Today's review is a couple of people that have caused several problems for Arrow and Batman in the past.
Nyssa al Ghul from the CW series Arrow and Ra's al Ghul from the Arkham City console game.
The League of Assassins / Shadows have just become a lot more dangerous!
Packaging is the usual Knight Models blister packs. Foam holding the model parts in place and a backing car showing a painted version of the model which also doubles up as the game stat card.
There is something a little different this time though.On the bottom right corner if Nyssa's card is the CW Arrow logo! The first model from this series in the game so far (Arrow out this month) so I wonder how many more we will see?
In the packs you will find two 30mm plastic bases, two new design fold out stat cards and two highly detailed, 35mm scale, multipart metal models.
Ra's al Ghul , Head of the Demon, is a new Leader for the League. 125 Rep $0 with Willpower 8 and average to high stats. He's expensive but well worth it once you look at his weapon and Traits.
His Soultaker Sword gives 2 Blood damage each time and removes an opponents Willpower. On top of that he also has Weapon Master on it.
His other Traits are Elite Boss: Ninjas, Grand Strategist, Immortal, Martial Artist, Mastermind, Precise Blow, Undercover and Veteran. You are going to need to throw a LOT at Ra's to stop him.
Nyssa al Ghul, Heir to the Demon, is Ra's' daughter and new League Sidekick. 83 Rep and $300 means shes another expensive choice but again, worth taking once you look at what she can do.
Willpower 6 and average stats don't look like much. But add in her 2 Blood Bow, Kruki knife, Acrobat, Good Aim, Hook Arrow, Martial Artist, Master Marksman, Reflexes and Stealth and you have a great fighter who can get any where, shoot anyone and hold her own in close combat.
A closer look at the parts.
Nyssa has main body, quiver, bow arm and arrow arm.
Ra's has main body, head, sword arm and small left arm.
A VERY close look at the two bodies for mould lines and issues shows that there is almost nothing.
These were so quick and easy to clean up and get ready to build.
Building these was fairly simple. The parts all slotted together easily with only minimal gaps that may need a little filling. They each had something I'm not keen on though, metal parts that need lining up and gluing in two or more places at the same time. Grrrrr! It's probably because I have huge hands, but I can never seem to get parts like that in the right place.
Ra's' arms need to be glued at the shoulders and wrist at the same time to get them to line up properly. Nyssa has the same with her arrow arms attaching at the shoulder and the top of the quiver.
Although these type of parts annoy me, they do give stunning poses. Both of the models look to be in the middle of drawing their weapons and joining the fight.
Ra's does have the old 'foot on rock' thing going on but again it adds to the pose and can easily be removed and replaced if you wanted to. I decided to hide it behind some rubble.
Nyssa is standing on the edge of a rooftop. I can't decide if I like this or not. It does add to the character of the piece really well but at the same time it doesn't really tie in with the rest of the crew. I ended up basing it on the floor so it looks like it's a bit more rubble.
Each of these models cost roughly £12. Not bad for characters compared to several other popular games. Especially when these are bigger, very detailed and licensed.
Nyssa and Ra's add some serious skills to the League of Shadows / Assassins and if used together, they are over half of a standard sized crew on thier own.
If you want to use them together in the League, a list to look at could be-
Ra's al Ghul - 125 Rep
Nyssa al Ghul - 83 Rep - $300
Seeker Ninja - 27 Re- - $200
Ying Ninja - 30 Rep
Yang Ninja - 31 Rep
Lotus Ninja - 48 Rep - $100
That gives you a crew of 344 Rep and $600. Leaving you with $900 to spread some useful equipment between the four Ninjas. Nyssa would appreciate an Ammo Crate objective placed some where hard to reach with a good vantage point as well.
I do like both of these releases. They make me want to use the League which I didn't really want to use at all before. Probably because it was Dark Knight movie based and I'm not really a fan of those movies.
I can forgive the multi-glue parts as that is balanced by giving them great poses.
All in all I would score them -
Nyssa al Ghul - 8 / 10 Badger Points
Ra's al Ghul - 8 / 10 Badger Points
If you like the League or want some enemies to face Batman and the Arrow, I would recommend picking up both of these.
What are your thoughts on these two?
- Hendybadger
