TheOrky 15mm SciFi

Whats going on?

2012-02-01T20:05:00.000-05:00

Well Hello,
It has been a month with out a post from me here, and I have been busy with work and home stuff. I made it through the rest of the holidays ok, but the Wife just lost her job do to a new thing called a RIF. WTF is that, I asked my wife. This is Reduction in force. Will what ever that want to call it my wife is out of work. Now I thought the US was on an up swing????? Well I guess I was wrong.

Well Any way I have been pulled back in to my miniature dark side once more. Just when I think I have beaten it for the last time I am pulled right back in. Just like my many years of smoking (two years free of that on now). So what is this I am talking about???? Let me tell you, GorkaMorka. To this day I still think this is the best game GW ever made.

I was forced to sell off most of my old GM stuff a few years back when the wife and I had our snotlings.
Well I can not leave it alone more. I am on eBay every day looking for more boys,and vehicles to buy.
I never sold the boys, but I did sell off my other RT, and newer orks. I sold off my Trukk, Trakks, buggies, and bikes. I did keep my two RT era battle wagons, I use them from Trukks. Then I picked up 3 buggies two years ago (my last bout of GM). This last month I picked up a un-opened box of gorkamorka boyz. Six plastic boyz still in the box. I got them for $13.00 total. The sticker on the box was $9.95. So I think I got a good deal. I am also chasing a lead down for some trukks, and traks. I hope that I am able to pick them up.

Then I went back to Universal Battle the online miniature game, and built units for GorkaMorka. I have a trukk, trakk, buggy, bike, and boys. So now I can game solo, or with other on line. I hope to update this list with diggas, and grots soon. I am not a mutie fan so I will hold of on them, but some one can do it easy.

Then I did a bit more work on the old Army builder software, and the data files for GM. You can load the data files in the demo version of AB and use with out restriction except for saving the roster. But if one dose a google fu search for ABLoad.exe this will unlock the need for the CD. I have the full CD version, but need ABLoad.exe to run AB under linux (my preferred computer OS).

So I have built a few mobs on paper and hope to game them on UB soon. And I hope to be picking up some trukks, and trakks.

Next I ordered USE ME 007 the post apocalyptic to hope fully play GM in 15mm with other races. so I am looking forward to this rule book. I would use the GM rules in 15mm, but I do not think it will work.

Well than is it for now, I have no photos other then my little girls birthday party, and my son's pine wood derby race. So I am out for now.

Noel

Orc's Drift After action Report.

2012-01-02T10:16:00.002-05:00

This New YeTurn Seven:This New Year's weekend I decided to play out my idea of Rork's Drift using Orcsas Zulus, and Praetorian guard as Brits. I did not play a live game but used Universal Battle web based TTG game.
For the rule I use USE ME 001 from 15mm UK. I did a bit of tweaking to the rules as I felt they are needed, but that is the great part about USE ME they need house rules.

The Guard numbered around 90 with 9 squads 6 rifles, one HW, and a squad leader Elan 3. I had two, two man sniper units on the roofs Elan 4. I had to mortar teams Elan 3. Then a two man squad of leaders Elan 5. My house rules for the guard were, 3" template for the mortars, killed rolled 1D6, on a 4,5,6 the were walking wounded and fought from the Hospital at -1, no +1 from close range. Max of 10 can fight from the Hospital windows. What I forgot to use was grenades, and will be replaying this with them soon.

For the Orcs I started with 15 squads of 9 boys, and a Nob, all Elan 2 with Close Combat skill. They were armed with reg rifles only. Rule for the Orcs, I would place a new full squad of Orcs for every 10 Orcs killed. I would add a few squads of say just CC boys that move faster but only have side arm, and CC skill.

For the map I used the lay out of the mission from the Real Rork's Drift battle. I tool the liberty of tweaking the surroundings based on the limited terrain features in UB. For the Map see my earlier post.

For the game I use a way of dealing with the states of minis by turning them. Winged 1/4 turn, Struck 1/2 turn. Please note the HW guys are started at 1/4 facing.

Turn One:
Here is the screen shot of the end of turn one. This was just a movement tunr, as the rnages were to much, and I forgot to shoot the mortars.
Please click the image for a larger view.

Turn Two:
This turn I did not forget the mortars, and got a few of the green skins. Also the Guard at the barn were hit with some losses, that did not make the walking wounded. Two dead.

Turn Three:
The mortars finished a Orc unit, the snipers from the left fired center to start on the Orc. More guard dead from the barn. Also moved guard to support the barn.

Turn Four:
Once more firing damage is dealt to the Orcs but with little effect. They keep coming. Now if you look at the barn, and mid guard you will see they are taking hits. Fisrt 10 boy squad placed for the Orcs.

Turn Five:
The mortars keep dealing out damage but not enough. The Orcs are now at the wall, and working on CC attacks. The Orcs on the left are just waiting for there chance to charge.

Turn Six:
I was forced to sop the game after the guards play, so there are two photos. Both are just more of both sides dying. Also we see the first walking wounded make it to the Hospital to continue the fight. Also the Orcs got another two squads.

USE ME 001 from 15mm UKTurn Seven:
Orc are working on the bull horn attack. They are working the Barn flank, and now the far left flank is charging in.

Turn Eight:
First of we have a mortar epic fail. From the movie "We were Solders" "Get small" "Bring it in close".
Well I did and it went bad, but not to bad, as it only took out one guy. At this point I will say my die rolls on the mortars SUCKED, and most of them failed, and diverted. Some of the diverted shots were good, but most ended up with 1, 2 or no hits.

Turn Nine:
Here is ware I stopped playing and I got through the Guard turn. The Orcs are picking away at the Guard and would soon over run from the center, splitting the Guard forces. And the next turn a new Orc squad was coming.

Recap:
I do not expect the Guard to survive this game, but I did expect the Guard to produce larger damage.
I am going to replay this soon, but remembering the Guard grenades, and giving the Orcs their assault squads to run in and weaken the walls first. Also the snipers sucked!!!!! I might swap them out for another mortar team, and add in a Spec Ops team to cover the flanks. At any rate I enjoyed this game, even though I was forced to play it out over 4 days.
If you would like to know more drop me a line "noelvh AT Gmail D0T C0M".

Noel

Orc's Drift the game!

2011-12-29T15:33:00.000-05:00

Hi All,
I have put a Universal Battle Map, and match together. I want to share the code you any one who would like to load it up and play it out. I have built the map based on the real lay out of the mission. Please note there is a fee to use UB with custom content. I think I paid $14.00 for one year, and it is $29.00 for life time. When my one year runs out I am going for the life time one. If nothing more that to play solo games.

Code: From the link copy the code and paste into the map part of the software.
Map Link

Also I have filled out the map with all the base units for a game.

For this match I have a starting army of Orcs at 150, and IG at 100. I would think after turn 2 roll a D6 for the orks, and add that many more 10 man units to the board. I do not see the IG winning but how long can they last. Another way would be from every 10 Orcs killed place a new unit on the board. This way the IG might have a chance. Also fill the hospital with walking wounded and fight from the windows (up to 10 men can fire from the hospital, and at reduced to hit). The hospital is the right most building part of the main group. The barn, and coral is to the far right of that. The mission is the long building closest to the Orc lines, with the store being to the far left.
Here is the file for the match.

I will most likely play this out as a solo game using the rules USE ME 001.
If you need help with UB or the files please let me know by email:
noelvh AT Gmail DOT COM

Enjoy.
Noel

An Orcy weekend!

2011-12-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

I have seen a few posts on the TMP about the old school MJ orks, and decided to get some more painted up. I painted up twenty of them, and used a new paint scheme for them. As I am now using dip I needed to come up with a faster and lighter paint scheme for them. So I have block painted them, and used lighter green for their skin.

First 2 photos my old way, then followed by the new way.

I know they look great but they will not work with the dip being this dark. So here are my new ones.

