tempting fate..but then I suppose that's what Malifaux is actually about after all.....

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

Unboxing Malifaux - Perdita Ortega 'Ortegas'

The bane of the Neverborn are out hunting...

Perdita Ortega.

The Box - Front and Rear.

With the unboxing articles that cover metal models I'll be taking the initial pictures without any cleaning up so you can see them 'warts and all'...not that Perdita has any warts...Papa Loco probably has a few though...

Perdita Ortega.
You need to glue on her hat...if that sounds tricky then you've probably picked the wrong hobby... 

Francisco Ortega.
One piece model, minimal flash and the obligatory outside edge mould line common to pretty much all metal models.

Santiago Ortega.
Two piece model, minimal flash and the obligatory outside edge mould line common to pretty much all metal models. There's a decent size contact point to attach the arm to so there's no issues with assembly.

Nino Ortega.
This ones a bit trickier as it's in four parts...The gun locates fairly easily into place an there's an indentation for the head so it sits neatly in it's correct place. The leg may need a little filing so it stays in place but that was the only issue I encountered.

Papa Loco.
There's a lot of flash on this one and the head on mine wasn't particularly well moulded at the point it should attach to the neck but other than that (and a couple of easily removed mould lines) it was fine.

Here's them assembled on 30mm bases with a bit of sand for basing purposes.

Perdita Ortega - Assembled.

Francisco Ortega - Assembled.

Santiago Ortega - Assembled.

Nino Ortega - Assembled.

Papa Loco.

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

Hasslefree Miniatures Newsletter

I quite like some of the 'Spec Ops' models but it's the 'Weeping Widow' that really interests me...

TABLE OF CONTENTS • And Summer Rolls On... • Gypsy's Larger Arsenal. • Harlequin Falls In • The Spec Ops 'Muscle', Giant • The Spec Ops 'Techie', Widow • Boudi & Oakley Return! • New Resin Master - Mordakai • New Resin Master - Finn • New Resin Master- Weeping Willow • Of Dice and Men • And Finally... And Summer Rolls On... Seems like we've been mentioning 'behind the scenes' and the 'K word' and 'big plans' a lot in recent months. We've been working very hard to make sure all of the things we've been doing didn't affect our core business or service and frankly it's taken longer than we'd like but we're finally on point. New releases are about to start coming out hard and fast, the extra products we offer are about to expand and we're all hands on deck again as Kev has full internet access at his new home office, I've recovered from a bout of food poisoning and my wife, Jenn, is back from quick trip to Norway. Time to move forward! This week sees the first real rewards from our big mould sorting and resultant remoulding. We see a new weaponry addition for last week's big release, Gypsy, and 3 new metal releases for our modern range to balance out the heavy fantasy feel to recent weeks. We also  have a few new resin masters to add to our offerings and news of a possible new project we've sponsored. On with the pics! Gypsy's Larger Arsenal. When we released Gypsy in our last newsletter we mentioned that she would be a little slow coming as at the time we only had the master mould and production moulds still needed to be made (In fact the first few lucky customers got a master casting instead  to cut down on delays). Well Kev took advantage of the extra time and squeezed in an extra weaponry choice. Now all Gypsy's will come with a choice of pistol 'or' matching curved sword for her left hand. Harlequin Falls In The first female Modern Trooper to join the squad, Harlequin. Harley used to be known as Bubbles but her callsign was changed after she married Joker, one of the Heavy Support Troopers. Armed with a HK416 she's a little different from our male Modern Troopers as she only comes with one weapon and her head is attached to her body. Her backpack is a separate piece and is the 'standard' Modern Trooper pack.  The Spec Ops 'Muscle', Giant The 'big guy' of Deano's spec ops team, Giant is aptly nicknamed. A heavily muscled black man who keeps his past to himself, he carries twin P90 PDWs and a truckload of spare ammo. The third member is below and they will be joined by the fourth core member of their squad, Lazarus,  later in the year. The Spec Ops 'Techie', Widow Not quite  the 'nerd' of the team, that falls more to the upcoming Lazarus, Widow is certainly no slouch in the brains department but her expertise lie more inthe 'tech' department. Widow is in chargeof the groups equipment and various gadgetry, seen here with a heavily accessorised P90 and a DAGR or miltary GPS. Boudi & Oakley Return! Both of these codes badly needed a remould and now they are happily in their own individual moulds and thus should be in good stock for years to come :) Painted Boudis by theminiaturepainter and keyholepainting. Painted Oakley by Gi6ers.  New Resin Master - Mordakai Mordakai is the older, more experienced, brother of Nomad. Both hailing from an extended family of survivalists and both with a love of heavy weaponry. Fans of ex-military M249s, Mordakai wields 'two' of the bad boys fitted with his personally-designed suppressors. Welcome to the Gun Show! New Resin Master - Finn Finn has been slightly altered after a mould issue and so we have a new resin master mould (Nothing major,a move on his tab and some almost imperceptible alterations to avoid mould tearing) A cousin of ZH Kev and armed with a pretty huge handcannon he has fast become one of our more popular minis (hence the fast remoulding). New Resin Master- Weeping Willow Weeping Willow is a bit of  a random addition to our zombie line-up, Kev just had a whim one day. A similar strain of zombie infection to one of our Studio line-up, here she is modelled walking and confused. Quick bit of advice, just leave her be, she's a 'lot' faster and stronger than she looks! On the off chance somebody can't wait until the eventual metal release we're making a few of the masters available at a lower than normal cost. Of Dice and Men This is an Indiegogo campaign to fund a movie of a successful play about gamers,  so why are we mentioning it? Well some of our minis will be tiny metal stars in the film should it be funded! In particular, Titus will be playing the role of 'Spango'. Go have a nose, see if you fancy it :) (Just to note, other than the minis being in the movie after passing a screen test the film or campagn are nothing to do with HF, we just liked the idea) And Finally... Not a lot to report this time around. We have a lot of minis currently at some stage in the pipeline and now Kev is properly set up he's back to work on  his regularly scheduled minis (Which I've probably just jinxed so now I'm totally expecting to see a green of random mutant built entirely around a resin arm Kev found stuck to his shoe or something). He's finally found some inspiration for a Grymn Walker variant and a couple of new Zombocalypse survivors. Already finished are some new Modern Trooper body variants and in the moulding queue we have Ekaterina the near future assassin, Mordakai seen above, 'Roddy' the mutant, Jay the guy caught cosplaying on the wrong day and Bobbit. We also have some more Tre Manor sculpts on the way, both dwarf and human! We also have acouple of vehicular projects underway and I'm on a search for a sculptor to help us out with a little zombification :D As usual don't forget to keep an eye on our Facebook Page for all the latest HF developments and to help us out with feedback (Bet ya thought that I'd forgotten to mention FB this time around ;). 'Til next time, Arty.