OK, still have to finish these 'Spartan' elite Assault Troops but I think the base turned out really well for a first attempt.


There's a thin wash of Citadel orange on the Roman Sand 'rocks', which in normal light makes them look like they are glowing 'hot'. Perhaps 20 minutes to complete the painting: 1st layer is 'Essential' Acrylics Martian Orange, then Citadel sunbed orange and finally Citadel Hawiian T-shirt yellow.

In future if I want to recreate this type of effect, I'll base the figures, rough the edge of their bases with filler (possibly, to be honest the 'rocks' can do a pretty good job of breaking up the outline), paint on the 'lava' in trails or pools and only THEN glue the rocks on to emphasise and frame the lava areas.

Cheers
Mark

These are my 'Spartan' elite Assault Troops for FWC - a work in progress. Still have to paint the weapons - possibly an ochre-sand colour to look like plastic/composite camo'd casings; and maybe some flashy insignia on the shoulder plates.

The 'rocks' you see on the base are an aquarium product called Roman Sand. You can buy it quite cheaply from most pet stores in lots of different colours including deep red and flame orange. I chose the black as it looked like bleak volcanic rock. As an experiment, I've mixed PVA glue with a cheap dark ochre acrylic paint from the Royal Langnickel 'Essential' Acrylics range, dropped the 'rocks' on and voila! Instant basing!

It's worth looking out for the 'Essential' Acrylics range, which is superb for terrain and general art projects. The local art shop sells these in 59ml bottles (2 fl oz, in old money) for just £1. Yes, £1. Checking the forums, some guys swear by them for their miniatures too and I'm not surprised when Citadel pots are around £2.25 for 12ml.

The base isn't finished as the volcanic effect of the rocks gave me the idea of trying to paint rivulets of lava flowing between the rocks similar to the picture on the right. See also Gavin Thorne's work on the DakkaDakka forum (Click here). Will it be too fussy for 15mm? Dunno, but I'm willing to give it a go. It may mean having to repaint the visors red to match the terrain.....oh bugger! A lazy painters' work is never done!

Cheers
Mark

I'd been looking forward to returning to my Spartans all day. So, straight onto the painting (a.k.a. kitchen) table when I got home tonight in order to make the most of the fantastic evening light.

'Blue' Spartan Platoons No.2 and No.3 were finished in record time. I also emptied the last zip bags of GZG New Israeli odds and sods to create a couple of additional support squads and then just painted every last miniature left on the table until there is a small sea of blue. My thoughts turn to Chelsea and I'm reminded of the 1979 the FA Cup Winners Subbuteo team I owned as a kid. Chelsea's main rivals were rather surprisingly Brazil, whom I don't think ever actually played at Stamford Bridge........

By 8.30pm, 60 plus Spartans and 3 conversions done in just two nights, with plenty of time spare to crack open a bottle of wine and plump down on the sofa with Heather to cringe in unison at the latest episode of The Apprentice on the BBC. Best TV of the week.

Cheers
Mark

My search for an adversary worthy of my Victorian Science Fiction army is over at long last courtesy of SPACE CAPTAIN SMITH by Toby Frost.

Imagine GZG Ixx as the Ghast Empire hive intent on exterminating square jawed Victorian hero, Captain Isambard Smith, his eclectic crew, oh and all humanoid life!

I've only just begun this frivolous Victorian Sci Fi homage to Flashman, but loving it already and left somewhat inspired.......

......And my painting is too, following yesterday's good talking to by myself. This evening I finished 'Blue' Spartan Platoon No.1, Company Command and two scout/recce bases. OK, not a lot of figures compared to what I could potentially achieve in an evening after work, maybe, but through breaking down the task into smaller much more manageable chunks, I'm actually enjoying what I'm doing. So much so that I also completed from scratch an unplanned and very much ad hoc 'strike platoon' (blue armour, silver helmets and green visors). And oh! They do look cool!

But, it didn't stop there! Bouyed up, I also converted a couple of spare New Israeli minis into Vargr Mercs using Wolf Beast Heads from Peter Pig (Range 6, pack 42).


