tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47843909922119696142024-03-13T03:52:50.469-07:00Lead Doesn't BleedA politically incorrect, family-unfriendly war and gaming blogThaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-5470833395126679272020-01-27T20:11:00.001-08:002020-01-27T20:12:29.547-08:00Can anyone find a non-creepy picture of Bill Armintrout?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xJUL9G8-nIA/Xi-x_77NAiI/AAAAAAAADyo/C58xCzfIiqcRLYJxeFPDz86m5oyFr0qOACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/E93E1A6F-DBA1-415D-9B2C-F81C60C8AD47.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1179" data-original-width="1490" height="505" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xJUL9G8-nIA/Xi-x_77NAiI/AAAAAAAADyo/C58xCzfIiqcRLYJxeFPDz86m5oyFr0qOACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/E93E1A6F-DBA1-415D-9B2C-F81C60C8AD47.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The picture above is of Mr. William Armintrout, owner and Editor of The Miniatures Page, a “family friendly” website that promotes miniatures hobby wargaming and, occasionally, child marriage, white supremacist literature, and nuking the fuck out of any country that isn’t ‘Muricuh.<br />
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Bill bans people who objects to these things while letting content pirates and folks who defend hebophile rapists in court roam about. It’s keeping the site “politics free” that’s Bill’s main goal, so he’ll ban people for being horrified that site members suggest that the U.S. Army should use S.S.tactics in Afghanistan while giving those who make such suggestions a mild slap on the wrist, if anything.<br />
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He’s also been known to use his site to describe teenage girls as “sloppy” or not “sloppy”.<br />
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I am not a fan of Mr. Armintrout and I think he is a nasty blotch on our hobby. However, if anyone can find a picture of him where he DOESN’T look like an extremely creepy dirty old man, I’d love to see it.<br />
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Link in the comments section, below, please,Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-42583371267969685722018-07-14T10:23:00.001-07:002018-07-14T10:23:59.487-07:00Vanguard Miniatures 3mm Gothic Science Fiction Line: Introduction<div align="left" lang="pt-PT" style="border: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although
today I am scornful of Games Workshop and even more so of the
company’s fanbois, the plain truth is that GW is responsable for
making me a serious miniatures wargamer.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I
began collecting and playing with little toy soldiers when I was six
and my grandfather bought my uncle and I a couple of boxes of Airfix
Napoleonic figures. I collected Airfix and (later) Atlantic 20mm
plastic soldiers throughout my childhood. As I moved into
adolescence, I began to play simple wargames with these using
Brigadier Young’s “Charge!” rules. (In spite of being an
American, then, my entry into the hobby was, ironically, very
typically British. Perhaps this is why I sympathize more with the
British side of the hobby today. But that’s another post.)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">By
the time I was ten, I had begun collecting small numbers of lead
figures, most particularly 28mm fantasy and 6mm science fiction. I
only seriously began to look at miniatures gaming, however, when I
was finishing up college in the late 1980s.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My
first attempt to build “serious” armies was using Games Workshop
(Citadel, at the time, really) hard plastic Space Marines: the
original “Beakies”. I got sucked into it by Karl Heistermann and
Doug Shuler (pre-Wizards of the Coast career), who worked at my FLGS
and had developed a simple and fun set of rules to move the boxes of
marines they had ordered. (This was pre-Warhammer 40K, actually.)<br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="pt-PT"><b>Enter
Adeptus Titanicus</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two
years later, Games Workshop launched what was to become their entry
game for their 6mm Warhammer 40k line: <span lang="pt-PT"><i>Adeptus
Titanicus.</i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I
can’t recall ever being so excited over a wargame release. </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
game seemed to me to be pure genius: a 6mm science fiction game with
a unique “look” (gothic science fiction wasn’t a thing back
then) and accessible rules, which allowed me to put hordes of figures
on the table? It could have been custom-designed for my likes. I
bought AT and its follow-up game, <span lang="pt-PT"><i>Space Marine</i></span>,
as soon as they were launched and I haunted Pegasus Games in Madison
Wisconsin, looking for new releases for the system.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I
quickly painted Dark Angel, White Scar and Eldar armies. Looking back
on all this, I am amazed at how affordable the hobby was back then! I
had three Phantom titans in my Eldar force, even though I was a
starving university student working for minimum wage. <span lang="pt-PT"><i>Space
Marine/Adeptus Titanicus </i></span>was my first completed wargame
project, where I painted multiple armies and terrain and used them to
set up a convention game. And, as I recollect, the game was a hell of
a lot of fun.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In
1990, I emigrated to Brazil, but I still followed <span lang="pt-PT"><i>Space
Marine</i></span> at a distance. Unfortunately, there was no way to
get GW products in Brazil, at the time, except through pirates —
and didn’t do 6mm. I thus migrated to other manufactures, scales,
and periods (DBA figuring large in my scheme of things back in those
days). Shortly after the turn of the centutry, pressed for space and
money (and with freight prices to Brazil being what they are), I
moved decisively into 3mm for all of my periods and have been happily
painting and modeling in picoscale ever since.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As
GW’s prices skyrocketed and they became the company we all love to
hate through market manipulation and relentless production of skub, I
turned my back on them. I began to feel nothing but pity and scorn
towards the people who were willing to shell out thousands of pounds
to play in the increasingly overpriced “Games Workshop hobby”.
Furthermore, the aesthetic GW began promoting for the Warhammer 40K
universe turned me off. Originally, it was a very “<span lang="pt-PT"><i>Heavy
Metal/2000AD</i></span>” kind of look: sci-fi, unique, kind of
ornate, but still “clean” looking. As the 1990s advanced,however,
it became increasingly baroque and cartoonish. </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
moment <span lang="pt-PT"><i>Space Marine</i></span> “jumped the
shark” for me was when Gee Dubs started producing ork vehicles that
were essentially 16th century cannon on wheels with little medieval
towers atop. They just looked ridiculous to me. The “no gurls
allowed” aspect of the Warhammer 40k universe also got worse and
worse. The background started out as a sort of tongue-in-cheek heavy
metal riff: sexist, sure, but silly sexist. “Spinal Tap”, not
Proud Boys. As the years went by, it became more and more of a
grimdark heavy metal wet dream universe: the kind of wet dream, more
over a particularly spotty and socially inept adolescent boy with a
nazi fetish would have. To me, Warhammer 40k just became stupid and
disgusting.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I
never lost that feeling of enchantment I had with the original Epic
series of games, however. Those were cute and silly and just plain
fun.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="pt-PT"><b>Vanguard
Miniatures gives me back my youth</b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last
July, my webfriend Mathieu posted some photos of a new line of 3mm
figures. Now Mat has been attempting for some time to do 3mm Epic
Gothic Sci Fi and I’ve been mostly “yeah, whatevs” because his
suppliers are all on Shapeways (crap castings at premium prices) and,
so far, the castings he’s been getting copied, to me, the worst of
GW’s overly roccocco-style of figures.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
new castings Mat had were crisp and clean, however, and followed the
aestetic that originally attracted me to gothic sci-fi (loopy enough
to be unique and space-opera-ish, but not ridiculous). They were from
a company I’d never herd of before: Vanguard Miniatures, out of the
U.K.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
more I looked into Vanguard’s press releases, the more I became
intrigued. The figures looked to be unbelievably top notch: extremely
detailed and well-cast. The more I learned about them, the more that
old feeling from thirty years ago began to grow in my breast.
