Reaper plastic CAV minis are out

[Hobby Services]

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.

[Elbows]

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.

[Cory]

The link says they are made with Bones^TM plastic.

[Elbows]

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. 

[Hobby Services]

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.

[Elbows]

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.

[SotF]

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

[Grimmnar]

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

[YPU]

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.

[Hobby Services]

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.

[eilif]

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.

[Hobby Services]

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. 

[eilif]

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.

[Conquistador]

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.

[YPU]

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.