Captain D. C. "The DeathClaw" McCorvin

Hey Internet,

Haven't posted in a little while - 'real life things' have not been doing all that well as of late - the knock-on effect being that I've not really had the inclination to do much in the way of hobby related stuff.

But I finally got around to painting something this weekend.

Or rather, I've given a figure that I painted a while back a fairly major revamp.

I finished 'ColonelDeathclaw' a fair while ago to be the leader of my Enclave warband, and but even at the time I was never really all that happy with him. At the time, I'd wanted him to 'fit in' with the other Enclave models in my collection – only, I painted them years ago, when I was far 'less good' at painting.

So, I've gone back to him. Its about 80% new brushwork, the with only the face and the 'holo-swords' remaining from the original coat. I think the 'metallic black' armour is looking much better, as are the 'glowy yellow bits'.

The base also got a seeing too, as the original one looked nasty and was 30mm rather than 25mm - meaning that it did not match in with every other figure in my collection.

I've dug out a pair of Brother Vinni's wonderful 'Ant Soldiers' to back him up. They are next in the que.

MM.

* * *

Captain D. C. 'The Deathclaw¹' McCorvin is a third generation product of the United States Chemical Corps' research into the weaponization of personnel infected with the infamous 'Forced Evolutionary Virus'.

Prior to his exposure to the F.E.V during the excavation of the Mariposa Millitary Base, Douglas McCorvin had an unremarkable career in the United States Army. While a competent soldier of no little intelligence, frequent conflicts with his superior officers ensured that he never rose above the rank of Private.

Following his mutation, McCorvin was evacuated to Station Control ENCLAVE. For several months he was kept under constant sedation pending the stabilisation of his condition. A small man of only 5'7”, McCorvin developed into a similarly stunted mutant of less than 7' in height.

Following a psychological evaluation and corrective surgery for a number of minor debilitations, McCorvin was returned to active service as part of a special detail tasked with the location and recovery of pre-war research and technology.

In this role, and with the benefit of his mutations, McCorvin showed a great deal of capability, quickly rising to the rank of Captain and being given command of 'Exploration and Recovery Detachment 7'.

During the events leading to the destruction of Station Control ENCLAVE 'oil rig' off the coast of California, ERD7 was stationed on a long range recovery expedition several hundred miles to the East. Despite sending several scout parties Westward, communications with ENCLAVE command could not be re-established. Unable to communicate with higher command and with no way to return to the West Cost without additional resupply, ERD7 began to operate autonomously.

In the following months the Detachment continued to recover technology and equipment, and eventually began to expand their base of operations from their covert bunker complex to establish a small outpost on the surface.

In time, out of a want of supplies, the Detachment began to trade some of their salvage with local survivalist groups, and even began a limited recruitment of 'wastelanders' to augment their numbers in light of losses suffered to the inherent dangers of the wastes.

This seeded no small amount of discontent amongst certain, more patriotic, members of the group. This eventually was brought to an apex when an armed group confronted McCorvin and directly accused him desertion and dereliction of duty.

Refuting their attempts to relive him of command, a deadly firefight ensued, quickly spreading across the outpost as more individuals joined on both sides. By days-end, almost half of the entire group had either been killed, wounded or had chosen to flee into the wastes.

Victorious, but at a terrible cost, Captain McCorvin continued to rule over his small dominion. Though those that had sided with him during the schism remained beside him, any pretence that the group represented the Army of the United States soon fell by the wayside.

* * *

1: "The DeathClaw"

 Douglass Charlie McCorvin's nickname 'The Deathclaw' arose out of the aforementioned captain's preference for and substantial skills in close combat, armed with a pair of 'holographic emitters' grafted to his suit of 'Tesla Power Armour'. 

Salvaged from a pre-war scientific laboratory, each of these these unique weapons could in moments be reconfigured to emit by means of holography either a savage blade, a shield or a projectile of energy. 

McCorvin was even known to have used these emitters to produce a pair of holographic wings, which when combined with the vectored exhaust of his suit's micro-fusion reactor allowed him to enter into a powered glide when leaping from a raised surface.

***

The Lead Tally - 2015

Acquired: +0       Painted: +1          Total: +1

6mm Civilians

'afternoon Internet, 

Today we've got some bases of 6mm scale civilians for my 'Kaiju Monster Battle Hour!' project. 