Eventually, all I could think, contemplating Vanguard’s new line
was “coooooool”.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I
orderd a bunch as soon as they came out, but post being what it is to
Brasil (still), I had to wait until early June to get my mitts on a
bunch.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So
how are they? </span></span></span>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Absolutely
luvverly.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In
Part II of this report, we will take a detailed look at what I
consider to be the most exciting 3mm release in a decade.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;">
</span>Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-40940871549494114042017-05-20T15:44:00.003-07:002017-05-20T15:44:57.235-07:00And now for something completely different... 15mm DwarvesTwenty years ago, I got sucked into the De Bellis Antiquitatus (DBA) and Hordes of the Things (HotT) craze while I was at U.W. Madison, finishing up my undergrad degree. DBA and HotT shared the same system. They were quick play rules for miniatures that allowed one to build an army with less than fifty figures and complete a game in an hour. Indeed, at the old U.W. Wargamers Club, we'd typically play eight to twelve games a day.<br />
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I had tried 28mm fantasy miniatures before, with 1st Edition <i>Warhamste</i>... <i>Warhammer</i>, and TSR's <i>Battlesystem</i>. Alexandre Bubel and I even put together some respectable recasted armies when we worked for Devir Livraria in São Paulo, so that we could give kids a visual focus when we taught them about this new-fangled role-playing thing. But I'd never been able to paint up more than a half-dozen regiments or so and, since I was then living in a 30 meter square kitchette off Av. Paulista, with a wife, kid and a cat, playing fantasy battles in 28mm the "Grand Manner" was nothing more than a pipe dream.<br />
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But DBA/HoTT was another kettle of lead entirely. A game system that I could play on a coffee table, with armies and terrain that could be hauled around in my backpack?! And it's even geared for 15mm figures AND you can easily play campaigns with it?!! And the rules only cost five USD and come with over a hundred army lists?!!!<br />
<br />
Sign me up!<br />
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With Phil Baker's marvelous system, I could not only complete armies, I could collect them. And collect them I did, because at around this time (the spring of 1998 or thereabouts), I wandered down to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/The-Last-Square-312597617907/about/?tab=page_info">The Last Square</a> and discovered <a href="http://oldglory15s.com/Black-Raven-Foundry_c6.htm">Black Raven Foundy's</a> beautiful line of large 15mm fantasy figures. Karl, the shop's co-owner, had bought them on a whim, knowing how DBA/HoTT was taking the local community by storm. I saw them on the spinner in the back of the shop and it was love at first sight for me. These figures were so detailed and beautiful that they looked like they had been sculpted in 28mm. Indeed, AFAIK, the folks at Black Raven were the first to make 15mm figs in the Games Workshop "Heroic" style. I immediately bought three packs of elves -- cavalry, pikes and longbows -- and started painting them that night.<br />
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The next year, I was back in Brazil, doing my master's at the National Museum in Rio. Throughout my master's and doctorate, I continued to paint 15mm fantasy figures and play HotT (generally solitaire), but around 2005, my tastes changed to collecting picoscale (3mm) science fiction and WWII stuff. My 15mm collection got locked away in a dozen hat boxes and it was largely forgotten, until this year.<br />
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In December of 2016, however, "The Jim Jones Cocktail Hour" (real name witheld to protect the not-so-innocent) from the infamous <a href="http://www.frothersunite.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45031&start=43370">Frothers</a> board, said he'd be coming up from Australia and wanted to know if I'd like any figs from Eureka. Seeing as how I'd been planning to do a Colonial Portuguese game for some time and Grumpy in Australia is the only person who sculpts <a href="http://eurekamin.com.au/index.php?cPath=329_330_337&sort=3a">Colonial Portuguese (in 15mm)</a>, I asked if he could get me some of Grumpy's figs and he very cheerfully complied.<br />
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This got me thinking in 15mm again.<br />
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So in February, when Tim Porter told me he'd be coming down to Rio and wondered if he couldn't bring me some stuff from England, I asked him to bring along some of <a href="http://www.copplestonecastings.co.uk/list.php?cat=18&page=1">Mark Copplestone's beautiful 15mm barbarians and dwarves</a>.<br />
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Both Tim and JJCH are true gentlemen gamers in the old-school British style and they remind me of why I got into wargaming in the first place, back in the days of make-do proxy figures (usually 20mm plastic Airfix) and homebrewed rules. Back before official rules, official figure sets and "<a href="https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Manta">collectors</a>' models" costing over a thousand pounds. Back when you'd toss a book on a table and call it a "hill"<br />
and invite a bunch of mates over for a beer and some laughs. So it's appropriate that they seem to have gotten me back into 15mm, again. (Not that I plan to neglect God's True Scale (3mm), mind you...)<br />
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So, I'd been geeking out on Greg Stafford's <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorantha">Glorantha</a> mythos for some time and I decided that I wanted to do an Iron Age rip-off... er, homage to that. I'd use all the figs I had painted up that didn't quite fit into my regular fantasy set-up to do this, plus the newly acquired Copplestone stuff. On the one hand, I'd have the Evil Empire -- an Iron Age version of the <a href="http://glorantha.wikia.com/wiki/Lunar_Empire">Lunar Empire</a> -- and on the other, the rugged barbarian alliance -- a take off on the <a href="http://glorantha.wikia.com/wiki/Sartar">Sartarites</a>.<br />
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The Imperial troops were already mostly ready: a bunch of <a href="http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/ancients/imperial-romans/">Foundry Imperial Romans</a> acquired back in the 20th century. To them, I added a sinister scrum of chaos wizards and their mercenary barbarian retainers (who I figure come from this world's version of North Africa) as the Imperial College of War Mages. They will also be getting a group of "civilized" dwarven auxiliaries in the new future, complete with bear-mounted cataphracts.<br />
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The core of the "Army of the Free" would be my newly acquired Copplestone barbarians, backed up by hordes of Celtic warriors acquired decades ago (mostly Argentinean recasts bought on a trip to Buenos Aires in the late 1990s). As allies, they'd get my Copplestone Dwares and a Black Raven Foundry Wood Elf contingent.<br />
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Well, after a couple of weeks of repainting, touching up, rebasing and straight-up painting, the first parts of this project -- the dwarves, elves and the core of the Imperial Army -- are ready to go.<br />
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Unfortunately, I have had to use my iPad to shoot the following photos, which is less than ideal. Still if you look at the elves and Romans and compare them to the dwarves, you can see how my painting style has evolved over the past two decades. Next post will highlight the Elves and Imperial troops.<br />
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This is a fun project which you will be seeing more of. Great thanks out to Tim and JJCH for making it happen!<br />
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<i>These are old Black Raven Foundry dwarves, here posing as the Clan Chieftain's picked warriors.</i></div>
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<i>Old Reaper Shadowcorps dwarven berserkers, led by a Copplestone captain.</i> </div>
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<i>Kind of a bad shot, but here's the dwarf chieftain. A Copplestone figure.</i></div>
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<i>Here's the whole clan.</i> </div>
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<i>Two different shots of the stars of the show: Copplestone dwarfs. These are, without a doubt, the best 15mm dwarves I have ever seen. This is definitely what I imagined when I read LotR 40 years ago, for the first time. I love these guys! Thank you, Tim (and JJHC, for getting me back into 15mm)!</i> </div>
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<i>One more shot of the clan's main battleline: Copplestone dwarves.</i></div>
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<i>Dwarven standard bearers. Again, these are old Black Raven Foundry.</i></div>
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<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-80455414868605944162017-02-21T11:38:00.002-08:002017-02-21T11:38:58.947-08:003mm Mechas and Pico Armor ForumFor those of you who don't know, 3mm figure vendors Pico Armor have revamped their site. They now have a <a href="https://www.picoarmor.com/forum/index.php?sid=c0751247a5fce246b5d0c6ec5034dec0">"War College" forum,</a> which is already quite active.<br />
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This post is in response to a comment made on that forum that we need O8 to produce some science fiction mechas. While that would be great, it made me realize that a lot of people out there probably don't know that there are already many options for SF mecha-type vehicles. So I decided to drag out some of mine to show what is available and how they paint up!<br />
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These were done bit by bit over the last 10 years or so, as I've learned more about how to paint and base 3mm figures. Every one of these groups has about 10-20 mecha: I've just grabbed a handful here to show the variety that's available.<br />
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First up, the oldest group, the Red Army.<br />
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These guys have two kinds of figures: 5 five <a href="http://www.dp9.com/content/heavy-gear-fleet-scale-minis-available-again">Dream Pod 9 Fleet Scale Heavy Gear </a>minis and a 6mm Hound Dog walker from <a href="https://shop.groundzerogames.co.uk/6mm-dirtside/dirtside-miniatures.html?page=2">Ground Zero Games "Dirtside" line</a>. I have repainted these twice, each time to make the red more vibrant. You'll notice that one of the DP9 figures has had its missile launcher chopped off to make a recon variant. This was then given to the DP9 figure in the second row to make a missile-heavy support mecha.<br />
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Here's the second oldest group, the Tan Army:<br />
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These figures are more DP9 and Ground Zero, except this time there's a small recon mech added in from Ground Zero's Full Thrust space combat line. It's tiny, comparaitvely speaking, and in my rules it jumps around a lot and has excellent stealth. These have also been repainted to make the tan stand out more.<br />
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The third army I painted (but never completed) are the Blues:<br />
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These have even more Ground Zero walkers and two different types of battle armor from <a href="http://ironwindmetals.com/store/index.php?cPath=16_44_125">Iron Wind Metal's <i>Battletech</i> line</a>. These are perfectly proportioned for 3mm mechs, as you can see, and there are literally dozens you can choose from on Iron Wind's site -- enough to do your own 3mm <i>Battletech</i>, if you so wish.<br />
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The next army, chronologically speaking, was the Grey Army, which came in two groups, the first composed of GZG Hound Dogs (not shown here) and the second of these guys: <br />
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Those are <a href="http://www.bluemoonmanufacturing.com/view_product.php?product=15ALN-117">15mm Robot Legion Velon Skirmishers, from Blue Moon's Aliens line</a>. They have been suitably modified with railguns and a support missile launcher. Behind them stands a <a href="http://store.dp9.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=69_66&product_id=489">Recce Trooper Drone from DP9's Eden range</a>. At this scale, it's either a Warhound-esque light titan or a superheavy mecha. I find it complements the Velon Skirmishers quite nicely.<br />
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This is my newest army: the support battalion for the People's Revolutionary Army on Smade's World. These are also DP 9 figures (fleet scale Terran frames, this time) and they illustrate well my current painting and basing scheme: as bright and clear as I can get!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S6G5fbqeoZQ/WKyWXHZXKvI/AAAAAAAACiY/RU-YgCsFYXITEbrsiIvPHSwYjyMFIiH6ACLcB/s1600/Green%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S6G5fbqeoZQ/WKyWXHZXKvI/AAAAAAAACiY/RU-YgCsFYXITEbrsiIvPHSwYjyMFIiH6ACLcB/s400/Green%2B2.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Finally, here are a selection of command stands. These have regular O8 figures on their bases so you can see how they compare. Note the dark green command stand: that was how I was painting before I realized that one needs to go as bright as possible on these figures:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3_jl2edE5KM/WKyWzmYnkOI/AAAAAAAACic/Z-1r_Nb90eIUwB_oQ_bvmQHOTCwqd8PXgCLcB/s1600/Command%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3_jl2edE5KM/WKyWzmYnkOI/AAAAAAAACic/Z-1r_Nb90eIUwB_oQ_bvmQHOTCwqd8PXgCLcB/s400/Command%2B2.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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So there you have it! These are just some of the options open to you if you want 3mm mecha. The Iron Wind battle armor line is particularly diverse. I prefer the DP9 and GZG stuff myself, but that's just my taste.<br />
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I do hope that O8 will eventually get around to making more mecha, but as you can see, we are spoilt for choice as is.<br />
