December Model Review
After some arguing about model reviews on the Infinity forums, I decided that it was high time to post my own model reviews. So, without further ado...
The Crane Agent
Ranking 8/10
I don't know about you, but I've been waiting for the Crane for a while. The idea of a lawyer-with-commando-training heading up an ISS unit is pretty sweet. Although I've had a hankering for some Crane, I've given the model an 8 based on a few considerations, which I'll talk about in brief. Keep in mind that this is a subjective ranking.
The Crane is supposed to be a no-nonsense, carte-blanche-wielding agent answering only to the Emperor, but he looks like he is posed ready to lead the charge over the next ridge. Sword held boldly in hand, he points towards the horizon where the enemy musters.
...except that he's not exactly supposed to be that kind of military operative. I imagine the Crane kicking down doors (or getting his Celestial Guard buddies to do so), dragging away offenders, laying down some monofilament violence if necessary, but not leading a all-out charge. It doesn't help that he's standing heroically on a piece of rubble (a severed bit of a Combined Army troop?), meaning I'll have to tinker with him to base him with my industrial complex technique. He looks like he's a bit off-balance, no less. But I digress.
I'm also not a fan of the shoulder-fins. I know that the Yu Jing light Heavy Infantry (and the Wu Ming, I think) seem to be distinguished by those fins, but I prefer them jutting out of the model's back or shoulder-blade area, not out of the model's clavicle.
I am, however, a big fan of the "new" MULTI Rifle, especially since the Crane strikes me as a model that would carry a scaled-back (but just as potent) version of a standard military issue weapon. Its armour looks suitably light, not like the chunky stuff the Hsien and other HI are wearing (for good reason), and the coat/tabard thing looks fantastically done. Even the techno-braid is well-situated and gives the Crane an air of menace rather than making it look like it's on a catwalk.
Overall, the Crane could have been pushed to a 9 by being posed in a more sinister manner suited to his position in the Yu Jing army, or by not being posed with one foot up in a classic "charge!" pose. The model's detail looks very well-sculpted; it's just the pose that could use some work.
Zero Hacker
Ranking 7/10
I was honestly going to rank the Zero along with the Farzan, at least at first glance. The model is of a standard we expect from CB, but the pose is plain and I don't know how many people were hankering for yet another Zero. Now that I think of it, this Zero looks like he's trying to be The Matrix's Neo, holding out his hand to stop bullets as they whizz towards him.
Except that we all know how that's going to turn out, don't we.
The Zero really redeems himself, though, with that little D-Charge he's palming. Although his pose isn't tremendously exciting, that one little detail drives him up from "ho-hum" to "oh, that's cool": he's got two charges left on his belt, and it looks like he's ready to slap the last one on the first thing he immobilizes.
Other than that little detail, though, he's just another Zero that Nomad players weren't exactly looking for. He's got enough to be interesting, but not enough to be something that gets Nomad players all fired up. He isn't a bad sculpt, though, so I give him a 7 out of 10.
Dragoes
Ranking 8/10
Appropriately dragon-y in appearance, the Drago(e?) is a very cool TAG. I think that it's received a lot of hate because it's "not as good as the Cutter", but it's a cheap option that PanO players can add to their toolbox. Besides which, it's a Gundam, and PanO players have been begging for a TAG for quite some time. For that alone, I may have been a bit generous with its ranking.
I understand the reasoning behind mounting the HRMC on the Drago's shoulder. After all, an electromagnetic-powered rail gun should have some sort of solid support, and not everyone can be as cool as the Szalamandra and her high-tech Nomad refitters/engineers. I originally envisioned the Drago as carrying a massive gatling-style weapon, but I don't mind said massive gun being mounted Predator-style on the thing's shoulder.