I know the photos are not the best but click on them to see the bigger view, and you will see the difference.

Noel

Army Progress for that last month.

2011-12-13T08:16:00.000-05:00

I have been pushing my self to work on my Praetorian army, this is a task in its self. With all my family needs to take care of first I have very little time to play. This fall was a challenge with my kids in Soccer, and being a first time soccer coach for my son's team. Well with the bad Fall weather we ended the season late. Now with the holidays coming I do not see any more work till the new year.

So here is what I have done.

First is I have completed 1 full Platoon. This includes a Spec Ops team (the Scene Miniatures), the 5 squads of brits (old glory 15s), followed by a squad of snipers (15mm Uk). Photo sucks but here they are.

Next I have a MechA, Walker, and a mobile missile launcher. MechA (15mm uk), thn the walker (Gear Krieg), then the missile launcher (also Gear Krieg). I have also use some water transfers from my old GW stuff, adds a bit more to them.

This guy had a missile pod installed, I found a shoulder arm system from a 28mm that fit, and that was it.

I am thinking this will be my last post before Christmas so I will wish all of you a very Marry Christmas, Happy New Year, and if you do not celebrate Christmas, please take my best wishes for the holiday you do celebrate.

Noel

The Boys!!

2011-11-14T06:29:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about my Orc boys, and stating them up for USE ME rules. So this morning (up really early) I took photos for my MSE cards. I picked just painted models for the photos, but I did do a group photo.

And now the bikes

But here are the head shots.

The War Boss, and two heavy armor. The boss is a Fantasy Orc with bitz added.

The Heavy armor. These boys are from MJ (now OOP).

The Assault Nobs. These boys are from MJ (now OOP).

Blood Axe Boys. These boys are from 15mm UK.

The Boys. These boys are from MJ (now OOP).

A Bike. This bike is from MJ (now OOP).

Two Dreadnoughts. These are GW epic gargants.

The Beast. This is from I think Vor or Void. It is a resin model I converted to an Orc Beast. I still have to Orc it up a bit, but you get the jist. I like the Troll gunners.

Not shown are my Mega Armor boys, and they are the drop troops from 15mm UK. I have yet to paint one of them for the a photo. So now I just have to create the stats, and the cards. Stay tuned for them.

Noel

Snow Day Oct-30-2011, and my Wedding Anniversary

2011-10-30T17:22:00.000-04:00

Well here in the North East (New Jersey)ware I live in the North West part of the state, ware we had 17 + inches of snow yesterday. We lost power about 6:30 pm Saturday night and spent a clod night in our house. I only had a white fuel lantern for heat. Yes I vented the house a bit from time to time. We got power back and 7:30 am just after I fixed my camping stove with a ben-a-roos. I los the O ring for the gas pipe, and this stuff worked like a charm. See I needed coffee, and the stove worked great. Here are some shots.

This is what it looked like at 7:30 am EST this morning.

Now here is two from 5:pm

This stuff was very heavy, and now the melting snow is going to ice up.
Now my snow blower was still in the shed and not ready for this snow. The second pull it when putt putt die, as I was holding the pull cord, Crap!!!!! Well had that fixed in 15 minutes, did my driveway and the guy next door.

Now I have to post this sorry guys.

I have been married now for 12 years today, and want to say to my Wife, I love, and will for ever.

Now here is what I worked on while I had power. I too the advice of viewers from when they were primed and added some supports.

Well I have to finish the base, and make a unit card for them now that I have a photo of them painted up.

Well I hope readers from this part of the world made it through the storm with out issue.

Noel

New Cards For USE ME Rules.

2011-10-29T05:47:00.002-04:00

Here are my latest round of cards for USE ME rule set. To make these cards I used MSE, and the template for Doomtrooper, then the warzone card. I edited the warzone card image a bit in MS paint. I added the Stat names to the circles at the bottom of the card. The card images are found in the MSE program folder under data, and can be tweaked a bit.

EDIT How to now at bottom of this post.

I hope you like them.

Edit here is how I did it.

First head over to MSE (Magic Set Editor) and download their latest version. Install it and then get a card template. I used the Dootrooper template. If the link dose not work from the MSE web site go to downloads, additional templates and on the bottom of that page is a link to it. Unzip the file and open it up to install it to MSE. Now down load this card image if you want it to look like mine.

Now put this file in the C:\Program Files\Magic Set Editor 2\data\doomtrooper-doomkit.mse-style folder. Replace the current one with mine.

Now open MSE up and select new set. Here is my set file download it and open to see my files.

Also to help with this I have installed these tools.

Foxitreader a PDF reder.

Cutewriter a PDF writer. I also grabbed the ghostscript tool from the same web site.

I use these tools to print my cards to PDF for storage, and printing at work as I don not have a color printer at home.

Please keep in mind I do not use Windows as my OS I use Linux, with WINE to run windows apps so you may not need the reader and writer, or ghost script tool.

When you first open the MSE with the Doomtrooper card set you will have to click on the edg of the card and select "Warzone" to get the correct template.

Now How did I edit the template. I found the jpg file from the path above, then opened it with a image editor, I used the reference to MSPAINT, and you can use that with ease, but I use kolourpaint a KDE tool for yes Linux. Kpaint allows me to work with transparent background easily. Ok now with your template open just click around the card to see what it is editable and have fun.

So this is the basics of how I made these cards. I know it sounds hard but really its not if you just use the template I have created.

email me @ noelvh @T G mail DOT com if you have any questions.

Noel

PS sorry for the fake posts from this title, blogger is not that fun to use any more. It is a PIA really. I hope they stop making it look modern and just fix it.

Dip VS Wash for minis!

2011-10-23T09:17:00.001-04:00

I spent a good two hours painting this weekend and now want to show the difference between Dipped, and Washed minis. I have taken the advice of many and did not Dip these minis but brushed on my Dip. I tried to brush on the Dip to a vehicle and was not happy with this, I will really Dip my vehicles from now on. Also I found that as this is a gloss dip the camera dose not focus on the Dipped mini as well as the washed mini. You will see this in the photos below. The photos below are going to be one Washed, and One Dipped, mini side by side and the same type of mini. There is one by him self, and is the over all commander of my army.

From these two photos the Dipped on is on the left,and dose not look as dark over all. The one draw back is the dip covers the white of the belts and bags to much. I will touch the up quickly, before I dull coat them.

You can see the red of the uniform much brighter on the Dipped mini over the washed on. And the helmet is not as dark as well.

Here you can see the lack of focus on this guy, my leader. I think it is because of the gloss, so my next test will be to see what they look like after dull coat.

Noel

Dip Photos, and Thoughts.

2011-10-17T10:33:00.000-04:00

Warning Warning this is a disclaimer based on my own experience with the Dip Method. ****** I have pulled my Bicep using the shake the Dip off method, as well I have launched two tanks across the room.******

Below are the photos of the Dipped miniatures I worked on this weekend.
First is the photos of block painted tanks.

Now here are the tanks Dipped, but all painted the same way. If you look at the left most tank you will see some of the launch damage. The turret, and main gun broke off, as well as a dent in the top of the tank. I will field it as battle damaged.

Here are the lead tanks, in their glory. The command tank on the right is a different color, more of a tan, then the others. You can see how the dip worked just as well on it.

Now for some of my fantasy dwarfs dipped.

Now these guy are just barely painted, and I would almost play them if not for their belts, and boots.

Noel.

Dip or not to Dip!

2011-10-15T18:28:00.000-04:00

Sorry for that lack of posts, I know I spoke of more posts in the fall, but that did not work out. My Son needed a coach for his first real season of soccer, and I stepped in to help him out. He is six, and is a sports nut (I on the other hand am not a sports nut). So here I am 6 games in with only one win, and that win my son scored 5 of the six goals for a 6 to 1 win. Then their is my Girl. She is in here second year of soccer, and I am supporting her as well, but not as a coach.

Ok now to the reall meat.

