Review: AE WWII Soviet Psi Starter Force by Blackball Games

Hi again readers.
It's finally time for my third AE: WWII review for Blackball Games
I know there has been abit of a break between these but sooo much has come up recently.
Today we will be having a look at the -

Soviet Psi Starter Force

 The Soviet Psi force comes in AE WWIIs usual packaging. The front shows full colour photos of everything included. When you turn the pack over you can see that the models are separated into individual compartments. This is a great thing as it lets you see all of the parts before you buy which most starter sets don't do.

Inside the box you will find a sheet with the AE WWII Quick Start rules on one side and the model stats for the ones in the set on the others.
Model wise you get 3 Chumans, a Psi Officer, 2 Guard and a Politruk. All cast in metal and supplied with 30mm bases.
Lets have a closer look at the models.

Chumans

Chumans, part man part ape. A vicious opponent on the battlefield

The Chumans come with 3 bodies from 2 different designs. With those are 4 sets of arms and 3 heads.
The fact these are multipart models means you can mix the parts in any way you want to is a wonderful thing. You could have 20+ Chumans with every single model being different.
There are slight mould lines around the parts but nothing that can easily be removed with a quick file.

I like the style and look of the Chumans. They may need a pin to keep the arms and head sturdy but I am impressed by them.

Psi Officer and Politruk

The Psi Officer and Politruk are the leaders of your Soviet Psi force (as far as I can tell anyway)

As these 2 models are quite similar I thought I would cover them together. Politruk in on the left and Officer on the right.
Both of these models come with multiple options. Weapons, heads, arms and equipment. They look to be interchangeable as well so that is a lot of options to give you the model you want.
The detail on these models is very nice. Lots of body detail but not too much that the model gets lost.
The arms have some mould lines that will need a bit of work but otherwise they are good quality

Guard

The Soviet troops. The bulk of your forces.

The Soviet Guards, like the other models in this box, come with several options.
Want a rifle corps? Some pistol assault soldiers? No problem!
The detail and quality of these is nice. Minimal mould lines or tabs. I do think the design is a little basic though compared to the Chumans and Officers. But then these are core troops. The aren't going to get all the goodies.

Price - As I have said before, Blackball Games sent me this kit to review. This means I cant really comment on the price personally but as its on the box I can give my thoughts.
$33 or £22 for a starter of 7 multi part metal minis and QS rules. Now that's good! I wouldn't think twice about picking a set up again.

Overall - I do like this Soviet set. Although the force isn't totally to my own taste, I just cant fault the style, detail, quality and content.
I would recommend these to anybody interested in any Weird or WWII games

8 out of 10 Badgers Points

More to come........................

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Review: AE WWII German Geneticists Starter Force

Time for my second review on the AE WWII Starter forces from Blackball Games.
The more I look into this game, the more I like it. That cant be a bad thing.
Today I will be running over the  -

German Geneticists Starter Force

Above you can see the packaging of the German Starter. On the front is a selection of painted miniature photos showing you exactly what you get in the pack.
Turn the box over and you find all the models in clear compartments. I think this is a great thing as it lets you check for parts and any mistakes or such before you buy. Lots of mini companies don't do that with boxed sets.

In the box you get a sheet of Quick Start rules, 3 Emaciated troopers, 1 Mad Doc, 1 NCO and 2 Greatcoats. Plus bases and several different weapon options.
Lets have a closer look at each type on its own.

Emaciated Trooper

These are some of the crazy, drug powered, tech enhanced weapons of the German force. A scary sight to see across the battlefield.

Here you can see the selection of parts included in the Troopers set. The 3 bodies are the same but there are 2 heads and sets of arms, each with 2 different designs. This lets you mix up the unit to have several different models using the same set.

The bodies are nicely detailed but do have a mould line running around them as you can see in the picture below. The heads and arms are on sprues so will need cleaning and clipping, but apart from that they look like very good casts that wont need any other work.

I love the look of these troops. They have a great scary experiment feel and I can see me using them quite often.

Mad Doktor

 The Mad Doktor is the twisted mind behind the Trooper creations. The man that keeps them going when things turn ugly.

The Dok comes with a min body, a pair of arms on one sprue and 2 head options on the other. This lets you make the Dok the way you want him.
The sprue parts will need the usual clipping and cleaning but are very good quality. The main body is a great cast. No problems or cleaning need what so ever. Just stick and go!
This model looks like the stereotypical Mad Dok and I can imagine an insane cackle every time I look at it.
Twisted and very nice.

NCO

The NCO (Non Commissioned Officer) is a troop leader in the field. If he shouts the orders, they either follow or fall!

The NCO is a very nice model. 2 head options and 2 pairs of arms/weapons let you arm him how you want which is always nice in miniature games.
The body is a perfect cast and the heads only have the sprue at the neck and a tiny vent (where air escapes from the mould).
The arms are attached to the sprue at slightly awkward places so will need a little extra time to file but will look impressive when that is done.
The overall look of the NCO is scary and commanding at the same time. The type of Officer you would see in one of those 'vs the Nazis' B-movies

Wehrmacht Greatcoats

Greatcoats are you elites of the core troops. nobody messes with them and lives to tell the tale.

