Tohaa Unboxing & Pig Iron Ferals

The Paradiso supplement's most exciting inclusion (the campaign rules were a bit "meh") was the new race, the Tohaa.  At the time I labelled them a rather lazy space-elf "Eldar" ripoff, and that is pretty much on the money.  On closer inspection, their facial features look a tad vampiric so they may have a touch of "Dark Elf" in them - their wheel-lock style weapons have a bit of a space pirate vibe to boot...

This model seems a "paint by the numbers" standard exotic dancer. Rather unimaginative...

Provocative but Pointless...
Anyway I am really unimpressed with the Tohaa Diplomat model. Yes, it is used for a campaign scenario but it reminds me of the Nomad "catgirl" sculpt. I don't mind provocative sculpts, but I dislike pointless ones.  If she had been toting a weapon of some sort, fine, but she is simply a bland alien exotic dancer a la Mos Eisley Cantina...

She probably appeals to anime fanboys, but the Daktari catgirl seems jarringly out of place in a battlefield... I think Corvus Belli actually does themselves no favours by so overtly pushing the anime theme as a lot of people have told me they have avoided Infinity because of it....
 

Further proof Corvus Belli has been drinking Games Workshop Kool-Aid is given by this sculpt - they seem to be channelling a Kroot vibe with the parrot headgear.  

Infinity - Jumped the Shark?
I once held Infinity models up as the epitome of mini sculptor's art, but I seem to be getting more and more flash and mold lines requiring clean up. Half the time the models have chunks of sprue attached.   Cleaning them up is a laborious and fiddly job - not to mention that the fine details, besides being a nightmare to paint, show up any small blemish in an unforgiving light.

Not to mention two packets I got lately were missing parts (and one had the arm from a different model!).  Corvus Belli has had excellent customer service replacing them - but quality control seems to be slipping. This is not some guy's backyard business - I kinda expect top quality when I am paying $11 for a 28mm model.

The mess of bits in the middle is supposed to be the parts to make 2 models....

Multi-Part = Not Better
Whilst I do like posable/swappable heads, what I do NOT like is models with ridiculous amounts of separate parts.  This is a 28mm figure, not a 1:48 Tamiya kit.  I already do enough "modelling" removing flash and mold lines, thank you very much, let alone assembling every individual arm and leg.

I'm not saying Corvus Belli do, but some companies portray this as a positive -  claiming multi part models are easier to "pose" or "convert."  That's fine, but most multi-part models can only be assembled one way anyway, unless you want the model to look like he is deformed or has a dislocated shoulder.  This is particularly true of Infinity - where parts have a particular way to fit into a socket, and the only way to get "bitz" is to cannibalise another $11 metal model. 

In short - the line troops are cast in one piece, and look good - so why does Corvus Belli need 6 pieces to make a single 28mm figure?  They already have a truckload of mold lines and flash - now they want me to fill in joins as well? (Admittedly Infinity models usually fit together pretty neatly)

Perhaps they think if I get more "bits" in my mini blister I will feel I am getting my $11 worth....

Another Tohaa sampling.  I actually liked the "standard" light infantry best...

Pig Iron - A Blast from the Past
I got a "trial packet" of Pig Iron Ferals.  Kinda the polar opposite of Infinity.  No mold or flash these are remarkably clean sculpts with no multi-part assembly bar a range of posable heads (10 heads in a pack of 5 troopers).  They are going to be sooo pleasant to paint, with simple design and nice deep bold lines that will take well to washes and drybrushing. 

Basically, they're perfect for me to paint... but....

"Heroic" scale just looks stupid....

...sadly for me, along side more "normal" finer models like Infinity, the "heroic scale" chunky Ferals just look like static, deformed dwarves with outsized heads and hands.  D'oh! I've spent too much time lately with Infinity and the lovely Empress moderns, and now the "normal" heroic 40K-style models look weird to me....

The Ferals have a "Tusken Raider" vibe about them and would be right at home in any post-apocalyptic game...