INTRODUCTION
Recently the Palladium Books web store had a sale on their miniatures. Just about exclusively devoted to the Rifts RPG, I thought I’d look and see what kind of discount they were offering. Rifts miniatures always intrigued me, despite not really using them for game play. Since there was a decent enough discount on the newer resin models, I thought I’d take the plunge and see what they were about and paint them up so other Players can see what they look like other than the bare resin photos found on the Palladium Books webstore.
I’ve been collecting and playing tabletop wargames for decades now, ever since Warhammer 40k 3rd edition back in the late 1990s, with a hiatus over to Warmachine & Hordes during ‘dark years’ of Warhammer 40k during 6th and 7th editions. I’m no professional painter, but like a good clean, crisp paint job, and strive to exceed the ‘table-top standard’ (three color minimum); I’m not proposing I am a caliber of painter to produce display or competition quality standards.
DISCUSSION
Game Design. The idea of Palladium Books releasing models to support game play always intrigued me. It’s a bit of an oddity, and a counterpoint to the very game design they promote, which is more of a Theatre of the Mind approach. For games like D&D 5E and other d20 clones, most of the game play mechanics are specifically designed around the tactical use of grid square battle maps. Class abilities and special powers/spells are all based around the rigid definitions for the movement, line of sight and impacts a PC can leverage. Models are used on the battle map clearly define a PCs position, facing, and limits to what they can perform. This is entirely different from Palladium Books, which has no such mechanics. Can you use battle maps to assist in PB games? Absolutely, and I’ll admit to having done the same. But ultimately, it isn’t necessarily going to be a seamless fit.
Second Phase. When discussing the models, we must take a moment to address model quality. As the “second phase” of models released by Palladium, these are all resin kits. Fore reference, the “first phase” were pewter models, which means that the quality of the pose, malleability, customization, and design have shown their age. With newer production software and the ability to leverage high-end 3-D printer hardware, resin models are a definite step-up. As much as I want to like them, I see the old Xiticix, Sky Cycle and SAMAS models and just can’t bring myself to include them in my collection. In terms of quality, we have seen a definitive improvement.
Note: By way of example, the models included in the latest TMNT Kickstarter are all 3-D rendered and show some real promise!
Market Comparison. There are obviously loads of model creators out there. Wizards of the Coast (owners of D&D) have multiple licensing agreements, and many other TTRPG companies have some capacity to support their games with models and 3-D printers and STL file capabilities are really maturing. Ultimately, comparison to Games Workshop models is inevitable. Without much debate one of the premier hero-scale miniature manufacturer on the market, their 28mm figures and model kits across all their ranges are the leading edge in terms of design, craftsmanship, and quality, particularly in terms of polystyrene injection molding, and the consistency of their products. The Palladium Books offerings are produced using resin, which places them more on the same level as GW’s Finecast resin (which were rarely ‘fine’) on the other hand. This will be examined in subsequent posts for each model.
Comparison Criteria. Several metrics will be used, primarily to compare the Palladium Books models to the premiere competitor in the market, Games Workshop – specifically Finecast:
Detail. Generally, how well detailed are the models (e.g. belts, mechanical details).
Cleaning. How much ‘flash’ and excess material needs to be removed before gluing and base coat is applied.
Assembly. How functional are the models in creating various poses, or are they mono-pose? How easy are they to put together?
Durability. How well does the resin appear to hold up?
Cost. How does the MSRP for Palladium match to competitors?
Overall Impression. A blatantly subjective element but allows me to holistically assess the model. Includes a personal assessment of the paint job.
MODELS PURCHASED
The following shows the models I finally decided to purchase. They are all from the Second Phase and provide a variety of in-game options. I will update the list below with links to the individual The Bazaar article for a more detailed model overview, demonstrating the results of the painted miniature (including paints used and in what mixture).
Note: We’re not looking to win a Golden Demon Award for the paint job, but to provide a better idea of the mini as opposed to the matt grey of the resin.
CS Soldier. LINK to Palladium Books Webstore – MI8047
Triax Borg. LINK to Palladium Books Webstore – MI8052
GB and Pilot. LINK to Palladium Books Webstore – MI8053
CONCLUSION
As one could probably derive, I’m not a huge proponent of using models for playing Rifts. Short of the odd combat scenario where a battle map made sense for close combat in tight quarters, I’ve always relied on a Theatre of the Mind approach. While most d20 game mechanics are completely structured around use of a battle map with 5x5 foot squares, PC abilities and spells written in a way to support this, weapon ranges in modern/futuristic combat make this a ponderous task to duplicate. So, from a game play perspective, I’ve never been hard pressed to include the Rifts miniatures (or any other type, specifically) for my games.
The models thus take on a sort of collector’s piece position for me, and I’m fine with that. I’ve several Warhammer 40k models sitting in display cases in my office when not being used on the tabletop. I imagine the Rifts miniatures will be similarly displayed in the same portion of the cabinets for my Rifts books. The models themselves certainly evoke the look, feel and tone of Rifts, but as bare resin they lack any real punch or desire. Whereas GW models are pricey (and they know it), they make a point to get top-notch painters to finish their models in a way the Player can imagine them on the tabletop; this is their business model. I’m don’t profess to be even close to a professional painter, but will be happy to share the review and results of the paint jobs for those with the interest.
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Yep. I bought my Glitter Boy mini as a collector's piece too. Wish Palladium would offer these in a large scale. The details are nice, would still look good even if they enlarged it.