Bolt Action: US 1st Marine Corps

It's the final post of the year so I thought I'd sum up all my most recent progress on a new project, the US marines. I've had marines sitting in boxes around my house for years now. I first picked up a box of plastic guys when they were offered free with every purchase of the BA 2nd edition book. I then picked up some marine support weapons when they went on a flash sale about a year ago. Despite slowly accumulating marines, I hadn't gotten around to assembling or painting any. Until now.

So far I have completed 1 squad of 8 marines (ahem engineers with BAR's and a flame thrower), started another squad (engineers again), a Satan flame tank and a .30cal machine gun team. It's a modest start but a start nevertheless.

It took some time experimenting to get the uniform colours right. The Pacific conditions did horrible things to uniform colours so pinning accurate colours down was no easy task. Luckily, the internet is awash with helpful people willing to lend a helping hand. In the end I used Russian Army Uniform green as the base colour and highlighted it with mixes of Green Grey. The helmet cover is based with Cork Brown and highlighted with Pale Sand. The camouflage is simply two different shades of brown added in small blotches randomly.  

The bases have been embellished with jungle tufts and a second darker tuft. I also added paper foliage from Mig and some plastic ferns from a German train scenics manufacturer. 

That's it from me this year. Cycle down for commentary on the different units I have finished.

This machine gun team is made by the Assault Group. They're great figures but the faces can be a bit 'flashy', which damages them during clean up. This leads to some disfigurement and dodgy looking expressions! Regardless, the uniform and gun quality was top notch and it gives me some variety over the Warlord Games version.

I also converted a Stuart Satan from the Warlord plastic kit. This was an extremely simple conversion. Simply a barrel replacement and that was that! The kit came with the optional external fuel tanks, which was brilliant. Thank you for that Warlord. 

Ork Weirdboy: Wuzzbad

The release of 8th edition 40k and the parallel release of the Ork army list has prompted me to dust off my beloved Ork models and begin playing again. So far, I have had one small 500pt game and came away feeling positive about the game and the Ork army list. One issue is that Orks seem to play more like they used to back in 5th edition, which means re-painting and updating lots of units that I haven't used in years!

Here's one of my first completed 're-paint' jobs, an Ork Weirdboy. I originally painted this character years and years ago to lead a 500pt force in a tournament hosted in Bristol. It was the ONLY time I used him! Now, with the new release, the weirdboy potentially has a place again within an Ork force. I shall be using him to boot the boys to +1 attack or teleporting a 30 strong unit of shoota boyz around the board! We'll see how my enemies like that neat trick!

Anyway, since the original model was painted rather nicely in the first place, I initially thought it would just be a re-painting of the skin. Sadly, the more I painted, the more I found wrong with the original job. In the end, virtually the entire model was re-painted. I'm really pleased with the end result though. It was a beautifully detailed model to paint with bags of character.

I brightened the skin to fit more in line with my most recently painted Orks. I also extensively lined the skin to make him appear old and wrinkled. Wuzzbad isn't necessarily old, but I imagine having to deal with all that Waaaaaghhhhh energy really takes into toll on the skin! I also added more red spot colour details and check patterns to the bells to tie him in with the rest of the army. I tried to make his eyes seem as though they're burning with pent up electrical energy! I also toyed with the idea of making his skin glow blue too but dismissed it for fear of ruining all my hard work! Maybe i'll test the idea on another model first.

Overall, I'm very happy with the finished result. I can't wait to test him out on the battlefield.  

Modern British Army: Spectre Operations

Here's a quick update. I recently picked up a copy of Spectre: Operations from the Birmingham Games Expo and ordered the British Army Deal from Empress Miniatures.

This is my first attempt at British Army desert DPM and indeed my first attempt at any camouflage scheme. I followed this very handy blog post as a guide. Thank you Dougie for the guidance!

I'm aiming to fill our an 8 man infantry section with section commander. This is a radio operator (minus his radio antenna) used solely to test out the camo techniques. I may use him as part of a command team in other games.

 

Void 1.1 Junkers Project: Convict Legionnaires

I've continued to work hard on the Junkers project and have found the time to complete a small squad of 6 convict legionnaires. My intention with this squad is to build it up to its maximum size of 15 legionnaires, which will require me to create more from the plastics as shown in my first unit of grenadiers. For now, I'm happy to have completed some of the original metal models that I bought way back in the early 2000's for the game. This squad currently includes a Decurion, 4 troopers with shotguns and a flamer thrower. I'll be adding 2 thermite spears and 7 additional shotgun troopers to complete the unit.

