Thursday 23 January 2014

PAST to PRESENT - Kabuto Mushi MKII & Mini Mushi PVC figures by the Godbeast MINI-REVIEW!


 We witnessed the arrival of the new and exciting Kabuto Mushi MKII and Mini Mushi PVC figures by the Godbeast debuting early this year on 3/1/14. The Kabuto Mushi MKII completely sold out in lightning fast timing on first hour or so of its release, and it's no surprise really as it's quite a spectacular figure all round. Accompanying the release of the larger Kabuto Mushi MKII were the Mini Mushi and theres still some Mini Mushi packs available at the Godbeast's shop in case you haven't picked a set up yet, but be quick as some are showing low stock. 


The Kabuto Mushi set foot on Aussie soil.
Kabuto Mushi MKII is made up of 26 total parts that have the same Glyos sockets making them fully Glyos compatible. After all, they're produced at the very same Onell Design toy factory where Glyos magic happens.


The Kabuto Mushi MKII stands approx. 3.5" tall and was available in 4 PVC colours for the initial release; metallic pearlescent colours in green, red and brown as well as stealth translucent. They sold for USD $10 each, which is a great price for such a large and solid piece. 
He also includes an armour piece on his back that doubles as an extra head as a bonus! Whats even cooler is that its a reversible head with a different face on either side. Its obvious that these were made with the intention of being highly customisable which I find innovative and appealing.
Both sides of the reversible, bonus head.
The result of a quick play around customising the Kabuto Mushi MKII yielded some fun results and was surprisingly easy to do.

So it becomes clear that with multiple Kabuto Mushi MKII, or with any Glyos figure such as Argen (a recent release at Onell for which is a direct colour match to the metallic green seen here) its easy to get creative and start  customising right away. 
This is seriously one amazing figure! 

As if that wasn't cool enough, theres still the Mini Mushi too.


Mini Mushi are available in 4-pack 'swarms' for USD $8 each and come in the same variety of colours as their larger counterparts but are available in either mixed colours (as seen above) or 4 of the same colour for army building! They come bagged with header card and 3 art cards, as well as the four figures themselves. Unlike the Kabuto Mushi MKII, the Mini Mushi isn't articulated, and stands at around1" tall. He's a great little figure and has some nice proportions and detailing and makes the perfect companion to the Kabuto Mushi MKII's. 

Mini Mushi PVC in the four available colours so far, metallic pearlescent Green/red/brown & stealth translucent.

So, there you have my mini-review of these amazing new PVC figures from the Godbeast. I'm looking forward to what lies ahed for these bad boys, and fingers crossed we get some new colours and maybe even some weapons soon, or perhaps the wings (as seen below) will be cast in PVC? If not, I'll just have to settle for some of the resin wings once they're available again in the the Godbeast's shop. Either way, I'm loving these guys so far and excited for what lies ahead. Keep an eye on the Godbeast's Blog and stay tuned here for more updates when it happens!

A Pic from the Godbeast's blog showing off the amazing Kabuto Mushi MKII complete with hand made resin wings. Stunning!


MM.



Wednesday 22 January 2014

PAST to PRESENT - MIRCRO BASTARDS new figures update

In addition to my previous mini-review of the fun line of mini-figures Micro Bastards by Ironhaus Productions I did last year HERE, I have another long overdue (on my part) update on some of the newest figures on offer that I've been meaning to do for sometime now. Sorry about that.


Without further delay, here are the new Micro Bastards figures 

Partytime Beetle Punk, this guy stands the tallest of the Micro bastards figures so far, he earned his title 'Partytime' in a discussion over at the LRG threads where he was named by member Draznar if I'm not mistaken. Looks like he's raving, or just won at something like a fight. Love the details on this figure, especially his gas mask (which only compliments his title, Partytime).
Great little figure! This guy is a colourbomb of greys that really bring out the details, as well as a transparent smoky colour, giving him a real industrial feel. Awesome!

