Q13: Gitungi Get Re-Inforced

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Micropanzer's Gitungi are one of my favourite alien races for Q13. 

They have a very distinctive look to them; they include a good range of models; and some of those models are very definitely alien and/or demonstrative of an alien technology.

One thing they lack, however, are decent vehicles, so I have been forced to improvise from other ranges. My Gitungi already have Khurasan's superheavy tanks and a grav AA vehicle from GZG at their disposal; these are now joined by some suitably Gitungi-looking SP artillery and AA guns from Daemonscape.

Daemonscape, if you remember, are the company that produced that big spaceship I painted up last month. I was checking the url for that blog post when I noticed they had released some 15mm armoured vehicles. A quick visit to the relevant page on their site, and I knew I had to have the ones with the dustbins as guns, and the ones with the unfeasible array of AA guns, immediately.

Once ordered, the question became which of my sci-fi armies would they suit. The answer: the Gitungi.  

The models are nicely cast, and I like the way the same base chassis is used for different gun configurations: very panzer! One slight problem is that the AA guns are so ridiculously  big that they do make the turret tip forward slightly unless the vehicle is driving uphill. Ah well: a small price to pay!

Here they are:

"Get ready to fire the dustbins of death!"

The turret-tipping madness of the AA array

Gitungi and Nova Respublik Lists Updated

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A couple of updates to the Q13 Army Lists.

First up, I've rationalised the Gitungi list: making their support drones into mini-vehicles instead of crewed support weapons. It fits the figures better. Click on the pic to see the list.

A squad of gitungi veteran infantry from Micropanzer

A squad of gitungi veteran infantry from Micropanzer

Secondly, I've almost totally revamped the Nova Respublik list. This involves allowing a split into half-squads of seven instead of the original, very inflexible squads of fourteen; adding stats for Militia/Penal and Guards units; and adding the new NR releases from Khurasan: the Drakon tanks and Grifon APCs. It's a rather nice, rounded army...one I rather fancy getting for myself. Click on the pic to see the list.

Nova Respublik Command Set from Khurasan

Nova Respublik Command Set from Khurasan

More Gitungi Sluog Riders

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Finally managed to finish some painting: more Gitungi for Q13.

I already have a squad of eight Sluog riders with power lances. These are another eight and a Big Man, but this time with guns, charmingly known by Micropanzer as a Kill Team.

Time to write a scenario with an area of terrain impassable to all except Sluogs!

You can see the whole Gitungi gallery by clicking here.

Q13 AAR: Marauders Squashed!

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My first game of the year was an epic 15mm sci-fi clash between my newly painted Gitungi army, using figures mostly from Micropanzer’s Gitungi range, and an ‘evil vegetable’ army comprising figures from a number of different manufacturers but principally Khurasan’s Vornid plant-men and Ravenstar’s Horrids.

Click here or on the picture to see how the action unfolded...

Even More Gitungi Goodness!

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I have now finally finished the last of the Gitungi that I bought as part of the Micropanzer sale. This makes the army totally viable: with Big Men command figures (sadly lacking from most of my sci-fi armies), a solid mass of core troops, and plenty of support units backed up by some rather nifty specialists.

Units finished in this batch were:

  • the drone operators (very cool: loving the boom-arm aerial thing)
  • the anti-armour guns (nice AT weapons)
  • the HMG drones (I prefer the Assault Cannon drones, but got these for completeness)
  • some scouts with jump packs (I like these, and think they will prove very useful on the battlefield)
  • four huge battlesuits to bulk out my powered armour platoon.

That's it now until the sluog-riding kill team arrives...or Micropanzer release more models!

Drone Operators

The bulked-out Powered Armour Platoon

Scouts with Jump Packs

Anti-Armour Cannon

More Gitungi Goodness

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Slowly working my way through the huge pile of Gitungi I bought using Micropanzer's coupon offer. I've also just ordered a few more bits and pieces through their 24-hour, 50%-off sale!

Today's additions are the Big Men (something that's been severely lacking); a platoon of Veteran Infantry (note the drone operator figures with the overhead booms!); a pair of Assault Cannon drones; and, my personal favourite, three Gene Recovery drones tending to some casualties.

All can be seen, along with the other Gitungi, in their gallery, which can be reached by clicking here. 

The Veteran platoon:

Big Men (left) and Assault Cannon drones (right):

The Gene Recovery drones:

More Gitungi: Infantry in Powered Armour

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An enforced night at the painting table (teenage party elsewhere in the house - don't ask!) meant that I managed to both start and finish several units from the Gitungi reinforcements I bought way back when.

First up are a squad of Gitungi infantry in powered armour: foot troops with heavier armour than usual and a blaster of some kind fitted into each arm. I'm thinking the squads need to be eight-strong rather than my originally planned six-strong, so I'm either going to buy a few more, or perhaps give each squad two of Hasslefree's Grymn (space dwarves) in powered armour as a sort of heavy weapons team.

Click here to see the full Gitungi gallery, but here are the basic powered armour squads: 

Gitungi Mole Mine Specialists and Sloag Rider Knights

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I have often complained that a lot of sci-fi figure manufacturers limit their ranges to a handful of trooper poses and the odd heavy weapon team.

Where are the technical specialists? The engineers? The recon teams etc? Generally you have to mix and match across different ranges to construct a force that even resembles what I would call an 'army' or a company-sized force for Q13.