Over the last few months I have been thinking how am I ever going to finish my Praetorian Guard army, and how do I stop from painting my 15s like I paint my 28s. Well the first thing to come to mind is the Dip method. I am sure you have heard of the dip method of finishing off miniatures. Well if not it is a fast way to block paint you minis and then dip them in some stain plus sealer. This will fill the shaded areas and seal the mini. Now I went back and forth on what dip should I use. Should I go with the floor wax and ink, one or the Minwax, or the Army Painter dip. So I looked at the floor wax, and this was not so cheap and I would have to go to a few stores to get all the components. So this is not for me. Next was Minwax, ok what shade should I use????? I have no clue, as the one most talked about is not a US color. So I am not going to spend $12.00 to guess the color. Then the Army Painter one. This looks just right, right? No it is not I do not have $30.00 for a jar of sealer form my minis. Please remember I an cheap. I am sure AP dip is the one of the best out there I just do not have the $30.00 for it.

So What do I do??? I went through my house paint shelve and found what I think is it. Cabot Ploystain. This is a stain and a sealer, and it is water based. I picked it up to stain my son's bedroom door, and only used 1/4 of a quart. The color is dark oak, and looks right, but it is a bit thick. So I fill the quart back up with water, rolled the can a few time with out shaking it, and I dipped my first minis. I will post some photos later, as the minis are drying now but I am sold on the dip method for speed painting. I think the dark oak was a great shade to use for my minis, and it is a great arm work out. I have to shake the heck out of the minis to get the excess off. I think I can still thin out the can a bit more, and still have a great Dip.

Noel

New from Theorky.net!

2011-09-23T17:55:00.000-04:00

What have I been up to.Well my wife has asked me to build a play gym for the kids. As I live on top of a mountain this is an up hill battle. What I have come up with is to build a tree fort with play ground add-ons. I do not have much if any level ground in my yard so this is all I can do.

Now for the miniatures I have been working on. I have been adding to my Praetorian Guard army over the summer. I have added a bunch of new models from Proxiemodels.com and have to say I love them. These new models fit right in with the theme of my guard army. Below is some photos of the army.

In this photo you can see the entire army laid out.

This is the left side.

The right side.

This it the three new GMC from PM.

These next two photos show both the GMC and the MA.
You can see I have added a tank commander to the GMC
this really adds to this tank. I am not sure what to do about the
MA tanks, and I an thinking I will put a canopy over them
made from bandage wrap.

Gorkamorka kannons (shotguns) in the wild

2011-08-02T10:33:00.000-04:00

Had to share this as GM is one of my loves.

Gorkamorka kannons (shotguns) in the wild: "

Now for a bit of a change of pace. In Gorkamorka, unlike Warhammer 40,000, Orks can be armed with kannons. These are not the artillery weapons many of you know of from recent years but rather are chunky Orky shotguns. With the change in scale since Gorkamorka a lot has changed and it’s difficult to get hold of some weapons. Conveniently Ramshackle games sell four kinds of shotgun arms that might, just maybe, be suitable for use on modern Orks.

So here’s three of those designs, sculpted by our own Flamekebab with additional work (and the arms themselves) by Curtis Fell.

The first is a standard pump-action design that some of you might remember Flamekebab sculpting and attempting to cast a long time ago. Then there’s a single barrelled weapon, as many cheap kannons are and lastly a drum magazine one based on the Striker. There’s also a Kromlech Orc War II head in there, as some of you may have noticed.

Models painted by Flamekebab and Midnight.

The fourth design is a double-barrelled shotgun as seen below, assembled and painted by sho3box.

If you want a better look at them in isolation, unpainted take a look here.

Oh yeah, where to buy them?

Ramshackle games, 4 for £1.

Unit Cards! Some for USE ME.

2011-07-31T14:32:00.000-04:00

Gruntz is now released, and one of the things I like about this rules set is its use of unit cards. As I plan on playing different rules I want to have unit cards for those rule as well. So I gave Magic set Editor a try. This is a free tool to make CCG cards. By default all I needed was to download the full install version.

You will have to play with the template file till you find a card style you like, and will hold the information you want.
Here is a simple look at the interface, showing one of my cards for USE ME.

Now here are six of the units cards I have created for my USE ME army. Mind you I need to change the color from red to some thing else.

There are a number of things you can do with unit cards like this. There and be used for blind activation, hidden deployment, quick reference just to name a few items.

Noel

Photos Using my new Light Box.

2011-07-23T14:30:00.001-04:00

So with the new light box I decided to flock the bottom this morning, then after is dried take some photos.

In this photo I have my APC unloading tech ops.

Close up of the team.

I like the close up of the second guy to the right.

More of the ops team.

Now the russ tank next to the ops team.

My Trike units.

Trike close up.

Over all I like the new light box, but I need to make a few tweaks. One is the lighting, I need a bigger bulb. Two I have to place the minis closer to the back of the light box. Three get more backdrops.

Noel

Google + accounts once more.

2011-07-23T07:56:00.000-04:00

Hi All,
I offered this before but did not realize that when you leave a comment it dose not put you email address there for me. So if you would like a Google + (facebook killer) account please send me and email.
noelvh AT gmail DOT com
Once I get the email I will add you right away.

I have created a Google + circle just for miniature war games.

Noel

Behemasaur, and My New Light Box!

2011-07-22T09:01:00.001-04:00

With the Behemasaur, being so big and not getting good photos I needed a new light box. I sent exactly 1/2 of an hour last night and built one. From the images below you can see a big difference in the photo quality. I do still have to flock the ground, but the light box it self is complete. So what did I use? I had a bucket the same size as a 5gal as far as its diameter, but not as tall. I think it is a 3.5gal bucket. I then use white foam for the bottom, and back on the inside. I spray glued them down. I then put tin foil on the inside by the opening, as a reflector, the back drop is a photo from google image search printed on legal paper. And that is it. Once the ground is flocked it will look really good. Now I put the photos before the project cause they look great.

Ps these photos are only taken with my Balckberry Storm II 3.2 mp. Not to bad.

Noel

Sneak peek! Orc BEHEMASAUR!

2011-07-21T10:09:00.001-04:00

Try as I might I have not been able to finish this new Orc weapon. So I am going to post a sneak peek at it.
The photo is totally crap as it is to big to fit in my light booth. This also means I will be making a new bigger light box to take its photo.

This monster is an old Void miniature as seen below. I have converted it to be use by my 15mm Space Orcs. I have added fantasy trolls as the side gunners, and did not use the top section from the Void howdah. Instead I created a new tank try howdah using bits from a 28mm tank, and a WWII Polish armored car turret. Throw in a Orc in the top and bam one hell of a Orc weapon system. What's let to do? I would like to finish up on some detail, and add a few more bitz to finish it all off. Mostly is needs detailing done to it, and that is ware I will spend the most of my time on it.

Noel

Cygnus III

2011-07-18T10:38:00.000-04:00

This is some of the back story for my 172nd Royal Rifles aka The Praetorian Guard!

The battle fleet was in such disrepair, and forced to make a quick jump. It was during this jump that they discovered that the nav-system suffered from damage, and dropped them far short of they intended system. They should have dropped out in there home and this was not it. It was the barren system of Cygnus III.

Cygnus III
A dust ball of a planet, with very little resources on the surface of the planet. The fleet made up of five broken down battle ships, sent in some probes. With the data back from the probes the fleet council meet to go over the data. There are resources here and plenty of them. We will just have to get to it. As it tuns out about a mile under the surface was a rich layer of minerals, and water. The fleet got the few engineers together and they came up with a plan. Send rocks (kinetic energy weapons) down on an angle to pre-drill a hole for us. They now needed to find the most likely spot for the hole. As most of the planet was just desert, there were some mountains regions ware the water was a bit closer to the surface, and had some type of vegetation. So it was set they would drill right in the middle of the southern mountains.

Five years later..........

