Marauders & Wanderers

 

Most of my time in September and October was spent painting an Early Saxon army for Saga.  I did sneak in a batch of post-apocalypse minis to take a short break from the Saxons.

The Marauders are from Battle Valor Games at http://www.battlevalorgames.com/index.aspx

They make 15mm Fantasy and 28mm Sci-fi, Pulp & Fantasy.  Most or all of the 28mm were originally made by Sgt Major Miniatures which went out of business in the mid 2010s.  I had seen their ranges at US conventions but hadn't bought any, though my friend Mike had some.  In June 2020 I found out from Mike that Battle Valor were bringing these ranges back and I ordered a few packs during their introductory sale.  I received them shortly thereafter.

The Battle Valor minis are well-sculpted with minimal flash.  On the chunky side of 28mm, with lots of gear; just how I picture they would look wandering through the wasteland.  I enjoyed painting them.  I have another pack of Waste Marauders with more significant mutations, along with some apes that I will get to someday.  They have some interesting packs including cultists and various armed religious groups.

As I was writing this post I received an email from Battle Valor about their Christmas Sale: 30% off through 16 December.

When I was prepping the marauders, I also got out 4 miniatures from the 2019 Aftermath kickstarter.  They are now on sale at https://puttymonkey.com/shop/ols/all  I never played the Aftermath RPG back in the 1980s, my group preferred Gamma World.  They have clean lines, no flash and good details.  They also make another human survivor (that I didn't get) and giant mutated rats (waiting in the lead pile).

When painting this batch, I tested out my GW contrast paints on non-zombies for the first time.  I also used my normal paints.  I wanted to try a different method for flesh using a contrast wash followed by my usual skintone.  It was faster and I have been using it since.  Overall I am happy with how they turned out and look forward to using them in a game.

Waste Boss in the middle flanked by Waste Marauders (Battle Valor).  The Waste Boss looks like he stepped  out of a Mad Max film.

 

Three more Waste Marauders (Battle Valor)

The Preacher on the left (Putty Monkey) and Bounty Hunter on the right (Battle Valor).  I really like The Preacher, he has an Old West vibe and his facial features remind me of Yul Brynner in the Magnificent Seven.

Female Survivor, Gauntlet Girl & Male Survivor (Putty Monkey).  The Male Survivor came with a separate visor to fit on the helmet but I left it off.  Gauntlet Girl looks innocent until you see the knife behind her back.  Always be prepared in the wasteland!

All together

28mm Post-Apocalypse

Back with more 28mm post-apocalypse miniatures from my collection.  I had to skip my intended post for this week due to some picture issues, luckily I had already taken these earlier in May.  All of these were painted in early 2019 for my games using the rules sets 7TV: Apocalypse and Across the Dead Earth.

(l) A friendly neighborhood doctor from Brigade Games.  Based on his expression and what he is holding in his right hand the nickname "Sawbones" seems more than appropriate.  An apple a day might be a better option than his treatment.
(r) One of my favorite miniatures, from Hasslefree.  This ski-mask-wearing, axe- and machete-wielding terror is perfect for leading a crazed band of wasteland marauders.  The model comes with two heads, but the other one doesn't have a mask so why would you use it?

 

(l) Robot gunslinger from Crooked Dice.  In my games I have used him as a creation of the Engineers Guild who work to preserve the knowledge of the old days.  The Engineers are lightly-armed so this gives them some muscle.
(r) Elvis from Studio Miniatures.  Is he the real thing or an imposter?  I have used him in several scenarios as the leader of the Cult of the King, with numerous hooded minions obeying his every command.  For my oil rig game at Historicon 2019 I painted a white and red boat named Hound Dog to ferry his troops.  This post wouldn't be complete without a link to Mojo Nixon's song Elvis is Everywhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_3eQBMycfA

 

This father-son duo definitely have a Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome vibe; from Crooked Dice.

 

Two more Mad Max inspired models from Crooked Dice; (l) Road Warrior marauder and (r) Fury Road's Imperator Furiosa.  I couldn't get her face to look right with the black facepaint from the movie so I gave up but it still doesn't look right to me.  I may try to repaint it black again someday.

 

(l) Hacker with a small body but a giant brain and (r) scout with sniper rifle from Crooked Dice.

 

(l) Town marshal keeping law and order and (r) a heavy gunner in case of trouble; from Crooked Dice.

 

Gas Mask Girl from Worlds End, who make the This Is Not A Test P-A rules and an associated range of miniatures.  The arms and weapons bag come separately and include another right arm holding an assault rifle.

 

The obligatory group shot.

28mm Post-Apocalypse Survivors from Hasslefree

A selection of 28mm Post-Apocalypse survivors from Hasslefree Miniatures that I started painting in December 2017 and finished early in 2018..  They have a wide range of modern/P-A models in different styles to choose from and are good quality.  I will use them in my games of Across the Dead Earth, This is Not a Test and 7TV:Apocalypse.  I'd like to try the new Osprey rules Last Days: Zombie Apocalypse too.

