Shieldwolf Miniatures: Plastic Fantasy Valkyries Reviewed!

Today we will take a closer look at the brand new Shieldwolf Miniatures fantasy Valkyrie warriors! These 28mm hard-plastic multi-part Valkyrie warriors are already the second plastic set in their fantasy Krumvaal Northern Alliance miniature range but with plenty of other cool fantasy and science fiction miniatures already available for their other factions. These new Valkyries are part of their of their excellent Krumvaal Northern Alliance miniature range featuring both hard-plastic modular infantry miniatures and high-quality polyurethane monsters, creatures, elite cavalry and heroes. This particular barbarian faction features an all female warrior society further strengtened with savage Lower Yetis, ferocious Ice Warbear Cavalry and last but not least the massive Great War Mammooths among even more dangerous creatures of the barren northern wild. 

Valkyrie, also spelled Walkyrie, Old Norse Valkyrja (“Chooser of the Slain”), in Norse mythology, any of a group of maidens who served the god Odin and were sent by him to the battlefields to choose the slain who were worthy of a place in Valhalla. Field these mighty winged warrior maidens alongside the fierce Shieldmaidens and agile Rangers and crush your enemies on the frozen plains and in the snowy tundra forests of the Krumvaal. In the past we have reviewed plenty of miniatures of this awesome Krumvaal Northern Alliance faction of which you can find the links below make sure to check them out.

- Shieldwolf Miniatures Krumvaal Northern Alliance Resin Shieldmaiden Ballista and Crew Check link here

- Shieldwolf Miniatures Krumvaal Northern Alliance Resin Lower Yetis Check link here

- Shieldwolf Miniatures Krumvaal Northern Alliance Plastic Shieldmaidens and Rangers Check link here

- Shieldwolf Miniatures Krumvaal Northern Alliance Resin Great War Mammooth with Howdah Check link here

The Valkyries

This fantasy boxed model set contains enough hard-plastic components to create no less than 20 28mm scaled Valkyrie warriors alongside 2 Shieldmaiden warriors and the necessary plastic round bases and flying stands to field these mighty warriors. These iconic female warriors have their origin in the Norse Mythology where they guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. Often depicted as battle-harded winged warriors they cause havoc among mortal ranks when descending from the icy skies. 

The miniatures in this new model kit are supplied on 5 sprues of which four are identical with the other fifth unique sprue containing more body options and heads. This new plastic boxed set is very similar to the previously released Shieldmaidens and Rangers boxed set although with the addition of the feathered wings instead of the cloaks, some other weapons and other components. I would have preferred more different components but the good news is that these sets are compatible so you can add more options to your Valkyries such as crossbows and other weapons from the Shieldmaidens and Rangers kit. You can check the review of the set here

As mentionned before the boxed set contains different sprues so let's first take a look at the difference.  The first sprue type of which four pieces are included contains enough parts to assemble four unique Valkyrie warriors equipped with helmets, shields and a range of deadly melee weapons such as swords, flails, spears and more. The bulk of the miniatures bodies consists out of the wings which fit the back of the bodies or you can also assemble these as regular Shieldmaidens by using the standard back pieces. As this set is sold as Valkyrie warriors I went with the cool feathered wings, iconic of these mighty female warriors. If you want to see the Shieldmaiden option you can check our previous review.

So the first sprue type contains the following components

- 4  unique warrior bodies

- 4 unique pair of wings

- 4 unique back pieces

- 5 unique decorative wooden shields

- 4 unique decorative winged and other helmets

- 4 unique left arms

- 5 unique spears with right arms attached

- 7 unique melee weapons (axes, swords and flail)

The second sprue type of which one piece is included contains enough parts to assemble four Valkyrie warriors but also two Shieldmaiden warriors as more bodies are included than wings. This particular sprue doesn't include any weapons but comes with a wide variety of cloaked heads and bare heads featuring all sorts of cool hairstyles to further assemble your warriors. The quality of the pieces is good although there is significantly more flash than with their previously released hard-plastic sets. The issue is mostly present on the feathered wings and spear tips but can be carefully removed with a sharp scalpel or hobby knife. There are some minor sprue issues as with the original Shieldmaidens and Rangers boxed set but I won't repeat these here as you can check them in the original review if of particular interest.

The second sprue type contains the following components

- 4 unique warrior bodies (same as in the first sprue type)

- 2 unique warrior bodies

- 4 unique pair of wings (same as in the first sprue type)

- 4 unique back pieces (same as in the first sprue type)

- 5 unique decorative wooden shields (same as in the first sprue type)

- 2 unique cloaked heads

- 4 unique left arms (same as in the first sprue type)

- 15 unique heads featuring a large variety of hairstyles.

Below you can see some more close-up pictures of both sprues showing better details of the included components and casting quality. As you see pretty good details but some flash is present mostly on the spears and wings. The details are once again pretty good with excellent detail on the chainmail, fur and wooden shields to name some prominent examples.

Assembling your Valkyrie Host

The assembly of the miniatures is quite easy, you simply remove the desired parts from the sprues and clean the flash and sprue vents where needed. Then you can dryfit the pieces as you see fit before glueing them into place with plastic glue, my preferred glue is the Revell plastic glue with the fine metal point allowing great control. These miniatures are supplied with plastic round bases and clear rods allowing you to assemble the warriors as they are flying around or are stationary in the air. To assemble them as flying I simply drilled a small hole in the bodies where desired to secure the plastic rod. They look quite awesome when assembled and I especially like them flying! Note that I have used wooden bases instead of the supplied plastic bases so they would match my current basing.

The Scale Comparison

Below you can find some scale pictures of the new Shieldwolf Miniatures Valkyrie warriors alongside plastic miniatures from other wargame miniature companies such as Games Workshop, Gripping Beast, Wargames Atlantic and Northstar Miniatures. As you can see in the pictures, these miniatures are designed to be more slender and slightly larger than your standard historical miniatures. As they are of course more designed to be used in fantasy wargames where the golden standard is more heroic and therefor slightly larger than for historical wargaming.

The Conclusion

To conclude this illustrated review, I really like the more unusual subject of this particular plastic set Shieldwolf Miniatures has chosen. Although very cool, Valkyrie warriors are not really easily available especially not as affordable and in multiple available poses as possible with this new plastic model kit. The detail of the design and casting is again good although there seems to be more flash present on this kit compared with the previous plastic sets. Not sure if this is an issue with the actual metal moulds or the actual plastic injection process but still worth mentionning. As mentionned before the flash is especially present on the spear tips and wings but can be cleaned carefully with a razor sharp knife.

The lay-out of the new set is very similar with the previously released plastic Shieldmaidens and Rangers and although the new set contains some new parts most of the sprue seems to be identical to the previously released plastic boxed set. Not really an issue as the miniatures can be easily assembled with the current lay-out but it would have been nice to see some other bodies and weapons. Worth noting is that the parts of  both sets are compatible so you could easily make Valkyries armed with lethal crossbows when taken these from the Shieldmaidens and Rangers boxed set. Looking at the current Krumvaal Northern Alliance, you now have even more choice to create your own army as everything is present from infantry to cavalry and from monsters to siege engines. Also worth noting is that some new resin Valkyrie heroes have also been released and those look especially epic, certainly worth naming those heroes! These new miniatures are now available here for €29.75

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Disclaimer - We received these miniatures from Shieldwolf Miniatures for reviewing purposes. Please note that this doesn't influence our review as we always strive to supply you with our own independent and honest opinion about the wargame products reviewed.

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