Last November post with the release of the Clash of Kings pack Mantic Games announced that the Twilight Kin (hereafter Twiglets) would not be included as a massive redesign was underway and that from February they'd be removing the list from the Companion so people weren't picking up miniatures or list building for something that would end up becoming obsolete.

Queue the usual well-balanced full and frank exchange of views and skip forward to this week when the full range has now gone up for pre-order with a mid-October release date and I have to say that they are more than worth the wait.

Mantic Games // Mikayel Lord of Nightmares

First stop is the most broken Twiglet of them all, the Defensive 7 in a game of d6 armoured monster-one-hotting Mikayel Lord of Nightmares. He's riding out of the void and into town astride a hexapedal demonic steed he really shows off the blend of void-touched elf and nightstalkers that Mantic have woven together for their twisted kin. He's a stonking chunk of resin and I'm looking forward to getting him in my hands. I love the blend of nightstalkers with the twisted elves, whether it is the use of the monsters and mounts or the fact that some banshees have been skinned to wear as cloaks it gets a big thumbs up from me!

Twiglet Kin // Impaler Horde

Up next are the first and biggest of the new plastic kits for the Twiglets, the Impalers. The corruption of the void has been turned up to 11 on these poor specimens and the resulting experiments have produced a large infantry unit that dwarfs the Ogres in size. No idea if anyone is still inside the suit or if the suit itself is now the creature but they look fantastic. The unit has a defense of 4, but that is compensated by their tower shields giving them a maximum defense of 6 to the front, so you'll want to try and get them in the flanks if possible. Expect a boatload of attacks and pain if they get into combat with you.

Kings of War // Void Skiff Regiment

Speaking of boats... the Void Skiffs. The second of the new plastics are normally used to navigate the Void, however, when it comes to terrorising the people of Pannithor you can be sure that they will be on hand to help corral the populace. They're a monstrous infusion of nightmare and wood and by all accounts they may have a unique broadside rule allowing them to fire from the side arc. That helps with drive-bys and also positioning as the chariot size gives it a large footprint on the tabletop. Fun times.

Fleetwardens // Corsairs Regiment 

The crew of the void skiffs are the corsairs, the core component of the force who like nothing better than to subdue and drag off the loot kicking and screaming. It's a multi-part plastic kit that also makes the Fleetwardens, who I suspect will be a ranged (probably short ranged) unit allowing you to reach out and touch people. Unlike the impalers the corsairs are regular sized, this is largely due to the fact that the female elves are less susceptible to the corruption of the void, although not immune.

Voidtouched Mutant Regiment// Voidtouched Weavers

Those who do eventually fall foul of the void radiation that comes from dimensional hoping like a bunny on a pogo stick may find themselves transformed into the crazed mutants and weavers. Again this is a plastic dual kit letting you build 20 miniatures of either flavour. The mutants are described as elf and non-elf prisoners who have become deformed and crazed and are simply let loose by their uncaring masters against their opponents. So there's your chaff units 🙂

Twiglet Kin Voidwranglers

Making use of another new plastic kit, the Voidwranglers show that the life of the Twiglet Kin in the Void is not one of symbiotic fellowship. Instead, they subjugate the twisted nightstalkers that live bound within the dimension. In this case, the reapers are herded by corsairs into opponents acting like meth-addicted Edward Scissorhands to rip them apart. I'll be interested to see how this unit works and if the combination of troop types changes the expected statline of the reapers for the game.

Twiglet Heroes // Mantic Games

The heroes (apart from Mikayel) consist of three resin models the Void Captain, Navigator, and the Summoner Crone a thaumaturge whose presence greatly benefits any Twilight Kin force. These follow in the footsteps of the other female elves and while suffering some corruption are still (mostly) recognisable as elves. They are joined by a Soulbane who is the ultimate horror – a stable mutant, so malevolent and warped by the void as to be unrecognisable from the individual that birthed the monster they have become. The Soulbane is a PVC model that is also part of the upcoming Dungeon Saga Origins board game. Unlike the other males in the Impalers, he is lacking a shield choosing instead to have a backup axe. I expect many many attacks.

Kings of War // Butcher Fleshripper

Another import from the board gaming world is the Butcher Fleshripper. This lunatic is a welcome addition for Nightstalker players as it's a hero in the list so we know they're literally close combat monsters. It's no use trying to shoot them off the table as the stealthy aura makes it very difficult, just accept your fate and an embrace. I love the look of this taking queues from the design of the new Butcher plastics it has both the bitey void cannon arms and the wicked instruments of pain to deal with most things. Expect him in a flank near you soon.

Twilight Kin Gordrake

The Gordrake joins Kings of War from the waves of Pannithor and its use as a flier in Armada. In that it was just a close combat monster, it has no ranged attack but a bonus to attacks for its second head. Since the Twiglets also have access to the Void Lurker which is another close combat flier it will be interesting to see how the Gordrake distinguishes itself on the battlefield.

The Raging Void Twiglet Kin vs Abyssal Dwarfs 2 Player Starter Set

With the launch of a huge amount of miniatures for a new Mantic army there are obviously the usual bundles of ambush starter sets, mega armies and one-click bundles, but what caught my eye in the initial teaser trailer was artwork that was begging for a cover of a starter set and lo and behold I was correct. The Raging Void contains the full rule book, a scenario book and two starter armies for people to get stuck into Kings of War. The new Twiglets will be set against the Abyssal Dwarfs as corruption meets corruption. These starter sets are fantastic value and even though I hoped for new hard plastic Halfbreeds I'm more than happy with the two forces which I one hundred per cent do not need but that I will one hundred per cent buy.

Roll on October for the new miniatures to ship and more importantly for the new rules to be released, I'm eager to see what damage a wild charging Impaler can do!

What do you make of the Mantic Twiglets?