This is now the home world for the 172nd, and one of the best arid training world ever settled. 172nd had bases all over the southern part of the world, as the north was way to harsh for human life. The 172nd, and remnants of other units that first settled here have created a new type of army, one that adapts to other units in the face of war. Made of a mixed unit, and army types this new 172nd has proven is self. They have been training new units for a three now, and most of them went right into combat with great success.

Present...............

Orbital sensors have been knocked out. Orange ball made impact in the northern part of the mountain range, send out the scouts.

Report back from scouts.

Alpha alpha this is fox fox........ We have seen movement on the edge of the northern regions about 500k north of the mountain range. There is what appears to be a new mountain there in the open waste. Shit that was not there last year. Fox fox this is Alpha Alpha copy, and continue north......... Report back at first light tomorrow...... Fox fox roger report back at first light.........

Alpha alpha this is fox fox we are with in 5k of this mountain........ Fox fox this is alpha alpha copy that........ Alpha alpha this is fox fox we have confirmed sittings of green skins, I say again we have seen Orcs........ Alpha alpha copy that you have confirmed an Orc sitting....... Do you have any numbers???? Fox fox come in fox fox this is alpha alpha come in....... Alpha this is fox we have been spotted and are pulling back,,,,,,, shit shit what is that shit shit shit it's friggen huge!!!!! What the Frig is that thing......... Fox fox what is it you see repeat WHAT DO YOU SEE????????? Alpha frig this man.... it's it's part tank part lizard thing,,,, shit shit its running towards us shit shit shit!!!!!!!!!!!! Fox fox this is alpha alpha retreat retreat retreat........ Fox fox do you copy, repeat Do YOU COPY!!!!!!!

At this time all we know is the Orcs are here, and they have new weapons............

Noel.

Review Time.

2011-07-14T09:31:00.000-04:00

Well I have a few things to review and I thought I would do it in one post rather than more.

Gruntz.......

I had a hole review written up then scrapped it, as it makes the rules look really bad. So I am going to split it up.

The rules are well written (few typos, and errors), great lay out, and over all a great set of rules. I give the rule as they stand a 4.5 out of 5. We all knew this!!!!!

The PDF!! This is the only real issue with the rules. Try as I did it is not print friendly!! I have been buying PDF rules for years, and never had as many issues as I did printing these rules out. First run I printed as is, and took over an hour with the pages not fitting on the paper. The second, and third tires I had to scrap as the froze the printer before it even printed the first page. The 4 print was a heavily tweaked BW print that still took 45 minutes to print. The real problem is the spooling of the print job expanding the PDF to over 1.6gb of data. So I give the PDF a solid 2 out of 5.

I would not tell any one to pass on this great set of rules but, print it out with care, and no color. Sorry Robin I have to say what I feel.

Next review is on the Web Store called The Scene. I have been looking at them since they acquired the MJ miniatures a few years ago. I was hoping that my first order would have been some of those minis, but no I never got my order in. So In building my Praetorian army I was looking for some weapons. I decided to pick up some mortars, and heavy machine guns. While I was on the web page I also picked up 2 squads of there
US Special Forces.

I placed the order on the 28th of June, and received them on the 13th of July. From the UK to the US in 15 days. I did not opt for special shipping. So they get an A+ for service. The weapons. They are a bit large for the standard 15mm miniature, but they were made for there Orc line. I will be using the Mortars for my guard army but not sure about the machine guns. I may just save the machine guns for the Orc I have. So I give the quality of these weapons a big 4.5 out of 5. They are big but they were mad to be for a bigger race. Now the Special forces. Love them......... Only issue is the bases are rough and flashy. I am still going to give them a 5 out of 5.

So over all I love the Gruntz rules, not so much the PDF file. Love The Scene for service, and products.

Pleas look for the minis to be up here soon.

Noel

I am on Google + now, want an invite?

2011-07-13T15:11:00.000-04:00

I just got an invite to the close beta of Google's + the face book killer (as per Google), and would like to give any one Invites if they would like one. Leave a comment here and I will send you one.

Noel

kit bashed mobile artillery WIP.

2011-07-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I was down in the painting room and found another Gear Karig mini I was not going to use. I opened the clam shell to see 2 large cal cannons, and these small tread units. I put 2 and 2 together and ended up with this.

In this photo I was forced to use a dying guy (the pith helmet guy) as I did not have any others I could use. I cut out his rifle, and repositioned his stance. The second guy is perfect as he is carrying the ammo crate. I was trying to put some kind of shield on the front, and what ever I did just did not look good so I keep it off. Click on the image for a larger image.

Noel

My Guard army

2011-07-04T10:06:00.000-04:00

I have been working on the army list and decided to lay it all out. This is what I have so far with more still coming.

Army with two tank squads, two walkers, two sniper squads, one fast attack bike squad, two full platoons with 5 squads each, a mortar team, and the command squad. In the upper left corner is another gear karig tank I m going to use as a indirect rocket tank. Stuff on order is machine guns, mortars. I need
APC, and units for the machine guns,

Noel

Happy 4th of July Post!!

2011-07-03T17:31:00.001-04:00

I spent some time cleaning the garage this weekend, and found some old minis and stuff. I did not find much in the way of 15mm stuff, but I did find some of my forgotten 28mm stuff. One thing I found was my Gorkamorka fort I picked up on ebay last year. I also picked up two buggies with the fort. I hope one day to play GM, even if I convert it to 15mm.

I also found a Grear Kreag walker I had. I will be adding this to my Praetorian guard. I know it is onl one walker but better to have one then not to use it.

I have also started to listed to one f my Fathers day gifts The Starter by Scott Sigler. Scott is a NY Time best selling author, who strated out pod casting his work for free on Podiobooks. I have been hooked on him for years, and my wife gave me is second book of the football seires he created. I loved the first one called the Rookie and I think you can find it in Itunes from free. So if you are a football fan, and a SciFi fan you will love these audio books. He also dose them in print.

Noel

More minis coming!!!

2011-06-28T19:53:00.000-04:00

Well today I stopped over at The Scene to see if they have released any of there MJ stuff. I know they were reworking them but have not seen any thing in a long time from them. Well while there I looked at there Heave Weapons, and decided on getting some for the Guard I am working on. So what did I get you ask? I picked up 6 of there Mortars, and 8 of there Heavy Machine guns. Also I picked up 2 of there US special forces units. I am thinking of them as last chance'ers if you know what I mean. I will most likely use them as Boer's. These units are native to cretin worlds that the Praetorian guard have been deployed on, and they decided to tag along with the Praetorian's after they left. So they will make for a great gorilla strike units, Light, Fast, and heavily armed units to support the Praetorian units.

Noel

Sniper units painted.

2011-06-20T09:29:00.000-04:00

I took some time this weekend to paint up some more minis I have gotten from 15mm uk. The ones I got remind me very much of the Warzone Trenchers of old. I picked up 10 of them not knowing what to use them for, but I have found a use for them. These will be used as Snipers, or sharp shooters in my Praetorian army. I have 10 and will split them in to two squads of 5 each. I have also changed my inks to formula P brand. The dip did not come to be as the local store only had the darkest tint. So not being able to test the dip, and still wanting to keep painting I just used the new ink on a 1:1 mix. The mix one drop of black ink to one drop of water. I was very happy with the results. Also I painted the miniatures in the fast method used for dipping, and by that I mean I use simple coats with no shading, or dry brushing. Now I have not finished the bases, and I will do a final dry brush over the minis to give the a bit of lighting, and dirty effect.

Now here are the photos. The last is not in good focus but you can see how the ink flowed into the bags, and kit on there backs.

Praetorian Trikes.