Civilians are a stock feature of any good Monster Movie, and so, of course, must be a feature of my little games. Whether they are in need of rescue or need corralling out of the area (usually before the military can open up with their 'anti-kaiju missile') I'm sure they will see plenty of use. 

The models are a mixed bag. I know the yellow jeep is from Brigade Models, the red lorry is from Irregular Miniatures and I think the rest are all from Heroics and Ros, but don't quote me on that. 

I've painted this models in dribs-and-drabs over the last few months - usually when I've mixed up too much paint and don't want to waste it. Recently my 6mm roads turned up, giving me the chance to actually finish these guys up. 

All they were waiting on was their bases, and after experimenting with many different shades of grey, I found that Vallejo Sea Grey is the closest to the colour of the roads. I think they merge into the table pretty well with a flat coat of the stuff.

Whenever I find a good source of decent civilians I'll add to my little collection. If anyone wants to prod me in the right direction, please go ahead.

Like them?

Mr R. Marx.

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +38       Painted: +14          Total: -27

Daicarota

Hey Internet,

Bit of a weird one today - a giant mutant carrot.

I have no who this miniature is made by or where I got it from (or I would have even contemplated buying it!), but I think it is just perfect for this project.

With the exception of Exseletor, everything that I have done to date for this project leans towards the more serious side of the 'silly rubber-suited monsters' genre. This model makes a nice break from that; being far more Mighty Morphin Power Rangers than Neon Genesis Evangelion.

The model is very simple (because its a carrot) but it has a real goofy charm. Painting was easy-peasy^1. I went for nice bold colours, as subtlety felt a little out of place. Purple lips, green 'arms' and a bright orange body. In all it only took a few hours, including me doing other things while layers dried.

I'll keep my eye out of any more 'mutant fruit and veg' models that are out there, with the vague hope that one day I can put on an 'Attack of the GM Vegetables' scenario.

MM.

Footnotes

^1: I apologise for this pun.

* * *

Just a few inspirational images from around the 'web

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +31       Painted: +9          Total: -24

6mm Russian Artillery: SAU-122 "Gvozdika"

Hey Internet,

Just a little update - three 6mm scale SAU-122 "Gvozdika" self propelled guns.

I'm not sure where these models are from - I got them second hand from a friend - but they are quite ropey sculpts with hardly any surface detail. I painted them to match my other Federation stuff. Given the lack of detail it didn't exactly take long.

With these done, I think I have must have about all I need for my Russian Federation forces for both my 'Kaiju' Savage Worlds project and for Cold War Commander.

MM.

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +31       Painted: +8          Total: -23

Ideas: Pyongyang Unicorn

Hey Internet,

With Nova Streltzy sitting pretty, its time for me to plan my next Jager: The Pyongyang Unicorn !

I have a nice clean concept - I just need a model to hang it off.

It needs to look a bit crappy, but still look okay next to Infinity models. I think it should be big too. Real big. 

Whereas the other Jagers in my setting have one pilot, I feel the Payongyang Unicorn needs a crew of at least three: most benevolent and powerful leader and two guys to actually fly the thing. 

The 'Weird Science' rules in Savage Words also give interesting opportunities for things like the super-computer eating the tape...

Lead contender at the moment is the OOP Battletech 'Colossus';

Its big, fugly, and looks to have a superb sound-system for playing invigorating patriotic songs during the heat of battle.

I am far from settled on this model though - and I want to get this one right. Anyone else got a contender they think would fit the bill?

MM.

Nova Streltzý

Hey Internet,

I've not been feeling all too hot lately, so it’s been a little while since I last did a post. I've been too pre-occupied with hay fever and migraines to get much in the way of modelling and painting done.

Yet, I present Nova Streltzý.

This is the first Infinity model that I have painted in a long time, but should hopefully be the first of many that I post up as part of this ‘Kaiju Hunting’ project. I have about half a dozen waiting for their turn.

Right now, I am really rather of the opinion that the figures produced by Infinity are just the best science fiction figures currently available. The designs are intricate, but not cluttered. The concepts are, whilst universally ‘anime’ and cyberpunk inspired, rather fresh and original. The quality of the sculpting and casting is just superb. They have even been designed so that they fit together without a modicum of fuss or difficulty; something that I would say is my major peeve when it comes to high-end figures.

