















There was little cleanup needed, and the two 'wings' fit right into position below the fin (each has a small tab that fits into place). These are some of the models that the studio paint jobs do not do justice on - the pictures on the box seem to be more confusing, not less. Once I assembled one, it looked pretty clear. This model seems more insect than crustacean (except for the back shell), like a big finned wasp.

rear leg

The new nameless faction is coming for Deadzone. You can currently pick up the faction starter and three of the leaders from your FLGS or the Mantic webstore So what do you get for the Nameless Deadzone faction starter? There are 12 plastic pre-assembled minis (these are the same as you get in the minion booster, and are also the same ones that are in the upcoming "Terror in the Deep" Star Saga expansion. However the deadzone starter also included six additional resin models.So to start off are the scuttlers. Some of the weakest of the troops - these little crabs are your cheap options to fill out your troops.Inkers are octopi that can create a smoke cloud once a game, and then again when they die.The assassins are close combat troopsWhile the gunslingers are better at shootingand when you need a bit more firepower, the riflemen back them upFinally are the Ogres. Massive crabs ready to put the hurt on anything in the deadzone.Just so you can see scale, here is a comparison shot of an Ogres, Scuttler and Assassin, surrounding a Dreadball Feromite (Hard) Guard.All of these are PVC, and the detail isn't as sharp as resin (but then a set of these sells for $24.99, while resin version were double that price on the kickstarter).There are four resin Needle Drones in the set as well. The detail on these is much better (I especially like the large vein in the 'fin'.These have two additional parts - wings/claws that glue to the backNow I'm all for monsters with lots of tentacles - but it seems that they are going for a motif that has the tentacles coming out of their mouths (which is why humans cannot speak their language). This, to me, was not a good design choice. How could any of these eat, let alone speak, with a mouthful of wriggling tentacles. They should, instead, be surrounding the mouth - where they would grab food and pull it in. A minor aesthetic choice, not one that would have any game impact.Next is a single Caratid. I'm assuming the name is a take off from Caridea , a type of shrimp. Like all shrimp, these have 10 legs. The body has a lot of detail on it.There are four resin leg 'sprues'. The forelegs are almost identical, but a very close comparison reveals that each is different (thus the I and II markings on the sprue).The rear legs come in a set of three, then a fourth with a claw.When assembling this prawn, I found it easiest to put the set of three legs on the bottom first.Then add the two smaller legs onto the sides (It would be easier to do this before doing the fore-legs (a lesson I learned by doing it backwards).It seems to me that all four of the fore-legs are interchangeable. Being resin, it would be easy to warm these up in hot water to repose them (though you would want to be careful you don't bend the shell part of the leg when doing this).Even more than the needle drones, I find the studio paint jobs / pictures to be confusing. The raw resin seems to be quite a bit clearer.Once I got it assembled - it very quickly reminded me of the Dreadball Striker for the nameless - also a shrimp. So I pulled one out to do a comparison.They are close to the same size, though the DB one does not have the snout that this has. The DB model also has dreadball gloves on it's fore-legs - and all the rear legs are individual. It will be interesting if we start seeing these swapped out in each others games.Lastly is a faction leader model, the Psychotroid. The psycotroid is a psychic creature, as can be evidenced by the HUGE brain for a relatively small body.This comes in five parts - the body, three legs, and the mouth.Assembly was again very straight forward and easy. First the three legs, then the mouth. It seems to be an interesting design choice that the tree legs end flat - no feet (and not even a sharp bone tip). In practical terms it makes absolutely no difference (and even adds a bit o area when attaching the model to a base).Of course if you backed the kickstarter, then you already have a model of "The Fear" (Who is now available through mantic points)The other two characters (The Blight and The Terror) are available on the webstore or your FLGS right now. In addition is a re-release of Project Oberon - who was (I believe) an exclusive of the first Deadzone kickstarter.Still to come however are the the new Bathomite (the nameless version of a walker) and the Goliath - the huge monster.Which of these models is your favorite?Because it is all fun and games . . .