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And there are so many other figures that can be kitbashed into mecha as well. Here's one from the <i>Risk: Legacy</i> boardgame. It's crappy soft plastic and doesn't hold detail well, but I modified it into a gun-carrying construction mecha for my guerrilha forces:<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ew2r6ArBlDI/WKyVFX_ImcI/AAAAAAAACiM/HPr4VCacY30Fl1sa7eYpmcAGoRJPAs6BgCLcB/s1600/Yellow%2Bmech.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ew2r6ArBlDI/WKyVFX_ImcI/AAAAAAAACiM/HPr4VCacY30Fl1sa7eYpmcAGoRJPAs6BgCLcB/s320/Yellow%2Bmech.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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This should give you an idea of what can be done even with toys and game pieces!<br />
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<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-20888149331768425542016-08-19T08:40:00.000-07:002016-08-19T08:40:02.996-07:00New Sci Fi Game BoardHere is an "alien world" set up I am doing for quick and dirty science fiction games in 3mm. I wanted something cheap and cheerfull and simple. Hills are "wedding cake" style with dunes sloped on one side. They are both made out of foam core, covered with artist's PVC gesso.<br />
<br />The boards themselves are just MDF slabs covered in gessoed canvas, bought at my local art supply store. The forests are bits of loofa sponge, flocked with various colors. The Alien Idol is some kid's cereal prize I found on the street and re-purposed.<br />
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<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-22508980341056860572016-08-19T07:06:00.003-07:002016-08-19T07:06:58.316-07:00The Jerry Lundegaard of WargamingSane Max over on Frothers UK pointed out the now-obvious resemblence between The Miniatures Page's Bill Armintrout and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8hkD-QoW4">Jerry Lundegard</a> from <i>Fargo</i>. I thought it deserved to be remembered, so...<br />
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<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-9674746253426030662015-09-20T21:36:00.001-07:002015-09-20T21:36:56.998-07:00First 3mm Ogre Miniatures GameHere are some pictures from my first 3mm <i>Ogre Miniatures</i> game. The conventional armor is all <a href="http://www.picoarmor.com/pico-products.cfm?id=260&m=8&p=Sci-Fi%20%283%20mm%29%20-%20Infantry%20&%20IFV">Oddzial Osmy</a> and the Ogres are <a href="http://www.plasmablastgames.com/shop6mmMarhaf.html">Plasmablast</a> conversions. The scenario was a heavy Combine armor strike against an extended Paneuropean front. The Combine's goal was to destroy the city at mid-table on the Paneuro baseline. They almost made it.<br />
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I used my home-brewed <a href="http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=132321&highlight=mines">drone and mine rules</a>. They seemed to work fairly well. The mines in particular slowed the Combine down a turn and led directly to the Pansie victory.<br />
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The table at start, as seen from above.<br />
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The Combine forces: Ogres Mama Spank and Nervous George (with a full
compliment of drones) are accompanied by a heavy armor battalion and a
GEV strike company.<br />
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The Pansies stand ready with an entire heavy armored battalion with an infantry battalion and a howitzer battery in support.<br />
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The Combine hooks right and the Paneuropeans scramble to meet them.<br />
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Game over, man. The Ogres eventually grind to a halt in the Paneuropean minefields just in front of the city.<br />
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<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-85594038032621446952015-09-08T07:50:00.000-07:002015-09-08T07:50:42.153-07:003mm Ogre Miniatures Project Moves Along<br />
I've mostly been concentrating on 2mm and 3mm Napoleonics this year, following the release of Blucher. That doesn't mean I haven't had time to paint up some Ogre Minis, however. Here's an overview of what's been done with the Paneuropeans so far... <br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kttF3rX1jz0/Ve7xmJbwPSI/AAAAAAAACKI/DnEM5sysN8o/s1600/IMG_0518.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kttF3rX1jz0/Ve7xmJbwPSI/AAAAAAAACKI/DnEM5sysN8o/s640/IMG_0518.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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Here's the better part of a Paneuropean armored battalion near a city. Tanks are all O8 except for a Plasmablast cybertank in the back left. <br />
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Here are the Ogre/GEV conventional unit types I have so far:<br />
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Going from right to left we have power armor, a light tank (actually a French AMX-90 with plasticard side skirts added on), a heavy tank, a GEV, a GEV-PC, a Missile Tank, a Mobile Howitzer and a Howitzer (kit-bashed from plasticard and the spare cannon barrel that comes with the mobile howitzer). <br />
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I still need L-GEVs and Superheavy Tanks.<br />
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A close-up of the light tank and the heavy tank. The heavy used to be my "lights", but I decided to change this after hearing <a href="http://www.viciousprint.com/6commando/?comic=i-dont-understand">Mathieu Moyen</a> was going with British Scorpions as his Lights. The O8 "Aliens Universe" tank is too much like a Combine Heavy to want to use it for anything else. And that's when I realized that I have a bunch of AMX-90s going unused. I cut thin plasticard strips at 2mm x 8mm and glued them over the treads. Sure enough: they look acceptably sci-fi and their size is spot on.<br />
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Above , we see a howitzer battery and the command troop of the 1st Polish Lancers. In the back left, you can see a cybertank, made from a Plasmablast 6mm Marhaf Legion model. This is going to be a cybertank destroyer in my Ogre-inspired miniatures rules, <i>Luftpanzer. </i><br />
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A city, made out of Spartan Games discontinued "base" pieces for their space combat game. Also, some Monopoly City pieces. All gluesd down to a CD base.<br />
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I can't recall if I posted these before. This shows how I converted a Plasmablast tank into an Ogre.<br />
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Well, that's it for now! Hopefully this project will be up and running by Christmas!<br />
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<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-23099422786751184232015-08-02T14:58:00.004-07:002015-08-02T14:58:54.365-07:00Taking my troops to show and tell: Black Powder, 3mm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I got roped into a "show us your hobbies" deal at the uni back in May.<br />
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"Do you <i>really</i> want to see what Ido with my free time?"<br />
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"Of course Professor Blanchette!" Then, perhaps remembering that I study sex work: "Er... what is it?"<br />
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"Wargaming."<br />
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"Oh! Like <i>Warcraft</i>?"<br />
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Sigh...<br />
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So anyhow, that's how I ended up taking my <i>Black Powder</i>
set-up to NUPEM for an afternoon. I brought along a little bit of
everything, including a selection of rules and Osprey bookc, my paint
set, and - of course - the figures and terrain.<br />
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Wouldn't you knoiw, the kids figured it our right away? Turns outmany of them have already played computer games like <i>Total War.</i> They even know the lexicon! It was very easy to show them how things work!<br />
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We
didn't have time to play a game, but I ran them through a few moves and
combats. Several of them seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, including
several young women! That was really cool, given that wargaming is still
very much a male ghetto. One kid said he wanted to set up a Saga
campaign with me, so there is hope for gaming in the future!<br />
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Anyhow, here are the pics...<br />
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<i>Overview of the 3 x 2 foot table.</i><br />
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<i>The French move into the valley.</i><br />
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<i>A regiment of Chasseurs a Cheval charges the Austrian Hussars...</i> <br />
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<i>Cavalry battle on the left flank.</i><br />
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<span id="goog_2095521813"></span><span id="goog_2095521814"></span>Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-75665940892434146242015-05-18T13:14:00.000-07:002015-05-18T15:37:39.049-07:00Magister Militum's 18th Century 3mm figures<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As many people now
know, Magister Militum has launched a series of <a href="http://www.magistermilitum.com/scale/3mm.html">new 3mm lines:Ancients, Pike and Shot and early 18th century</a>. They have
massively expanded the options for 3mm gaming overnight and,
curiously, haven't really bothered to publicize their new line.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've
been waiting for something like this for some time now, as I´ve
always wanted to play Sam Mustafa's <i>Maurice</i> in 3mm. So when I
heard about the new lines, I squeed more than a Japanese schoolgirl
at a Cheap Trick concert. I ordered a bunch of 18 century stuff
immediately.
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I bought MM's
musketeers, cavalry and artillery in tricornes, because I wanted to
do some rather generic 18<sup>th</sup> century imaginations. Also
available are pikes in tricornes and 17<sup>th</sup> century cavalry,
which can still work as early 18<sup>th</sup> century heavy cavalry.
Like many people who are probably reading this, I wanted to see the
figures first hand before buying a lot of them. In particular, I
wanted to see how they compared to Oddzial Osmy's every-expanding and
excellent lines of 3mm miniatures. So I bought three packs of
infantry, two of cavalry and one of artillery.
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Luckily, the
ever-gentlemanly Time Porter was on his way down to Rio de Janeiro on
business and agreed to carry the figs for me. This is the second time
Tim has done this and I really owe him something cool, because he's
had to deal with the Brazilian postal system twice now. Thank you
very, very much Tim! This has been a great present!</span></span></div>
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<b> </b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The good, the bad
and the ugly</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The good news is that the figures are perfectly acceptable. This
worried me, as 3mm is a tricky scale to do. Marcin at O8 gets around
most of the problems by casting in a hard zinc and aluminium alloy,
which holds detail like no one's business. Unfortunately, it also has
very little give and will break rather than bend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MM has decided to cast in good ´ol lead alloy. They've gotten around
the problems this presents by making their figures noticeably more
chunky than O8´s. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially
because the soft metal means they can be easily modified –
something one can´t say for O8´s miniatures. The pikes, of course,
are ridiculously thick, but if you are playing in micro- and
picoscales, you already know that some sacrifices must be made. If
you´re really anal-retentive, you can hack off MM´s pikes quite
easily and substitute piano wire. Sure, it'd be a hassle to do a
whole pike block or phalanx like this, but it could be done!</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The bad news is that MM's figures are uneven in quality. The infantry
is quite good, if chunky: 8 figures on a 20mm frontage, with no space
between the figures versus O8's 10 figures on the same frontage,
with, if anything, too much space between the figures. I originally
didn´t like the cavalry much, but they´ve grown on me as I´ve
painted them. The one problem is that their heads seem far too big.
Perhaps this is due to the (understandable) desire to cast them with
identifiable tricornes, but the best adjective for the cavalry is
still “bobbleheaded”.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The artillery, however, is a crying
shame. The cannon has no carriage, only a gun tube with two wheels
attached to it. In fact, the whole thing looks like some sort of
pornographic parody of a cannon, or perhaps a toy cannon. In any
case, it is unacceptable. I don´t know why MM decided to go with
this cast as it's not like it's difficult to model cannons at this
scale. Furthermore, O8´s cannon won´t look good with MM's gunners,
who also suffer from the same bobbleheadedness as the cavalry.
Fortunately, one doesn´t need many artillery pieces for a game of
<i>Maurice </i><span style="font-style: normal;">and, because of MM's
decision to go with a soft alloy, the artillery is easily modified. I
sliced the wheels off of mine, stuck in some square plastic rod bits
where the wheels used to be, then sliced off two thin sections of
plastic tubing for new wheels. The result is perfectly acceptable on
the tabletop and even looks OK close-up.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"></span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NnOAUPgEQIY/VVpBKYHM5gI/AAAAAAAACFY/T6qK13y-7jE/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NnOAUPgEQIY/VVpBKYHM5gI/AAAAAAAACFY/T6qK13y-7jE/s640/4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Be advised, however,
that if you buy MM's artillery, you'll get <a href="http://www.magistermilitum.com/scale/3mm/spm1-medium-artillery-with-crew-in-tricorne.html">this</a>.<br /><br />It looks even
worse in real life than it does in this picture. All the doubts you
have about that figure? They are all perfectly true. So if you don't
want to mod your own cannons and don't want semi-pornographic
artillery, you might want to wait until O8 releases 18</span><sup><span style="font-style: normal;">th</span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;">
century figures or until MM recasts its crap artillery.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Artillery aside, these figures paint
up a treat. As the infantry is strip-mounted, you won´t be able to
cut it apart, as you can do with O8's stuff, in order to vary your
formations. I originally was going to put down three strips per base,
but it looked far too clunky with <i>Maurice's </i>4 stand infantry units.