I have transferred the beige, damaged colour scheme to the convict's shields but decided not to add much detail beyond a simple Roman numeral. I like that the numerals are practically the only identifying mark for the trooper, which ties in nicely with the 'not giving a shit' ethics of the Junker military arm. Getting hold of Roman numeral decals was difficult but I eventually found some available at armorcast. They come in a variety of different sizes and are perfect for what I wanted to use them for. Good stuff!

The original metal sculpts for the Junkers were absolutely excellent and a real joy to paint. One particular detail that I really like is the subtle differences between the male and female troopers. There's none of this over the top 'boob armour' (looking at you Infinity you piece of shit!) but rather a slightly thinner waist and a different crotch piece. Bravo I-Kore, bravo!

Void 1.1 Junkers Project: Salamander Field Gun

Despite attending this years 'A Cam-Bridge Too Far' Boltaction tournament, the Junkers project has continued to tick over. I finally managed to complete the crew and base last night (barring the black trim) so now it's time to move on to a new unit. I'm thinking about beginning a large unit of 15 standard convict legionnaires. It'll be a mix of metal and plastic conversions and it'll take me ages to finish! Even so, they're supposed to be the backbone of the army, so I'd better have at least a couple of units made.

With regards to the field gun, I'm very happy with the end result. The model was easy to build and paint and the crew sculpts are nice too. I'm pretty pleased with the battle damage effects but I think the gun shield could do with some unit markings just to add extra character but other than that I'm happy.

 I decided to model them all on one base. Unfortunately, it's too small!

Void 1.1 Junkers Project: Grenadier Decurion

I've continued on with my Junkers project. This time I have the Decurion to show. He's a plastic Junker with a Pig Iron Productions rebel head added. I've also green-stuffed some dreadlocks for him in a similar vein to the previous legionary. This particular model also had some work done to his legs to make them more dynamic. I had to chop the back of the knee away from the left leg and repose the foot as well.

I've kept the colour scheme too. I really like the grimy, rusty, unloved look for the legionaries gear.

Enjoy!

Void 1.1 Junkers Project: Test Miniature Complete

I've managed to find the time to complete the first test miniature for my new Junkers project. Considering it's made from a plastic Junker I've very pleased with how well he'll fit in with the original metal sculpts. I decided to stick with a colour scheme that's very similar to my original scheme way-back-when. This project is all about nostalgia for me so recreating and modernising my original army is the name of the game!

This particular model was made using a kolony rebel head from Pig Iron Productions. It is usually bareheaded so I had a go at sculpting some dreadlocks to match the artwork in the Junkers book. I only added dreads to the right side of his head, which I think lends a post-apocalyptic flavour to the model. Perfect for these downtrodden space Romans!

New Project for a New Year: Void 1.1 Junkers

So a new year has rolled around and I've left too many finished projects undocumented on the blog. Unfortunately, I've not been able to find the time to compile them all into one post so instead I'll list them and move on. Maybe I'll be able to photograph some of the more interesting projects later.

Finished since last post:
1 ruined farm house from Warlord Games.
1 Ramshackle Barn from Rendera Plastics
1 6ft x 4ft teddy bear fur mat
5 Ork kannonz with 2 grot crew each
1 M3 Stuart light tank
1 US flamer thrower operator

So........

Way back in the early 2000's I remember getting very excited by a brand new company with a brand new game called void 1.1. The models were the same scale as 40k and were altogether fresher and cleaner in appearance. They had an almost anime look to them without being too ridiculous (looking at you Infinity, you piece of shit!). The best thing about them was that they were considerably cheaper than Games Workshop and you got a free rule book with every box!

The game itself was quite pioneering now that I think back with hindsight. It aimed for a similar scale to 40k, with infantry, tanks and more specialist units making up your lists. However, it made use of a d10 and alternate unit activation as its core mechanics. The d10 allowed for greater variation in stats and the alternate unit activation introduced a new dynamic to the game, activation economy. It really broke ground from 40k 3rd ed (and every subsequent edition since) and it's a shame that i-kore were terrible businessmen. Still, Scotia Grendel still sells the models and rules for the game and I stumbled across my old collection so.... I'm beginning a new project.


 I've started by stripping all of my old Junker models in acetone nail varnish remover. This includes; 2x 5 man units of convict legionaries, 1x grenade thrower, 1x flamer, 3x sandrunners, 1x sandrunner lictor and Aurilian. I also purchased some plastic legionaries from Scotia Grendel and began the process of converting them into something similar to their beautiful metal counterparts. For this unit, I'll be converting them into grenadiers, of which there are only 2 original sculpts. The plastics are terrible and require a lot of work, but I hope you'll agree that with some head swaps, extra bits and some sculpting work, they're approaching the original aesthetic. I'll need to build 3 more grenadiers to complete the unit, which will include both of the original sculpts as well to bring the unit up to 8 men. The next post will hopefully feature them with some paint on! Let's see...