Cyberpunk, Cyberpunk, Cyberpunk - that's all I seem to be interested in doing at the moment.
Artel W are one of those companies that just seem to be addictive, like once you see one of their miniatures that catches the eye, there's at least a dozen more that instantly become something that you just have to get your hands on.
The Syndicate faction in their Hydrophilia skirmish game seems to have had that effect on me, and I was lucky enough to bag the Streets on Fire box set as an Xmas gift, which was rather naughtily opened, assembled and painted a couple of days before the 25th arrived...
The first thing that hits you about the box is the presentation, and the fact that the thing looks just like an aged VHS tape from the 1980's. In fact, if you send most people a shot of it, that's just what they'll assume it is - but only the Millennials that you know will feel the need to assure you they actually know what a VHS tape is!
You get eight minis for your money, as well as all the cards and stuff you need to play them in the actual game, three punks, three civilian rioters, a rabble-rouser who serves as a sort of leader and a Hydroid, that I assume is a synthetic/android unique to the setting in which the game takes place (I haven't read up on the rules yet).
The punks were one of the first things that attracted me to the box, as they're an unusually good combination of Cyberpunk aesthetic and actual observation of the real sub-culture that's still out there, as strong and vibrant as ever.
I always like to take the chance with minis like this to reflect actual punks that I've known over the years and put in little things like brick-red leather on some of their footwear - the second most popular choice when opting for Doc Martens, but woefully under represented in minis that try to portray punks and skins.
The rioters are a nice mixture of idealistic youth toting placards and those who look more like they're just along for the promise of some bovver. I guess the fact that they come across a little more Gropnik then Chav comes down to the fact that they were designed and sculpted in Russia!
My favourite is the sign-wielding female in the middle here, who's dress seems to be inspired by skinheads of her gender, despite the fact that she can clearly be seen to have a full head of hair, rather than the more appropriate fringe and sideburns of the look.
The agitator guy was a sheer joy to paint, what with his pompadour, shell-suit and boombox - he's almost more 1980's than the decade itself ever was, referencing countless trends, films and icons of the era.
The fluff for the mini describes him as being more of a rallying point for his faction and not very good in actual combat, and so it seemed appropriate to give him a silvery chrome look to his rather impressive firearm, in the hope that it would somehow make up for this lack of genuine skill.
The Hydroid was the mini that took me the longest to paint and held my interest the least, not because it's any less of a great sculpt than the others, but more because of the fact that it seemed to the the one that was most at odds with the rest of the set.
I guess that's just because I was drawn to this box wanting punks and rioters, not sinister android assassins.
This ain't no cheap set of minis, checking in at around £40.00 before you take the shipping into account, but as always with Artel W, the product that you end up with is well worth the price-tag. The fact that they're resin makes them a little more fragile when it comes to the thin and protruding parts, despite the fact that they're marketed as minis for the rough and tumble of table-top games.
I'm hoping to get my hands on the other Syndicate box some time in the new year, so watch this space.
As always, let me know what you think, either here or on social media.
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