Wood Elf Eternal Guard/ Wildwood Rangers Unboxing

It started with the Treeman set, now it's time for the line infantry/ Scouts combo set. The Eternal Guard/ Wildwood Rangers is a set reminiscent of the Dark Elf releases of late last year; static infantry with beautiful detailing but limited poseability. The Dark Elves were nice, but they really seem to have perfected it with the Wood Elves.

~ WARNING - 
I am not a photographer, so expect dodgy pictures below 

There's some things you will notice about this set that I hope make their way into more Games Workshop product. There are also some bits that are so Warhammer, it's unlikely to venture into the dark future of Warhammer 40K.

One of the really interesting and new features they have in this set is the way the hands and arms join. 
You can see above the leader's shield and shield arm are in two pieces, but in a very unusual way.
Also notice the way the hands join the arms (see below).
The hand itself is split along the wrist armour line on one hand, and then the other is split so that the thumb is on the arm, while the rest of the fingers and hand are on the weapon. This took a bit to get used to, but it actually works really well.
Sorry for the blur - my camera obviously isn't that good...
You'll also notice here the ball socket for the arm into the torso - more of that in a minute. 

The bodies are in halves (Below), which I'm not a huge fan of in general as it means poseability is almost impossible. There is a very interesting advantage with this though...

On the entire model there is only one join line to repair! (Below)
Every other join line is completely hidden - this is an army builders wet dream!!
The join is also in a place that makes it really simple to fix with very little if any filling - just use the excess glue once dried and scrape it off.
As much as I love conversions and poseability, this is amazing is you just want to build yourself a force and hit the table. Great work by Games Workshop!

I mentioned this earlier, but this is the first Games Workshop kit I have made that has the ball and socket perfected. They started it on the Dark Elf releases, and have continued here, but they have absolutely nailed it! If we see this on Space Marine kits the world of conversions will be thrown on it's head!
The ball and socket work so well together that there is almost too much movement while you try to piece the three sections of the arm (arm to weapon to arm) together.

Here's another view of the socket, this time with probably the best open hand seen on a Games Workshop kit so far. This will be a hit in everyone's bits box!

Away from the ball and socket - okay so I got a bit excited - there are some really nicely detailed bits too. The double sided detail on the shields is new and welcome. The wicker work on the shields just screams Wood Elves.

I tend to concentrate on the heads in these reviews and these are nice, but do lack the character of the Dark Elves in my mind. In case you were wondering, there are both male and females in the set - typical of Elves and Eldar alike.

Speaking of details - this flag is again a triumph. Like the Tempestus Scions, the movement they have in this is really impressive. The miniature seems to hold it oddly in the shots, but I'm sure some tinkering can fix that!

Finally, the finished Eternal Guard really is a mix between a Dark Elf and a High Elf. The Designer's notes said they were going for that and you can really see it. 
I find the way they fit on the base a bit odd, but not being used to that much WHFB figures, maybe it's just me. BTW, did I stick a female head on a male body? Oh dear!

Verdict

This is a really nice kit. Obviously I see the Eternal Guard as the stand out kit amongst the two, but really it's just a head and weapon swap and they're the same.
There is so much 'clever' in this set; the lack of join seams, the intricate detail that just screams "elf", and of course the ball and socket finally being perfected.
I really hope we see ball and socket Imperial Guard soon - they would be perfect for it. Maybe we will see it with the rumoured Bretonnian release or the upcoming Eldar?!
Whatever outcome, today we have seen it come to fruition in a really nice kit and at a fair price.
Credit where credit is due - good work Games Workshop.

For me - this is a good buy!

So - what do you think? Is this on your list? Can you see the ball and socket making it's way into more kits or do you think it's a dumb idea?
Love to hear your thoughts!