Hobby Update: Herd Hydras

And now we have a fun-looking Herd unit to debut, the Hydra! I've found I enjoy running multiples of things (if nothing else to get twice the testing opportunities in for each game I play), so I've even got a second monster all finished up already. They look fierce!

Finished models first.

The model is the Pathfinder Deep Cuts Hydra from WizKids. The model looked serviceable for Kings of War, and seeing them 33% off... I decided to pick two up back in March, as I like having and running multiples of things. The minis come assembled and primed, but there are a number of join gaps and mold lines, as the main body has 5-7 major pieces, all built up for you. I scraped what I could off for the lines, and with various fillers, tried to disguise the gaps as well. The box comes with an assortment of heads (one headed and two headed for each possible neck connection), though fitting them in is a little rough. I tried shaving down the sides of inserts, and even trimmed a few down to make them shorter, but the gaps persisted in each test, and needed some green stuff to "hide". My green stuff skills are arguably pretty poor, and matching patterns of scale proved to be rather difficult in a few spots. I was hobbying to de-stress, so I just got the green stuff up to my "good enough" standard. 

Even trimmed, the scenic base hangs over the round base in a few spots. Sheesh.

The hydra's body comes attached to a scenic base, and the whole thing was spray primed after this step. by the manufacturer. The join is just three little nubs though, and was easy to break apart to get at the mold lines and such. The scenic base actually hangs over the 75mm round base the model comes with, and definitely doesn't fit nicely on a 75mm square, so some trimming needed to be done. 

Drywall underneath, with wax paper so it doesn't stick to my table.

Additionally, the scenic base is a bit warped, with a bump in the middle that heavily flexes. I wanted it more flat, so that it didn't pop off the unit base accidentally, but it took me a few days to come up with a solution. Eventually, I turned to drywall spackle. I mixed up a bit and filled in the bump. I put some wax paper down on my table, pressed the bases down, let it all set, and then sanded it down, resulting in a pretty flat surface for the bottom of the scenic base.

The base and mini, about to be re-glued. Basically all of the underbelly sections will be hidden, so I didn't hit them with any washes.  

The trimmed bases fit on the 75mm titan-sized squares, though even with paste and snow, the scenic base is noticeable from some angles. This again fell into "good enough" territory for me, though you could use putty to make slopes to disguise this if you were feeling more professional.

The mini has one heck of an overhang! I'll likely need to have some spare bases handy
to help mark the frontage of the monster most combats.

The Hydra is intriguing, but it has some conflicting rules that will make a consistent performance difficult, so it is likely not a competitive choice. The tension is that the Hydra only has a measly 5 attacks, but has a special rule granting additional attacks equal to the amount of damage the monster has taken. It is a really, really cool design space, and very fluffy. However, the Hydra also has a high Defense and Regeneration, and both of these special rules work against taking damage. You need your opponent to attack it, and then need luck on your side to stay in a sweet spot for damage. There is just too much potential variance to be a competitive choice!

Still, it has great Nerve at 16/18, retains Pathfinder, and can score. At only 150 points, a Hydra (or maybe two!) should be easy to fit in many lists. While the lack of consistency is a strike against  using them in competitive play, the monster seems like a very fun choice for casual lists. I look forward to trying mine out!