All in all a successful but more importantly, enjoyable evening!

Cheers
Mark

We took a few days out last week, in no small part due to my discovering a potent wine called Elephants Trail. In addition, a business related trip to Edinburgh allowed Heather to pass the doors of Valvona & Crolla “Edinburgh’s undisputed food heaven”, on her eway home and return laden with mucho fine Italian goodies. So we decided to pull up the drawbridge, drop the portcullis and have some quality 'us' time.

Refreshed, renewed and with a gloriously sunny morning heralding the potential for the first BBQ of the season, the omens seemed to be in favour of it being a good day for painting miniatures. Now, I'm not one to thumb my nose at the gods )often), so I began another FWC 'Company' of Blue Spartans using GZG's 15mm New Israelis. I deliberately focussed on a known quick win to jump start my motivation this week and get some real momentum back under way!



I thoroughly recommend you read this excellent piece on painting Motivation and Momentum on The Painting Corps blog. Just don't read it whilst drinking a glass or two of Elephants Trail! As you will find all motivation, as well as all sense of feeling, slipping away......

On the subject of motivation and momentum, another thing I happened upon in mounting my figures on CDs, is that each one holds enough figures for 1 FWC platoon (or FAD/AA:FoF squad). If the idea of painting boltgun metal on the weapons of 30 guys in one sitting seems a chore, I know that if I get the weapons, visors and gauntlets completed on these 8-9 figs tonight, and maybe even base them as well, then at least I've finished a platoon. If I can't be arsed to complete more minis tonight or simply run out of time, then I'll do the second platoon tomorrow, but if something crops up so I can't paint, at least I've accomplished something and finished a whole platoon ready for gaming.

Notice that I am using a subtle psychology on myself by talking in terms of 'platoons' rather than no.s of bases or miniatures. By thinking in terms of platoons, completing a 'platoon' convinces me that I've accomplished more than implied by 3 or 4 'bases' of miniatures. Also, looking at the task remaining ahead, I now ONLY havetwo more 'platoons' to finish, which feels less of a chore than thinking of 9 -12 'bases'.

Cheers
Mark

THC144007C:
"Keep moving grunts! Keep moving! 70 Klicks left to the outpost. How long before we have satellite cover?"










TCM146345G:
"Perigee in 27 minutes boss!"

TCM1578993J:
"Movement on the flank boss! I count 3, no six, nine....scanner's gone of the wall. Boy they're fast!"

TCM146345G:
"We're being followed......"




THC144007C:
"......No. We're being hunted."

I've been chained to my desk at work this week with my eyes burned into the PC screen whilst I analyse and filter just under a thousand 'benefit realisation opportunities'. In non-management doublespeak that's making improvements and budget savings to you and me. In an effort to keep me focused and able to concentrate in a crowded and noisy office environment I plugged myself into my iPod. I found that 'Armoured Prayer' from the Gears of War 2 soundtrack sets me up for the day as I wait for my PC to boot up and log in to the network, whilst 'Hold Them Off' from the same soundtrack is perfect for ploughing through the Marks & Spencers foodhall on a Friday lunchtime.

Some of the Ibiza Chillout tracks remind me of the incidental music in Mass Effect. One of my favourites is Motion Theory (North Star Remix). Recommended. If you played and enjoyed M.E. then this will conjur up all of your favourite firefights once again.

So, you can imagine, it's been a blessing to get home and pick up the paintbrush. However, my eyes were too tired to achieve much on either of my free nights after a day staring at Excel spreadsheets. Last night I chose to unwind with work colleagues in the 'Still and followed up at home with a couple of bottles of Magners - not a good idea to paint (operate heavy plant or drive) after a couple of Magners!

Nevertheless, finished my 15mm Spartan Blue Team earlier in the week, who are so cool they will henceforth be known as the 'Reservoir Spartans'. I'm so impressed by the result that a platoon worth of RAFM Mid-Tech Infantry (Pack No.2 ) has been earmarked to be painted in a similar fashion - Citadel blue wash from head to foot, gold visor and only the most prominent smaller details picked out (maybe).