I've thus gone 2 strips per base and I am </span><span style="font-style: normal;">pleased with the result. The flags are, of course, mounted on
telephone poles and far too thick. They are easily clipped off and
replaced with paper flags, as you see here. My flags are hand
painted, but I might replace them with some laser-printed flags at
some point in the future.<br /><br />One problem the infantry has (or maybe it's not a problem: YMMV): the figures are jammed together, but there's a millimeter of space on each end of the strip. If you put these on 20mm wide bases, there will be gaps between each infantry stand. You can, of course, file the base ends down flush with the soldiers and base on 18mm squares. This would be no problem for <i>Maurice</i>, which measures everything in base-widths, but other rules might suffer.<br /><br />As you can see in the photos, I didn't file my bases down, so there are gaps between the stands.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-style: normal;">Compatability
with O8</span></b><b><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></b></span></h3>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">There's good news and bad news here
as well. The bad news is that because of the figure style, it will be
somewhat jarring for you to place O8 heavy infantry or cavalry on the
same bases or in the same units as MM's stuff. However, they look
perfectly fine when based separately, especially if one uses O8's
stuff for irregular or light troops.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">MM says they will have hussars and
grenadiers along presently. I don't think O8's stuff would make good
grenadier substitutes, but several of their figures do just fine for
light troops.<br /><br />Here are some ACW Zouaves serving as generic
Balkans or Turk-style light troops:</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S6S6LZ1iSo0/VVpBBsCzVMI/AAAAAAAACE8/3swdzQLHHLM/s1600/10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S6S6LZ1iSo0/VVpBBsCzVMI/AAAAAAAACE8/3swdzQLHHLM/s640/10.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-style: normal;">Here are busby-equipped
chasseurs a cheval, doing excellent work as 18</span><sup><span style="font-style: normal;">th</span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;">
century hussars. You can compare them with the bobbleheaded MM cavalry behind them. Not an outrageous difference:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0qd90_-U3KY/VVpBUwOwdyI/AAAAAAAACF8/q6TRGbTzMro/s1600/8.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="402" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0qd90_-U3KY/VVpBUwOwdyI/AAAAAAAACF8/q6TRGbTzMro/s640/8.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-style: normal;"></span>
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;">Finally, here are ACW confederate
skirmishers, painted as German-style jaegers or Freikorps:</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cxhsv6SScaY/VVpBDmfluUI/AAAAAAAACFE/AUsS4J0It_s/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cxhsv6SScaY/VVpBDmfluUI/AAAAAAAACFE/AUsS4J0It_s/s640/1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;">MM's bases are much thicker than
O8's, so I found it necessary to slip in a piece of card under the
latter's figures in order to bring their heads' level with the
former's. As you can see, O8's stuff is much more delicate than MM's.
The cavalry, in particular, is riding horses that are noticeably
smaller. This is fine, however, if you want to model light cavalry.
Not so good if you were hoping to use O8's stuff for other types of
heavy cavalry.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<h3>
<b><span style="font-style: normal;">The
bottom line</span></b></h3>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">If, like me, you want to play 18</span><sup><span style="font-style: normal;">th</span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;">
century warfare right now in 3mm and don't mind doing a bit of
hacking at the artillery, then place an order with Magister Militum.
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">If you prefer Oddzial Osmy's
delicate style (sometimes far too delicate – half of the Zouaves
popped off their bases while I was clipping them) and very fine
detail, or if the thought of modifying artillery pieces turns your
stomach, then you might want to wait until Marcin's crew bring out
their own 18</span><sup><span style="font-style: normal;">th</span></sup><span style="font-style: normal;">
century stuff.<br /><br />I myself am perfectly happy with my purchase
and will be buying MM's grenadiers and other offerings as soon as
they come out.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-style: normal;">Eye candy...<br /> </span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R3angV4bumg/VVpBGTKXeiI/AAAAAAAACFM/-JkQyPL3_Rg/s1600/0.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R3angV4bumg/VVpBGTKXeiI/AAAAAAAACFM/-JkQyPL3_Rg/s640/0.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><i>The initial regiments of my two imaginations: Saxe-Tübbio and Biche-Pliese.</i></span><br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ipXHthlL3C4/VVpBKEcRA1I/AAAAAAAACFU/MXBmhPTy3Gw/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ipXHthlL3C4/VVpBKEcRA1I/AAAAAAAACFU/MXBmhPTy3Gw/s640/2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><i>The infantry of Landgravine Elza Pappen, of Biche-Pliese</i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BLb2Sl7o2VU/VVpBN2bX59I/AAAAAAAACFk/TZtuHS3s_qc/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BLb2Sl7o2VU/VVpBN2bX59I/AAAAAAAACFk/TZtuHS3s_qc/s640/5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><i> The red-coated cavalry of Herzogin Heiline D´Taxis, of Saxe-Tübbio.</i></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wc9Blbl1Rv0/VVpBXWQwMvI/AAAAAAAACGE/ykNNerL4WBk/s1600/9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<img border="0" height="294" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wc9Blbl1Rv0/VVpBXWQwMvI/AAAAAAAACGE/ykNNerL4WBk/s640/9.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nZY3Ywswqbk/VVpBSk_Oq_I/AAAAAAAACF0/FlemXGU_kB0/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CZ11WNSuKSU/VVpCX9GuKMI/AAAAAAAACGQ/feVExEt8OIY/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CZ11WNSuKSU/VVpCX9GuKMI/AAAAAAAACGQ/feVExEt8OIY/s640/3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><i>Two of Herzogin Heiline's regiments. Note that the stands are slightly less than 20mm wide. This means you'll have to cut your bases to 18-19mm if you want an unbroken line of infantry.</i></span></div>
Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-58600255563225373312015-04-20T15:36:00.003-07:002015-04-20T15:36:52.160-07:00Worst prep job, ever.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-odWaoHQ4ThU/VTV_CGV2d-I/AAAAAAAACEo/svq34vC31fk/s1600/IMG_3816%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
1800 mm scale T34-85, from some knock-off, Russian manufacture, apparently using very old molds (just look at those mold lines!)<br /><br />This is just a piss-poor job of basing and prepping. Whoever did this should be ashamed! They didn't even give it a once over with a file, for fuck's sake!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-odWaoHQ4ThU/VTV_CGV2d-I/AAAAAAAACEo/svq34vC31fk/s1600/IMG_3816%5B1%5D.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-odWaoHQ4ThU/VTV_CGV2d-I/AAAAAAAACEo/svq34vC31fk/s1600/IMG_3816%5B1%5D.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a>Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-73998549000933591032015-04-12T10:26:00.004-07:002015-04-12T10:26:44.988-07:002mm French Imperial Guard for BlucherI am heading off to a conference, so I can't get up many more photos for awhile. But here some pictures of the1813 French Imperial Guard for Blucher. As always, once I got the photos up, I saw the errors: for some reason, one of the Young Guard artillery units is Polish. I need to do some relabeling on the Guard infantry, too. Sigh.<br />
<br />
Note thst some errors, like the two Flanquer brigades and red plumes for all the Guards. I did these just for esthetic purposes: more color is always good in the picoscales.<br />
<br />
Other than that, though I think these are pretty good. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9X9ucmFbEmo/VSqpsk9xy0I/AAAAAAAACDc/BsbstSqL45s/s1600/IMG_0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9X9ucmFbEmo/VSqpsk9xy0I/AAAAAAAACDc/BsbstSqL45s/s1600/IMG_0104.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2SttmKUNEqo/VSqpuHRXlVI/AAAAAAAACDk/mwkYi_4HF2I/s1600/IMG_0105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2SttmKUNEqo/VSqpuHRXlVI/AAAAAAAACDk/mwkYi_4HF2I/s1600/IMG_0105.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bMNJFOr1npM/VSqppKFJp0I/AAAAAAAACDU/defp8lPLdOk/s1600/IMG_0106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bMNJFOr1npM/VSqppKFJp0I/AAAAAAAACDU/defp8lPLdOk/s1600/IMG_0106.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AH3dbe1KcRA/VSqpxN92s4I/AAAAAAAACDs/k2QMp9b8p20/s1600/IMG_0107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AH3dbe1KcRA/VSqpxN92s4I/AAAAAAAACDs/k2QMp9b8p20/s1600/IMG_0107.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--y06_qCDoHM/VSqp1C1iARI/AAAAAAAACD0/XfQqDSQi3g8/s1600/IMG_0110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--y06_qCDoHM/VSqp1C1iARI/AAAAAAAACD0/XfQqDSQi3g8/s1600/IMG_0110.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1rQbRPrOYBM/VSqp50DvjBI/AAAAAAAACD8/9peSToEOK7o/s1600/IMG_0111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1rQbRPrOYBM/VSqp50DvjBI/AAAAAAAACD8/9peSToEOK7o/s1600/IMG_0111.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GovIAJ6NVh4/VSqqcogrnsI/AAAAAAAACEM/PEQPTXkcTuA/s1600/IMG_0108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GovIAJ6NVh4/VSqqcogrnsI/AAAAAAAACEM/PEQPTXkcTuA/s1600/IMG_0108.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-22820469553036474782015-04-11T13:51:00.004-07:002015-04-11T13:52:32.202-07:00The Teeny, Tiny Grande ArméeHere´s my 2mm rebasing project for <a href="http://www.sammustafa.com/honour/modules-games/blucher/">Sam Mustapha's new <i>Blucher</i></a>. Each 3cm x 2cm base is a brigade and what we have here is a fictional French Army for late 1813. Basically "not Leipzig".<br />
<br />
There is something close to 1200 points of troops: enough for three big armies.<br />
<br />
I'm pushed for time now, so I won't do a in-depth analysis for a few weeks. Suffice it to say that I bought these miniatures painted, second hand, in 2004 and based them for<i> Volley & Bayonet</i>. When <i>Blucher </i>came out, I wanted to play with figures ASAP, but my 3mm project is already geared to the battalion level. These guys here have been haunting a cigar box since 2010, so I pulled them out and got to work. <br />
<br />
The 3cm x 2cm bases means I can play huge battles on my living room table. I've also already made cards for these guys, which I shall post at some point in the future.<br />
<br />
