It's what we call a shake and bake colony...

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My WIP GZG shanty town, the fruits of yesterday's labour! It's the early morning shift leaving for work on LV-426b.

GZG 15mm Sci Fi
Shanty/Shacks and Colony Bar

Click on pictures for bigger images

What you see in the pictures are two GZG V15-Col4 Shack Sets, V15-Col1a Colony Bar (basic structure), 1 pack of SG15-ACC20 Large Cargo Containers and 1 pack of SG15-ACC21 Medium Cargo Containers. The figures are mostly GZG SG15-V4 Techs and Crew, plus a two man company security patrol at the end of the street from SG15-V6 Colonial Security (cops). These were freebies as part of Jon's colony shanty/bar launch offer in Feb. In all, excluding figures what you see comes to £63. Money well spent!

Not included as it's mostly painted, mostly, is the V15-Col1b Colony Bar (with extension). I still have to add the awnings and smaller details before I start painting the colony, which won't be till next weekend now as I'm itchy to convert some figures this evening and over the coming week nights.

First shack assembled,
Only 2 hours to go....

I am really happy with this little 'colony'. Those of you old enough to have enjoyed Donald Featherstone's Wargamers' Newsletter back in the seventies will remember the annual Old West Gunfight competition - was it in Southampton? Wargamers Newsletter carried excellent write-ups of these, which I fondly remember to this day and you can see the Old West inspiration in how I've set out the colony/post apoc survivor town.

I've got several great ideas for extending the 'colony', but all in good time. I'm looking forward to seeing Mike's shanty creations at The Scene, which should be available in a week or two. Plus, Andrew at Amera Plastic Mouldings will be testing whether he can successfully Vac-form 15mm shanties and more.

I think you'll agree that there's lot's of gaming opportunity ahead!

Cheers
Mark
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Life Work The Universe...... Noisy

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Great to catch up with Steve last night. He has one of these charmed lives where everything happens to him, but life would be boring for him if it didn't. We went to the Inkerman, it's best described as a local bar for local people..... '-). I'm sure some of the patrons actually served in the Crimean War.

Steve's currently bidding for a property on the old Gladstone estate just behind us. A rundown and dilapidated walled Georgian farm house with 28 acres. The Gladstone heirs sold this part of the estate for 1.5 million to a local farmer who a week later put it on sale again divided in 20 lots including a working farm, totalling £4 million. The farmer was then offered £4.5 million for the whole shebang. A couple of years later, it's on the market, again in lots due to the financial downturn. Anyway, hope Steve is successful as he's a good bloke.

On the way home, I picked up a Beef Chow Mein take away in the village. Then fell asleep on sofa. I was in my twenties again!

It's been an emotionally demanding week, supporting colleagues through various appeals and grievances, dealing with the fallout of a failed appeal - all on top of the day job. Monday first thing my boss told me she had been made redundant. When the news became public, I found some of the gloating unpalatable. I've had run in's with her but you know, the gloaters don't get it - she did her best to minimise impact of reorganisations, job losses etc on the staff, but now, no boss means no department. Be careful what you wish for.

Assuming I survive the pendulum that's currently overhead, there's also been a not so unexpected announcement that there will be no pay rises this year and in all likelhood we will have to look at either 10% pay decreases or a reduction in working hours. I see either reduction in hours or pay preferable to being unemployed. At home, it means we are playing canny. We Planned holiday to Greece, first in three years, is off just in case, so it's Lamb kofatas, olives, goat cheese and wargames in the back garden this summer.

Funniest thing this week was one of the girls from the IT Help Desk telling me that she had receieved a call from the Director's office. One of the PA's reported that her colleague had a "noisy fanny and could someone do something about it".

Cheers
Mark
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IN THE PIPE... 15mm Kaamados Squamata

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The latest, craziest troops from Critical Mass Games...The Kaamados Squamata!

Critical Mass Games 15mm Sci Fi
Kaamados Squamata Imperialis 1

Critical Mass Games 15mm Sci Fi
Kaamados Squamata Imperialis 2

Critical Mass Games 15mm Sci Fi
Kaamados Squamata Imperialis 3

Been holding onto these guys since I was first sent some castings last July. I'll have some close-up photos and comparison shots on Dropship tomorrow. I'm going out for a drink to catch up with a long lost buddy from the Forestry Commission. After a day of putting together GZG Shanties, believe me, I need a drink or three!

The Squamaata can only have eminated from a tortured mind - they wear encasing biosuits and breathing aparatus - forget the back story! These guys make great bio-toxic warriors or even waterworld raiders. They fit perfectly into my post-apocalyptic setting as irradiated mutants from the atomic wastes.

The Squamaata include crew figures who would suit perfectly the new 15mm Sci Fi heavy weapons available from Mike at The Scene:

The Scene 15mm Sci Fi
Heavy Weapons

Cheers
Mark
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In the Pipe......Critical Mass Games 'Marrock' Walker

It's Alive! The Critical Mass Games Marrock Walker breaks free and enters atmosphere




For more information see the Critical Mass Games Forum: (click here)

Cheers
Mark
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"How long after we're declared overdue......."

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The centrepiece of my Post Apocalyptic urban terrain arrived today from Fieldworks and let me tell you, it is AWESOME. I have to take my hat off to John at Fieldworks, this model exceeded my expectations by miles!

FieldWorks 15mm Terrain F16,
Unpainted: £18.00, Painted: £27.00

It is a shell damaged C20th or later two storey raised building sitting on pillars. The second storey and all roofs are removable. Perfect as a Hiroshima style solitary survivor in a glassed urbanscape or the abandoned command and research centre on LV-426b.

Length 260mm, Width 195mm, Height 100mm

The model arrived in a HUGE, well packaged box, that included a small bag with 40p in change as a refund on postage! Heather said "Ooh, Aliens!" as soon as I took the model out from the layers of bubblewrap. And yes, I can easily see heroic Marines making last stands in the corridors.

The piece itself is £18, which I think is staggeringly good value. Painted it's £27 and you know, wish I'd gone for that option!

MasterChef has just picked one up for himself. You can imagine, two of these, some GZG containers, a couple of Colony Prefab Modules..... plus hordes of Khurasan Space Demons!

Available from:

FIELDWORKS.ORG.UK

Cheers
Mark
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Everyone Was Kung Fu Fighting!

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Rebel Minis Ninja, not so much released, as fighting their way out!

Rebel Minis 15mm Ninjas
RMN1: 23 figures for $10.95

Cheers
Mark
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