I had originally thought of two platoons of Mid-Tech grunts, but once you tally up your SPARTANS, add the odd 'Hammer of Dawn' style Orbital stike, there's not much change left for grunts in FWC.

Meanwhile, I've decided upon a different camo scheme for my Cimmerian Mech. Popped into the local Games Workshop across from my office in Aberdeen, where the guys are really friendly and helpful. Spoke to the 'Tank Guy', exchanged some ideas and came away planning to test my mettle on these little buggers again next week.

SPUGS are waiting to be painted on the dining table this morning - I've decided to paint 6 packs of them today as a 'quick win'. Heather is making Marmalade - one day a year is given up to the smell of boiling oranges and she will appreciate the company in the kitchen. Another if vicarious 'win'.

My plans today have been thrown slightly, having walked up to the local Post Office to pick up a small package from GZG which arrived earlier in the week. I ordered one of the new 8 Wheeled MICV's to keep me going till I get my December overtime at the end of the month. Oh, it's good. Really good. Full of 8 rad Panzerspahwagen functionality and badness!

Included in the box, Jon had very kindly sent me a few samples of his forthcoming 15mm infantry releases. Oh my God! And lot's of phrases with an 'F' and 'Brilliant!' You are absolutely going to rate these figures. With excellent miniatures waiting in the wings from GZG, Rebel Minis and Khurasan, believe me, everything you had previously known and expected from 15mm Sci Fi miniatures is going to change in the next couple of months.

Not much in the way of reading this week. Began Horus Rising by Dan Abnett. A novel tied into the W40K universe. Heather bought a couple of these for me as a little extra Christmas gift. Now, I've never played W40K, but have played Dawn of War on the PC. From that experience which I did enjoy and found quite immersive, I'd say that the book certainly lives up to it's W40K background and in many respects is better than Ghosts of Onyx in achieving this. Sorry, I couldn't quite relate to a SPARTAN simply called 'Tom'. I mean 'Tom'! As Sci Fi military fiction goes, Horus Rising is a decent read so far and has distant echoes in my mind to first reading Heinlein's Starship Troopers, oh so long ago.

Having watched me complete the 'Reservoir Spartans', Heather took a turn at painting miniatures . She chose to paint some GZG armed heavy vacc suits with the Citadel red wash, gold visors and 'gold', yes 'gold' weapons. "Just because they are in space doesn't mean they can't be in touch with their feminine side". Whilst they may now match the curtains, I have to admit, not too bad a job at all.

Right! I have Spugs waiting......

Cheers
Mark

My Cimmerian Mercenary Mech company is languishing in a big sulk. Well, I'm the one in a sulk as I'm having a complete arse of a time painting this 15mm armour to bring about my vision of a camo scheme inspired by the patterns on a granite rock.

Sometimes you just have to walk away with dignity and sneak up on the problem when it's not l00king!

Listen up Marines! Master Chef here. Take a knee.

The sign of a crack outfit is that they learn from every action and are prepared to turn every defeat, every mistake, every Charlie-Foxtrot into an opportunity for improvement. Chief of the Boat Hannam will now brief you on the lessons learnt from the '300 Second Spartan' challnge. C.O.B. over to you....


Shake that bottle of Citadel 'Wash' as if you are ringing the neck of an Algolgian Snakemaster.


When Mogi stew is the chow of the day, you know that when the you have to dip your spoon right into the bottom to get the good stuff. Same with the Citadel Washes. Use a Starbucks wooden coffee paddle if you only want a small amout.


Citadel Washes can pool on flat surfaces and leave 'tide marks'. You can't hide them with another coat of wash, so keep an eye out for this and prevent it with your brush. The only place to worry about on the GZG New Israeli figure is the very top of the helmet.


I painted the weapon Bolt Gun METAL and carefully applied a black ink to enhance the detail. Next time I will either leave the weapon with a green patina and give it a careful black wash OR paint it black and drybrush with Bolt Bun Metal.