These figures were my first pico-scale project, more than a decade ago. I have learned alot about painting picoscale since then, so the stuff here is not up to my current standards. But for quick, massive battles of <i>Blucher</i>, they will do just fine.<br />
<br />
Note that I have the base labels set up seperately. They are glued to the bases with white glue and can be easily detatched if I want to make scenario specific labels.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NJxI_to3Y48/VSmIq0s27DI/AAAAAAAACC4/-d-98JXDrn0/s1600/IMG_0101.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NJxI_to3Y48/VSmIq0s27DI/AAAAAAAACC4/-d-98JXDrn0/s1600/IMG_0101.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R0tvk5vHY7M/VSmIhkRvGeI/AAAAAAAACCw/dZEqZL_xYwc/s1600/IMG_0095.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R0tvk5vHY7M/VSmIhkRvGeI/AAAAAAAACCw/dZEqZL_xYwc/s1600/IMG_0095.JPG" height="640" width="632" /> </a><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hIljfJQPO0Q/VSmIcGTuIFI/AAAAAAAACCg/2zMsGfMA-s8/s1600/IMG_0097.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hIljfJQPO0Q/VSmIcGTuIFI/AAAAAAAACCg/2zMsGfMA-s8/s1600/IMG_0097.JPG" height="398" width="640" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EDFC3-k2VBY/VSmIrQWkFsI/AAAAAAAACDA/eN23x-6DVek/s1600/IMG_0099.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EDFC3-k2VBY/VSmIrQWkFsI/AAAAAAAACDA/eN23x-6DVek/s1600/IMG_0099.JPG" height="520" width="640" /></a><br />
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<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-28694393301246442682015-03-22T09:55:00.002-07:002015-03-22T09:55:58.157-07:005Core Brigade Commander: The Red Army And here's my Red Army (Krasnynorad -- once again, based on Avalon Hill's old <i>Blitzkrieg</i>) for 5Core.<br />
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<br /><br /><br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-66190172371464222202015-03-20T15:05:00.000-07:002015-03-20T15:05:06.607-07:005core Brigade Commander: The Blue ArmyInspired by the new fast-play 5core Brigade Commander rules, I've rebased my old 3mm imaginations armies for the game. Here's the blue army, based on Avalon Hill's old board game, Blitzkrieg.<br />
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<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-65536176688887896842015-02-25T11:37:00.001-08:002015-02-25T11:37:08.890-08:00Three Different Pico-Scale Versions of the First Polish Lancers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here are three different versions of the same regiment: the famous First Polish Lancers, all in pico-scales!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WFw-ApPo28A/VO4iDCaCesI/AAAAAAAACAE/oPouyGg87dU/s1600/10987395_10204695247475830_6730811540767009758_o.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WFw-ApPo28A/VO4iDCaCesI/AAAAAAAACAE/oPouyGg87dU/s1600/10987395_10204695247475830_6730811540767009758_o.jpg" height="278" width="640" /></a><br /><br />
First up are two squadrons of the lancers based for Black Powder. Figures are from Oddizal Osmy's <a href="http://www.picoarmor.com/pico-products.cfm?id=239&p=Napoleonics">1/600 Napoleonics line</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ImhYkiL-lqI/VO4iExHy24I/AAAAAAAACAU/IF0yf0M-Xmg/s1600/10988522_10204696023855239_964332462649541824_o.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ImhYkiL-lqI/VO4iExHy24I/AAAAAAAACAU/IF0yf0M-Xmg/s1600/10988522_10204696023855239_964332462649541824_o.jpg" height="226" width="640" /></a><br />
Then we have the entire regiment based for Sam Mustafa's new <i>Blücher</i>. These are 1/900 scale figures from Irregular Miniature's <a href="http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/indexes/2mmindex.htm">http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/indexes/2mmindex.htm</a>2mm Horse & Musket range:<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yew4M9SU0iE/VO4iDmeKrDI/AAAAAAAACAM/DXBerjHjHvE/s1600/10553658_10204696023655234_4306166466912856001_o.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yew4M9SU0iE/VO4iDmeKrDI/AAAAAAAACAM/DXBerjHjHvE/s1600/10553658_10204696023655234_4306166466912856001_o.jpg" height="448" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Last, we have a squadron of First Polish Lancer GEVs painted up for my 3mm <i>Ogre Miniatures </i>set-up. These are heavily modified Oddizial Osmy <a href="http://www.picoarmor.com/pico-products-detail.cfm?id=260&pid=2260&p=Sci-Fi%20%283%20mm%29%20-%20Infantry%20&%20IFV&n=Centaurus%20GEV%20%2815%20pcs%29&m=8">Centaurus hovercraft</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o1zOfJ2fqlg/VO4iCuOEIQI/AAAAAAAAB_8/vS5UOdDSBLc/s1600/10960435_10204696024375252_6075495924766199369_o.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o1zOfJ2fqlg/VO4iCuOEIQI/AAAAAAAAB_8/vS5UOdDSBLc/s1600/10960435_10204696024375252_6075495924766199369_o.jpg" height="192" width="640" /></a><br />
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<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-72818910380094134472015-02-02T19:43:00.000-08:002015-02-02T19:44:13.659-08:00Building Howitzers for 3mm Ogre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here are some pictures of how I am using the extra gun barrels from O8´s <a href="http://www.picoarmor.com/pico-products-detail.cfm?id=264&pid=2246&p=Sci-Fi%20%283%20mm%29%20-%20Artillery&n=M92%20SPG%20%2815%20pcs%29&m=8">M92 SPG</a> to build howitzers for my 3mm Ogre set-up.<br />
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Here are the supplies and components:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IIi5aIm9ByY/VNBCczn9rbI/AAAAAAAAB_g/fZgI8hZeVO8/s1600/IMG_3205.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IIi5aIm9ByY/VNBCczn9rbI/AAAAAAAAB_g/fZgI8hZeVO8/s1600/IMG_3205.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a><br />
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A bit of pasteboard for the base. A thumbtack (pointy bit cut off and reused as a bunker antenna), eight slices of a dead credit card, a couple of plastic bits (which are glued together and filed into the right shape), some plastic tubing (for the bunker) and, of course, the extra gun barrel from the M-92.<br />
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This shows you the four howitzers in various stages of construction.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cglvlZnTWJU/VNBCOPLou3I/AAAAAAAAB_I/9f65J-tpARI/s1600/IMG_3208.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cglvlZnTWJU/VNBCOPLou3I/AAAAAAAAB_I/9f65J-tpARI/s1600/IMG_3208.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a><br />
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Here they are, all built.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KKGAHTCexzc/VNBCUGSEjmI/AAAAAAAAB_U/BcCjRcwl7IA/s1600/IMG_3209.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KKGAHTCexzc/VNBCUGSEjmI/AAAAAAAAB_U/BcCjRcwl7IA/s1600/IMG_3209.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a><br />
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Primed....<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kKnv-foZxEM/VNBCT3pbe_I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/9cd9JRZE1Ns/s1600/IMG_3246.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kKnv-foZxEM/VNBCT3pbe_I/AAAAAAAAB_Q/9cd9JRZE1Ns/s1600/IMG_3246.JPG" height="400" width="298" /></a><br />
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And painted.<br />
<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-67698627872440290372015-01-25T08:59:00.000-08:002015-01-25T08:59:40.431-08:00"Combine" Army for 3mm Ogre -- w/2 Ogres<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SpuC9AhxG9M/VMUbAQuPaEI/AAAAAAAAB9w/RsTtbWXZRSg/s1600/Combine%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SpuC9AhxG9M/VMUbAQuPaEI/AAAAAAAAB9w/RsTtbWXZRSg/s1600/Combine%2B1.JPG" height="296" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's the beginning of my "Combine" army for Ogre. Right now they are wearing Belgian rondels, because it's a good color mix. I will create some better decals in the future.<br />
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The army currently consists of two cybertanks (an Ogre Mk III and a Mk IIIb) and a company of 14 heavy tanks. Not shown are the twelve squads of Mobile Infantry that ride the tanks into battle. <br />
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The ogres are self-aware and, as such, each controls three attack drones.<br />
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I have added the drones because, as <a href="http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=132229">Henry Cobb has made everyone on SJG's "Ogre" board painfully aware</a>, the addition of LGEVS and Light Tanks into <i>Ogre</i>'s follow-on supplements subtly skewed the game against the attacking ogres. This is because the conventional armor units can "mix 'n match" their attack strengths to the Ogre's defense strengths while the ogre can't really respond in kind. <br />
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As a buff I let self-aware ogres (i.e. any ogre fighting an opponent that's allowed to draw from the full range of conventional units) to command one attack drone for evey "mark" (3 in the case of Mark IIIs and IIIbs). <br />
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Attack drones are essentially light GEVs (you could also experiment with light tanks). They are not affected by "D" results on the combat table, but must stay within five hexes of an ogre at the beginning and end of the movement phase and also at any point that the drones would engage in overrun combat. Moving your ogre first and then your dones helps you keep track of them. If a player screws up and "forgets" to keep his drone within five hexes of his ogre, it immediately goes rogue and is eliminated.<br />
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You can see the drones I have made here to accompany my ogres. They are made out of stick-pins, plastic greeblies and wire.<br />
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Here is the Mark IIIb. She is known as "Mama Spank":<br />
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Above, you can see Mama together with her Mk III consort, "Nervous George".<br />
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The conventional Heavy Tanks are <a href="http://www.picoarmor.com/pico-products-detail.cfm?id=259&pid=2153&p=Sci-Fi%20%283%20mm%29%20-%20Tank&n=Ceasarion%20MBT&m=8">O8 Caesarions</a>. <br />
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The ogres are made from the chassis of 6mm <a href="http://www.plasmablastgames.com/shop6mmMarhaf.html">Plasmablast Games Phestorm misile crawlers</a>, with added plastic towers and greeblies. The missile launchers themselves are being repurposed into 3mm planetary defense installations.<br />
<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-79732766825492651032014-12-29T07:04:00.000-08:002014-12-29T07:04:04.321-08:00Light Missile Tank and Sarissa Battle Armor for Ogre MiniaturesHere are two new units for Ogre Miniatures: the Light Missile Tank and Sarissa Battle Armor.<br />
