First Look: Arlocks (Blue Moon 15mm Sci-Fi)

In the past weeks I've mentioned working on some 15mm sci-fi rules. Rules are fine, but the models are where the real fun is. Recently I got the OK to start showing off some of the models in Blue Moon's upcoming 15mm sci-fi line. These models will be designed to go with our Galactic War I rules we're working on, but they can be used for any sci-fi mass battle or skirmish game.

To start us off I have the most recent arrival, the Arlocks! These alien scavengers have a real penchant for electricity, wielding Shock-Jazaels for ranged attacks, and deadly vibro-sabers for close-in work. Here I've painted up two samples, but the basic pack should contain 10 poses, including leader types and a larger heavy weapon with crew. Again, as I paint more of these up I'll show them off.


















The models in this line will come as pictured with a cast-on base, and we are also working on some plug-in move stands that will be cast in resin and can hold 5-man fire teams. The rules and figures should be ready for a Summer 2010 release.

More teasers to come!

--Scott

Chaos in Carpathia Inspiration

One of the sites I frequent daily in my web wanderings is the Lead Adventure Forum. I was so pleased to find this wonderful Chaos in Carpathia thread featuring the terrain designs of LAF member Jet, complete with pictures, on there this week.

I've had the good fortune to write quite a few rule sets over the years, but with the exception of SuperSystem, none have been more successful, or brought me more personal gratification, than Carpathia. I just love the damn thing, and seeing others playing it at this level does my heart good!

Here's one shot of his tremendous stuff:



So thanks, Jet! You made my week!

--Scott

Warmachine: Hydra!

Hail, Hydra! Wait, that's a different comic! Anyway, I have begun painting and assembling a Retribution of Scyrah force for Warmachine. My first finished piece, the test of the paint scheme, really, is the plastic Myrmidon heavy warjack kit. Among the options in the kit is the Hydra. I liked its hulking, almost ape-like quality, so I decided to start with it first.



















The scheme is dead simple. Started with a black undercoat, then blocked in most of the body using GW Mechrite Red. Then I went back and mixed the red with GW Macarius Orange. The black inner areas were highlighted/painted with a dark gray from Vallejo. The blue jewels were done with Foundry's 3-step Sky Blue. I weathered the feat and lower legs by stippling on some GW Scorched Brown.

I really like this figure's funky lines. He would also make a great SuperSystem character, and he may get drafted into some super slugfests at some point.

Warmachine: Helljack!

Finished this Warmachine plastic kit last week and took some pics. I did manage to magnetize the arms and head to create greater customization.











Since these pics were taken I have gone over the pipes with black and cleaned a few other issues up. I was leaning toward running Cryx for WM, but now I may switch to the Retribution of Scyrah. I got a nice offer for the few Cryx models I've finished, so they will find a good home.

Did Mortenebra sour me on Cryx? Maybe. I'm a changeable sort though, and when I took a closer look at some of the Scyrah pieces (especially Adeptis Rahn), I realized I liked what I saw a whole lot. And my buddy Rico has Cryx pretty well covered. With nobody else in our local group doing Retribution, I thought I might try my hand at them instead.

Of course, I will post pics of any Scyrah stuff I finish here on the blog!

--Scott

The Perfect Swarm Week 1

My FLGS, Phantom of the Attic (Oakland) in Pittsburgh is hosting a 3 weekend Warhammer 40K event featuring a Tyranid invasion. We're calling it The Perfect Swarm because it involves about 10,000 pts. of Tyranids from 4 different armies (mine included). All of the beleaguered denizens of the Emperor's Hope system must combine their resources to halt the 'Nid advance.

Here's a shot of my proxy Venomthropes on the move:




You can see shots of all of this past Sunday's games here.

We've got two more Sundays to go, and the Tyranids hold a slight edge. We'll see what happens!

--Scott

Warmachine: Mortenebra

As a palate cleanser, after painting so many 'Nids the last month, I needed something very different.

Some of my gaming group have been threatening to re-enter the Warmachine game with the release of the Mark II rules. I decided I would try my hand at some Cryx. They're a decidedly evil faction. For those who don't know, Warmachine features powerful, magic using characters called Warcasters. They form the linchpin of your force because they can control powerful humanoid war engines called Warjacks.

I chose Mortenebra because I was told she was good with Warjack heavy forces, and that's what I'd like to play.

Here are some pics:














This model turned out great, but I truly believe it was designed and molded by sadists. The sheer number of unnecessary pieces it was cut into, and the assembly of the servo arms makes building it an absurd exercise. I don't think PP considered that this piece is meant for the gaming table, and should be made to be durable. I had to resort to rare earth magnets on the servo arms:




Anyway, she is together and hopefully she'll stay that way. The plastic Helljack kit went together much more easily, and I will show that off this weekend.

