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By Rat13
After some interesting plumbing adventures the family and I are out of the house for the next couple weeks while repairs are made. Knowing that I'd need something to do in the evenings I had to make a tough call. I could gather up my painting supplies or I could grab one box, a knife, glue, and clippers. I obviously chose the easier route. So during our little forced vacation I'll be assembling the Robotech RPG Tactics starter box and giving you my thoughts on it. Not that I think anyone particularly wants to hear my thoughts on it, but if I'm going to build all this I'm going to talk about it.
Before we jump into it I do want to mention that if you've ever heard anyone talk about this set I'm probably going to say a lot of the same things. I do however think I bring at least one new idea that somewhat redeems this box or at least changes the way you think about it.
Right off the bat I've got to say it does have a nice box. It's fairly solid and the art not only on the outside but on the inside is a nice little addition.
When I first bought the box it was my intention to build the three configurations of a Veritech and stop. I already have too many projects and this was to be the reward after completing everything else. You better take a look at them before I start ranting.
It was during the build of these first three models that I couldn't help but notice problems, you know the very ones we'd all already been warned about. The instructions are not always clear, all you get for each model is a deconstructed picture that can leave you guessing. Then to make it just a little more fun some components that are shown as being multiple parts just aren't. There is nothing like searching a sprue for a piece needed to complete a part before you realize its already attached.
Then of course when it comes to "fiddly" bits these may be the fiddliest I've ever seen. There are a ton of parts that are tiny to the point of the simple act of removing them from the sprue breaks them. Remember this because we'll definitely be coming back to it.
Even the larger pieces have their problems though. Most of the bigger pieces are multi-piece parts for no real reason. Maybe they're there to lull you into a sense of false comfort right before you start in on the "fiddly" bits.
Now we come to the sprues themselves. They're not exactly horrible minus the times when you break a "fiddly" bit trying to remove it but they're not great.
After only assembling three I really wondered how they'd stand up to use on the tabletop. Even for display pieces they feel fragile. The detail is there but the construction and contact points are just bad, again we'll get back to that.
Confidence was not high after the first three figures. Then came about our impromptu vacation so I pressed on with the assembly and next up were the other Macross defenders, you know the cannon fodder, the Defenders and the Tomahawks.
This is where I hit my stride. Overall I assembled them quickly, with many of the same complaints, but by then I'd become familiar with the idiosyncrasies of the set. It's also where I had the revelation that completely changed my attitude.
You see these aren't miniatures and they really aren't game pieces, they're models. Models complete with all of the "fiddly" bits and needless multi-piece assembly you could expect. Once I started to think of them as models it bacame easier to accept the flaws and oversights. I couldn't exactly forgive or forget them, but at least they made a kind of sense. They're made like a Gundam model where the real accomplishment isn't in building it, it's in the fact that during the assembly you never threw it against the wall.
Armed with my new outlook I started work on the special Zentraedi models. Even with the new outlook there were issues. Here are some "fiddly" bits I broke while removing them from the sprue. See just how tiny some of them are?
Oh and remember those contact points I mentioned?
That's how a leg attaches, a leg, you know the thing that is meant to support the whole model.
Eventually I did complete the three special models however.
After reading all that it would be easy to think I hate this box. It'd be even easier to think I wouldn't recommend it. Even with all the issues however that isn't the case. I think under the right circumstances, I can recommend this to everyone they just have to meet certain criteria.
Firstly you need to be a fan, because you'll need that love of the source material to keep going. The box needs to be on discount (bought mine for about $50 and that seems fair). It also helps to know exactly what you're getting into; before buying I'd already heard plenty of horror stories (still ended up buying it and I'm glad I did). Finally you need to think differently about the figures themselves, honestly once I started thinking of them as models like Gundams or even highly detailed planes everything bacame easier. If you check all of those boxes this is probably right up your alley. Don't ask me about gameplay however I already know I'll never find someone to play with, I just wanted the models.
