Iconic Heroes Set #1 Final Photos!

Friday, November 21, 2014

It's a rainy Friday here in Washington state, but my spirits are high above the darkened clouds thanks to a very special package that arrived from our partners at WizKids this week. The simple cardboard box contained a single "final" version of Pathfinder Battles Iconic Heroes Set #1, the first in a series of monthly non-random iconic character sets that hit stores in January 2015.

The Iconic Heroes sets are a response to fan demand for several different products.

1. Customers always—always—want nonrandom prepainted figures. The expense and nature of the prepainted plastic figure business usually precludes this, but the strong popularity of our iconic characters pushed WizKids over the line in wanting to give it a try.
2. Players of the popular Pathfinder Adventure Card Game have long been asking for an easy way to collect iconic character figures for use as pawns in the card game.
3. Many of the iconic heroes released in previous Pathfinder Battles sets are sold out and starting to fetch crazy prices on the secondary market. I just noticed that someone paid more than $40 for a single Amiri figure, which is absolutely nuts. Gamers want a way to get our cool iconic heroes at an affordable price.

So, in January, we'll begin releasing six-figure Iconic Heroes sets to address all of the above requests. Even better, each set include six unique Pathfinder Adventure Card Game cards that won't be available anywhere else, each associated with one of the characters featured in the set.

WizKids promised "premium quality" sculpts and paint application for the Iconic Heroes sets, which are also the first to benefit from the new digital sculpting process we're now using across the entire Pathfinder Battles line. Here at Paizo, we took those words to heart, and did everything we could over successive rounds of approvals to make these the most detailed, gorgeous prepainted versions of these figures ever made. I think all of us also had some ambitions to raise the bar across the board with prepainted miniatures. With the right reference art, approval team, and with concerted effort from everyone at WizKids, we knew the stars could be right for a paradigm-shifting series of figures.

I am pleased to report, my friends, that it appears that everything has gone right with Pathfinder Battles Iconic Heroes Set #1, which I now hold in my hands. I'm currently comparing several of the figures to previously released versions of the same character for previous Pathfinder Battles sets. In all cases the new version is not just superior, but plainly superior. And we're talking about some of the better figures we've produced to date!

I couldn't be happier with the way these figures turned out. It is my strongest hope that you guys will buy enough of them that WizKids considers the experiment a success and slates several new releases in this format above and beyond the already-announced characters. Because, really, at this stage I think we've done everything we can to make sure the product stands tall. It's all down to sales.

But enough of my talking, let's let the miniatures speak for themselves!

Here we have Valeros, our very first iconic character who appeared on the cover of Pathfinder Adventure Path #1, and he also has the distinction of being the very first Pathfinder Battles figure from our initial Beginner Box Heroes set. Good old Val is still figure #1 in this new line, and I think he looks better than ever before.

Virtually everything about this new figure is an improvement over the existing version (which I also really liked). Sculpt wise, there are lots of new details, including a bedroll on Val's back, more accurate hair, and a cool new facial expression. A huge improvement all around.

Seoni the sorcerer first appeared as a rare figure in the Rise of the Runelords set, where she swiftly sold out and became one of the most popular figures we've ever released. This was due not just to the fact that Seoni has always been one of our most popular iconics, but also because WizKids delivered with a fantastic sculpt and an excellent paint job.

The new one is even better. The new sculpt is much more "three dimensional," in that her ponytails are uniquely sculpted elements (as opposed to running flat down the back of the sculpt). The same is also true of her ribbons. The main difference here is on tampo application, "stamped on" details for fine work like script and design. On Seoni these details appear on her tattoos, on the script on her ribbons, and on her girdle. Theres no way this detail will be visible in photographs, but on the new figure the amount of design detail on Seoni's girdle is INSANE. As in, so detailed my naked eye can't even fully make it out.

The old version of the girdle was flat black, with no detail. Again, a huge improvement.

Last up today is our iconic monk Sajan, who first appeared in the Legends of Golarion set. Again, as an iconic character, the original Sajan figure looked pretty good in the first place. There were some complaints that the ties for his sleeves drooped down over his chest, making it look a bit like a bra, but other than that, he has a cool pose and looks very much like the art that inspired him.

It won't surprise you to learn that I think the new figure is better. Much better. The pose is far more three-dimensional, and I'm pleased to report that the sleeve tie tassels are no longer an issue, and the new Sajan is bare-breasted, just like God (and Wayne Reynolds) intended.

So far, Pathfinder Battles Iconic Heroes Set #1 is 3 for 3.

Swing by next week for a look at the next three figures!

Erik Mona
Publisher