(images
from Games Workshop's webstore as the plain grey plastic didn't come
out well in photos)
SKINK
SKIRMISHERS
(I'm
reviewing the Lizardmen Skinks box set as “Skink Skirmishers”
because that's what I built the twelve from the Lizardmen Battalion
as and because there are a couple of issues specific to the
Skirmishers build I wanted to discuss.)
Ease
of Build
The
build itself it pretty easy. There are only three components: the
main body and the two arms. However, there are a couple of issues.
For one thing the swords have a tendency to snap because they are
literally designed to do so. In the alternative build these hands are
used to hold the shields after you cut or snap off the sword blade.
It is a little too easy to do this accidentally when removing flash
lines so do be careful.
Fortunately,
I had plenty of spare sword arms. This is because of the main problem
with the kit: I had to buy another box set because there aren't
actually enough blowpipes to make twelve Skirmishers. To be clear,
this is not to do with the fact the Battalion has only half a Skink
box set in it: each sprue has six Skinks and only five blowpipes.
Now, I was planning on getting a full box to make a Skink Cohort (the
alternative build) later in the project but it seems a bit of a cheek
to have a kit where you literally have to buy a second kit to fully
equip a unit. I think the last time I had this happen to me was the
old eight-man Chaos Space Marine kit which had exactly one too few of
each kind of basic weapon.
There
are also command options for the Cohort in the Army Book unavailable
in the kit: there's no musician and no standard bearer components. If
you see the images for those options in the Army Book, do note they
are old metal models that are no longer available.
Conversion
Potential
Well,
as mentioned, if you want a challenge you can (with the Cohort)
convert a full command for the unit as you only get the Champion
components. Musician you could probably make a flute out of a
blowpipe (you'll have some spare as only the Cohort has the musician
option). The standard is a little trickier: some kind of Lizardman
icon on top of a javelin, I guess?
Spare
Parts
Okay,
so on each sprue I have spare : seven javelin arms, a big champion
sword, six shields, a shield-holding arm and a belt that was meant to
be stuck on the underside of the champion's blowpipe. None of it of
particular use, really, as the arms are only compatible with other
Skinks. The shields are a bit small for humans but they'll fit better
than the Saurus version so might be useful if you want to do, say,
Empire State Troops or Chaos Marauders who have survived the Lustrian
Jungles.
SKINK
PRIEST
Ease
of Build
Considering
that I lost the instructions this model was pretty much hassle free.
I had some slight issue positioning the arms in their sockets
correctly. I don't think I quite managed it as the pose I achieved is
a little off from the official photographs but it doesn't look
unnatural so I'm calling it a win.
The
only difficulty was a very, very small connector on a string that
runs from the staff to under the arm, half on each component and the
connection between the two ends is literally only a millimetre in
width. I had to push the two together with the end of my mouldline
scraper until the glue set.
Conversion
Potential
Not
a lot. Common to just about all clampack minis there are a lot of
non-standard connections. Also, being a Skink there aren't a lot of
other miniatures to source parts from. He's also slightly larger than
the standard Skink infantry so the parts might not look entirely
natural together. Probably the best part to replace is the left hand.
I'm not sure what with but its the only place that seems to make
sense.
Spare
Parts
Like
most clampack characters the Skink Priest isn't big on options.
There's a ritual knife on the sprue I can't find a place for but that
might just be down to my having lost the instructions.
