So the new goblins models for Vanguard are now available, and they are as good as people say.
We start off with the warband set. This is the only part of the release that I was a bit disappointed with.
Of course you get the base set of cards. Then there are two sprues of the hard plastic goblins. These are, unfortunately, not (by a long shot) the best plastics Mantic has done - the only ones in the same category were the original Basilean Men-at-arms - which have now been replaced.
Honestly, these seem to be a bit better cast than those I've gotten years ago. Very little clean up, and the detail is a little more crisp. What I really dislike is the tremendous amount of wasted space on the sprue - some large empty areas that should have held shields, spears and hand weapons.
Mantic did make metal shields, spears and hand weapons, and included a 'rabble conversion kit' in with the sprues. Metal bits on plastic are not ideal, but having played Abyssal Dwarfs for so many years I'm used to it. Even if you have to cut the plastic pins off the shoulders of the plastic models since the metal bits are flat.
No, what bothered me the most is you get 4 spears and 4 hand weapons, but only a total of 4 shields (you need the shield to go with both the spears and hand weapons). Now when I first saw the description saying a rabble conversion kit was included - I immediately thought of the one for Kings of War - 20 hand weapons and 20 shields. The sharpsticks are another kit with 20 spears and 20 shields. However there are no sharpsticks in Vanguard, simply rabble with an option to take a spear for 1 point.
In a standard 200 point warband, you can't take more than 5 of any given model - so at most 5 rabble and 5 spitters - you have 10 models on the sprues, right? But you can only make 4 rabble since you are short a shield (ignoring that you might want more rabble to give you more options). 4 rabble and 6 spitters - the 6th one that isn't usable in a standard warband. I feel they should have, at minimum, included 5 shields. It would have been better to go ahead and have 8.
But enough of that - you also get two brand new resin sculpts - the stinggit and the sneak.
The stinggit is a new command option
The sneak is one of the 2 cards that were not previewed on the Mantic blog. Before I got the new cards I was looking at having 3 luggits, the 3rd one to use the last few points (since it is a demo warband, I don't use any artifacts). Then I saw this, and it easily replaced the third one (and a spear from a rabble).
It is the only other warrior option, and you don't want all grunts.
Now if you pre-ordered from the Mantic web site, you could get a bundle deal that included their goblin heros (wiz and biggit) as well as Magwa and Jo'os.
I don't know if it was a fortunate mispack, or it was just easier to not split them up, by my hero pack also included the flaggit model as well. Before this release, these were the best goblin models they made. I already had the biggit and wiz in my demo army - so you can see painted pictures of those. These actually had a bit more flash (most likely due to the age of the molds), but are still excellent models.
Magwa and Jo'os was never a favorite model of mine - and back when they were available for points I got five or six of them (because they were the ONLY mawbeast models at that time), and they have since sat in their baggies in a box. This one was actually the first I ever put together - and it does need a bit of green stuff to fill the gaps.
Then you have the reinforcement pack - three metal models - two rabble (one with a spear) and a spitter.
Much like the dwarf reinforcement pack, these are metal alternate models for the older plastics. They are just as good as the new resins.
I actually picked up a second pack of these. The old plastics are going into a new regiment of rabble for my Kings of War demo army (after I discovered at Adepticon than my current list was not legal for CoK 2019).
Next are the luggits - great weapon wielding goblin warriors.
While the arms fit a specific body, the heads can be switched to add in a little more variety.
Then some support models. The snaggit can lay traps in the battlefield
While the Banggit hefts bombs
Then come my favorite two models. I was very happy when I saw the card for the Mawpup launcher and it WAS NOT a large model (even though it is on a 40mm base), because I really wanted both it and the winggit in my warband (yes, they are the first two choices before anything else for me).
I like showing pictures so you can take your time to look at them, but they just don't do this fantastic and fun model justice. There are so many little details - that it is now the first video on my new Youtube channel - Until Somebody Loses an Eye - Behind the Page.
Feel free to let me know how good (or bad) you think this little review is.
So here is a full shot of all the new models.
But wait, you say - what is that big flying one in the back? Turn in next time bat-fans. Same bat-time, same bat-channel.
