DUST Starter Set for the Allies

 

     So last week we previewed the SSU faction's new starter set and this week we will take a look at the new Allied starter set.

 

     The Allied set will feature the new unit card design that the other two sets have and from my understanding they are smaller cards. The new dice will also not feature blank sides instead they have been replaced with new symbols to add some more options for your gaming experience.

 

 

 

The new cards do look great, and now they are two sided. I think the added benefit of having some card protectors can really help keep them safe.

 

The biggest thing I saw when looking at these cards was the change from "Jump" on the Pounder card to "Fast". This will truly add some more game options and I think it is a better rule. The Pounder walker rarely used the "Jump" rule in our games. I cannot speak for everyone else but I for one am very happy about this rule change.

 

The new starter set has the infamous Grim Reapers that have pulled out many victories for my allied army. I know their ability to lay down some awesome anit-air fire has been a nice asset. The box set comes with dice, mats and some terrain tiles as well.

 

 We also see some new objective cards and a new rule book available in the set. Although we have all three factions represented at Black Heart Gaming, it looks like a few of us might have to start some new armies so we can get our hands on these new sets. Next week we will take a look at the new German Starter set and we can see what is inside.

 

Rob

 

Marines, PLA and Aussies From Empress

     So I got my Empress Miniatures in the mail today from my Kickstarter backing and I am really impressed. If you were not aware I backed the project last year and it was really my first foray into modern miniatures. I also purchased some additional models from Empress and I was very happy with their product and detail. Today I received my U.S. Marines with boonie caps. The pictures above are with helmets but I will have some painted figures soon to show on the site.

     I will do a more detailed review on the models later but I just wanted to highlight some of Empress models that are looking really good and begging for a mainstream rules set. I think Empress has some of the best looking modern models on the market and they would be on par with Infinity's sci fi line, in terms of detail.

    I am just dying for a skirmish level rules set or a squad based game to really make these models come out into their own. Especially with the amount of veterans that are gaming I think there is a lot of potential for a modern rules set.

    The PLA is also part of the new release and they have some great looking stuff.

    The Australians received some great looking models and the accuracy on the weapons and uniforms is just superb.

Another thing that Empress has and it has done well is their range of modern vehicles. They also sell army deals with about a squad of troops and an APC or a technical vehicle. As we have witnessed the emergence of more diverse lightly armored vehicles on the battlefield, Empress has included these in its latest range.

   The M-ATV even has two different weapon options in the form of  an M2 .50 cal or a MK-19 Grenade Machine Gun. So check them out if you haven't yet and I will definitely review the new models I received and take some pictures of the final product.


Rob

Roman Command

Here are some more of Nick's Roman models from the Warlord range. This is the command unit that you get with every box set. The three models represented are a musician, standard bearer and unit champion. Nick has created a Centurion that was previously featured unit on the blog. We will keep posting pictures of our Warlord models. We are getting them ready to start play testing our upcoming ancient warfare rules.

Shogun Miniatures Delivers Some Great Product

Today I came home to a very nice surprise of movement trays and magnetic bases. I recently posted about Shogun Miniatures and their product. I decided to order some bases and movement trays to see how the process worked and to try out this inexpensive alternative to creating movement trays that are magnetized. So with this in mind I plan on reviewing the product and I want to touch on a few key points such as: order/delivery time/packaging, quality, design, and of course price. So lets get to it.

1. Order/Delivery & Packaging

    I ordered my product exactly one week ago and I was given a quote of 10 days. Early delivery for me is always a plus. When I ordered the product I was immediately emailed the next day for a quote on my order and once my Paypal payment was verified I also received an email confirming that. The ordering process worked well and I know that some of us like quick checkout screens but one thing that Shogun Miniatures offers is the option to customize your bases and trays to many different dimensions. I think this is why they prefer to do their operation through email quotes.The delivery of the product was on time and everything I ordered was present. Packaging was pretty standard with an air cushion to protect the product and the bases were packaged in a sealable plastic bag. I observed no damage to the product whatsoever.

