Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: Hobby Services on September 09, 2017, 10:36:48 PM
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Latest project, a ten-model squad of Mantic's "Marionette" combat robots (or maybe drones - I think they're teleoperated in Deadzone):
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/q2UAAOSwqSVZtFqy/s-l1000.jpg)
Modular multipart models in hard plastic with a fair amount of posing options and different weaponry.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/LZ0AAOSwy1VZtFq8/s-l1000.jpg)
Not quite as impressive a kit as the average modern GW frame, but still vastly better than their older restic figs were.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/MZkAAOSwNf1ZtFrK/s-l1000.jpg)
They share the frame with the parts to build one of three variants of grav drones, although those are still in the works.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/DWEAAOSwDMhZtFrC/s-l1000.jpg)
I'll give these an enthusiastic thumbs up, and I don't even play Warpath or the current version of Deadzone.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/LfEAAOSw1LRZtFq2/s-l1000.jpg)
They definitely work as fairly generic scifi combots, with obvious uses in Rogue Stars, Void Pirates, Blasters & Bulkheads, and a bunch of roleplaying games.
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Those look great! Is that a metallic green?
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Nice.
A sprue photograph would have been useful.
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Those look great! Is that a metallic green?
Corellia Greenshade wash over three layers of metallic highlighting, actually.
A sprue photograph would have been useful.
Maybe next time I do a box. Isn't there one on the Mantic site anyway, or aren't they imitating GW that accurately? :)
Oh, and I finished one of the gun drones you can build with the kit.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/gTEAAOSwI4BZtIM4/s-l1000.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/XMwAAOSwqYZZtINA/s-l1000.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/UFkAAOSwLmZZtINN/s-l1000.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/eYYAAOSwOhVZtINT/s-l1000.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0BUAAOSw2AFZtINZ/s-l1000.jpg)
Absurdly cute little death machine, isn't it? Think it's best as a Riot Control Security Bot ala Traveller.
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They are neat. Thanks for highlighting them, hopefully there will be some at Colours next week, I see the release date is the 22nd.
I had not seen that Mantic were producing them in plastic rather than resin. The site does not have a sprue picture (PSC has stopped adding sprue pictures and the instructions on their site).
I find being able to see the sprues and the instructions reassuring.
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I like the robots. They look sleek and menacing, and your paintjob works very well on them. Though, I can't say I'm very impressed by the design of the drone.
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These look cool... I hadn't noticed them before. You have done a nice job on them too :)
Here's the sprue pic from the website:
(http://www.manticgames.com/ImageCache/Products/6432.1.1000.1000.FFFFFF.0.jpeg)
Site link:
http://www.manticgames.com/mantic-shop/deadzone/asterians/product/marionettes.html
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As you might guess from the sprue photo, the leg/torso pieces are separate - you get two baggies of them, each with five stances. It's a shame there's no instruction sheet (something Wyrd does very well compared to Mantic) since I still haven't figured out all of the smaller bits. The top row is extra cryptic:
Parts 1, 8, and 9 make up part of the camo drone
2 & 3 are the smaller gun drone weapons
4 is the flight post
5 is the foot of Marionette body 1
7 is part of the drone lower chasis
10 & 11 are the fins of the commo drone
But part 6? No idea. It's so tiny it could go almost anywhere, and doesn't appear to key into anything.
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Thanks, I did look on the site but could not find the sprue.
Except I was looking at the Cypher figures not Marionettes. That would explain it.
Thanks again.
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Cracking painting... and I do like the models!
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Thanks, I did look on the site but could not find the sprue.
Except I was looking at the Cypher figures not Marionettes. That would explain it.
Thanks again.
Yeah, the Cyphers are restic kits AFAIK. Did a bunch of them a while ago, not as well made as the Marionettes.
Another gun drone, this time painted in a matching scheme to the trooper bots. Figured it might help the Marionettes sell if I had at least one like this.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0d0AAOSwgKpZtWQl/s-l1000.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Y6EAAOSwMolZtWQ5/s-l1000.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/c4QAAOSw-URZtWRG/s-l1000.jpg)
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Corellia Greenshade wash over three layers of metallic highlighting, actually
Is "metallic highlighting" a technique or the name of a painting product?
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Is "metallic highlighting" a technique or the name of a painting product?
Technique. Not much to it, really. Start with a black base coat, highlight (or drybrush, although that'll be a little rougher looking usually) with successively lighter metallic paint shades, trying for a little less coverage each pass. The Marionettes were IIRC a 3-stage job, starting with Privateer Pig Iron, then Cold Steel, then a Vallejo silver. Follow that with a light greenshade wash and you're done except for detailing.
