Zzzzzrrrrroooooooowwww ..... (or whatever sounds hovertanks make)
In beginning of June last year I got a big box of stuff from GZG - a bunch of hovertanks and some UNSC infantry for use as my EarthSec troopers - that unfortunately remained pretty much untouched until February of this year when the guys over at the Gruntz forums organized a little painting competition. This motivated me to get an APC and a sniper team painted so I could enter the competition. Now it's been another nine months and... the rest is finally done! Woo! More hovertanks! :-D
The Gauntlet III hover APC is what made me decide to go hover in the first place.
I really like the rounded shape of the hull and the extended hatchway at the front.
This is the command variant of the Gauntlet with some additional communications gear (although it has recently been overshadowed by the new FDC/Comms van). The whip antennas are made from guitar strings.
The Wittmann class medium hovertank comes with three gun options but since I want to keep the feel of my EarthSec troopers in some kind of tech middleground I chose a fairly standard barrel. I think I might do something with the missile box attached to the side of the turret to make it stand out a bit. Should I make it grey/black like the main gun?
Another hover favourite! The Rommel III hover gun-tank with its sleek, low hull and massive cannon just looks... cool. Looking forward to stating this guy out in the new Gruntz 1.1 rules. :)
For me one of the big draws of the 15mm scale was the fact that vehicles can be a larger part of the game. In larger scales you'll have to struggle to bring in more than maybe two or three. In 15mm you could easily play an armoured battle! So I'm happy to finally have sorted some armoured support for my infantry. Of course, GZG keep releasing more great looking models and I definitely need to get a couple of combat cars. These come with a NAC crew but I think I could probably get some UNSC gunners through cutting and pasting from other minis.
As for newer releases, the more heavily armed Gauntlet APC with AT missile system would make for a nice upgrade in firepower for extra risky missions. Then there's the Gauntled IIS field ambulance that could also work well as an all-purpose cargo hauler, so I might get a couple of those as well. I do need some more specialist infantry, like support weapons and drones. However, apart from that I feel that my EarthSec troops are very playable. I still have the Imperator mecha and two Seeker mechs to sort out, but that is simply icing on the cake.
So what does it all look when it comes together? Let me show you...
Actually... there is some infantry missing in this picture. No room. :)
That's all for now! Next up I think I might get some SSU infantry painted for Dust Warfare. Or perhaps my Yu Jing spec-ops. We'll see...
Really great looking force there Martin, bravo!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Spacejacker! It's mostly thanks to you and your seductive little blog that I got started in the first place though. :)
ReplyDeleteYou certainly know how to swing a brush!
ReplyDeleteYour figures look excellent :D
How much did all the figures cost? I have been looking at Gruntz for a while now but have not bought into it yet with a lack of local players.
Happy Gaming,
Allan
Thanks Allan and Carmen, you're both too kind. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat you see in that last picture is roughly £50, although there I have more infantry that either didn't quite fit or isn't fully painted. I'd say that £50-ish should be more than enough to get a nice starter force for any 15mm game.
It's also worth mentioning that the tanks make up for 4/5th of the price. If you feel comfortable starting out with a mostly infantry based force you could get away *much* cheaper! This makes it easy to create two smaller forces so you can demo the game (as I plan to do with my crusties).
With 15mm you are also not locked into any particular rules set. You could try a few out and see which one you like the best.
Hope that helps!
Lovely work mate. I've got the GZG hover stuff as well. A joy to paint and great models to boot.
ReplyDeleteThese are just awesome... any way we can get a bigger group shot?
ReplyDeleteReally top notch stuff, thanks for sharing! I like how you use different type of armored personnel..
@Millsy - They really are! All the new stuff Jon is releasing pose a great threat to my wallet, but I will try to resist and get some more infantry done.
ReplyDelete@Mr. Harold - Thanks! I'll try to arrange a larger group shot for a later post. Would prefer to get my Zuzzy mat done so they can be in their proper element first. :)
That's another thing that I really like about the stuff from GZG; each category has such a large number of models! There are enough different hover vehicles that I'm covered for any situation.
Really excellent execution Martin- well painted, and realistic weathering on the skirts in particular. Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gunrunner! Indeed, when painting them something felt a little bit off... until I got the pigments out and started weathering the skirts. It really helps to anchor the models to the world they are in. It's worth mentioning that the bases and the pigment actually match better in real life than in the pictures.
ReplyDeleteI like your blog by the way, you've got another follower. :)
Thank you kindly!
ReplyDelete@Gunrunner - Always happy to help! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic looking force! I hope to get into 15mm Sf one day. Been dreaming about it for years after all! When my lad (now 12) get just a little older. At the moment its all Vikings and Blood Bowl, which is a lot of fun too :-)
ReplyDelete@Paul - Thanks Paul! It was the same way for me... I had this idea or dream of one day getting into 15mm sci-fi and in the end it was a combination of discovering Tiny Solitary Soldiers and getting familiar with GZG by ordering Full Thrust ships from Jon that made me take the plunge. And I haven't regretted it once!
ReplyDeleteVikings and Blood Bowl sounds awesome! In a couple years it might be the right time to bring out some neat 15mm ruleset like Gruntz or FUBAR, or perhaps even Tomorrow's War if you want to get gritty with it. :)
Also, I can't imagine why I wasn't a follower of your blog before, but at least I am now.
Welcome to the Man Cave crew! I've been a follower of yours for awhile and love your stuff :-)
ReplyDeleteI've been tempted for awhile about the Old Crow Slammer figs and have always loved GZG models. Viks and BB will keep us amused for awhile but as the Lad (now 12) get older we will progress to more. I have Infinity poised for the next step
Heard good things about Tomorrow's War - always enjoyed Stargrunt so maybe thats the way to go.
Of course I wouldn't say no to a 15mm OGRE either!
Really glad you enjoy my little blog. In some ways I think it might be a bit too eclectic for the average reader, but that's how I like to so... whatcha gonna do? :)
ReplyDeleteInfinity, eh? That's an excellent choice! I think it might be more approachable for a younger player as there's ready made armies and fluff there to turn to. While there are a lot of cool backgrounds for 15mm sci-fi it's still mostly for people who want to create their own settings.
So many games... so little time. Hehe!