|
Drones, not just Pulse Carbines anymore! Since several of my planned Tau armies rely on Sniper Drone Teams, I picked up 3 sets of them to put together. I've put together my first team and here is my experience. First off, they are metal models. I should have expected that, since they aren't a common troop type, and Citadel only makes the common models in plastic. I know a lot of people like the metal models because they can have great detail, but I find the plastics to be just fine for details and _much_ easier to put together.
It took a little while and a lot of references to the pictures on the box to determine which part went where. Then I got down to the business of separating the bitz from the sprues. I started with the guns and ran into my first issue. The material attaching the gun to the sprue from the molding process were extraordinarily thick. In fact, they were thicker than the back of the gun they were attached to. That means that it was difficult to get the gun off the sprue without bending the gun or breaking it. After I'd finally separated them from the sprue, it came time to put them all together.
The flash (the bits of leftover mold material that still stick to the bitz after coming out of the mold) was as bad as I've ever seen on a Citadel model. Complicating matters, the bitz had little slots and tabs to fit together. While this doesn't sound like a bad idea, the fact that the flash sometimes made the tabs or slots the wrong shape or too wide or narrow to fit together really made it frustrating. Square pegs into round holes and all that.
Some of the flash also obscured visual details and there was enough flash (and some poor detailing or molding) that in several places it was hard to tell was was _supposed_ to be part of the model and what wasn't. I eventually worked out what was what and removed what flash that I could. Since metal models generally don't take glue well, I worked in sub-assemblies. I'd put together a couple pieces (such as the body of the team controller and his base) together, then I'd let them set while I worked on assembling other pieces that weren't directly attached to them. I did the Team controller and base, the Drone body and top fin and the gun and bottom fins as 3 separate assemblies. That ensured that the controller and base would be dry before I came back to add his equipment and head.
As a final disappointment, when I went to put them on their flying bases, I discovered that there wasn't even a hole for the plastic stands. There was a gap between the bottom fins, assuming that they fit together correctly. Only one of my three Drones had the parts fit correctly to hold the stand properly.
While these models have good rules in the game and they are a great, fluffy addition to a Tau force, I was very disappointed in the execution of the models. The detailing is great on top of the model, but the sides, back and bottom have poor detailing. Adding insult to injury, poor molding results in obscured details and a very difficult to assemble model. I am very glad that I don't have more than 3 teams to assemble for my armies, as I don't think I could handle more than that. In fact, if I hadn't already purchased the other two teams, I would seriously consider converting them as an alternative to making more of these models. If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know |
