Rebasing HeroClix Miniatures

Finally got access to a laser cutter and got me some clear round bases for use with my HeroClix and any scifi minis.

(click on the pix to enlarge)

25mm, 30mm and 40mm

Clear bases give them a cleaner look

OK, maybe too big of a bite?

New and Old Toys, Part 3

Sci-fi doors, crates and barrels are perfect for adding those nice extras to your gaming table. 

(click on the pix to enlarge)

Narrow and wide doors, section and air lock doors
from the Sedition Wars Terrain Pack are great!

Staging the shot

Various items from my collection: Starship Trooper,
AT-43 and Hero Clix Alien to name a few

Finally gotten around to painting some
cool bio-hazard and nuclear waste barrels (red
and yellow respectively) from Fenris Games

More sci-fi crates and hatches from Fenris Games 

Put 'em all together and you get some nice dioramas
"Meanwhile, at the loading bay of HMS Rourke's Prime
currently orbiting Rajanatha 3 in the Gamma Sector"

That's a repainted AT-43 Mech UNI Fire Toad
"Preparations are underway for the massive landing
expedition and support base operations"

"I need that load out as soon as possible!
Otherwise I'm going to miss my timetable
and be late for the jump point."

New and Old Toys, Part 1

Most of us have lots of toys that don't get any use for whatever the reason. In this case, my Al Qaeda and Soviet Paras in 28mm supplemented by a recent purchase from Millineumcon 2014 of some kit bashed technicals that are (alas) a different scale: 20mm.

Front Left to Right: Al Qaeda Fedayeen, Soviet Paras
Rear Left: Kit bashed Technicals
Rear Right: Starship Troopers (just in case you were wondering)

At this past Historicon, I wanted to remedy the neglect of some of my toys by being on the lookout for prepainted terrain. Eureka! (not the company but the exclamation) Miniature Building Authority (MBA) did not disappoint. Also there were plenty of homemade terrain by enterprising gamers being sold at the flea market. Here's some of my new acquisitions.

Front Center: Homemade rubble and metal junk pile
Rear L-R: Prepainted block buildings and shanties from MBA 

Front Center: Pre-painted block buildings and shanties
from MBA w/pre-painted oil drums from Pegasus Hobbies
Rear L-R: AT-43 prepainted shipping containers
plus 4 un-painted shipping containers also from MBA

Concrete barricades from AT-43 work well with
my Technicals albeit in a different scale

Freshly spray can painted MBA shipping containers that needs some weathering

Mobile Infantry (MI) Adventures

Ever since I saw ComicLife used on batreps I knew that I'd have to give it a try. 

Here goes...

Mobile Infantry (MI) - at last!

Comic book cover

Whilst working on numerous projects (e.g. weathering of recently acquired AT-43 mechs and infantry, Bugs!, rubble / ruins, Gladiators, Mongols, more WW2 Strelkovy, Waffen SS, etc.) a small squad of MI (seven of 'em) were there patiently waiting to be next on my work bench. They weren't really yelling or nagging me to finish them but I kept glancing their way and knew that I'd have to get to them eventually. 

When I got the box game of Starship Troopers a few months back for my bday present to myself (see my earlier post: http://thehistoricalminiaturist.blogspot.com/2010/06/bugs-for-my-bday.html), I quickly spent a few days feverishly putting together 20 Bugs and this small contingent of MI. I even took some of these pix back then in anticipation of this post.

Truth to be told, I was a bit overwhelmed when I opened the box and saw all them pieces. But after putting together the Bugs, I decided to just assemble a small squad so to show the disparity of numbers portrayed in the book and movies. Actually, I was just burnt out with the tedious assembly process. Which is another reason why I collected the prepainted AT-43 figures, but that's another post.

Standard cap trooper with Morita Assault Rifle

Hard plastic and really good sculpts

Some more cap troopers and one with a
kneeling pose armed with a Triple Thud Grenade Launcher and holding a frag grenade

I've been using washers to base all my minis now especially plastic b/c I love feeling the weight of a figure.

Yet another cap trooper and one with a Javelin Missile Launcher

Voila! Here they are, painted, loaded for bear and ready to rock n' roll. "Where dem Bugs?":

Juan Rico and his Roughnecks

BTW, the figure on the left is holding a CC-176-ER Shock Stick (aka electrokinetic combat prod which doesn't seem practical when fighting with giant Bugs! since they'd have a longer reach than the stick length - but that's just me)

Oh boy! Now I can send 'em on an adventure.

Bugs! Part 3

In my never ending bounding around from period, genre, project, game, etc. I feel more like Dug from 'Up' chasing the proverbial squirrel.

Ahem... so to continue here's the progress of my Bugs! project. Incidentally, I finally finished my Mobile Infantry but haven't made the time to post. 

Bugs! in various stages of completion. (from Left to Right columns): Column 1: coloring complete and ink washed and ready for final matte coat; Column 2 top: final black color awaiting accent (red and yellow);  Column 2 bottom - Column 4: base color coat; Column 5: 2 coats of dry brush: dark and lighter gray   

Detail of base color coated and dry brushed

Detail of completed and ink washed Bug ready for final matte coat and Bug awaiting accenting.

 I experimented with black and brown ink washes and found the brown to be more to my liking. Next, I'll do some test shots of a diorama I'm putting together with the Mobile Infantry. Look for some cameo appearances...

Bugs! Part 2

After a short hiatus, I finally decided to continue the long arduous process of painting up my Bugs.  After assembly (which was another daunting undertaking in of itself) I left these bad boys alone for quite some time as I followed other pursuits and interests. If you're a gamer I'm sure you can relate.

20 complete Bugs! with my urban ruins as a backdrop.

Detail shot of the myriad poses.

Baby steps being the key, I spray black primer as usual. Then comes the drybrushing.  In this case I'm using a dove grey. 

Side by side comparison of black primered and drybrushed steps.

I do believe that this is one of the labor intensive steps because of all the detail these models have.

 1 down 19 to go. Then color's next. Stay tuned, loyal followers...

Bugs for my BDay!

For my birthday I decided to buy a game that I've had my eye on forever. I finally bit the bullet yesterday and went to my local hobby slash game slash toy store in Houston. They had one box left on the shelf so I quickly snatched it. Good thing too because most of the sites are sold out of this out of print bad boy.


More than likely I'll be using THW's 5150 rules with some Nuts! and CR03 thrown in. Ya hear that, LTL Dad, we're gaming this next!

Box contents from a promo pic I got off the net.

First up are the bugs. They come in hard plastic and these Arachnids are pose-able to a certain extent.

Assembly line ready for production that'll yield 20 bugs in different poses.

Since my table was already set up with some urban ruins for a Nuts! game I played last weekend I couldn't wait and posed a few completed bugs attacking my strelkovy (Black Tree Design). I'll put the MI (Mobile Infantry) together after I get done with the bugs. They're not painted yet but the models looks cool.

"Comrade Captain, here they come!"

Strelkovy about to be OVERRUN! Dasbedanyah!!

Next up: Mobile Infantry