Ion Age Desteria Demi Alpha - Released and Reviewed

by Chris

Here's a look at The Ion Age's latest release - the Desteria Demi Alpha.

The Desteria Knights are the heaviest power-armored troopers in the Prydian Army. The Demi Alpha pack includes five unique poses - armed with Impact Fists and a mix of double-bore shotguns, laser rifles, and plasma guns. They dwarf just about every infantry figure you might find on the 15mm battlefield... they are much larger than even the Retained Knight figures:

Gavin was kind enough to send me some review samples from the new Ion Age packs. The Desteria figures were instantly my favorite in the mix, and I wanted to get a set painted right away. Here's the samples I received - some are from the Demi Alpha pack, others are sneak peaks from upcoming releases (spoilers!):

Obviously my brushwork pales in comparison to Sam Croes' beautiful paint scheme, but they were still an absolute joy to paint. The castings were extremely crisp... preparation was limited to removing just a little bit of mold line to remove from the shoulder pads and helmets, filing down the bases, and hitting them with spray primer. I hit them with a wash right away to have a good look, and was amazed by the detail level. My only complaint is the stiff, wide-legged stance - not a big deal for figures that clearly represent larger-than-life characters, but a few "advancing" poses in a future pack would really add to the range. The helmet crests, Maltese crosses, and layers of heavy armor really add to the character of these figures. And their size is truly impressive. 

Comparison: Ion Age Desteria Knights, Ion Age Retained Knight,
Laserburn Dreadnought, and Kremlin MANITOU

Ther are loads of potential uses for figures like this. For me, they'll have pretty much the same role as written in the Ion Age setting (see Gavin's excellent write-up on the Ion Age blog) - elite bodyguards for my Space Opera princess as she tries to reclaim her father's throne. It's also easy to imagine them as part of a crusading religious order... a stylized version of the Doctor Who clerics or Babylon 5 Rangers. 

Comparison: Ion Age Desteria Knights, Brigade Models Power Armor,
Khurasan Federal Special Assault Brigade, Critical Mass Arc Fleet Augment

And, of course, they are the best candidates for 15mm Space Marine Terminators that anyone has ever produced. I'm extremely tempted to give my knight commander some kind of powered maul or force axe... it will be fun to play guncrawl scenarios pitting five of these figures against wave after wave of evil mooks or alien creatures. 

If you're a fan of Space Opera or Sci Fantasy figures, I definitely recommend a picking up some Desteria Knights.