I was going to leave them green, but I saw some pictures of SPARTAN Action Figures with black/dark grey gauntlets so went for that. Too late, I saw some promo pictures from HALO 3, where the Spartans have gauntlets with green armoured plates covering the hand and fingers. Next time I'll leave the hands green but give them a light black inking to bring out the fingers.



My wife made a very valid point about this miniature. She thought it was one of the best figures I've painted in years. Not simply because it really does look great on the tabletop, but because I painted it to what she feels is the appropriate level of detail, not letting "the perfect get in the way of the good". I've been known to spend hours on a single 15mm miniature, but, in this instance I didn't even try to paint the gold into every nook and cranny of the visor, yet the end result is stunning.

Of course the subject matter, figure design and colour scheme helped, so this may not be possible with ordinary grunts - but we'll see.

That's all. DIS_MISS!

GZG 15mm New Israel, now a HALO SPARTAN-III

Green wash on bare metal

pre-black inking for the rifle and gloves

“OK Marines, take a knee, the Master Chef here. Now, it has come to my attention that there has been some scuttlebutt as to how you represent SPARTANS in 15mm.

The answer is: Green Armourand Gold Visors. Any other answer, you have a problem and that problem is ME. Are you hearing me loud and clear recruit?

Now, I know that Chief of the Boat Hannam is deploying GZG New Israelis and I personally have some UNSC hardsuit troopers but neither of these really meet the 7’ tall MJIOLNIR clad troopers we need. The new GZG heavy vac suits are the right size but they need more armour, a remodelled helmet and more dangerous looking guns. Don’t try to hide Mr Tuffley, Sir – this means YOU. Give me those figures or give me 30 on the deck and I mean now.”

The real question is how to represent the fearsome qualities of the SPARTAN in terms of FWC. You can simply paint your power armour / hardsuit troops in green and gold, call them “Spartans” and use the stats for whatever figure they originally were. This will work to a degree but will not give you the heroic, HALO type performance humanity expects from their last best hope in a hostile universe!

So, it’s time, gentlemen, to build your own SPARTAN. These are very tentative stats for FWC and represent say either 1 heroic Master Chief type or 2-3 Spartan troopers in a fire team.

No flight ability or jump pack. The Master Chief is a bit faster than the marines in HALO so you could give a Move of 15 if you want to sprint things along a bit.


I’ve not added it all up as you’ll want to chop and change. One version got to 280 points, another 250. This all adds up to not much change out of 300 points. My test versions were about 276 each.
Bottom line, you get say 3-4 SPARTANS for 1000 points. They are tough as nails but with such a small force, their break point is insanely low; even lose one trooper and all bets are off. Your best bet is perhaps 1 or 2 SPARTANS and a larger force of Marines, armour, gunships etc to go with them. Which is exactly what you get in HALO.

Game 1 pitched 3 SPARTANS vs 9 FSE Legionaire bases in mixed light cover / open ground. The SPARTANS got to grips quickly, suppressing and destroying 3 FSE in assault. They pressed on until one SPARTAN was isolated and almost KO’d – but the FSE couldn’t convert it to a KO and the SPARTANS replied with another suppression then assault combination that broke the FSE. In this game the SPARTANS had shields

Game 2 had 2 SPARTANS in hard cover defending a rubble complex against 9 FSE. They held out well, again edging towards the FSE break point but one was suppressed and then swamped by a wave of FSE – which was of course a break for the SPARTANS. In this game the shields were powered down and it showed. Verdict 1-1 but with FSE losses at an unacceptable level even when they won and it would have been 2-0 if the shields had been used in game 2. I gave the SPARTANS a CV of 10 and the FSE 9 – which kept things moving along.


“OK, Marine’s I kid you not. You can field SPARTANS in FWC but we’re expensive. You get lots of firepower and we don’t run but you won’t have many of us and we can’t be everywhere. You’ll need the Green Machine (and personally that means UNSC or New Anglian Royal Marine Commandos) along to help carry the ammo and hold the real estate while we do what we do best. That’s all. DIS-MISS!”