Marvel Crisis Protocol – Elsa Bloodstone and Man-Thing

After Star Wars Legion and Star Wars Shatterpoint we jump to Marvel Crisis Protocol, who had their own roadmap introduced at Adepticon by Asmodee / Atomic Mass Games. In this case we have a double-feature and cover Yondu & Nova as well as Elsa Bloodstone & Man-Thing. But each in their own review, continuing with Elsa and Man-Thing.

The second character pack, CP186 Elsa Bloodstone & Man-Thing, is available for a RRP of 44.99 USD. Slightly more expensive than CP126, but we have larger miniatures and more content in here, which justifies this decision, but more on that within this review.

The set includes the following items:

• 1 Elsa Bloodstone Miniature
• 1 Man-Thing Miniature
• 1 35mm Base
• 1 50mm Base
• 2 Character Stat Cards
• 2 Team Tactic Cards
• 1 Punch Sheet
• 1 Rulesheet

Instead of assembly instructions these kits come with a 'Read This First' leaflet, which covers a QR code linking to the instructions. You can also find the instructions on the website, linked under the product page.

With CP186 we get two sprues. With Man-Thing's bits spread across both of them due to his size. The Man-Thing includes a designed base topper, but more on that further below. Both sprues are properly casted with a good amount of detail.

As CP186 is from the early 2025 wave, all printed items are included in four languages: English, German, French and Spanish. In the upcoming releases, the German translation will not be covered anymore. This decision will have an effect on Shatterpoint as well, but not Legion.

The stat cards for Marvel Crisis Protocol are double-sided, showing the heroes in both status of their health. In addition to the stat and tactic cards, we get a small punch sheet with tokens.

The first character from this pack we want to introduce is Elsa Bloodstone. A monster hunter, first appearing in Bloodstone #1 (October 2001), created by Dan Abnett (yes - the one we know from Warhammer!), Andy Lanning and Michael Lopez. She is the daughter of Ulysses Bloodstone, a legendary monster slayer, and inherits his supernatural strength, agility, and longevity, as well as the mystic Bloodstone gem embedded in her body. Trained from a young age to combat supernatural threats, Elsa is highly skilled in weapons and combat tactics.

Her motivation is rooted in duty, family legacy, and a fierce desire to protect humanity from monstrous and occult forces. She often works solo but occasionally allies with other supernatural heroes like Blade and the Midnight Sons. Thus giving her the Affiliation for the Midnight Sons and Defenders in MCP.

While I have no problem with true scale on historic miniatures, in a super hero skirmisher - covering super heroes - a bit of a overdrawn, heroic scale wouldn't be the worse thing to go with designwise. This miniature is a bit flimsy and has fine detail, that due to it being in realistic proportions will be prone to breaking. In this case the pony tail and rifles.

On top, while I like that they gave her a sculpted base topper of a tomb stone - the bases they come with do not fit these in style. You need a blank base or do extensive basing to actually make them fit. We will see the same problem with Man-Thing.

Man-Thing, originally Dr. Theodore “Ted” Sallis, is a tragic, swamp-dwelling creature who debuted in Savage Tales #1 (May 1971), created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow. A biochemist attempting to recreate the Super Soldier Serum, Ted was transformed into the Man-Thing after a failed experiment in the Everglades. The resulting creature is mute and barely sentient, with empathic abilities and a touch that burns those who feel fear.

Man-Thing serves as the guardian of the Nexus of All Realities, a mystical gateway between dimensions. His motivations are largely instinctual, driven by a connection to the natural world and a protective force over magical balance. Though misunderstood and feared, he often acts as an unlikely defender against dark supernatural forces. Just like Elsa he is affiliated with Midnight Sons and Defenders.

The miniature of Man-Thing is well designed and properly fills the base with his presence and sculpted base topper. He even leans against a tree trunk. A good amount of details in multiple layers on this sculpt.

Yet, I suggest you use some texture paint or similar to blend the base topper with the remaining base. This is a bit of an issue with Marvel Crisis Protocol (and partial with Shatterpoint as well), as the design of these do not fit with most of the provided bases.

Marvel Crisis Protocol is produced with realistic proportions ("true scale") in around 35 mm scale, making them roughly around the size of Star Wars Shatterpoint, but larger than Star Wars Legion or Games Workshop for Age of Sigmar or Warhammer.

Due to the split of the individual pieces, Atomic Mass Games' designers work around the limitations of injection mould plastics (undercuts), creating details all around the miniatures.

Conclusion

In a similar way that CP126 of Yondu and Nova complete the CP222 Guardians of the Galaxy affiliation pack, this set of Elsa and Man-Thing does the same for the CP220 Midnights Sons. Pricing is a bit of an issue, as for mere 20 dollars more you get four miniatures instead of "just" two, but I guess Atomic Mass Games has to do a bit of a mixed calculation, as not every character pack is A-level and will have demand in the same amount.

Obviously you can build around these a group of Defenders. These have - as of now - no Affiliation pack. This means you have the build these from the character double pack, making that a more expensive choice. Yet, both packs of Dr. Strange work, as Wong and Clea have the Defenders affiliation as well.

While Man-Thing is a beast of a miniature and really scratches my itch for heroic scale in this game, I am not a big fan of Elsa Bloodstone or the too much of true scale proportions in the design of this range. Yet, the pose and design is absolutely comic accurate.

Marvel Crisis Protocol is a game by Atomic Mass Games and distributed by Asmodee.

The reviewed product item was provided by the manufacturer.