New USE ME Box Set, Brog, Cossacks, and more Tomorrow Black

by Chris

15mm.Co.Uk has released The Ziggurat of Clem IV - the second boxed starter set in the USE ME series.

Just like the first boxed starter (Danger on Outpost 32), this set provides a complete 15mm science fiction game experience in a single package. It includes the USE ME UM001 rulebook, a printed scenario/force roster pack (also available as a PDF download), 2 dice, 27 plastic bases, and 27 Zidhe and Octopod figures from the HOF range.

These starter boxes are perfect ways to introduce more gamers to the 15mm SF fold. Something tells me they will be huge sellers at Salute next weekend.

And speaking of Salute, don't forget that 15mm.Co.Uk is still running their 15% off sale! 

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Rebel Minis continues to expand their PF-sculpted alien forces. The Brog Empire receive two packs - a Command and Heavy Weapon set, and a Mortar Teams pack. 

I'm impressed by how quickly this line has grown. In less than a year, Rebel Minis has released the Manth, Brog, Vott, Shalur, and Pangalactic Legion - five complete ranges of highly-detailed space opera forces. And they're a good balance to me - more than rubber-suit humans or anthropomorphic animals, but still humanoid enough to work with any 15mm rules.

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Khurasan Miniatures has added the Cossack Light APC to the Nova Respublik faction.

Designed to be a modernized Soviet BTR-40, it offers the Nova Respublik a low-tech vehicle for command, scout, recon, and transport roles. To support this release, Khurasan adds two more figure packs. One is a nice little recon/observer pack:

And the other is a group of seated riders:

I've been hoping for something like this rider pack for awhile now. Even though the Cossack isn't really my thing, this pack would let me use another open-top transport vehicle (like a Hammer's Slammers Cargo Car) with the Respublik figures. Very useful stuff there!

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Highlander Studios has added the Murg Imps to the Tomorrow Black range

These disgusting little gems are great for post-apocalyptic and sci-horror settings. I can imagine a few bases of these popping up in shanty towns and dark alleys on urban tables... some kind of nasty pest stowing aboard transport ships, or an unfortunate byproduct of terraforming. Lots of potential in this little range - it's well worth a look.

Vergans, Supabases, Mako Gun Tractors, VSF, and the Grizzought

by Chris

15mm.Co.Uk is continuing their streak 2013 new releases - even with the Salute convention just around the corner.

The Vergan Free Traders have been added to the SHM range. Sculpted by Dropship Horizon's own Eli Arndt, this pack expands upon the original SHM20 Vergan Alien figure. The pack contains a mix of four new poses - a sergeant, a musician, and two different soldiers.  If you're looking for an alien race that doesn't simply resemble anthropomorphic animals or human beings in rubber suits, the Vergans might be exactly what you want.

 

Along with the Vergans, 15mm.Co.Uk have added another brand to their family - Supabases.

The range includes 15 different packs of precision-cut MDF bases - 14 different sizes and a sample pack. There's a great variety to choose from. I'm going to pick up some of the 40mm rounds to replace 1.25" fender washers on my multi-based infantry forces. And the 50mm and 75mm rounds might be just what I need for larger mecha bases.

15mm.Co.Uk has also announced their Salute sale: 15% off all orders through April 26th. I'll post more details about this offer tomorrow.

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Khurasan Miniatures has released the Mako Gun Tractor and cruciform ground carriage.  This is one of Jon's more ambitious releases yet - a weapon system supporting no less than five different factions within his Federation Forward universe. It's an extremely clever way to release these models - you buy the gun tractor separately, with no weapons or crew. Or, if you want static weapons instead, you simply buy the cruciform base separately - again, with no weapons or crew.

Then you buy a twin pack of weapons, which are available with your choice of Felid, Jasmine Throne Foreign Battalion, Satrapal Levy, Sepulvedan Resistance, or Sepulvedan Control Battalion crew. The weapons packs include two crew members, a heavy mortar, and a twin autocannon seems to have something of a semicircular attachment point; it can be mounted in both direct-fire or anti-aircraft positions. Another option that was pointed out on TMP - the crewed turrets would be great additions to other APCs or IFVs. I look forward to seeing how these will be used on the tabletop.

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Highlander Studios has added the Grizzought to the Tomorrow Black range (formerly available from Battle Miniatures Emporium). These fast, stealthy hunters are a threat to many travelers on the wasteland. Its hide is thick enough to shake off the impact of most ballistic weapons. The Grizzought is a nasty beast for any sci-fi or horror setting - I could see these raiding livestock on colony worlds, hidden in the dark recesses of a mad scientist's laboratory or a nuclear waste facility, or even springing from some dark sorceror's cave in a 15mm fantasy game.

On the Victorian Sci-Fi side, Highlander has added three more packs to the Space: 1889 range. The most noteworth are the British Firing Line with high-tech guns:

These are great in any VSF setting, but have some other obvious uses. Anyone who has ever considered playing Warhammer 40,000 in 15mm now has an excellent stand-in for Praetorian Imperial Guard. Either way, I hope we'll see a few additional packs for the British. 

Next, we have Gashant with Tack and Harness. These are perfect riderless beasts for any sci-fi or fantasy setting - I suspect we'll see quite a few different riders used on these mounts. And for a more conventional pack animal, Highlander added a pack of unsaddled horses:

There haven't been many options for "plain" horses until now - most had some kind of recognizable saddle or other gear. I might have to throw a pack of these into a space western corral. Rodrick Campbell said there are more horses coming in the future - stay tuned.

