Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: Hobby Services on 18 July 2016, 07:54:30 PM
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Didn't realize these were due out already, but Reaper just listed a whole slew of plastic CAV models on their web store over here:
https://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/CAV:%20Strike%20Operations/release
Seems like they'll be useful as BTech proxies, as well as for more generic 6mm scifi mecha gaming. Some potential for use as 15mm or even 28mm robots too. Certainly reasonably priced, as is normally the case for Reaper plastics. Not sure how bendy the stuff will be with these models, but it certainly can't compare to the Bones swords and staves in the fantasy ranges.
Looking at the ones that have parts breakdowns, they may be pretty modular too. Arm swaps/weapon pod swaps at least. Have to try some of that. Given the body shapes on some of them they might also be good proxies for Zentraedi battle pods for Robotechies, although I'm not sure about how well the sizes compare.
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Interesting. I thought these were going to be Bones? Looks like a different material.
If anything this will present a huge "parts bin" for people mashing together mechs of all sorts, if the plastic is workable.
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The link says they are made with BonesTM plastic.
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It doesn't, but I see it says it on each figure if you click on it. I guess they're using grey then, because it looks like different material.
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It doesn't, but I see it says it on each figure if you click on it. I guess they're using grey then, because it looks like different material.
The color of Bones plastic has been quite variable over the last year, and most of the more recent figs I've seen (including ones from the first KS that are presumably in reprint runs) are now a pale gray rather than the pristine white they once were. May even have been some very minor remasterings. The modern shoggoth seems a bit different from the first ones I did, with a slight incline to the bottom of the model that makes it sit at an angle rather than flat on the ground.
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Cool, wasn't complaining. Just didn't see the Bones logo on the main page so the grey caught me. Bones is good-to-go. These being a bit larger/blockier they should fare better than the smaller, more slight figures.
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I have a couple of the metal ones stashed away somewhere that worked as wardroids in a Star Wars campaign, so they do work for some things with 25-32mm as well
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Interesting. I thought these were going to be Bones? Looks like a different material
So saw a load of the CAV Bones a few months back. The figs were in two shades of material.
Grimm
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IIRC during the kickstarter there was some mention of this being a slightly different consistency of plastic... Might be wrong though. It's still bones but like elbows says these are blocky enough models for it to work. Maybe some of the longer thinner barrels will be a bit bendy but I never liked the look of those anyway, so if I end up getting these I will probably replace the barrels anyway. I was going to say I paulson games makes a lot of nice tau-like guns but it appears they got shut down earlier this week. In any case large ish sci-fi cannons aren't hard to come by.
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IIRC during the kickstarter there was some mention of this being a slightly different consistency of plastic... Might be wrong though. It's still bones but like elbows says these are blocky enough models for it to work. Maybe some of the longer thinner barrels will be a bit bendy but I never liked the look of those anyway, so if I end up getting these I will probably replace the barrels anyway. I was going to say I paulson games makes a lot of nice tau-like guns but it appears they got shut down earlier this week. In any case large ish sci-fi cannons aren't hard to come by.
Almost every Ground Zero Games 15mm vehicle I've ever bought came with 2-3 gun barrel options, for ex. Most of those would easily work for part swaps.
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They look great and they're even cheaper ($5-7 each) than I thought they'd be (I was assuming $8 a piece).
Great to see an affordable 10mm (some useable in 6mm) miniature range has hit retail!
On the other hand, it looks like with the exception of infantry the metal CAV range is gone from the store and even the "Robot Supply Depot" is empty except for CAV playing cards. I wonder if this is permanent or temporary.
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They look great and they're even cheaper ($5-7 each) than I thought they'd be (I was assuming $8 a piece).
Great to see an affordable 10mm (some useable in 6mm) miniature range has hit retail!
On the other hand, it looks like with the exception of infantry the metal CAV range is gone from the store and even the "Robot Supply Depot" is empty except for CAV playing cards. I wonder if this is permanent or temporary.
The Boneyard parts service has also been gone for a while now, and when I asked Reaper CS about it they said it was being reorganized and would probably eventually return. Whether the same thing is going on with the Robot Supply Depot I don't know, but it seems likely. Really going to be very unhappy if their various parts services are gone for good, though.
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The Boneyard parts service has also been gone for a while now, and when I asked Reaper CS about it they said it was being reorganized and would probably eventually return. Whether the same thing is going on with the Robot Supply Depot I don't know, but it seems likely. Really going to be very unhappy if their various parts services are gone for good, though.
Oh, I wasn't aware that the boneyard was gone. I guess the only parts you can get are the ones they choose to make available as separate sprues?
I was curious about the Robot Supply Depot because that wasn't just parts, it was a whole range of units that are now gone. Of course I wouldn't be surprised if the sales of the units there just tanked with the last price raise which may hasten it's demise.
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I am on the phone so this will be quite short. I think they are pretty awful. Many stand at attention poses and lots of wtf were they thinking with the robot designs. I don't understand it myself. With a Mecha game surely the Mecha is the most important thing to make look awesome and yet with so many games they are sub par at best.
Honestly don't get the whole Big Stompy Robot thing so I really don't see any difference between manufacturers myself. A giant, impractical target is... a giant, impractical target in my eyes/mind. They all seem pretty awful to me, not just CAV. But the market will be the best judge of these.
Buy the ones that fit you aesthetic and play happily. Life is too short for miniatures you don't like.