Big Head, in some cool colourbomb combinations. I covered this guy briefly in my previous MB write up, however at the time Big Head had not been officially released. He has been since released and available in the unique colourbomb style as pictured. Has some nice details like a semi-exposed skeleton on his back, and a somewhat totem/idol looking face which gives him a distinct islander feel not unlike a Tiki idol. A solid but moderately sized figure, and one of my favourite MB's of all time.


Frankenblem, somewhat a recurring central character in the Rommelverse much like Deadface or Hell Turtle.  Previously we had the Blemmyea Warrior in the Universe of Violence line, followed by a another mini Blemmyea the Gorwewad Monsters line, now we have a new hybridised half-Frankenstein, half Blemmyea incarnation. This guy oozes attitude and looks to be a bit of a mean machine. Short but stocky, Frankenblem is a great figure and a very welcome addition to the Micro Bastards line. 

Dr. Goot, not officially a Micro Bastards but more like a cameo of the comic character by the same name. Im not familiar with the comic, but it doesn't deter me from liking this cool figure!
Love the hair and pose on this guy, very nicely done. Dr.Goot was a giveaway prize from the Ironhaus Pro Store when ordering over a set amount in one time, which is always a nice surprise and added bonus when buying indie mini-figures (not something that happens a lot in my experience).

 Mystery mini is exactly that, a mystery to me. He's not officially a Micro Bastard from what I gather and knowing very little more about this guy other than he's a kit-bash and stands about 1/2 an inch tall. Tiny! A very neat looking figure all the same. I'd love to know more about this guy, so if anyone knows something about him please comment down below. :)

The Micro Bastards line is steadily growing and there's currently quite a few figures to collect, but I'm not sure of any checklist so it's hard to be sure. I know there's even more figures than those just pictured above, which is my own personal collection. The future of Micro Bastards in 2014 looks unclear at this point, as up until recently they have always been readily available for a modest price at Ironhaus Pro Store. Im not sure what's in store for these guys in the future, so if you want these guys and more Micro Bastards, I suggest showing some support either here in the comments, at Ironhaus Pro blog or at the LRG threads on Micro Bastards. 

I hope to see more of these guys still to come over the course of 2014. They're a lot of fun!

MM.


Tuesday 21 January 2014

FUTURE - CTHULHU WARS Miniatures Board Game Final Sculpts!


Cthulhu Wars by Sandy Peterson and Green Eye Games is a miniatures tabletop strategy board game  inspired by the literary works of H.P.Lovecraft and was successfully funded on KickStarter mid 2013 which I covered on my blog HERE, the WIP sculpts HERE, and another update HERE.

The scheduled release time is fast approaching (estimated March 2014) and ALL the games sculpts have been finalised by Fenris Games and their production is now well and truly underway. Needless to say I cant wait to get my hands on this game! 

Here are the pics of only some of the finalised sculpts that will appear within the game and its many expansions.

The two Player Markers, Asenath Waite and the legendary H.P.Lovecraft himself.
From left to right; Mi Go, Servitor of the Outer Gods, Azathoth, Dimensional Shambler & Star Vampire.
Bhole.
Cthughua & Chaugnar Faugn. 
Moonbeast, Gnorri & Shantak.
Gug, Ghast & Leng Spider.
Leng Spider.
Formless Spawn.
Ghatanathoa (?) and High Priest.
Gobogeg (original Great Old One) & Azathoth.
Ithaqua & Rhan Tegoth.
Mother Hydra & Father Dagon.
Tsathoggua.
Yig.
Zoog.

So there you have some of the completed figures that will be included in the Cthlhu Wars game & Expansions in the next few months (hopefully)! I really like a lot of these sculpts, and think Fenris Games did an amazing job at sculpting them. What do you think?

PRESENT to FUTURE - KAIJU KAOS: SMACKDOWN now on Kickstarter!




