Off the Workbench - Mike: Sci Fi & VBCW

This post starts with the completion of 6 x Human Army personnel, armed with blasters and including an RPG team.

The figures are based upon WW2 German infantry in winter suits, they came from the front of a magazine and were donated to me by Grahame. I had no use for them as WW2 figures but they have been adapted to join my ever growing ranks of Sci-Fi figures.

The RPG Team.

The heads, arms & weapons are all spares from Northstar StarGrave and Wargames Atlantic frame that I have used in earlier projects, these sets come with lashings of spares so it is good to get to use  them.

Two Army types with Blaster variants

And two more little Army men (and woman) again with blaster variants.

Next up is a batch of 11 x VBCW Regular Infantry to join my swelling factions for this game. The figures are basically the Wargames Atlantic BEF set (I purchased 2 x frames to see what they are like). They are lovely figures and I have now decided that these guys will be the Regulars in my VBCW force and the WW1 figures that I have been painting up to now will be redesignated Territorial Army types.

4 x Regular Riflemen, all with Lee Enfields

Another view of the above showing that one is a designated 'Bomber'

These guys have the 1938 webbing and Battledress uniform, so I can justify these as being Regulars as they have the new kit. The WW1 types in my collection with the older webbing pattern and older tunic types can be justified as territorials. Note: I remember seeing my Granddad in the photo when he was in the pre-Ware TA and he was wearing WW1 uniform & kit.

5 more riflemen, these all have the unadorned Bordie helmets

And another view. Note the Lee Enfields with a bayonet attached
have come from the Wargames Atlantic WW1 infantry set!

Regular Mortar team

The Regular Army Mortar Team, will need to be expanded to include a No.3 but that is an excuse for me to get some more of these lovely figures.

Currently I have some BUF Assault Troopers on the workbench and some civilian militia to build in the near future, not to mention the need to complete some rather nice Norhstar 1672 Musketeers!

Off the Workbench - Mike W

It's been a while since I put an 'Off the Workbench' post for myself, it's not that I haven't been painting, I've just busy with real life!

Here is a quick summary of my latest output, eclectic as ever...

Firstly,  19 figures for the club's ongoing Marian Wars campaign. 12 pikemen are Wargames Atlantic Conquistadors configured as Scots  there are two Warlord Games ECW pikemen converted / press ganged into use for the same project.

Then finally 5 x GW Empire figures who will also be utilised in the campaign.

Sharp end of the pike block

I have painted most of these figures to have a wool quilted jacket that would offer some protection to the wearer from pike thrusts and sword cuts, apparently common in Scotland and giving a distinctive 'white' look.

Final view of the pikemen

Three GW scoundrels, a musketeer, bowman and someone to lead the Forlorn Hope!

Two more GW figures, and artilleryman and a crossbowmen.

Then the two converted Warlord Games ECW pikemen, the guy on the right has had a buckler shield added and his left arm changed for a Wargames Atlantic pointing arm....

After taking the photos for ths post, I realised that I'd forgotten to add the pike block's banner to the group, so here it is a generic Stewart Banner. (In reality that of John Stewart from about 150 years earlier!)

Next a selection of figures that I an putting together for a 28mm VBCW game.

A Rolls Royce, pressed in to service and 5 Infantryman from a generic British Infantry Regiment. There is also 1 x Firefighter who has joined the fray.

Figures are Wargames Atlantic WW1 British Infantry but the Firefighter is a kit-bash, US Rangers torso and legs from a Warlord Games kit and arms, weapons and head from a Perry's 8th Army kit.

I have yet to figure out a setting / background story for such a game but would envisage the regulars to split support between various faction's forces, whilst the Fire Brigade militia would (in my mind) side with a Worker's militia as elite troops....

Setting is likely to be either London, Liverpool or Glasgow. 

The Rolls Royce is a repurposed diecast model, the 5 x Infantry men it's crew.

Another view of the Infantry men

Final view, showing the Lewis Gunner!

Maybe the the LFB Militia - maybe Liverpool or London Fire Brigades.
Crack militia for the Socialist Workers.

Next are some Sci-Fi figures,  all bar one, Wargames Atlantic. They represent various ground forces, the coloured tabs on uniforms representing Arm of Service. Yellow for Assault Troopers, Red for Mercenary/ Axillaries and Green for the regular Grunts. This is a work in progress so colour assignment may change or be added to! BTW Navy is Blue and Merchant Navy is White.

There are also two figures painted to represent Spectrum forces for a Captain Scarlet game I am toying with....

Two mercenaries and an Assault Trooper on the right.
The central figure carries a 'Blooper' grenade launcher.

Two more mercenaries to the fore and another Assault Trooper on the right.

A Spectrum Infantryman, with Captain Brown accompanying him.

Another view of the Spectrum Infantryman, all other ranks having the same olive drab jacket colour and uniform trim

Close-up of Captain Brown, a figure from an old 1960/70s boardgame.

