Death is the Jungle

Painting and Modelling a Loud Ninja Games Chuhuac Sniper
By Eli

I got around to painting one of my Loud Ninja Games Chuhuac minis. This one is a personal favorite, the sniper from RAP005 Chuhuac Special Ops (HERE). This commando figure is poised with his powerful, long-range accelerator gun used for anti-personal as well as anti-material missions.

Because I wanted to do a more subdued scheme than the catalog Chuhuac, I started with a brown base coat and a bit base. The large base is to accommodate scenic effects. 

I started with a base coat of a sort of pale green, almost like a green-tinted white. This shows up a little bluish in the pictures, but it's a shade of green. I covered all of the parts that should be concealed by the commando's stealth suit. for the base flesh tones, I used an actual human shade of flesh. I left the plumage, weapon, and cloaking pack brown.

The next step was to paint the plumage red and the backpack and gun a dark olive drab.  I highlighted the gun and pack with a bit of the OD and the suit color blended together. I then washed the entire figure in Army Painter Strong Tone wash. I went back and picked out some details with the highlighting color again and smoothed out some of the blotchy parts with some of the base color with just a touch of OD.

Basing was quick and dirty and took all of 5-10 minutes (wasn't counting). I started by simply painting darker brown splotches over the base coat lighter brown. Then, a few dabs of superglue here and then as a run through the grit bin. After this, I glued down the major scenic features (bare branch, leafy shrub, log and rock.

With the arrangement to my liking, I then applied more glue to the ground, this time covering most of it and a few dabs on the bare branch (actually a grape stem). A sprinkle of my special "leaf litter" blend of tea leaves. These are unused tea leaves pulled from their packets and mixed in a container to the right color blend.

After the leaf litter was applied, I went and picked away any bits that were sticking in places they shouldn't and then dabbed a bit of glue on the log and rock. A sprinkle of blended modelling flock gives a nice mossy effect.

The end result is a nice, concealed Chuhuac commando. A deadly threat on its own, giving a raptor an accelerator cannon just seems like overkill!

-Eli

Slicing Through the Air

New V105 Saber Flyer from 15mm.co.uk

By Eli

One of the coolest things that 15mm.co.uk decided to do was to remaster some of their wonderful, albeit aging scifi vehicle models, refreshing the models and giving them renewed life moving forward into the future. The latest in this line is the V105 Saber Class Jet Flyer.

An all white metal kit (many of the remasters have incorporated rein & metal), this is the perfect vehicle for your light flight duties. Whether it is a military scout, law enforcement or even just a space colony runabout, this two-seat, open cockpit VTOL craft will fit the bill. 

For more information, read - HERE

It's a Block Party

Block House Release for The Ion Age
By Eli

Hey all,

Brand new from our friends over in Scotland, the newest release in the ever-growing range of configurable resin terrain...

THE ION AGE

IAF040 BLOCK HOUSE

Continuing their series of interconnecting, stack-able, accessory-filled resin terrain, Ion Age has released  the IAF040 Block House model. Representing a hardened bunker, this piece can be used on its own or linked up with other pieces from the range utilizing the standardized joining details which are masterfully finished as either solid walls while still allowing a smooth join to other components. The blockhouse also uses the same standardized roof mount for the various roof top accessories in the range, allowing you to outfit this piece as anything from a communications bunker to an air defense position. Add cannons and this tough little structure can become part of a line of defense.

For more information read - HERE

 

Gruntz 15mm Sci-Fi - Activation Cards Preview

By Harold

Check out the newest Gruntz add-on preview over at the Gruntz Blog

Robin from Gruntz! is showing off his new card activation deck for Gruntz.

Activation Cards

At many of the show games for Gruntz I have been playing with the activation cards. They add a dynamic feel to the game with less of the I-GO-U-GO feel. They also allow for games with more than 2 players because the activation sequence is determined randomly by assigning cards, so players feel like they are involved rather than waiting their turn.

To support this play style I have been developing a dedicated deck of 62 cards for Gruntz. They are a smaller half poker card size, so ideal for the 15mm scale where you don't want to ruin the table by having a larger poker deck strewn across your terrain layout.

Here is a sample of the draft card back and a couple of the card fronts.  There are around 20 of the 62 cards that have some sort of special result for the unit which adds a bit more chaos to the battlefield. These abilities could be ignored if you just want to use the cards to determine activation sequence.

