Project Battlebox

Sooooooooooooo…I am super excited! I received a large shipment from Privateer Press today. I knew what was in the box, it contained the last vestiges of my Pressganger points that I earned from when I was a Pressganger. Totally stoked because contained within this box of supreme happiness was the battlebox of each Prime Faction (for those that don’t know anything at all about Warmachine or Hordes, the Prime Factions are the four factions outlined in the Warmachine/Hordes Prime Mk. II rulebooks. Go Go Gamer-slang). I crack open the most unassuming brown box to see the wrapping paper so carefully protecting four brand-new-right-off-the-assembly-line Faction Battleboxes, plus the Precursor Knights Chaplin and Standard Bearer, and what was supposed to be the Iron Kingdoms Knight of the Prophet Figure which turned out to be Potent Bradigus Thorle, Blackclad Druid (pretty darned cool figure, just not the one I wanted).

In the angry red box the new plastic sculpt of Kommander Sorscha, and two plastic monsters known as the Juggernaut and Destroyer.

The serene looking off-white box contains Grand Exemplar Kreoss, along with his Crusader, Revenger and Repenter…all in plastic of course

The necrotic green box holds Warwitch Deneghra, her Slayer, two Deathrippers, and a Defiler (psssst…yup plastic as well).

And of course, I must save the only other faction (in plastic) for last, the best faction; Cygnar!!! Within the confines of this electric blue box of legendary awesomeness is the Man, the Myth, the Legend…Commander Coleman Styrker, along with his retinue of unstoppable Warjacks: the mighty Ironclad, the noble Lancer, and the accurate Charger.

Within about three seconds I had tore open the box like it was Christmas day and was ogling the new hotness that I held in my hands. My buddy Scott was next to me and he accosted me as he ripped the Menoth Battlebox out of my hands, well not really but it is much more dramatic this way, and besides it is just Menoth…pffft.

I start opening up all the boxes and looking at all the individually wrapped plastic kits. I must say pretty damned sexy. The sculpts are beautiful. The folks up at Privateer Press have done an amazing job with their new Battleboxes. Of course they are all in a plastic/resin hybrid with these cool little socket-like joints so that you can’t screw up when you assemble them (someone will screw them up trust me). Pretty snazzy stuff…sorry to all you hardcore converters out there Privateer has some pretty harsh rules about conversions (this is the one thing I wish they would lighten up on, but not my game, so not my rules). Carefully I look at each box. Khador has shoulders that connect to the body that allow for some pretty dynamic posing of the arms. Menoth has ball-n-socket shoulders that connect to the body to allow for some pretty dynamic poses. Cryx also has a ball-n-socket type shoulder for dynamic poses…at least on the Slayer. Not much you can do on the Deathrippers or Defiler, besides they don’t have arms so they don’t count anyway.

Cygnar…Cygnar gets poo’d on. The Ironclad chassis is one large hunk of plastic. Shoulders and body are one, I knew about this since I have already assembled a Defender and Cyclone out of the heavy kit. This is mirrored on the Lancer and Charger (both of whom share the same chassis)…one big chunk of plastic.

::le sigh:: SOOOO annoyed. Such great looking models that are stuck as they are in these fairly static-esk poses…seriously!? Oh well I suppose.

::cry::

Still aside from that being the only gripe I have against the Battleboxes they are all amazing looking, each and every one of them. My hats off to you Mr. Hard-working-plastic-model-maker-guy! I salute you…feel free to spend your money on beer, drugs, and hookers. Though if you do the second part you might end up Mr. Not-so-employed-junkie-type-guy…which is no bueno.

Now onto the next part of this little blog of mine which is the announcement of Project Battlebox. Project Battlebox entails the following things.

1) Paint each battlebox. Note to all readers: I am a slow painter and I suffer from Painting ADD (as well as Faction ADD and the occasional bout of N.E.R.D. Rage). It is a rare but treatable disease that requires lots of focus (of which I generally have none), patience (lacking this one as well), and discipline (depends on if the lady is bring out the cat-o’nines, at which point I will just put down the paint brushes and go and enjoy myself…yeah right, I wish)
2) Take a few pictures
3) Post to blog

The plan is to paint up each battlebox and have it ready for use down at the FLGS a.k.a. The Armory for demo purposes and to help bring more folks into the crazy good world of Tabletop Wargames. I really haven’t settled in on a paint scheme for any of the boxes yet but I know that will come in time. I will assemble the figures and toss them into foam and play them but I do want to have them all painted up eventually. I do have a few projects ahead of them which may or may not get finished. I am currently starting work on a Wold Guardian for the Breast Cancer Brawl Painting Competition and I am getting my Mercs forces assembled and ready to field. Of course I still have an entire Battlefoam bag packed with Cygnar figs to finish…

Anyway I think the big point here is I have four battleboxes that need to be painted up. Time to batten down the hatches, tie myself to the rigging, and get ready for a long bumpy ride as I try to commit myself to finishing them…well here’s for hoping!