AHPC XVI : From Mike W - Various 28mm Sci-Fi Figures (130 Points)

 Well I managed to get some time together to do some painting between Xmas ad New Year's Day and this post is my baseline in the sand to get things moving for this year's challenge. Given that I had limited time to do anything, I opted for some simple figures to get going, hopefully I'll be able to tackle some more challenging subjects in the coming weeks!

The start of my Zombicide Invader Xenos Brood.
10 x mysterious aliens, determined to destrroyeverything in their way. 

A closer view of some of the Xenos.
Bases were painted to tie in to the game components,
anything outside the protective buildings is an arid, orange desert!

Here you can see the relative size of the Xeno Drones, Hunters and Tanks

I start by presenting 10 x 28 mm Zombicide Invader Xenos, hopefully many of you will be familiar with this game - basically a remote mining station ion some far flung planet that has been attacked by a mysterious alien race, helbent on destroying all human and other alien life fto be found there....

So the Xenos are the baddies in the game, they com ein many shapes and sizes but here we have just three forms - the Drones/Workers, the Hunters and the Tanks!

Three Xeno Drones or Workers

I approached painting all of these in a similar way, attempting to stay true to the artwork in the original game. All figures are undecoated in a cream basecoat to which is applied a coat of Army Painter Runic Grey speed paint. This dries quickly and I then drybrushed the figures' heads, hands, chest and feet with the cream & somewhite paint to bring out the highlights.

Four Xeno Hunters, much speedier than the Drones and Tanks.

These areas were then given a watered down black wash to pick out contrast details before painting the tenticles with a purple speed paint, to make these stand out even more. Further details such as boils are picked out in yellow, where exposed brains are on show I have used green for these areas and finally after a matt varnish, red ink is used tto cover hands, claws and teeth to give a suitably horric finish.

Three Xeno Tanks, massive, powerful beasts with tenticles and claws....

Next we have 10 x 28mm Dr Who Weeping Angels, these figures were embarrassingly easy to paint and complete, I almost feel bad claiming the points but on the up side there are no more of these to be painted now!

The group of 10 x Weeping Angels, basically animated statues!

The weeping Angels are one of Dr Who's many adersaries who basically maifest themselves as statues until looked upon by their victims, at which point the Weeping Angel animates its-self and takles control of it's victim's mind.

Close-up of some of the group

These figures were all undercoated medium grey before taking a watered down black ink wash. When dry the figures were drybrushed with a lighter grey and then varnished and based - as simple as that! 

And the other end of the line

My final contribution today is a group of 6 x 28mm Daleks, now some older challenge readers ay remember back in 2019, I painted a number of Daleks for the challenge at that time. I was sure that the guys at my local club would see the light and join in for a few Dr Who games. Sadly, I was wrong and the games never materialised so a couple years ago I sold all my Dr Who toys.

The group of 6 x Daleks. Eagle-eyed readers will see that the front two figures are from Warlod Games (now discontinued), others are from Dr Who Moster Army packs, originally supplied on magazine covers in the UK.

Imagine my surprise, 6 years after I blazed the trail, the club decided the next new period would be Dr Who! Hence I am re-acquiring and painting a whole new set of Dr Who figures....

The six Daleks in line

So these Daleks are undercoated in gunmetal, before black bumbers are then added and black ink used to add definition to the gratings around the Dalek heads. All the silver work is then drybrushed bright silver, before adding details for the orange head lights, sky blue domes and lenses in theis viewing devices.

A final view!

The figures were then varnished and based.

So that's it for my first post for this year's challenge, what else have I on the go? Well more Daleks, some renaissance crossbowmen, Korean War & Arab/Isreali tanks and lots and lots of Orcs!

Friday Night Games: Galaxy Wars

On Friday 12th December we met at Rupert's GAff to play Mark's Galactoc Wars game, based upon the old 1970s Tabletop Games rules 'Galactic Wars'.

All models were supplied by Mark and are based upon various commercially available die-cast spaceships for Star Wars, Star Trek etc, all repainted and put into Mark's Galactic Wars universe.

The game was an encounter game with Mike W, Mat & Rupert trying to track down a cargo ship that had stolen property in boad, with John, Steve, Phil, Jake and Dave on the defensive side.

Much fun was had by all, the photos below shoe the game better than words can tell.

The tabletop suitably prepared for outer space action

Three nice mdels for the Galactic Police

Space station and the dodgey cargo ship

Close-up of eth Cargo Ship commanded by Jake

The Galactric Police enter the table

Planets provided by Temu! 

Another planet

Another planet and another space station, home of some pesky Drones

Scally Ally, threee drones to the front, various other vessels behind

Yet more aliean spacecraft

And more...

And more!

Minefields appeared - which was a surprise!

Steve's 'Little Pink One'...

Fighting rages through the evening

Drones and the 'Little Pink One'