Using these rules result in a card being assigned face down to each unit on the table (or vehicle) and when they are turned face up you can determine which unit activates by the number on the card. The highest number activates first and then you work back down to the lowest. 

They are heading off now for printing a draft proof set of cards and should be available to order in the next 6-8 weeks (once any final layout and rule tweaks are adjusted). 

I'm very excited about these. I'm working on a simple reaction system for Gruntz as well and I think these would fit in nicely.

I envision using these as follows:

• Each player is dealt a number of cards based on how many units they have (1:1 for each unit)
• Each player (alternating) assigns cards to their units. They can assign any cards to any units, even putting multiple cards on the same unit.
• Everyone reveals the cards and you activate from highest to lowest.

I (ClearHorizon Miniatures) was at the Gamex Convention this last weekend.  I played a lot of demo games and got a lot of folks interested in 15mm gaming.  I look forward to playing more games!

Look to the Skies

New Heavy Combat Cyberform from Loud Ninja Games
By Eli

I am happy to announce the first new release to my Chuhuac range since the Kickstarter - RAP012 Heavy Combat Cyberform.

This miniature represents a larger, more capable version of the light flying cybernetic drone that accompanies the Command Section from RAP03. It is used for longer range, more detailed recon, target acquisition and communications missions. 

In addition to RAP012 a new sub-code for RAP03 is available that allows you to purchase 6 of the Light Combat Cyberforms separate from the Command Section pack. Use these to expand your drone network to cover a wider area of the board, coordinated through your Heavy Combat Cyberform.

For more information and background, read - HERE.

Legate Vanya of the Styx Legion

New Khanate Character for the Ion Age

This week we see the release of Legate Vanya and one of his legionary guards from the Styx Legion. This cool character can be used to lead units or to add character to any scifi setting. The base pack come with the Legate one guard but you can also order the miniatures separately.

For more info, read - HERE

Critical Mass Games Mecha Workshop!

By Harold

John Bear Ross writes:

I'm pleased as all get out to announce the opening of Critical Mass Games' Mecha Workshop.

Here, you'll find nearly every bit I've done for Craig and Dale, including special bits for customizing your Zas Ravagers, Blackguards, your Vanguards, your Arc Fleet Advance Walkers, or your Ygs Gunmen or Guardsmen.

A veritable smorgasbord of mecha parts.

Here's some screen captures of the store...

 Weapons...

 More weapons...

 Backpacks, jetpacks, shoulders, and upgrade kits for your existing Arc Fleet Walkers.  That's a lot of bits!

And here's the new mecha being offered, both in singles and platoon packs of three.


Absolutely gorgeous, and all à la carte!  Enjoy!

Here's that store link again.

Best,
JBR

Sengoku!

A New Range of Japanese Fantasy
By Eli

Last Thursday saw the release of an amazing new addition to the realm of 15mm fantasy miniatures. Sengoku is a range designed by John Bell and now released through 15mm.co.uk. It features a variety of very signature Japanese creatures that can form armies of their own or be added in with existing ranges of 15mm Samurai. I particularly like the whimsical inclusion of the anime style Japanese school girls who always seem to be falling through portals into the mythic past for adventures.

For more information read - HERE.

SGFP02 Tengu

SGFP03 Oni

SGFP04 Japanese Goblins

SGFP05 Kappa

SGFP06 Japanese School Girls

ClearHorizon Miniatures will be at Gamex (Hilton LAX) this Weekend!

By Harold

Gamex Convention at the Hilton LAX Memorial Day Weekend is coming up! ( strategicon.net )

ClearHorizon Miniatures will be there all weekend with our full range, AND we'll have new releases that you won't be able to get until a couple weeks after!

We'll be in the hallway running Gruntz demo games as well! (and we'll have the rulebooks for sale)

Stop by, say hello, play some games and get a discount if you mention this post.

Hope to see all you folks there!


More info on our Facebook page: Facebook

Fantastic Horizons

A New Feature
By Eli

Hello all,

Today we are happy to announce our plans to add a new semi-regular (as news comes up) feature to this blog - Fantastic Horizon. 

While Dropship Horizon has run as a nearly exclusive 15mm science fiction site for the entirety of its life, it has occasionally touched on other genres as they related to the theme of 15mm science fiction. What's more, we felt that there was a growing movement in 15mm fantasy miniatures that could use some extra face time, the same way that Dropship Horizon did for the growing 15mm science fiction miniatures market. 

We considered creating a new blog for it, but felt that adding it as a feature would better cater to players and collectors who are often multi-genre fans. It also keeps from adding another blog to the rest of the blogosphere that requires checking separately.

