In my earlier post this week, I gave you guys a quick summary of my Warmachine experience. Since then, I've had some time to sit down and read through some of the rulebook and get the contents of the plastic Cygnar Battlegroup put together. I'll probably end up making a 50pt army by the time I'm done. I've yet to get a game in, but maybe I can this weekend. Here's what I think of the stuff I've bought so far....
The Cygnar Battlegroup
Pros:
Almost everything in one purchase
Easy to get started playing
Basic rules and stats for the four main groups included
Cons:
Still need basics like dice, ruler, etc.
No instructions to assemble models
Some of the model castings were warped
I started out by asking around on our local store's forums about what battlegroup to get and if there was one that was better than the other. At the time, I was torn between getting the Cygnar box and the Cryx box. In the end, I chose Cygnar figuring I could always start another faction later if I liked the game that much. The battlegroups seemed like a great place to start playing, so I'm starting my collection with one. They all come with a decent force, which is usually a warcaster and a few warjacks, along with thier respective stat cards, and a set of quickstart rules. You really don't need a rulebook to get started, so if you and a friend both get a battlegroup you can learn the basics without having to buy anything else. Well, unless you need dice (you only need about 6 per player) and a tapemeasure or ruler. The quickstart rules come with copies of all the stat cards from the battlegroup boxes printed on the back, so if you wanted you could proxy a different battlegroup without having to but it.
The Cygnar Battlegroup comes with Warcaster Coleman Stryker, two light warjacks - the Lancer and the Charger, and one heavy warjack - the Ironclad. Each model comes with their own statcard that has all their information and damage boxes on it. The artwork on these cards are beautiful, and they are also designed very well. The information on the cards is laid out so that everything is easy to read and find. You'll want to get a set of card sleeves or top loaders to protect the cards and so you can use dry erase markers to mark the damage on your models as you play the game.
The models themselves are quite different than the Games Workshop figures I am used too. For starters, they are a slightly larger scale. Second, these new battlegroups are now made from plastic instead of metal. I remember the first Cygnar battegroup I had that had metal models in it, and having to pin all those models was a pain in the rear. Now, however, instead of pinning, you have to deal with the mold lines on the plastic. The Metal models had these as well, but what ever type of plastic that Privateer Press is using it isn't the same as the soft plastic that G.W. uses. In fact, this plastic feels a lot harder and it is difinetly a lot harder to work with.
When assembling the models, you'll want to wash them with soap and water first to remove the excess mold release that is left behind on these guys. Once you get them cleaned, check to see if any of the parts are warped. I had the spear on the lancer that was warped so bad that it looked like a bow instead. If you run across something like this here is how you easily fix it. Fill a small bowl with water and heat it up in the microwave. It doesn't have to be boiling, but it does need to be hot. While that bowl is heating up, get a second bowl of cold water and have it sitting on the counter next to where your going to put the hot water. Once you get the water hot, use a pair of tweezers or pliers and completely submerge the warped part in the hot water. The part will almost instantly loosen up and become limp. Carefully pull out the part and reshape it to the correct pose. Once your happy with the new position, place the part into the cold water and that will harden the part into your new shape.
With everything cleaned and prepped, I got all my models assembled fairly quickly. Even though they are made from plastic, you'll have to use super glue to put these guys together. For some of the models, you may need to use a thicker gap filling glue to fill the gaps in the parts. Hopefully little things like this will get worked out as Privateer Press gets better with their plastic production. Once I got everything built, I based them with some sand I brought back from the beach a few years ago and also used Boltergeist's cork idea on the bases. I'll paint the cork to look like rock and place static grass on the bases when I'm done. I want to keep these guys quick and easy for now.
In part 3, I'll review the softcover MK2 rulebook. Well, if I can get through the rules section by then!
 |
| Primed and ready for paint. |
The Cygnar Battlegroup
Pros:
Almost everything in one purchase
Easy to get started playing
Basic rules and stats for the four main groups included
Cons:
Still need basics like dice, ruler, etc.
No instructions to assemble models
Some of the model castings were warped
I started out by asking around on our local store's forums about what battlegroup to get and if there was one that was better than the other. At the time, I was torn between getting the Cygnar box and the Cryx box. In the end, I chose Cygnar figuring I could always start another faction later if I liked the game that much. The battlegroups seemed like a great place to start playing, so I'm starting my collection with one. They all come with a decent force, which is usually a warcaster and a few warjacks, along with thier respective stat cards, and a set of quickstart rules. You really don't need a rulebook to get started, so if you and a friend both get a battlegroup you can learn the basics without having to buy anything else. Well, unless you need dice (you only need about 6 per player) and a tapemeasure or ruler. The quickstart rules come with copies of all the stat cards from the battlegroup boxes printed on the back, so if you wanted you could proxy a different battlegroup without having to but it.
The Cygnar Battlegroup comes with Warcaster Coleman Stryker, two light warjacks - the Lancer and the Charger, and one heavy warjack - the Ironclad. Each model comes with their own statcard that has all their information and damage boxes on it. The artwork on these cards are beautiful, and they are also designed very well. The information on the cards is laid out so that everything is easy to read and find. You'll want to get a set of card sleeves or top loaders to protect the cards and so you can use dry erase markers to mark the damage on your models as you play the game.
The models themselves are quite different than the Games Workshop figures I am used too. For starters, they are a slightly larger scale. Second, these new battlegroups are now made from plastic instead of metal. I remember the first Cygnar battegroup I had that had metal models in it, and having to pin all those models was a pain in the rear. Now, however, instead of pinning, you have to deal with the mold lines on the plastic. The Metal models had these as well, but what ever type of plastic that Privateer Press is using it isn't the same as the soft plastic that G.W. uses. In fact, this plastic feels a lot harder and it is difinetly a lot harder to work with.
When assembling the models, you'll want to wash them with soap and water first to remove the excess mold release that is left behind on these guys. Once you get them cleaned, check to see if any of the parts are warped. I had the spear on the lancer that was warped so bad that it looked like a bow instead. If you run across something like this here is how you easily fix it. Fill a small bowl with water and heat it up in the microwave. It doesn't have to be boiling, but it does need to be hot. While that bowl is heating up, get a second bowl of cold water and have it sitting on the counter next to where your going to put the hot water. Once you get the water hot, use a pair of tweezers or pliers and completely submerge the warped part in the hot water. The part will almost instantly loosen up and become limp. Carefully pull out the part and reshape it to the correct pose. Once your happy with the new position, place the part into the cold water and that will harden the part into your new shape.
With everything cleaned and prepped, I got all my models assembled fairly quickly. Even though they are made from plastic, you'll have to use super glue to put these guys together. For some of the models, you may need to use a thicker gap filling glue to fill the gaps in the parts. Hopefully little things like this will get worked out as Privateer Press gets better with their plastic production. Once I got everything built, I based them with some sand I brought back from the beach a few years ago and also used Boltergeist's cork idea on the bases. I'll paint the cork to look like rock and place static grass on the bases when I'm done. I want to keep these guys quick and easy for now.
 |
| Warcaster - Commander Coleman Stryker |
 |
| Light Warjack - Charger |
 |
| Light Warjack - Lancer |
 |
| Heavy Warjack - Ironclad |
In part 3, I'll review the softcover MK2 rulebook. Well, if I can get through the rules section by then!
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