Gale Force Nine's Bestial Huts and Chieftain's Hut - First Impressions

These are the BB539 Bestial Huts and BB540 Chieftain's Hut from Gale Force Nine. As part of their Battlefield in a Box line, these are pre-painted terrain pieces intended to go straight from the box to the tabletop. This post presents my first impressions rather than a review. These are recent purchases and it will be awhile before they see play due to current circumstances.

The two pieces from BB539 Bestial Huts are on the left. BB540 Chieftain's Hut is the big one on the right - clearly where the boss lives.

Gale Force Nine introduced these products about ten years ago. Availability dried up for a few years between then and now. That left me regretting not picking them up when I first became aware of them. I decided to take the plunge when I noticed they were back on the market.

It's safe to state that these pieces are fantasy themed. The blurbs on the boxes suggest that the Bestial and Chieftain's Huts originate from cold northern climes, but they wouldn't look totally out of place on a savanna or somewhere else beyond the reach of civilization. The trio of huts pictured in this post (one box of Bestial Huts and one Chieftain's Hut) could represent a camp for a small group of hunters, scouts, or raiders. Multiple sets would be needed to represent housing for a larger population.

Close up of the two larger huts.

Whoever designed these pieces put thought and effort into the details. The overall design appears to be inspired by a yurt or a tipi. Each piece represents a structure constructed of hides stretched between tusks from mammoths or some fantasy equivalent. The textures and colors of the hides show variation, suggesting that the pelts were taken from different animals. The sculpt also includes stitching holding the hides together and ropes lashing the hides to the tusks. The huts also feature fully detailed interiors. All surfaces are painted to a tabletop standard except for the bottom edges which make contact with the table. I was considering applying a wash to the pieces, but dismissed the idea as soon as I got my hands on them. The existing paint job shows off all the detail just fine.

Interior of the Chieftain's Hut.

There is a substantial size difference between the three pieces. The smallest of the two Bestial Huts would be crowded for more than a couple of occupants at 28mm scale. Meanwhile, the Chieftain's Hut looks big enough for several people. Buying multiple sets of Bestial Huts and only one or two Chieftain's Huts might work best for setting up a larger population center. This will help the Chieftain's Huts to stand out as important structures among the smaller pieces.

All of the huts appear to be cast from resin. Initial inspection revealed no bubbles or other imperfections in the pieces. The material seems durable enough to regular handling. I would be concerned about chipping or cracking if one took a fall or had a rough ride during transport. Careful storage should be enough to address these worries.

I've seen a wide variation in price for these sets. Both sets together retail from about $50-$75 USD before shipping, tax, or other fees. Shopping around for the best prices - both for the pieces themselves and for shipping - pays off.

These pieces are a welcome addition to my collection, which is a little lacking in fantasy terrain. They offer good value and live up to the claim that they are ready for play right out of the box. I'm looking forward to putting them on the table.

Reaper Bones Kaladrax Reborn WIP Part 1

My current big miniature project - Reaper's Kaladrax Reborn. Getting to it has taken awhile. It was a backer reward from the first Reaper Bones Kickstarter. I finally found a paint scheme that inspired me to tackle the challenge. Besides, I want a horror-themed project to finish by Halloween and a giant undead dragon is a solid choice.

Time to awaken a sleeping giant undead dragon?

Kaladrax Reborn is a whole lot of plastic. The base alone is a hefty chunk of whatever formula Reaper used for its early Bones line. Painting it in sections makes it easier to reach everything. It also divides the work into manageable chunks.

That's a whole lot of plastic. I'm gonna need a bigger brush.

I acquired Kaladrax Reborn as a Kickstarter reward from the Reaper Miniatures Bones: An Evolution Of Gaming Miniatures Kickstarter. It was the first of many Kickstarters by Reaper Miniatures and the one that launched Reaper's Bones line. Kaladrax Reborn was a $10 USD add on that later retailed for $75 USD - the price increase reflected the scaling issue that came up during production. Internet rumor suggests that there was a miscommunication between Reaper and the company that was manufacturing the Bones miniatures at the time. The miscommunication resulted in Kaladrax Reborn being made at roughly 200% of the intended scale. Mine showed up on my doorstep back in the summer of 2013. Kaladrax Reborn is out of production at this time.

That's a hefty base. I'm not worried about the figure falling over.

The main obstacle to starting this project - other than simple procrastination - was a lack of inspiration. Most of the color schemes I've seen for this piece looked underwhelming. Black for the undercoat, off-white for the skeleton, red for the fleshy bits, brown and gray for the base - a perfectly functional color scheme for an undead figure, but not rewarding enough to me for the effort. Kaladrax Reborn would become a centerpiece of my collection due to its sheer size. When I finally committed to putting paint on this critter, I wanted something different.

Dry fitting the main body and painted legs on the base.

I found a couple of visually distinct color schemes on Deviantart. The first depicts Kaladrax Reborn imbued with frost magic. As much as I like the blue color scheme, it isn't quite what I wanted. I'll keep the idea in mind if I find myself painting a figure with cold powers, though. The second has Kaladrax Reborn glowing with necrotic energies. It's a familiar color scheme - green is widely used for undead figures - but I never considered applying it to this figure. Maybe I'm not alone in that oversight, since I don't recall seeing it used on any other Kaladrax Reborn projects. I'm not sure if I can execute the green glowing effect with the same level of skill, but I'm giving it a try.

Close up of base with Reaper 02608 Tyden, Barbarian. Note the scale difference when comparing the skulls with Tyden's head.

