Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Sentinels Affiliation Pack Unboxed & Up Close
The Sentinels Affiliation Pack is out for Marvel: Crisis Protocol and I have plans for these mutant hunters.
I’m really excited to get into this new Sentinels Affiliation Pack for MCP. Atomic Mass Games sent me a review copy and I am had the chance to crack it open and build these kits. These aren’t my first Sentinels to build. In fact, I’ve got a bit of a problem collecting them. That might be another article. Anyhow, let’s see what’s new in this boxed set!
I really like these new Affiliation Packs. This box is the core of a Sentinels list all in one purchase. That’s great news for new players!
Sentinels Affiliation Pack Unboxed
Starting off we’ve got the new/re-boxed contents. AMG has been very consistent with their packaging as the Cards/Tokens are in one bag and the sprues/bases are in another. This is a multi-language pack and you get full playsets for each supported language.
This is the most important part of the pack for veteran players. Inside, you’ve got updated cards for ALL the characters. You get the updated Cassandra Nova, two Sentinel MK4s, and the updated Sentinel Prime MK4. There were some pretty big changes for the Sentinels in particular that have been applied here. You can check out a break down from AMG at that link for more info.
There’s some changes for power economy for both Sentinel-types. There’s also the change to the basic Sentinels interaction with terrain due to the new Acceptable Collateral Damage.
As far as the sprues go, these are the exact same ones from the previous boxes. There’s probably a chance that your 60mm bases might look different than mine as I think those are random. I’m not 100% sure on that however. Other than that, you do end up with a TON of extra Sentinel bits. Personally, I’ve started to use the damaged Sentinel Prime parts as terrain. I just glue them to a base and then add some rubble. They make for great size 1 and 2 pieces to scatter on your boards.
Now, on to the miniatures!
Sentinel Affiliation Pack Up Close
I really like these miniatures for a few reasons. First up, Sentinels are some of my favorite bad guys from the X-Men comics. There’s something creepy about how relentless they are at completing their mission. Like the Terminator in that way. They are also giant stompy robots. I also really have zero guilt about my characters beating-up on them in game. I always have a good time when the Sentinels are on the tabletop!
Cassandra Nova might seem like a really odd inclusion for the Sentinel Affiliation Pack. Why is the “twin sister” of Charles Xavier running with these Mutant Hunters? Well, …”Because Comics!” is the short answer. The longer answer is that she used Wild Sentinels to cause the Genosha Mutant Massacre were 16 million mutants were killed in minutes. This is a scene that was recreated in the more recent X-Men ’97 cartoon but without Cassandra Nova’s influence.
Anyhow, she’s in this pack for good reason and she’s actually got a great interaction with the Sentinel’s Restraint Cables and her Psychic Distraction super power.
As far as building tips, the trickiest part of her miniature is the column she’s on. Getting that part to stay vertical can be a tricky balancing act. I just used a paint pot to help keep her upright while the glue did it’s thing.
The Sentinel MK4s are a fun kit. Again, you’ll get a ton of different arm options and hands as well. Unfortunately, the legs only go together in two specific ways. However, you can position the torsos, heads, and arms however you like. This can create some really cool poses. They’re also just really big models relative to other MCP characters.
As big as the regular Sentinels are, the Prime is a full head taller and slightly wider. Again, the legs are kind of fixed but everything is highly posable. As far as build tips for both sets, I think they are pretty easy to assemble. Once you build one you’ve pretty much got it down for the others. There’s a few bits on the side (under the arm and back) that might be a little confusing at first. Just dry fit them to see how they go together and you’re good.
Too Many Sentinels? Never.
As I mentioned above, this is not my first batch of Sentinels. In fact, I’ve got quite the collection at this point.
“Why do you have so many Sentinels?!” That’s a fair question. First up, I just think they are fun to paint up. I actually went out and picked up a pack of the basic MK4s and another Prime before the Affiliation Pack came out. Now, I’ve got 4 sets total which is way more than you could ever run in a standard game.
But what if you weren’t playing a standard game of MCP?
If you’ve been following us for a while you might know that I’ve baked up my own Ultimate Encounter Scenario featuring Sentinels and a Master Mold. I’ve been play testing it a bunch with a few friends and I’m finally getting to the point where I’m going to run it at a local store as an event. It should be fun. I’m planning on having a set for each player to deal with all while Master Mold causes problems in the background. There’s also “Sentinel Spawners” and some other fun stuff I’ve made up.
And then Atomic Mass Games had to go an announce the Attack of the Sentinels and the Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Alliances Game coming later this year. So of course I’m even more pumped. Now, I’ll just have to get my hands on the Bastion/Nimrod/Omega Sentinel pack. Then it will be time to hit the music and have an EPIC MCP Game Night.
Sentinels Out Now!
The new Affiliation Pack should be out now and in stores. So go get your mutant hunters ready for the tabletop!
Marvel: Crisis Protocol – Sentinels Affiliation Pack $74.99
The Sentinels Affiliation Pack is the perfect starting point for players looking to add these iconic mutant hunters to their Marvel: Crisis Protocol collections. This pack combines the previously released products CP51 Sentinels MK4, CP53 Cassandra Nova, and CP160 Sentinel Prime into a single Affiliation Pack.
Now, if you’ll excuse me I’ve got some painting to do.
