A four model box set, the Überfallkommando consists of a Chimera (a cyborg undercover operative) and her three Pupniks, human-animal hybrids bred for the underground fighting circuit.

Definitely a kit for the advanced modeller, the Chimera in particular is a tricky build.

Cheetah & Fox Pupniks

Starting with the 'lesser' models in the set, the Wild Cheetah and Mad Fox Pupniks share an identical body with different arms, head and tail.

Pose & Styling - when positioned as designed, these two Pupniks are knuckle-draggers due to the hugely long arms but it wouldn't take much to have the right arm(s) raised up in the air to give them a bit more movement.

The identical bodies are my main gripe with these two - although 2x2 bodies is quite common in Corvus Belli's four model box sets, the very specific pose including a pair of rocks to stand on and the arms mean that they end up looking very similar.

Detail is very fine (as usual with Infinity models), with the Bakunin Moderators (plus a lot of fur) being a strong inspiration.

The two Pupniks are 28mm to the top of the head so they are quite lanky considering they're in slouching positions.

Parts & Fit - they are both five-part models with a legs/torso piece, two arms, a head and a tail. The shoulder joints fit well with a central nub on the arm part for positioning. Each tail fits into a hole at the base of the spine, which will need drilling a bit to get a more solid join. The heads are reasonably good fits considering the amount of hair and that there are two different heads, the mane on the Cheetah head almost slotting in place over the back of the torso but leaving slight gaps to the side of the 'chin'.

Evil Ram Pupnik

Otherwise known as the Evil Goat Git.

Pose & Styling - this is the model that was previewed for the Überfallkommando set and it's a stunner. In comparison with the other two Pupniks it's in a much more dynamic pose and is mainly to blame for my dislike of them - it's not that they are bad models, but they were a let-down after seeing the Evil Ram Pupnik.

Leapfrogging over a rock, the Evil Ram Pupnik is flying through the air with hoofed feet drawn in behind him and a truly evil-looking glint to his eyes. Not many people these days have any direct experience with sheep, but an angry ram can cause a lot of damage and this model reflects that.

Evil Goat Git is 30mm to the top of his left elbow (the highest point on the model) and about 33mm wide. I estimate that he'd be around 36mm high is standing fully upright.

Parts & Fit - in six pieces this time, we now start getting into fiddly bits - the horns are small enough that if you have big fingers you're likely to need tweasers to handle them.

The main joint on this model is the right forearm/rock piece to the torso and legs piece as the whole weight of the model will be passing through here. It has a decent size contact area plus a nub on the upper arm, but I advise pinning it anyway.

The left forearm again fits onto a nub on the torso piece, but in the set that I bought (sent for review?) the hole in the forearm had filled in, so this needed drilling out. The joint has been placed so that it runs along the edge of the forearm armour, making it much less visible than a gap in the fur would have been. The same is true of the right elbow joint, by the way.

The head fits onto the torso with a bit of filing but some filling will also be required. The left horn fits in very well after minimal filing around the nub. The right horn took more work as the metal channel on the head went over the hole for the horn and needed drilling and carving out as well.

The Chimera

Pose & Styling - the Chimera is the centre-piece of the set as she is the controller of the Pupniks - in game terms they are effectively mobile equipment and will fall dormant if the Chimera falls unconscious, dies or is hit by an EM pulse.

Styling-wise she again follows design cues from the Bakunin Moderators but with a big dose of Furry (rather than just fur like the Pupniks). Furryness in Nomad models is a very divisive topic on the Infinity forums - although I'm not a fan of the 'signature' Furry Nomad, the Daktari Doctor, she's one of the best-selling Infinity models:

The Chimera on the other hand is one of my favourite Nomad models so far. Partly due to being less blatant than the Daktari although still being very sexualised, partly due to the way she manages to exude an attitude of insouciance and capability at the same time. 

For those who like to keep the furry and the human more separate, giving her a more human skin tone and leaving off the tail (with a small amount of filling at the base of the spine) would only leave her pointy ears and slightly odd-shaped nose to stop her looking fully human.

The Chimera is 33mm to the top of her hair making her taller than a standard plastic Space Marine even if she wasn't wearing heels.

Parts & Fit - assembling the Chimera is a pain. Because she is so thin the contact points for gluing her together are minute and are also so thin that they are nearly impossible to pin without specialised knowledge and equipment - her wrists will literally fit inside the barrel of a Bolter or Bolt Pistol!

I did manage to pin all the joints but this involved a 0.3mm drill bit, a miniature drill press (bits that thin are generally too weak to use in a pin vice) and some cut down acupuncture needles for the actual pins.

The left shoulder does have a rectangular nub that after a bit of cleaning up fits into a slot on the top of the left arm but given the leverage that will be coming from the length of the arm and the whip this is not likely to be enough if the model gets dropped.

The right hand holding the handle of the whip fits onto the end of the right arm but you will need to spend some time bending the whip into different shapes to get the right angle.

The left hand holding the whip fits into the bangles on the end of the left arm but is quite awkward to get the angle right as a metal channel comes off here and it's hard to work out where the wrist actually is.

Pros

• Contains two of the best Infinity models.
• Flash and mould-lines were nearly non-existant on the Ram and Chimera.
• Unique styling and idea, even compared to other Nomad units.

Cons

• Advanced model-making skills required.
• Mad Fox and Wild Cheetah being very similar models.
• Rocky outcrops for models that spend their time in spaceships.
• Advanced model-making skills required. Yes, it's worth mentioning twice.

In summary, another fiddly assembly project that leads to some excellent figures. Although there might be some swearing along the way. Here's a blog post listing the assembly of the Chimera and Evil Goat Git in more detail.

Ian

As well as the usual venues, the Bakunin Überfallkommando set is available on the webstore.