New Pig Iron Heavy Infantry

Following their first outing on the games table, where their commander led them to glorious annihilation against an inferior force of Kolony conscripts (well done Stu!), I decided to add another SAW. I ordered a packet of Pig Iron assault troops that contains the SAW and, in order to give a little figure variation, a packet of backpacks and belt gear. When the packaged arrived, only two days later, Pig Iron had mistakenly dispatched the HQ pack instead. To their credit, after contacting them by email, the correct packet arrived free of charge two days later.

The heads are not separate heads in the Assault troopers packet so to increase variation I chopped the head off the SAW gunner, replacing it with a helmetless head off an alternative head sprue.

I used the same paint scheme as before (see earlier post) but with one difference. Having spent a little time playing the PS3 game Killzone 3, I noticed that the uniform lights and optics of the ISA troops are light blue. Dutifully I painted the optics on these figures in Citadel Regal Navy followed by a smaller dot of Ice blue... now I've got to go back and repaint the others!

The optional backpacks make the figures stand out from the original group and give them a real 'on campaign' look.

The poor SAW gunner now has to contend with male pattern baldness and a ruddy great backpack, as well as his cumbersome firearm!

I used three of the figures from the command pack; I swapped the heads of the sniper and the officer and added backpacks for further variation.

Completed 'Kindle' Sci- fi Bunker

In my last blog entry I mused on the possibility of converting the cardboard liner from the box of my Amazon Kindle into a Sci Fi Bunker... Here it is... The model was painted using a mix of Vallejo, Citadel and B&Q paints; it was 'dirtied' and 'worn' using citadel washes.

The Helghast logo was copied and printed off the net and glued in place, the lettering was hand painted from a Helghan Alphabet (also found on the net).

The steel pipes are made from large bore drinking straws.

The ladders were made from 'granny grid'. The pipe leading into the bunker was made from the flexible part of the drinking straw. The slogan reads 'Victory or death' in Helghan.

To give access to miniatures (Pig Iron Kolony Militia - see earlier posts) I cut the card structure at the base so that the whole top half lifts off. The boxes and cases are from Fenris Games.

I felt that the bunker stood a little too high. I couldn't make it lower, so decided to justify the height by cutting into the roof and forming a rooftop observation post. Here an Helghan Officer consults with an Technical NCO.

A birds eye view shows off the whole model nicely.

Another scratch built Sci-Fi Bunker

The first thing that struck me when I unpackaged my new Amazon Kindle was, 'oooh... gadget!'

The second thing that struck me was, 'hey that packaging would make a superb bunker!'

Take a look... if you can't see the potential in the picture above, you shouldn't be in the hobby!

Sci-Fi Bunker/ Observation Tower (Part 4: Interior)

This final set of images shows the completed model and the interior detail. I built a fire step around the the entire edge using foam core. I then covered the step with pva glue and fine sand. I cut a square entrance hatch out of plasticard. To finish it off I added scaled down Helghast propoganda posters that I copied off the internet.A Helghan officer confers with a technical NCO whilst two troopers watch on. The figures are Pig Iron Kolony Militia, the crates are from Fenris Games.

Sci-Fi Bunker/ Observation Tower (Part 3: base)

The images below show the detail of the base prior to painting. The steps are made of foam core, I made small hummocks out of poly filler; this was then covered in a mix of sharp sand, gravel and small stones. To add a little more detail I have included a discarded coil of barbed wire (I don't recall the manufacturer) and a couple of girders cut from lengths of plastic girder from a model railway store.
The following pictures show the final painted base. The whole thing was base coated in Burnt chocolate Weatherex masonary paint. This was then dry brushed with Citadel Graveyard Earth and Bleached Bone.

The figures shown are Pig Iron Kolong militia.

Sci-Fi Bunker/ Observation tower (part 2: painting)

I am aiming for a dark, rusty and stained metal finish - something that looks like it's been well used (and abused). Having first sprayed the model with a base coat of Citadel Chaos Black; I then painted the whole thing with Citadel Boltgun metal. At this stage the bunker is not yet attached to the base; the detail of which I will cover in Part 3.

The next step was to liberally wash the whole model with Citadel Badham Black wash, one again the model has yet to be glued to the base.

I am a great believer that it is the small touches that really make a scratch built model; in this case I downloaded the emblem of the Helghast, reduced it in size, printed it, cut it out and glued it to two sides of the model using PVA glue.

The Killzone series of games seems to have produced a huge community of online fans, and it is from one of these that I found the full Helghan alphabet. I hand painted a couple of the 'letters' onto the sides on the model that didn't have the printed logo on.

The next step with the exterior was to wash the entire model with Citadel Ogryn flesh - this gives a nice rusty finish.

The final piece constructed was the roof - no guesses for the materials used...

Part 3 will cover the interior and the base.

Sci-Fi Bunker/ Observation tower

It's amazing what a day off can produce! After the last Starship Troopers game, I decided that my heavy infantry needed a little extra protection from the bug menace. The model stands approx 5" high and is 4" square. The model is made from foam core, 'granny grid', mdf sheet and an old Airfix bridge kit (for the girders). A ladder is situated below the model and goes up through a doorway into the interior of the bunker. The finished model will have a roof (your bugs won't get in that easily Stu!) The bunker will also double up for my 'Kill Zone' Helghast themed Sci-fi game (using Pig Iron Productions minis (see previous posts).

