Miniatures Finished: Mirror Master

When I was looking through the options available for Mirror Master, I hit on an interesting idea for how he may work in SuperSystem Ultimate Alliance.

During games, Mirror master can move from mirror to mirror, with the "real" one being represented by the figure leaning out. This should give the payer a lot of movement options and be a fun way to represent Mirror Master's powers on the table. Heroclix.

Superhero Media: Big Hero 6 The Series - Season 2

I'm glad I didn't have to wait too long for more of Big Hero 6 - The Series, I watched it all in a few days, so I may have to go back for a more in-depth viewing at some stage. If I were one of those reviewers who insisted on breaking down my thoughts into sound bites, I'd say that the second season of Big Hero 6 isn't quite as good as the first, but the truth is that some elements are actually better, even if the overall effect isn't quite as grand. Part of the issue is that the first half of the season builds to a finale with an excellent twist, but then the actual season finale isn't quite as good, even with the introduction of "MegaMax". Now, this is actually down to season two being made so that it can be split into two seasons for syndication, the difference between a "Production Season" and a "Broadcast Season", but that knowledge doesn't really help the second finale still feeling a little rushed. 

There is something of a conflict in this season of Big Hero 6, between an attempt to develop the characters and wanting to keep them in recognisable forms. New costumes, weapons and characters are welcome, for the most part, but it isn't until the latter episodes that Baymax gets more dialogue than his catch-phrases and other references to the film. Everyone, including Baymax, does develop a little though, which is a nice touch for what could just be a cash-in cartoon based on a successful film, which I put down to much of the original creative team coming back. Hiro gets a pre-romantic relationship with a new character, Go-Go finds empathy with a villain, Fred plays surrogate father to Mini-Max, Wasabi confronts his fear of public speaking, Honey Lemon has to be more violent than she would wish to fully utilise her new gear and even Baymax has to renegotiate his role within the team when Base-Max (a supercomputer) is introduced. 

Despite a few missteps, I feel that there's plenty left in the tank, especially if the crew are willing to keep building on the development done in the second season. I think a new villain or a twist on the formula is really needed (the older characters graduated) to keep Big Hero 6 running for more than one more season, as most of the loose ends have been wrapped up so far. Seriously, if anyone can help me get 28mm versions of these characters, let me know (I have a lead on Globby though), I really want to get more than my two versions of Baymax on the table. I'm honestly shocked that this incarnation of Big Hero 6 doesn't have more traction in the superhero community, the setting is fun and visually engaging, the characters have a good spread of personality and the tragedy that drove the team in the first place doesn't overshadow the whole affair. If you're still sleeping on this one, get on it soon, there's a lot to enjoy and plenty of fodder for gaming. 

Marvel Crisis Protocol III

Closing in on the last of these, which is good, because I stopped having fun a while ago. 

Spider-Man and Captain Marvel

These were a bit nicer than some of the last few, with enough detail to get colour on. Once again, I went for a bright scheme, especially with these two characters, as I'm sick of seeing them done in muted colours.

Superhero Media: Doctor Strange (2016)

After re-watching Doctor Strange, I kind of didn't have a lot to say about it, so I went to my shelf and pulled out some Silver Age Strange Tales comics and got to reading. First up, yes, Doctor Strange has never had too many major runs of comics under his own name, most often being part of a double-feature or team rather than a solo hero. Created by none other than Steve Ditko (and Stan Lee, but Ditko-stans will have my head for mentioning it), Doctor Strange follows his style of self-made, naturally talented, superior specimens like Mr A and The Question. Stephen Strange is not only a brain surgeon, he is the best brain surgeon and how dare you question his raw, natural ability. When fate ruined his chances to heal, he was called to something even higher, the mystical defender of the multiverse and the greatest sorcerer of all time. Of course, only the masterful snark and superiority of Benedict Cumberbatch could bring this character to life. 

I can't remember if I've covered it before, but I'm not a fan of the casting for Strange, as it leans more on the superiority of the character from the Ditko era than the heroism that the Sorcerer Supreme would become known for in the 2000s. Is it next level meta fandom to complain that an adaptation is too close to the comics for my tastes? Anyway, let's talk about racism and Tilda Swynton. The "whitewashing" of the Ancient One is probably not the best look Marvel Studios has ever had, but simply blaming it on needing to court the Chinese box office isn't great either. The casting has "compromise" written all over it, and whilst Swynton is a brilliant actor and does great with the role, it does drag down an, otherwise, very competent film. Aside from the Ancient One controversy and not being a Cumberbatch fan, pretty much anything else I have against Doctor Strange is a nit-pick, like using Dormamu and the Dark Dimension too soon or overusing the mirror universe, but as discussed above, there's only so much Doctor Strange to draw upon. 

