Hmm. It’s been a while since we did a Geeky Giveaway isn’t it? And I mean a serious, big, chunky, DC toy giveaway.

So, how would you feel about getting your hands on enough models for two players to get started on the Batman Miniature Game along with a few legendary heroes of the DCU for some epic, Multiverse play?

Yup, that’s right, thanks to the fine folk at Knight Models, Graven’s Geeky Giveaway is… Reborn!

What do you need to do to win? Well, read on, because for such an awesome prize there’s an extra question for you to answer, as well as the classic like-share-comment tango…

However, before we get to all that, let’s take a little look at what’s new with Knight Models.

KM have had a busy half-year with the pre-launch of Harry Potter, but wrapped around either side we’ve had a wave of exciting new goodies (and re-release of older stuff in the new resin), so we’ve put together a wee run down of the last couple of months.

First, the re-releases: the resin re-issues are The Dynamic Duo, Catwoman – Modern Age (Multiverse), Aquaman, Green Lantern, Doomsday, Martian Manhunter, Sinestro, Superman (multi-chest version), Black Adam, Captain Marvel. Great to have these in the new material, with noticeably crisper details.

But that’s not what you’re really here for, is it?! Well you should be, because you can win a whole bunch of these if you’re paying attention.

Right then.  Let’s do this.

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Ra’s al Ghul & The League of Shadows

It’s great to get a really comic-accurate version of the Demon’s Head, backed up by some serious ninja action, especially in what seems to be Hero Month. Ra’s is terrifying, completely eclipsing the previous version: an extra attack is a small price to pay for losing Undercover (the ability to set up outside of your deployment zone), and is slightly cheaper to boot. He also gets a new Large ninja, with 3 Movement and 3 Strength who’s going to really carve up the table, as well as a couple more mid-priced ninjas who are… not bad. There’s still not a clear fix to the general under-powering of the League, relatively speaking, but this goes some way to redressing it.

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Harley Quinn Rebirth

It’s great to have a roller derby gear version of Harley, but for most people the exciting part is the inclusion of fan-favourites Bud and Lou, her pet hyenas. For BMG, this is a neutral Harley, so everyone can run the Queen of Chaos, the Countess of Confusion, the Lady of Laughter… and her babies, who are rather good at swarming over and pinning down annoying enemy goons (and it’s a nice touch that Joker gangs don’t need Harley to take the hyenas).

She’s a classic debuff Harley, not a superkilly version, so for all that she’s a Free Agent she won’t see much use in Joker lists, but she’s a really interesting alternative for Sirens; a less obvious fact is that she and Catwoman can now use synergise for anyone. For DCU, you might wonder why we need another 6 point Harley, when the Suicide Squad version is so good. Well, really, the answer’s Bud & Lou, which act as cumulative debuffs on your opponents’ defences. Add to the fact she’s a neutral character, and suddenly you’ll never wonder how to fill a little gap in any team.

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Raven

Finally, we get the long-teased version of this model, and boy, she doesn’t disappoint with a dynamic sculpt that really makes the most of the switch to resin. For BMG, she’s the cheapest Magic user in the game, which makes her dangerously close to a must-have character, given the implications for game-balance. For DCU, she’s a powerful support character, albeit at a high price. She can negate reactive abilities, heal teammates (by taking the damage from them onto herself), teleport, has a fair amount of magic damage output – even get a second full turn once per game. She’s very useful, but quite situational, and you might be reluctant to pay 12 points for a relatively fragile character.

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Green Arrow (TV)

Yup, a new and updated version of Stephen Amell. It’s the clearest example of how a move to digital sculpting isn’t necessary for KM to create lifelike scale versions of actors: this feels like a tiny Hot Toy. For BMG, he’s the most expensive version out there (just), and he was never cheap to begin with. He’s very, very similar to his previous version, and it’s not immediately obvious how he’s better. However, he’s 1 higher Willpower (always invaluable) and by trading Multifire for RoF 3 that’s a further saving in the amount of counters you need to spend – for a point extra, then, he’s well worth it. Crucially, this looks and feels like recent CW version – after all, he’s now Green Arrow (TV), not Arrow (TV).

For DCU, it’s good to have a version of the Emerald Archer that feels properly dangerous, as he was all too often eclipsed by Huntress or other low-cost Heroes. With 14″ range, and his once-per-game serrated arrows, rising to 18″ with the Multifire ability (i.e. standing still), he can put out a massive 12 damage across half a table in a single turn, enough to take down most characters in the game. He’s neither invulnerable nor invaluable, but he’s certainly an astonishingly good buy for 6 points.

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Justice League Dark

Priced like a starter, this is a bargain set of models, comprising Swamp Thing, Deadman and Black Orchid. I’m not entirely convinced Swamp Thing needed a new sculpt; I for one am very fond of the original with its sculpted flowers and tactical log. However, it’s a 5-year old fig and, ultimately, they are moving away from the older moulds. It’s fairly similar to the older one in scale and pose, and is more about bringing Green Magic into the game fully . You can see the logic: I can definitely see the big cheese of Big Comic Page Ceej going for this, shameless Swamp Thing fan that he is.

