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Sometimes when you have various bits littering your workbench, inspiration jumps out unexpectedly - "Uhh, actually, it's kind of like champagne that way. The Franciscan monks thought they were making white wine. Somehow the bottle carbonated. Voila, champagne, and uhh, then the whole thing..." LOL! Well. your eyes make connections more easily between what would normally be an eclectic and disparate array of miniatures, spares and modelling accessories.

There were several sets of Khurasan Parasachnid legs lying about...GZG's new Grav Mini Drone was just sitting there and......


"Voila" I put the two together.... to find I had created a bio-mechanical creature!

Is it a Parasachnid that's been bio engineered to operate a High-tech sensor and weapon system, or an independant senitent race of crab-like creatures that have developed powered combat armour?

Cheers
Mark
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The 'Inspiration Bus' made an unscheduled but very welcome stop this evening following the '15mm Slammers Combat Car Suggestions' thread on TMP.

A lot of GZG's Sci Fi AFVs are modular. V15-43A High-tech Grav Light Tank being no exception. It has a separate hull and turret section, which if simply left off, gives you the basic outline of a Slammers style Combat Car.

Here you see the basic hull of the High-tech Light Grav AFV with a gunner similar to that in the all new SG15-A17 NAC Pintle Gunners pack (pictured below).

If you mount the weapons directly into the hull and offset placement on either side of the vehicle you can easily squeeze three gunners into your new homebrew Combat Car.

Personally, I'd go for one cannon up front and two of the 'grenade launchers', one on either side, which could easily double as plasma weapons. Nothing to stop you using rotary cannons or plasma weapons taken from GZG's MAWPs if you prefer.

Next, let's add a bit more detail - the flat edges of your Combat Car troop compartment look plain don't they! No problem - just cut some small shapes from plasti-card and glue on, and /or cover in personal kit, blanket rolls, camo nets etc.

What's more, I deliberately chose the Light Tank as it's the same price as the APC and Command versions, but in this instance you have a tank turret left over to use for other kitbashes or turn into a defence turret!

Of course you can go to town detailing your creation, but the beauty of these kitbashes is simplicity!

Hope you feel inspired by this.

Cheers
Mark
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Found these pics which I took back in Jan/Feb and promptly saved to the depths of my laptop's hard drive. The Star Wars Battles Miniatures are a cheap source of 'supersized droids' and can usually be found for 99p to £1.50 on EBAY.


My next post will be my 100th on Dropship Horizon. I hope to be able to make it something special with all the latest news and buzz on 15mm Sci Fi miniatures. I've written to manufacturers and asked them if they'd like to contribute with photos, news or hints on whats coming up. So, it will be a few days whilst I give everyone I've contacted a fair chance to reply and make a contribution, should they be able to do so.

The 101st post will have a free pdf of our Space Cowboy game and thereafter as life and work priorities have faded into the background expect more after action reports, rules reviews and miniature comparisons.

Cheers
Mark

A double review today. Two very tasty remote/AI vehicles from GZG, the V15-62A Wheeled MAWP with tribarrel autocannon (£2.50) and V15-60A UAV Hoverdrones (£3.50).

First up, the MAWP. This is a dinky little 6 wheeled remote gun platform (read tank) that could easily find a home in any Near Future, Mid-Tech or Colonial tabletop force. I could even see it accompanying the Alien Mercenaries we looked at on Saturday to make them a somewhat beefier proposition.



Let's move onto V15-60A UAV Hoverdrones. These come two to a pack, which includes separate weapons pods (1 pair of tribarrel cannon and one pair of rockets) and clear plastic flight stands for £3.50. Bargain! When I bought them I didn't realise they came with the stands, so that was a bonus, providing an inexpensive alternative to GW Tau Gundrones I was considering!


Once again, I really like these models. The Hoverdrones are well sculpted and are detailed on the underside as well. The hover blades in the centre of the model are very well executed. You see it here without the weapon pods attached. One of the models had quite a bit of flash, but nothing a few minutes with a knife and file won't overcome.

I'm planning on fielding up to 6 of these babes to provide cover to a light recce/screening force. Or I may even use them as a force in their own right - possibly in conjunction with GZG's unmanned AI Gunships and a range of diffrenet MAWPS.


Both the UAV Hoverdrones and MAWP are really nice models that will complement 15mm, 20mm and 28mm Sci Fi forces as remote (AI) weapons platforms. It wouldn't hurt to have a couple of each these in your collection to ring the occasional change to your forces or even provide those additional points where you need them to 'balance' a points based game system.

Cheers
Mark

GZG's latest 8 Wheeled MICV, V15-51Apartially assembled on my painting board. It's a substantial model 70mm long, 35mm wide and approximately 35mm tall when fully assembled. About the same size as QRF's BTR80 APC.

I like the boxy light weapon turret (with gatling and missile pod) and have used it as the basis of my latest Kitbash of the Week. Maybe this week we should call this feature doodling with armour!


