Saturday 15 December 2012

Dystopian Legions - KoB Basset Tankettes


Today's Dystopian Legions Wave 2 review is the first Ironclad release for the Kingdom of Britannia

Basset Tankettes
Squadrons of Bassets provide fast moving fire support to the Line

Infantry, offering mobility to complement infantry formations that work

best when stationary. Bassets are often used to speed around

flanks of enemy formations, shooting them up and causing general

panic. These daring actions allow the regular infantry more time to lay
down massed long-range volley fire
 The packaging for the Tankettes shows the logos, name and colour render on the the front and on the back are 2 detailed renders taken straight from the models and a little bit of info on the tanks.
I have said it before and will say it again. I love the fact Spartan use renders instead of painted models. It lets you see the exact details instead of being distracted by a pretty paint job.
(and they have called it Maude!)
In the box you get 2 Tankettes, a KoB blank Activation Card, acrylic bases and 2 Game cards.
The Bassets have amazing movement and firepower and can also be used to Tow other models. They are classed as a Battalion Support Section and can be 1-2 models
Unlike other Game Cards in this release, these are NOT limited to just this Section. They can be used by ANY Ironclad in the future.
"Britannian Workmanship" lets an Ironclad reduce the result of a damage roll
"Able Helmsmanship" gives an Ironclad the ability to Rotate more than usual
Full rules are HERE

The main body of the Basset is resin while the extra parts are all in metal.
Both models are the same so I will just show one of them from here on.
There are a couple of metal tabs on the parts but they are on flat surfaces with no detail. Easy to remove and file down. The tracks have some strips of metal between the wheels but with a pair of clippers and a file you wouldn't even know they were there.
One thing that stands out is the fact the hatch doors have details on both sides and the top of the tank has a deep recess. This leads me to believe there will be Commander models in the future to place in the top of them. For now, make sure you glue the hatch doors together first. There is a gap all the way around them so its easier to fit one piece in place than two.
When fitting the tracks I suggest doing them at the same time. If they aren't straight the main body can look crooked very quickly.
As for the machine gun at the front, PIN IT! The joint is quite small and the gun sticks out. I can see it getting broken off a few times.

The tracks have a small mould line around around the middle which goes after a run over with a file.
If you look at the top of the above pic you will see a lump pf metal on the end of the track.
Clipping it off leaves a small flat area on an otherwise detailed track. I thought it would be fine as its at the back and wont be seen.
I was wrong. This area is at the top at the front on both sides. Hmmmm. Not too keen on that.
The main resin body has a little bit of flash around the bottom edge. This can be removed by just running your finger over it as its very thin.

To the tank factory.....

Scale shot with Lionel the Linesman

 The model was quite simple to assemble. The middle of the track has a mount that needs to be glued on first but then all 3 wheels line up. Just make sure you have them straight

Price
The pair of Tankettes are £19.80 on Pre-Order from The Troll Trader
For 2 decent sized resin models, I think this is reasonable.

Overall
I do like the Bassets. A one man tank is a great concept and Spartan have managed to captured the British armoured look with it well. A couple of little niggles but on the whole I'm impressed.



Score
8 out of 10 Badger Points

What do you think of this wonderful little machine?

Tomorrow - Prussian Tankettes!

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

7 comments:

  1. I absolutely love it!

    It looks like a WWII Polish tankette got made by the British during WWI.

    Wish they were a smidgen bigger, however. Just a tiny bit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How much bigger? Could you convert them?

      Delete
    2. Just a tiny tiny amount. Maybe 5%, and only because it looks like the driver is supposed to be sitting (based on the vision bar) rather than laying on his stomach.

      I think converting might be doable if there's a way to fit something between the tank body and tread units.

      In all honesty, I don't think it's be worth the trouble. They are so neat looking as it is, I think I'll just have to live with my very minor quibble, as it's the only one I've got on this. That's something pretty rare as it is.

      Delete
    3. The treads are seperate so could be moved out. Maybe add a little plastic card to the bottom of the hull as well?

      Delete
  2. 1 of my mates will love these little buggers and I'm sure he will snatch them up once he builds up his force.

    I hope they eventually do them for the EotBS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It looks like all forces will be getting similar Sections.
      I expect to see small Ironclads for EotBS and FSA in the future

      Delete
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