We hope to begin posting news items, hobby stories, and sharing blog posts from others who are exciting about this cousin genre to our beloved 15mm science fiction.

To start with, I would like to look at three of the bigger sources of new fantasy miniatures in 15mm scale. Mind you, this is not to say these are the only ones coming out with new stuff in fantasy or the only ones doing good fantasy miniatures out there, but they do represent a big push in 15mm fantasy. I speak of Splintered Light Miniatures, Copplestone Castings and Khurasan miniatures.

Splintered Light Miniatures
SLM has released an absolute avalanche of miniatures for fantasy gaming in 15mm. It is safe to say that they are on the forefront of new creations for the genre. With 17 (not including their fantasy dungeon crawl range) ranges covering everything from ratmen, to elves, orcs, fantasy Egyptians and a ton of others, it would be hard not to find what you are looking for in their extensive catalog.

While there is a lot of the familiar in SLM's products, they also have some nice unique takes on some of the usual subjects as well as offering some things not usually covered such as an army of hyena or lion men and the aforementioned fantasy Egyptians.

Wood Elf Medium Cavalry on Elk

Hill Giants

The Adventurers

Dark Elves

Khurasan Miniatures

A relatively new contributor to the fantasy genre, KM has struck out with some very strong offerings. Specialising in products that are central to the genre, they manage to bring a nice take on the subjects they cover. Most notable in their fantasy ranges is their Great Enemy range of Tolkien-esque orcs and supporting models such as trolls, wraiths and other foes from popular literature. dd to this a healthy range of lizardmen and several smaller ranges and one-offs and you get a good cross section of the familiar and the new.

Orc Melee Troops

Armored Trolls

Lizardmen

It should be noted that KM is poised to make a healthy new push into the 15mm fantasy market with several upcoming new ranges based on popular old school RPG monsters (pictured below).

Upcoming Old School RPG Style Lizardmen

Upcoming Hobgoblins

Copplestone Castings

Copplestone has quite the pedigree in fantasy having done a ton of it back in the day, but his 15mm offerings are much more recent and stunning. Focusing on a world of barbarians and dark age warriors, Mark Copplestone is creating a range that draws from the likes of Frazetta, Howard and other Sword and Sorcery styling. Muscular barbarians, stout dwarves and some monsters are just the beginning of a world that he promises will incorporate empires and tribes of all sorts.

Betrayal is all Part of the Game

New Underworld Types from The Ion Age
By Eli

My apologies to the folks tat The Ion Age for my tardiness in getting this posted, but I am happy to show off their new release of science fiction criminal types. A cool change of pace from the science fiction army types of the game, AIAF003 The Betrayers shows more scruffy underworld types and even includes a cool prop in the form of a crate of loot.

For more information read - HERE.

Also, remember May's special miniature IMP09 Retained Sniper, is only available until the end of the month. This is a cool add on to any Retained force and has sculpting work done by me :).

Do you Reddit? New 15mm Sci-Fi Subreddit!

By Harold

Hi everyone, a quick announcement.

If you are on Reddit.com or are looking for another discussion forum dedicated to all things 15mm Sci-Fi (we allow fantasy and such too!) check out our new 15mm Sci-Fi subreddit!

The address is: http://www.reddit.com/r/15mmSciFi/

Everyone is welcome to contribute and please let me know if you see anything that should be added!

ClearHorizon Miniatures: Pre-Order now available for 15mm CLIFFORD Squad Support Drone

By Harold

Hi everyone!

Squad Heavy Support Version

We have new pre-orders up!

Available at:

http://clearhorizonminiatures.com/store/pre-order-clifford-support-drone/


Pre-Order CLIFFORD Squad Support Drone

2 x Drones
1 x Operator

$6.99 USD

Each drone comes with:

• Optional Twin Linked Support Weapon
• Optional Smart Mortar System
• Stowage

Size-wise they are a bit shorter but about twice as long as a human sized figure.

Smart Mortar

Designed to support the Hell Diver Special Forces squads on the ground during missions, the CLIFFORD drones can carry up to 600 lbs of gear and several different weapon systems. They are also linked to the squad and provide extended sensor capability. They can also be used as a standalone sentry unit or support squad with or without a dedicated operator.

Perfect for either near-future or sci-fi use.

Pre-order now and save $1.00 USD off of final retail.

They will be shipped by June 30th. We will advise if there are any changes to that timeframe.