Mantic Games have just launched the second wave of Halflings for Kings of War for pre-order and with it rounded out the range so every option in the list will be available for the shorter folks armies.

Muster Captain on Winged Aralez // Mantic Games

First up is the outstanding Winged Aralez, the resin kit contains the halflings Muster Captain mounted on his flying god. The detailing on the armour is beautiful and looks resplendent for your army general. I love the fact that Mantic has found this lesser-known mythological creature for the halflings and League as well. Instead of another griffon or pegasus, it gives the half folk a more unique look.

Halfling Aeronauts // Kings Of War

The Large Cavalry Halfling Aeronauts again lean on the Halflings love of tinkering with machines and makes up for their natural lack of aptitude with magic. The set of three airships have a mix of crew wrapped up against the chill of high altitudes and ready to commence a devastating bombing run on the enemy. The addition of ballast and even an armoured shield to help distinguish the three gondolas from each other is a great touch and I love both these and the Ej Grenadiers for leaning on that classic pilot look.

Forest Troll Gunners

It's not all models that have slipped the chains of gravity and taken to the skies. The Forest Troll Gunners are a solid unit, they can work as a hammer or anvil and while they're not terrific at either they can do at a pinch. Pathfinder will let them get into position for the halfling sharp shooters to take their toll on the enemy while the trolls regeneration and crushing strength means they can hold their own in combat. The sculpts look great and very different from the cave trolls the orcs and goblins can field.

Poachers Battlegroup 

The Poachers battlegroup contains resin upgrades for both the infantry and cavalry plastic sprue. These elite scouts offer options for your shooting, a cheaper fast cavalry who sacrifice some piercing ability and the infantry poachers who have all the rules to get them into position and pin cushion your opponent, a vicious streak and Relentless means that anyone unwise enough to try and chase them off may find their bite is worse than their bark!

Stalwarts Battlegroup

The final new release is the Stalwarts and Juggers. Again it is a resin upgrade set with the plastic sprue, these are the up-armoured elite melee fighters for the halflings and the set comes with the weapon upgrade for the Stalwart infantry as well so you can go for some crushing strength if you need a nutcracker for a high defence unit. The great helms are particularly nice and I love the cross moline as a visor detail. While I'm unlikely to use the two-handed weapon upgrade the set itself looks great.

Overall the two waves of releases from Mantic haven't missed the mark, they've taken a fantasy trope and given the small folk a very distinctive theme that is all-encompassing both in how they play out but also in the story behind the Halflings leaving the League and having to protect themselves.