Archeon Creations are celebrating their 1st Anniversary by offering their Kaiju Kaos: Smackdown resin mini-figures in an enticing new Kickstarter which is currently LIVE right now! There are a total of 12 mini-figures available the begin with sculpted by many well known talents such as Jimmy Rommel, Lee Burbridge, Steve Pratt, Bryan K. Borgman & Danny Samuels, as well as a host of stretch goals in the form of MORE cool Smackdown figures! The figures will be handmade and cast in a durable Urethane palstic approx. 50mm tall and will be available for the first time in an KS Exclusive colour, Vivid Slime Green made with Monster Kolor Dye.  There's even a couple of neat Add-Ons as well so you can pick up everything you need to get started playing, including a Rule Book & a CD Sountrack both for $5 each.

Lets have a look at the 12 figures on offer!


 The best thing about this KickStarter is that you can choose exactly which figures you want form the 12 on offer, which can be chosen however you please! You can get one of each if thats what you like, or if theres one you dont like you dont have to get it. You can also army build on your favourite figure too, which is a nice option to have. The figures themselves are a steal at this price, and a fraction of the norm you would pay for something like this. Great value!


Some Stretch Goals figures have been hinted at in the KS video, but there is little info available on these guys at this time. If you want to see them happen, put in a pledge so we can get past the $1.8K goal and have them unlocked!  


Head on over to the Kaiju Kaos: Smackdown KickStarter to find out more and get pledging. Im in for a full set.
We've passed the halfway mark so lets do our best to push it over the line and get those stretch goal figures unlocked! 

All photos courtesy of Archeon Creations.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

PRESENT to FUTURE - UNIVERSE OF VIOLENCE II - Wave 1 Test Pulls & New Character!

The new year is here and to start with I'd like to share some progress of the upcoming Universe of Violence II : Chaos Dimension minifigures line I've been working on. I know I keep saying 'upcoming'... but were getting really close now guys! 
First up, courtesy of the amazingly talented Eric Nilla we have the very first Test Pulls of the Wave 1 figures, Venus Maneater & Satyrant. Cast in Eric's gorgeous MIMP like rubber, I gotta say how excited I am to see these guys turn out so well! Eric truly did a remarkable getting them moulded and cast up.
Id just like to take this moment and give a big shout-out thank you to both Eric & Jimmy for all your helpful advice & endless support. Without you guys, this would never have happened.

Anyways, enough talk.. it's time for some pics! :)


VENUS MANEATER - FRONT

VENUS MANEATER BACK

SATYRANT FRONT

SATYRANT BACK

The first initial release of figures is coming in the next few weeks if all goes well. I will make a more formal announcement for time and dates, as well as pricing in the coming days. I'll also be unveiling my storenvy where I will be unloading some of these guys! Eric Nilla will also be releasing some in his store too, so keep an eye on his blog HERE and his storenvy HERE for any updates.
Whilst your'e there, why not check out all the cool custom castings & Keshi he has on offer.

-

Lastly, I'm happy to show you the next UOVII figure, Necrofungus which will be making his debut in Wave 2 alongside another figure or two...



A little backstory on the character, which is a first for me.

An oversized undead fungus with 3 eyes that work independently to seek out its prey. It usually sleeps when resting, semi submerged in the ground with its long tendrils protruding out of the earth that act as sensory receptors to nearby stimuli. It stores a noxious blend of narcotics in its mycelium and if disturbed it will release a poisonous gas cloud that sedates its target rendering them incapable. It then proceeds to feast on the prey and go on to spawn dozens of tiny offspring. Sometimes the prey survives, but a single bit from this fiend is enough to infect them with the zombie virus. How this living pulp of fungus came to be infected remains somewhat a mystery.. but it's purported that a hungry zombie mistook a Toadstool for some brains, picked it up and ate it but spat it out dissatisfied by the taste. He may be slow but not to be taken lightly, especially in numbers.

That's all for now, will be back soon with some another UOVII update as well as a few other things like mini-reviews on new indie minifigures (Such as new Micro Bastards by Ironhaus Studios & AMP figures by MeadowKnight) as well as progress on the awesome finalised Cthulhu Wars tabletop gaming pieces.
But until then, be good.

MM.