Unboxed: Plastic Farseer

For my upcoming commission project, my friend wants to do a Farseer and Warlock biker set.  To do that, we decided upon the new plastic Farseer kit from GW!  So, to show off the new kit, I've done a short unboxing.  Hope this helps those of you who have been looking at the kit to see just what you can use it for!

Review: SWM Flight Deck Bases

After a weekend gaming with friends, I arrived home Saturday night to a package from Secret Weapon Miniatures.  Inside I found a set of beveled edge flight deck bases I had ordered earlier last week.  These bases were released late last year and have been one of the base styles I've had my eye on for some time.  Thanks to misterjustin, I finally have my mitts on them and have taken the liberty of photographing them out of the bag so that others can see what to expect should they pick up a set themselves. 

The set.

60mm Top

60mm bottom

25mm Top

40mm Top

40mm Bottom

There is some flash around a lot of the bases, but it's nothing that a quick shave with a hobby knife can't handle.  The tops of the bases are all immaculate and don't have any bubbles or warping.  The bottoms of all resin bases tend to have some bubbles from the process but none of them ended up around the edges and there was only one larger bubble that I found and that's shown above on the 40mm base. Details are crisp and surprisingly fine.  There are some bases that I was quite impressed by because of how well the textures take while staying so shallow.

I'm really looking forward to putting these to use in the near future.  Right now I'm considering using them to build upon for some fun space hulk style basing for my Angels Sanguine.  But really, these are cool enough to spark an entirely new project if I'm not careful! 

Review: Citadel Finecast Commander Dante

Citadel Finecast (in case you haven't already heard) is the latest line of models from Games Workshop.  Finecast is a line of highly detailed resin models that replaced many of GW's metal classics.  I stopped by my friendly, local game store yesterday to take a look at the selection and pick up a Commander Dante for comparison.

Product Review: Dragonforge Lost Empires Bases

A while back I was the lucky recipient of a set of Dragonforge Designs Lost Empires bases.  Jeff ran a contest on his blog for $50 of product from the Dragonforge shop and the fates were in my corner (for once)!  I had seen the Lost Empires set while digging around their site a few times before, and knew where my winnings would go.

The package arrived in a small flip top box, and I immediately went to cutting the tape to get to the fresh resin inside.  One of the first things I noticed was the coloring, it's not the same resin I've come accustomed to from the likes of Forgeworld.  This resin has a lot more heft to it, it has a more solid feel, and even seems to have some plastic like qualities.  It's hard to explain, but I really like the material and wouldn't mind seeing more companies using it.

The amount of flash and clean up was almost negligible.  You can see in the photo above a good indicator of what most of the bases looked like right out of the baggies.  I just ran a sculpting tool along the edge and was finished!  You'll notice that there isn't any pitting or miscast details on the base, with a fantastic level of detail, just look at the surface of each hex for an indicator of the quality of each cast!

I really enjoy all of the variety of the bases, with 10 different 25mm bases, it's easy to mix things up a bit and should you need additional variety, a little fine sand will easily do the trick on the less elaborate bases.  The larger pieces have a few really special details, like the statue heads and large yin-yang flooring.  This is one of the few sets out there that walks the line between exceptional detail and functionality.  A lot of good flat surfaces for mounting models, with creative and well executed detailing.

The biggest tell for quality when you're talking bases is always the bottom, and as you can see in the above, Dragonforge passes with flying colors in this area.  The bottoms of the bases are good and level, no worries about off balance figures from a leaning base.  They are also relatively free of pitting, only two small pits in even the largest base I picked up.  This sort of pride in their product is evident from first glance to finished base, and really speaks volumes for the sort of pieces they are trying to produce from even a small home grown effort.

Overall, if they've got a set you've been eying for that next project, I say pull the trigger and pick them up.  You won't be disappointed, and will have saved a few hours sculpting, carving and detailing the bases yourself.  Just be sure you pin those metal models down!

I hope this small look at this wonderful set helped those of you looking to make a purchase in the future.  I'll definitely be looking to do some additional reviews of this nature in the future.  If you have any experience with Dragonforge products, we'd like to hear about it!

Miniature Painting Master Class - California Bay Area

Those of you that were jealous of me heading up to Adepticon for some great painting seminars now get your chance for revenge: Mathieu Fontaine is hosting a Miniature Painting Master Class in the Bay Area July 10th and 11th.  Yes!  That's two days (over twenty intensive hours) taught by an award winning painter to a cozy class of twenty lucky students.

