I might be alone in saying this, but here goes: The Domaru-Damashi are the most stunning models Para Bellum has ever produced. I’m the sort of person whose (not insignificant) pile of shame I can put down to being intimidated to not do models justice, and I admit I was hesitant to start work on these.
The flowing strips of paper causing armour to levitate are beyond the ambitions of most miniature creators out there, so the design team deserves a pat on the back before the box is even opened. The silhouette is astounding, conveying so much movement and character with such little physical form. Brilliant work.
The paint job, similarly, is extremely rewarding. I’m definitely not the most gifted miniature painter you’ll ever come across, and yet I’m pleased with how these came out. I’m proud to have them as one of the first units on the table. They set a high bar for the aesthetics of the rest of the army, but that’s a problem none of us mind having in a mini.
No, there are many other problems these cause.
The Stat Line
Before looking at the plastic, it might be worth understanding the role this regiment takes in a Yoroni army list, aside from looking pretty.
They’re Lights, so can come on as early as you want them to. That puts them in a particular spot in a list. Capable of dictating the rest of the game through placement, and yet no power to score. They’re pretty fast, so placing them on the table will likely influence your opponent to put their units somewhere else – an interesting game of bluff and double-bluff, if you want to try that out.
They also hit very hard. As Lights they’re not so affected by terrain, and Unstoppable makes a difference. With a Charge-Clash and their Flurry special rule you can expect 18 hits to land, which isn’t nothing. A lot of Lights will die to that, in which case they’re exceptional value for the points. Surely they must have a downside.
As a Yoroni player I’d love to add a twist here that there isn’t a downside, but no, their defence is where they truly suck. Look at them in the wrong way and the role they’ll end up playing is that of a speed bump. With two stands of Origami Warriors at a cheaper price but with Lethal Demise, they do a better job.
Thanqol: I disagree with better. Domaru are almost light cavalry in terms of how fast they move and how hard they hit, and like light cavalry they’ll want to get the charge or else they’ll fold like the paper they’re made out of. But the sheer threat they present is an incredible force on the battlefield; having some standing anywhere near an objective, preferably in a forest that will render them extremely resistant to ranged firepower, will make a lot of medium units freeze up before approaching. This buys valuable time for the rest of your units to make it into position.
The Design and Build
I’ve already said it, but just take a moment to appreciate the way these things look. Each strip of paper, twisting and folding over one another to create the illusion of arms and armour levitating above the ground. Without needing to read the blurb this spirit-infused, dynamically-posed collection of models communicates what it is visually. Incredible.
But oh my goodness me.
When a miniatures company feels the need to publish a video of how to build a model, that ought to automatically add a red exclamation mark to the box. When the video repeatedly tells you that it’s quite simple if you follow the instructions, while reading the instructions that you’ve already read out loud and holding the pieces together in some impossible configuration to the backing track of piano lounge music clearly designed to add a sense of calmness to the scene, we are in real trouble.
I can personally attest to the fact that the models are possible to assemble. Poses 2 and 3 are actually achievable for the typical hobbyist, but don’t expect any intuitive “lay the pieces out, dry fit, glue” process here. Just trust the instructions and go step-by-step.
Pose 1 is where the problem really lies. The instructions – paper and video – want you to roll against your Prophecy special ability to predict the precise angle at which floating ropes are meant to hang together. One tiny piece unhelpfully describes itself with an annotation that seems to carry a tone of voice suggesting it’s like a supporting wall.
It turns out the trick is hidden halfway through: There’s a waistband that has notches for both rope and paper, giving the centre of gravity it ought to have started with.
Beauty comes at a price.
Thanqol: It really is just Pose 1. Poses 2 and 3 (the blue ones above) went up quickly and easily, but the entire waist assembly on Pose 1 means gluing four even-sized pieces into a perfect circle which was extremely finnicky. But it wasn’t a show-stopper, didn’t take a particularly large amount of time to get through, and doesn’t come close to anything I would describe as a hateful build (that honour currently only goes to the City States Inquisitors). I’d happily build and paint another set of these.
Note that the way these go down, you will need a perfectly flat connection point on a perfectly flat base. You will not be able to have them hanging off tactical rocks or anything without compromising the structural stability of the model.
The Painting Process
It’s at this point, however, that the model comes into its own. Aside from the delightful one-coat-of-contrast-and-you’re-done Space Marines experience, this kit is possibly the most rewarding painting experience I’ve ever had. Distinct pieces, details that are easy to pick out, and the perfect use case for buying a pack of extra fine paint pens.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still terrified of them bouncing around. My brute drones seem to be able to survive a meteor impact and these quite possibly fall into the category of grabbing the dustpan and brush being as appropriate as trying to stick anything back together. And yet…
I’ve already ordered another box.
Thanqol: These are extremely straightforward to paint; if you’ve ever painted a model with armour, they’re just the armour. It’s almost half of the work of any other Yoroni model because there are no steps for skin/feathers/eyes/etc.
That said, the big challenge is the streaming ribbons. There is no chance of doing this kit in subassemblies, so you’ve got to work with the slightly springy configuration as it is, and not every side and angle will lend itself to delicate freehand brushwork. It calls out for elaborate freehand on the ribbons, but there are a couple of ways to make this easier on yourself if the idea of calligraphy is daunting.
One: Energy ribbons. You can see this on the center model in the above picture. Pick a bright colour you’d associate with a plasma glow like Baharroth Blue and then scratch some random patterns in white along it so it looks like it’s flowing down.
Two: Dots. You can see this on the rightmost model, one I did after becoming frustrated at freehanding kanji for hours. A random array of dots in a braille-esque style is very easy to accomplish with a fine-tipped brush or marker, is very fun to do, and I think it looks just as good.
The colours I used were Pro Acryl Dark Magenta and Pro Acryl Dark Turquoise as bases, shaded both with Magos Purple contrast, then highlighted with Pro Acryl Pink and Turquoise respectively. The bronze is GW Runelord Brass, shaded with Agrax Earthshade and then highlighted with Stormhost Silver. Cloth and ribbons were Pro Acryl Bright Neutral Grey, washed with Apothecary White contrast, highlighted with Bright Neutral Grey again.
Finally, I disagree that the models feel particularly fragile. They will not pack into foam but these days I carry my models around in plastic/magnetized boxes, and these ones have enough points of contact and structural stability I haven’t feared particularly badly for them. They’re not like, say, the 1mm thick delicate umbrella on the Jorogumo.
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