Unboxing Malifaux - Sandeep's 'Beacon of Knowledge' Starter Box

"Earth, wind and fire...that sounds familiar..."

SANDEEP DESAI

Sandeep Desai was born in Guild-occupied India. He was one of the many orphans of his city, and he was taken in and raised by a temple. He devoured books on the arcane and soon proved to be a powerful user of magic in his own right, but his peaceful life of learning came to a violent halt the day that the Guild arrested his master for undermining their authority. Sandeep took up his Master’s cursed Gada that day and unleashed the fury of Banasuva for the first time.

Sandeep was personally asked to come to Malifaux by Viktor Ramos in order to help train a new generation of Arcanists in the ways of magic. He holds his classes in secret, instilling in his students a respect for the arcane which he wishes he had on that fateful day back in India. He is an excellent teacher, and Ramos has been pleased with the progress of his students.

The locations of his classes frequently move, staying one step ahead of the Guild. In quiet moments of reflection and meditation, Sandeep often regrets the need for violence and wishes for a peaceful, quiet environment where his students could grow and prosper. He knows the tyranny and cruelty of the Guild all too well, and constant vigilance prevents him from dwelling on his own dark past.

The 'Beacon of Knowledge' box contains enough parts for six miniatures...namely Sandeep Desai, his Totem Banasuva (8SS technically but the model can only be summoned not hired), Kudra (7SS) and three Poison Gamin (5SS each). It also contains stat cards for each one and six upgrade cards four of which are for Sandeep, one for Kudra and six '0' upgrades which can only be added by use of other upgrade abilities.

This makes the Soulsstone value of the box...

Sandeep (0), Banasuva (0), Kudra (7), Poison Gamin (5, 5, 5) Total (22) or (25) with a maximum Soulstone cache and (29) with maximum 'out of the box' upgrades.

Sprues

The box has one sprue set in it divided into four sub-sections in it as well as the aforementioned cards. Here's pictures of both sides of it...

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.

Sandeep Desai

The Sprue

Assembled

This model is in only six pieces. The legs are in two parts which then attach to the large body piece. Of the remaining pieces the club shaft, the material piece held in his left hand and wrist section of the aforementioned material piece are all potential weak points so take care.

Banasuva

The Sprue

Assembled

The only real weak point on this model is the slender fingers on the hands. The body is in two large sections and the connection points to the limbs are substantial. There is room to add the sash piece after the legs are attached if you wish.

Kudra

The Sprue

Assembled

This one is only eight pieces...unfortunately some of those pieces are tiny bits of snake... 

Add the skirt to the rear before you attach the head and hair as the one part covers the other. The small arms are each in two pieces. The snake in her right hand attaches at the tail and wrist...in theory but I couldn't get it too align at all so I 'm just going to have to fill the gap. The snake head that attaches to the left hand attaches at the snakes neck which is also minuscule...

Poison Gamin

The Sprue

Poison Gamin - Assembled

These models are only five or six pieces with the arms, legs and tail attaching to a body section. Strangely for a Wyrd Games model the head is actually attached rather than being in three different pieces with separate ears. Attachment points for the arms aren't very big and they will go on at different angles from those on the pictures due to a lack of any kind of locking point. One of the models has the arms linked together and is the simplest of the three.

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.