First up! My favourite tankette! Surely a film starring Daniel Day Lewis? In the photo above we find the MICV's light weapon turret matched to the QRF'sMT05 AMX13 hull, which gives us some serious recon firepower! Though in FWC you might as well have two guys strapped to a Penny Farthing as your recce element! Never mind, this kitbash creates a nice Mid-tech fast tank suitable for jolly scrapes on newly colonised worlds.



In this photo, I've put the MICV's light weapon turret .in place of the gun system of GZG's V15-03A GunCrab quad walker. It's not a great fit, but it works better than the photo suggests. I am wondering though about the turret from GZG's V15-38A Tracked Heavy Fire Support Vehicle with Light AA cannon?

Whilst I had this spare GunCrab set up, I tried out the remote turret from GZG's V15-44A High-tech Grav Light APC/scout vehicle. Yeah, it works to a degree but is just too small for my personal liking. The Guncrabs are incredibly versatile pieces of kit and deserve more attention. It can fulfill a multitude of roles including remote or semi-autonomous weapons platform and even as an alien tank! More about them in later posts.

Cheers
Mark

This week, I've set myself the herculean task of painting a Cimmerian mercenary mech company in the employ of Turan (sans dismounts of course). So far, the vehicles, all Old Crow Models, have been cleaned, assembled, basecoated and drybrushed. Now I only have to decide on one of three favoured camo schemes. That's the hard part! We'll just have to see if I can pull off a clever geologically inspired paint job or whether it will look like the Rorschach inkblot doodlings of a colour blind, one eyed, drunken monkey.

Having said that, the Cimmerian rich and famous are finding that Rorschach inkblot doodlings by colour blind, one eyed, drunken monkies are retaining their value despite the recession, and so remain a necessary understatement of worth to be obsenely displayed on their dining room walls to guests similarly devoid of taste, perspective or validity.

With absolutely no bearing at all on this madness, here's another quick and easy 15mm Sci Fi kitbash. This time inspired by the first Tamiya 1/35th scale 'tank' I bought with my own pocket money as a teenager - the M42 'Duster' .


Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present...you can tell I've been on the sauce tonight....the M419 Hannam Sky Raptor. Applause please!

The hull is a QRF Modern French AMX13/90 tank. The 'turret' with rotary cannon is from GZG's V15-26A Manned Groundmount Weapons Platform with Rotary Cannon . And at only 760,000 adjusted credits, I'm sure you'll agree it's V.F.F. - "Value For Firepower!"


When you positively, absolutely have to shoot every......you get the idea!

Cheers
Mark

I've decided upon a Neo-Soviet feel for my FWC Hykranians. Therefore Kitbash No.2 demonstrates what can be achieved by mixing and matching between manufacturers. A Hykranian BMP2R.

Once again we see the hover skirt from GZG's V15-15A, the hull from V15-43A, but in this case the turret comes from a QRF Soviet/CIS BMP2 . A little while back, Geoff at QRF was happy to sell smaller parts such as this turret for £1, to stimulate and encourage kitbashing, but it's worth checking if you feel inspired to ensure this option is still open.

There's a small hole in the top of the turret for a Soviet Spigot(?) Missile, but I thought it could be better used for either one of the GZG radar/sensor options or the Missile System, which is available separately as V15-ACC3.

Cheers
Mark

A quick trip up to the village Post Office on Saturday rewarded me with a small package from GZG containing 3 V15-43A High-tech Grav Light Tanks and 2 V15-42A Bulldog 4-wheel HMTV closed-back Troop Carriers.

I love these Light Grav Tanks and am currently building a High-tech Light Grav Mech Company around V15-43A, V15-43B and V15-44A to provide opposition to my existing Old Crow Grav Mech armour.

I feel I still need some hover armour to ring the changes and duplicate Maff's core hover force for FWC, without necessarily having to buy the same models. GZG's V15-15A Medium Hover Tank is a very nice model which to me epitomises the Hammers more than Old Crow's equally nice resin Blower tanks. Besides I have other uses in mind for those Blower tanks!

But I also want something UNIQUE for my Hykranian forces.

V15-15A is not as high-tech as I'd like for my hover force but playing with the various models still waiting to be painted I came up with not one but TWO quick and simple 'kitbashes'.


First, A generic High-tech Medium Hover Tank. This is an easy kitbash as it involves taking the hover skirt from V15-15A and matching the superstructre and turret from V15-43A. The hull of the High-tech Grav tank needs careful placement not to overhang, but I like the fact that it appears to protect the hover skirt. Easy but incrediby effective.

Jon has previously asked on The Miniatures Page (TMP) if there would be any interest in GZG selling spare parts. The modular format of GZG's 15mm Sci Fi AFV's are perfect for simple kitbashing and I hope convinces both Jon and you that this could be a great idea for expanding the number and type of AFV's gamers can deploy at little extra cost.

Let me know what you think. Also, if you have any kitbashes of your own you want to share, let me know.

Cheers
Mark