The Return of Sly Marbo

I am inordinately fond of Sly Marbo and now, finally, he's getting a plastic model. I did like the old metal one but this one is a lot better. We don't know what his rules are going to be but I have a lot of hope that he;ll be a lethal one-shot weapon because if there's one thing this edition has been good for its been taking a long look at what a unit or character is meant to be for.

I have an affection for lone operatives and spies. I'm also the right age to have watched all those eighties action movies when they were new and something we took seriously.

I also like the fact there's a little smiling carnivorous plant on his base. A little friend.

Sadly, every time I think about making a Catachan army I remember just how bad the basic troops are. The Command Squad and the Heavy Weapons are great but the Infantry Squad are just so dated. Look at that sergeant at the front there: not even the greatest miniature painters in the world can make that face anything other than a disaster of misaligned proportions.

I adore the idea of the Catachans. I love their way of war; I love their special characters; I love the Straken novel by Toby Frost; I love Catachan-pattern Sentinels. Those Infantry Squads, though, are in serious need of replacement before I seriously consider the army.