I took Mathieu's four hour class at Adepticon and those four hours were worth a year of my poking around and learning on my own.  I can't understate the benefit of actually receiving instruction at the same time you are painting and getting immediate feedback.

More information on the event and how to sign up can be found over at Mathieu's blog.

Field Report: CNC Miniature Scenery

Warpstone Flux has posted a two part quick review of CNC Miniature Scenery's Imperial Ruins. I've seen this company's scenery before and it really looks like a great product. Good to see someones first impressions with photos of the product just out of the box as well. Links as follows: Part 1 Part 2.

Have you posted an article to your own site recently? Read something amazing you think others should check out? Have an old link in your Bookmarks that you've been saving for a rainy day? We want to see em! Send your suggestions to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com and we'll get the word out!

Field Report: Miniature Mentor Review

Our good friend CMDante has posted a great review of a video from the Miniature Mentor series. Head over and check out his thoughts on the Todd Swanson Masterclass here.

Have you posted an article to your own site recently? Read something amazing you think others should check out? Have an old link in your Bookmarks that you've been saving for a rainy day? We want to see em! Send your suggestions to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com and we'll get the word out!

Content Review: INCURSION Boxed Game

I've been waiting for this a long time now. From the first day I saw Grindhouse Games' website for Incursion, I was hooked. WW2, Zombies, Power Armored US infantry, Zombies! The artwork on the site was phenomenal and added a grittiness to the entire presentation that sets the tone for something amazing. Now, after so many months of waiting, this boxed set is here and I couldn't be more pleased.


Once open you're given a look at the reference sheet. I am a sucker for these things, and they give you a real benefit when trying to remember the things you use a lot, and it's all at a quick glance. That said, this is one of the few gripes I have about this set, the sheet is thin card, not quick a paper sheet but not quick card stock. You're going to need to laminate this bad boy if you plan to keep it around for a while in good condition. That's my plan at least!


The rules and mission book is all in full color glossy paper. It's got all the things you'd expect, a quick story bit, some rundown on characters and rules and a 7 Missions. All of that beautiful artwork we've been drooling over for so many months finds its way into the book, with a great eye toward the layout and design of the book. Unfortunately there isn't much in the way of new art, some additional pieces would have made an already great book a fantastic one. It's understandable though, as art costs money, and there are some neat details here and there. Haven't read the rules through yet or much of the book, so I can't attest to that end yet.


Four cards worth chits, game pieces and effects await you. The folks at Grindhouse have said that you may want to be a bit careful with yours though, as some people have had issues getting them out cleanly. A quick slice in a few spots with a hobby knife will fix that though. The cards are semi-gloss on one side and matt on the other. Some great variation in doors, but less so in the zombie pieces. Though for simplicity of play, it does make sense for certain things to look the same. The details are clean and pictures crisp. A very nice addition is reminders on the backs of come of the chits as to what they are representing, a really great touch. The card isn't as thick as say Space Hulk chits, but plenty thick enough for regular use.


The map is set on a nice thick card with fantastic detailing. They really did a great job breaking up the monotony throughout with a good attention to detail. I've already got more ideas for future INCURSION model bases just from looking at it! The map is set half on one side half on the other though, which throws me off a bit as you couldn't play the full map without buying two boxed sets! Very crafty Grindhouse, very crafty indeed...


Lots of storage space in the box. In the above you can see the slots for different things, along with the bases used for playing pieces ( which you get a lot of ). It's nice to have a company pay attention to such a small detail like partitions in the box. Smart boxed set design here.


The cards are all full color as well, set on good playing card stock. They are mostly matt with a good feel to them. The coloring is vibrant and everything is easy to read. All of the backs are the same INCURSION emblem.


Above is another shot of the cards with a Character card to give a bit of a better sense of the layout for them. All stats along the left with the character info to the bottom right. The art is clean and crisp as I've come to expect from this set.


And in the end it comes down to the dice. They're nothing special unfortunately. Simple, get the job done dice set. At least they have a nice little slot to settle into to keep them with your game! I think I'll find something special for the game though in the future.

In the end, this is a quality product from a great and responsive young company. They're doing quite well with a great bit of support from the community at large. I hope to find some time and friends in the near future to really dig in with this one. Should you find yourself in need of some Wierd World War 2 action but don't have the time to invest in new models, you need to check this set out.

Anyone who has gotten a few games under their belt have some insight into the mechanics of this one? We would love to hear your thoughts!