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Heavy Gear Blitz – We Don’t Need No stinkin’…

Vague quotes from movies starring “Weird” Al Yankovich aside, I think my army does indeed need a Badger. Infantry are VERY slow in Heavy Gear compared to all other vehicles, and will pretty much camp it out for the game unless put in some sort of transport. Now having your Infantry camp in a building with full cover makes them very hardy indeed, and adding a Badger to the platoon gives them the best of both worlds. Badgers are extremely fast for a Northern unit, and will get your grunts from point A to point B lickity-split. This is especially useful for Seize objectives to take buildings, as getting your troops up the field and into the confines of a building will make your opponent think twice about what to do with them.

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Infinity – Universal Soldier

March 28, 2012 / flatline posted in Corvus Belli, Infinity / No Comments

Here’s my next model done for my Infinity Haqqislam force: the humble Khawarijs. Reading over the fluff on these guys, my mind immediately went to one of my guilty pleasures: movies involving Jean-Claude Van Damme. I mean where else should it go once I read “supersoldier program.” I totally imagine while using this chararacter in-game that behind the mask is a future version of a Muslim “muscle from Brussels” leaping from building to building taking out the enemies of Islam! In game, I really like using this model as my Lieutenant. His WIP is pretty high amongst an army known for having high WIPs, and his superjump ability gets you across terrain that you have to waste lots of move Orders on. He’s also Religous which means he won’t run from a fight in a Retreat! situation and his Total Shock Immunity means he won’t go straight dead from those nasty weapons. Tactically, I like having him advance behind my Jannasaires, the HI being a much bigger threat than this understated MI.

Heavy Gear Blitz: From the Wilds of Northern Alaska…

March 4, 2012 / flatline posted in Dream Pod 9, Heavy Gear Blitz / No Comments

…comes the mighty Kodiak! Outside of the Mammoth, I think this is one of the most iconic Gears for polar forces of the North. This is the revamped sculpt of the model, which I think is a great improvement on the previous model. Not because there are any design changes, but because the model’s legs and arms come in more pieces, allowing you to pose it with so much more dynamism. As mighty as the Kodiak is in the background of Heavy Gear, in it’s game form it would appear to be a bit more timid. With only one action and suffering from Too Many Weapons Syndrome (TMWS), this assault Gear would find itself sticking in the backfield firing it’s AGMs off at forward observed targets. Thanks to the recent Gear Up errata however, it really has come back into it’s own as a frontline fighter. Taking the Conqueror upgrade brings a Sturdy box and an extra Action, giving it both greater staying power and the ability to fire more of it’s weapons. While at range, you can fire off it’s Light Particle Accelerator, it’s Haywire trait giving it the ability to deal out Stun (good) or extra damage (better). And once it’s target is stunned, finish it off with a direct shot from the AGM. At closer range and in urban settings, make use of those MRPs (tight quarters + high RoF = Win) and Heavy Hand Grenades.

Terrain – Ruined Dwellings

February 23, 2012 / flatline posted in Gamecraft Miniatures, Terrain / No Comments

Here’s my next project which I painted up surprisingly quick: 6 15mm small ruins from Gamecraft Miniatures. The detail on these pieces are amazing, and for something as boring as burned out rubble, they make for some character-filled terrain to be added to my board. These pieces almost seem obligatory, and although I belive they were aesthetically designed for WWII, even in the environment of the far future with it’s energy weaponry and guided missles, invariably some will go astray, creating collatoral damage in the process. For Heavy Gear Blitz these pieces may not give much cover to 15-ft tall walkers, but they will give an element of Concealment, making it tougher for enemies to detect their targets.

Infinity – 6-Legged Terror!!!

February 13, 2012 / flatline posted in Corvus Belli, Infinity, Micro Arts Studio / No Comments

With the move over I’m back into full swing painting up toy soldiers and finishing up projects. With so little time before the move I had many a model or terrain piece looking quite pathetic on my desk, the odd coat of paint applied here or there, all of them combining to give the impression that I have a serious case of ADHD. One in particular I looked longingly on to finish, it being one of my favourite models ever: the Maghariba Guard. She is such a beast! She’s got some nice stats in-game for Infinity, including a nice Armour value, multiple Structure wounds, and is armed with a Multi-HMG. One of my favourite things about the model is the weight of it: it’s solid metal, and has that old-school GW dreadnaught feeling that you know it’s gonna be awesome because it’s so heavy! I also gave it a sharp-looking base from Micro Arts Studio to keep up that futuristic feeling.

Terrain – Containers, Containers, Containers!!!

