Planetfall Aquan Recon Helix & Infantry upgrade Unboxing

As we know, the recon Helixes and Infantry upgrade boxes were released a little while ago, and as Oscar's birthday was just a couple of weeks ago it seemed Aquans were the right place to start with these.

Nothing unusual about the format - standard boxes, on the flip side showing the contents as painted studio models;

Opening these up we see the also standard bubble wrap bags;

...and there's a lot in there! Especially the infantry upgrade box, which has a surprisingly large amount of stuff!

So looking at these individually to get a better idea of the contents, let's take the recon helix.

This contains two of the new Aquan transports (no more having to hoof around the battlefield on webbed claws or stow away in the back of a heavy tank), four new light class tanks and a bunch of infantry - 12 bases worth. So let's take a look at these in detail.

The transport is a great model, very detailed and a great aesthetic - it gels with the rest of the Aquan army perfectly.

I actually love the underside - I really like the fact that Spartan model all these areas you will mostly never see! Next up is the new light tank, sporting Stingray missiles;

This is another nice little model, and it's quite a bit bigger than the existing Imzani;

It also comes with a new base, which has a slightly angled "plinth" so the tank sits slightly angled forward, which is another nice little touch

I won't cover the infantry here, we've done that before! However, then we come back to the Infantry upgrade box. Unpacking the small box actually yields a ton of stuff, and a lot of it in metal.

Let's start with the commander;

He (I suppose it could also be a she!) stands about 3mm taller than the regular infantry, but almost 2mm of that is crest! Anyway, he's a nice little dude, and will paint up well. Next is the gun platform;

This is a single piece casting, which is quite impressive, and comes in 2 flavours - the one above plus one with a prone Aquan. You could also use any spare metal infantry to vary this further if you wanted. Finally, it's the fish riders;

I really like these guys - and the detail is great - you get scaly fish skin on the flanks, lots of fins, bulgy eyes and a little lure on its head...what more could you want? - oh yeah, a dude on its back with a big ass gun. Love 'em!

So the verdict? Another great set of models to further support the rapidly expanding portfolio of Planetfall - a game not yet a year old, and yet with a vast array of models available for it already, with no sign the releases are slowing! If the quality of the Aquan set is anything to goo by, I'd heartily recommend it to anyone wondering if they'd take the plunge, regardless of your faction!

Next time...Dindrenzi!

Works Raptor

Ah yes, even the words themselves seem sharp and bladed...the unscrupulous Works Raptor have always been a favourite of mine, and now we have the completion of the outstanding forces from the Zenian League Fleet Book in the form of the Battlecruisers and Destroyers. First up are the Battlecruisers, in the standard smaller box and sleeve format;

I like the studio models paint job, which is still menacing but feels more in keeping with the recent releases.

Rear of the sleeve has a bit of fluff and box contents as normal - all standard stuff so far

Opening the box you get what you might expect - some bubble-wrap bagged items and accessories in a press-close bag.

On unpacking, once again all is as expected - two of the battlecruisers, cast as a single piece with flight stand inserts, flight stands, SRS tokens/dice and four of the much discussed metal shield pieces we all love/hate so well.

Looking at the hull in more detail, shae has some typically Works Raptor design pieces, but she's a lot less "sleek" than the Attrition or Interdictor - she looks like a bruiser! You can also clearly see the attachment points for the metal shields here.

The only piece of the model I'm not in love with are the two remora sucker pads on the rear, which look rather Corsairesque, and don't really seem to fit the prior design cues of the WR models. Still, It's a small piece, and if I really find them that objectionable I can always remove them!

One of my ships had a small defect on the nose - nothing I'm very concerned about, it'll either be a green stuff repair or battle damage.

So, moving on to the Destroyers, we have the same small box and sleeve format featuring the pretty pictures...

...and the fluff/contents on the back.

Contents look very familiar...

Now we're onto the good stuff! Unbagging everything you get two full squadrons of the Nullifier Destroyer, plus flight stands, inserts and bases.

Now let's talk about the Nullifier....this is possibly my number 1 favourite model straight out of the box - she's gorgeous! Sleek, pretty and deadly - very Works Raptor!

Basically she looks good from any angle, including the slightly occluded engine ports which is what I expected on the Battlecruiser too (the more I think about it the more I think they have to go!).  Can't wait to get them painted and try them out!

Now several people have complained about the rather monodirectional function the WR ships provide - the Nullifiers do essentially the same job as the Interdictors, the battlecruisers do nothing the Attrition doesn't etc...but that's kind of the point, isn't it? WR doesn't have to stand buy themselves, they produce these types of ships for others to buy and to protect their holdings...they're not supposed to be a rounded fleet, they're meant to be like they are!

Anyway, getting slightly off-topic! The long and short of the WR releases is that if you like WR, you'll like these models, they're both very much in keeping with the WR  trope (apart from the remora suckers!), and I can see people wanting them - I did!