Rihanna (l) and Kendra (r).  Rihanna reminded me of Rosita from The Walking Dead so that is how I painted her.  Kendra appears to be ex-military or maybe she looted an Army-Navy surplus store.

Four giant beetles from Reaper's Bones line.  I bought these at Historicon 2017 and I consider anything under a year to be a quick turnaround.  I washed them in the dishwasher, sprayed them black, then gave them several drybrush coats of Army Painter Vampire Red, which resulted in a dark red-brown color.  Mutated to a giant size by radiation, now they are ready to terrorize unsuspecting survivors.

A picture with a human to show the scale.

"What is that noise behind us?" -  Maria (l) and Laurie (r).  Laurie is my favorite of this group for several reasons.  She is armed with a bow, which you don't see enough of in post-apoc miniatures.  I also love the pose and the sculpting is great.

Post-apoc Wolsey (l) and Finn (r).  Wolsey is a post-apoc version of Shaggy from Scooby Doo.  Hasslefree make the whole gang including a not-Scooby.  I don't have the others but might get them the next time I place an order.  Strangely enough, while googling images for my painting research, I learned that DC Comics began publishing a post-apoc comic of Scooby Doo in May 2016; I think these miniatures pre-date that.

This miniature is listed as Kat in the Hasslefree catalog.  It appears to be based on the lead character Selene from the 'Underworld' movies played by Kate Beckinsale.  I thought the first movie was okay, but the later ones were a significant drop in in quality.  Zombies or other human survivors had better watch out for her sword, she looks ready to take some heads off.  If I remember correctly the arms came as separate pieces but were very easy to pin.

The whole gang minus the beetles.  With 4 pistols, a sword, an axe and a bow, they are not heavily armed but make up for it with superior elan.

Historicon is in 2 weeks and I am running 2 games of 7TV, so I'll be back with pictures and a convention report in July.

Thanks for looking,
Jason

Final 2016 Purchases

My final wargaming packages of 2016 both arrived Friday, so I thought I'd share the contents.  They should keep me busy for a while.

The first package was from Hasslefree Miniatures, ordered during their post-Thanksgiving sale and en route for several weeks.   Besides the two pieces of candy, it contained ten 28mm miniatures.

The top row (l-r) are for use in post-apocalypse or 7TV games.  The first is a steampunk mini that I just liked.  The second appears to be inspired by the Kate Beckinsale character in the 'Underworld' movies.  The third is an especially nice archer.  Most of my post-apoc miniatures have firearms, so it is good to have some different weapons.  The fourth is a martial artist, and will be used as a 7TV hero.

The bottom row consists of six miniatures in power armor.  I plan on using them with the This is Not a Test rules as the core of a Preserver force.  The third from the left, the one not wearing a helmet, will be the leader.  I really like this mini, seeing it on the website is what gave me the impetus to order the whole group.

The second package was from The Warstore.  I ordered it on Tuesday during their after-Christmas sale and it arrived on Friday; great service from them as always.  In the picture below are (l-r): 1. An issue of Wargames Illustrated from June 2012, they are giving away random old issues for free.  The theme is the Jacobite rebellion, so I'll have something good to read.  2. A set of Army Painter sculpting tools.  3. Some P3 brass rod for pinning.  4. Green stuff.  5. Three Perry Crusader knights (code CU6).  6. A bottle of Vallejo Rust Wash and a bottle of Army Painter Matte varnish.

In the past I haven't done much with green stuff other than filling gaps.  I want to experiment with it in 2017, hence the sculpting tools .  The Rust Wash will be used on some pieces of post-apocalypse terrain.  The  Perry knights will be added to my SAGA Crusader army, I like the overhand pose and have wanted this pack for a while.

Happy New Year!

28mm Private Military Contractors

I bought these 28mm miniatures at Cold Wars 2015, after surviving the drive from South Carolina to Pennsylvania through a raging snowstorm.  They are made by Eureka Miniatures and come in a set of 8.  They are listed on their website as 'Private Military Contractors', though the set I bought was labeled as 'Blackwater Contractors'.  They are good castings, with little to no flash and lots of small details.

They are a useful set, and while I originally painted them for use in the post-apocalypse game Across the Dead Earth, they have also seen action in games of 7TV and Doctor Who.  I plan on using them for This is Not a Test as I start learning those rules.

Some of the poses are similar, but they are all different, with varied weapons and heads.  All have body armor.  I used a lot of khaki, olive and gray, adding some blue and red for a bit of color.

Fun fact: for games which require individual stats, I've given them names 'borrowed' from my old gaming group in Ohio.

First Squad: I really like the running pose (second from left).  It is the only one with facial hair.

Second squad: I gave the kneeling one on the left a Hawaiian shirt.  I use the second from the left (with raised hand) as a leader.

Objective in sight.  Move out!