For BMG, he brings magic to the Sirens as an alternative to Enchantress, with decent ranged attacks, mobility and being generally incredibly tough. Given the plethora of Magic users available to Brave and the Bold, and competition for those precious Free Agent slots, I think we’re far more likely to see him in Siren lists that B&B. For DCU, Swamp Thing is the Heroes’ answer to Doomsday: he cannot die. If Incapacitated, he just comes back the next turn; now whilst he’s worth more VP every time your opponent takes him out, that’s a serious nuisance factor. With only Dr Fate able to negate Passive abilities (for now), although a massive 16 points, we’re going to see an awful lot more of The Green.

Deadman, on the other hand, is the selling point: for me, Boston Brand is a figure I’ve been wanting for ages, even if I’ve not enjoyed his appearances thus far in the Rebirth era. And as a fan this really doesn’t disappoint, with the same sense of levitation as we got in the Dr Fate figure, and a lithe sculpt that doesn’t look too beefy (again, sometimes a worry with superfigs). Although 80 points seems pricey in BMG terms, his ability to possess enemies shouldn’t be overlooked: any swarm henchmen list can be disassembled from the inside out, especially with judicious use of Strategies. His possession mechanic is arguably trickier to pull off against the big damn heroes of the Universe game, but bringing more magical attacks to the table as he does is no bad thing.

Black Orchid, meanwhile, is not a character I know well at all outside of the recent Justice League Dark film, and I pride myself on being pretty elbow-deep in the DCU. In fact, I ended up going and reading up on her, and rather enjoying what I came across from late N52 era. As it turns out, this is a really evocative sculpt of her, very delicate without being too thin (a real concern with resin cloth/wings), and going power pose or cheesecake. She’s not an obvious choice for B&B teams but a 70 point character with Fly, Hidden and Detective makes for an impressive Objective grabber. For DCU she is a finesse character bringing a Mental attack with a whopping 5 Stun, and the fact that she’s difficult to attack in the first place means she’s a serious contender for the mid-to-low bracket at 8 points.

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Mera

My eldest son is a huge Aquaman nut, both in-game and in the comics, so this made his day. It’s interesting to see KM anticipating the popularity of the character (which my cosplay compadres tell me we’re likewise going to see a lot of) with this. That being said, the model isn’t slavish to the look of Amber Heard either (hedging their best there I see…) In DCU game terms, she’s unsurprisingly very similar to Aquaman, a point cheaper, with higher Defences and Speed for less Damage output. Like Aquaman, they need water features on the table to work most effectively, so design your board appropriately!

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Lobo

Another fan-favourite character, the gnarly Czarnian gets a sweet ride and a cute dog with two different versions. It’s certainly good to have a current Justice League of America version of the Main Man – but let’s be clear, these guns don’t come cheap. Coming in as second-only to Swamp Thing in cost, he’s analogous to Deathstroke as a largely unstoppable killing machine (5 attacks, 2 Blood Damage, Close-Combat Master plus 11 Endurance, Regeneration), but he isn’t fast – you need the Hawg, which takes him up to being the most expensive non-legend character in the game. He’s a massive investment, and it’ll be interesting to see who he gets paired up with – my gut says he’ll play with a cheap leader like new Gordon, Nightwing or Animated Batman.

For DCU, it’s great to have another mounted character (along with Wonder Woman), and as a Neutral 15 point character he’s available for Hero or Villain teams, but possibly better for Villains as he’s competing with the likes of Martian Manhunter at that price for Heroes. Essentially, he’s the same as the 12 point version but with Fly and better Rage, but slightly more expensive Finisher – and dismounted, he’s 13 points, but notably Size 3 also: all the better to throw things with.

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COMPETITION TIME

Still here?

Of course you are.

So, you can win yourself a huuuuuge prize package, of models new and old (well, reissued) to keep you busy building and playing all summer.

You’ll get enough for two players to start in the Batman Miniature Game with two balanced forces: The Dynamic Duo & Catwoman vs Ra’s & League of Shadows

And we’ll also throw in enough DC Superheroes for two players to learn to play DC Universe Miniature Game as well, or use as a single full, competitive 60 points force:

Shazam!, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Catwoman (usuable in both games) and Raven (who can also be used to expand your new Brave and Bold force for BMG!).

That’s over £100 of goodies (and baddies) to get you started or expand your universe!

To enter the competition, you first need to like the BCP Facebook Page and the Knight Models Facebook Page.

Once you’ve done that, you can earn one competition entry for doing each of the following (maximum of 5 entries in total):

– Like this post on Facebook.
– Comment on Facebook, letting us know what you’re most excited about from the above releases
– Share on Facebook.
– Retweet on Twitter.
– Leave a Comment below.

Entry is open worldwide, but we can only pay postage within the UK (sorry, folks) so if you are entering from outside the UK, please be aware that you’ll have to cover P&P.

The winner will be chosen at random from all the eligible entries on Sunday 8th July 2018.

So what are you waiting for? Get on it! There’s Justice to be done!

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The Writer of this piece was: Sam Graven
Article Archive: Geeking Out
You can follow Sam on Twitter

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