Animechs Now Available At Rebel Minis

JBR here with great news.

The Animech Kickstarter pledges have been fulfilled, and the Animechs are now available to the general public in the main Rebel Minis webstore.

 Here's the link.
http://www.rebelminis.com/animechs.html

Here's the WolfMech

The ScorpionMech

And The SpiderMech.

Also, a weapons and turrets pack that's also compatible with all current (and future) RUMV accessories.

Awesome news.

Best,
JBR

PS for instructions on how to put these beauties together, here's the...
WolfMech Assembly Guide

...and the ScorpionMech Assembly Guide, which also applies to the SpiderMech for putting all those legs on.

Rebel Minis Animech Kickstarter Launches, Funds In Four Hours

Hello, folks.  JBR here with a special self-serving announcement on behalf of Rebel Minis.

Rebel Mike and I have been working to bring our 15mm Animal Mechs to Kickstarter. 
Sunday the 6th was launch day.
The project funded in four hours, and broke two stretch goals on the same day.

Now, our lethal and lovely Mayan Technomancer beseeches you to come in for the big win.

Here's the link.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1117146348/rise-of-the-animechs

And here's some art, and pics of painted pre-production samples.  Some are shown with a 15mm and 28mm figure, for reference's sake.

 

Beautiful, eh?

Now for some stretch goals and add-ons.  First and Second Goals have already been met, with the others sure to follow.

You can also boost your pledge with some discounted figures, either 15mm or 28mm.  Just add the sums in the images to your pledge.

Thanks for your support from Rebel Minis!

Best,
Mike Renegar

and
John Bear Ross

Double Duty, Part Two: Gundams That Don't Look Like Gundams

This is a continuation of my Double Duty series, using models and figures from other sources that can still pass as 15mm/1-100th scale.

Here's the link to Part One.

I love Gundam models from Bandai.  Chances are, if you're a mechahead, you like them, too.  But, if you want to use "scale-correct" 1/100th Gundams, you're dealing with an 180 mm/7 inch tall model or larger.

Unless you're fighting Kaiju (which is cool, don't get me wrong), that's usually too big for most tabletops.

Thus, many folks, myself included, use the smaller, cheaper 1/144th scale Bandai Gundam kits, which range from 4.5 to 5.5 inches tall (114mm to 139mm).

The problem is, most folks know the classic Zeon/Earth Federation styling (samurai crests, blue/white/red/yellow color patterns, green and red Zaku sensor domes, etc.).

This leads to awkward questions of why you're using 1/144th scale models on a 15mm (roughly 1/100th scale) tabletop.  Can't have that, can we?  ;)

So, the focus of this article is Gundams that don't look like Gundams, that still fit on your tabletop, that don't break the bank.

First up is the 1/144th scale Jesta Cannon mobile suit.  Some serious firepower, there.

A more utilitarian variant, maybe to be used as a main battle mecha or common "soldier" type, is the 1/144th scale Jesta.

A neat mobile suit is the dual-cannon 1/144th scale Kampfer Amazing.  I like the sleek, almost aquatic look to it.

The 1/144th scale GM Sniper II Custom has some personality to it, though it has the classic shield and lower legs of a Gundam.  The external ammo compartments and sensor visor break up the normal design style, though.

This is a 1/144th scale Hi-Mock Simulator Suit, apparently a training suit used by junior pilots.  It's look is just generic enough, to me, that it doesn't scream Zaku or even Gundam.  Just a clean arrangement of geometric shapes.  I think this would lend itself nicely to customization.

To finish out this article, here's a mobile suit that will probably never be misjudged as the wrong-sized kit on your tabletop:  The 1/144th scale Beargguy Mobile Suit, and its yellow (and ribbon-backpacked!) 1/144th scale Beargguy III Mobile Suit.

So, there you have it.  Just some variety in your mecha purchases.  After all, Destroids, Mortis Leviathans, and L-HACs need someone their own size to pick on.

On Behalf Of Dropship Horizon,
JBR

Edit to Add:

Hat tip to Jason Spykerman for suggesting the 1/144th scale Grimoire mobile suit.  Very cool look.

I know this list is nowhere near comprehensive, but if you have suggestions, feel free to add them in the comment section.

-JBR

Double Duty: Making 28mm Work In 15mm, Part 1

The market for 15mm miniatures and models has exploded in the last few years.  That's a good thing.

But, we as gamers are hard to satisfy, and sometimes we look for alternate sources, alternate uses for things.  We tend to repurpose and appropriate from other scales, and make them fit into other roles.

Maybe it's an old fig you have laying around, maybe it's a good deal you couldn't pass up, and other times it's a cool fig you just want to make work in another scale.

I call this making a model perform "Double Duty." 

As long as a model isn't locked into a certain scale by size cues (doors, hatches, etc) or long-standing brand emblems, it is a good candidate for Double Duty.  With some small modifications and repainting, a wide number of models can be pressed into service on the 15mm tabletop.

Often, a 28mm monster enjoys a bump up in horror and intimidation when it is matched against 15mm figures.  The predicaments faced in dungeon crawl adventures (and their sci-fi equivalents) can be made much more terrifying.

Alien monsters that are no big deal facing off against 28mm heroes are now towering monstrosities when pitted against 15mm figs.  There's an amplification of the threat in size and proportion. Take a look at Reaper's famed dragon figures.  You think they're big in 28mm?  Put them up against 15mm figs, and the largest of them can pass for Kaiju!  ;)

As a quick "for instance," I'll focus today on using 28mm sculpted figs in 15mm settings.

 Reaper's Cyber-Reavers, from their Chronoscope Range

 Copplestone Castings' Terminator Robots (Code FW15) from their Future Wars Range.

GW's Necron Immortals, from WH40K.  Found on Amazon.

Deathbots.  Nothing says your lumbering, unstoppable, metal-clad-skeleton enemies have to be the same size as the human troops they are fighting. A 28mm scale deathbot, or Terminator, or Necron, is usually well over an inch and a quarter tall (32mm for you metric types).  Translate that to 15mm scale (at the 1/100th fractional equivalent), and that deathbot is now over 10 feet tall.

Robots in 28mm scale can also do Double Duty in 15mm.  Some folks want mechanical drone armies, and these offerings (The XAIRobots) from Reaper can be bought as a pack, or multiples of a single type.  Link here.

If you are looking for more of a clockwork flavor for your bots, Warmachine's Eradicators do very nicely, in my opinion, as do many other units from their new Convergence faction.
 
For aliens, again, nothing says they have to be the same proportions as your human troops.  Different ecologies on different planets are going to result in different sizes of life forms.

 These Kulathian Invaders from Reaper are 28mm figs that would easily be giant aliens when put up against 15mm troops.  They're big, ugly, and mean-looking.  Perfect for augmenting a pirate band or organic army, or as a stand-alone force.

 Reaper lists this guy as a Bathalian Drone.  A lot of the Bathalian miniatures make for fearsome, giant-sized organic aliens when doing Double Duty, and a number of them are being done in the Bones material, which should bring costs down if you don't want to pay for metal.

Last, but not least, a Hormagaunt swarm in WH40K is a pretty average troop unit, but when pitted against 15mm troops, they become horrific organic killing machines, able to cleave heavy power armor suits with a single swipe.  You can pick some up here on Amazon.

Well, that's part one.  As you can see, the focus was on 28mm troop figures.  We will concentrate on larger figs that can pass as mechs (and their equivalents) when we visit this Double Duty topic again.

On behalf of Dropship Horizon,
JBR

All photos and IP are property of their respective owners.