Copplestone Castings Releases More 15mm Fantasy!

Copplestone Castings have released more 15mm Fantasy! Whilst most of the figures have a strong Conan The Barbarian feel, many of them, particularly some of the characters and the snow trolls (pictured above) might work well in in a pulp sci fi / Space 1889 setting.

We really hope these sell well so that Mark Copplestone can be encouraged to do some more 15mm, particularly 15mm in the style of his Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Future Wars!

Oddzial Osmy Spaceworms - Review and Paint Test

Earlier this month, Fighting 15s released the highly-anticipated Oddzial Osmy 15mm Sci-Fi Range.  I placed an order as soon as they were available.  While I don't have a purpose for the mid-tech human infantry (yet), I quickly grabbed a pack of the civilian reporters and a few packs of the Spaceworms.

Well, kudos to Fighting 15s for great international shipping times - one week from their shop to my mailbox.  More importantly, I was impressed with the quality of the minis.  Other than a few easily-removed strips of flash, the minis were extremely clean and detailed.  I also like the bases - they are very thin, and perfectly rectangular.  They don't look like a giant boulder or mount on top of a normal troop base.  In fact, the rectangular shape might let you use some kind of detailed base with these, like SpaceJacker's starship decking (see link).  I set the reporters aside for now so I could get started on the Spaceworms.

I had two different paint schemes in mind for the Worms.  Since I couldn't choose between them, I decided to try a test mini of each.  I hit two "trooper" worms with white primer and set to work.  My first idea was a simple, organic paint scheme.  These worms would be used as living support weapons for a more advanced race - maybe they are sentient enough to fight on their own, or maybe they are controlled by telepathic commands or electronic signals.  The helmets of the minis certainly leave both possibilities open.  Here is a picture of the worm creature with a Critical Mass Astagar:

I liked it well enough.  Worms like this would be a fun addition to an alien imperial force. But I still wanted to try my other idea - robotic worms.  I've been working with colored-wash-over-bare-metal quite a bit lately, so I decided to go back to my roots and paint a basic gunmetal robot.  Here's the result, next to a similarly-painted Rebel Minis Scourge:

Robotic worms with small lasers on their backs... also very useful.  They could be in a mixed force of assorted robotic invaders, automated or remote sentries at a sentient alien fortification, or even part of a large starship's intruder defense system.  

So which scheme should I go with?  I still haven't decided!  I'm not even sure if I'll keep this single-based for games of FUBAR and Gut Check, or if I want to multi-base some for use in my Alien Squad Leader games.  I may have to pick up a few more sets to try both options.  They certainly don't take much time or effort to paint. 

Either way, if you're looking for something that doesn't resemble a "man in a rubber or robot suit," you could do far worse than the Oddzial Osmy Spaceworms.

Cheers,

Chris

SPOTLIGHT: Rebel Miniatures

The Dropship Crew recently caught up with Mike at Rebel Miniatures to find out how he got into wargaming and his plans for 15mm Sci Fi.

Variable Payload Raider (VPR), or Viper Suit as the troops call it. 

We will have 3 versions to start with new weapon systems as well. Designed By John Bear Ross. This should be out in about a month or so...

1. First of all, how did you get into table top wargaming?

I had been playing D&D in the mid 80’s and was looking to get into something different. While at my local comic store I saw a game of Battletech and was immediately hooked. From there I got into Rogue Trader and ultimately into all the Games Workshop stuff. The early GW stuff was amazing and every week, my friends would battle each other at our local comic store. Good times.

2. How did Rebel Miniatures get started and how has running the business changed over the years?

 I was at Origins Game Fair in 2004 with a few of my gaming buddies. At the time I owned a toy company, called Palisades, making action figures and such for Toy’s R US, Target, ect. While we were playing a game, I was complaining that I needed more figures and that no one made the figures I wanted. My wife overheard me and in front of everyone said, “Well, Mr. Manufacturer, why don’t you just make some?” So I did.

When we first started, we only had a few packs. We were doing shows and getting great responses and because we had a few packs, filling orders was pretty easy. Now, with so many packs, boxsets and rulesets, it takes a lot longer but we still love it.

Cheyenne MATV Truck - This goes with Rebel Miniatures MATV Line. Weapon system may change. 

Designed By John Bear Ross. This should be out in about a month or so...

3. What are your general plans for the Rebel Miniatures 15mm sci fi ranges?

We have big plans for our Sci-Fi lines. Right now we are developing more alien races to add to our human lines and really fleshing out our universe. We are in the process of adding more Mech-Type vehicles (my favorites) and John Bear Ross has done some amazing new designs for us. They will blow you away.
 
This winter, if everything goes well, we will also be introducing a new human faction that will have a cool look and feel to it.

We also teamed up with Two Hour Wargames to add some new box sets to the 5150 universe. We have just released Day of the Scourge and we hope to release more box sets with miniatures, scenarios, campaigns, etc. Our Sci-fi lines will be a major focus for this winter and next year, so stay tuned!

