Review: May 2022 Infinity releases
Welcome to Infinity Review, a blog where I review new Infinity miniatures releases. I’ve been playing Infinity and collecting and painting the miniatures for about 10 years, and I love talking about them! I started this blog both to share my thoughts and encourage more discussion about this great miniatures line.
If you’re interested you can find my review criteria here.
Today I’m reviewing the new Infinity May releases. This month we have new models for JSA, Aleph, 0-12 and PanOceana. Plus the Combined Army Bultrak, which I reviewed in a separate post. Lets dig in!
Bluecoats Adhesive Launcher (0-12/Starmada)
Design (9): The Bluecoat’s design is weird and great. I really like it! Its part space-train conductor and part ninja, with sexy garters just for fun. I imagine the Bluecoat is supposed to look like naval officer, and it does. But he looks so much like a train conductor I can’t get the image out of my head.
That's fine though, its still cool. What I admire about this design is it really looks like nothing else in Infinity. Even within 0-12 the Bluecoat is pretty unique. That said, he definitely fits right in. The faceless mask looks straight out of Corregidor, and the sleek plated legs could belong to a Ninja, Hexa or a dozen other sneaky operators. Its a great design that expands the Infinity universe while being deeply rooted in it.
Sculpt (9): Typical high quality Corvus Belli sculpting. Everything is sharp and easy to read. I think its worth noting that the smooth surfaces of the mask and leg armor really contrast well with the folds of the coat and the many belts and straps.
Pose (8): The Bluecoat as a pretty typical actiony pivot-at-the-waist-and-shoot pose. It looks just fine, but we’ve seen it so often it no longer stands out. What does stand out are the two enormous guns! Having the Bluecoat hold a giant ADHL in each hand is certainty a statement. It doesn't look bad, but its also... kind of silly? Why does he have two? Is that the kit he chose to bring with him into battle? Did he run into the ship armory and think “one of these just isn’t enough!” With the extra gun on his back, these two huge weapons just look like overkill. But its certainly cool.
Overall score: 8/10
Nokken with Spitfire (PanOceania/Svalarheima’s Winter Force)
Design (8): PanO has an interesting design lineage. More than any other army, you can trace every PanO design back to those very first releases, Fusiliers, Orcs and Akal Sikh Commandos. The Nokken has a lot of elements that would make her fit in with those classic models, like her distinctive PanO boots, chest plate, pants and helmet. The more “winterfied” elements like the jacket, larger backpack and heavy gloves give the Nokken a thematic look that fits in well with the similarly garbed PanO units like the Nisse. Its a simple but attractive design. Plus, the ponytail is a fun addition that adds a little character!
Sculpt (7): A lot of this model’s major elements, like the excellently detailed armored boots and the soft fabric of the pants, look really great. There are several details of the coat that I think just look too chunky. The coat itself is fantastic, with a realistically puffy look that fits well around the model’s body, and provides a great sense of motion that matches the pose. However, the ribbing around the front of the waist just looks too thick to me, and the teeth of the zipper are just too big. I’m sure these elements have been exaggerated both for visibility and ease of painting, but enlarging them makes the model look less realistic and more like toy like. Additionally, many of the fasteners that connect the straps on thighs and jacket look soft and partially formed to me, although that may be a result of the paintjob.
Pose (9): This pose is sharp! The Nokken has a real sense of weight and movement in a pose that isn’t particularly similar to anything we’ve seen recently (as far as I remember). The flaps of the jacket clearly show that the Nokken is rearing back, perhaps ducking around a corner and readying her weapon. The ponytail shows that this is a VERY recent action (Its still catching up because of its weight and length)! Such a great and subtle posing detail that really brings the model to life!
Overall score: 8/10
Marut (Aleph/Cute)
Design (9): I’m a big fan of the original Marut, and I honestly wasn’t sure if a new one could be an improvement. While I don’t think this new design is BETTER than the older version, I do think it stands on its own as a great TAG, and as a sometimes Aleph player I’m excited to have two cool designs to choose from!
The new Marut has a clearly anime inspired look (it reminds me of the mechs from Xenosaga) that manages to be pretty distinct from the game’s other anime-inspired TAGs. Its a great complex design, with clear joints connecting solid but elegant limbs to a sleek torso. Four arms and wing-like protrusions from the back give the Marut a distinct silhouette. I really appreciate how the model alternates between sharp edges and smooth rounded surfaces, punctuated by seams and recesses for lights. The only element I really don’t love is the head and the syringe like barrels for the Multi-HMG. Both are FINE, but the barrels look just a little weird and the head looks just a little plain. The gold collar seems out of place to me, like it belongs on another model. Maybe I just miss the old model’s bunny ears?
Sculpt (10): As I said above, the juxtaposition of crisp edges and soft curves really makes the Marut stand out. Something I love is looking at the places on a model where different elements meet and seeing how they fit together. The Marut is full of clean and sensible junctions, and the end result is a highly stylized TAG that still looks like it could believably inhabit its fictional space.
Pose (8): The pose is... fine. The set of the Marut’s shoulders, the turn of it’s head and its slightly lifted knee give it a subtly menacing look, which I think is great. I really wish that something interesting had been done with the Marut’s arms. The model has 4 arms, and that is by far it’s most distinctive and interesting feature. The previous version of the model also had one set of arms clutching its gun, but the other were raised in a close combat pose. This Marut’s second set of arms are just hanging there. While the pose is solid, it’s simplicity feels like wasted opportunity for such a unique model.
Overall score: 9/10
Shinobu Kitsune (JSA)
Design (9): Infiniti’s JSA faction has a history of great designs going back to their early days as part of the Yujing army. This new version if Kitsune preserves some of the very best elements of traditional JSA, even though it doesn’t bring much new to the table. That's okay! This is a banger of a design, even if its mostly replaying past hits. Kitsune looks great with even baggier pants and the addition of the leg armor seen on the Domaru heavy infantry. The big features of this new model are her giant sword and optional hat. I think both are great additions, although I’m pleased to say I think she looks good both with and without the hat!
Sculpt (10): Kitsune is a showcase of great sculpting. Beautiful flowing hair and fabric, finely detailed clothing and a variety of interesting textures. I think the variety of texture really helps this miniature stand out. The armor of her vest and boots are small seam lined surfaces, contrasting with the larger plates of her hip armor. The fiber-muscle of her arms offers a more complicated texture, while her hair stands out as a flowing feature. A variety of texture like this helps a model appear more realistic. Well, “realistic” is not the right word. What I mean is that models that look like they are made out of a variety of things are more often convincing to our minds than models that look like they are made out of one thing. For example, a plain space marine kind of looks like a plastic toy. A space marine with his helmet off exposing his head, or with leather straps holding his gear in place, or with a big felt cape, looks more like an actual thing that might exist. A variety of texture more convincingly places Kitsune within the fictional world of Infinity.
Pose (10): This is a ridiculously awesome pose. Its the kind of pose that gets you to start a whole new army (and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bunch more JSA armies on the table this Summer). I’ll certainly be using Kitsune as an inspiration to finish up my last few JSA models! The full tilt run, combined with the twist at the waist and the model’s flowing hair and pants gives Kitsune an impressive sense of motion. So much that I’d be desperate to get my models oot of her path even if I didn’t know what she was capable of!
Overall score: 9.6/10
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