GZG 15mm SG15-X05 Alien Mercenaries 12 figures for £5.00 SG15-X05 were a surprise addition to GZG's 15mm new releases in time for SALUTE. The pack consists of 12 miniatures created from 3 basic sculpts: x1 Leader, x3 Support Gunners, x8 grunts.
Lovely minis equally at home being alien pirates, slavers, mercenaries or allies. My first thoughts were to use these as ersatz Managlores (the alien mercenaries from The Fifth Element), but due to the solitary grunt sculpt (and 8 of the same miniature in the pack), I've decided there's not enough variation and am instead using the Alien Mercs to mix in with my army of ex-MJ Figures Space Orkz, (now available from The Scene).
The best figure in the pack is the 'gunner' who bears a passing similarity to the Ork flamethrower operator in the W40K Dawn of War opening video (Youtube). You'll find him exactly one minute into the film sequence.The gunner wears a 'leather' flying cap and goggles which gives him superb character. More please Jon!
Got to say, that video is rocking! It is enough on it's own to make me want to play W40K......annnnd, back in the room.......yeah, it would have been really great if the gunner had two different heads and there was at least one more grunt sculpt, preferably two,- that would have allowed me to think of having at least a platoon of these guys as a discrete outfit selling to the highest bidder.
Nevertheless, fun minis in 15mm. After some thought, I'm going to break up the samieness of the grunt sculpt by giving them helmets, goggles, possibly even a bandana or Hannibal Lecter face mask.
Cheers
Mark
I just received some on Thursday. They're lovely, but I can't see myself buying more without a few more options - if there was another pack with different sculpts, I'd have enough variety to make a decent force, but I really need 2 basic grunt sculpts to put together another platoon* or two. Mixing the painting up a bit works wonders, but not quite enough wonders when they all look the same, and I'm not really up to converting 15mm metals.
ReplyDeleteYour comments on the gunner are spot-on, of course. He's glorious, and I hope he looks even better painted an appropriately orky green.
* I'm going with 12-man platoons of 3 squads, on the grounds that these guys are big and ugly enough that they don't /need/ any more in a squad. Also, as mercenaries, they squabble about squad insignias and colours and names until their commander lets them split up into smaller units just to shut them up.
stuff orks, these guys are either mangalores or locusts. in fact i think they are quite "Whoish" and they could do well as opponents for modern UNIT types
ReplyDeleteThey've got a IK Trollkin vibe too.
ReplyDeleteThese are great Mangalores!
ReplyDeleteI was hoping they would be less orky than they are, but they are still quite nice. If I shaved off the ears and gave them visors they would make good 15mm version of some aliens I have in 28mm that I never get to use but love.
ReplyDeleteTrollkin? Last time i met those critters they had short spears and slings...
ReplyDeleteThese Trollkin...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.privateerpress.com/WARMACHINE/gallery/default.php?level=picture&id=169
Check out the guy 2nd from the right with the goggles.
I like these. Because of their build, some of them make nice Aslan with the addition of a helmet & armored tail. However, the helmet proving a problem I haven't resolved yet. The Orkish ones I use for Murians the way I used the old 15mm Orcs I once had in the 80's.
ReplyDelete