I approached the hunk of plastic that serves as a base like a terrain piece. The paint scheme is straightforward - a mix of FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium and black paint as a primer/undercoat layer, gray for most the stone areas, brown for the rock areas, some FolkArt 420 Linen to highlight the raised surfaces, and a dark wash to bring out the details. I was surprised by the number of skulls sculpted on the base - I had to check that I hadn't gotten it mixed up with a GW product somehow. The size of the skulls are a telltale of the scaling issue that Reaper ran into with this figure. They are about twice the size of a human skull at 28mm scale. The wash gives the base a shiny appearance, but the clear sealant I'm planning on spraying on after final assembly should knock it down.

Skeleton color scheme test. Why do I have a sudden craving for chicken wings?

Here are two of Kaladrax Reborn's legs. These attach to the base and support the rest of the figure. I decided to use these to test a color scheme for the rest of the skeleton. They are the lowest parts of the figure other than the base, so any mistakes should be less noticeable. At this time, they just have a layer of FolkArt 420 Linen brushed over a mix of FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium and Reaper 09199 Russet Brown working as the primer/base layer. I'm putting off a highlight or wash layer until I have more of the figure done.

Hip/rear leg/main body dry fit.

I'd like to get started on the main body piece, but the way the figure fits goes together suggests otherwise. The hip parts block off areas of the main body. I'll paint the hip parts and remaining legs next so they will be ready for fitting after I paint the main body.

Spaceship X from Creative Gamescapes

This is a single set of Spaceship X from Creative Gamescapes. I received it as a Kickstarter award from awhile back. There were delays in getting the product out and communications could have been better. On the other hand, getting it late was better than not getting it at all. That's far more success than some Kickstarters can claim. Bottom line - Creative Gamescapes could have done better, but they ultimately came through for me.

Set with almost all of the pieces - one door was being stripped for repaint.

This set featured in a few previous posts - most notably a description of a Star Trek Adventures encounter and a work in progress post after I decided to have another go at assembling and painting it. Since then, I've sprayed the corridor pieces with a coat of clear sealer. This seems to have solved the silver overspray problem. I also decided that I didn't do as bad a job with two of the doors as I thought. The paint job on the third door didn't come out at all - that one is getting stripped and repainted down the road. Still, the set is in a state where I feel comfortable about writing a review, especially since I've already used it in play.

Door close up. The one with the green keypad is intended to look more worn.

Spaceship X represents the interior of a large spacecraft. The level of detail - floor grating, round bolts, doors with keypads - is sufficient to convey a futuristic industrial appearance. The aesthetic is well suited for a game about exploring a derelict spacecraft inhabited by violently aggressive extraterrestrials, although some might lament the lack of decorative skulls. The rugged industrial look is generic enough for a variety of sci-fi settings. Spaceship X is also handy for representing other sci-fi environments - a built up underground area like a moonbase, a confined industrial area, a supervillian lair, etc.

The scaling of Spaceship X is flexible by design. The corridors work equally well for 15mm or 28mm figures. The keypads on the doors are a little large for 15mm, but the effect is not too jarring.

15mm figure comparison. Maybe tall enough to reach the top row on the keypad?

Assembly is relatively straightforward. The parts did arrive with mold lines, but nothing that a little work with a hobby knife and some sanding couldn't take care of. I made a couple of minor errors when I reassembled the parts due to my misplacing the instructions. Unfortunately, Creative Gamescapes did not respond to my inquiries about getting a replacement instruction sheet and it isn't available for download. The sides and bottom of each corridor segment do lock together, but I don't feel that the fit is snug enough to rely on. I ended up using plastic cement to bond the parts of each corridor segment together permanently. The details on how I assembled and painted my Spaceship X set are presented in a previous WIP post.

Who needs keypads when an anti-armor weapon is available? Just mind the back blast!

Each corridor segment is designed to slot together with the others. Unfortunately, the interlocking tabs and slots don't always fit smoothly. They line up well, but the slots aren't always large enough for the tabs to fit without forcing them together. Priming and painting the pieces has only made the issue worse. However, the fit issue is likely to resolve itself as the interlocking tabs and slots wear down.

Close up of interlocking tabs and slots.

Creative Gamescapes used a sturdy plastic for Spaceship X. I'm more concerned with the paint job and cement bonds than the plastic getting damaged during normal use. A piece did fall on the garage floor while I was preparing the set for priming - it bounced off and wasn't even scuffed or scratched. Durability doesn't seem to be an issue with Spaceship X.

28mm figure comparison. The girls are having an easier time with reaching the door controls.

Spaceship X is an affordable product with limitations. Spaceship X is at its best when its used for assembling tight corridors and claustrophobic rooms that result in intense close-in encounters. A single set of Spaceship X retails around $35 USD before shipping and tax. It provides a variety of corridors arranged on a single level, a couple of small rooms, and an assortment of accessories such as doors - a good value for the price. There are other products on the market featuring multiple levels, more expansive rooms, and a higher level of detailing. Such products allow for more maneuvering and better use of ranged attacks during play. However, those products tend to be correspondingly more expensive and many use less durable materials such as card. Spaceship interiors are a niche market within a niche market - trade offs may be unavoidable. Potential buyers would be best served by carefully evaluating their needs before making a purchase.

I'm satisfied with Spaceship X, but I have concerns about Creative Gamescapes. They demonstrated a lack of good communications during the Kickstarter and when I reached out to them for support. On the other hand, they put out a good product. There were some issues during assembly and with how the tabs fit, but nothing too serious. It looks good and works well on the table.