However, for me at least, this quality has been a bit of a downer. I consider myself an all-right painter. Not great by any means, but at least ‘okay’. These figures on the other hand far better than merely ‘okay’!

Whenever I am painting one I feel that I am doing it an injustice. I've seen what painters far better than I can achieve, and even as I put all of the effort, concentration and skill I can muster into a figure, I know that it is doomed to fall short.

This in mind, I spent the better part of a week’s ‘hobby time’ arseing around on-line looking for the perfect colour scheme for this figure, researching how to layer and highlight properly and so on and so forth.

All that said, I’m really quite happy with how Nova Streltzý has turned out. I went for a simple olive drab and red colour scheme. The green is a new concoction that I have not tried before, but I am most pleased with it. I think I will try it again on some Soviet armour before too long. The red was also different to my usual mix – far brighter and more ‘red’ than my usual red-orange. Those two colours aside, the rest was arduously painted dirty metal piping, with shiny brass bits.

Nova Streltzý took bloody forever to paint, probably about 9 hours in all split into three three hour painting sessions, but really that’s no bad thing. I’ve been in a painting rut for quite a while, churning out ‘passable’ models at the rate of a few a week, and I really feel like I gave this guy my all for once. I tried a bunch of new colour mixes and painting techniques and ended up with the first figure that I can say I'm proud to have completed in a very long time.

^ Russians on Parade

***

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +31       Painted: +5          Total: -28

105mm Gun Motor Cartridge T95

Hey Internet,

Just a little progress in my Savage Worlds: Kaiju Project this weekend - a pair of heavy tanks.



The models are American T95 tanks from GHQ's 'what if' WWII range. You only get two in the pack rather than the five that you regularly get in a pack, making them really rather expensive. They are really nice though, being superbly detailed and cast. They are quite a size too - about an inch wide, half and inch tall and two inches long.

They are going into service as mobile Anti-Kaiju guns, as part of the Japanese Self-Defence Force. As such, I've painted them up in the same scheme as my other UN/JSDF tanks. I'm quite happy with how they have come out, although they look a bit crummy in the photographs, but that's just because I'm really bad with a camera.



They are real tanks, by the way;

"The Super Heavy Tank T28 (at one point and sometimes called 105 mm Gun Motor Carriage T95) was a prototype heavily armored tank destroyer designed for the United States Army during World War II. It was originally designed to be used to break through German defenses at the Siegfried Line, and was later considered as a possible participant in an invasion of the Japanese mainland. Sometimes referred to as a super-heavy tank, the T28 was re-designated as the 105 mm Gun Motor Carriage T95 in 1945 and then renamed a super heavy tank in 1946 as the Super Heavy Tank T28."

- Extract from This Wikipedia entry.

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +31       Painted: +4          Total: -27

Exoskeletor

I had intended to get this model ready to post up over the weekend, but being the clever sorta' guy that I am I managed to explode a bottle of silver paint all over him when he was 90% complete.

Feeling like a proper twonk, I decided to painstakingly repaint this model as penance.

Exoskeletor is a rather strange model that I've had sitting around for years. I'm not totally sure where and when I got it, although I have the vague notion that the model is from Ral Partha UK. He's on a 50mm washer for working out how big he is - hes around ~60mm to the top of the head.

Its a nice sculpt with plenty of detail and was cast with only a few simple mold likes to worry about. However, the concept, for want of a better word, of the model is a little kooky. A giant lobster with a battle axe? If I was not looking out for outlandishly daft models for my Kaiju project I have no idea what I'd use it for. The pose it a little off too; really quite flat for a model with so many flailing appendages.

I've left off the wiggly lobster face antenna as they were made of very thin metal and were rather heavy. I couldn't see them lasting very long at all, and I really don't it when a model breaks. It's left two big holes in the face, but I've incorporated them into Exoskeletor's rules, so I'm okay with it.

I did a Google search for 'lobster monsters' and found these two fine examples. I decided that the colours were perfect for my own creature.

Frustrations over going though the exact same painting process twice within three days aside, it was a rather easy colour scheme to do. I used some very big brushes and plenty of ink washes and dry-brushing to build up the red colour.

