I've added Ion Age Miniatures and Clear Horizon Miniatures to the list of 15mm figure manufacturers.
Here are my favourite from the Ion Age range so far: the Maligs
And here's the latest release from Clear Horizon: an excellent drop pod
The support walkers for the Weird World War 2 US army from Clockwork Goblin. Very nice figures, as I've come to expect from CG, which go together very easily, and paint up well.
On the right, the Kodiak Walker; on the left, the Ursus Walker:
Ursus
Kodiak
I've finished the Royalist platoon for the Quar from Zombiesmith. I haven't added them to the official Gallery yet, as I forgot to photograph them by section, but here's a sneak preview of the leg-infantry element of a Royalist 'company':
I have added a gallery for the Gitungi: one of Micropanzer's really innovative ranges of 15mm sci-fi figures. Heavily armoured bipeds reminiscent of the aliens from The Fifth Element or even the Sontarans from Doctor Who, the Gitungi range is currently quite limited, but Jason Moore, the force behind Micropanzer, has promised more support weapons soon.
The Gitungi on the Micropanzer website are painted in a desert yellow colour. That looks good, but I wanted something more extreme. Mine are painted in three shades of gold (paints from Games Workshop) with the Scouts then washed with a light green wash. I think the Scouts look best of all, with the extra shading from the wash, but I'm going to see if the pure gold main force grow on me before I do anything else. I need to get them onto the tabletop and see what they look like there!
Here are the Gitungi as shown on the Micropanzer site:
and here are my Scouts:
​
I have often raved about Khurasan's range of 15mm sci-fi figures: Garn, Felid, Stikk, Kingdom of the Jasmine Throne, Karkarine...a seemingly never ending list of top class models. Now, however, Jon has broken even better new ground by launching the MAKO range of 15mm sci-fi support equipment.
The range consists of a gun tractor and cruciform stand onto which fit a range of different support weapons: currently an autocannon and a heavy mortar. So far so good, you say: cool idea, but not incredibly novel. The new bit is the fact that Khurasan are producing crew figures for each of their alien races to go with the support weapons, so that you can use the MAKO equipment with whatever range or ranges you happen to be collecting, with the possibility of two opponents on the same table top using the same equipment to fight each other.
Although the Kark crew aren't launched yet, the Felid are (along with other ranges I'm not yet collecting) so here are the current Felid MAKO units in all their various combinations:
Mako Autoguns with Felid crew on mixed mounts
Mako Autoguns with Felid crew on Mako Gun Tractors
Mako Heavy Field Mortars with Felid crew on Mako Cruciform Stands
Mako Heavy Field Mortars with Felid crew on mixed mounts
I have updated the Ursid army list with details of the Lesser Ursids: slightly smaller bear-like aliens from Stan Johansen Miniatures. In my Ursid army list, the Greater Ursids (from Khurasan) are pure mercenaries, soldiers if you like, and the Lesser Ursids are miners who fight as militia armed with a variety of sidearms and converted mining equipment, including triple-barrelled mining lasers mounted on grav platforms. Tasty!
Some more transport for the Felids: the excellent Wombats from Antenocci's GOT range of 15mm vehicles. I've renamed them Pumas, to fit in with the Felids.
"Grizzly" walkers for my Weird World War II US army. More to give the space bugs something to contend with.
The promised update to the Garn/Felid list as I add the Mako weapons system just released by Khurasan.
I've also added a picture of the Mako figures taken from Khurasan's website, showing how the system works. You buy the guns (a mortar and a twin-barrelled piece) with the crew you want (there are crew figures available for most of Khurasan's main ranges), and then choose the mounting you want: either a static stand or a small tractor. This multi-race approach really has to be the way forward for multi-range, sci-fi figure manufactures.
I've finally had time to varnish and photograph my Khurasan Stikk troops that I'm playing as Space Bug larvae for my Hive army. They bring a much needed depth to the Hive forces, with support weapons and the Skuttler tank.
I do love Zombiesmith's 15mm Quar range of sci-fi figures, and cannot wait for them to work their way through releasing the entire range.
In the meantime, here are the latest additions to my collection: a Crusader Cavalry Wedge. Note the way that each Squad's cadiers are of the same colour; the wedge-shaped formation with leader in the middle; and, of course, the trooper that I have placed on the photography table facing the wrong way!
