Review: ITS Season 13 Tournament Pack
Welcome to Infinity Review, a blog where I review new Infinity miniatures releases. Iâve 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. I've been away for a few years, but now Iâm back!
If youâre interested you can find my review criteria here.
Today Iâm reviewing the new ITS Season 13 Tournament Pack, which contains 2 new models cast in Corvus Belliâs new plastic material and one model that has been available for awhile but that I havenât yet had a chance to review. You can order the box from the infinity site. Please support the game and pick it up!
Note: Since I donât actually have a copy of this ITS box I wonât be reviewing the non-model content. However, I recently was gifted the Aristeia! Tournament Pack which includes Fiddler, and I was very pleased by the contents of that pack! Back when I was a Warcor I used to regularly buy ITS packs to host events at my local game store. While those packs were always stuffed with Infinity swag, I was never particularly impressed by much of it. In fact, very often after an event Iâd end up with lots of extra items because my players werenât particularly interested in the random assortment of posters, buttons, acrylic tokens and weapon packs that came with each set. This new pack is full of high quality items, and Iâm both impressed and surprised!
Sargosh Special Tournament Exclusive Edition (Combined Army/Shasvastii)
Sculpted by: ??? Painted by: ???
Design (9): All of the Jayth share a design that I find very appealing. The standard new Shasvastii details combine with some bulkier and boxier elements like the boots and chest armor to create a really appealing look. The Jayth appear intimidatingly brutal. Sargosh is a pretty standard Jayth, with what appears to be a slight variation of his armor/harness and a partially exposed face. The lack of the full Jayth visor allows us to see most of Sargoshâs face, which both gives him character and sets him apart from the other Jayths. His standout feature is of course his enormous drill weapon. Mounted on his left arm with a complicated servo harness that connects to his back, the giant weapon is unconventional and intimidating.
Sculpt (9): Thereâs so much good sculpting here, but lets focus on two areas. First, Sargoshâs face is just really nice. New Shasvastii faces are complicated and detailed, and very, very alien. Sargoshâs face is actually understated, with a simple expression that relays determination and intent. He stands out among other Shasvastii as a unique looking individual. His expression is subtle instead of overblown, but that works just fine! The second area Iâd like to point out is the drill weapon and itâs harness. Thereâs so much going on with this complicated piece of kit, and it would be easy for it to become a jumbled mess of conflicting details (like the recent Morat hackers). Instead, the elements of the weapon and harness are built in a believable way that makes it immediately obvious what weâre looking at. The weapon itself is bulky, but its bulk is made out of fine interlocking parts that detail a tool that looks convincingly industrial and functional. The harness includes an exoskeleton element, muscle fiber and connection points that work with the bodyâs form to create a readable silhouette. This could have been a complicated mess, but instead the weapon (and entire left side of the model) is a trove of interesting detail that really makes Sargosh stand out.
Pose (7): This pose is certainly just fine, and matches Sargoshâs subtle expression. However, the version of Sargosh that came in a Dire Foes pack awhile back had such a great pose that this one kind of pales in comparison.
Overall score: 8.3/10
Zeta Unit Special Tournament Exclusive Edition (0-12)
Sculpted by: ??? Painted by: ??? Design (8): The Zeta unit is, in a lot of ways, a very standard (and even generic) Infinity TAG. In the old days of 1st and 2nd edition Infinity we used to think of the Armored Calvary (we call it the Squalo now) and the Guija as the generic TAGs, and the Zeta fits right in with them appearance wise. Generic does NOT mean bad in this context. Not at all! Rather, the Zeta Unit is an attractive design that I think has a broad appeal, and can make a great centerpiece for an army. Itâs blockish geometric shapes are a great contrast to the smooth lines of PanO and Yujing TAGs. It is exactly the kind of design that I think of when I think of a TAG, and while I enjoy TAGs of all shapes and sizes, I appreciate that the Zeta fills itâs visual niche so completely. I especially enjoy the bulky elements attached to the back of the model. Iâm not sure what those are meant to represent (extra ammo?), but it very much makes the Zeta Unit look like a front forward facing war machine that hides vital equipment on itâs back behind the bulk of itâs armored torso. Sculpt (8): The Zeta is full of blocky hard edges that curve into peaked surfaces. Small details like under-armor plates and the piping found around the ribs and lower torso could easily become messy and difficult to read, but the sculpting is so nice and clean here that these features are easily distinguishable without standing out and drawing attention from the overall silhouette. Pose (8): A very generic pose for a very generic TAG. Again, generic isnât a bad thing in this context. The Zetaâs pose is very much a standard attention-getter, with a wide stance and raised second gun that make it a nice centerpiece. The stance is powerful, but still slightly dynamic, with the modelâs weight nicely shifted to the right leg. Overall score: 8/10
Fiddler, Aristeiaâs Ex-Toymaker Tournament Exclusive Edition (NA-2)
Sculpted by: ??? Painted by: ???