2011-06-13T08:16:00.001-04:00

This weekend I set out to paint up more of my Proxie Tanks, and ended up finding 5 trikes a good friend gave me. Now that I found them what do I do with them? I wanted to pick up some of the Art Crime bikes, for my army but after holding these for a few moments I felt I can use these. The models are from Laserburn and are the bad guys. I am not overly happy with the models but they are free. First they are dated, next the sculpt is not very good, then there is the casting. Over all the quality is sub par. I painted them in the Praetorian Red & Blue colors, and this makes them look blah. If I was to use a darker color on them they might just look great for the quality. Also I have been going back and forth over how my 15s look compared to my 28, and I am over doing the paint jobs. So I am now looking at using a dip to bring out the detail. I have been using ink, and this ends up making the minis to dark, but with out the ink they look like bright blobs.

So looking at the photos they will work in my army, but I will be picking up some dip to complete my army. I only took a photo of three of them as the last two needed some touch ups.

The middle has a different model on the rear, and I am going to use him as the lead bike. He will be like a Brother, or chaplain, leading on the trikes to clean up the universe.

Side view of the lead trike.

Top view of the trikes.

Also I took the time to visit my local game store Mighty Titans that is 1.5 miles from my house, and I have not been there before. The store opened less than a year ago and I could not make it. When I did get there my kids did not give me the time to full look around. Daddy I have to go potty, me to Dad. Daddy I want Pokey mon cards.
Bla Bla Bla.

Any way the store was cool.

Noel.

Proxy Tank painted!

2011-06-08T07:46:00.001-04:00

Well I have painted up my first http://proxiemodels.com/ Trencher tank.
This Tank is painted in desert colors to match the back ground of my force, and the tank commander patterned after the force as well. An added aerial, and storage crates, help to out fit the tank better. I also plan to add a flag to the aerial before I call it done. And yes I need to change the back drop image in my light box!!!!!

Painted lead tank next to a primed squad tank.

Noel

Small May update.

2011-05-15T08:17:00.001-04:00

This weekend I worked on my Proxi Trencher tanks from my last post. I have 6 of them and will host 2 tank squads. Also I needed to dress them up a bit. So each squad will have a lead tank, and that tank will have a commander, and extra storage. Also I drilled out the main gun. The photos below are of the lead tank, and the squad. I plan to paint them in a desert color scheme. Over all I love these tank models. These are simple to build, cheap, and simple to covert. Thanks Proxi.

Here is a not so great photo of both squads with there support my Praetorian guard.

Digging through my bitz box I found this AA mecha I picked up years ago, and thought it would be a great addon to this army.

Here is the Mecha next to a P guard.

Noel.

New Tanks.

2011-05-10T14:07:00.002-04:00

It has been a long time with out any word from me, well I have only this to say "being a Husband and a father takes all I have".

Well whit that being stated, I have been doing Soccer, and swimming with the kids on the weekend. I even got roped into being my son's coach. Then we have to get ready for the family vacation in two weeks, throw in my son's birthday party, and planing for that. I have all most no time for my self.

I did how ever manage to order some tanks from Proxi models. These are the Trencher Tanks. I would call them a look-a-like to another tank mini out there but I love them. I think the are just off enough to make them there own model. I have only put one together out of the 6 I ordered, and can not put it down when ever I pass it. The price it right as well. 3 tanks for $10.00, and for me it was $23.00 for 6 tanks and shipping. I also got the order 4 days after placing the order.

I really do not like his paint job, but you can get an idea of what they look like.

I will be using them as L3manru55 tanks. I am going to build two tank squads out of them, each with a demolisher in the rank.

Next to pick up is some thing from the new Art Crime Productions. I love the bikes, and they would make great scouts form my guard army. I was looking at the GZG bikes but I like these better.

Well that is it for now.

Noel

Warzone Stuff!!!!

2011-02-26T10:33:00.000-05:00

Reading TMP I cam across a blog that had some 15mm stuff for Warzone, and if you know me Warzone was and is still my favorite SciFi war game. The close second was ShockForce. Now these are my favorite 28mm rules, and back stories. 15mm puts me in another set of rules, like Beamstrike, and USE ME 001.

But at any rate I have a link to share with any one who loves, or would like to play Warzone. Mutant Chronicles Once on the web site click on English flag and have fun exploring the realm of Mutant Chronicles. I think every thing that was ever in print is up on the site, and is free to download. There is also user created content for download. One things I have all ways wanted to do was build the imperial bridge in 15mm, and sure enough it is there I only have to print it to scale and build. I still have my 28mm bridge and love it.

But to follow along with this thought, there is a ton of 15mm miniature that would fit as Warzone with out conversion. So I may not pay the rules but I will model my next 15mm army after the Imperial (not the wolfs).

Enjoy

Noel

My dirty little Secret!!!

2011-02-18T11:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I am going to let it out today, and in front of all my followers, I am a audio book junky. There I have said it. With it being said I am now going to share with you my very best favorite author. But first let me explain some thing. I have lived in two worlds one in print, and one in audio, and I have a favorite author in each world. In print it's Dennis L. McKiernan, and his Fantasy books, followed by Dan Abnett. Then I switched to audio do to lack of time, having kids and an hour and a half one way commute to work. Born was the invent of Podiobooks.com some person or persons created this site for unknown authors to share there work. Some of the book are not so good, and some are well Great. This is ware I first found this author. Nathan Lowell, creator of the series of books "Traders Tales". Each book has taken me on a journey with "Ishmael Wang" through his life. So it here that I want to give praise to a great author, one who has given me so much. Thank You Nathan, and I can only repay you by buying your books as they are published. I want to share them with my kids some day, and hope they will pull some thing out of the books. No matter what I say or how I say it I could not write a review of his work. I find his work to be simple, and complex. It is by no means hard core SciFi with laser, and aliens, but a simple SciFi with a some times very deep story line. I would never want to be "Ishmael Wang" but I sure would love to know him.

Here's looking into the deep dark.

Now for the harder SciFi I lean towards Scott Sigler and his audio books. He is my second favorite audio author.

Noel

SBH SOLO Game With Battle Chronicler

2011-02-06T10:54:00.002-05:00

I played a solo SBH game today, and wrote it up.
http://theorky15mm.blogspot.com/2011/02/sbh-solo-game-with-battle-chronicler.html

Noel.

SBH game today with my daughter

2011-02-02T19:35:00.000-05:00

******Cross post from my Fantasy Blog******

Well we had an ICE day here in the New Jersey, so I wanted to play wit the new dice tower. My little girl and I play a small SBH game. It was vikings VS ratmen. We only got to turn 3 before we had to stop but it was fun.

I broke out my terrain and setup the table. I was the rats, and she was the vikings.

These two photos are the setup. I was on the more open side, but that was OK she needed the advantage. She needs to learn about tactics, as she lumped all he men in to a pile behind the center wall section. I tried to point ok she should run her bow men to the high ground. That did not work. I split my group in to three groups. I had slingers, and a rat warrior on the left. Boss and 3 rats in the middle, and 4 rat n the right.

My girl got the first go, and moved behind the wall on the left of the photo. While I opted to go right, with the group move action. I have never used it and it worked out great. We both went for the bridge.

At the end of turn three she had taken out 2 of my rats, and I failed every attack roll. Over all we had fun. The die tower worked great. SBH is a very kid friendly system.

Noel

Die Tower Second Post

2011-01-31T08:04:00.005-05:00

Well I have completed this my first die tower. I took some of the suggestions for the comments and worked them into this tower. Thanks for you comments:-) I may take the same template in the future and make a SciFi version of it, but for now this will do. I did have a bit of an issue wit the dice going over the wall at the end. I put a lip to help and it did, but the problem seem to be the dice act as a ramp for other dice. the hit the dice and bounce right out of the courtyard. Well at any rate the will keep my son from scattering the dice all over the room.

Both my kids helped in making this, and are having fun using it for math. They love to roll the dice then add up the total. Also we have played a game the higher die wins. Over all a great project, lots of fun with my kids, and my wife was even impressed by it.

*****EDIT*****
OK her is the how to, or rather what I did to create this project.
Item required.
Printed plans.
Printed Stained Glass windows sheet.
Foam core.
PVA glue.
Hot Glue Gun.
Geso.
Decoupage.
Sheets of card stock paper.
Pipe cleaners.
Flock.
Felt.