Pig Iron Kolony Militia

After dedicating most of my recent painting time to zombies and scenics, I finally found time to return to my Pig Iron Productions Kolony Militia. The figures are from the Kolony Militia Booster pack, which contains 10 figures and a sprule of seperate heads, costing £17. The figures, as always from Pig Iron, were superbly cast and had no flash. I painted the figures to resemble 'space Nazis' and the Helghast from the PS3 game Killzone. If you are interested in the details of the paint scheme see my earlier Kolony Militia post. The fencing in the background was scratch built by myself using wooden dowl, 'granny grid', MDF and sharp sand. I have built numerous lengths and gateways for flexible use on the games table. All the other scenics are from the superb Fenris Games.

Pig Iron Heavy Infantry v Bugs

Following are a selection of images from a Starship Troopers game at the Evesham Wargames Club. The Infantry are Pig Iron Miniatures Heavy Infantry and the Bugs are from the old Mongoose publishing Starship troopers range.An infantry patrol is ambushed in a dry river bed.

Bugs to the left of them, bugs to the right of them - prelude to a massacre!

A bug hole opened up just as the HQ section de-bussed from their APC (a converted GW Rhino).

A second infantry section took cover in the rocks and successfully held off a bug attack with long range fire.

'Why are we 'ere Sarge?'

Fenris Games Resin Scenics

Having spent a substantial amount of time looking for a supplier of 28mm scale sci-fi scenics, I lucked upon Fenris Games (http://www.fenrisgames.com/). The guys at Fenris supply a big range of sculptured bases and sci-fi and fantasy scenic bits to add that little extra to your gaming table.

I purchased the pieces via their ebay store, and when they arrived only a few days later, I immediatly bought more as I was so happy with the quality. The pieces are cast in urethane resin and their vacuum degassing process leaves a near perfect, bubble free, finish. The detail is exceptional and, in my humble opinion, is probably the best I have ever seen.

When it came to painting the Sci-fi modules I decided on a grimy, industrial look. For my inspiration look at the PS3 game Killzone 2 or the film Blade Runner. The paint job was
very simple. Citadel Chaos black spray paint undercoat followed by a heavy drybrushing of Citadel Boltgun Metal. Once dry the models were washed in Citadel Badham Black and when dry, Citadel Devlan wood. Finally I dipped into the depths of my paint box to use a (glass) jar of Miniature Paints Metalic Bronze to highlight the tube, cable and wire details, which I then washed in Devlan mud.

Below are some of the goodies in their final painted form:
1) Sci-fi atmosphere processor (£5.99) The figures are Kolony Militia from Pig Iron Miniatures.

2) Sci-fi engineering module (£5.99) Again the figures are Pig Iron.

3) 1/55 scale street furniture bio hazard barrels (£3.25 for 10) The figures are zombies from Coldwar miniatures range - perhaps we have now found the cause of the epidemic!!

Pig Iron Kolony Militia

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Pig Iron Sci-Fi Heavy Infantry (2)

It's been an age since I've found the time to post an update here, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy! I managed to find time to complete my Heavy Infantry and have now posted the results here.
After base coating the models in Citadel Chaos Black , I then picked out the exposed face area with Citadel bronzed flesh. once this had dried I washed the same are with Citadel Ogryn Flesh wash.
I then painted the whole figure in Citadel Catachan Green.
Next I added the camouflage; first large patches of Citadel Graveyard earth; then smaller patches of Citadel dark flesh - ensuring all the dark flesh patches ajoined graveyard earth patches; finally I added small dots of Citadel Cammo green.
I then painted the webbing pouches in Graveyard earth and Catachan green.
Next I washed the Helmet, armour and webbing pouches in Citadel Devlan mud.
The next step was to paint the weapons and boots Citadel Chaos black. The weapons were then dry brushed with Citadel Boltgun metal. The foresights and buttons on the guns were then painted with the same Boltgun metal, as were any headsets and optical equipment.
I then added Catachan green to the weapon stocks and painted the visors with Citadel shining gold.
The red unit patches and optic lights were made using Vallejo Scarlet.
Finally a vertical stripe of Catachan green was added to the shoulder of officers and a vertical stripe added to NCOs.
The bases were painted with Scorched brown and drybrushed with graveyard earth and bleached bone.
Overall these figures were a joy to paint and I am delighted with the results!
Now to start on the Kolony Militia!

Pig Iron Sci Fi Heavy Infantry

Now that the club's Zulu all dayer is out of the way, I can at last get onto painting the 28mm Sci-Fi figures I bought from Pig Iron Productions (www.pig-iron-productions.com).

The figures are really nicely detailed, are in a good range of poses and had zero flash on them. The service from Pig Iron was superb, with the figures delivered within 2 days of ordering.

I bought the figures for use in a 'Starship Troopers' Campaign, but having got my hands on them I will now be purchasing some of their Kolony figures (the enemy of the Heavy Infantry).

So on to painting - as ever I first glued the figures onto pennies, then used 'no more nails to bring the base level up to that of the figures. I then used PVA glue and sharp sand to cover the base.