My problem with the Drago is its measly flamethrower and empty open hand. Compared to the mighty HRMC, the gun it actually carries in its hands looks rather pathetic, and nothing really distinguishes it as a flamethrower rather than, say, any other PanO gun with canister ammo. It might have been improved if the flamethrower were being carried in two hands, ready to torch the rainforests that stand in the way of PanO's advance.
Hassassin Farzan
Ranking 6.5/10
Impassive and ready for action, the Farzan stands ready to take control of any flagging Haqqislam force. It fills an interesting - and unique - roll in the Haqqislam army, and I think players were expecting a comparable visual presentation as a result.
Sadly, the Farzan is simply standing there, impassive and ready for action. That's ok, because it matches the fluff for these observers and mentors, but CB could have done something to make the Farzan more visually appealing than it is. CB figures tend to be dynamic, frozen in a moment of combat, and the Farzan seems frozen in a moment of "hey guys, I'm here."
That said, the Farzan is not an ugly figure. It's plain, but it looks like what it's supposed to be. Its gun looks great, and I hope that it heralds more such weapons in the near future. I just wish that the Farzan had something to distinguish it as a different type of Hassassin, since each of them has something visually distinct about them.
Traktor Mul
Ranking 8.5/10
Ariadnans have been waiting to see their remotes for a while now, and the Traktor Mul don't disappoint! Looking like a cross between 2001: A Space Odyssey's HAL, Portal's GLaDOS, and good ol' fashioned treaded ATVs, these little buggers hit stores just in time for Christmas shopping. Coincidence? I highly doubt it.
As remotes, the Traktor Mul aren't really "posed", but the little orb between their turrets gives them a fair bit of character. In an act of what might possibly be some sort of revenge on the crazed robots I mentioned earlier, CB has loaded the Traktor Mul with enough baggage to feed an army. Even better, the way the bags are strapped onto the seat-like back makes me wonder if - some point in the far future - similar remotes might carry people (Braces, anyone?) instead of supplies.
I'll bet you're wondering why I didn't give these lovely remotes a 10, since I'm being so bubbly about them and all. Well, as much as I'm a big fan of the HAL/GLaDOS-like turret orbs, they're the one piece of the Traktor Mul that stand out as a potential downside. On their own, they look fantastic...but once you attach them to the body of the remote, it looks like they're just sitting there, not really integrated in any way: the flat bottom of the orb really stands out from the contours of the Traktor Mul's body, making it look like it would have a lot of trouble swivelling in any direction, never mind trying to lock onto a target...
And hey, with treads like those, I find myself wishing the Traktor Mul were faster than 4-2/no Multiterrain. Why couldn't the poor Muls have wheels instead?
Patroclus
Ranking 9.5/10
The companion of Achilles, ass-kicker in his own right, and carrying a Holoprojector 2 besides, Patroclus storms into the winner's circle this month. I know that there has been some mumbling about certain of Patroclus' body parts, but I feel that the figure is still the month's strongest by far. Here's why.
In the Illiad, Patroclus so closely resembles Achilles that the Trojans mistake one for the other. CB's Patroclus does look very much like Achilles, and if you were to give Aleph's poster boy a hair-cut/style and slightly grittier look, you'd probably end up with this model. Patroclus looks distinct enough from Achilles to be his own model, but the resemblance is clearly there.
Patroclus is also posed to kill. While Achilles poses like Brad Pitt menacing Agamemnon in Troy, Patroclus looks like he's about to bring his sword down on someone's head. This is one of those "models in a snapshot of motion" that CB is so lauded for, and it's a good one: you can just feel Patroclus smiting some poor sucker from behind his Holoprojector.
My one complaint with the model has to do with its sword. Patroclus is raising his right hand to support the sword, and probably to bring it down on the enemy's head with the strength of two hands, but the sword itself is puny. Granted, the Myrmidons all seem to carry swords that are relatively short (probably in honour of the Grecian Xiphos). Granted, even Achilles has one of these babies. Still, I can't help but feel that Patroclus' mighty pose would be better served by a bigger weapon, one that looks like it can actually be used two-handed with some level of comfort.