First I laid out the plans on the foam core, then cut out all the sections. Now I had to adjust the slots on the template to allow for the thickness of the form core, as the templates were made for thick card. Once all the sections were cut out, I dry fit the hole model together to make sure it went together well. I now cut out the stained glass windows, and glued them in place. Now here is a good time to place felt on the dice ramps, I did this after the fact so I was not able to get felt on the center ramp. Just cut to fit, and lightly glue with PVA in place. I use a thin film of glue when gluing felt, to not make the felt get crusty feeling. Now I assembled the hole tower, applying PVA glue, on the edges.

With the tower completely assembled I set to making the stone, or brick look. I use the card stock for this, cutting it in to long strips about 1cm wide. The I took the strips and cut them in to smaller blocks at random sizes for .5cm, to 1.5cm. Looking back at my first post you will see the yellow blocking. Then working in rows I started at the bottom, by applying 2 inches of glue with a brush as a base for the blocks. Laying the blocks down in rows I worked from the bottom up. I would over hang every other row, to try and keep the blocks form lining up, and give a more random look. I have to say this took the longest time. When it came to the windows I started to cut the blocks to fit, and this took to long. What I did was just lay the blocks over the windows, then cut the windows out after the glue was dry. This was much faster.

OK, now I had the brick work done, it was time for paint, and I killed t birds with one stone here. I used GESO, with black paint mixed in to prime, and paint it gray. I thinned the GESO down a bit to make sure it got in to the grout lines, so I ended up doing two coats of GESO. Now came the fun part, making it look real. I got the 1 inch dry brush out, and dry brushed on a lighter shade of gray, then a shade with a bit of brown mixed in. Then I did under the windows, and cut outs at the top with a black to dirty it up a bit. You know all the years of throwing chamber pots out of the window dose a job on the looks of a tower. When this was done, I hot glued on the pipe cleaners for the vines. Painting PVA along the vines and sprinkling the flock on.

Its now a complete tower, I have to protect it. I have used Spray Varnish before but on foam core this could be bad. So I opted for Decoupage. This brushed on and dried very well. I also made a thin mixture of it to go over the flock to help it stay on.

You may notice I did not talk about the court yard, or die catch and the bottom. Well I made that from scratch.

Now for the photos.

Noel.

My New Die tower!

2011-01-28T09:41:00.001-05:00

Well I have all ways wanted to make one, but never really need to till now. Playing with my son (game of SBH) he kept throwing the dice all over the place. So I pulled out a TEMPLATE I got some years back. It called for thick card to be used, but I have opted for foam core. Now it is not finished yet but it is a work in progress. Also note that I used stained glass windows on this tower. I know it is hard to see but they are there. The tray at the bottom I whipped up as there was not one in the template.

Noel

Update.

Here is the stainglass image I use. Just print on overhead sheets, cut and use.

15mm UK order has arrived!!!!!

2011-01-15T07:14:00.000-05:00

Well I placed and order with 15mm UK around Dec 12 of 2010, and I just got it the other day. This sucked!!! I waited over a month for this order. Well I have this to say, I was in contact with Alex from 15mm UK sales and what a guy. I know there was very bad weather there, and with the holidays, then bad weather here in the north eastern US. So with all this I am still a very happy customer of 15mm UK, and will continue to order products from them.

What did I get? Well I got 10 men from the Laser burn adventurer range, and there new USE ME high fantasy rules. I will be working on a review of the rules, as well as slapping some paint on the mini this weekend, but chances are I will not get ether one done. Life interrupted:-(

The minis I got were the closest ones I could find to the Warzone Trenchers with out going to the WWI ranges of minis out there. There are all the same pose but I will try and change this up a bit. Any way they will fit in with my Praetorian, as special units.

For the rules I have been using ChipCo's Fantasy rules 2,3,TCE for years, and was also hoping for the new mass combat rules form Ganesha Games. I think they are stuck on one type of unit, and that is holding them up. So in waiting I have found USE ME SciFi and love them, why not have a go at the USE ME high fantasy. There is only one draw back at this time, and that is basing of the units. All mine are base for FR!3 on 40x40, or 40x20mm bases, and there rules are for single unit basing. So I have to read through, and come up with a way to play with my current basing. I have have been given ideas form both Alex (from 15mm UK), and the Yhaoo group on this conversion, so I am confident this can and will be done. If time allows for it!!!

Well look for the Minis to be posted, and the review of the USE ME high fantasy soon, and on both my blogs.

Noel

Life after Xmass!

2010-12-27T11:54:00.000-05:00

I have to say I have had another great xmass this year. Not what I got but time spent with the family. I got nothing for TTGs...... I did how ever get what I needed, like some shirts, slippers, a watch, and a new router. I also got new tires for the car yesterday, and just in time for the big snow storm in New Jersey. I was hoping that my order from 15mm uk was under my tree but no luck. I thought I ordered it well before the freeze up in Scotland hit, but I guess not. Well I hope to see it in the next few days.

I do hope every one got what they wanted and had a great xmass as I did.

I will be putting a project list together for next year, and i hope to get some real work done, with my armies and start on some terrain. I would also like to get a game or two in, at my local store.

Noel

Praetorian Mortar team!

2010-12-16T08:53:00.000-05:00

Well I have two photos of my converted mortar team. I still have to flock the bases, but I am a bit strapped for time with the holidays in full swing.

I simply took the little drummer boy, and cut the drum off. Then with a plastic tube from a ball point pen and a bent paper clip I have Mcgivered a mortar team. I may add a third guy, and an ammo box on the base, but this is a good start.

Back at you Lucky Joe!!!!!

Noel

PS I should change the back drop to my light box.

USE ME Fantasy rules on order.

2010-12-12T08:59:00.000-05:00

I have just ordered the new Fantasy rules form 15mm uk called USE ME Fantasy. Why am I posting that here? Well I have also ordered 10 new minis from them.

These guys will go nicely with my Praetorian guard army, as a special force unit, or some thing like that.
I have all ways loved them, as they reminded me of the Warzone trenchers I loved sooo much.

Noel

What I have been doing.

2010-12-10T19:33:00.000-05:00

Well I have been quite busy since my fight with Lucky Joe has started, please do not think for a moment I have backed down. See I have had my hands full with other life issues. I know its sounds like a co- out, but I really have been busy with other things.

First project is my son's room. We promised him a Pirate room, and I have been hard at work with that. I have made a sail complete with skull and cross bones for his curtains. Painted, wallpapered, applied a border, planked his room door, and placed a gate latch rather than a door knob. We still need a few odds and ends to finish up.

Yes that is a skull in the upper left corner.

I have stained the door a dark oak, and beat the crap out of it, to give it that old look.

Then there was turkey day. Boy did I stuff my self. It was a small affair this year, as some of the family, could not be there, such as my brother inlaw, and long time friend who is fitting for his life. See we married sisters. Keep Strong John "kwyjibo" Hughes.

Then the my back went out on me. I could not even sit in my chair to paint for more than a few minutes. So that took a week and a half to get better. Now it is in to the Xmass time of year, and I have been busy getting the house set up with lights and decorations.

And this is my little snotlings, with the HoHo guy.

This weekend is out as I am off to NYC to see the big tree with the wife, kids, sister inlaw, and nice. Then Narnia on Sunday with me Boy, and Xmass shopping.

So Lucky Joy, you post your little photos of Orkiss, and electrical box buildings, because you are doing a great job with your stuff.

I ask for a for a parlay till the new year when I can attack in full force.

To All, A Merry Christmas, (insert your holiday if other than Christmas), and a happy new year.

Noel.

This mornings work.

2010-11-28T10:52:00.001-05:00

Well today I got up knowing I needed some mortars for the Brits so I took the Brit drummer, and removed the drum. Then gluing him on some plastic card, with a bit of plastic tube placed as the mortar tub. A bent paper clip for the mortar legs and I think I have it. I am going to paint it up before taking any photos of it.