2. Quality

    One of the first things I did when I got the product out was to test the bases to make sure they fit properly, and I was extremely pleased with the fit. Using Shogun Miniatures' bases and trays all the parts fit very nicely. The bases did not have any flash on them and there were no deformities. The metal bases were flat and the integrity of the shape was intact. I ordered a couple 10x4 trays to accommodate 20mm bases and I wanted to ensure that they were not warped. They were entirely flat and were uniformed all around. The metal movement tray is solid and I appreciated the little added weight that it had.

Flanged Metal Tray

3. Design

   I ordered a flanged movement tray design that has lips on it to ensure the models are secure as they move across the battlefield. The movement trays are very well designed and I am surprised at the price considering the design and quality which I will address later. The magnet bases are quite simple and looking at the online website I was a bit worried that they might be too thin. When I received them they worked perfectly and they fit in with my Gale Force 9 magnet bases. With regards to Gale Force 9 and their magnet bases, I found that they tend to flare a little bit and this caused them to barely fit into the movement trays. I simply took a knife and trimmed a couple bases down a little and they fit perfectly. I really cannot consider this a negative point against Shogun Miniatures since they designed their product to be used with their bases which fit with about 1mm or 2mm of space left over. The design was a very attractive point to this product and only one more thing influenced me more than the design.

Gale Force 9 bases trimmed down to fit

4. Price

   If you have not checked out the website you probably should http://shogunminiatures.com/index.html there is a complete list of their pricing on the site. The 20mm bases I ordered that are magnetic were $.15 a piece yes fifteen cents! The movement tray that holds 20 models on 20mm bases in a 5x4 formation is priced at $ 1.65 each and the 10x4 tray is $ 2.70 a piece. Just to compare with other products, Gale Force 9 sales their package of 36, 20mm bases for $9.99. Most movment trays that are assembled are about double the price and some of the magnet ready stuff can be quite pricey.The price was just a great selling point and that was the ultimate thing that made me try Shogun Miniatures out. I spent a little over $25 to include shipping and I received 70 magnetic bases, two 5x4 metal flanged trays and two 10x4 flanged metal trays. This was just a great deal.

5. Overall

     I have no doubt that I will use http://shogunminiatures.com/index.html for all of my movement trays and square bases. Initially the price got me to make the purchase but the quality and design will keep me a loyal customer. If you have questions about their product send them an email they reply very quickly. I really want to do some cavalry units using their bases and I saw a wedge formation that was magnetically based on their site that I might just have to try out. I know that making movement trays and getting bases magnetized can be a hassle sometimes and I really feel that http://shogunminiatures.com/index.html has provided an easy, cost affordable and quality product that gives gamers an alternative option.

New DUST Starter Armies Coming Soon

Here is a quick look at the new DUST starter SSU army. Some of the big differences are the unit card changes, dice change and the inclusion of some new terrain posters. All three factions will get a starter army boxed in a similar way. Check them out and comment on what you think about the new style. I know Battlefront has taken over DUST tactics and we are curious about the direction it will go.

Movement Trays Made Easy

     Well by movement trays made easy, I meant that I found them cheap, magnetized and ready to go! I remember starting my Warhammer Fantasy army of High Elves a few years ago and I welcomed the challenge of assembling so many models and getting my army field but I did not realize the effort that making movement trays and then magnetizing all the models really took. In all honesty it wore me down and kind of demotivated me. So here I am building a ton of Warlord models and I started out using Gale Force 9's magnet 20mm slotted and non slotted bases.



Here is a basic plastic base that most of you will still want to magnetize

    This of course brought about having to make movement trays and getting either rubber magnet sheets or some thin metal sheet to put on these trays. For those of you who have done this it is not completely time consuming as much as it is just an added step every time you finish a unit.


