Painted Austringers

This pair of gentlemen are Guild Austringers for Malifaux. They are really, really good in the game; indeed they are one of the few pieces that I think could afford to be a whole soulstone (i.e. point) more expensive and still be worth it. Not only do they have a decent ranged attack which ignores line of sight, cover and (often) randomising into combats, but they also have an ability to move a friendly piece and let it take an interact action. The latter ability is golden in Malifaux, as this effectively means ‘push your model around and score points’. Strangely, they also pack a gun, though why anyone would use it over the bird is a mystery to me except in a handful of rare situations. In my experience one of these chaps is enough in a crew; however on the internet it seems that they are frequently recommended in pairs.

The miniatures are rather annoying and fiddly to put together, with lots of hanging straps etc. Of course, attaching the birds with their tiny spindly legs is the most prone to breakage and I am sure that it is only a matter of time before I’m re-gluing them together. Despite (or perhaps because of) all the detailed strapping I found them quite uninspiring to paint. Their coats are the same red as the rest of my Guild. I briefly considered painting the Malifaux Raptors in the colours of hyacinth macaws just to make them brighter, but I couldn’t find a way to do it without it being rather garish.

Next on the painting table: Brutal Effigy.