One manufacturer who has recently bucked that trend and really expanded out from his basic range is Micropanzer with the Gitungi. Now available is a full set of figures from basic troopers through to veterans in heavier armour, troops wearing powered armour, scouts, add-on jet-packs, and a whole set of specialists and support weapons.

Funding for this expansion was via a voucher system: you paid up front for what you wanted and got lead to the value of your investment plus a multiplier. I can't remember what the multiplier was, but it certainly gave me good value for money as the large box in the lead mountain testified.

Here are the first two support units for my basic Gitungi force: mole mine specialists and sloag-rider knights.

The first, the mole mine specialists, are a brilliant idea. You get a drone operator, complete with remote control and finger-poised-to-press-a-button, and a selection of mines that, in the fluff, travel underground until they are next to their target...then "boom"! The Gitungi army list already notes how they will work in Q13, and I can't wait to try them out:

Next up is a really wacky unit that I just love: the Sloag rider Knights. They are Gitungi with long power-lances riding giant armoured slugs or sloags in the fluff. I can see these as being very useful for worlds with a very boggy surface, and although I don't think they would last long on a Q13 battlefield (being the equivalent of modern cavalry) I do think they would work well in a more skirmish-game environment. Again, I can't wait to try them out...charge!

There's also a unit of sloag-riders with guns, but I haven't got them yet.

More new Gitungi to follow soon...

Q13 Army Lists: The Gitungi Revised

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Originally posted 9th May 2014

One of the most annoying things about sci-fi gaming in 15mm is the way some manufacturers never properly complete their ranges. The standard release is an infantry squad of 4-6 different troopers, with maybe the odd officer or support weapon: not nearly enough to make up a proper company-sized force. 

Sometimes this is down to economics (the original release didn't sell, so no throwing good money after bad), sometimes down to real life interfering. Whatever the reason, it's jolly annoying all the same.

Well one alien race has just been saved from a similar fate: Micropanzer are just about to release a second wave of Gitungi figures featuring a whole series of new troop types and support weapons. This almost makes up for the change in OB and the fact that some of their original support drones have mysteriously migrated to another manufacturer's range!

The new troop types are just what you'd expect from Micropanzer: beautifully sculpted, imaginatively realised alien troopers. And there are some cracking concepts in here too. In addition to some powered armour types, some jet packs that can be added to exisiting figures, and some more tripodal support drones, are a nice little anti-tank tracked support gun; some really nicely whacky tech guys (these are brilliant: why can't more manufacturers release the same sort of tech crew); some powerlance-armed snail-slug riders; and a specialist mole mine operator complete with mole mines. I could feel the chrome!

Here, then, is the revised Gitungi army list, taking into account all the new releases. Should mean the birdmen get stuffed next battle!     

AA Support for the Gitungi

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Originally posted 28th December 2013

Some AA support for my Gitungi.

Anyone who has ever played Q13 knows that a bit of AA is absolutely vital, but so few ranges include appropriate figures. Here, Micropanzer's Gitungi are enhanced with a GZG hover vehicle mounting some sort of AA missile launcher.

Incidentally, Jason at Micropanzer is working on his next set of Gitungi releases, so hopefully a  fuller range will be available soon...

New Gitungi Soon

SuperHeavy Tanks for the Gitungi

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Originally posted 26th October 2013

One of the problems with 15mm sci-fi is that manufacturers seem to think that everyone wants to play 28mm skirmish games using 15mm figures. This means they release a "range" of figures that isn't so much a range as a taster, with manufacturers thinking a range is complete with a few infantry types and maybe a support weapon or two. This is especially true for alien races.

No, no, no, no, no!

What you need is leg infantry; command figures at platoon and company level; support weapons like machine gun and mortar equivalents; artillery and anti-tank weapons; technical specialists and drones; recon troops; APCs to motorise your force; maybe assault troops and engineers; then scout cars or light tanks, medium tanks and heavy tanks; flyers; and maybe a drop ship. A full range!

Ranting aside, the Gitungi from Micropanzer are a prime example. Beautiful leg infantry and, now that the drones have been sold off elsewhere, that's it. 

Well my Gitungi are lucky: they have managed to get hold of some of Khurasan's Federal Army tanks. The XM-6 SuperHeavy Grav tanks to be exact. Here they are:

Gitungi Army Lists

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Originally posted 15th October 2013

Odd one here, as Micropanzer seems to have decided that the Gitungi will no longer enjoy the Recovery, Assault and Destroyer Drones as support weapons: these are now part of Dark Star Games' Spec-Sec range! And there was I thinking the transfer window was over! 

Anyhow, I've deleted the Destroyer Drones from the list (I didn't like them anyway!) but have kept the other two (the figures are already painted!) and added some superheavy tanks from Khurasan. These are currently weighing down one end of my painting table (they are enormous!) but will be joining the Gitungi forces soon. 

I'm also hoping Micropanzer will soon release the next wave of Gitungi infantry. Some different poses and some Specialists. Must remember to buy them as soon as they are out...before they too disappear somewhere else! 

Gitungi Assault Drones: now you see them...now you don't!

Gitungi Support

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Originally posted 24th September 2013

A change from I Ain't Ben Shot, Mum! as the first of the Gitungi support weapons roll off the production line. These are Recovery Drones which will feature in my Q13 Gitungi army list as engineers: not so good for fighting, but useful for engineering tasks such as mine an obstacle clearing and, more importantly, armed with the Gitungi equivalent of smoke generators.

Gallery: The Gitungi

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Originally posted 25th May 2013

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:

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