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Critical Mass Games ZAS Kickstarter Delivers

I’ve become a bit of a Kickstarter addict.  I’ve pledged hundreds of dollars over the last 6 months on various miniature and other gaming related projects.  The one that started me down this path of addiction was the Critical Mass Games ZAS 15mm Mercs.

Well, today it arrived.  It’s the first Kickstarter I’ve backed that has delivered (it was the first one I pledged, so I guess that makes sense).  I pledged Mechanised Infantry Commander for £85.00.  Two full platoons of troops, four Infantry Fighting Vehicles, three tanks, and more.  The many stretch goals that were met added heavy weapons, tripod mounted guns, and more.  I did the math, and for £85 I got £120 worth of minis, based on the CMG website prices.

Below are pics of the “new” stuff.  Some of the minis that are part of the Kickstarter, like the tanks and IFVs, are existing CMG products.  The pics below are for the new minis made for the Kickstarter.

The quality of the minis is very good.  There’s some flash, and some minor mold lines, but that’s to be expected, and it’s better than most minis I’ve bought.  The detail is good, and I like the sculpts a lot.  The pics below are right out of the box – no cleanup at all.

CMG_Kickstarter_box

My wife texted me when I was at work that I had a package from the UK.

 

CMG_Kickstarter_all

Here’s everything.

 

CMG_Kickstarter_squad

This is a single squad.  Six troops, six different sculpts.  Gotta love that.  I got eight squads like this one.

 

CMG_Kickstarter_heavy_weapons

The heavy weapons squad.  I got one of these.

 

CMG_Kickstarter_command

Two command groups (medic, radio man, commander), two drones, and one company commander.  The drones have 2 different guns, so you can choose which to use.

 

CMG_Kickstarter_mortar

Rocket assisted mortar.  Three teams like this one.

 

CMG_Kickstarter_energy_cannon

Energy cannon.  Three teams like this one.

 

CMG_Kickstarter_gatling_gun

Gatling gun.  Three teams like this one.

 

Besides the tanks and IFVs, there are 2 shipping containers, 2 objective markers and a command turret that will fit an IFV or a tank.  As I mentioned earlier, they are previously existing CMG products, so I’ve not pictured them here.

I’m totally stoked about these minis.  This doubles my force.  When I finally get these painted, I’ll have two full companies of troops.  I can finally play Quadrant 13!

Mall Cops

I finished my Rebel Minis 15mm Mall Cops tonight.  Rebel also has “US Policemen”, but the Mall Cops have these awesome mustaches, and I just couldn’t resist.  I intend to use them for the Monster Hunter International RPG, but cop figures have a wide range of uses.

rebel_minis_mall_cops_unwashed

The base coat is done, and they are ready for a wash.

 

rebel_minis_mall_cops_after_wash

After the wash and some minor highlights.

 

rebel_minis_mall_cops_based

After basing.

 

rebel_minis_mall_cops_detail

A select few.  The guy on the left is the only figure of the 8 that has no mustache.  I imagine the rest of the squad give him crap about it all the time.  “Nice job, Frank, for a guy with no mustache”. “You would do better with the ladies if you had a sweet ‘stache like mine.” etc…  🙂

What’s on my Table – June 2013 Edition.

I’m taking a break from painting Dreadball to work on some 15mm stuff I got from Rebel Minis.  I’ve got a Monster Hunter International RPG campaign starting next month, and I want to get some monster minis ready for it.  To that end, I ordered a bunch of werewolves, zombies, cops, FBI agents and more from Rebel Minis and Khurasan.

all_clean

This first batch is from Rebel Minis, since they arrived first.  In fact, I ordered on a Sunday night and they arrived on Thursday.  Now that’s quick service!

There’s a some shipping containers, some sci-fi troops to round out my Earth Force, some “mall cops”, who all have awesome mustaches, werewolves, and government agents.

Here they are after cleaning.

 

primed_and_ready

Here they are primed and ready for paint.  In the back are some minis that have been hanging around my work table waiting for paint for a while now – 2 from GZG and 1 from Khurasan.

 

rebel_minis_15mm_shipping_containers

The finished shipping containers.

 

rebel_minis_15mm_werewolves

The finished werewolves.  They are kinda boring, I think.  Brown on brown.  I tried to get some red on the eyes, but they are too small – I just made a mess that I had to go back and fix.  Same for the teeth.  Anyway, you can tell what they are.

 

In the back of those last two pics, you can kinda see a special order I just got from Khurasan.  More on them and the rest of what’s on my table in a future post.

Happy gaming!

Dreadball Human Team Part 1

Yesterday, I started on the Human team that comes with Dreadball.  Today, I painted the 2 guards. They were a test for my color scheme, and I’m happy with it.  The light blue didn’t come out very strong, but I’m good with that.

dreadball_humans_3_models_size_unprimed

The assembled models.  From left to right:  a striker (there are 4), jack (there are 4), and guard (there are 2).

 

dreadball_humans_guard_unwashed

I primed all the models, and washed them.  This is so I can play the game with them, even before they are painted.

Today, I painted the 2 guards. I had half a plan when I started, and it evolved as I went.  That’s pretty much how I paint most things.

This is a guard basecoated and ready for a wash.

 

dreadball_humans_guard_washed

I washed it very heavily in black.  When it was dry I highlighted and drybrushed it.

Next, I need to apply the number decal, then spray on a few coats of Dullcote varnish.  The Dullcote puts the finishing touch on it, plus it protects the paint.  I just love how minis look after a coat of Dullcote. It’s hard to describe, but they just look “finished”.  After that, I’ll put just a dab of Citadel’s ‘Ardcoat on the eyes to make them shiny.

Then it’s 2 down, 8 to go!