Friday 27 April 2018

WIP: Mantic games GCPS 'Mule' transport...

...thinking about a vignette


WIP: Mantic Games 28mm GCPS 'Mule' transport...

...I pre-ordered the 'Mule' and the TAD-65 'Hornet' dropship a couple of weeks ago and they arrived this morning. I have to say that for moderately priced plastic kits they are excellent. Design and engineering are so good that the images you see below of the 'Mule' are of the vehicle dry-fitted together - no glue! The Hornet is similarly well designed but several of the parts are not as close fitting as the 'Mule' so glue (material doesn't appear to be hard styrene so I think superglue would be the best choice for glue - a bit of advice on the box might have been helpful) will be needed during the build. I will actually dismantle the 'Mule', clean up the very few mould lines (tyres have the most obvious ones) and build it again glueing the parts in position. A WIP of the 'Hornet' will follow soon. I was surprised to find that there were no kit building instructions in the boxes but a bit of common sense and a study of the box-art images solved any problems.







Tuesday 24 April 2018

WIP: Antenocitis 28mm 'Roc' Dropship...

...I'd forgotten to post pics as painting progressed so the 'Roc' you see below is now ready for a gloss coat and decals. The metal engine parts are very clean and shiny at the moment but they will be dulled down and dirtied when weathering begins. The cargo ramps, underwing engine pods and thrusters will be added during the latter stages of weathering.






Wednesday 11 April 2018

White Dragon Miniatures: 28mm 'Courage in Contact'...








Alan has sent me twenty-eight, individually posed, Paras (differentiated by the style of their helmets)  from the above range to paint; these are actual 3d prints but they will be sold cast in polyurethane resin as were the earlier miniatures I received. They were originally planned to be the subject of a Kickstarter campaign but Alan has since decided to release them for retail sale and they can be found here on the White Dragon Miniatures website. Below are images of just ten of the individual poses.












Alan has also given me permission to show you the Foxhound and Quads he will be releasing soon(ish)...


Tuesday 10 April 2018

Bob Naismith 'Overunners' Kickstarter...

...5pm UK time. These look fantastic! If you have FB have a look at Bob's page for better images.


Sunday 8 April 2018

Just about finished another Empress Miniatures...

US Ranger so I now have the ingredients for a small vignette (or a 'what-if' diorama with my second Antenociti Superhawk - the MRZR-2 fit's inside very nicely!).














































Friday 6 April 2018

Clear Horizon's new tank looks great on tracks...

...but the grav version is a beauty!!
'Bear' Forward Deployable Medium Tank (wonder why it's called 'Bear' - any idea JBR?).




Thursday 5 April 2018

...and talking about acts of OVER-generosity

...I was building my Clear Horizons Miniatures 'Pangolin' Advanced Grav APC when I realised I had a duplicated part (two lefts instead of a left and a right) and I messaged Harold to ask for a replacement. I very soon received a box too large and too heavy for one very small part. On opening said box I found that it was filled with models and miniatures. I have painted and promoted quite a few Clear Horizon vehicles and figures and Harold has always shown his appreciation by sending me 'freebies'. It has been a while since I last painted a Clear Horizons product (having promised myself 'retirement' from painting too small, eye-straining 15mm miniatures!) so the box full of goodies was a wonderful surprise - thank you Harold.
I'll get around to listing the full contents of the box soon but for now I'll just highlight these two items...first up is this very new medium battle tank designed by John Bear Ross - it's not even on the website yet so at the moment I don't have any details about it's release or even its title - which can be built tracked or as an advanced grav vehicle (I will try to magnetise the two propulsion systems so they can be swapped about) with two main weapon options.














The biggest surprise in the box though was the inclusion of a 28mm (yes 28mm!) 'USHI' (Universal Shipping and Heavy Industry) Transport Craft. This has been very cleverly designed by 'Coolhand' to include a hollow hull (hull rear is split into upper and lower parts) and separate side doors and rear ramp which demands the building of an interior (you can probably see the floor I've already added).





Tuesday 3 April 2018

WIP: Black Earth 28mm U.E.F. 'Armadillo'...

...Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Pleased with the Black Earth 28mm miniatures I ordered from Nuclear Shrimp Games I promptly ordered more U.E.F troopers and an 'Armadillo' IFV. In an act over over-generosity and as a thank you for promoting their Kickstarter and posting images of the Lieutenant miniature the guys at NS refused to charge me for my latest order. They have in fact sent me even more items since! Thank you gents - I'm absolutely delighted.
On discovering that the 'Armadillo' had a hollow hull I decided to have the rear doors (actually door but I like the idea of it being split in two and it is very easy to do as the upper and lower parts of the door/ramp are seperate pieces) open and add a partial interior. Most of the interior will be hidden but at least it won't look empty if anybody peeks into the troop compartment! I will be building a small diorama with the vehicle and a few U.E.F troopers.