Unboxing Malifaux - Mr Coopers 'Dark Carnival' (Colette Nightmare Edition)

"Prepare to be entertained...or else..."

This box set was the 'Nightmare Edition' from GenCon this year and counts as a Colette crew. Though the stat cards have the Dark Carnival artwork on them all the text is the same as that on the equivalent Colette crew model. The upgrade cards are also identical to the ones that come with a Colette crew and even have the same names on them. For those who are unsure...Mr Cooper is Colette, Baritone Lola is Cassandra, Mercury and Thin Lizzy are Showgirls, Flying Monkeys are Mechanical Doves and the Mannequins are somewhat predictably Mannequins...

The 'Dark Carnival' box contains enough parts for nine miniatures...namely Mr Cooper, his three Totems the Flying Monkeys (2SS each), Baritone Lola (8SS), Mercury and Thin Lizzy (5SS each) and two Mannequins (4SS Each). It also contains stat cards for each one and six upgrade cards four of which are for Colette, one for Cassandra and one that's for any model with the 'Showgirl' type. As the Dark Carnival crew counts as a Colette one then just use the card that's for the Dark Carnival equivalent.

This makes the Soulsstone value of the box...

Mr Cooper (0), Baritone Lola (8), Flying Monkeys (2, 2, 2), Mercury and Thin Lizzy (5, 5), Mannequins (4, 4) Total (32) or (37) with a maximum Soulstone cache and (44) 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.

The models are based on bases from this company here. I usually use Fenris Games floorboard bases but they were out of stock and I'm not very patient, lol.

Mr Cooper

The Sprue

Assembled
The only particularly delicate parts on this model are the scarf pieces though I'd be careful about putting too much pressure on the fingers as well. It's also worth noting that it's extremely difficult to get the one scarf piece in place if you've already attached the head...most people attach heads last so it shouldn't be an issue but I thought it worth mentioning.

Baritone Lola

The Sprue

Assembled
Consisting of only five fairly substantial pieces this model should cause no issues.

Mercury and Thin Lizzy

Mercury - Sprue

Mercury - Assembled
It's only a two piece model but be careful when removing the main piece from the sprue as that barbell bar is quite thin when compared to the rest of the piece. The head is tiny as well but the attachment point is a good one.

Thin Lizzy - Sprue

Thin Lizzy - Assembled
The only weak point on the model is the cigarette in the left hand. Mine was a bit bent, lol.

Mannequins

Sprue

Mannequin 1 - Assembled
This model has a number of weak points including the ribbons and the swords. You'll notice from the picture that one of the swords on mine is broken and apparently it's not an uncommon problem so check the sprue carefully when you first open the box. I haven't decided what I'm going to about it yet but I'll probably just paint it as a broken one.

Mannequin 2 - Assembled
Neither the instructions nor the box picture seemed to have a definitive location for the ribbon pieces so their position on the model is my best guess but seems correct to me. The hammer handle is very thin indeed so be very careful when handling it but the arms are actually attached to it which minimises the risk a little but it's still a weak point.

Flying Monkeys

The Sprue

Flying Monkeys - Assembled
The heads are in two halves which unfortunately leaves a bit of an obvious join down the middle that may require a bit of attention. The wing location points also have a bit of leeway but I doubt you could put them on in a way that would look wrong so it's not a particular problem.

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.