Some very neat new Chaos Dwarves from Mantic Games - they call them Abyssal Dwarfs but let's face it, if you play Warhammer Fantasy then they're Chaos Dwarfs.
Mantic have done a nice job with these Dwarfs and they retain quite a unique feel to them. They feel a bit like a cross (75/25%) between citadel's very old original dwarfs (some of which were quite exceptional) and their somewhat newer, weirder, esoteric cousins - yep those fellas with the long top hats.
In case you didn't know, even though GW no longer officially support Chas Dwarfs as an army, there is a very professionally produced army book that is allowed in some tournaments and played by quite a lot of Chaos Dwarf players. They even have a dedicated forum here:-
http://www.chaos-dwarfs.com/
There are also quite a few very old official and some alternative Chaos Dwarf miniatures on sale on eBay such as the Chaos Dwarf from Hasslefree Miniatures below (painted by Scott Radom) :-
Chaos Dwarf miniatures for sale
Anyway, I thought I'd take a look at some of the new Mantic miniatures and share with you. BTW, Warhammer Forge have also just released some new miniatures - I'll post about them soon.
Here's Mantic's take on Abyssal Dwarfs...
"When a Dwarf takes another Dwarf’s life to satisfy their ultimate greed, there is much rejoicing in the Abyss, as another Dwarf has lost his soul forever – another Abyssal Dwarf is born.”
Ok, here's a summary of what Mantic have on offer...
3 Lords & Hero level characters
Abyssal Dwarf Black Souls (standard rank & file)
Abyssal Dwarf Decimators (blunderbussiers)
Abyssal Dwarf Immortal Guard (elite rank and file)
Abyssal Dwarf Beserkers (elite specialized)
Katsuchan Rocket Launcher
Half-breed Centaurs - available in the Gorgoth's Storm of Steel army expansion set.
The miniatures are a combination of metal and plastics (all of the characters are metal for instance, some others are hybrid which, I guess, means a bit of both ?) check the individual listings to find out. The miniatures are, as usual, much cheaper than the alternatives out there and a LOT cheaper than trying to find loads of old out of production miniatures on eBay.
In terms of quality they are excellent, some are better than others but it all depends on the style of miniature that you like. The Abyssal Dwarfs all look quite different from one another, in an almost unruly way. It seems like the designer has been given free reign over his creations and asked to make them as weird and wonderful as he can.
These dwarfs like metal... a lot !
...and they sport a great selection of unusual helmets, weapons, armour and shields. I love their unique feel, it's something you see less of now days with the predominance of plastics. Despite plastics having lots of inter-changeable parts models often end up looking the same as one another, this can be a plus for some armies but not for others (esp the more unruly or individualistic).
The Abyssal Dwarfs look like an organised group of dangerous personalities. Check these two out (from the Black Souls regiment)...
and these from the Immortal Guard elite regiment....
And the beserkers, which you could actually use as Slayers in a Norse-Dwarf army....
Mantic Game miniatures are really coming along nicely. They seem to be releasing them at an ever faster pace too. They won't appeal to everyone, they have their own slightly quirky feel to them but they are good quality and their real selling point is the price which is a lot less than their competitors (especially if you go with one of their army deals). It's nice to have an alternative source for massed produced fantasy models and, hopefully, more competition in the fantasy minis market will lead to better models at cheaper prices - maybe !
I'm afraid I still have one big criticism of Mantic's website, they need to improve their miniature pics. Check out the difference between the Hasslefree eBay pic (which an individual person took with their home camera) and the miniature pics available on the Mantic site which are too dark and look slightly blurry.
Images (except Hasslefree miniature) are © Mantic Games. All rights reserved. Used without permission.
too!
