December Releases for Infinity!

Another month another release of metallicy Corvus Belli goodies! While I've been spending more time with Dust Warfare and X-Wing when it comes to miniature games Infinity is never far off and I think a campaign will start rolling in the new year. Of course I have my lovely Yu Jing, but recently I've been seriously considering getting a second faction. Maybe this months releases will sway me! Let's have a look...

Ok, let's just get this big brute out of the way. Yes, the Combined Army Raicho is finally here! It has been missing from the range since the start of the game so many CA players are happy for this little(!) Christmas present. The Morat TAG is about as subtle as the rest of the race; brutish, bulky and big guns! The model is spectacular and it certainly pushes the anime aesthetics. In fact, for me, it's borderline too much anime or too "unrealistic" (whatever that means in this context) with the thin waist and massive thighs, but it just about manages to stay on the right side. I quite like that it sports a Morat face, it feels very fitting in some way.

In game the Raicho is a fairly standard TAG, except it has an ARM of 8 meaning it won't go down easy. Armaments are a MULTI HMG and either a heavy flame thrower or a heavy grenade launcher. Yepp. Big boom!

Pan Oceania get some reinforcements in the form of Knights Hospitallers with HMG. As I've said before I'm not all that into the whole knight theme, they look cool but they don't "do it" for me. That being said they are lovely models as always, featuring the familiar PanO helmet and antennas. The pose is a little... weird. He's supposed to be running obviously but I'm getting more of a hopscotch vib (Teddy bear, Teddy bear, turn around!).

That's not to say that this is a hopscotching school girl on the battlefield though. No sir! What we got here is a knight, meaning good stats and martial arts, with the addition of a Multispectral Visor L1 and an HMG. Not a bad combination! 49 points is not exactly cheap though.

More Riot Grrls for the Nomads! Woo! We got our first look at these girls back in July when the single blister with a Riot Grrl armed with a Spitfire was released, and knowing how CB does things we knew a box was in the works. I quite liked that release and I quite like these, although I'm still not sure what to hink about their armoured body stocking they seem to be wearing. I like the rest: the arm/leg armour, the visors, even the Egyptian style headwear of the MULTI Rifle girl, but the stocking still look a bit odd to me. In any case I think they are a step up from the Mobile Brigada so Nomad players should be happy. :)

Gameplay wise they might have a little lower stats than most other heavy infantry, but make up for it by being fast, having Hyper Dynamics L1 and Multispectral Visor L1! Oh, and they are cheap as well at around 30 points. They are linkable in a Bakunin list as well, which neatly takes care of their Frenzy.

Next up is the Haqqislam Sekban Naval Special Unit. Another new unit from the Paradiso campaign book and damn, he is cool looking! He's got that near-future high tech look that I really like about the Haqqislam models - the armour, the helmet, the spurs on his back, the big damn rocket launcher. He just looks like he means business! Just like with the Riot Grrls I'm assuming this is a taste of the Sekban box that will be release in the coming year.

Sekban are new medium infantry and clock in at 22+ points but bring with them decent stats (if a bit slow) as well as 360° Visor, AP Rifle, a Stun Pistol and the awesome Chain Colt! They are linkable in a Qapu Khalqi list and there is an option to run them as a Haris Fireteam as well, meaning you could have a full link team and three of these guys as a Haris Fireteam. Pretty nasty!

With the Tohaa being the new kid on the block we're going to see new releases for them every month so they can catch up, and this month it's the Makaul Troops box set. Makauls are the swashbucklers of Tohaa society - brave, clever and skilled in wartime, but disruptive and troublesome in peace time. I quite like these models as they have a kind of rag-tag piraty look to them (without going overboard). Actually, the more I see of the Tohaa the more I've grown to like them. I'm especially fond of their weapon designs as they look alien and high tech as well as exceedingly deadly. Good work there CB.

They are a virtual toy box when it comes to stats! Solid statline, Martial Arts L2 and iKohl L1 as well as heavy flamethrowers, Zero-V grenades, Viral Grenades and Viral CCW! These guys have a lot of tricks up their sleeve. It comes at a cost though as they are around 20 points each. Still, very deadly at close range.

Finally we have Phoenix, Veteran Myrmidon Officer. At first I actually thought here had been some graphics mix up as CB put together their images... an ALEPH character... not looking like a super model... what's going on? Then it occured to me that this new Steel Phalanx have a bit of a new aesthetic tone to them - a bit more human if you will - and I for one really like it! Phoenix looks more like something out of a recent Hollywood sci-fi action flick rather than the anime style of Achilles or the Asuras. Now, I love me some Asuras but having a choice of different styles when building an army is always good in my book. Phoenix has a kind of rugged "future Aragorn" look that I think works. He brings a big sword and an even bigger rocket launcher and as always when it comes to ALEPH he's got great stats!

He's quick with good BS and CC combined with Martial Arts L3, ODD and no wound incapacitation. He's no mini-TAG like Achilles with only 1 wound and 3 armour but the ODD should help to keep him alive. 44 points and 2 SWC is actually not too bad for him I think since he brings smoke grenades and a Nanopulser as well. Works well in an Enamotarchos fireteam.


Two infantry boxes and a TAG? Corvus Belli have certainly started to spoil us recently! A good set of releases I think with nothing I would call sub-par, although the knight could be better. My personal favourite is the Sekban although I really like the Makaul as well. In fact, the Sekban has pushed me closer to starting a Qapu Khalqi army. I love the Druses so it would be an army with a lot of mercs (Scarface!) and with a police/SWAT style painting scheme of dark blue and white. Could look pretty cool I think!

Before getting into that I really should get my Yu Jing baggage remotes though. :)