Getting Ahead

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You know, I would like to see some more 'character' types for my 15mm Sci Fi military units. For instance, grizzled grunts wearing bandanas or headscarves, such as Marcus Fenix in Gears of War or Vasquez in Aliens. Also, guys with goggles on the top of their head, like Damon (Gears of War) or a cowboy hat - yes cowboy hat - the full on Kinky Friedman Texas plasma gunner look! Don't tell me you didn't have a sneakin' admiration for Blain in Predator.

As for cigars! Well cigars maketh the man, as they say. Peter Pig's very first 15mm WW2 releases, included an American NCO with Tommy gun chewin' on a cigar - brilliant little figure. I kept him when I sold all the rest. So why haven't we seen the likes of Apone, the absolute baaddd ass NCO in 15mm Sci Fi?

Course, Apone has been supplanted to those that know, by Johnson, the hardest of the hard Marine NCO in HALO Contact Harvest.

And that brings me on to 'ornery. There's a distinct lack of love 'em or hate 'em 'ornery dudes in 15mm Sci Fi. I could post up pics of characters from several 'military' console games - but you know, they exist in reality too. Like Sergeant Major Pangborn, USMC - this guy cries out to be honoured in 15mm! His IS the face of the Master Chief, Mark Fenix or Scott Mitchell.

So, what am I looking for? Well, how about some separate character head sprues to allow us to personalise our mniatures in the first instance. Ring changes and breathe a little individuality and uniqueness at little cost to the manufacturers or us.

Secondly, some spare helmets on sprues - the quickest way to create a whole new force, is to replace their helmets. 15mm Modern troops can be turned into transitional or advanced forces through simply being given a new helmet. Such as Rebel Minis' Infiltrator or Critical Mass Games' Light Recon helmets.

Modern and Sci Fi troops could be turned into mercenary, insurgent, survivalist, post apocalyptic types or even special forces, through separate heads with gasmasks, ski masks, woolly hats and baseball/field caps.

Spies, specialists and quirky characters can have heads with goggles - both being worn and sitting on top of head.

Now, I know some of you dislike the human in a rubber mask characterised by popular Sci Fi TV shows, but the quickest way of fielding a lot of alien types would be to produce separate heads and alien helmets that could be transplanted onto existing human or otherwise miniatures. Those new Protolenes from Critical Mass Games would also look superb as lizard warriors.


Cheers
Mark
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