More Airpower for the Aphids

/

Originally posted 22nd September 2011

The Aphids were still badly in need of some air power, so I have changed my mind about them having drones, and decided that their air assets are a bit more advanced than their ground troops: they have bought in better technology than they have invented themselves. The Aphids now have two types of aircraft: Lilypad-class single-Aphid fighters (featured as part of the 2nd September update) and Tadpole-class two-seater bombers. Both models are from Spartan Games' sci-fi fleet battle game Firestorm Armada.

Here are the Tadpole-class bombers: 

Air Power for Q13

/

Originally posted 2nd September 2011

Air power is proving an important part of the new, full-length version of the sci-fi rules based on IABSM that I'm writing. With that in mind, I thought I'd better reinforce my ground troops with a selection of aerial drones: sort of uber-Predators.

All the drones, below, come from Spartan Games' excellent range of starships for theirFirestorm Armada game. They paint up very easily, and I would highly recommend them to people looking for this kind of thing. Each of the drone models, below, is about 3-4cms long, so ideal 15mm drone size. So, for my sci-fi armies, we have...

Lilypad Drones for the Aphids: 

Stalker Drones for the Felids:

And Cone Drones for the Spug contingent of the Hive:

Those of you who have followed some of the AAR on this site will know what a pain this type of drone has proved to me in the past: time to arrange a game with Neil for payback!

The Slishians

/

Originally posted 21st August 2011

One of the great things about gaming in 15mm is that you can fit more toys onto the tabletop. This is especially relevant when talking about any game involving modern day guns: a quick comparison between ground scale and effective weapon ranges should give all guns (from sidearms to anti-tank to artillery)  the ability to shoot the length of the table and more.

More toys on the tabletop means that you can fight company-sized games with ease, so it's quite annoying that many ranges of 15mm sci-fi figures still seem to be designed for squad-level skirmish games: yes, they have infantry squads; but no, they don't have support weapons, higher level command figures etc. Try playing a WW2 game using only the figures available in many sci-fi ranges as proxies...it doesn't work!

So you have to work round this, which is why Khurasan's Vornids, already supported by their Fungoids as artillerymen, are now commanded and up-gunned by Hydra Miniatures Slishians. Seven foot of malevolent vegetation: what's not to love?

Froggy Tanks for the Aphids

/

Originally posted 14th August 2011

Well, I seem to be going sci-fi mad at the moment!

The new IABSM-variant rules are now in final playtesting, and I'm painting up units right, left and centre to get as many different combinations of troops on to the table as soon as possible.

Here are some tanks for the Aphids. They are from Blue Moon Manufacturing, ordered via special order from Old Glory UK. Very efficient service, so highly recommended.

The tanks are great: they have a certain "frogginess" about them that fits in well with the Aphids. 

The tanks come as one fuselage, the rear turret, and separate "eye turbines" and gun. The turbines and gun need some work to fit and glue them into place, but the models paint up very well with plenty of raised detail to take a good dry-brush. The tanks also come with very good flight stands.

One minor gripe: the raw fuselage has a (human) skull design on the bit between the "eye turbines" that I had to green-stuff over to make a dome. I'm sure that skulls are lovely as tank decorations, but they do then rather limit you to using them for human-based forces!

"Flycatcher" tanks

More Protolenes!

/

Originally posted 4th August 2011

A couple more units added: a second platoon of Hunter infantry; the Predator Communications/Electronic Warfare Ayame battlesuit variant; and a squad of Predator Ayame Assault battlesuits: the one's with the big jet engines on their backs!

Protolene Hunter Infantry from Critical Mass Games

Gallery: The Vornid

/

Originally posted 20th July 2011

The first of the Vornid: ambulatory plants from Khurasan Miniatures. 

I haven't had a chance to photograph the infantry yet, but the Figure Review section shows how they paint up.

In the meantime, here are a couple of Vornid support weapons. Being pirates (and as the range, in common with too many 15mm sci-fi ranges, currently only includes infantry) they have acquired their support weapons from non-Vornid sources. The guns come from Ground Zero Games, and the toadstool crew are from Khurasan's Mystri Island range.

Gallery: The Protolene Khanate from CMG

/

Originally posted 10th July 2011

With Critical Mass Games producing a whole load of new Protolene Khanate Ayame walkers, I've re-vamped the Khan's gallery page and started adding more units.

First up are the Ayame Mortar Assault walkers: a departure from the rest of the Ayame range as they aren't assigned to any of the three "branches" of the Khan army: the Hunters, Scouts or Predators. 

These are, however, great figures, and provide a much needed indirect fire support capacity for the Khan. As they are "branch-less", I decided to paint them up in grey, but couldn't resist making their claw hand the same colour as my predator models...perhaps as if they had been fitted from spare parts left over after a particularly bloody battle!

Final batch of painting for 2010

/

Originally posted 27th December 2010

Soviet heavy mortars; Lion class transports for the Felids to join the barn force; and a battery of US medium artillery.

Soviet 120mm mortars from Battlefront

Lion class transports from Khurasan

US medium artillery battery from Battlefront