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Get that poor guy some aspirin.

 Barzam wrote:
That's actually a really cool looking figure. You guys have been knocking it out of the park with the Borken Xenos.

Totally agreed about the Broken releases - just had my Gnolti painted up and it is a beauty, too

Yup, the resin stuff so far has all been great, and I'm having a ball with it.

Seriously nailing it with these Broken!

We at Spiral Arm Studios are proud to present our latest model - the Epirian Master Handler. This alternate command model allows you to lead your robotic force with the ultimate robotic Handler. We previewed this model at Salute 2018 where it sold out very quickly, and now it is available on general release for everyone!



Rules are available immediately as normal on the Maelstrom's Edge website Force Lists section. As you can see there, a lot of interesting equipment is available.



The sprue contains enough parts to build any of the combinations in the rules, and has two variant bodies and legs for different posing. The real interesting bit is the backpack and supporting mech arm structure though, which is fully ball jointed, allowing a huge range of posing and angles. We originally wanted to make this kit in resin, but the complexity and detail of the mech arm parts demanded plastic and we are very glad we went that route!



The Epirian Foundation became one of the dominant forces in the Spiral Arm for two reasons: its terraforming technology allowed the Foundation to convert barren worlds into productive and verdant paradises, and its legions of robots and drones allowed it to harvest resources from inhabited planets and desolate asteroids alike. Both would be nothing, however, without Bot Handlers striding amongst their robotic charges, directing their actions and optimising their workflow. The limited AI of Epirian bots means that the true power lies in a Handler's control, and for many, training to become one of the Foundation's machine shepherds is the ultimate career to aspire to. By the time a Bot Handler reaches the hallowed status of Master, they are the Foundation's most valuable resource, guiding entire robotic divisions and piloting whole squadrons of starships on their own. They are so precious, in fact, that their corporate superiors overlook all manner of eccentricities and odd behaviors, both of which become increasingly common the longer a Handler plies their trade. As a Handler spends increased time with their consciousness projected into their robotic subjects, the more they become detached from humanity.



A Master Handler has spent decades diving into the electronic pathways of machines. Having to spend a few minutes conversing with another person is excruciating when one is used to simply thinking a command and have it be perfectly understood and followed. Master Handlers are often awkward and disdainful of other humans, which can unsettle those within their proximity. The elite human soldiers in the Foundation's SecDef division resent a Master Handler's lack of cohesion, despite the formidable abilities they bring to bear on the enemy. Master Handlers therefore refuse to serve embedded with any other Foundation unit, instead relying on custom built 'Defender' Drones to protect them. These modified Firefly drones have their clingfire payload replaced with state-of-the-art armour. Their vastly improved neural processors perform a 'swarm defense', continually scanning for potential threats, positioning themselves as a seemingly easy target, only to dart away once they have drawn enemy fire.



Master Handlers wear powerful machine-assisted armor normally reserved for elite SecDef forces, and wield an arsenal of weaponry that normal soldiers can only dream of. Some Master Handlers eschew additional weapons and instead utilize Neural Nodes: an incredibly expensive and controversial technology that combines a powerful machine neural processor with a tiny portion of the Master Handler's cognitive functions. The Neural Node acts as an independent, duplicated version of the Handler's consciousness for a brief moment, before safeguards purge its core memory. The Neural Node creates a powerful momentary electronic copy of the Master Handler's mind into the target drone, to assess the situation and provide the drones with a specific order. There are many voices both outside and within the Foundation that decry the use of Neural Nodes, claiming they are a form of A.I., which puts all of humanity at risk. The Foundation remains resolute that purging a Neural Nodes at regular intervals prevents any potential issues from arising. Master Handlers themselves ignore the controversy, relishing any opportunity to become closer to the robots under their control, to devastating effect amongst those that stand in their way.


As a brand new command model, you also get a new, different faction objective for the Epirians if you take this unit as the head of your detachment:

MASTER OF MACHINES
This objective may only be utilized if your force contains a Master Bot Handler. If utilized, a Master Bot Handler is automatically your force commander for any objective type that requires one.

This objective type can generate a maximum of 3 VPs per game, after which you may no longer utilize the Bot Mastery ability.

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Partial: (each end phase) If at least one of your Master Bot Handlers is on the table and the Bot Mastery ability was not utilized that turn, gain 1 VP.

Full: (end of game) If at least one of your Master Bot Handlers is still on the table, gain all of this objective’s remaining VPs.

Bot Mastery: Once per turn, you may automatically enable one of your unit’s bot protocols when that unit is activated (regardless of whether its activation discipline check is successfully passed). You must have at least one Master Bot Handler on the table to utilize this ability.

Check out the Maelstrom's Edge store today to pick up your Master Handler for just $8.49/£5.99!

I picked one up at Salute and I have to say I am really glad you went with the plastic. It's an incredible model to assemble and I reckon the best in the whole range.

That guy looks awesome. It is cool to see a robotic exoskeleton.

I like that guy! I haven't been a fan of much from the line other than the initial robot but that bot handler is cool.

Eh, what the hell. I went ahead and bought one. I feel like this guy could be a good base for making a Fencer from the Earth Defence Force games. Or a good Ogryn stand-in for those of us who don't like the big doofy ogres.

Looks fantastic!

Not only is that an awesome mini, but I'm also stoked to use the spare legs with armature/rocket boots with the Epiral cap head and sleeve arms to make my very own Luigi Mario mini. Trust the fungus.