--Scott

Guardians of the Galaxy Update

Just finished GotG #23 and it was excellent! Once again Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning deliver a stunning story, and I have to say that fill-in artist Wes Craig has grown on me. His "softer" style suits certain story types, and he's developed a better affinity for the characters.

Not to spoil anything, but this issue features the return of a certain purple-skinned mega-villain, and some not so long-lost Guardians. I know GotG does ok, but I urge those who have not tried it to do so, and thus ensure more great issues to come!

Good stuff!

A Versatile Monster

As I come closer to finishing my Tyranid force for Warhammer 40K, I am looking to fill out my list with some of the special options available. I love the rules for the Venomthrope, but I am not a big fan of the official model, a complex, multi-part metal model. I think I found a solution. It's the Devourer from Reaper's Warlord line.

I painted him up last night and here are the results.














And here are some scale comparison shots:






I can also see using this monster in D&D RPG action and other sci-fi and fantasy skirmish games. Of course, when I finally get around to trying the new Warlord game, I can use him in that too!

--Scott

BASH UE Action

I've talked about the BASH RPG before on this blog, but tomorrow I will be getting together with some friends and running a character generation session for a short campaign I intend to run.

I intend to run a mid-powered, quirky supers campaign that borrows some elements from the old Whispering Vault RPG. Players will take the roles of supernatural hunters in the employ of the Lords of Chaos and Order. They'll be tracking down fugitive entities out to do evil across the multiverse. Adventures can and will take place in the past, present, and future. It'll be a bit like Doctor Who, but a lot more violent.

Maybe I'll take some pics of the models the players use for the characters and share them here.

--Scott

Happy Birthday to Four-Color Figures!

One year ago today I began this blog, and I can't be more pleased with the way it's gone this year!

I have always maintained that the next best thing to actually gaming is talking about gaming, and my goal here has always been to have a dialog (with anyone willing to listen) about why I love this hobby so much. Sometimes we do it with words here, but we always aim to bring the eye candy! Today, I have a sneak peak of the first 15mm super-ape from sculptor and artist Jan Annarella. Jan's new to the sculpting game, but he's one of those guys who can do practically anything he sets his mind to. Here they are:







Jan's got to finish at least two more apes for me, but I could not resist showing this first one off. I am not sure when we'll get these into production, but they will hopefully mark the beginning of a few 15mm SuperFigs packs this year.

Thanks for reading the blog, and for staying with me all year. We'll try to make the next one full of even more pleasant distractions!

--Scott

SuperFigs: Megladon

I had to share this image of of our SuperFigs Megladon figure. He was expertly painted by ace layout man Karl Perrotton.



Clean and nicely detailed paint job! Good show, Karl!

--Scott

Brood Lord

I had been using a regular Genestealer for my Brood Lord, but I realized a model that was that cool and tough in the game needed a more appropriate representation.

I used parts from the Tyranid and Chaos Spawn plastic kits, and the head from an old Genestealer, and kit-bashed him together. I am very pleased with my results!

















I need to do some clean-up and tighter blending on the highlights, but he gets the job done!

--Scott

Mycetic Spores!

Once I began working on my Tyranids in earnest, I knew I wanted to do some Mycetic Spores. These alien drop pods allow you to Deep Strike one Monstrous Creature or a unit of up to 20 infantry behind enemy lines. And they themselves can fight once they land, though they are immobile.

A lot of folks are using various toys to model the Mycetic Spore--GW has no official model on its release schedule. I decided to go a different route and visited Michael's. In their artificial fruit aisle I found this:



It's a pineapple. It's made from foam, and coated with a thin, rigid plastic. Here I have already cut off the leaves. With this basic shape, I had something to work with. I used a hacksaw to slice a portion off of the bottom so the Spore would sit at an angle on its base (an old audio CD).



After mounting it on a CD, I used my Delight air-dry clay to sculpt some crude organic orifices on the Spore to give it additional character, and define a clear doorway that the creatures could exit the pod from.







The Delight clay has some decent adhesive properties, but I also painted around the rim of the shapes with white glue to give it extra purchase. I prepared a second Spore in the exact same manner as this one.

Then I primed them white and went to work. I'd like to say that the painting process was one of discovery, elegant and relaxing. Actually, it was a near disaster, but I recovered and painted two spores to an acceptable table quality.





Twenty Termagants will ride in style in this baby!



This second Mycetic Spore is slightly more reclined than the first. Just a different cut with the hacksaw. I do like the fact that it is at a different angle.










Here you can clearly see my Carnifex, the "Drop-Fex" could easily curl up inside this Mycetic Spore. Also, I tried to weather the bottoms to model the friction and pressure of an orbital drop.



Above you can see how I tried to include some 'Nid bits where I could.

That's about it. I'd like to make a few more now that I have my method down. Too bad the Michael's I visited only had two of them!

--Scott