The Crane Agent
Ranking 8/10
I don't know about you, but I've been waiting for the Crane for a while. The idea of a lawyer-with-commando-training heading up an ISS unit is pretty sweet. Although I've had a hankering for some Crane, I've given the model an 8 based on a few considerations, which I'll talk about in brief. Keep in mind that this is a subjective ranking.
The Crane is supposed to be a no-nonsense, carte-blanche-wielding agent answering only to the Emperor, but he looks like he is posed ready to lead the charge over the next ridge. Sword held boldly in hand, he points towards the horizon where the enemy musters.
...except that he's not exactly supposed to be that kind of military operative. I imagine the Crane kicking down doors (or getting his Celestial Guard buddies to do so), dragging away offenders, laying down some monofilament violence if necessary, but not leading a all-out charge. It doesn't help that he's standing heroically on a piece of rubble (a severed bit of a Combined Army troop?), meaning I'll have to tinker with him to base him with my industrial complex technique. He looks like he's a bit off-balance, no less. But I digress.
I'm also not a fan of the shoulder-fins. I know that the Yu Jing light Heavy Infantry (and the Wu Ming, I think) seem to be distinguished by those fins, but I prefer them jutting out of the model's back or shoulder-blade area, not out of the model's clavicle.
I am, however, a big fan of the "new" MULTI Rifle, especially since the Crane strikes me as a model that would carry a scaled-back (but just as potent) version of a standard military issue weapon. Its armour looks suitably light, not like the chunky stuff the Hsien and other HI are wearing (for good reason), and the coat/tabard thing looks fantastically done. Even the techno-braid is well-situated and gives the Crane an air of menace rather than making it look like it's on a catwalk.
Overall, the Crane could have been pushed to a 9 by being posed in a more sinister manner suited to his position in the Yu Jing army, or by not being posed with one foot up in a classic "charge!" pose. The model's detail looks very well-sculpted; it's just the pose that could use some work.
Zero Hacker
Ranking 7/10
I was honestly going to rank the Zero along with the Farzan, at least at first glance. The model is of a standard we expect from CB, but the pose is plain and I don't know how many people were hankering for yet another Zero. Now that I think of it, this Zero looks like he's trying to be The Matrix's Neo, holding out his hand to stop bullets as they whizz towards him.
Except that we all know how that's going to turn out, don't we.
The Zero really redeems himself, though, with that little D-Charge he's palming. Although his pose isn't tremendously exciting, that one little detail drives him up from "ho-hum" to "oh, that's cool": he's got two charges left on his belt, and it looks like he's ready to slap the last one on the first thing he immobilizes.
Other than that little detail, though, he's just another Zero that Nomad players weren't exactly looking for. He's got enough to be interesting, but not enough to be something that gets Nomad players all fired up. He isn't a bad sculpt, though, so I give him a 7 out of 10.
Dragoes
Ranking 8/10
Appropriately dragon-y in appearance, the Drago(e?) is a very cool TAG. I think that it's received a lot of hate because it's "not as good as the Cutter", but it's a cheap option that PanO players can add to their toolbox. Besides which, it's a Gundam, and PanO players have been begging for a TAG for quite some time. For that alone, I may have been a bit generous with its ranking.
I understand the reasoning behind mounting the HRMC on the Drago's shoulder. After all, an electromagnetic-powered rail gun should have some sort of solid support, and not everyone can be as cool as the Szalamandra and her high-tech Nomad refitters/engineers. I originally envisioned the Drago as carrying a massive gatling-style weapon, but I don't mind said massive gun being mounted Predator-style on the thing's shoulder.
My problem with the Drago is its measly flamethrower and empty open hand. Compared to the mighty HRMC, the gun it actually carries in its hands looks rather pathetic, and nothing really distinguishes it as a flamethrower rather than, say, any other PanO gun with canister ammo. It might have been improved if the flamethrower were being carried in two hands, ready to torch the rainforests that stand in the way of PanO's advance.