 

The Greatcoats come with 2 different bodies and 3 sets of arms/weapons to mix between them. This gives you the option of large units of different minis using the same kit again and again.

The bodies do have a little bit of a mould line around them but that is easy to remove with a quick run over of a hobby file. The arms/weapons are sprued so the usual clipping and cleaning is needed.

I do really like the look of these models. The combination of masks, helmets, weapons and coats make them look incredibly imposing.

Price - Blackball Games sent me this set to review so I cant really comment on paying for them but as the price is in one of the pictures I though I would voice my general opinion.
$33 or £22 for a starter set that contains this amount of metal models and different options is really good. I don't see any problem with the cost as all!

Overall- I have never really been a fan of German WW models but these have changed my mind.
Every single model in the set has a great individual look but they still manage to tie them together in the same force.
Some of the parts are a little fiddly but that's just because my hands are huge.
Based on this look alone (painting will come later) I am going to give them

8 out of 10 Badger Points!

Next week will be the third and final AE WWII set. The Psi Soviets!

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Review: AE WWII American Sci-Tech Starter Force

Recently I was chatting to the guys at Blackball Games and they asked if I would like to do a couple of reviews for AE WWII. After a quick look at the site and eyeing up all the 'Weird World War' goodies, I obviously said 'Go on then!'

I didn't know very much about the game to begin with so while I learn more about the setting and how to
play, I'm going to have a look at some of the models.
The first lot to check out is the -

American Sci-Tech Starter Force

On the front of the box is a nice set of painted model pictures to show you what you get.
Turning the box over, you can see compartments that contains all of the models and parts.This is great is it lets you check the quality of the parts before you buy. Something you cant do with many other starter sets on the market.

Opening up the box and pulling out all the bits (which i suggest doing model by model. I didn't and got confused) you can see there is quite a lot included.
1 QuickStart rules sheets with model stats on the other side, 1 Buffalo, 1 Female Mechanic, 1 Sniper, 1 Officer, 2 Airbourne and bases for each models
Lets have a look at the minis a little closer.

Buffalo

The Buffalo seems to be a mechanised suit of armour armed with some serious weaponry

The model comes in 4 parts as you can see above. The parts have a couple of little tabs (extra bits of metal from casting) on them but nothing that cant be removed quickly with a pair of clippers.
Mould lines are almost non existent which is great and means minimal clean up time so you can get to building and painting quicker. The parts also fit together very easily.
The Buffalo doesn't have lots of intricate detail but I don't think this model needs it to be honest. Its walking armour!

Sniper

The man you want when there is an Officer you need disposed of.

The Sniper comes with a main body and camo cloak. He also has 2 sets of options. A rifle or a silenced pistol. This gives you different choices in the game or the chance to use the same model twice and still not have any identical minis in your force.
The parts are on metal sprues so will need clipping off and filing down before being fitted together. There are a couple of vents (where air escapes from the moulds) and they will also need removing and cleaning up.
Mould lines are quite good all the way around.
I do like this model. Nice detail and great options

Female Mechanic

Who is going to mess with a nasty looking woman holding a big wrench?

The Female Mech is a very basic model with separate hands and head. For the hands you have a pistol and wrench but for the head you have 2 different options. This lets you mix up the look of your force if you want to.
Parts will need clipping off the sprues and cleaning a little but it isn't going to take very much work at all to get her ready to build.
The painted picture does make her look like she has one 'lady lump' much larger than the other but I think that many just be the paintjob or angle of the picture.
Overall, nice model with great detail.

Airborne and Officer

The fighting bodies of your force. Officer in top pic above and Airbourne in second

I have chosen to picture the Officer and Airborne together as they are very similar models and though this would be the nest way for you to see the differences. Officer in the middle above.
All 3 of these model come with a ton of options. Seperate heads, weapons, arms and equipment lets you mix them up and run exactly what you want to. Rifles, pistols, its all there.
The parts being on sprues means a little cleaning up before building but an almost total lack of vents, tabs and mould lines means that prep time is minimal. You can get these ready to paint in minutes.
All 3 are highly detailed and capture the feel of the American forces very well.

Price - I will be honest and tell you I didn't pay for this box. But as the price is in the photo I thought I should cover it.
$33.99 (£22) from Blackball Games  is an absolute bargain in my eyes. Especially looking at the amount of options and extras you get in the box. 

Overall - You can see I haven't made these yet as they will be heading off to the painters soon and I will have a look at them again when they are done.
I am really impressed by these models. Weird WW wasn't a genre I had looked into before but these have changed my mind on the matter and I will be looking to expand the forces for AE WWII
Highly detailed, loads of options for different builds and a great price.
My only problem is a personal one. The parts are a little small for my big badger paws to put together easily without dropping them
For an initial score looking at the quality and contents alone I'm going to go for 

8 out of 10 Badger Points

Keep an eye out over the next 2 weeks for the Germans and Soviets!

Hendybadger awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!