Bolt Action Panzer-grenadier platoon progress

Just a quick photo spam for the progress on this almost completed Bolt Action 28mm project, including the MG team conversions 

Converted MG teams

MG32 arms from Halftrack sprue, loaders arms from Wargames Factory sprue.

Vehicle 215 was knocked out of commission in the previous days engagement (Thats my story anyway, nothing to do with the destruction of a number 5 on the transfer sheet). Note that the red numbering is a separately purchased transfer sheet, not included in the Panzer-grenadier box set.

How Yan Lo can you go!

Thanks to Wyrd Miniatures recent weekend sale and pre release offer I just got my grubby mits on the upcoming Yan lo Ten Ten Thunders crew box 'Masters of the Path'. Suffice to say it was torn open and modelling commenced within minutes of arrival.

Strangely, Yan lo's head comes in its own baggy and not on the sprue.

Once again these plastics are detailed and rather delicate, some of the components in this box can barely be handled. Tweezers could be advised for attaching things such as Yan lo's beard and the ribbon for Chiaki's hair. 

The only other hitch I had during construction was the third Ashigaru (spear raised above head). The first two Ashigaru I built have torso/legs as one piece then arms and spear as a second, plus head and back a banner these are a doddle and likely the easiest in the box. Unlike the third, which appears to have ill fitting legs in two halfs, and a nightmare procedure for the two part raised spear. Hopefully as long as you get the spear straight enough the rest is just a ramshackle skeleton so anything goes.

These sets contain no instructions and plenty of parts, just follow the lettered and numbered tabs on the sprue.
(ie, A1-A7 = Yan lo)

I decided not to include the mystical flame effect for  Chiaki's base as I felt it overpowered the elegance of the model, or the scenic armour piece for Yan Lo's base which may be saved for another occasion.

The Ashigaru definately have 32mm stature, tall and forbidding warriors.

 Still a little work to smooth out the mold and joint lines, liquid green stuff to the rescue. The bases I plan to be battlefield debris, befitting the relic and reanimation flavour of the crew. Also in the post currently are Izamu the Armour and a box of Oiran to complete the points and flavour of this crew.

Malifaux releases - Urge to purchase and paint rising.

The entire range of Malifaux plastics from Wyrd miniatures is still looking phenomenal with every release! After seeing and painting the Misaki crew first hand, it is safe to say the models produced are well portrayed by the renders. The plastics molded are identical and hold close to 99% of the rendered details. They also hold very true to the artwork so there is more great stuff to come.

Anyone looking to get a sense of the Malifaux setting, I would recommend a listen to the rather wacky narrated fan fiction on the Aethervox podcast.

 

Work In Progress

With several projects on the go, I thought I would just post a cross section of the work in progress with these quick snap shots.

Ashlynn D'elyse, skin and details only just started. Further highlighting throughout required.

Early days for the half-tracks, some effective weathering simply by rubbing off the first base colour.

Half the zombies from my Zombicide Kickstarter investment. Thankfully the test paint job below works a treat and is quick and easy to do.

Bolt Action Half-tracks Built

Well I couldn't resist for long, three built up bar for gunner and stowage details. This is definitely an easy and robust kit for war gaming. Many of the pieces have a solid guide block to glue to. The instructions were not ideal when only giving a vague arrow to the approximate fixing point, but with only a little trial error you can't go wrong.

Tips for construction.
Not certain if this was exclusive to my sprue but the bottom seat piece would not sit securely on the guide blocks. The guides were too far apart, front to back. I pretty much entirely removed the guide blocks in this case and all was peachy.

Care is needed securing the top seat component also as the top outside angles of this will determine the placement of the hull top. Again, a little testing and trimming ensured the hull top would be flush. I would still hold the entire hull top firmly till welded when gluing to ensure it is flush at every point.

If curious, green stuff is painted over the seat pads for a hint of undulation.....mmm undulation.

The smooth sexy bottom of a wargaming model!

Awww, kid brother. (Comparison with 1/72 [20mm], Armourfast). The 28mm may not have any greater details on the window hatches, but at least you don't have to attach them all separately (they are all molded on).

Bolt Action Panzergrenadiers unboxing.

Just arrived and brand new from Warlord Games this is the plastic box set filled with 28mm plastic mechanised Germans. It includes 30 infantry and three of the first 28mm plastic vehicle produced by Warlord games Sd.kfz 251/1 ausf C (Aka Hanomag, half-track).

The information for the contents of this box set were limited so I was interested to see and keen to share these goodies.

A nice chunky box filled with sprue, it includes 6 sprue for the 3 Half-tracks, 6 of the regular infantry sprue (5 models on each), 4 weapon sprue, 3 transfer sheets, bases and instructions.

Nice to see the transfers included,unfortunate I ordered additional sheets.

The 4 weapons sprue means only potentially 4 StG44 assault rifle and 8 MP40 between the squads. I will be looking at converted models with the Wargames Factory 38mm Germans (MP40 are bountiful on those sprue).

The weapon and infantry sprue (below) are ofc already known form the infantry box set.

Now for the Hanomag, the two sprue look straight forward and easy to construct with a decent amount of detail. Included are a few but not generous number of additional features for stowage and customisation, these include helmets, jerry cans, spare wheel, and MG34/32 options for front and rear.

If I find time soon I will certainly post a built one. :)

Pegasus Hobbies Large Cactus as 32mm scatter scenery.

So, I was hunting for available scenery kits and components that would fit the Malifaux themes well. Suffice to say there is not a lot out there to fit the scale and themes perfectly. So I grabbed this box made by Pegasus Hobbies, while not specifically scaled they have a 'large' and a 'small' Cactus set. This is the large set whose description has the models ranging up to 2" tall.

Inexpensive boxed set (courtesy of modelhobbies.co.uk, well recommended for there speed and reliability ).

In the box you'll find two of these sprue in delightful green plastic.

Each sprue will build up these nine Cacti. They fit well on their stands and the components are all numbered accordingly.
(Again, note that you get double this in the box.)

Bases cut from cork tile. With a generous and relatively densely packed quota on each base I produced six decent sized scatter pieces.  All secured with some hot glue gun action, together with a few small rocks for interest.

No problems with primer (GW black), and away with painting.

Usual light browns for dry brushing and some sandy colours for the rocks.

Little flock for more interest and bam. 

For scale this is a 32mm Malifaux Torekage. For Malifaux the pieces easily average out at Ht 2.

For conclusion, this is a decent kit with well detailed and distinctive models. They fit together well, but lack instruction and the larger 3 piece Cacti will be a case of trial and error to fit correctly. Naturally the components could be distributed to cover a large area, and I think this kit would also be perfect for detailing any piece of desert themed scenery or even bases.

Some of the very smallest extremities are prone to bending or snapping, but these can be removed unnoticeably. The plastic on the whole is sturdy enough, the flat shaped Cacti will bend under handling and painting but will not deform at all.

The small scale plastic Cactus market may be limited but this kit is certainly worth a purchase regardless for any wild west, desert themed gaming.