Utopian drone scale shot

Someone on the 15mm Sci-Fi Facebook Group wanted to see some scale comparison shots with Utopian NKIDU drones by Dream Pod 9.

So here they are. Measuring stick is in cm, infantry are 15mm, 12mm, 10mm, 6mm scale.

 

Neo-Soviet vehicles from Brigade Models

Hello duckfans, sort of a half product review half ‘look at this stuff I got’ post here I guess : ]

I’ve maintained a list of 15mm Sci-Fi stores for a while now and there are some I am always quick to recommend to people, first amongst which is the excellent Brigade Models. I’ve had my eye on some of their Neo-Soviet range for quite a while and I recently made an order, figuring I’d use them at 12mm (1/144) scale alongside Heavy Gear miniatures, perhaps as one of the existing but not fleshed out factions, perhaps as an entirely new faction.

Here’s what I got, with many more pics after the jump. I should say in advance the quality is generally very good for the price, with a normal amount of cleanup required.

The whole lot. The bags at the top are a bunch of accessories which we’ll use across many vehicles, not just these. Brigade does a pretty cool range of stowage and extra bits.

Interesting 10mm – 35mm scale mech

A little while ago I spotted a little blog store, Zandris IV Miniatures, selling a couple of 28mm scale mechs. Because I’m far more interested in gaming below 15mm I’m often unaware of mechs from larger scales that could actually work just fine as towering engines of destruction. The most important thing is they don’t have any features that clearly reveal their intended scale and these mechs certainly fit that criteria.

I went for one of the Type-45(D) ‘Satria’ Battlesuits, figuring I’d most likely use it as a ‘gearstrider’ or large one man mech in 12mm (1/144) scale. Having assembled it and fitted magnets to give it a variety of hardpoints, here are some pictures after the jump!

Warlord Games’ Ghar Walker, a scale agnostic treat

Just a quick post to throw up some photos of the Ghar Walker from Warlord Games I just assembled. Warlord are having a summer stock clearance and I bought six sprues of Ghar Walker and a couple of other bits (including a couple if interesting board games I might post about later) for very, very cheap. Only a pound each and they really are excellent quality – more importantly they are very much scale agnostic. Although they are designed for the Beyond the Gates of Antares 28mm scale combat game, as you’ll see they happily fit in anything from 6mm up really.

An Assembled Ghar Assault Walker next to a 15mm, 12mm, 10mm, and 6mm troop

Next to a standard Jager trooper gear from Heavy Gear Blitz (1/144 or 12mm scale)

 

Next to a Spitting Cobra heavy fire support gear from Heavy Gear Blitz. As you can see, the Ghar Walker would be a pretty heavy duty vehicle at 12mm scale, which is where I intend to use it

 

Each Walker comes with a choice of three heads, which is cool. They’re quite like the ‘squids’ in the Matrix films, among other aesthetic influences. They certainly look quite alien

 

 

 

More scale agnostic terrain

Hello duckfans!

Following up from the barricades I posted previously, here are some more terrain pics. I haven’t felt motivated to finish any actual models recently, but painting terrain I hold myself to a lower standard and that’s been better better for relaxing recently.

I finished off the pack of barricades from White Dragon Miniatures. Plenty of graffiti which was fun to do and didn’t take much effort to look about right. I’ll use this as scatter terrain in 6mm, 12mm, and 15mm on any map where I can justify some big blocks of tatty looking concrete.

Then I quickly slapped some paint on a 10mm scale objective marker from Firestorm Planetfall. These objective markers are really great. Sadly Spartan Games went out of business, but you can still find the objective markers and terrain packs out there on the secondary market. I believe the Firestorm range was purchased by Warcradle Studios, but they don’t have a webstore.

Finally I painted up some OKI Corporation modular terrain from CP Models (originally from Angel Barracks, but he recently sold his 6mm range). Again these will work in 6mm-15mm just fine. I decided to go with a sort of Halo Covenant purple paint scheme. I’m imagining that these are prefabricated fortifications that a highly mobile force can just drop in when they need them.

Pictures after the jump!

Dropzone Commander Cityscape

A few people have asked me about the Dropzone Commander Cityscape terrain, which is unsurprising because I’m fairly evangelical about it. In my opinion it’s the gold standard of easy and affordable urban terrain for new players. Obviously it will never be as aesthetically pleasing as good scratch built terrain or expensive premade stuff, but for the price it can’t be beaten. I might do a full review at some point, but for now here’s what I was asked about; suitability of the buildings at different scales.

Read on for pics and a link to the best place to buy it.

Entering the Napoleonic Wars: 33rd (West Riding) Regiment

For a while I’ve been working on some Napoleonic minis in between other projects, and I’ve just finished my first unit! Since British infantry regiments were named after counties, I decided it would be nice to do one for each of the four historic English counties I’ve lived in. This week I’m visiting my parents in the (historical) West Riding of Yorkshire, so it seemed appropriate to finish off my 33rd (West Riding) regiment:

The whole battalion advancing in line formation

Review: A scattering of scatter terrain

One of things that has most improved my wargaming experience and brought me pleasure in recent years has been using some aesthetically pleasing terrain. When I was young I played with whatever standing in as terrain – pringles tubes, books, bits of cardboard – rarely painted and usually quite visually jarring and immersion breaking.

I cannot stress how much more fun it is to see nicely painted minis battling it out amongst some nice looking terrain. I don’t have room for a proper gaming board in my flat and I don’t play at any stores or clubs currently, so what I really need is modular and scatter terrain. I’m also, truth be told, not terribly fond of constructing and painting terrain – I want to keep it as simple as possible while still looking nice.

With that in mind here’s a review of some terrain boxes I recently purchased with the long term plan of building up a nice martian-esque landscape for playing Heavy Gear Blitz and 15mm Sci-fi

The products are:

Hoodoo rock formations from Warlord Games

Battlefield in a Box: Badlands Tors from Gale Force Nine

Battlefield in a Box: Rocky Outcrops from Gale Force Nine

All three sets are available in the UK through ebay and various retailers. Prices vary, but the BiaBs tend to be each a bit over £20 and the Hoodoo around £12.

Let’s see some pictures then!

Heavy Gear Blitz – Dinotacular!

Ooh I’ve got some lovely beasts for you today. From the Mekongese jungles of South Terra Nova come lizard riders – a team and a squad, ready for action in Heavy Gear Blitz.

These aren’t the official models – rather they are official southern infantry converted and mounted on 10mm scale dinosaur models from Magister Militum with green stuff saddles. I think they look rather nice though and show a bit more variety than the standard models from Dream Pod 9. I think they might also work out a bit cheaper!

From left to right – an obsolete Anolis recon gear, a lizard rider observer team, lizard rider infantry squad, and an old Basilisk light trooper gear. The gears are about 30mm tall