The magnetic tape is a pretty cheap option but it still requires leg work

   Well I was about to start this process when I found this site http://shogunminiatures.com/index.html , I looked at the prices and wow! I immediately ordered a few to see how the quality and speed of delivery work out. I am very excited about these steel movement trays and magnet bases that are about 1/3 of the cost of most other products out there. Here you can see one of their bases with flock:

And here are some of their bases that are all magnetized:

   So far, the process has been very smooth and I was contacted the next day about my order. I was informed that it would arrive within ten days and I am currently on Day 5 so I am anxiously awaiting.
I will do a product review and go over the pieces I get.

    I really wish one of these days we would get these bases in our box sets. I know not every game uses individual bases, especially in historical games but it is nice to be able to set up your troops and not have to spend hours trying to build trays and find magnetic bases online. With http://shogunminiatures.com/index.html I think I have found a solution while I create my ancient armies and work on our ancient rules for our upcoming game.


   They also do custom work for whatever size you need:

    So we will keep you updated and let you know how the product turns out.

Rob

Alexander's Troops !

Warlord Games has a great set with the Macedonian Phalanx

 

 

 

 

 

I know its been a while since we posted on here but with Christmas and the New Year things have been busy. One item that we got for Christmas was this box from Warlord Games/ The Hail Caesar range is quite large and there are a lot of options for army building. When I got the box I was working on my Roman legions so it got put on the back shelf but having opened it and built the 40 models, I am going to give some quick feedback and go over a few things.

1. Packaging and Product

    The box was pretty standard with some nice box art that is expected of Warlord's model range and inside there were 10 sprues with four miniatures per sprue. There are six head options and six spear options. Also four round shields. The box also comes with 40 shield transfers. Overall my initial reaction was a little skeptical at first having been accustomed to sets with more options. The kit was undamaged and the models were in good shape. One negative point was the lack of bases. As a gamer I really hops to see kits from a company that includes bases and one day maybe some movement trays with the kit. I don't really care if its the right size tray I just wish it would come with something to put my guys on when I buy them.

2. Assembly

     This is where I really started to fall in love with the set. I remember a few years back I was attempting to build a fantasy army for Warhammer. Some of the sets were really nice and there were a ton of options. This actually turned me off in the long run because it took so long to build a unit due to the specific construction of each model with multiple arms, legs and weapon options to create a ton of poses. When I was trying to create a rather large army I found that the task was daunting. With this box set each of the four models assumed a different position in the file of a rank. Regardless of the weapon option the spears would all be aligned at different angles to represent the sarissas and phalanx. This made it easy to assemble and required no instruction booklet. I had 40 phalangites assembled within two hours including clipping. I was really impressed with this aspect.

3. Overall Look

   The overall look did not have a lot of poses or customization but I was very happy with the outcome. the spears were all angled at different positions and the unit looks ready to fight. I think my Romans my fear the impressive sight of so many spears.

4. Price

   Another point that really tips our wallets to a product is the price. I personally do not have a ton of income to drop on every model I want but with this box set I found the price very reasonable. The set retails on Warlord's site for 32$ which is just fantastic when you consider you are getting 40 models. Some of you savvy shoppers will find the set at a much more discounted range of 25$ which is even better.

5. Overall

     I would rate this product with a 3/4 on my point system. My biggest issue is the lack of bases and I know the Hail Caesar range does not require individual bases but I think it would be a nice option considering their cost. I really like this kit though and I plan on buying at lest two more sets to go along with the play testing of our new rule system for an ancient warfare tabletop game. The plastic kits that Warlord Games is producing are turning out to be very well done and I continue to enjoy their product.

Thank again for checking up on us and expect more articles soon as we take a closer look at Flames of War: Tour of Duty, another Christmas gift that we get to check out and we are also looking at some other board games that were under the tree last month. Thank again and feel free to post comments and/ or email us.

Rob