28mm Terrain - Tires, Objectives & Sandbags

I am always on the lookout for more 28mm terrain for my games to use as cover, objectives or for scenic purposes.  I bought these pieces at Historicon 2017.  They are all by Acheson Creations, who have a variety of well-priced resin terrain and buildings for many different eras.  For example, all of my dark age buildings (April 2016 post) are by Acheson.  I picked these out of a box with lots of small pieces; they were only $1 each.

I washed them in the dishwasher to remove the mold residue, then primed them with Wal-Mart spray paint, black for the tires, white for the others.  I gave them a quick wash of black or white to cover any areas that the spray didn't fully cover.  They painted up very quickly.  The tire stacks got a dark gray drybrush.  The sandbags were painted with Howard Hues Colonial Khaki, then a drybrush of Howard Hues WWI Russian Uniform.  The weapons got various shades of gray, khaki and olive.  All sealed with 2 coats of Testors Dullcote.

 A 28mm miniature from my last post is included for scale.

Three identical stacks of tires.  Useful as cover from enemies or zombie hordes.

A small fortified position, sandbags backed by a wooden frame.  Perhaps a checkpoint outside a camp of surviviors.

The weapons caches will be used as objective markers in my Post-Apoc games.

Thanks for looking!
Jason

28mm Post-Apocalypse Mercenaries

Most of my 28mm post-apocalypse miniatures are organized as factions.  I have collected a few miscellaneous figures that can be used in games as mercenaries, NPCs, etc.  My favorite P-A game system, Across the Dead Earth, allows factions to hire mercenaries for use in games.  It can be found at https://www.deadearth.co.uk/

(l-r) Ayesha & Nisha, both from Dead Earth Games.  They are a deadly pair of sisters wandering post-apocalypse Britain.  They have some nice details and were fun to paint.

(l-r) Crimson, another mercenary from Dear Earth Games.  She was offered as a Kickstarter reward during the original game launch back in 2014.  I like the leather jacket.  The fellow on the right is from Project Zeke Miniatures, a British company that had a small line of P-A miniatures and scenery.  They were the source of my wrecked cars (2015 post).  Unfortunately they stopped trading in 2016.  These 2 were painted in 2015.

These 2 are also from Project Zeke Miniatures.  The one on the right was listed in their catalog as Eddie and has a biker look to him; I painted it in 2015.  The one on the left looks very similar and was listed as Young Eddie, presumably a younger version or relative.  I bought it from Grekwood Miniatures in 2016 and painted it in September 2017. 

Thanks for looking!
Jason

Fall Doldrums & A Return to Painting

So after a lot of painting in September I came to a sudden halt.  I had no desire or energy for any hobby activities for almost 2 months.  In the middle of November I started trying to get myself going again.  I checked out some history books from the local library and read a few gaming magazines.  As Thanksgiving approached, I started looking at the sales offered by different companies.  Over the next few days I ended up ordering 2 4-point SAGA armies from Footsore (Irish & Romano-British), a MDF secret base and a couple miniatures from Crooked Dice, 9 miniatures from Hasslefree, and some stuff from Litko.

Litko won the postal race, arriving in 2 days.  Below are the contents of my package: a magnetic sheet I use in my storage boxes, some steel base bottoms and 4 bottles of Army Painter paint.

Afterwards I finished placing my orders, I got out a few figures and cleaned , assembled, based and primed them.  From the left are a mad scientist in a wheelchair (Black Cat), 2 Failed Experiments (Crooked Dice), a large Zombie/Mutant (Warlord), 2 modern adventurers and a martial artist (Hasslefree). 

Since this photo, I have painted the bases and started on the metal, hair and skin.  I hope I am back on track.  I am interested in hearing how you beat the wargaming doldrums.

28mm Vikings

Today's post features my 28mm Vikings.  I painted them for use with the SAGA rules.  In addition to the Vikings, I have Anglo-Danes, Normans, Scots (my favorite) and Crusaders.  Only the Anglo-Danes have been posted to this blog, along with some buildings.  I intend to document the others over the next few months.

