Thursday, 20 August 2015

Unboxing Malifaux - Kaeris's 'Burning Revelation' Starter Box

Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?

KAERIS
Anasalea Kaeris is a study in contrasts. Earthside, she was a business troubleshooter, a lone wolf for hire by any number of organizations. She was controlled and studied in her dealings, known for her patience and neutrality. Coming to Malifaux, she has embraced a different road. In Malifaux, she is solely devoted to Viktor Ramos and the Arcanists, having finally picked a side. She has also sought after a new kind of power- that of magic.

When Kaeris first passed through the Breach, she became fascinated with the ease at which people used magic. Unlike the tight restrictions and limited power from Earth, Malifaux was nearly unlimited in its potential. As a condition to working for Ramos she chose him as her sole teacher in arcane knowledge. He agreed, but it was quickly apparent that no matter how she studied, she lacked the raw power needed to control her abilities. Ramos designed a Soulstone harness as a solution to this, but still she struggled.

While practicing in the forges one day, Kaeris made a breakthrough. While all magic in Malifaux draws from the aether, there are many methods to using it. Ramos' power is one that is structured and ordered like the constructs he works on. Her power, however, was not something to control. One does not seek to stop and order a wildfire, after all, but redirect the flames by embracing their existence. She let go of any attempt to control and let the aether flow through her as a river. Fire burst from her hands with little effort as she finally understood the paradox.

Control is an illusion.

The 'Burning Revelation' box contains enough parts for six miniatures...namely Kaeris, her Eternal Flame Totem (2SS), The Firestarter (7SS) and three Fire Gamin (4SS each). It also contains stat cards for each one and five upgrade cards. Four of these are for Kaeris (two are 'Limited' so you'll have to pick one or the other) and one that can be used on any model with the 'M&SU' type.

This makes the Soulsstone value of the box...

Kaeris (0), Eternal Flame (2), The Firestarter (7), Fire Gamin (4, 4, 4) Total (21) or (24) with a maximum Soulstone cache and (29) with maximum 'out of the box' upgrades.

Sprues
The box has one sprue in it as well as the aforementioned cards. Here's pictures of both sides of it...

Stat Cards
Wyrd Games asked that I don't publish 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 and be mindful of putting undue pressure on such pieces as you handle them.

Kaeris
The Sprue

Assembled
A few small parts require care such as the arms but the rest are fairly substantial pieces and should cause you no issues.

This model required a few extra pictures to show all the detail...

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

Eternal Flame
The Sprue

Assembled
The model's many limbs have predetermined slots in which to place them so assembly isn't a major issue. As the limbs are attached underneath out of sight you could alter the angles slightly in order to create a different pose if you so desired.

The Firestarter
The Sprue

Assembled
With only six parts in total this is another simple to assemble model with the bulk of the model being the body which is a single piece. Location points are clear and substantial.

Fire Gamin

The Sprue

Fire Gamin 1 - Assembled
Both lower legs are separate but that's not a major issue as the alignment points with the upper sections are large enough to make a good fit. The tail is attached to the body and thins quite a lot before the 'tassel' end so be careful with this particular bit.

Fire Gamin 2 - Assembled
As you can see from the assembled picture below this model is balanced on one foot and doesn't leave a great deal of contact area with the base...the foot in question is also a separate piece so make sure it's well together before you attempt to glue the model to the base via it. Unlike Gamin number one the tail is separate from the body but is generally thick enough so breakage is unlikely...that's unlikely...not impossible, lol.

Fire Gamin 3 - Assembled
Separate feet again...other than that the model is fairly simple to assemble and like Gamin two has a separate tail but it's not unworkably thin by any means.

Comparison Picture
Here's a couple of comparison pictures between the new plastic and original metal versions.

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

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