The first thing that really struck me about this box was just how microscopic the parts were. Granted, I'm used to painting space marines, warriors of chaos, terminators, dreadnoughts, and the like, but I am a miniature wargaming painter and I shuddered to think how on earth I would even find these bits if they were to spill. Beyond the problems of simply keeping track of the bits, the other major problem this poses is with assembly. Without any real points for super glue to bond, the model itself becomes very fragile. Even with the special impact resistant super glue I use, I was very careful any time I had to handle the minis.
As I have found, using the magic wash mixes is absolutely key to successfully painting these miniatures. The areas sculpted into the definition of the bones are beyond minute. Painting an area like that by hand would be excessively time consuming. Of course, if you're just painting a single mini for show, by all means go for it, but for the hobbyist with an army to work through, there's no telling how long it would take to finish a unit of these guys, especially in 8th edition where big blocks of infantry are the order of the day.
I chose the sword/shield combo because I found the great weapons to be uninspiring. For such a characterful unit, the great weapon designs are quite bland by comparison. I would highly recommend the great weapons for conversions as the blades are actually very well designed. Still, if you're intending to run a big block of great weapon grave guard, you could do far worse than what's offered here.
By contrast, the shield designs are fantastic, and the sword blades would fit a myriad of conversion opportunities. Anyone playing Chaos Space Marines would do well to consider this box. The skeletons would make for nice remains of victims, and the weapons would all convert nicely into a very 40k-friendly baroque close combat arsenal.
All-in-all a very inspired box for the fantasy lineup, easily one of the best skeleton boxes out there. For Vampire Count players, this is essentially a required purchase (several times over), but don't overlook it if you're not running the necromancers from the north. There's a lot to be found here, and a single box would go a long way to adding flavor to many armies from both fantasy and 40k.