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I'm afraid for me too there are more CAV models I don't like then those I do. John bear ross who did some of the designs had some stuff about revisiting old designs on his blog and his new versions looked a lot better. I feel like with setting up such a huge production run of the things having them also re-sculpted wouldn't have been that big a deal? I'd loved to take that job. :D
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I have always loved the look of mechs, I own one of the numerous versions of Battletech but have never played it! I played my mate's edition a couple of times in the 80s and quite enjoyed it.
I am intrigued by CAV, and I do like the range of plastics - especially the price ;)
I'm curious - roughly how tall are these Reaper mechs? I know they're 10mm scale, I think, but not sure what that works out to in actual robot height.
I am very tempted to check this game out - if I can persuade anyone to play it! ;)
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Not much interested in the giant robot thing either but, at first, I would have liked to buy some cheap ground vehicles and planes/dropship/fighters but these “smaller” models seem pretty awful in Bones material… :?
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I am intrigued by CAV, and I do like the range of plastics - especially the price ;)
I'm curious - roughly how tall are these Reaper mechs? I know they're 10mm scale, I think, but not sure what that works out to in actual robot height.
I've read a few reviews that say between 45 and 55mm.
I've got a few of the metal CAVs but they're packed away right now. The range is pretty big so I'm sure there are exceptions, and I know some units have been re-sized in Bones. However, my feeling was that they'd be good Heavy and Assault Mechs in Classic Battletech and if using them with 10mm Mechwarrior clix -as I plan to- they tend to work as light and medium units. Personally, I think that's a good thing as my collection of Mechwarrior clix seems to not have as much variety at the lower end of the scale.
I picked up the original CAV rulebook and the two "Journals of Recognition" but could never get the group intersted enough to try. I haven't got the interest anymore. Now if I field any CAV's, it will be in games of Mech Attack or Alpha Strike which we play in 10mm with rebased Clicky mechs.
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Some of the CAV mechs look quite nice but everything looks rather soft in bones plastic. I wasn't impressed with the few fantasy models I've painted in that material. Bargain price but you get what you pay for!
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Some of the CAV mechs look quite nice but everything looks rather soft in bones plastic. I wasn't impressed with the few fantasy models I've painted in that material. Bargain price but you get what you pay for!
Disagree. I've painted lots of Bones fantasy stuff, and there are many sculpts that are as good or better in plastic than in metal. You get far more than you pay for in many cases, especially with larger than man-sized models where the material really works best. For ex, I've done these models in both metal and plastic and the plastic was identical in casting quality and easier to work with:
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/bXYAAOSw0fhXi--l/s-l1600.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/SVEAAOSwMNxXYec9/s-l1600.jpg)
Also much simpler to kitbash than metal ever was, and the lower price makes it economical to do so with:
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/facAAOSwuhhXVIVM/s-l1600.jpg)
(http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/u9EAAOSwOVpXac2F/s-l1600.jpg)
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I got turned off them by the tendency to stay sticky for weeks after priming even with supposedly safe sprays, and then becoming sticky again months after varnishing. Not to mention the soft detail on many of the early ones and the bent swords/figures that no amount of hot water treatment will keep straight. You need that modability because so many aren't usable straight out of the package. Then there's the problems cleaning mold lines...
Maybe they've ironed out the formulas, but I'd never buy sight-unseen and all the other problems I've had with the material have kept me from working on the stuff I do have.
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I love the bones range but don't think I'd go near the CAV stuff with a 20' barge pole. I have a lot of bones, no CAV ones though so am assuming that they are the exact same materials to the same formula but Bones is just too bendy and the amount of deformed pieces, even on weapons of giants etc, makes me think that the gun barrels of these will come out very askew. And with something that is meant to be mechanical, even a slight bend/kink will look strange.
@Scurv I think taking the "s" off the "https" in the youtube link will make it show as a clip on your post. Learned that from someone here. :)
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I've read a few reviews that say between 45 and 55mm.
Many thanks Eilif!
I am having a few reservations about using Reaper for mechs now, as I agree with a few other people that the bendy factor could be an issue. I checked out the CAV range on eBay last night and it was obvious even from the pictures on there that they look prone to bending - not good! Agree with the comment that you get what you pay for.
That mech itch needs to be scratched now - the Battletech 25th anniversary starter set seems to be the one, if I can generate any oponents form amongst my lot that is! ;D
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Disagree. I've painted lots of Bones fantasy stuff, and there are many sculpts that are as good or better in plastic than in metal. You get far more than you pay for in many cases, especially with larger than man-sized models where the material really works best.
Lovely work! :o
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Many thanks Eilif!
I am having a few reservations about using Reaper for mechs now, as I agree with a few other people that the bendy factor could be an issue. I checked out the CAV range on eBay last night and it was obvious even from the pictures on there that they look prone to bending - not good! Agree with the comment that you get what you pay for.
That mech itch needs to be scratched now - the Battletech 25th anniversary starter set seems to be the one, if I can generate any oponents form amongst my lot that is! ;D
It's a fair concern, but I've had tons of fun with Mechwarrior clix which are made of a very smilar material.
I've had good and bad experiences with Bones. However, my only really bad figs were first gen bones that had some soft details. I've heard that the formulation has been improved and depending on how the CAV bones look at my FLGS, I'd definitely be willing to buy some bones mecha.
The 25th aniversary starter is an unbeatable deal however, especially since they improved their molds which made the figs in the box alot better.
As for Bones in general, you simply have to:
-Clean before use
-NOT use spray paints (use gesso or other brush on)
-Use a brush-on varnish. (I've cheated on this a few times...)
Especially with larger models, I'm more than willing to follow those simple instructions if it means I'm getting great big minis at a very small price. As for small ones, I mostly stick to plastic and metal, but that has more to do with the affordability of used minis than bones problems.