January 22, 2012 / flatline posted in ebay, Flames of War, Terrain / No Comments

The end of 2011 has got to be one of the busiest periods of my life! Between the craziness of Christmas and New Year’s, I also bought a house, got married and went on a honeymoon. I have be undoubtedly been blessed with being able to celebrate all of these things, but reality has left little time for one thing: painting toy soldiers and posting them to this blog!

One thing I have been working on during that time was about 30 N-Scale shipping containers I picked up on ebay. These came super cheap from a vendor called Paula’s Hobbies and worked out to be about $24 CDN with shipping. I’ve really enjoyed using them in my games of Heavy Gear for a number of reasons. From an aesthetic perspective, they gave me a chance to add some nice gaudy colours to my gaming board, contrasting well against the browns and greys of my urban terrain. In game, they’re great cover, and being N-Scale are the perfect scale for my Gears to take cover behind. To make them sturdier, I mounted them on some Flames of War large bases.

Terrain – 3-Storey Office Buildings

November 23, 2011 / flatline posted in Gamecraft Miniatures, Terrain / No Comments

I love getting down to my favourite tabletop wargame at my local game store, but the terrain usually leaves a bit to be desired. I cringe in fear when I see Warmachine players push hastily constructed miniatures over felt cutouts that are supposed to be treestands. To me, the reason that tabletop wargaming is labelled a hobby is holistic; your miniatures only look as good as the terrain they’re fighting over. No memorable experience will be made over a plain green field. So I like to put as much effort into building terrain as I do my minis.

One company that I’ve found to create simple yet superb terrain is Gamecraft Miniatures. Pictured below are a few 15mm buildings I’ve purchased and painted of theirs. What I love about them is that they are so generic: this three-storey office block could easily be dropped into a modern setting as it could a far future cityscape. They are made of resin, and have a nice heftiness to them once they’ve been put together that they will stand up to the tests of wargaming. I use them in my Heavy Gear Blitz games, and they are great for putting together an urban environment. They are tall enough to grant even Striders significant cover, and can easily set up to create crafty firelanes and killzones for nimble Gears and Infantry. I have a few more buildings from Gamecraft’s expanded line, and can’t wait to paint them up and add them to my battlefields.

Heavy Gear Blitz: Project NuCoal Pt. 3

October 27, 2011 / flatline posted in Dream Pod 9, Heavy Gear Blitz / No Comments

This last model was my most favourite to paint. This is the Chasseur MKII and it’s one of my favourite models to be produced for Dream Pod 9. I don’t know much about this model, but the staff described it as “a Chasseur on steroids!” Fair enough, as it really beefy. It’s legs rock what look like jet engines and it has that nice subdued look that the Black Mamba and the Raptor have. Here it is in all its glory:

Heavy Gear Blitz: Project NuCoal Pt. 2

October 25, 2011 / flatline posted in Dream Pod 9, Heavy Gear Blitz / 1 Comment

The second Gear I had the opportunity to paint is the Lancier. I knew when I first saw the design concepts of this model I totally wanted to paint it. The spike launchers on it’s back gave it a unique look not found elsewhere on Terra Nova. From what I understand, this Gear is a mountaineering specialist: it’s those spike guns on its back that help it ascend steep mountain faces in the Barrington Basin. They also have the unintended use as a close combat weapon! The Gear is also armed with a portable rocket launcher. While I don’t know what this means in game terms, I don’t think I’d be going out on a limb to assume that it means that it will be the first Gear in the game to come with Reloads for it’s rocket launchers. Check out my pictures of this unique Gear below!

Heavy Gear Blitz: Project NuCoal Pt. 1

October 23, 2011 / flatline posted in Dream Pod 9, Heavy Gear Blitz / No Comments

The following are from a project that I’m really excited to be a part of. Earlier in the fall, I was approached by staff at Dream Pod 9 if I wanted to be part of their next sourcebook, Perfect Storm – NuCoal Field Guide. As you can obviously tell if you’ve read this blog, I’m a big fan of all things Heavy Gear. So after saying yes, and giving me free reign to paint whatever I could within the time given, I was sent a few resin masters of some of the new models for the book. I asked for 3, knowing my limits and the slow rate at which I paint. Over the next couple of days I’ll be sharing the results of my work with you.

The first model we have is the Chasseur. This Gear is essentially a repurposed Jager, with one significant exception: hover movement. In fact, it was also the Gear that inspired the CEF frames after the first war for Terra Nova. Through refinement over the years, it is now much more than a polar Gear, and one that is distinct in the forces of the Badlands states. Here it is in all of its glory.