Sadly I no longer have any local opponents, so I only play at conventions.  It is one of my favorite games over the last 5 years, I painted my first army (Scots) in late 2012.  There was a recent announcement that a 2nd edition will be released in 2018, I am interested to see what changes will be made.

I have 7 points of Vikings, games are usually played with 6 points so having an extra unit gives some flexibility.  My army consists of:
1 Warlord (free)
3 units of  4 Hirdmen (3 points of Hearthguard)
1 unit of 4 Berserkers (1 point of Berserkers)
2 units of 8 Lesser Hirdmen (2 points of Warriors)
1 unit of 12 Thralls (1 point of Levies with bow)

Most of the miniatures are from Wargames Foundry.  There are 1-2 Hirdmen by Crusader and one Old Glory model in the Lesser Hird.  The bowmen are Old Glory except for 2 which are from Foundry.  I use the same 12 bowmen in my Saga Anglo-Danes.

The shields are mostly Little Big Men Studios transfers with a few hand-painted ones.  You can spot those by looking for the simpler ones.

I chose this model to be the warlord in large part due to the helmet.  He just looks like a leader.  I have chosen to base my Vikings in Orkney, there were several renowned Jarls that ruled there such as Sigurd the Stout (980-1014 AD) and Thorfinn the Mighty (1014-1065 AD).  It doesn't make any difference in game terms but does make it more interesting for me.

The 1st unit of 4 Hirdmen.  The one on the right is by Crusader (available from North Star).

 

The 2nd unit of 4 Hirdmen .

 

Just to break up the Hirdmen, here are 4 Berserkers.  These Foundry models have a lot of character.

 

The 3rd unit of 4 Hirdmen.

 

The 1st unit of 8 Lesser Hirdmen.  This group has one of my favorite models.  The center axeman with the wolf pelt and large belly immediately made me imagine a retired berserker who tells his companions stories around the campfire about how in his day the loot was better and the battles more blood-soaked.  The one in the back row wearing leather armor is by Old Glory, the rest are Foundry.

 

The 2nd unit of 8 Lesser Hirdmen.

 

12 Thralls armed with bows.  The 2 wearing mail are from Foundry, the other 10 are by Old Glory.

 

Shieldwall!  Jarl Thorfinn takes his rightful place at the center of the line.

As a side note, I have another Viking army for sale  (7 points, same units) that I painted alongside this one.  I separated them out during painting so there were no duplicate models.  I will dig them out and take some pictures soon, it has never been used and is yearning for battle.  Drop me a line if you are interested.

Thanks for looking,
Jason

28mm Doctors Who? & Companions

The return of Doctor Who to television in 2005 after a long absence gave an impetus to wargames set in the Doctor Who universe.  Harlequin made one called Doctor Who: Invasion Earth in the 1980s, which may still be available from Black Tree Design.  In the 2000s the Doctor Who Miniatures Game appeared.  Several companies produced miniatures that could be used alongside the old Harlequin/Black Tree range.  Below are some of the new-era Doctors and their companions.

The 2005 season featured the 9th Doctor (Heresy Miniatures, listed as 'Malcolm Ecclescake') and Rose Tyler (Crooked Dice).  The Doctor's arms came as separate pieces.  These are good representations of Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper.  Neither model is currently available.

Rose again (CD), the 10th Doctor (Heresy, listed as 'Dr. Hugh McCrimmon'), and Mickey Smith (from the Copplestone Future Wars range).  This is Mickey when he returns in the episodes 'Army of Ghosts' & 'Doomsday' from an alternate dimension.  The CD and Heresy models are no longer available, which is unfortunate because this is a perfect model of David Tennant as the Doctor.  There was another version of the 10th Doctor without his coat but I don’t have that one.

Three companions from the 10th Doctor's era: Martha Jones, Captain Jack Harkness (also starring in the spin-off 'Torchwood') & Donna Noble.  Originally available singly or as a 3-figure set from Crooked Dice, none of these are available any longer.  I think they capture the look of the characters, although Martha's facial features seem a bit off to me.