That done, it was a fairly simple matter to pick out all the barnacles in a creamy karki colour and fill in the belly area in a yellowy cream colour. I'm not totally sure about the axe at the moment.

I might go back and add some rust effects or verdigris to the blade to make it look a little more like he's been carrying under the sea for a while.

So, like him?

MM.

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +4       Painted: +2          Total: -2

Kaiju One: Sandalphon - Rebased

Hey Internet,

Just a quick post.

When I was basing up the Land-Sharks the other day I decided that the grass on the Big Shark just looked wrong for 6mm.

So, after much hacking, glue and paint, here he is with a new base, sans green shrubbery.

MM.

HMS Saint George

***

Developed, designed and commissioned in the immediate aftermath of the Second Battle of London, the HMS Saint George was the first bio-mechanical hybrid, or ‘biomech’, to be constructed by the United Kingdom in Fortress Britannia's struggle against the Kaiju.

Designed around the tentatively understood scientific principles discovered during the examination of the Second Beast’s remains, the Saint George, like all biomechs, is the result of the melding of a gargantuan, genetically engineered homo-sapien with cutting edge military hardware.

However, as capable a machine was the Saint Geroge is, it was the identity of the Saint Geroge’s pilot that venerated her into the global popular consciousness.

This pilot was, of course, none other than King William V.  

This was, of course, a decision made by chance rather than by choice. Following a nation wide genetic examination, King William V was found to be amongst only a handful of individuals in all of the United Kingdom able to make a psychosynchronous connection. Of all of those that could, King William alone was the only one with combat experience, having flown with the RAF against both the Russian Federation and the Kaiju menace.

In the end, after much argument over the wisdom of placing a head of state directly into harm's way, Parliament gave their approval, and construction began.

The contract was awarded to BAE Systems, who in turn called upon the assistance of the finest scientific and technological institutions in the country to construct Saint George.

The primary stage cloning process was carried out at the University of Cambridge. At the end of the first trimester, the embryo was transferred to an undisclosed subterranean facility thought to be somewhere in the area of Chatham, London. After nine months of incubation and a further two of outfitting, the HMS Saint George became the primary combat unit of the British armed forces.

***

This figure is the character 'High Arbiter Arkeid' from the Anima Tactics miniatures game.

Whilst all the Anima Tactics figures that I have had have been superbly sculpted and cast, their unique anime style tends to leave them rather spindly and prone to breaking. This figure originally had a long spear, however, despite storing it in a foam carry-case the spear repeatedly bent under its own weight - so in the end I cut it down into its current 'flaming sceptre' form, which is a shame.

I originally painted it up to be a 'War Strider' in a 10mm Exaulted Fantasy game that never came to fruition. All I have done is re-base the figure and add a few highlights here and there to bring it in line with figures that I have painted more recently.

Hope you like him!

MM.

The Lead Tally - 2014

Acquired: +0       Painted: +1          Total: +1

Land-Sharks

Hey Internet,

This week I've got my Sandalphon's little friends - four 'Land-Sharks'.

I had these models ready and waiting on my painting table for a few weeks before mustering up the enthusiasm to put brush to undercoat. I've no idea why - they are really nice models, and now that I've finally got round to getting them done I'm really rather happy with the end result.

As with my last 'Hordes' model, I plan on using these little fellas in both my Savage Worlds campaign and for games of WarmaHordes.

Land-Shark: Orange

The Models
The models are more from Privateer Press' 'Hordes' range - 'Shredders' from their 'Legion of Everblight' faction.

They are really nice little things. The sculpts really are tip-top quality and the design is really fun - they're just teeth with legs!

They are based on ~30mm washers for the purposes of working out how big they are. Each one is about 20mm tall and, depending on how you pose the legs, 20mm - 35mm long.

Like their Bigger Brother, they are cast in Privateer Press' weird plastic/resin stuff. It captures the details fine, but is a bit of a pain in the arse to clean up.

I'm starting to get the hang of working with the stuff now. After much trial and error I have come to the realisation that files will make the plastic crumble and splinter. Using a scalpel with a cutting motion works far better, only resorting to using files on areas that a blade will not work on.

I've found that a stiff toothbrush is really handy too. A good hard scrub appears to be the best way to clean off the scraggly bits of plastic that filing leaves behind.