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The Light Missile Tank was a stop-gap measure employed by the Paneuropeans during the battle
for Spain. The Pansies discovered that their infantry needed heavy
missile support just when the main factories at Stuttgart had just cycled
away from the elderly Peltast Missile Tank towards the new Ajax design.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xzxgsq7uSJw/VJAz9m_9V9I/AAAAAAAAB8Y/uw-JdUvUOX8/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xzxgsq7uSJw/VJAz9m_9V9I/AAAAAAAAB8Y/uw-JdUvUOX8/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG" height="251" width="400" /></a> <br />
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The
Psiloi was cobbled together using any chassis available (mostly
obsolete MBTs and APCs) and a "fire and forget" brilliant missile
launcher. BPC applique was bolted on to the vehicle and a rudimentary close-defence system
gave the LMSL slightly more protection than a cheap pair of jammies. Equipped with heavy-duty off-the-shelf civilian grade fusion power
packs, the Light Missile Tank also typically sported several charge ports, used to
support power armor in the field.<br />
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The "Pissies" were
extremely cheap to produce, and could be knocked together in a
matter of hours using the most basic machine tools and fabricators. Most
M.I. battalions quickly produced their own variants from whatever
material they had at hand. My particular battalion has a two-vehicle
section attached, but most Paneuropean Mobile Infantry Regiments
attempted to field at least one section per company.<br />
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The
Light Missile Tank moves as a light tank, cannot transport any infantry
and has A2, R4, D1 and M2. It's cobbled together nature, however, means
that it is eliminated by both "D" and "X" results, like an archaic
armor unit. It costs half an armor unit or 3 points to field. However,
given the quantity of self-aiming missiles it packs, it can choose to
ripple fire its entire load. This allows it to make three 2/4 attacks in
one turn. If it does this, however, the LMSL is eliminated after combat is resolved (the chassis simply can't handle the stress).<br />
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I
have never been satisfied with the MSL, considering it to be the
weakest of the conventional armor units in terms of its
cost-effectiveness: it comes out to 5.67 points using <a href="http://www.hcobb.com/gev/formcalc.html">Henry Cobb's calculator</a>,
whereas a GEV is 6 and an HVY 6.17. The LMSL is 2.5 points, but it's
one-shot multiple attack ability brings it up to a nice round 3.0
points. This is basically a disposable Heavy Weapons unit. It costs
one-third the price of a regular HVY WPN, but has less firepower,
significantly less mobility, practically no defense capacity (not to
mention no infantry weapons). Use it and lose it. It gives infantry
positions a very nice anti-GEV capability, however.<br />
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The second new unit is <a href="http://www.picoarmor.com/pico-products-detail.cfm?id=260&pid=2212&p=Sci-Fi%20%283%20mm%29%20-%20Infantry%20&%20IFV&n=Sarissa%20BR%20%2815%20pcs%29&m=8">O8's Sarissa battle robot</a>. This is quite out-of-canon for the Ogreverse, so I obviously won't be using it in anything like "purist" play.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EedmNUAv5Bg/VJBBE_2Qu1I/AAAAAAAAB8o/6Auryo19TjI/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EedmNUAv5Bg/VJBBE_2Qu1I/AAAAAAAAB8o/6Auryo19TjI/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" height="303" width="400" /></a><br />
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Heavy battle armor works like regular infantry in terms of combat and defense, but:<br />
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1) It can only combine in two point units (not three as normal).<br />
2) It defends at x2 in urban terrain (unlike regular infantry, which get x3).<br />
<br />
The
Sarissa was built to give Mobile Infantry some dedicated recon and
sniping capacity. It has A1, R3, D1, M3 per point, with two combining to
give A2, R3, D2, M3. Like all infantry units, it's doubled in overrun
and loses one point to "D" results. It costs 4 points or the equivalent
of two infantry per unit.<br />
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<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-3976475696300532432014-12-20T10:16:00.003-08:002014-12-20T10:16:33.374-08:00Paneuropean Mobile Infantry Battalion<br />
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Here's a reinforced Paneuropean Mobile Infantry Battalion. It has three
power armor companies and a support company made up of a Light Missile
Tank battery and two Light Tank troops.<br />
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Here's the same battalion, but with a Light Tank company attached in reserve as support:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4wnfHWWyivk/VJAxUDjK-NI/AAAAAAAAB8M/N_fQ_P6FMgk/s1600/IMG_0039.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4wnfHWWyivk/VJAxUDjK-NI/AAAAAAAAB8M/N_fQ_P6FMgk/s1600/IMG_0039.JPG" height="246" width="400" /></a><br />
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You might notice two new units in the battalion. One is what I call the Light Missile Tank. The other is a Sarissa heavy recon battlesuit. These units will be detailed in an up-coming post!<br />
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<br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-41503982107604727552014-12-16T06:43:00.001-08:002014-12-16T06:43:26.884-08:00First Polish Lancer GEVs in 3mm scaleHere's a GEV troop from the famous First Polish Lancers next to a U.S. quarter and a British pound. These are modified <a href="http://www.picoarmor.com/pico-products-detail.cfm?id=260&pid=2260&p=Sci-Fi%20%283%20mm%29%20-%20Infantry%20&%20IFV&n=Centaurus%20GEV%20%2815%20pcs%29&m=8">O8 Centaurus GEVs</a>.
I added a paperclip nub as a forward gun, the back jets (chunks of
plastic tubing) and a cabin extension (a piece of plastic beam):<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i5Fv86f89AI/VJBDVkKs-pI/AAAAAAAAB88/MuJ55fksLDs/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i5Fv86f89AI/VJBDVkKs-pI/AAAAAAAAB88/MuJ55fksLDs/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG" height="367" width="400" /></a></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-tq_DUxodepQ%2FVJBDSgGY-3I%2FAAAAAAAAB80%2FRCrA2Z_wiUI%2Fs1600%2FIMG_0030.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tq_DUxodepQ/VJBDSgGY-3I/AAAAAAAAB80/RCrA2Z_wiUI/s1600/IMG_0030.JPG" -->Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-40535494457848900712014-12-07T07:44:00.001-08:002014-12-07T07:45:55.496-08:003mm Ogre Miniatures: it beginsWhile up in Puerto Rico for the 2014 National Women's Studies Conference, I picked up some of O8's new sci-fi figs (tip o' the hat to Gregory Mitchell for bringing them down to the conference!). <br />
<br />
My goal here is to paint "black" and "white" armies for <i>Ogre Miniatures</i> - as close to the old classic game and paint schemes as I can come - yet still be able to use these figs, at a pinch, in other sci-fi settings (most particularly my on-going Smade's World campaign). The "Combine" figures are thus white with red trimmings while the "Paneuropeans" are my standard blue-grey. I gave the Combine Polish Roundels and the Paneuros Belgian roundels. Hopefully, I will be able to switch these out with home-made decals at some point in the future.<br />
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O8 now has some smashing stuff that can <a href="http://leadnobleed.blogspot.com.br/2014/07/3mm-ogre-miniatures.html">easily stand in for Ogre figures</a>. Having bought a bunch of it, I've now set about kit-bashing to make everything as close to Ogre as possible. <br />
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So here's the new O8 Centaurus hovercraft, kit-bashed to look like a GEV...<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xDxU1tVIZEY/VIRul6mOzcI/AAAAAAAAB5c/ZbXSl0Uhh3w/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xDxU1tVIZEY/VIRul6mOzcI/AAAAAAAAB5c/ZbXSl0Uhh3w/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" height="263" width="320" /></a></div>
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The casting is a little too long and lightly-armed to be a straight-up <i>Ogre</i> GEV (although it's damned near perfect for the GEV-PC). I bulked it up a bit by adding a cabin extension made out of a chunk of plastic beam. I also gave it a nubbin of paperclip as a bow gun and two snips of plastic dowel for its jet engines. It now looks pretty spot-on, IMHO.<br />
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The GEV-PC version has no gun or cabin extension, but a boar-brustle hold bar was mounted running from the cockpit to the back fan and the back fan was raised a bit via a square of plasticard.<br />
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The two are now easily identifiable at arm's length.<br />
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This is a tank and it's a bit of a heartbreaker for me. As is, it looks just like a Combine Heavy Tank. Almost perfect in that respect <i>except </i>that it's one of the smaller tanks made by O8. The GEV and MSL dwarf it! This is a pity, because I think it's lovely as a Heavy.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QGVootEqJV0/VIRwyqlRp2I/AAAAAAAAB6A/DZCNTGAIoQM/s1600/IMG_0019.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QGVootEqJV0/VIRwyqlRp2I/AAAAAAAAB6A/DZCNTGAIoQM/s1600/IMG_0019.JPG" height="219" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rwfwU9alXgA/VIRwzF8GjeI/AAAAAAAAB6M/Q6LQfi5cO3U/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rwfwU9alXgA/VIRwzF8GjeI/AAAAAAAAB6M/Q6LQfi5cO3U/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" height="230" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AbhGK8x4oQI/VIRwyvw4d2I/AAAAAAAAB6E/5KEMoNvDTdc/s1600/IMG_0014.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AbhGK8x4oQI/VIRwyvw4d2I/AAAAAAAAB6E/5KEMoNvDTdc/s1600/IMG_0014.JPG" height="320" width="282" /></a><br />
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Maybe someday O8 will do the other <i>Aliens</i> tank from <i>The Colonial Marine Technical Manual</i>. It has the same general design, but is much more high-tech and, presumably, larger. If they do that, then said vehicle will become my Heavy. Until then, the Caesarion will have to do, as it's about half again the size of this baby. This vehicle will be relegated to being a Light Tank (I don't like the original <i>Ogre</i> designs for these, anyhow). It's still very nice looking!<br />