Naturally, I'm a big fan of the post-credit scene with Thor, though it does play into one of the broader issues with Doctor Strange as a character, in that he works better in an ensemble. In a world where magic exists alongside superheroes, there is a need for something like the Sorcerer Supreme to help out the more popular heroes, but his own adventures are a little too esoteric to have mass appeal. I'm hoping the MCU Doctor Strange series does well and is able to branch out from the comics and the Ditko roots, there is so much potential for the character and the worlds he can go to that it seems a shame to be shackled to where he's already been. I'm not a huge fan of the idea of a branching "multiverse" for the MCU, but given how well the whole enterprise has run up to this point, I have hope that it would work well even if it isn't to my specific tastes.

Team Finished: Axis Super Soldiers

Although time has dimmed the precise nature of the superhuman beings that fought in the Second World War to the point where most think they were merely exercises of propaganda; the truth, is seemingly always stranger than fiction. The first superhuman was fielded by the Axis powers, specifically the German SS, code-named Der Flieger (the flyer) and had an immediate and devastating effect, being able to fly under his own power and rend steel with his bare hands, the air war swung very quickly into the Axis's favour. Seeing this success, the Nazi High Command immediately commissioned more research into superhuman soldiers immediately. 

Much like other cutting-edge German warfare technology, the "Uber Jager" project[s] were both broadly and under funded, with many scientists working under brutal conditions to produce few working results. As the few Soldiers produced tended to be under the auspices of different branches of the military and/or government, meaning that the combined might of the Uber Jager could never be brought to bare at the same place and time; up until the battle for Berlin, that was. With the Nazi machine failing, the last stand was made and the various Uber Jager fought together for the first time, but whereas the Super-Allies had been working in concert across the globe since D-Day, their German counterparts had been spread across the Reich, never even meeting until the dying days of the war.

The Axis Super Soldiers, the most feared soldiers of the Reich.

Der Flieger, SS Ritter and Wolfin 

Der Flieger: When hunting for the hollow Earth, an expedition of the Thule Society stumbled across a perfectly sealed cave containing a fully grown human male. Returned to Berlin, the man was taught German and the particular history favoured by the Fuhrer. It was quickly discovered that the Aryan man, named Arminius by Hitler himself, possessed incredible powers, able to fly under his own power, being nearly invulnerable and having near limitless strength. With his typical lack of imagination, Hitler ordered Arminius into a flashy uniform and tasked Gobbels to use his powers to demonstrate Aryan superiority to the world. It wasn't until late 1940 that Der Flieger was finally deployed to the battlefield, where he had devastating effect.

SS Ritter: A veteran and hero of the SS, Otto Skorzeny was a decorated solider long before he was gifted the armour of the SS Knight, designed and crafted by Himmler himself. Though the role was primarily ceremonial, Skorzeny's preexisting skill with both blade and gun meant he was just as capable fighting no matter what his costume. It was only at the battle for Castle Itter that Skorzeny started to lead SS forces under the guise of the SS Knight, clearing corridors and holding doors while his fellow fanatics made their last stand; somehow Skorzeny escaped and continued to fight the Allies across the dwindling Reich until his death at the Battle for Berlin. 

Wolfin: The SKVD undertook a great number of medical experiments whose records were destroyed to hide the horror of what was done to innocent people. Wolfin, real name unknown, was one of the few survivors of an abhorrent experiment to turn "undesirables" into loyal Aryan superhumans, and the only one to ever see service for the Axis powers. Possessing increased strength and endurance, Wolfin had the downside of being mentally unhinged, prone to bouts of brutal violence and unlikely to follow orders for too long. Like many of the Axis Super Soldiers, Wolfin only saw action towards the close of the war, when every able bodied German was pressed into service, acting as a shock-trooper in a vicious and bloody "scorched earth" campaign. Wolfin's rampage was only ended when Allied hero, Jacques Noir, lured her into a fuel dump and lit it, burning Wolfin alive and forever rendering her true origin a mystery.