Land-Shark: Blue

Painting

When I finally got round to painting them it, was really rather easy. I just used the same black and bone colours that I used on the big shark.

I painted each Shark's bony carapace bits a different colour so that I could differentiate them on the battlefield.  

It was all drybrushing, ink washes and filling in the details with a small brush, so in all it took me two short evening painting sessions to get them done - perhaps 3 or 4 hours in total. 

They are not the best paint-jobs in the world, and these these super close-ups make them look a bit 'rough', but I am quite happy with them.

Land-Shark: Khaki

Basing

I've based the figures on washers that exactly match the dimensions of the 'official' Warmachine/Hordes bases. In Warmachine/Hordes bases sizes are a big 'thing', so I made sure to get them right. 

If anyone's interested, 25mm Lipped Basses are exactly the same size as 'M6 Mudguard Repair' washers. 

Land-Shark: Green

Kaiju One: Sandalphon, The Angel of Music

Hey Internet,

Been looking forward to this one - my first Kaiju. Its been a very long time since I last tackled a model of this size, but I've had a really good time getting it done. Do tell me what you think.

"Hey....you dont play Warmachines/Hordes...and your not supposed to start any new projects this year!?!" I hear you say...

Ha! I've not! (On a technicality)

I have stumbled into Warmachine and Hordes by accident more than anything. After much shopping around, I decided that I wanted some of elves for my 'Of Gods and Mortals' project, and that I would rather fancy some land-shark Kaiju for my 6mm 'Kill the Kaiju' games.

When I went to buy them I did not actually know both were made by Privateer Press. In fact, it turned out that they were both in the same faction, 'The Legion of Everblight'!

A fair few of my friends from my local gaming club play Warmachine/Hordes, so I thought I may as well join in as I had the models...

The Model...
The model itself is a 'Legion of Everblight ' made by Privateer Press for there 'Hordes' game.

I've never had a model from Priveteer Press before, but I must admit that I am most impressed. I got the model as part of the two player starter set that I split with a friend, meaning that I ended up paying only £30 for this big beasty, four smaller land-sharks, an eleven lady with a bow and five really nice trolls. By whatever metric you use, that has to go down as great value for money.

The models are made of plastic, and as anyone who has read my blog before will know, I'm not all too fond of plastic. However, I have to admit that I'd have rather have had everything in metal, but given the price and quality I'm not going to grumble on any further on the matter.

The castings are really crisp, sharp and have plenty of detail, but also have plenty in the way of flash that you have to clean up (like all plastic kits....).

However, the model went together without any bother whatsoever. In fact, PP deserve a commendation for the put-together-ability of their kit. Each component has an individually matched male and female joint that made construction a breeze. I had to do a little filling to plug some small gaps, but pinning together a metal model of this size would have taken hours, whereas in all I must have got this one ready for priming in less than an three hours, including gap-filling and cleaning up the flash and mould lines, without breaking a sweat (or swearing loudly, gluing my figures together, drawing blood....ect)

Painting...
I've decided to paint up each of my Kaiju in different colours rather than do them all with a single palate.

I went with a blue and black with pink bits for this one, and am rather happy with how it turned out. I approached this model with far more hesitation than usual on account of its size, but once I got round to it I painted the thing in just one evening.

I've done the base in the same way that I do my 6mm bases as it will primarily be used for 'Kill the Kaiju games.

Tokyo was not built in a day

Hey all,

This week I've made a start on a small city. Not a big start by any means, just three buildings, but a start all the same. After a little bit of experimenting with wibbly-wobbly paper buildings, I decided that it would be better to just bite the bullet and make my city out of good 'ol resin. However, this is going to cost a bucket-load, so I'm going to chip away on this project a little bit at a time with the plan to make a decent 3'x3' urban layout by the end of the year.

The two smaller buildings are by Scotia and the larger one is by Battletech.

I make a point of not doing 'bad reviews' on this blog out of common courtesy, but recently I ordered a fair few Scotia buildings, after being impressed by their low price and decent looking quality. However, when I got them I was less than pleased. Most of them were not terrible models, but were terribly cast, with nasty flash obscuring their detail, and the bottoms on many of them being 'hollow', as if they had not quite pored enough resin into the mold when they were being cast.

