Review: Dystopian Wars Empire of the Blazing Sun fleet

 
I have to say that if my funds at the time of purchasing the mega bundle had been strictly limited I'd have really struggled to have picked between the Kingdom of Britannia fleet and these guys. Lets face it these ships look really cool.

Product Description

The Empire of the Blazing Sun fleet does have a very distinctive look to it, with its sharp, sleek looking bows and the cylindrical structures on top of the hull. They look like steam engines in a way and although they do look boat like they don't look like boats shapes we'd be used to and this unique aesthetic does strangely look eastern and oriental. Like the Kingdom of Britannia fleet before it, this boxed set contains a hell of a lot of bang for your buck!!! 1 Battleship, 3 Cruisers, 9 Frigates all in that same nice resin. There are also the two metal bombers acrylic flight stands and 10 resin flight tokens and all the card tokens, counters, stat cards and templates etc. In short its a great little starter set for your floating ninjas and samurai.

Character of the pieces 9 out of 10

As much of the character traits of these ships is discussed elsewhere I'll just say I love the steam train on water look they have and think they just ooze character.

Detail 9 out of 10

As with the Kingdom of Britannia fleet the level of detail achieved on the surface of the Empire of the Blazing Sun fleet is quite mind boggling it really is and the surface is also very nicely textured. The rivets, planks, pipes and portholes are all there along with engine stacks and other nautical paraphernalia. However its the shape of the Empire of the Blazing Sun ships that steals the show for me, as I've mentioned before those long tube like ships just look like they were built in another timeline that veered drastically off to one side when compared to our own, they do look like something that era would have produced if they'd had the technology to do so and that speaks of a clear and strong design brief, which is a credit to Spartan Games and their staff. They look designed to cut through the water and are strangely elegant. They definitely look like steam trains on water, its a very cool design and style.

Quality 9 out of 10

Yet again we're talking pretty high quality gaming pieces. Nice and sturdy, no miscasts and no mould lines. Just simply superb quality. The fine nature of the detail as well is again just as surprising as it was with the Kingdom of Britannia fleet. It does make me think that maybe all this digital sculpting malarky might be the future. Because Spartan Games seem to be able to turn out consistently high quality product which is surprisingly detailed at a very effective price point. Other companies have also used digital sculpting to great effect as well so I think we could be seeing a shift in the industry and in our hobby and Spartan are right at the forefront of that.

Service 9 out of 10

Please Read my Kingdom of Britannia review for my comments on service. Given I purchased this fleet at a time of great demand for Dystopian Wars product I think the service I received was exceptional

Price 9 out of 10

As I mentioned in my review of the Kingdom of Britannia fleet I brought these fleets as part of the Mega Bundle for Dystopian Wars, which meant that each fleet was brought at a discount in effect, so they cost me roughly £27.50. That is an absolutely brilliant deal if you ask me and if like me you struggle to pick a faction then its a fabulous deal, it really is. However even at the £32.50 that they normally charge for a single fleet I think its a damn good price to get into the game and buy as many gaming pieces as are contained within the box. The Japanese fleet is also undeniably stylish so that just makes the asking price seem even more worth it... Banzai!!!

Overall 9 out of 10

Any of the Dystopian Wars starter fleet boxed sets are well worth the asking price in my opinion. The game is fast flowing, fluid and fun (the four f's if you will) and although the fleets might not be perfectly balanced as I've heard some gripes about the Kingdom of Britannia being underpowered, I have to say from my initial glance at the rules it looked balanced enough to me. It is also cheap wargaming at its best; nice miniatures, good solid rule set, well supported product and easy to convince others to start up. If the locomotive boat stylings of the Japanese fleet is you cup of green tea then pick them up and give the game a blast, I promise it won't disappoint. Peace out!