Sunday 11 December 2016

Infinity - Unreleased models

Following on from my article about limited edition miniatures (now mostly up to date again) I was contacted by many players keen to share other oddities with me. So it seems that it's time to venture into the world of even rarer miniatures - those that have never been released to the general public at all!

None of the models in this article were made commercially available so their numbers are extremely limited. Generally they were early or test versions that weren't considered suitable for general sale but very few have been given away by Corvus Belli to mark special occasions or victories in particular tournaments. It's unclear how many of each there are floating around, but 8 is probably a fair guess as that is how many would typically be on a master mould.

The six sculpts below are those that I am aware of but if you know of any more, or have further info or corrections about any of them, then please do let me know and I'll be sure to add it in. Also, if you happen to own one and are looking to sell then don't forget about me!

My thanks go out to a number of players without whom this article wouldn't be possible including Cervantes, Yasbir, Fithavil and Admiral JFJC. Information was also taken from a related Data Sphere thread that is now somewhat out of date!

The unreleased Ninja and Highlander (left and right respectively, for those wondering).

Yu Jing Monk


We're starting this tour with a Monk for Yu Jing which was sculpted by Carlos Torres. It is clearly one of the newer designs (as opposed to the chunky hand-standing ones that were out originally) but was possibly intended as a separate blister release.

This Monk was rejected after a moulding test, but I'm lead to believe that  one was given by Corvus Belli to the winner of a Spanish tournament. There appear to be a handful of unpainted ones floating about also.

The design itself is quite nice with the slung gun and an interesting-looking beard, and it's also worth noting that it is a single piece mini unlike those in the box set.







Ghulam HMG


The Ghulam HMG represents a half-way point in Haqqislam miniature design where the Ghulam sculpt was being brought up to date but the new weapons had not yet been designed. It was discarded and replaced by a new HMG-wielding trooper in the SWC box.

It's also interesting to note that he is left handed!

An example of the model was given to Admiral JFJC as part of the Operation Flamestrike campaign for his services to PanOceania.

He's the one in the middle!






Dog Warrior


This is the first Dog Warrior to be sculpted and it was designed by Carlos Torres . It was subsequently re-done because it was thought to be too skinny.

Personally I quite like the model, although it certainly doesn't fit the current aesthetic. It definitely beats the original McMurrough release though. You can see that is shares many similar features with the released Dog Warrior, including the two Chain Rifles, grenades on the belt and the dog tag. The legs and shorts look very similar too.

According to Yasbir, this one was painted by SirAlban and is owned by Alberto Alfonsin, AKA Pavel MacManus, who is an old Ariadna playtester.



Released comparison.

Croc Man


This painted Crocman belongs to tennobushi, and was rejected because Corvus Belli wanted him to have a more dynamic one with "maori face". The replacement is the Croc Man found in the original PanO starter box.

I think this is a seriously sweet model and I'm a bit disappointed that it didn't become a general release. I love the idea of the Crocman just chilling out with a cigar and I hope that one day there is a release with a similar pose as a homage.






Ninja


For our next model we come full circle back to Yu Jing.

This is one of the earliest ever sculpts and was made before the game was even properly available in stores. It was sculpted by Fernando Liste.

Do note though that it seems like the model is based at an angle rather than flat on the base which contributes to the 'about to fall over' look. Looking at the unpainted bits he looks like he should be standing far more upright than the painted miniature would indicate.

An example of this miniature can currently be found in a display cabinet at Corvus Belli HQ and I believe it was painted by Giraldez.










Highlander


For our final model we have a Caledonian Highlander.

This miniature came to light when it appeared, if memory serves, at the back of a group shot of Galwegians showing how they had improved over the years. Having said that I can't for the life of me find the source picture now but it would have been out when the most recent box set was released.

In any case this chap currently resides at Corvus Belli HQ along with the Ninja. Personally I think the model is quite charming and would look great in all kinds of fantasy armies, let along Infinity ones!






4 comments:

  1. great article Pete, I would love to see discontinued model next.

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    1. That's tough simply because there are so many now! I think other people have made attempts at it, such as in the Data Sphere article, but I don't know of any that are completely up to date.

      It certainly would be nice to have a Stuff of Legends style Wiki for all the miniatures though. Hmmm...

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    2. Hi.
      On the french forum we try to keep track of discontinued models. I believe it's accurate up to june 2016:
      http://www.bureau-aegis.org/forum/index.php?topic=7658.0

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    3. That's a fantastic resource. Great work!

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