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Here're the Mobile Howitzer and the Howitzer. The MHWZR is a straigh-up O8 casting. It comes with an alternative barrel, however. I used those and a bit of plasticard, a thumbtack and a bead to scratch-build the HWZR, which I think looks quite nice.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CAZ7h777Nz8/VIRxa8LHnaI/AAAAAAAAB6g/BCp7m9wgKVk/s1600/IMG_0021.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CAZ7h777Nz8/VIRxa8LHnaI/AAAAAAAAB6g/BCp7m9wgKVk/s1600/IMG_0021.JPG" height="289" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--jyaOrCBXpw/VIRxaGbtxXI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/vzmgEv2ozyQ/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--jyaOrCBXpw/VIRxaGbtxXI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/vzmgEv2ozyQ/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" height="234" width="320" /></a><br />
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Here is my newest Mark III Ogre build. Its chassis is a <a href="http://www.plasmablastgames.com/shop6mmMarhaf.html">Marhaf Legion Phrestorm support tanke from Plasmablast Games</a>. Its superstructure is built from pins and plasticard:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QhljUnqxoAU/VIRyjeXBUuI/AAAAAAAAB60/t-SGROKw1GQ/s1600/IMG_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QhljUnqxoAU/VIRyjeXBUuI/AAAAAAAAB60/t-SGROKw1GQ/s1600/IMG_0028.JPG" height="267" width="320" /></a></div>
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Last but not least, the infantry. I am basing these as four castings on a 12mm x 12mm stand and two castings on a 6x12mm stand. This makes for a "platoon" of six castings on a 20 x 12mm base, with "change" being able to be easily made. I will also base some 10 platoons, per army, on full bases, just to make life easier in smaller scenarios.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bm3M9LJgbYw/VIRzUlOtiiI/AAAAAAAAB7A/f_R__BP03oU/s1600/IMG_0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bm3M9LJgbYw/VIRzUlOtiiI/AAAAAAAAB7A/f_R__BP03oU/s1600/IMG_0022.JPG" height="285" width="320" /></a></div>
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And finally, here are some group and comparison shots. You can see the Missile Tank and GEV-PC in these<span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: blue;">. <span style="color: black;">The Ogre is a tad small, but not too bad: canon Mark IIIs are 58 feet long and mine is slightly over 50. People are accustomed to thinking of Ogres as amazingly huge, but the Mark III is only really about twice as long as an Abrams M1. "Only"...</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dvLYlcM4juM/VIRzymiL9BI/AAAAAAAAB7o/783tHptO1No/s1600/IMG_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dvLYlcM4juM/VIRzymiL9BI/AAAAAAAAB7o/783tHptO1No/s1600/IMG_0027.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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That last shot shows a company of Light Tanks being chased by the Mk III. This is the only unit I've got painted up for now.More pics next week, though, God willin' an'the creek don' rise!Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-90036188701713397142014-11-09T07:06:00.001-08:002014-11-09T07:06:53.429-08:003mm GEV Armored Task Force and Anti-Grav Armored Battalion, by The National Cheese Emporium (Shapeways)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://leadnobleed.blogspot.com.br/2014/11/3mm-wheeled-combat-team-by-national.html">As I mentioned last week</a>, I received a package from Andreas Udby, AKA “Javelin98”,
proprietor of <a href="http://www.shapeways.com/shops/javelin98">The National Cheese Emporium shop on Shapeways </a>in mid-May. In it
was a nice selection of Andreas’ 3mm science-fiction stuff, which I have
finally gotten around to painting up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As I
also explained last week, TNCE’s stuff varies wildly in quality. Andreas’ began
making figures years ago in 1/900 scale for Ogre Miniatures players. When
<a href="http://www.picoarmor.com/pico-products.cfm?id=259&m=8&p=Sci-Fi%20%283%20mm%29%20-%20Tank">Oddzial Osmy’s 3mm (1/600) stuff </a>started becoming popular, he re-sized some of
his production and started in on new lines. As the years have gone by, his 3D
sculpting skills have drastically improved. So you can kinda say Andreas has
sort of a “the good, the bad, and the ugly” dynamic going on.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y6mP-6Gr1kE/VF-BMaCr-QI/AAAAAAAAB38/RC6oinTNkbI/s1600/IMG_2875.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y6mP-6Gr1kE/VF-BMaCr-QI/AAAAAAAAB38/RC6oinTNkbI/s1600/IMG_2875.JPG" height="350" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Last week,
I presented the vehicles of TNCE’s Wheeled Taskforce, which I found to be quite
good. These, of course, are a relatively recent sculpt. I thus decided to do
some “ugly” vehicles this week: the <a href="http://www.shapeways.com/model/822248/3mm-1-600-gev-armored-task-force-56-pcs.html?materialId=60">hover</a> and <a href="http://www.shapeways.com/model/716992/3mm-1-600-anti-grav-armor-battalion-49-pcs.html?materialId=60">grav</a> task forces.<br /></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QxqW-bPo1KY/VF-BpMdEbjI/AAAAAAAAB5E/ykJCF79QwXE/s1600/Grav%2Btf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QxqW-bPo1KY/VF-BpMdEbjI/AAAAAAAAB5E/ykJCF79QwXE/s1600/Grav%2Btf.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">These are “more recent”
sculpts: not as nice as Andreas’ newest stuff, but not as basic as the re-sized
1/900 line. I do not like these sculpts, but I must say, the hover
vehicles <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ended up looking much better
than I thought once they were painted! I am still not into the grav vehicles,
however.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
<br />
Lets take a look…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y6mP-6Gr1kE/VF-BMaCr-QI/AAAAAAAAB38/RC6oinTNkbI/s1600/IMG_2875.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3tYGax0Z2ug/VF-BLbNMi8I/AAAAAAAAB30/xkIFc59uy6w/s1600/IMG_2881.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3tYGax0Z2ug/VF-BLbNMi8I/AAAAAAAAB30/xkIFc59uy6w/s1600/IMG_2881.JPG" height="160" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z_ITNO0UIXI/VF-BNZga7dI/AAAAAAAAB4E/VsrFC4ayo5U/s1600/IMG_2882.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z_ITNO0UIXI/VF-BNZga7dI/AAAAAAAAB4E/VsrFC4ayo5U/s1600/IMG_2882.JPG" height="340" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvMaA3UqU8g/VF-BP2MMtXI/AAAAAAAAB4U/ptFTyRBdCPY/s1600/IMG_2885.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvMaA3UqU8g/VF-BP2MMtXI/AAAAAAAAB4U/ptFTyRBdCPY/s1600/IMG_2885.JPG" height="572" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J1wS3LFT_Jk/VF-BTOOb5iI/AAAAAAAAB4c/5pcUigiJlMA/s1600/IMG_2886.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J1wS3LFT_Jk/VF-BTOOb5iI/AAAAAAAAB4c/5pcUigiJlMA/s1600/IMG_2886.JPG" height="432" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ozy2aJYBD5U/VF-BTdxNdQI/AAAAAAAAB4g/Re_xFI6FLSA/s1600/IMG_2887.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ozy2aJYBD5U/VF-BTdxNdQI/AAAAAAAAB4g/Re_xFI6FLSA/s1600/IMG_2887.JPG" height="578" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The hover
vehicles are obviously inspired by<a href="http://david-drake.com/topic/04-hammers-slammers/hammers-slammers-fiction/"> David Drake’s Hammer’s Slammers series</a>, so I
painted them up as if they were from that universe. I think the silver paint
scheme turned out quite nicely! I am not so sure about the grav vehicles,
however. I wanted to go for a US Air Force basic gray paint job. It doesn’t seem
to have worked as well as the silver scheme and that might be one of the problems <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>with these vehicles.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The main
problem with both lines, however, is that I think they are too small for 1/600
scale. <br /><br />Here we see the hover tank and grav IFV models in relation to an O8 Caesarion (from that company's sci-fi
line) and a TNCE wheeled AFV. See the difference? It is particularly noticeable
in the grav vehicle. These figures need to be at least 25% larger, in <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>my opinion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M_L1sjelrCQ/VF-BUwZCMTI/AAAAAAAAB4s/VpNICdd9GV8/s1600/IMG_2889.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M_L1sjelrCQ/VF-BUwZCMTI/AAAAAAAAB4s/VpNICdd9GV8/s1600/IMG_2889.JPG" height="410" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">To top it
all off, the packs have the same problem as the earlier vehicles I reviewed:
they come in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a pre-established mix and you can't buy the sculpts you want seperately. This
is particularly problematic for the hover line. O8 has also produced some
(much superior, IMHO) hover tanks based on the Hammers’ franchise, but they stopped
expanding the line, apparently due to fears that they were infringing on <a href="http://www.hammers-slammers.com/home.htm">John Treadaway’slicense for HS miniatures</a>. We thus only have the blower and combat car for that
line. It would be nice to get artillery, command cars and maybe some other
vehicles and TNCE’s figs could fill that niche… if we could actually buy only
the figures that we need. As it is, we have to buy the whole selection at 3-4
times the O8 price.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--hAaZBiDNtY/VF-BVYM5zbI/AAAAAAAAB4w/uxsCBoKTE4A/s1600/hover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--hAaZBiDNtY/VF-BVYM5zbI/AAAAAAAAB4w/uxsCBoKTE4A/s1600/hover.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><i>O8 hover tank.</i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
TNCE’s combat car is particularly bad in my opinion. I’ve stuck one of O8’s
Heavy Infantry troopers in there, just so we can see how it scales. Not very
well, as it turns out. There’s barely room for two troopers in the back, let
alone the canonical three. And where is the driver and engine on this
bloody thing?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--bmOScKUGmM/VF-BNzLZwAI/AAAAAAAAB4I/bMlOaFa9bE8/s1600/IMG_2883.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--bmOScKUGmM/VF-BNzLZwAI/AAAAAAAAB4I/bMlOaFa9bE8/s1600/IMG_2883.JPG" height="620" width="640" /></a><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><i>TNCE combat car with O8 heavy trooper in back</i><br /> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This brings up another point: far too many GEV-style futuristic tanks - from almost all the companies producing them - don’t make adequate space provisions for the vehicle’s drive train. Many
manufactures seem to think that the way to model an air-cushion vehicle is to
chop off the treads and stick on a ground effect skirt. GEVs, however, need air
intakes and enough space UNDER that skirt for fans or jets or what not, not to mention what needs to be a pretty robust powerpack. They
thus shouldn’t be lower to the ground than treaded or wheeled vehicles. TCNE dosn't sin particularly worse than other manufacturers here, but it's still annoying.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My grades
for these vehicles are: B- for the hover combat team and C for the grav combat
team. Resizing the hover vehicles and making their mix geared to the kinds of models we can’t get from O8 would raise that team’s grade to a B+ for me.
