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 IJW wrote:

 Red Harvest wrote:
They, CB, recently acquired a 3d camera that does this sort of thing. A very nice way to showcase the minis. Bostria (Carlos Llauger) is the one who does the photography. IIRC.

More accurately, they upgraded their dSLR to one that can shoot decent video and also got a good motorised turntable. There's no actual '3D' involved for the turnarounds.

I thought it sounded odd when I first read it somewhere else...or did I read 360 degree . No matter. Thanks for the clarification IJW

Something from Operation:Icestorm, since that is what is up in the painting queue. Everything needs to be done ASAP for the Inter-Planetary. But the miniature containing boxes have photos of the painted minis on them, normally. Perhaps the minis are already painted and photographed, and the photos off to the printers... Unless there is something else is up with the boxes in Icestorm... No matter. This will be a very interesting July

looks exactly the same as Raktorak foot

 Sangarn wrote:


looks exactly the same as Raktorak foot but why in green ?

Because that shot is the Raktorak foot? The guy who posted it on the official board cut that out to show the similarities between the teaser shot and Morat medium infantry footwear and chose the Raktorak from the starter, using a photo from his painting log.

Mayacast wrote:
July Releases:
Ghulam box with special weapon options--Haqqislam release
Raktorak with Vulkan Shotgun--Morat release
Thamyris(Steel Phalanx "journalist")--ALEPH release
Invincible ZuYong Terracotta soldier with HMG--Yu Jing release from Acheron Falls

List of new releases.

Here's the art for Zu Yong and Thamyris:

 Kanluwen wrote:

Mayacast wrote:
July Releases:
Ghulam box with special weapon options--Haqqislam release
Raktorak with Vulkan Shotgun--Morat release
Thamyris(Steel Phalanx "journalist")--ALEPH release
Invincible ZuYong Terracotta soldier with HMG--Yu Jing release from Acheron Falls

List of new releases.

I am ridiculously excited. The Ghulam Box and the Terracotta Soldier are high on my want list.

GHULAAAAMS. How many minis would this contain? I'm guessing they're gonna add the Panzerfaust model for that?

It would be a four model box.

 Kanluwen wrote:
It would be a four model box.

So HMG, Sniper, ML, aaaaand... Hacker or Panzerfaust?

Ghulams, huh? I guess I'll wait and see what they look like, was considering them as potential fodder for a KQ force.

Cool.

I'm not seeing anything as to whether they are actual resculpts or just a repackage of what already exists.

Oh bad assumption on my part, just saw a lot of new things coming out and assumed. Well in that case I'd just get them through normal channels, but I do like the box sets, usually a reasonable discount involved.

We're gonna get at least one new one. The Panzerfaust model is okay-ish still (although I would want a different pose) but the Hacker and HMG one really needs an update. I really doubt CB would release them as their old incarnates.

Oh yeah, and Mayacast mentioned Antipodes for Ariadna.

Not that anyone wants those, right?

All this time I thought people wanting Mutts was the antipodes!?! I want the antipodes and more Ariadnan Russians!!

Ghulam HMG
Ghulam Sniper
Ghulam Hacker
Ghulam w/Panzefaust

Those are the likely candidates, but perhaps they will sneak in a (new) much needed missile launcher instead of the hacker or panzerfaust. I hope they do. They are bound to be resculpts.

Yeah, I can run anything as a Hacker. Same as I can run anyone as a Doctor. But I can't just point at a guy and say, "Now that guy has a Missile Launcher". So I'm hoping ML.

 Chemical Cutthroat wrote:
Yeah, I can run anything as a Hacker. Same as I can run anyone as a Doctor. But I can't just point at a guy and say, "Now that guy has a Missile Launcher". So I'm hoping ML.

Technically you can, as long as he has the other parts of the profile. He does not need to be holding/firing it.

That's why the one Briscard in the boxed set has an Assault Pistol, allowing you to have a Forward Observer or Paramedic or a second HRL model.

Considering lately we haven't been getting Panzerfaust models in Haqqislam and Hackers can be proxied pretty easily (is there even an actual hacking device on the Druze 'hacker' model?), and the Doctor is already in the support box, I'm expecting:

Missile Launcher
HMG
Sniper
LGL

No basic rifles though? Seems like they tend to include those in sets, but I'm not terribly familiar with the unit's profiles.

 GrimDork wrote:
No basic rifles though? Seems like they tend to include those in sets, but I'm not terribly familiar with the unit's profiles.

No more basic rifles. Those are restricted to faction starter boxes, not unit boxes.

Because.

 GrimDork wrote:
No basic rifles though? Seems like they tend to include those in sets, but I'm not terribly familiar with the unit's profiles.

As Kan said, basic rifles are a starter box thing now. They always have 3 line infantry with rifles. Occasionally they release them for sale in blisters (the updated Ghulam rifles are in a blister still as well as the starter) but once N3 is out I assume they will crack down on streamlining this stuff. New convention is 3 rifles in the starter, special weapon box to round out the unit profiles.