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Thank you, I'm going to give that a try after I finish the Forge Fathers that are on my desk!
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Thanks for details of the method.
They look great.
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These guys would look hreat in a post apoc setting as well with a bit of rust.
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These guys would look hreat in a post apoc setting as well with a bit of rust.
Agreed, especially the hovering drones. They'd fit Gamma World beautifully as leftover rogue warbots.
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I like that. I like your metallics too.
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These look really great in metallic colours! And so different to the official Mantic studio scheme as they deliberately eschewed any metallic paints.
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All these compliments, but not a soul willing to pay a lousy $5 a pop for them. Bah. No more Mantic for me.
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Great work my friend,
I was planning to get them to use as 15mm mechs.
Thanks for all the pics, appreciated.
One question, though ,as it is not clear.
I haven't got any stuff from Mantic yet . You used poly cement or superglue to build them ?
Will get them for sure now
Z
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Really great paintjob. The miniatures themselves remind me of the Therians from AT-43
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Must admit I quite like the marionette models - in plastic and quite versatile. Cyphers are still restic (though the 2 Dreadball 'Cyphers' - star players - are plastic), and I don't like restic.
Currently building these myself but for use as cyphers, with the Dreadball 'Cyphers' as 'Overseers/Leaders. Found that if you play with the parts, you can model a reasonable Black Talon (remembering that the Marionette body is the 'base' for this').
Don't like the 'Drones' though, but those paint jobs make them really pop
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Must admit I quite like the marionette models - in plastic and quite versatile. Cyphers are still restic (though the 2 Dreadball 'Cyphers' - star players - are plastic), and I don't like restic.
Agreed. I did a whole army of the earlier restic Asterians (as well as the other Deadzone factions) and it's just junk compared to plastic. There are few nice sculpts in the older range, but not many.
Currently building these myself but for use as cyphers, with the Dreadball 'Cyphers' as 'Overseers/Leaders. Found that if you play with the parts, you can model a reasonable Black Talon (remembering that the Marionette body is the 'base' for this').
Sensible. The Marionettes are better sculpts overall IMO. And you really don't want to skip on having Black Talons out there, those things are terrific.
Don't like the 'Drones' though, but those paint jobs make them really pop
Funny, they're actually my favorite thing in the kit. Not sure about their game efficiency but I love the sculpts - although the camo drone version is a bit bland. Then again, I liked the older (and very different) restic drones better than any of the other Asterian stuff, so maybe I just have a weakness for drones in general.
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Assembling a box of these now and it's worth mentioning that you can assemble 6 drones from the parts on the sprue, not just the 2 shown.
You'll need 4 more flying bases, and they'll be missing the very bottom section of the model (the "bulbs"), but hey. Sixteen models for £15 isn't bad :D
The set has greatly restored my faith in Mantic models.
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Assembling a box of these now and it's worth mentioning that you can assemble 6 drones from the parts on the sprue, not just the 2 shown.
You'll need 4 more flying bases, and they'll be missing the very bottom section of the model (the "bulbs"), but hey. Sixteen models for £15 isn't bad :D
The set has greatly restored my faith in Mantic models.
I repurposed the two comm drones (sans the grav lifter bulbs, of course) as Xar spaceships, and the camo drone toppers (by far the lamest of the three types in terms of looks - they seem to be popular in game terms though) are scheduled for use in a terrain project.
Still apparently not worth painting for resale, though. Mine are lingering on ebay at less than $6 apiece, which is obscenely low for painted 28mm anything.
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Ah, missed that, I've not been n here much recently. Sounds good though - I can see the Comm Drones as ships!
Popped mine on a length of brass wire and they're looking good.
I also put together a box of Enforcer jet bikes this evening. They went together really easily and snugly, and they look great - I'm pleasantly impressed with Mantic stuff again.
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They look good to me (both the paint job and the base models). I'm not familiar with the game they're meant for, but I could definitely imagine myself using them as alien units in an XCOM-inspired game.
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I also put together a box of Enforcer jet bikes this evening. They went together really easily and snugly, and they look great - I'm pleasantly impressed with Mantic stuff again.
Their hard plastics are light years ahead of the earlier restic stuff - and some of those weren't really all that bad either. They still seem to drop the ball aesthetically rather too often, but their production quality has really improved.
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Awesome figures