  

The 11th Doctor in the center, with companions Amy Pond (l) and Rory (r, as a Roman Centurion from episode 'The Pandorica Opens'); all made by Heresy Miniatures and nice figures.  The Amy model is still available as ‘A Girl In Some Clothes’.  The Doctor and Rory models are no longer available.  Rory was listed under the name ‘Arturus, Sci-fi Roman’ and the Doctor as 'Nerdlord'.  There was another 11th Doctor model by Heresy with his hands behind his back.

If you're wondering where the 8th, 12th and War Doctors are, I do have them but they are as yet unphotographed.  Look for them in a future post, though I think it will be the villains' turn next time.

Thanks for looking!
Jason

Various Purchases

Since I neglected to post anything for the first 7 months of the year, some wargaming things I bought slipped by, so I thought I'd make a quick catchup post covering purchases from Crooked Dice, Black Tree Designs, Brother Vinni & Warlord.

A bunch of stuff from Crooked Dice.  Upper left are 2 minions, one throwing a grenade and one dog handler with dog.  Lower left are a set of 6 Criminals.  Upper right are assorted villains (l-r): Sinister Mystic, Jack-Booted sadist, Double Agent and Inhuman Servitor.  Bottom tight are 3 soldiers: Corporal, explosives expert and marksman.

CD also carries resin vehicles and terrain.  Below are 2 Landrovers and assorted ammo crates and cargo boxes.  In this picture the Landrovers have been primed gray.

I also picked up a CD Giant Ape.  It is an imposing model, shown below with a Landrover and Black Tree 25mm model for scale.  The right arm and face are separate pieces.  This is currently on my painting table waiting for attention.

The facial features are terrific!

Three of Black Tree Design's old Doctor Who range (l-r): 1st Doctor, 7th Doctor with Dalek Jammer & Ace.

After buying the This is Not a Test post-apocalypse rules last year, I noticed several mentions of players using miniatures from a company I had not heard of by the name of Brother Vinni :

http://www.brother-vinni.com/index_eng.htm

They had a sale late in 2016 and I ordered a variety of models, all cast in resin.  I have bought vehicles and large creatures in resin before, but never regular 28mm figures so I was interested in trying them out.  The package arrived quickly from Bratislava, Slovakia.  They all required assembly, mainly attaching the arms, though most of them had well fitting joints and required little to no pinning.  The detail is fantastic, especially the faces.  

A set of 3 Post-Apoc Citizens.  The mutants and raiders need someone to attack, don't they?

 A Tech-Wizard.  I will use him in my TNT Preservers.

Postapoc Ogre armed with a large hammer.  To be used as a large mutant.

5 Vikings for use in SAGA: 4 shieldmaidens and Ragnar (from the Vikings tv show) in the top right.  these are the only ones I have painted to date and I am very pleased with the results.  I haven't been in the mood to paint any of my post-apocalypse stuff for a while but may get back to it later in 2017.

A set of 5 Female Troopers.  More defenders for the local settlement.

A tricycle bot which I have not put together yet. If I can ever get all the parts glued together I am sure it will look great.

Warlord has e-mailed me several $15 off coupons in the last year, though I didn't use any of them.  The most recent one in June coincided with a sale of 50% off individual plastic sprues, so I took advantage of it and ordered a few at $5-6 each.  They are the old Wargames Factory line that Warlord bought and now sell for their Project Z game.  I don't play that game, but they will come in handy to add a few models to my forces and to convert weapons.

A sprue of 10 Male Apocalypse Survivors on the left, a sprue of 10 Female Survivors on the right, and assorted weapons on the top.

Eleven Male Zombies on the left and 11 Female Zombies on the right.  These are actually the only zombies I own.  The large Zombie Beast at the top will be used for a mutant.

The 2 Biker Gang sprues Warlord sells.  I have wanted a biker faction for Across the Dead Earth for some time, so these will fill that role.  The one on the left has a motorcycle and 2 riders; the one on the right has 6 bikers and 2 motorcycles.  I have read that these were designed by Wargames Factory but never released.

Thanks for looking!

Jason