Review of Crashed Vertibird

Blurb from the publisher: '"The XVB02 'Vertibird' is a VTOL ("Vertical Take Off and Landing") craft with an extremely durable armoured fuselage and can be armed with a variety of offensive weapons and defensive countermeasures. This is the most advanced aircraft of its kind ever developed, and the military hopes to press them into service by 2085." - Museum of Technology, Washington.

This boxed set contains nine resin components, allowing players to build five separate pieces of scatter scenery to expand their Fallout: Wasteland Warfare games.'

What you get: Your EUR 56,12 or USD 61,51 or GBP 50 will buy you the Crashed Vertibird, a piece of scenery for the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare game line.

The item I received is titled 'Virtibird'; the word 'Crashed' is missing, while the Vertibird is written differently. If you find it under that name in a shop, I assure you: it is the exact same product.

Contents: No need for me to repeat the publisher's blurb about the box's contents. I will only say that, just like the Downed AT-ST Battlefield Expansion from the Star Wars: Legion game line, this item cannot be moded to represent a flying specimen. It's a wreck. It is down, and it will stay down.

The strong points: Three dimensional scenery and dioramas kick ass. What kicks even more ass is scatter scenery, ruins, downed vehicles and what have you, with a coherent theme behind them. This is what the Crashed Vertibird is: different pieces that make sense when employed together. The biggest part is the ship's fuselage; small and medium-sized minis will get full protection out of it. The tail, the engines and the propeller will also provide cover, as well as provide the big picture of what the ship used to look like.

A lot of detail has been put in this fallen craft. Like every other big piece of scenery it is easier to paint than smaller minis, yet those who want to give it time will find tons of little things to fiddle with. There are all sorts of screws and grills covering air ducts, debris, the ground itself, and many more. I like a lot how some pieces can be joined in a non-permanent manner, and get separated again if you want a bigger exposure of debris on your battleground.

For those who like comparison, I cannot easily answer how this downed craft compares to the downed AT-ST. The AT-ST is more restricted to its own franchise due to the nature of its design; not every sci-fi setting has walkers roaming the battlefield. It is also more impressive in the battlefield, seeing how big the mini's footprint is. Yet, The Crashed Vertibird offers a much higher variety both when it comes to the ship's configurations as well as its placement. Where the AT-ST is one enormous mini, with the Vertibird one gets multiple pieces that may be potentially combined. When it comes to filling the battlefield and presenting a much more coherent image, the Vertibird wins hands down. And yes, I wouldn't hesitate a second to use it in the Star Wars and the Star Trek universe, or any other sci-fi universe out there. A different colour scheme to the one of the publisher's serving suggestions (which has obvious retro sci-fi influences) can work miracles towards making the ship appear as indigenous to another universe. If I hadn't seen the serving suggestion myself (a silvery glittering fuselage with red details), I would have found it hard to say that this craft was born in the wasteland. Think of it as a bright white or an abysmal black, and suddenly you have a ship that can do almost anything.

The Fallout: Wasteland Warfare line is very well supported by dozens of miniatures and numerous options. The Crashed Vertibird is not the only piece of scenery the line has to offer. We will visit the Red Rocket Scenic Set shortly.

The weak points: The Crashed Vertibird has exactly the same price as the Downed AT-ST from Star Wars: Legion. This proves that a) scenery is costly overall, and that b) the item is fairly priced. In order for the investment to be worth it one should really use this material.

Conclusion: If you are committed enough to buy dedicated three dimensional sci-fi wargaming scenery, I don't see how you can escape the allure of the Crashed Vertibird. Playing Fallout: Wasteland Warfare is optional. The craft has a perceptible Fallout feel if you paint it in a retro sci-fi style, on the other hand however it can fit any setting if you just dress it differently.

For more info on the Crashed Vertibird and the Fallout: Wasteland Warfare game line overall, visit the Modiphius Entertainment website at http://www.modiphius.com.

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