Note: A friend recently gifted me this Aristeia! Tournament Pack after I told them I was eager to get my hands on Fiddler and add her to my Druze. Unlike most of the models Iâve reviewed in this blog, I was able to look at Fiddler in person before I wrote my review. Design (10): Wow! I absolutely love this model! I was super excited to learn that Fiddler was available for Druze, since it meant Iâd have a good excuse to buy and paint her. Fiddler has a lot of simple design elements that combine into a really satisfying model. Her outfit is almost casual, with striped pants tucked into boots, a poofy hooded jacket and a cute hairstyle with an undercut. She honestly looks like she wouldnât be out of place in my hometown of Portland, OR. However, her chunky boots, teched-up torso and mechanical tail make it very clear that Fiddler isnât just out for coffee. The big eye catching element is of course the enormous unicycle wheel. Fiddler comes with three of them (one for herself, and two for her Jackbots) and they look very cool. The big chunky wheels look industrial, and I have no problem believing those treads could carry her right up a staircase or the side of a wall! The fittings of both the wheel and Fiddlerâs boots give them the same feel as power tools or other heavy construction equipment, and makes it clear that while Fiddler isnât a civilian, sheâs not a military operative either. The Jackbots are a hilariously dumb design, and I mean that in a good way. Literally just a normal shotgun mounted on a wheel, they reinforce the sense of playful recklessness and fun that is already present in the Fiddler model. In fact, I think the overall best word to describe Fiddler is âfunâ! Sculpt (9): One of the things Infinity sculptors often do so well is contrasting textures. This is on full display with Fiddler, from her smooth almost swollen jacket to the wrinkles of her pants, to fine strands of her hair and the thick treads and dense angles of her cycle. Specifically, the soft surfaces of her jacket and pants contrast so nicely with her detailed mechanical torso and tail. Fiddler also has a fantastically sly expression that really suits her personality. In fact, everything I know about Fiddler comes from this model, but the model does such a good job if presenting her that I feel like I know exactly who she is. The only detail I donât care for is the trail of sparks behind he modelâs wheel. I get what they were going for and it certainly doesnât look bad. But it doesnât look great either. Pose (10): When people use the term âdynamicâ to describe a model they often mean something like the famous âbackflippingâ Monks (itâs worth noting that the Monk was actually doing a cartwheel, not a backflip). But what dynamic actually means is constant change, motion or progress, and its a great word for describing Fiddlerâs pose. This model is MOVING! The sense of motion and balance conveyed by Fiddler is palpable. Her body is nearly bent in half to stay balanced on top of her wheel, and her slight lean to the side and twist at the waist to look over her shoulder adds a huge amount of character to a model already full of it. Her flowing hair and jacket and curling tail just enhance the sense of motion. But my favorite detail of the pose is a little more subtle. The way her shock baton casually rests on her shoulder, almost tucked away against her neck, conveys such a sense of confidence, and tells us sheâs not worried about her balance or her ability to maneuver, even though she has a large rifle in her other hand. Fiddler knows what sheâs doing! Overall score: 9.6/10 Note: Apparently both Sargosh and the Zeta Unit are cast in a new resin/plastic material Corvus Belli calls âInjected Thermoplasticsâ. If youâre interested you can read Corvus Belliâs official announcement and a long thread on the topic here. I havenât been able to see Sargosh or the Zeta for myself, but Fiddlerâs Jackbots are cast in this material, and I've had a chance to work with them. The material is incredibly light (I think the base is heavier than the model itself) but seems durable and takes detail well. I had no complaints about the Jackbotâs datil or casting. There werenât even any mold lines to clean! However, the Material is not as durable as metal. One of my Jackbotâs shotguns came off very easily while I was gluing the model to itâs base. This can be easily pinned, and certainly this kind of thing happens with metal models as well.Â