Because it is all fun and games . . .
We start off with the warband set. This is the only part of the release that I was a bit disappointed with.
Of course you get the base set of cards. Then there are two sprues of the hard plastic goblins. These are, unfortunately, not (by a long shot) the best plastics Mantic has done - the only ones in the same category were the original Basilean Men-at-arms - which have now been replaced.
Honestly, these seem to be a bit better cast than those I've gotten years ago. Very little clean up, and the detail is a little more crisp. What I really dislike is the tremendous amount of wasted space on the sprue - some large empty areas that should have held shields, spears and hand weapons.
Mantic did make metal shields, spears and hand weapons, and included a 'rabble conversion kit' in with the sprues. Metal bits on plastic are not ideal, but having played Abyssal Dwarfs for so many years I'm used to it. Even if you have to cut the plastic pins off the shoulders of the plastic models since the metal bits are flat.
No, what bothered me the most is you get 4 spears and 4 hand weapons, but only a total of 4 shields (you need the shield to go with both the spears and hand weapons). Now when I first saw the description saying a rabble conversion kit was included - I immediately thought of the one for Kings of War - 20 hand weapons and 20 shields. The sharpsticks are another kit with 20 spears and 20 shields. However there are no sharpsticks in Vanguard, simply rabble with an option to take a spear for 1 point.
In a standard 200 point warband, you can't take more than 5 of any given model - so at most 5 rabble and 5 spitters - you have 10 models on the sprues, right? But you can only make 4 rabble since you are short a shield (ignoring that you might want more rabble to give you more options). 4 rabble and 6 spitters - the 6th one that isn't usable in a standard warband. I feel they should have, at minimum, included 5 shields. It would have been better to go ahead and have 8.
But enough of that - you also get two brand new resin sculpts - the stinggit and the sneak.
The stinggit is a new command option
The sneak is one of the 2 cards that were not previewed on the Mantic blog. Before I got the new cards I was looking at having 3 luggits, the 3rd one to use the last few points (since it is a demo warband, I don't use any artifacts). Then I saw this, and it easily replaced the third one (and a spear from a rabble).
It is the only other warrior option, and you don't want all grunts.
Now if you pre-ordered from the Mantic web site, you could get a bundle deal that included their goblin heros (wiz and biggit) as well as Magwa and Jo'os.
I don't know if it was a fortunate mispack, or it was just easier to not split them up, by my hero pack also included the flaggit model as well. Before this release, these were the best goblin models they made. I already had the biggit and wiz in my demo army - so you can see painted pictures of those. These actually had a bit more flash (most likely due to the age of the molds), but are still excellent models.
Magwa and Jo'os was never a favorite model of mine - and back when they were available for points I got five or six of them (because they were the ONLY mawbeast models at that time), and they have since sat in their baggies in a box. This one was actually the first I ever put together - and it does need a bit of green stuff to fill the gaps.
Then you have the reinforcement pack - three metal models - two rabble (one with a spear) and a spitter.
Much like the dwarf reinforcement pack, these are metal alternate models for the older plastics. They are just as good as the new resins.
I actually picked up a second pack of these. The old plastics are going into a new regiment of rabble for my Kings of War demo army (after I discovered at Adepticon than my current list was not legal for CoK 2019).
Next are the luggits - great weapon wielding goblin warriors.
While the arms fit a specific body, the heads can be switched to add in a little more variety.
Then some support models. The snaggit can lay traps in the battlefield
While the Banggit hefts bombs
Then come my favorite two models. I was very happy when I saw the card for the Mawpup launcher and it WAS NOT a large model (even though it is on a 40mm base), because I really wanted both it and the winggit in my warband (yes, they are the first two choices before anything else for me).
I like showing pictures so you can take your time to look at them, but they just don't do this fantastic and fun model justice. There are so many little details - that it is now the first video on my new Youtube channel - Until Somebody Loses an Eye - Behind the Page.
So here is a full shot of all the new models.
But wait, you say - what is that big flying one in the back? Turn in next time bat-fans. Same bat-time, same bat-channel.
Because it is all fun and games . . .
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