Noel

Eat this Lucky Joe!

2010-11-27T12:08:00.000-05:00

Lucky Joe has put up his dukes, and this is war. He may not know this but I do. So for my attack at him here are some photos.

First photo is the Orcs with there all time enemy the Praetorian guard.
(I have to work on laser bolts)
Minis are:
British Colonial (Zulu war) from Old Glory 15s.
Orcs from 15mm UK.

Now let see Joe pull these units out of his hat. Here are Two of my Orc Dreadnoughts attacking the line.
(GW Epic gargants)

There you have it Joe, the fight is on.

Noel

Wind from my sails!

2010-11-27T08:06:00.000-05:00

Here I sit, on my couch the Saturday after turkey day relaxing only to see this copy cat pull the wind right out of my sails. This guy Lucky Joe goes and posts on his blog a hole slew of 15mm Orks, and tanks. They are very well painted, and photographed. How dare he, follow my bolg only to knock me in the 'Ead and steallz me Teff.

http://ljshobbyspot.blogspot.com/2010/11/15mm-orksis-tanks-and-broken-blacktop.html

Please have a look at this copy cats blog, if you are following mine. This guy Joe has done a great job with his boyz, and there rides. My only hope is he was able to get some ideas from my work.

Lucky Joe Great Job.

Noel

My Local Store.

2010-11-22T08:07:00.000-05:00

For years I have shopped at DarkTower games in Denville NJ, a 20 minute drive. Last year they became defunct and were then called Mighty Titans Hobbies and Games. This was in Randolph NJ, a 15 minute drive. So this past Saturday I was getting gas 2 miles from my house, and looked across the street at store (building) I have all ways loved, but it have been empty for a year or so. But for some odd reason there were a ton of cars in the parking lot. then I see this.

But there is a banner hanging for atop the door way.

Holy SHIT!!!!!
I am totally bummed as I pulled my back out and could not have been able to stand, and walk around.

Next weekend I will be there.

Noel

First Painted Brit!

2010-11-21T07:56:00.000-05:00

Here is my first British officer painted. I add a cape to this guy to set him apart, form the rest of the HQ units.
Also I have taken the photo next to and Orc nob.

Noel.

The Brits have Arrived.

2010-11-20T09:02:00.000-05:00

Well I got the Colonial British from Old Glory 15s the other day and got right to work on them last night. I started out with doing some conversions. Some of the conversion were simple weapon swaps, but I did not have 15mm weapons so converted them from old bitz. I broke out my 28mm bitz box and got to work.

First was a rock launcher. This conversion was done using the lance from a rough rider. I clipped it off added some green stuff to the ends. It was easy to remove the old gun, and replace with the new one. You can see him on the left, on the right is the same trooper with out the conversion.

Next is the Grenade launcher. Also next to an un-converted unit. This conversion used more from the same lance. Also very easy, and I like them so far.

Now for the flamer. I am not sure what this trooper was, as what he is holding is not a gun. This was also simple, cut up a 28mm flamer, remove the tank, and glue to the back of the trooper. Add a green stuff hose, and I am done.

So this morning I based all most all of them on the buttons, clipped the guns down, and filled the bases. I hope to prime later today, and get a few painted. For my next conversions I have some drummers I am going to remove the drum and base them with a mortar. I have also made a leader, and will photo him later as well.

One more thing I watched Zulu last night to help with the mind set for this project.

Noel

The British are coming the British are coming!

2010-11-18T09:36:00.000-05:00

Well I have gone, and bought some colonial British Zulu units, to use as my P guard. I was going back and forth over who to buy them from, and I ended up with Old Glory 15s. I really wanted the Essex ones but at $4.5 per 8 men they were to high in price. So the Old Glory are .36 per figure, and Essex would be .56 per figure. I will most likely fill out there ranks with minis from Essex but for now I picked up 100 of them for $36.. I will be needing heavy weapons, and will need to make them look like they belong in space or the future.

Some Ideas I have is using 28mm weapons like pistols as heavy weapons mounted on artillery basses. I want to pick up some 15mm colonial cannons and such to use them for the mounting of the HW. Picture a bolt pistole upside down as on a cannon mount.

Well I should be getting them in the mail today or tomorrow, and will post photos as soon as I can. I have never seen a photo of Old Glory 15s Zulu brits.

Here is what I hope to get them to,

Noel

2010-11-09T15:06:00.000-05:00

This post was moved from my Fantasy blog. I was using a new tool to blog but it picked the wrong blog to publish to.

Some years back I picked up 6 of the alien tanks for Old Crow miniatures, they have been in a box for years. This pass weekend I decided to put them together, and make basses for them. I have 3 Tanks, and 3 APC.

The Tanks.

Now the APCs.

Tank next to some Tau'ri.

I know they look the same, but they are not. The tanks have 4 guns (wing tips and cockpit), and the back of the tank tapers off. The APCs have the cockpit guns, and the back is taller, with a hatch for the troops to enter, and exit. But they do use the same wings, and cockpit section. Over all I love them, and they are easy to put together. All that is needed is some light sanding of the body, ware the cockpit connects. I did not need to pin any thing, and use the new gorilla glue (there super glue).

Noel

OOPS. I posted on the wrong blog.

2010-11-09T13:50:00.002-05:00

I added photos of my old crow tanks on my fantasy blog.
http://theorky15mm.blogspot.com/2010/11/here-come-tuari-tanks.html

I will try to move them here.
Noel

Troop Types for USE ME.

2010-10-22T08:47:00.007-04:00

My troop types for the game USE ME will be the Space Orc, and Tau'ri. Now as a 40k player I fell in love with two races, and want to bring the back story only of these races into USE ME. I will not use any IP related name or troop types in this posting. As per my rant post I will not ask the author to post any work that dose infringe in the IP of another company. Also I will use the rule as the stand for USE ME and not try and make the game fit 40k, but rather create army lists that reflect what it is I like about the races.

What is an Orc? Here is one simple definition of the word Orc “A monstrous humanoid creature, semi-intelligent and usually aggressive”. Other definitions are very similar to this one, adding things like very warlike, skin color, hight. There are a grate number of differences to the name Orc, and I hope to play to then all.

First is the Nob.

The standard Orc boy. Form MJ miniatures (now defunked).

The Heavy weapon Boy. Form MJ miniatures (now defunked).

The Heavy armored Orc Nob. Form MJ miniatures (now defunked).

Lastly the Shia-Khan. This Orc if of a higher inelegance, capable of more human like war tactics. From 15mm uk.

Not shown at this time are.

Dreadnought (6mm epic gargant minis).

Bikes. Form MJ miniatures (now defunked).

Mega Armored Orcs. Form 15mm uk.

I still need some tanks, and trucks to fill out the ranks. I will also be getting some fantasy Orcs to use as feral Orcs.

Now for the Tau'ri. this is a collective minded race. All member of this race are working to better the race as a hole. They also will use captured or defeated enemies as conscripts that have been converted the the collective way of life.

First is there battle suite.

Next is there shock trooper.

Regular trooper.

Scout.

Advance AI Drone.

The Tau'ri minis are form Peter Pig, the Battle suite is from DP9 and they are counters of some type. I just had to give them a head.

Not shown.

15mm Alien AFV from Old Crow Models.

I have 3 APCs, and 3 Tanks from there range.

I also need to find a race to use as the defeated, and I think I have found this race, from khurasan miniatures

Noel.

USE ME xls roster

2010-10-12T13:50:00.006-04:00

Just created this roster. I will be editing this blog entry with my version changes, to both the XLS, and Open Office versions.

USE ME ROSTER V1.2 xls
USE ME ROSTER V1.2 xls
USE ME ROSTER V1.2 for open office

Noel

Orcs, the next round!