Resculpting them slightly to let them fit in better with O8’s vehicles (i.e.
higher chassis and add intake fans) would move them into the A range.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The grav
vehicles, however, aren’t worth redoing, most particularly because TNCE has
recently sculpted two far better grav lines, so why waste your money here?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
We will look at those new grav lines in a future installment!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M_L1sjelrCQ/VF-BUwZCMTI/AAAAAAAAB4s/VpNICdd9GV8/s1600/IMG_2889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6vsESZ0DKvU/VF-BVeBvcZI/AAAAAAAAB40/6DxhJKmRjwE/s1600/hover%2Btf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--hAaZBiDNtY/VF-BVYM5zbI/AAAAAAAAB4w/uxsCBoKTE4A/s1600/hover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-13811814475350981032014-11-01T11:19:00.000-07:002014-11-01T11:30:14.998-07:003mm Wheeled Combat Team, by National Cheese Emporium (Shapeways)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Just before
the World Cup began in June, I received a nice little present in the mail from
Andreas Udby, AKA “Javelin98”, the proprietor and head bottle-washer of the <a href="http://www.shapeways.com/model/931607/3mm-1-600-wheeled-combat-team-59-pcs.html?materialId=60">NationalCheese Emporium store on the Shapeways 3D printshop</a>.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Andreas has
been producing 1/900 and 1/600 (3mm) science fiction vehicles on Shapeways for
several years now. He wanted me to take a closer look at his efforts and paint
some of them up. I agreed, because I’ve been fascinated by Andreas’ work for a
long time, but have never had the opportunity to see the models up close. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Well, real
life got in the way, what with the<a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-world-cup-of-dirty-dreams-inside-brazils-most-infamous-brothel-20140626"> Prostitution Observatory’s World Cup project</a> and all. What little time I had to paint was dedicated to my <a href="http://leadnobleed.blogspot.com.br/2014/10/the-hapsburg-army-expands.html">3mm Napoleonicsarmies</a>. I recently finished most of those, however, so now I’m finally taking
the time to paint up Andreas’ creations. This is the first installment of a
series of reviews of the National Cheese Emporium’s sci-fi lines. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The first
thing to note is that Andreas has been producing since shortly after Shapeways
went on line. His initial offering were thus quite crude in comparison to the
little gems he’s now producing. He sent me a complete selection of his work,
however, so we get to see everything: the good, the bad and the ugly.<br />
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I decided to start off with what I considered to be a middle-of-the-road offering:
the vehicles that make up the Wheeled Combat Team. All of the NCE’s offerings come
in ready-made unit mixes. This is good and bad: good, because if you like their
mix, you need only buy one pack and Bob’s yer uncle. Bad, because if you want a
specific unit type, you can’t buy it separately. So if I wanted, say, 12 extra
scout vehicles (and I do), I need to buy two of the full 59 vehicle Combat
Teams. When combined with Shapeway’s spiraling prices, this can be a problem.<br />
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Another problem is that, obviously, all of these figs are plastic. Andreas sent
me a selection of different plastics and, I must say, the “white flexible
material” – which is Shapeway’s default printing medium, makes vehicles this
size look like bits of chewed bubblegum. Most of what I received, however, is
in “white detail” or “frosted ultra-detail” printing medium, and this is perfectly
fine material for these models. Unfortunately, again, these mediums spike the
cost of the figures.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d0jaseVAafI/VFUjEssDy9I/AAAAAAAAB2w/1RLHBOT4j6M/s1600/625x465_931607_842354_1362022885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d0jaseVAafI/VFUjEssDy9I/AAAAAAAAB2w/1RLHBOT4j6M/s1600/625x465_931607_842354_1362022885.jpg" height="476" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <i>The Wheeled Combat Team's mix of vehicles.</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I was
initially not very impressed with the Wheeled Combat Team models but, as I painted
them up, I grew to love them. These are some quite spiffy little figures! There
are nine different models in the pack, allowing you to form an armored infantry
and light armored company, backed up by MRL and artillery batteries, anti-tank
missile carriers, scouts, AAA and engineers. For some reason, I received TEN different
models, the excess one being a variant anti-aircraft vehicle. The correct AAA
vehicle, which I also received, came to me with one of its missile pods snapped
off and missing. This highlights another danger with Shapeway's materials: they are more
fragile than metal. They stand up well to regular use, but longer, thinner
pieces (like gun barrels) can snap off. At this scale, however, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that’s pretty much par for the course for any
casting material. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Anyhow, the
figs are clean and well-detailed, though not as detailed as <a href="http://www.picoarmor.com/pico-products.cfm?id=260&m=8&p=Sci-Fi%20%283%20mm%29%20-%20Infantry%20&%20IFV">Oddzial Army’sscience fiction vehicles</a>. This is actually a good thing, as it gives the models
cleaner and more “futuristic” lines.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The best of
the lot, to my mind, is the wheeled APC. You receive twelve of these in the
pack and I wish I could get more of them! This is quite an attractive vehicle,
which scales perfectly with O8’s offerings. The scout car seems a tad small,
but is quite cute and it's not noticeably out of place when set next to the other
vehicles. The mobile artillery carrier is also very attractive.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The light
tank suffers a tad from having too low a turret, which is a problem with
several of the NCE’s figures, to my mind. The gun is right on top of the bottom
hull and it just looks strange if you really peer at it for awhile. It’s still a fine
model, however, and is quite nice when set with the other figs on the table.<br />
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I’m not a big fan of the engineering and command vehicles, but these vehicles
tend to be ugly in real life, so it’s hard to see how they could be prettied up
here. The missile carriers are fine, but I prefer the alternative AAA vehicle
to the one that normally comes with the pack.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Here you
can see the figures. Unfortunately, my camera isn’t the best. They are much nicer
in real life! </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aj8tyGWQRCU/VFUgtf-3_LI/AAAAAAAAB2c/QC3Ibs-l8Zw/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aj8tyGWQRCU/VFUgtf-3_LI/AAAAAAAAB2c/QC3Ibs-l8Zw/s1600/1.JPG" height="332" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>The ten models in the pack, from left to right: MRL, HQ vehicle, AAA 1, Engineering vehicle</i>, <i>mobile artillery, APC, AAA 2, AT missile carrier, light tank, scout vehicle.</i> </div>
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<i>The APC, Light Tank and Scout Car. An O8 "heavy infantry" model from that company's SF line is in front of the APC. Note that the heavy infantry is 4mm tall - noticebly brawnier and more armored than the company's 3mm regular infantry</i>. <i>Warsaw Pact or NATO infantry scale perfectly with these models.</i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nAks8v2deiQ/VFUgrs4HGsI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/WU6adb3cAmU/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nAks8v2deiQ/VFUgrs4HGsI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/WU6adb3cAmU/s1600/3.JPG" height="438" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>The PC and Light Tank set next to comparable O8 figures: Warsaw Pact infantry, the M577 SF APC, a Leopard II, a Polish APC and the Caesarion SF MBT. Perfectly compatable!</i> </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qLwhqEMBspg/VFUgvH2F2BI/AAAAAAAAB2k/qfROHFInHSg/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qLwhqEMBspg/VFUgvH2F2BI/AAAAAAAAB2k/qfROHFInHSg/s1600/4.JPG" height="364" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <i> Close ups of the AT Missile Carrier, the APC, the Light Tank and the Scout Car.</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Bottom
line: at 45 USD for 59 models, this pack costs you two and a half times what a
similar number of vehicles from O8 would cost. Still, these are quite nice!
Also nice is the fact that you get nine separate types of models. When you take
that into account, the difference between NCE and O8 isn’t quite as extreme as
(depending on packaging) a similar selection of O8 models would cost around
30-36 USD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The big problem here is that
you’re locked into NCE’s unit selection. Want another company of APCs to go
with the one you get in the Combat Team? Tough luck: you need to spend another
45 bucks and buy everything once again. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">That said,
I think I’m going to get a Wheeled Combat Team for myself, ASAP. The figs are
just too nice and there really is not much like them on the market, as yet!<br />
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So, my grade for the Wheeled Combat Team: B+. Getting these figs available in separate
model packs would up that to A-, however. You can buy these with a clear
conscience, knowing they’ll fit in well with everything you have!</span><br />
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Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784390992211969614.post-91557607577368614532014-10-26T07:39:00.000-07:002014-10-26T07:39:43.255-07:00The Hapsburg Army ExpandsHere are some photos of my 3mm Austrian Empire forces for <a href="http://www.warlordgames.com/black-powder/">Black Powder</a>. All of the figures are by Oddzial Osmy, of course, bought through <a href="http://www.picoarmor.com/pico-products.cfm?id=239&p=Napoleonics">Pico Armor </a>in the U.S.<br />
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New here are three battalions of Hungarian troops, two more batteries of artillery and four squadrons of hussars to go with the five battalions of infantry and one battery that I<a href="http://leadnobleed.blogspot.com.br/2014/09/first-austrian-brigade-for-black-powder.html"> have previously painted up</a>.<br />
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The Austrians will eventually get another three battalions of infantry, six squadrons of chevauxlegers, four squadrons of cuirassiers, and two battalions of grenadiers, as well as a regiment of Grenzers and a jaeger battalion. The light infantry is already on the painting table.<br />
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The entire army, as it is so far.<br /><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yc4WvlJlfEA/VE0FsZrwBOI/AAAAAAAAB1s/dZF_udSEoLU/s1600/IMG_2829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yc4WvlJlfEA/VE0FsZrwBOI/AAAAAAAAB1s/dZF_udSEoLU/s1600/IMG_2829.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
The Hungarians! Note that the labels aren't correct at this point: they're just added in to give me an idea of what they will look like in terms of color and composition. <br /><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Q6tBiznu18/VE0Fn5pHucI/AAAAAAAAB1c/FlQrBLPfIFA/s1600/IMG_2830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Q6tBiznu18/VE0Fn5pHucI/AAAAAAAAB1c/FlQrBLPfIFA/s1600/IMG_2830.JPG" height="336" width="640" /></a></div>
Hussars! These guys were actually pretty fun to paint, as I will show below.... <br /><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C8jf7j4nkQ0/VE0Fu9KNHHI/AAAAAAAAB10/KX4gJ58Q0Xg/s1600/IMG_2831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C8jf7j4nkQ0/VE0Fu9KNHHI/AAAAAAAAB10/KX4gJ58Q0Xg/s1600/IMG_2831.JPG" height="336" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_P0XFq3boU8/VE0HUEfbr7I/AAAAAAAAB18/JX1YK3RlSC4/s1600/IMG_2815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_P0XFq3boU8/VE0HUEfbr7I/AAAAAAAAB18/JX1YK3RlSC4/s1600/IMG_2815.JPG" height="104" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Finally, here's how I painted the hussars. Going from right to left, you can see the application of each individual color, in fourteen individual stages.<br /><br />Thaddeus Gregory Blanchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359423010378429288noreply@blogger.com4