Hassassin Farzan
Ranking 6.5/10
Impassive and ready for action, the Farzan stands ready to take control of any flagging Haqqislam force. It fills an interesting - and unique - roll in the Haqqislam army, and I think players were expecting a comparable visual presentation as a result.
Sadly, the Farzan is simply standing there, impassive and ready for action. That's ok, because it matches the fluff for these observers and mentors, but CB could have done something to make the Farzan more visually appealing than it is. CB figures tend to be dynamic, frozen in a moment of combat, and the Farzan seems frozen in a moment of "hey guys, I'm here."
That said, the Farzan is not an ugly figure. It's plain, but it looks like what it's supposed to be. Its gun looks great, and I hope that it heralds more such weapons in the near future. I just wish that the Farzan had something to distinguish it as a different type of Hassassin, since each of them has something visually distinct about them.
Traktor Mul
Ranking 8.5/10
Ariadnans have been waiting to see their remotes for a while now, and the Traktor Mul don't disappoint! Looking like a cross between 2001: A Space Odyssey's HAL, Portal's GLaDOS, and good ol' fashioned treaded ATVs, these little buggers hit stores just in time for Christmas shopping. Coincidence? I highly doubt it.
As remotes, the Traktor Mul aren't really "posed", but the little orb between their turrets gives them a fair bit of character. In an act of what might possibly be some sort of revenge on the crazed robots I mentioned earlier, CB has loaded the Traktor Mul with enough baggage to feed an army. Even better, the way the bags are strapped onto the seat-like back makes me wonder if - some point in the far future - similar remotes might carry people (Braces, anyone?) instead of supplies.
I'll bet you're wondering why I didn't give these lovely remotes a 10, since I'm being so bubbly about them and all. Well, as much as I'm a big fan of the HAL/GLaDOS-like turret orbs, they're the one piece of the Traktor Mul that stand out as a potential downside. On their own, they look fantastic...but once you attach them to the body of the remote, it looks like they're just sitting there, not really integrated in any way: the flat bottom of the orb really stands out from the contours of the Traktor Mul's body, making it look like it would have a lot of trouble swivelling in any direction, never mind trying to lock onto a target...
And hey, with treads like those, I find myself wishing the Traktor Mul were faster than 4-2/no Multiterrain. Why couldn't the poor Muls have wheels instead?
Patroclus
Ranking 9.5/10
The companion of Achilles, ass-kicker in his own right, and carrying a Holoprojector 2 besides, Patroclus storms into the winner's circle this month. I know that there has been some mumbling about certain of Patroclus' body parts, but I feel that the figure is still the month's strongest by far. Here's why.
In the Illiad, Patroclus so closely resembles Achilles that the Trojans mistake one for the other. CB's Patroclus does look very much like Achilles, and if you were to give Aleph's poster boy a hair-cut/style and slightly grittier look, you'd probably end up with this model. Patroclus looks distinct enough from Achilles to be his own model, but the resemblance is clearly there.
Patroclus is also posed to kill. While Achilles poses like Brad Pitt menacing Agamemnon in Troy, Patroclus looks like he's about to bring his sword down on someone's head. This is one of those "models in a snapshot of motion" that CB is so lauded for, and it's a good one: you can just feel Patroclus smiting some poor sucker from behind his Holoprojector.
My one complaint with the model has to do with its sword. Patroclus is raising his right hand to support the sword, and probably to bring it down on the enemy's head with the strength of two hands, but the sword itself is puny. Granted, the Myrmidons all seem to carry swords that are relatively short (probably in honour of the Grecian Xiphos). Granted, even Achilles has one of these babies. Still, I can't help but feel that Patroclus' mighty pose would be better served by a bigger weapon, one that looks like it can actually be used two-handed with some level of comfort.
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