Its time for a new release wave for the awesome Dystopian Legions by Spartan Games.
The March releases (end of Feb in LGS) include a full Veteran Section and a Heavy Machine Gun team for each Nation. To top it off there are also some game objectives.
The wonderful guys at Spartan have given me the chance to have an early look at these new goodies, so over the next 5 days I will be reviewing them all 1 Nation at a time.
Today will be the-
Kingdom of Britannia
Sky Hussar Veteran Section
Lets start by having a look at the packaging.
On the front you have the details and names of what is inside plus a colour render of the Hussars Captain.
The back of the box gives you a little bit of background about the Section and shows renders of all the models included. If you have read one of my Dystopian Legions (DL) before you will know that I love the fact that Spartan use renders taken directly from the models. Some companies try to make models look appealing with stunning paintjobs but Spartan show off the exact details of each and let them speak for themselves.
Inside the box you will find 5 metal Sky Hussars with 'Ratpacks', 5 resin smoke plumes, 5 40mm bases, 2 blank Activation Cards, 1 Game Card and 1 DL Collectors card.
I have covered the cards and how they work in previous posts HERE
In the game this Section is counted as a Veteran Section of Aeronauts. This means they are the Kingdom of Britannia highly trained strike force and can move across the game boards at very high speeds compared to the land troops with the help of high powered rocket packs.
The Hussars are armed with Flamebelchers that give make them dangerous to opponents grouped up. The Specialist wields a Flamethrower that is as dangerous to Ironclads as the smaller versions are to Infantry.
The rules for all of the KoB Sections can be found in the Downloads area of the Spartan Games Website
Above you can see 3 of the Sky Hussars closer. 2 standard troops to the left and a specialist on the right.
All of the models come with a metal body, metal jetpack and resin smoke plume.
You may have seen these 3 before as they are the same as the models in the KoB Stater Box with only 1 little difference (which I will get to in a moment)
The tabs on the base of the feet are easy to clip off and leave almost no sign they were there as they attach to the bottoms of the boots. The bodies to have a couple of little vents (where metal escapes the mould) and a little mould line (where the halves of the mould meet) but these can be cleaned up on each model very quickly. No more work than any other model on the market to be honest.
Here we have the 2 new models in the box that don't appear in the Starter. On the left is the Captain and on the right is the Corporal. The Captain gives a huge advantage to this set as he can spend Command Points for all the special actions and even adds more to your pool.
A closer look at the resin smoke plumes shows the fantastic detail that captures the feel of rocket exhausts perfectly. The bases of these do have a tiny bit of extra resin on them. This could be cut off with a hobby knife or just covered over over with the basing materials you use.
The Captain and Corporal models are very nice additions to the Section. The Captain on the left has brought his own blade along and has a much smarter and more detailed uniform.
The Corporal on the right is marked with shoulder pads and the one thing that makes and Britannian Officer stand out. A Very British Moustache. What what! This seems to be a mark of rank in the troops, the bigger the top-lip facial hair, the higher the level of command.
The casts are as good as the basic troops with very few vents or mould lines and sharp, crisp details.
I mentioned above that something was different from the Starter box. Its the 'Ratpacks'.
These now much more detail on the outside of them with cables, dials and more. The bottom of the rockets have little tabs that you should NOT remove! These are how they attach to the smoke.
These pieces have a couple of mould lines and vents but no more than the other parts.
Sticking time!
The Sky Hussars were SIMPLE to build. The pack fits perfectly on the body and the rockets just slip into the tops of the smoke. You will need to hold these steady when gluing though as the body is heavy on the resin joint. Once dry they are very strong though.
Price - You can order these from the Spartan Store or The Troll Trader. From TT they are £19.80. That's only £4 per big metal and resin model. Absolute bargain!
Overall - I LOVE the Sky Hussars. The models capture the British 'feel' perfectly and they give such a sense of speed and movement. The detail and quality is also top notch.
My favourite models in the entire game so far!
I like them that much they will be getting the rarely seen -
10 out of 10 Badger Points!!!!!
Next up is the
Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) Team
The Brunel-Nordenfelt is a piece of engineering renowned across the world for its extreme range and withering firepower. A multi-barrelled volley gun with a thick gun shield to protect its valuable crew, this model exemplifies the sturdy, reliable nature of Britannian design. This is enhanced further by the heavy spoked wheels, and the detailed ammo crate carried by the second crewman adds great character to the piece.
The box for the HMG Section is of the usual Spartan standard. Everything you need to know including detailed renders and even a little fluff.
You will notice the box says HMG Section AND Section Upgrade. This is because they can be used in 2 different ways.
The first option is to add 1 HMG team as an Upgrade to a Linesman Infantry Section instead of the usual Flamethrower Specialist. They are slow to move so would work well with a large rifle Section taking advantage of the HUGE range they have to thin out enemy Infantry.
Or you can take 1-3 HMG Teams as their own Battalion Support Section. The range makes up for the slow speed but if you need to reposition them quickly, they have the Towable MAR (special rule) that lets them get pulled across the table by KoB Basset Tankettes.
I am going to be grabbing 2 more of these soon for a full Section!
Inside the box you get 3 metal models. 2 Crew and 1 HMG. You also have a round bases and a blank activation card. I will look at the Crew and HMG separately.
The crew are dressed in the same uniforms as the Linesman Infantry. One is kneeling to fire the HMG and the other is bringing over some more ammo. The details on these are great, just like the Hussars and the casting quality is just as good. Only a couple of tiny vents in lesser detailed areas and barely any mould lines to be seen.
The HMG itself comes itself comes in 6 parts.These do have a couple of little mould lines and vents but only on the flat edges that can be filed away. It isn't as detailed as the crew but being a mechanical war machine I didn't think it would have all the little add ons.
The HM goes together REALLY well. Each part fits perfectly. In fact the only bit I even had to hold was the small handle on the back.
My only problem was the fact that you would need to to tilt the gun forward a little to get the gunners hands to fit in the right position. I suggest a tiny bit of basing or even green stuff under the wheels to level it up so the barrels are flat.
Price - The HMG team is available from Spartan Store, Troll Trader and others that stock the DL range.
From TT the team comes in at £8.10. I think this is a really good price. I have seen single 35mm models go for this so it is a brilliant price for the team and HMG.
Overall - I really like the look and style of the HMG and crew. Apart from the tiny alignment issue I couldn't find anything else wrong with it at all. I highly recommend picking up one (or three) of these for your forces.
9 out of 10 Badger Points
Tomorrow I will be taking a look at the might of the Prussian Empire!
Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