4. How do you think the hobby (sci fi wargaming generally and 15mm sci fi wargaming more specifically) look now compared to when you started out? 

15mm sci-fi wargaming has exploded. There are so many good rulesets and miniature companies out there; you can find almost anything you can imagine. I have heard others say it and I believe it, this is the Golden Age of 15mm.

Jump Troops Inbound

Mad Robot Miniatures is happy to announce the release of our first 15mm offering...TMC Jump Troops.

Tachyon Mercenary Corps

Based on the planet Tachyon-12 in the Selous system, the TMC wages war for the highest bidder. By investing their huge war-time profits into the latest technology, they storm the battlefield with a precision that has earned them their reputation as one of the galaxy's elite fighting units. TMC Recruiting Officers are free to choose their units from the thousands of worlds surrounding the Selous system, giving them the ultimate in flexibility, based upon their combat mission.

Jump Troops are used by aggressive TMC commanders as a fast-attack element. Their ability to move quickly and hit hard makes them a feared weapon in the TMC arsenal. The scream of their jump jets is the last thing their adversaries hear as they descend from the skies, delivering white-hot death.

These figures are currently in production and we will have another announcement about the release date and pricing in the next few weeks.

Steve Stodden
Mad Robot Miniatures, LLC
http://www.madrobotminiatures.com/

Fighting 15s releases Oddzial Osmy 15mm Sci-Fi

A few months ago, Oddzial Osmy previewed some new 15mm Sci-Fi on TMP (link to original thread).  That line is now available from Fighting 15s.

The initial offering has three categories: Vistula Legion (mid-tech near-future human infantry), Non-Combatants (currently featuring a human civilian reporter crew), and Spaceworms.  The only pic available so far of the Spaceworms is in the original preview thread above.  I'll uploaded painted pictures of them shortly after they arrive - I couldn't wait to place my own order!  In the meantime, here are the infantry and reporters:

Vistula Legion Troopers

Reporter Crew

The Vistula Legion gives us another good mid tech-level Traveller style force, or it can be useful for those of you gaming the next 100-200 years of Earth's timeline.  I think the reporters are useful in many scenarios - I plan to add some to my ongoing "characters and civilians" project.  And the Spaceworms give us a great option besides "humans in rubber suits."  We look forward to seeing this line grow.

Cheers, 
Chris

REVIEW: Crusty Combat Walker and NAC Power Armour

As we mentioned earlier the latest releases from Ground Zero Games are now available for order. Jon sent me a few samples for review and here are my thoughts.

First off we have the NAC Power Armour. I know a lot of people have been waiting for resculpts of the different GZG power armour troopers and the NAC are the first ones out. They come six to a pack with two different poses and weapons (grenade launcher and rifle) and are supplied with optional jet/backpacks. What first sprang to mind when I saw them was "Gort!", followed by "Traveller!". They have a kind of retro hardsuit look that really appeals to me! The detailing is good and I like the stubby guns as well as the fact that the jetpack is optional (although I prefer it on). Only two poses is a bit disappointing though and to make matters worse the two poses that we get are very similar. I'm hoping that we might see some further addition to this line later on, providing us with more diverse weapons and poses. Also, it bears mentioning that if you're after some really bulky Heinlein-esque power armour you might want to look elsewhere as they are relatively skinny. Personally, as I have something different in mind for my UNSC, I will use them as player markers for 3:16 - Carnage Amongst the Stars.

With all this human power armour goodness we need something alien to balance it out, and hey if it isn't Crusty heavy infantry! Again six to a pack but three different poses this time and all carrying the same heavy arc rifle. Also included are optional backpacks. These guys I'm sure will be a welcome addition to many of the Crusty forces out there as they supply some added punch. They seem to be wearing some kind of hard/power suit with large, bulky helmets. Actually the helmet design have a slight look of dog or pig to them so I could see them being used as some kind of uplift aliens as well. The detailing is good and I like the more varied poses in this pack. I've always liked the alienness of the Crusties and the design of the armour (the helmet in particular) helps reinforce this. They will most likely form the tough core in my Crusty force (that's made up of riff-raff mostly).

And of course the new Crusty combat walker! I think this is the model most people were expecting when Jon first mentioned the Crusty mecha. At twice the size of a man it has the right size and, again, it simply looks very alien. There are two models in the pack with six arms and two different sets of legs. There are four weapon arms and two with no weapons so you will be able to get a few packs of these and still have a lot of variety in your models.

It's a well detailed kit and I kept discovering little details as I looked it over, like what looks like thrusters at the back of the body. The weapons look great, I especially like the gravity gun(?). I think I will drill some holes in my walkers to add some more fine detail to it like spines and antennas.

The only complaint I have is the connection points between the limbs and the body that are very loose and jingly. While it is a fairly trivial matter I still like it when my models click together just right. Once it's assembled though it looks great on the tabletop and I look forward to seeing this guy duking it out with my Khurasan DIMOG's and Micro Panzer WarBots!


All in all a solid set of releases. I only hope we get to see more of those NAC power armoured troopers in the future!