Warzone Resurrection: Valkyries & Blessed Vestal Laura MK2 Unboxing

So today's post yielded some Warzone goodies and I have to admit to being a little excited about getting these figures after seeing the announcement. Now I know some people will have differing opinions on Prodos Games' decision to re-master figures so soon, but I believe the improvements are significant enough to warrant the decision. So without further delay, here are the toys, starting off with Blessed Vestal Laura.

Now seeing as I was a Kickstarter backer, I never actually had the privilege of seeing any form of packaging outside of zip lock bags, so this sturdy looking blister pack and artwork is quite the novelty for me, there is also something altogether nostalgic about seeing classic bits of artwork on the box, a nice touch.

As you can see with the photo above, we now get instructions on the reverse side of the art card which is always handy to have. While I did not have any major problems with my Kickstarter miniatures, having a visual guide is important when surrounded by a plethora of parts, especially if in regards to new players/collectors. As with previous models all parts are on a  singular resin block, I like this as it means no loose parts rattling about in the blister pack and potentially flying under the couch when opened. As always we also get the unit stat card along with various resource cards.

This is by far a superior sculpt to the original (and very static) release, I commented before on the Facebook page, that this (along with the Valkyries) have a very Anime/Bubblegum Crisis feel to them, which in my opinion is a good thing as it crafts a identity for the brand, it is also awesome to see a functional suit of female armour. I guess the hard core among us could gripe about the chest armour shape, but quite frankly she now looks like a angelic battle maiden as opposed to stripper nun with a gun...

As I have come to expect with Prodos, the miniature is loaded with lots of fine details and on a relatively clean cast too, which is always welcome. If you look closely the winged motifs of the Brotherhood are sculpted on the greaves, cuisse and chest plate, these are exceptionally fine details that tie in really nicely with the eagle winged helmet. This miniature is going to be a joy to paint and I really can't wait to put paint to miniature. Now of course the only thing that could look better is Laura leading a unit...

There was no way I was going to get a Blessed Vestal Laura without some Valkyries to go with her, I do have to be honest though, when I saw the artwork on the blister pack I did pull a face, sorry team Prodos, but the artwork looks like she is about to deal death by Snu Snu as opposed to righteous fury...

Much to my relief, the actual miniatures look nothing like our half ogress overlord at the top there, rather we have a very delicate but functional looking unit of battle maidens that look as deadly as they do sanctimonious. 

While I expected as much for a single figure I was surprised to discover that everything is once again on a single resin block, again the cast is very clean with minimal cast lines, but loaded with details. I like this a lot as one of the stumbling blocks I have had with building early Prodos miniatures has been excessive cast lines. So with this in mind it looks like quality is on the rise not only in design, but also in production. 

The weapons all look very functional and detailed but they suffer the same problems that I experienced with the Tiger Dragons. Because Prodos use a very flexible resin, the weapons can be a little soft and bent out of place, especially with pole arm/flag components. This is a easy matter to fix and quite frankly with some warm water or a hair dryer and while this issue has been discussed before it is worth pointing out to new people taking an interest in Warzone. If the spears are really giving you trouble however, simply replace them with brass rod and glue the spear tips on top.

I have to admit to loving all the poses on these gals, again the same Anime aesthetics are present in this unit, and it does works so well. If you look closer at the pictures you can also see how detailed and varied the faces have come out. I have to admit I am face man and quite frankly one of the most off putting things as a miniature painter/collector, is having a figure where the face does not match at all, in the case of the new Valkyries, Prodos have nailed it.

I think Prodos have made the right decision here with the redesign, compared to the original release, these new sculpts simply blow the old ones away in terms of design intricacy and ease of assembly and in my case, have given me a good enough reason to start a small Brotherhood force. I look forward to seeing what other redesigns come our way this year, especially in the vehicle department, quite frankly 2014 has become the year of the tread for me, and I am excited about the prospects of new Warzone Resurrection tanks.

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th legion

Inspired? Check out Warzone Resurrection today and support the 14th legion by shopping with: Wayland Games - Discount Wargames