Yeah, I don't want to mess with that dude

Love that backpack / exoskeleton, and he looks like a perfect fit next to the drones!

Looking at some of the models, some I can leave, but the broken and that bot handler look pretty darn cool. Decent prices too! I'll have to see if their stuff is at the UK Games Expo this year.

I think the thing that makes him better than the rest of his army is the lack of the hat and shoulder pads. Those two items are what turned me off of that army to begin with.

 Theophony wrote:
I think the thing that makes him better than the rest of his army is the lack of the hat and shoulder pads. Those two items are what turned me off of that army to begin with.

You'll like the Epirian spec ops team then, very sleek and much more militaristic look to them.

You'll like the Epirian spec ops team then, very sleek and much more militaristic look to them.

Any pictures or release info?

The Master Bot Handler looks awesome, really like the huge rocket pack.

 anyname121 wrote:

You'll like the Epirian spec ops team then, very sleek and much more militaristic look to them.

Any pictures or release info?

The Master Bot Handler looks awesome, really like the huge rocket pack.

End of June

YouKnowsIt wrote:

 Theophony wrote:
I think the thing that makes him better than the rest of his army is the lack of the hat and shoulder pads. Those two items are what turned me off of that army to begin with.

You'll like the Epirian spec ops team then, very sleek and much more militaristic look to them.

Problem is the standard guys look bad in my opinion, I don’t want to build an army of those just to have a few good looking models.

You don't actually need to field any Contractors to have a viable army though.

 Sgt. Oddball wrote:
You don't actually need to field any Contractors to have a viable army though.

To me that’s like playing a space marine army and only fielding Dreadnoughts. I like basic troopers fighting the wars, though troopers with drone support are fine too.

 Theophony wrote:


To me that’s like playing a space marine army and only fielding Dreadnoughts. I like basic troopers fighting the wars, though troopers with drone support are fine too.

In this case, it's more like playing space marines and not fielding scouts...

Secdef are Epirian, but they don't get along with Contractors and their drones particularly well, so it's quite thematic to go with just Secdef, if you're so inclined.

Looking at the models, do the exo arms have to hook up to the meat arms or can they be pointed another way?

It seems they're independent but all the build up ones seem to link to the gloves.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Looking at the models, do the exo arms have to hook up to the meat arms or can they be pointed another way?

It seems they're independent but all the build up ones seem to link to the gloves.

Reading in the basic assembly guide article the stock meat arms have pegs the exo arms attach to. But as usual insaniak has done a modeling article with ideas and conversions, one of which is the exo arms as a third limb and another using spare meat arms from elsewhere in the ME range.

Edit: looked at the assembly guide again, arms use pegs not flat areas.

Yeah, the weapons are designed to peg onto the arms, but there's nothing physically that would stop you from trimming the pegs off the back of the forearms and having the weapon arms waving about independently.

I had something similar in mind for a 4-weapon version, but didn't get a chance to build that one yet.

The Forsaken are commonly dismissed as simple, degenerate pirates, but the truth is that they usually attack only out of necessity. Piracy is many times the only way their community can survive a hostile galaxy: stealing food, fuel, ammunition and anything else of value they can get their hands on. The Forsaken rarely send out their forces en masse, knowing that a single crushing defeat could mean the end of their entire tribe's existence. Instead, they strike in small patrols, typically led by a Chieftain.

Though a Chieftain is granted his or her position of authority by The Assembly, they must first earn the respect of their fellow Forsaken to even be nominated. A Chieftain must be equal parts fighter, diplomat and cunning tactician. Knowing that their forces can never win a stand-up fight against a prepared opponent, a Chieftain leads his warriors to strike unseen from the shadows, quickly fading away before the enemy can root them out and respond in kind. Many an opposing force has underestimated the ingenuity of a Broken force led by a Chieftain, only realizing too late their folly, as improvised booby traps decimate their defensive positions and Broken secretly approach from their rear.



The appearance of a Chieftain can vary wildly both based upon the culture of their original homeworld, but also from that of the Broken Freeport they are now a part of. Chieftains tend to have slightly nicer clothing and equipment than standard Broken rabble, and many see it as almost their duty to show that even amongst the ranks of the Broken, an individual can still rise up and carry themselves with dignity and class. When the Broken do manage to defeat an enemy officer with particularly fancy clothing or an heirloom weapon, a Chieftain will confiscate these valuable items. A Chieftain wears these purloined treasures into battle, as both a reminder of their past victory, and to display their status as an iconic Broken leader.









This high detail resin model contains two alternate weapons for the left hand and a xeno spotter in the right hand, and is available now from the webstore here! You can also find the rules for this model in the Force Builder section here.

Is it wrong that I'm imagining this chieftain as David Bowie under the bionic eye ? Love the Broken, would be really cool to see some alternative "pets" for his arm

What is his alternate weapon?

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
What is his alternate weapon?

A wrist blade instead of the hammer.

Coming out on Jul 2 is our latest range of plastic models - the Epirian SecDef. For now, here's a sneak preview...



This kit has a bunch of weapons and poseable parts which we will reveal soon... The SecDef are the Epirian's elite fighting forces, flown in for support when the basic ground troops are not enough for a mission, or for winning higher risk conflicts. Their armour is supported with a high-tech exoskeleton which greatly increases their power and capability.

Really like the look of these guys - more please!