044 - Malifaux December Releases Review

Here's the latest round of new minis from Wyrd that should have recently hit the shops, and a bit shorter than last time!

Exorcist

While I like this model, I don’t think enough has been done to distinguish him from the Guild Guard models, who also have peaked hats and long coats. It’s probably something that can be improved with a striking paint job and a completely different colour scheme though. The main feature of the Exorcist is his raised crossbow and clutched relic, which I understand give him immense utility versus not only undead, but also nightmares, soulless and other non-livings. I think he’ll be popping up in a lot of Guild crews this year.

Alt Ramos

Another Alt sculpt that I prefer to the original Master, this one has dynamism and more character in the face, although at the expense of a more cartoonish style. The original sculpt is a bit reserved for me, consisting mostly of coat. The only part I’m not sure about on the new version is the rigid flaring out of the coat which doesn’t look very natural. As for the tentacle… well a certain picture on the Wyrd boards means I think I will forever carry a permanent association with Kirai and a particular Japanese movie genre. I’ll leave that well alone. This is a family blog.

Avatar Ramos

Slightly disappointed with this one. This is a model that’s making me start to think that in some cases Wyrd should relax their insistence that the sculpt matches the artwork. The pose of Ramos himself looks off to me – he would have looked better if he was posed as though he was advancing and being threatening. I’m never a fan of sculpted effects, but the arc of electricity is particularly poor – again it could be the paint job but it looks like water, or cloth, or anything but the energy beam it's meant to be. I hope it’s detachable, but then Ramos himself would look a bit ridiculous. I can’t tell from the released picture, but his upturned face looks a bit like he’s wearing an inane grin, so I really hope that isn’t the case.

Alt Rasputina

This is a cool model, and such a departure from the original sculpt. The billowing cloak and outstretched arms just evoke images of a raging snowstorm with Raspy at the center – very much like the Xmen’s Storm, but wrapped up in a warmer coat. When I get around to painting my Rasputina crew (currently still sitting in its box unfortunately), I think I’ll be swapping this mini in for my Master in the majority of games. I may have to do something with the base to counteract what I predict will be some stability issues though – it looks a very tall and potentially top-heavy model.

Avatar Rasputina

My thoughts on this model are already public. I’d been really looking forward to it ever since the miniaturized concept art teaser appeared on the Wyrd boards before GenCon. Then <i>that</i> picture was revealed and I found to my dismay that the model was a bit pants. The ridiculous afro on top of a tiny strange looking face. The fact that its torso is too large and out of proportion with its tiny stunted legs. The staticness of the pose and the fact that the arms look like they don’t have joints. Apparently there is an alternate head that matches the artwork – but I doubt that alone is going to save the model. Don’t get me wrong: I’ll still end up buying it, but it’ll have to undergo some major conversion work before I’ll be happy with it.

McTavish

I can't fault this model at all - he looks great, and will be an auto-include in a lot of gremlin lists. When we all heard about the alligator handler I think we pictured a gigantic beast, but realistically I think the gator he has is probably about as big as a regular person could handle. Using an alligator as your melee weapon is made of win. As is hitting piglets with a stick for your ranged attack, but we'll get to that another month, along with my love of animal cruelty.

Sue

Highly anticpated model here - and it's a very nice one. I'm not familiar enough with Johnny Cash to spot the inevitable references and in-jokes that likely cover this model, but I'm sure someone will be able to point them out. The gunfighter pose is striking and unique - in that stance he looks a bit like a slimmer, more nimble version of Santiago with smaller guns crossed with a Warhammer Witch Hunter. And the flaming guitar actually works - possibly because it's quite understated.

Mike