In fact, for the first time ever, I asked for my money back for a few of the buildings that were so bad that I just couldn't see any way of using them!

In a similar trend, the Battletech building was also badly cast, with the same 'hollow bottom' problem that the Scotia buildings had. I've had some Battletech buildings before (that I irritatingly got rid of a few months ago, before starting this project) that were superbly cast with almost nothing in the way of air-bubbles or flash.

I did not buy either variety of building direct from the manufacturer, and what with the bad castings, I am more than a little suspicious that they might be poor quality re-casts, rather than the genuine articles....

In better news, I also painted up a Federation 'Long-Track' AT-T mobile radar recently. Its a GHQ model, and as with everything I've had from them recently, its nothing less than a miniature work of art.

Better luck next time, eh?

MM.

Type-74 Tanks (GHQ)

Hey Internet,

I've done a thing again.

This time its a few NPCs for my 'Monster Movie' games - a couple of 'Type-74' tanks, the mainstay of the Japanese Self Defence Force's armoured corps.

The models are actually AMX-30s (French MBTs), but they look sort of like a Japanese 'Type-74' tanks - well, at least close enough for me not to care. All the important elements are there; the boxy Infa-Red spotlight to the left of the main gun, the rounded turret and the basic dimensions all match the '74 quite well.

These models are by GHQ, and like just about everything that company makes they are nothing less than tiny works of art. The detail on these things is fantastic, easily equal too or better than that on many of my 15mm tanks.

Annoyingly, two of the copulas are missing machine-guns because they were not cast properly. I'm sure that no one would have noticed the missing square-millimetre if I hadn't mentioned it, but its really bugging me that these models are anything less than perfect.

Mobile Base Command

Hey Internet,

I've not been feeling all-too-hot for the last two weeks, so I've not been getting much done on the hobby front. I actually painted these a few weeks back, but never got round to posting them.

This is 'Mobile Base Command' - a state of-the-art mobile command post belonging to the Self-Defence forces. Packed with high-ranking military personnel and the worlds leading monsterologists, it can drive precariously close to the front line to provide command and scientific support, as well as added jeopardy.

In 'Savage Worlds' Mobile Base Command has some good command effects to help keep his allies in the fight, as well as a jury-rigged 'Sonic Beam' weapon that can be fired from the radar dish to confound and confuse rampaging Kaiju.

The model is a Battletech one, although I cannot recall it's name. Its a very nice casting, but the sculpt itself is a little weird - the details are sharp, but the basic shapes are sort of wonky.

I cant remember what these little thingies are called - they are modern American transports of some kind. The models are by Heroics & Ross, and while not the best sculpts in the world I think they look kind of all-right.

1:285th Modern T-80 Company

Hey Internet,

After painting those Dwarfs I lost a great deal of my enthusiasm for Of Gods and Mortals. I'm not sure quite why - perhaps I let the project balloon so much that it was too daunting to start chipping away at again, or perhaps I just got bored of chain-mail. Either way, since none of my gaming-friends are anywhere near having a force ready to play a game against, I've allowed myself to be sidetracked my a new project for a while. Just until I get a 'second wind' for my Norse Warhost.

In fact, this isn't a new project at all, but rather one that I started about five years ago andnever got around to finishing - a big 1:285th/6mm Scale 'Giant Japanese-Inspired Monsters vs City' participation game.

One side controls the Humans, with each player taking on the roll of either a Commander of the Self-Defence forces or the pilot of a Mobile Suit/Eva/Mecha. Players on the other side take the roll of 'the monster of the week' - be they giant radioactive dinosaurs, space-monsters or the doomsday machines created by evil scientists.

Anyway, here is my first contribution to the project - an Armoured Company of the Russian Federation. The models are 6mm scale T-80 tanks, although I cannot remember from which manufacturer they are from. I think its either 'Heroics and Ros' or 'Scotia', but don't quote me on that. Whoever made these tanks, they are quite nice. The reactive armour in particular is well defined and takes to painting well. I've painted them using a simple combination of dry-brushing, edge highlighting and inks. Nothing fancy, but I think they look all-right.

I've got a bunch of other Russian/Soviet stuff lined up and ready to go on the painting table, so hopefully I should be able to also use these tanks for games of Cold War Commander.



Like 'um?

MM.