Gripping Beast plastic dark ages releases

Don Williams · 2010-12-07T17:09:34+00:00

In case you might have missed it, Gripping Beast has now released 2 more boxes of 28mm plastic dark ages figures: Welsh and Picts. Before anyone gets too excited, be advised that the spues are identical to their already released Irish box, with the same bodies and weapons, but do have different heads and capes. Unfortunately, that means they have no shooting weapon choices (slings, bows, light javelins). The current WA Irish box is, in my opinion, far better in poses and weapon options. It might be worthwhile to kit bash WA with GP parts if they match up.

Don Williams
3/8/22, 7:14 PM

In case you might have missed it, Gripping Beast has now released 2 more boxes of 28mm plastic dark ages figures: Welsh and Picts. Before anyone gets too excited, be advised that the spues are identical to their already released Irish box, with the same bodies and weapons, but do have different heads and capes. Unfortunately, that means they have no shooting weapon choices (slings, bows, light javelins). The current WA Irish box is, in my opinion, far better in poses and weapon options. It might be worthwhile to kit bash WA with GP parts if they match up.

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JTam
3/9/22, 9:26 AM

Good run down on these new options. Thanks!

I would infer the best way to make 28mm Picts or Welsh would be to lay hands on the new Gripping Beast heads and bash them onto the WGA Irish......

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Grumpy Gnome
3/10/22, 2:24 AM

I may get some for the diversity of heads but that is disappointing news. The photos of the GB Irish did not not get me very excited either. GB needs to up their game to keep up with Victrix and WGA.

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Don Williams
3/11/22, 11:07 AM

I neglected to mention that the Gripping Beast Picts do provide one crossbow on each sprue. That's a total of 5 per box. I know some of us might use the heavy spears in these boxes as javelins, but not me.

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Caratacus
3/21/22, 5:57 AM

I certainly agree that only changing 25% of the sprue to fit each of those three factions was a very poor idea from Gripping Beast.

The Picts version is definitely the best version of the kit, as they managed to pack a lot on such a small bit of sprue for that version, with hooded heads, cloaks, Pict shields and a crossbow, and I would certainly say is worth buying if you're building a Pictish force, but the Irish version is overshadowed by the WA version as others have already pointed out, and I personally don't think the primitive oft-barefoot bodies with tunics that look too short fit the Welsh well, I've suggested the basis for a WA alternative kit for them, that could combine with others to make Romano-British, here: https://wargamesatlantic.com/community/xenforum/topic/57522/what-dark-ages-sets-would-you-like-to-see-next

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Steffen Seitter
3/21/22, 5:48 PM

Not a fan of GB Plastics. Their poses and designs are dated...

Their late Romans are highly inacurate and look more like a fantasy range...

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