Fuchs and Riese

Fuchs: A young German officer with a fascination for Rommel, Fuchs was rumored to be an illegitimate son of that great leader and kept clear of "Polite Society", sequestrated at Berlin University until the day he joined the Thule Society. Part of an expedition to the lost city of Mu, Fuchs was considered dead for months, until he returned, alone, except for the living dinosaurs he was leading. Whether the place Fuchs discovered was truly Mu or not, the presence of living dinosaurs was a coup for Nazi Science and the specimens were quickly paraded for the world to see. Fuchs sought only one reward for his discovery, the chance to be an Officer Cadet in the Afrika Korps, where he soon distinguished himself as a scout and raider, harrying Allied supply lines with his dinosaur-mounted men. As the war began to slowly turn, Fuchs was bounced around a number of fonts, eventually becoming the only surviving member of his Section, as well as having the only surviving Dinosaur. Fuchs eventually surrendered to British forces in France. 

Riese: Deep in the bowels of SWD Castle Wolfenstien, attempts were made to create artificial life, bearing little fruit, except, of course, Riese. Hardly the perfected and superior life-form its creators were looking for, Riese did, however, excel in combat trials and plans were made to grow more for use as shock troopers. Before the scientists could get to work, however, a daring commando raid on Castle Wolfenstien destroyed most of the research and left many of the scientists involved in the Riese project dead. With only one subject left, the decision was made to keep Riese as a guard for a series of important Nazi Science bunkers, where it was the death of many an intrepid spy and daring commando, until the end of the war, when guarding Himmler's bunker, Riese was "killed" by none other than Jack Churchill. The body can still be seen in the Secret Wing of the British Museum by those with the clearance. 

Name: Fuchs

BP: 85

Affiliation: Axis Super Soldiers

AP: 14

Strike: 6

Strength: 4

Dodge: 4

Sense: 3

Toughness: 6

Mind: 7 (1)

Resolve: 6

Damage: 4/7/6

Powers

Tactician 3 – 3AP, Grant 1 Re-roll to friendly model within 15”

Implacable Charge - +1D Strike on Charge

Ranged Attack 6 (Short Range)

Weapon +3 (Charge Only)

Super Mind 1 – may use Mind for Initiative

Reach 1”

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

KO

Name: Riese

BP: 85

Affiliation: Axis Super Soldiers

AP: 8

Strike: 6

Strength: 8 (3/4)

Dodge: 2

Sense: 2

Toughness: 8 (3)

Mind: 2

Resolve: 1

Damage: 8 (3/4)

Powers

Lone Wolf – Does not gain or grant Friends in Combat Bonus. Cannot benefit from Tactician

Super Toughness 3 (Regeneration) – End of turn, roll 3D, heal 1 for each Goal, may not be re-rolled.

Super Strength 3 (Rage) - +1 Super Strength at half starting Vitality

Terrifying Aura – Enemy models within 15” must pass TN4 Resolve roll or be Terrified

Soulless – Immune to Mind-based attacks and Healing. Automatically fails KO Checks

Massive 2 - +2D to Strike rolls that target this model

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

KO

Name: SS Ritter

BP: 85

Affiliation: Axis Super Soldiers

AP: 11

Strike: 8 (1)

Strength: 5

Dodge: 7 (1)

Sense: 3

Toughness: 5

Mind: 2

Resolve: 5

Damage: 5/4

Powers

Super Strike 1 – May use Strike for Initiative

Tactician 1 – 3AP, Grant 1 Re-roll to friendly model within 15”

Super-Dodge 1 - +1D to resist fall damage

Instant Stand – Cannot be Knocked Down

Extra Move 2, Reach 5”

Ranged Attack 4

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

KO

Name: Der Flieger

BP: 85

Affiliation: Axis Super Soldiers

AP: 8

Strike: 5

Strength: 7 (3)

Dodge: 5

Sense: 2

Toughness: 7 (2)

Mind: 3

Resolve: 5

Damage: 7 (3)

Powers

Super Toughness 2

Super Strength 3

Flight

Pushing – Once per Turn +2D to any Goal Roll at the cost of 1 Vitality

X

X

X

X

X

X

KO

Name: Wolfin

BP: 85

Affiliation: Axis Super Soldiers

AP: 9

Strike: 7 (2)

Strength: 7 (2)

Dodge: 7 (1)

Sense: 2

Toughness: 6

Mind: 2

Resolve: 4

Damage: 7 (2)

Powers

Implacable Charge - +1D Strike on Charge

Super-Strength 2 – Shockwave

Super-Strike 2 – May use Strike for Initiative Rolls

Super-Dodge 1 - +1D to Resist Fall Damage

Super Leap – 7D[2], 5”/3” per Goal, counts as Charge.

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

KO