Unboxing Malifaux - Collodi's 'Master of Puppets' Starter Box

Malifaux...where 'Making Friends' is taken quite literally...

COLLODI

There are many old relics from humanity's first time through the Breach. Most of these are the usual variety- ruins, coins, books. But there are forgotten things as well, things that were imbued with magic and life.

Collodi is a living puppet, the size of a human adult. It was made to be an entertainer, a marionette that told stories through others of its kind. Collodi was a delight and a wonder of its age that was created to love its work, and so it did. At the closing of the Breach, after the mayhem that followed, the puppeteer was left alone in Malifaux, with no more children to share stories with. The next century passed slowly. To make up for its loneliness, Collodi began making new puppets from bits of wood it scavenged. These fake children became the audience for new shows and stories, but it was never quite the same. As time went on Collodi began to slowly drift away, losing its grip on itself.

When the Breach reopened, Collodi rushed to the newly arrived settlers, drawn by the laughter of children. The adults attacked the living puppet, forcing it away with torches and axes. Denied the ability to fulfil its purpose, Collodi learned to hate. It vowed to teach humanity the emptiness it had felt for so long in the absence of children. It started making a new kind of puppet, using the blood of stolen children as a template. Collodi wanders Malifaux in its painted wagon, hiding in plain sight behind the masks it wears, still committed to its now twisted purpose.

The 'Master of Puppets' box contains enough parts for nine miniatures...namely Collodi, his Totems the Marionettes (3SS each), Vasilisa (9SS) and three Wicked Dolls (4SS each). It also contains stat cards for each one and six upgrade cards four of which are for Collodi, one for Vasilisa and one that's for Collodi or Vasilisa.

This makes the Soulsstone value of the box...

Collodi (0), Vasilisa (9), Marionettes (3, 3, 3, 3), Wicked Dolls (4, 4, 4) Total (33) or (37) with a maximum Soulstone cache and (43) with maximum 'out of the box' upgrades.

Sprues

The box has two sprues in it as well as the aforementioned cards. Here's pictures of both sides of them...

Stat Cards

Wyrd Games didn't like my publishing pictures of both sides of the stat cards so you'll have to make do with this...

Lets have a look at each of these models in turn. Should there be any assembly issues with any of the models then they will be listed in the appropriate section and you can view larger versions of the smaller pictures or instruction pictures by clicking on them.

Instructions

Some General Notes on Assembly.

Many of these models contain quite small parts so depending on how dexterous you are you might consider getting yourself some tweezers. Dry-fitting is also always a good idea in case a part needs a tiny bit of extra filing or filling as some of the fits are quite tight. Where the parts on the sprue are quite thin (chains, weapon shafts, cables and the like) then it might be better to remove parts with a sharp scalpel rather than cutters.

Collodi

The Sprue

Assembled

There are no particular issues with this model though it's worth noting that the arms can be put into the appropriate slots at different angles to those intended if your not paying attention.

Comparison

Here's a comparison picture between the new plastic and original metal version.

Vasilisa

The Sprue

Assembled

The staff is thin so be careful when removing it from the sprue. The left arm (well one of them) is a bit fiddly to assemble as it needs to be aligned with both the basket and the arm joint but otherwise the model is issue free.

Wicked Dolls

The Sprue

Assembled

Wicked Doll 1

The only minor issue with this one is the two part pin that goes 'through' the body can be misaligned quite easily so make sure you dry-fit that bit before you start gluing.

Wicked Doll 2

There's a tiny piece that completes the collar at the models rear that is quite thin but that's all you need to worry about with this one.

Wicked Doll 3

The pin in the models right hand is attached to the aforementioned hand by one thumb though the piece does lean against the other fingers so is more secure than you'd initially have thought.

Comparison

Here's a comparison picture between the new plastic and original metal versions.

Marionettes

The Sprue

Assembled

Marionette 1

The only issue with this one is getting it to stay upright on that one leg when you attach it to the base...

Marionette 2

The arms are thin and the attachment points are quite small so be careful with these parts.

Marionette 3

There's not much to say about this one other than be careful you put the neck piece in the right way up. You can tell by the attachment points on the models neck and head respectively.

Marionette 4

The chunkiest of the three so if you've got the others done then this one is a piece of cake.

Comparison

Here's a comparison picture between the new plastic and original metal versions.

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.