Another theme I've been seeing is sectorial boxes tend to have one model from a 5 man link, with a 4 man link box and/or set of blisters to expand to a full link team. Hassassin Barham + Muyib box, Qapu Khalki + Odalisque box (and even Djanbazan blisters), Bakunin + Reverend Moira box, ISS + Wu Ming box, etc.

I noticed that about the sectorial starter and 4 troop box as well, was just looking over some stuff. The 4 unit box works well for that, and they usually sell an individual to round it out too, so a solid set up either way you approach it. The newer Moiras (Moiren, Moirai?) look pretty cool too, though I'm a bit skittish about taking them in a big fat link.

I guess I was jumbling the 3 infantry blister and the 4 infantry boxes, now that you guys point it out, I realize better what I was looking at.

 GrimDork wrote:
I noticed that about the sectorial starter and 4 troop box as well, was just looking over some stuff. The 4 unit box works well for that, and they usually sell an individual to round it out too, so a solid set up either way you approach it. The newer Moiras (Moiren, Moirai?) look pretty cool too, though I'm a bit skittish about taking them in a big fat link.

When you see a single model from a sectorial link (like the Sekban HRL) as a blister, it's because it's not in the starter. Links that have a model in the starter won't get individual blisters, because that 5th model is in the starter.

 GrimDork wrote:
I guess I was jumbling the 3 infantry blister and the 4 infantry boxes, now that you guys point it out, I realize better what I was looking at.

The blister is a relic of the past. Some older factions have the 3 line infantry as a blister still, but newer releases only have them in the box. They will do a limited run of blisters if the box is mostly repacks (like the Neoterra starter), but overall rifle line infantry will be in starter boxes. Starter box + special weapon box will give you all (or almost all) of the factions basic line infatry profiles.

All this is CB streamlining the game away from hundreds of blister pack SKUs to a smaller amount of boxed SKUs, for two reasons. A smaller amount of SKUs with a lot of boxes makes it easier for shops to stock, both in needed space and in making it easier to find what they want to stock. Second, boxes apparently sell better - bigger packaging, flashier art, etc.

Boxes tend to be cheaper too, do they not? Well, I mean, bulk in general. Just that boxes come with larger volume than blisters typically. I know when I'm looking for something new to buy I start with faction/sectorial starters and then look at boxes before moving down to smaller groupings.

Yes. Going by what I seem to pay in my FLGS, buying a box of 4 is about 25% cheaper than 4 individual blisters.

However, then you come to the problem of perhaps only actually wanting 1 from the box. In which case you need to find someone offering split box services like Shae.

It looks like next month's releases are going to be much better. I'll have to get one of those Yu Jing guys for sure.

About the Ghulam, isn't the Hacker figure a more recent sculpt? He doesn't actually look that bad. Certainly better than, say, the old Najarun Engineer. I actually kind of like the current Hacker.

 Barzam wrote:
About the Ghulam, isn't the Hacker figure a more recent sculpt?

No, it's pretty old. The newer old sculpt is the Panzerfaust. It's better proportioned (though unfortunately sculpted) but still has the older armour design with the hairdryer vent on the back.

 -Loki- wrote:

Another theme I've been seeing is sectorial boxes tend to have one model from a 5 man link, with a 4 man link box and/or set of blisters to expand to a full link team. Hassassin Barham + Muyib box, Qapu Khalki + Odalisque box (and even Djanbazan blisters), Bakunin + Reverend Moira box, ISS + Wu Ming box, etc.

To be fair, that wasn't the case until really recently.

The QK box including the Odalisque Spitfire is because they wanted to remove the Odalisque blister, the Reverend Moira, Muyib, and Wu Ming boxes were made after the starter boxes themselves were made.

 Kanluwen wrote:

 -Loki- wrote:

Another theme I've been seeing is sectorial boxes tend to have one model from a 5 man link, with a 4 man link box and/or set of blisters to expand to a full link team. Hassassin Barham + Muyib box, Qapu Khalki + Odalisque box (and even Djanbazan blisters), Bakunin + Reverend Moira box, ISS + Wu Ming box, etc.

To be fair, that wasn't the case until really recently.

The QK box including the Odalisque Spitfire is because they wanted to remove the Odalisque blister, the Reverend Moira, Muyib, and Wu Ming boxes were made after the starter boxes themselves were made.

I know. I just forgot to say 'recently' when I said 'another theme I've been seeing...'.

I like both practices. While some people poo poo line infantry, I do like running them. It was always annoying when your preferred special weapon never got a blister release. Now with these boxes there's a much better chance of getting your preferred weapon - and a few more if you like variety of options. And if you wind up with a few points to spare in vanilla, upgrading that Ghulam to a sniper is a good way to add a bigger but cheaper threat without going with a completely new, but probably more expensive unit.

With sectorials, link teams are a main feature of them - the strength they gain for losing so much variety. So making it that much easier to get a full link team going as easily as possible is always a good move. If you're running Hassassin Bahram, you're probably running a Muyib link. Being able to buy the starter + the link box is a great way to get a new player into a sectorial.

Oh, will you look at that Suryat!