So, I got a hold of some Spinespur minis- just enough for now to demo the game, and have either 2 small-sized gangs, or one decent sized one of them.
I intend to play The Institution, so picking up Dr. Akron was an obvious choice to start- who doesn't want to play a deranged mad scientist? Very nicely done. The "character details" on Dr. Akron such as the tie clip and pens in the pocket protector add a tremendous flair to him, and if you're playing this game you might be enough of a horror fan to notice a slight bit of Angus Scrimm in the features- which certainly affects my painting choices. As for the beast, there's nothing here we haven't seen before... and that's his charm. He's got old-school classic B-horror written all over him... especially his chest.
The other model I went for was Pigskin of the Slaughterhouse. Since my girlfriend might wind up playing these, she might snag him to paint up herself, we'll see. This guy has some classic dimensions to him, although not a lot of movement. The pigskull helm adds a certain dark comedy to the piece, and the chains wrapping his left wrist are very clean. Again, nothing really inventing in the sculpt itself, but conveys the imagery well and I think will paint up easily.
As for the thugs, I have one of each blister: 4 basic thugs, 2 Molotov thugs, and 2 chainsaw thugs. The chain gangers I think will eventually work well with Hack, while the others I'm expecting to be some good cheap screening fodder. Each blister comes with a pack of six heads. I used all of them but one to make sure you got to see them- Hoodie Man and Gas Mask Man are attached to their models and not on the sprue. The sixth is a "Hannibal Lecter" styled mask. Humorous, and while I could see for some people it being their favorite on the sprue, it didn't do it for me so I left it off. Yay choices. I plan on seeing if they'll mount up on my Trauma Hounds though- that should be a fun bit of converting.
The basic thugs come with these four bodies, as well as a sprue with the six heads as mentioned, and then a sprue of weapon options. Each one is held in the right hand (no lefties!) but they all mount up really cleanly. Baseball bats, a wicked lead pipe, a sword, a machete, and an axe round out your options there.
The chainsaw guys come with two bodies, a chainsaw specific to each, and the same head sprue. I really didn't like the hunched look of one of them. He'll photograph well if up on a step or a car or something, but I've never liked hunched over models in game play because I'm already looking down, so now I'll miss all the highlights. Still he has a lot of character, and honestly the pose is very correct, which since that's another one of my pet peeves I'll let the hunchback bit slide... this time. ;-)
As you can see, there are no exposed faces in Thugdom anywhere. My assumption is this was done in an attempt to avoid "clone soldiers." It's an interesting take on the problem, but I don't know it's needed in a game intending to have less than a score of models total on the table. The white metal is solid enough to hold shape, but still malleable enough to re-position limbs to an extend without cutting.
The thug models are all well sculpted, with enough character to give you the idea that their might be someone with a name and a history under whatever it is covering their faces. So far my faves have to be Biker Guy, Hoodie Guy, and Military Guy, although the Molatov lobbing guy with a suit and tie is up there. Once again, there's nothing here that's going to make you want to buy a dozen of each one, but fortunately you won't need to. They're grunts, an they're grunts with character- that's saying something right there.
Overall, I'd rate the models as solid. On the downside they're five years old, and in a few places they show it if you know where to look. On the upside the proportions and anatomy are very solid, and you get a lot more variety than I was expecting in a metal kit. The models have nearly no flash or mold lines- a quick scrape down was all it took to get them nice and clean. They have character without being "over-the-top" about it, and since they're designed to be the henchman of your force, you almost don't want more than that or they've steal the spotlight. I think overall I'm going to give the thugs 3 bullets out of five, and give both Dr. Akron and Pigskin 4 bullets out of 5. I'll do an update with my final opinions once I get some paint on them. Also, keep an eye out for my Spinespur Rules/Gameplay Review later this week.
Questions? Comments? Incriminations? Please leave them below!
The Second Class Elitist
The Second Class Elitist
I have to say, the chainsaw thugs make me hate life. I will never buy another pack of them, because my fingers have told me they will go on strike if I do.
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