Review - Critical Mass Games Bastion IFV and Havoc Tank

Written by Chris

 

Last year, Critical Mass Games added an assortment of ten armored fighting vehicles to their great Mercenaries range. Craig sent me review samples of each variant back around the holidays, so it's high time I share these with you. We'll start with the Bastion IFV (tracked variant) and the Havoc Tank (grav variant). This seems like the perfect time to show these off - they are featured prominently in the ZAS Army Expansion currently running on Kickstarter.

PREVIEW: GZG 15mm RAVAGERS!

Thanks to Jon at GZG I'm now the proud owner of his new 15mm 'Ravager' miniatures.

The 'Ravagers' come in two different sets, each pack containing 2 each of 4 different sculpts. The miniatures are lovely sculpts in the flesh (believe me, better than they appear in the photos), approximately 16mm to 16.5mm from sole to eye level. To my mind certainly some of the best 'civilian' figures from GZG to date.

As you can see from the photos below, they can be used as the denizens of a thousand starports; criminal elements, gangers, tramp starship crew, space pirates, heroes, sidekicks and villains. They are really versatile miniatures and can even be utilised as modern day survivalists or Zombie Hunters.

Detail? Well, look for yourself. I think it's comparable with any 28mm from Hasslefree or Heresy Miniatures! Click on the photos for a larger image...

GZG 15mm Ravagers

Figure A: Bald head (or headscarf/skullcap) with a scar or bionic implant on the right side of his forehead. The detail of the folds in the back of his coat is well done. He will make a perfect space pirate captain or petty crime lord.

Figure B: Bald head again, but this time with a small tuft of hair on his forehead in ska-punk fashion. There's a handle of a knife or cosh tucked into his right boot.

Figure C: A very curvy female character dressed in a cropped top. There's even goggles on her forehead. She would make a welcome addition to any ship's crew, or become a great survivalist, adventurer or Zombie hunter figure in the mould of the Resident Evil babes. A quick conversion giving her a chainsaw would turn the miniature into a fair representation of Hasslefree's Ashlee.

Figure D: Better in 3D than the photo may suggest, this guy has dreadlocks and a goatee and is oozing character! He actually makes a good Samuel L Jackson lookalike "When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherf**ker on the starship!"

More GZG 15mm Ravagers

Figure A: Very feminine figure with attitude and a shotgun!

Figure B: Shoulder length hair wearing a long coat which again has excellent folds that will lift the miniature out of the ordinary once painted and will repay careful wash/shading. Makes a good character figure.

Figure C: Wearing a skull cap with a more asian, african or face. Armed with an assault rifle.

Figure D: Once again a great character figure for RPG's and individual skirmish gaming.


How do the Ravagers stack up against other miniatures? Fine, and they compliment each other well too. Here you see them next to a Rebel Mini's Earth Force Marine and a GZG UNSC Hard Suit Marine.

GZG 15mm Ravager vs Khurasan Miniatures Garn Warrior

Can't wait to paint the Ravagers and get them on the table, but even with just an ink wash they look incredible and detailed enough to game with! At long last I feel that there are figures which surpass Citadel Miniatures classic Traveller Set1: Adventurers and Set 4: Citizens. These GZG minis have lifted me from the doldrums and make me want to play Traveller again. If only they had been available 25 years ago!

UPDATED....30th June........actual pack contents:

GZG SG15-X06: £2.50

SG15-X07: £2.50

Cheers
Mark

15mm GARN: Close Up and Personal

One of the most anticipated releases of the year, Khurasan Miniatures 15mm Sci Fi Garn Warriors will not fail to disappoint. I suspect these new miniatures will become THE alien scumbags of choice amongst the 15mm Sci Fi gaming community.

15mm Khurasan Miniatures
Garn Warriors

Front and rear views of the Garn. Note that these miniatures do not have their weapons attached yet. All figures are sculpted as firing from the hip. The weapons come on a separate sprue and have a small spigot which fits into the hole you can see on the central figure. Take notice that the magazine is already moulded grasped in the right claw.

15mm Garn: L-R: Heavy Weapons trooper and 2 Warriors

The Heavy Weapons trooper comes with a sprue of different weapon 'inserts' which fit beneath the bar you see on the left-hand Garn in the photo above. You can cut off this spigot and paint it as a sword or similar close combat weapon.

15mm Khurasan Miniatures Garn Warriors
Comparisons with other manufacturer's human miniatures

This photo illustrates how solid and powerfully built Garn warriors are compared to humans, yet they do not look 'oversized' , or out of scale in any way. Playing around with the unpainted miniatures, I placed two on a base with the Rebel Earth Force Marine and they looked like a cool mixed species 'mercenary' unit.

The detail on the figures speaks for itself. I particularly like the prominent 'brow' feature above the eyes as it adds both 'menace' and character to the individual Garn models. These are minis you can easily develop empathy for and will want to command on the tabletop as your primary 15mm Sci Fi force - perfect for the upcoming AMBUSH ALLEY Sci Fi variant.

Remember to click on the photos for larger images!

Cheers
Mark

RAFM - GZG Comparison

A quick comparison photo tonight which shows figures from RAFM's Infantry Pack No.1 (ex-Citadel Traveller 'Military' High Tech troopers) side by side with GZG's new SG15-V15 pack.

The RAFM figs are all 15mm to eye level except the central figure who is 14mm, the smallest in the pack. At a 2 foot viewing distance the figures can be happily mixed together on the tabletop.