The Felids get a couple of, well, jeeps, I suppose, to help their Big Men get about. These vehicles are from the Antenocci's Workshop GOT 15mm range and paint up beautifully. Highly recommended.
Reinforcements for the Space Bugs in the shape of some Odonate Gunships from Khurasan's excellent Stikk range. Regular visitors may recall how the Bugs were soundly squished by WW2 Americans in my last Q13 "Invasion Earth" encounter. These flyers will hopefully address the balance!
Just before Christmas, those fine chaps at Zombiesmith released some more 15mm Quar: Crusader cavalry and snipers, and the first of the Coftyran Royalists.
All I've had a chance to paint so far are the Coftyran light tanks and the Crusader snipers, but I have had a rather good idea for a battle or two. Rather than have the Crusaders and Coftyrans fight it out, I'm going to pit a combined Quar force against Space Bug invaders: what better than ant-eaters to fight what are effectively giant ants!
Clockwork Goblin are a relatively new miniatures company who produce a range of 15mm figures based on the alternative history premise that WW2 continues into an age of powered armour, walkers, zombies and super-boosted humans.
I am going to use the US forces to combine with my existing WW2 US forces for Invasion Earth! style scenarios using Quadrant 13. Here's a review of what the Clockwork Goblin US range consists of so far.
My latest sci-fi army added to the Tentacle gallery. The Harook are six foot tall birdmen, ably supported by grav tanks from Top Gun Marketing.
As I have often mentioned, one of the problems with some figure ranges is that they don't include any infantry support weapons. Plenty of men-with-guns, sometimes plenty of vehicles, but very little in the way of things such as the sci-fi equivalent or mortars and medium/heavy machine guns.
I accept that argument that in the future that sort of weapon might be redundant (firepower supplied via enhanced personal weapons, battle suits, different sorts of vehicles etc) but it's still nice to see that Khurasan Miniatures provides "full" ranges rather than just the grunts.
Here's my latest bit of painting: Pouncer Portable Missile Launchers for the Felids, and the other great thing is that the mortar operators can also double as drone operators for the Snaggletooth attack and Whiskers scouting drones.
With the forthcoming launch of my IABSM-based, company-sized, sci-fi rules, I also spent a lot of time painting sci-fi figures. The biggest holiday project was painting up the Chewks from Khurasan: they are cracking models a bit like the Jawas from Star Wars.
One of the best things about Khurasan is that they make an effort to produce figures that will give you more than just infantry squads: as a rule, each of their ranges (and they have many!) have infantry, command, support weapon and vehicle models...and lovely models they are too. Particularly good are the Chewk drilltanks: vast tunnelling AFVs which come with option to have a chewkannon artillery piece mounted on a boom arm. Here they are in troop carrying mode: click to go to the gallery to see the whole range.
Other manufacturers are also realising that they need to produce entire ranges rather than just infantry squad models. Highlander Studios, manufacturers of the excellent Space Bug range, have augmented their basic offering with anti-tank, anti-aircraft and flamethrower teams: also painted up over Xmas.
Finally we go back to Khurasan again for some APCs for the Karkarine Landser "shark-headed" infantry from their Pelagic Dominate range. Called, appropriately, Karkwagons, these are all plastic kits that are really nice to paint. They seem a bit small for the size of the Karks themselves i.e. it looks like it would be a tight fit to get a squad of seven inside...but they will look good on the tabletop anyway!
​So that was Christmas 2011: a couple of cracking games of IABSM3 (see the AAR below) and a load of painting. About 150 foot and nine vehicles: not Kev standards, but not bad! Roll on 2012!
Felid jetbikes from Khurasan Miniatures. Absolutely fantastic figures, although I'm afraid the photo doesn't really do them justice. Paint up really nicely as well...I can't wait to get them onto the tabletop.
Scout Walkers for the Protolene Khanate
Vis Lardica is a website devoted to wargaming and military history, with a special emphasis on the company-sized rulesets produced by the TooFatLardies: I Ain't Been Shot Mum (WW2); Charlie Don't Surf (Vietnam); and Quadrant 13 (science fiction)
Welcome to Vis Lardica, a not-for-profit website mostly dedicated to the company-sized wargaming rules produced by the TooFatLardies, but encompassing my other gaming interests as well.
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