Medics, Tomorrow Black, Sahadeen Platoons, and more

Some news and new releases from around the 15mm community:

New Releases:

• 15mm.Co.Uk have officially released the HOF Human Medical Team featured in this blog's last few posts. 
• Highlander Studios has taken over sales of the Tomorrow Black sci-horror/post-apocalyptic figure range sculpted (and formerly sold) by Battle Miniatures Emporium. The Abomination Collection is available as an assorted pack of vicious-looking things, and the Death Digger is available separately.
• Rebel Minis now offers a platoon pack of the popular Sahadeen infantry figures. Rebel's platoon packs are a great value - perfect starter packs for any new 15mm army.

News and Previews:

• Brigade Models has been teasing us with pictures of their upcoming Neo-Soviet, Pacific Federation, and resculpted/upscaled ONESS/German vehicles, along with some additional 15mm buildings. If you aren't a regular reader of their official blog, head over there and take a look!
• ArtCrime Productions shows us production castings of their upcoming Hadai figures.
• Armies Army presents greens of their Kickstarter-funded Commonwealth Troopers.

• Darkest Star Games has been showing teaser pics of the upcoming Anime-inspired Spec-Sec mecha, along with a few additions to the Colony 15 range.
• Rebel Minis shows off a few upcoming additions to the PF-sculpted Brog Empire range

• Zombiesmith are running a 15% off sale through February 14th.

SPOTLIGHT - Highlander Studios Inc.

If you follow the blog or frequent the Lead Adventure Forum you may have noticed that Highlander Studios have been producing some interesting new sculpts.Of particular interest to the 15mm sci fi gamer are Highlander's Gideon's Dust (15mm post apocalypse), Z-cubed and D-cubed (15mm space bugs) ranges. Highlander have also started developing a new line of Space: 1889 miniatures having recently concluded a licencing agreement with Space: 1889 author and game designer Frank Chadwick.

The Dropship Horizon crew got in touch with Highlander Studios maestro Roderick Campbell to find out more.

Dropship Horizon: So how did you get into sculpting?

Rodrick Campbell: The very early origins were when I opened my first set of Grenadier miniatures for D&D. I was 13 and had been playing for a few months. I wrote a letter to Ral Partha asking if they could put me in touch with any of the sculptors to find out how they were made. Well, I never got a reply!

Flash forward 17 years and after a lot of time painting and collecting miniatures and an art degree; a conversation at a convention and a gift from a friend of some old dental tools found me working with greenstuff sculpting some 10mm Sudan figures. In the years since I've sculpted for companies such as Splintered Light, Khurasan and Rebel Miniatures.

Dropship Horizon: Are there other 15mm manufacturers or sculptors you particularly admire?

Rodrick Campbell: Essex and Minifigs were my first exposure to 15mm and they'll always be special to me. The sheer volume and availability of cool sci fi stuff from GZG when almost no other company was making it was inspiring. I really like what Rebel, Splintered Light and Khurasan are doing these days and Ben Siens, Faron Betchley and John Bear Ross are guys who's work I always look forward to seeing. Then of course there are the "Old Masters" of Ral Partha and Grenadier fame.

Dropship Horizon: What are your plans for Highlander's 15mm sci fi ranges?

Roderick Campbell: The Space: 1889 licence will be receiving a lot of attention over the next 3-4 years. I'd like to see that sell tons so I can extend the licence when the time comes. So expect a lot of the cannon material for the game, but also some darker, more steampunk items as the line grows. I'm still working to identify a reliable resin caster for the airships and vehicles. 

The Gideon's Dust line will have frequent additions. Look for new rednecks, Hogzilla and some Postman-style riders, then possibly some zombie versions of the existing rednecks. For ZD-cubed more bugs to start, then some additions for 5150; generic people types as well as military.

15mm Releases Roundup

These items have been released in the last few weeks. Since the new crew was still figuring out how to fly Dropship Horizon, we weren't able to give these minis the fanfare they really deserved. But they still deserve a mention, so here we go:

Rebel Minis CATs (Cybernetic Autonomous Troopers)

Releases from Rebel Minis:

• Cyber Autonomous Troopers (CATs) in two different models. The Wild CATs have power claws and missile launchers, while the Tom CATs are equipped for close assault.
• Post Apocalyptic Riders - very reminiscent of films like The Postman.

Khurasan Miniatures Yozhik Heavy APC

Releases from Khurasan Miniatures:

• Sci-Fi/Modern Tank Stowage Set
• Wildmen of the Savannah (early hominid warriors)
• Furrobots, which are in no way whatsoever connected to the cult movie Robot Monster.
• The Yozhik - Nova Respublik Heavy APC

Previews From Highlander Studios

• Support weapons for their popular Z-Cubed Space Bugs
• 15mm Space Pals (you'll understand when you see them)
• Space: 1889 Mars Expeditionary Force test sculpts

Combat Wombat has unveiled his new line of turned-brass gun barrels, as well as releasing the Swingfire Anti-Tank GEV.

For all you starship gamers out there... ClearHorizon has released a set of control consoles on Shapeways.

Copplestone Castings has previewed a set of 15mm Fantasy Barbarians. While fantasy gaming certainly isn't the focus of this blog, we know that fantasy minis are sometimes useful as primitives in varying-tech scenarios. You can expect us to highlight a few fantasy ranges when they catch our eyes.

I apologize if I missed anyone's releases from the last few weeks!

Cheers,

Chris