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By SisterMaryNapalm
So, after quite some time, it's time to present some minis again. This time it's a group of Forge Worlds Death Korps of Krieg soldiers.
Those are a few prototype miniatures for a friends Imperial Guard army. If he likes the paintjob, we'll do them all in this pattern.
Oh, yeah - and just in case anyone goes "nice" or "awesome" or "excellent" again - HE'S WATCHING YOU.
If you really don't have got anything else to say, leave me a "like" instead. I take a "like" as a nod to my participation in this forum. A "nice" is getting me nowhere.
So long.
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By lexomatic
I do not understand how this mini is supposed to go together. There is a large hair bulge that is supposed to fit in the hollow of the back. I tried sliding and twisting and cannot get the head to fit on in a dry fit. I cant imagine doing this after painting. I don't really want to try and paint and be unable to get into corners. Has anyone posted this anywhere? Things got caught and I see white stress marks on the mini where I had to try and force it off and it makes me super nervous to try anything again.
This is exactly why I would 100 times out of 100 take a poorly glued at the factory mini. It's effectively wasted money for me, because I can't do anything with it.
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By Tigermanic
I recently bought the 2 headed Troll "Lardgulp" to use as a boss in an upcoming battle for my play group. The problem is that compared to the reaper black Rock Troll I received he is not so intimidating...
However, I've seen on other sites a new reaper black or bones 2 headed Troll for pre order. I was wondering if there were any pictures of it compared to the Rock troll, and when will it be available on the site properly?
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By WhiteWulfe
I was thinking of some kind of playful title for the force, like "The Foxes That Yip At Night" or something more mysterious like "Crescent Moon Foxes" but in all honesty, I haven't really figured out a name for this force.
This is a continuation of a previous thread where I set a goal to finish 20 minis in twenty weeks, but only wound up doing one. Eh, world doesn't end, goal with that was to paint, and I did. This thread is a breakoff out of that one, because I want to have my HaqqIslam force to have it's own thread, and can also give them a tad more room on my painting desk thanks to recent changes I've done (I have another three whole feet of desk I can work with that's focused on being a "build-up" area, which I've already found has had me tidying things up a tad more AND given me the ability to have room to sit down and do ANY kind of hobbying for even just 15-20 minutes, be it assembly, cleanup, (hopefully) sculpting, and/or painting.
To those wondering, in a standard 300/6 game, there's no way to field all of the units pictured here. A small part of why I've picked up what I have is due to sales, a desire for a few minis before they fall out of circulation (since some when purchased had been discontinued five years prior), and a desire to be able to readily try out either mixed tactics with a vanilla HaqqIslam army, or to be able to try out one of the three main sectorials (Hassassin Bahram, Qapu Khalqi, or Ramah Taskforce). At some point the Hassassin starter pack will be added in, as well as probably another boxed set or two (I'm looking at you, Zhayedans, Khawarijs', and Muttawi'ah's... Oh, and blisters like the Hunzakut, Ayyar, Ragiks, and the Odalisque with Spitfire rescuplt to name a few) but a lot of that is mainly due to a desire for "completion" or just to have a nice looking force to choose from. Or something - I am an indecisive fox after all
^So here's where things stand at the moment. First pic has most of the Red Veil and Beyond Red Veil boxed sets in it, while the second is a combination of Azra'il (the two big guys on 40mm bases) and the Qapu Khalqi starter force. The reason why the ones that haven't been painted yet have milky looking bases is these pics were taken shortly after sealing those bases with watered town Tacky Glue. Apologies for the out of focus photos, I wanted group shots, and was tired when I took them, and phone kept fighting me about what to focus on.
^Still to assemble we have these pieces. I'm really looking forward to building up that Maghariba Guard (aka murder scorpion! ...Or Maggie, as many local players call it), but those Bashi Bazouks (in the blisters at the bottom) I'm also rather curious about.
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