2010-10-10T08:14:00.001-04:00

Well I have finished yet another 10 Orcs yesterday. I have noticed I still paint 15mm, the same way I paint 28mm miniatures. I tend to make them to dark. I spend allot of time lighting up the minis. Well here is 2 photos of the next batch.

All minis from the MJ miniatures Orc line, that is now OOP.

Noel

Some Painted Orcs.

2010-10-04T09:32:00.001-04:00

I Have painted up some of my Orcs and here are 3 photos of them. I have mounted these minis on my button bases.

Noel

Rules Review: USE ME, form 15mm UK. I give it thumbs up!

2010-10-01T10:05:00.002-04:00

Warning: Be advised that I suck at writing, you will read at your own risk, and ignore any and all seplling, punctuation, and typos. This review is my opinion, and my differ form those of the author, and other readers.

USE ME

In the never ending hunt for 15mm Scifi platoon level or higher rules there are very few out there. For the last 6 months I have been on a personal crusade to find just the right set of rules for my needs. I need a rules set that takes the battle of the 15mm out of skirmish, and brings it into large scale battles. Playing skirmish based rules for years I want to use 15mm to its full potential.

It is no secrete that I am testing out a number of rules sets at this time, and have no problem listing them.

Gruntz (free beta)
FUBAR (Free)
Tomorrow's War ($20. pre release, two pdf books, will have to buy full release next year)
Forge of War (Free)

Here is a list of games I have had for years.

Imperial Commander (15mm UK)
Star Grunt II (Free pdf noe)
Beamstirke (Free clone of IC)
Fast and Dirty (Free)

Two weeks ago I got an email telling me of a new rule set from 15mm UK. My first thought was another game like ALS. I looked at buying ALS but I did not like the multi-unit basing, I want units that can interact with terrain.

Read the description on the 15mm UK web site this rule set promises to offer the player the following, and that list got my attention....................

1D6 Action
Fast Play
Totally Generic
Use All your Miniatures
Upscale the Conflict
Skirmish, Battle, Campaign, Solo Play
All You Need in One Place

Yea right!!!

I was faced with two options. 1) Get Tomorrow's War - large pdf books that will take a long time to read, cost $20. for the pre release, and I have to still buy the final book next year. 2) Spend $5.55 US dollars on a rule book that promises every thing I have been asking for in a small rule book. Well I did both...... I picked up both rules sets and wanted to compare them side by side. Well It will be some time before I can compare them both as TW is just to big for me. I will get to it but It is two books FoF 151 pages, and TW 101 pages.

Now for the meat.

I placed the order, and received my order form 15mm UK in 8 days total. Form UK to New Jersey USA, in 8 days is not bad service. The box, was a very small flat box about 4"x 5". Upon opening the box I found 10 minis ( I also needed some more minis), and this tiny booklet. The booklet is roughly 4"x5" inches in size, with 32 pages not including the covers. The text is well laid out and easy to read for younger eyes. So if you are older like me, I just put the bifocals on, and have no problem. Over all the text is a bit smaller than a paperback novel one might read.

Having only read through the booklet once, I picked up the rules fairly easily, with the examples it keeps the rules clear. I did see a few typos, and on the next read will inform the author of them. For the core rules I do not want to get involved in explaining them. I rather want to make a point that they are simple, but can be complex depending on how you the player wants to use the rules. There is a point system (a must have for me) that is also simple. The point system is laid out on a two page chart, that will allow for a quick army list to be created. I will list some of the Army components that are covered in these rules.

Infantry (armored, unarmored, support weapons, and more)
Vehicles (light~heavy, armored, and unarmored with a ton of weapon types)
Mechs, Walkers
Off table support, and weapons.
And More

Next there is one page with advance rules, that can take a game to another level of play. I would bet that the advance rules would best be used in a smaller conflict game. There is a Campaign section, and this is one section I would love to make full use of, it is just that I would need a steady gaming group for this section. I do applaud the effort and the Quality of this section. Now for the Solo game play section. I have to say I am not fully getting it. I think I would need to run through the solo play section at least once then collect my questions for the author. I have used THW's solo rules in the past, and they are like a machine in how they work. USE ME's system is not like this. This how ever dose not mean it is a non working system, it just means I have some questions about it. Also I did not pickup these rules for the solo play section, and I do not count them towards my final review.

There are some extras that you will need to get from 15mm UK once you pick up the rules. I simply emailed my request for the addons to 15mm UK. I was emaild back with a simple zip file containing, templates, counters, sample army lists, and a blank army list sheet. Over all a nice little addon. I do feel this should be a direct download from there web site. It dose not give away the rules core, so should not hinder the sales

The Pros and cons of these rules. Well I could list my P and Cs but you may not agree so I will give a light list of what I like and do not like.

Like
I like the rules!!!! They are now at the top of my list of final contenders next to Gruntz.
I like the simplicity/complexity of these rules.
I love the scaleability of these rules form Skirmish to full out battle.

Do not like
Booklet, I have grown to love PDF files over printed books. I would have paid more for PDF if it was offered.
~~Lack of an online forum/group to support them. I am sure one will come.~~

Over all this is a great product in my opinion. A simple and fast set of rule that WILL meet my needs for large scale conflicts in 15mm. It also allows me to use my many non standard miniatures.

I am giving it 4 and a half stars.

Noel

Note: After the writing of this review I was in contact with the author. He explained that the typos would be addressed in the free extras zip file as well as being posted on the USE ME web page.

Note 2: The author informed me of this group.

The Official Alternative Armies Chat Forum!

Join the Notables Yahoo group, free PDF content, chat to other AA gamers and ask questions here: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/notablemembers/

New desktop image.

2010-09-26T07:21:00.001-04:00

I was reading a blog today Form Eli @ "I see lead people" and there was some art from and artist I have never heard of. Alex Ries, and he has a new piece of art I love. I love it so much it is now my desktop.

Click for the full size image.

I love the feel of his beings, and that they are not the normal for what comes to mind. His view is completely original.
And no this is not a MAC it is an IBM T43 laptop running my favorite OS Ubuntu Linux.
Noel

New 15mm rules!

2010-09-17T15:35:00.000-04:00

Well I ordered the new rules from 15mm uk today. I know I have been reviewing beta, rules and rules like FUBAR, but the cost of the rules was so cheap I had to try them out. Also I get a free mini with my order. Then there is the fact I needed one more squad of Shia Khan troopers. For those groups I am active on this is not a done deal. I have been a lover of rules for so long I will still be looking at your rules.

1) Gruntz
2) FUBAR
3) THW 5150 lager scales rules.
4) Forge of War.
and not in that order but these are the one I am focusing on at this time.
I would love the other one for get the name but it is to hefty and the release dose not come till late next year. then I have to by two books to play.

well as soon as I get it I will post about it.

Noel

Ouch!!!

2010-09-13T13:07:00.000-04:00

Well I shared my Idea on TMP as I all way do and this time I got kicked right in the jimmy for doing so.
Looks like I am going to make dam sure I will not offend people before I share my ideas, even tough the ideas and simple like bassing my 15mm minis on a button. Yikes........

Then there is this hole thing called "IMHO". This 4 letter statement make every thing one says OK.

Life lesson: when some one uses "IMHO" I must excuse any insult, caused by said poster!

Noel

Buttons buttons who has buttons?

2010-09-13T08:33:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos of my new basing that I am using. I have picked up some buttons from an online dealer on the cheap. What I did was trim the metal bases to fit in to the recess of the button, then glued them in. Once dried I filled in around the metal base with Durham's putty. I mixed it thin and piped it on with a plastic bag with a tiny hole in the corner. Then I took the bottom of the base and hit it with my sander. The bottom of the buttons are slightly rounded, so I wanted to knock that down a bit.

Photos 1 and 2 are the same batch of minis, and photos 3 and 4 are another batch. I did 3, and 4 first, then moved to 1, and 2.

You can also see in the above photos I have re-based some of the painted minis I have based earlier on pennies. Then you can clearly see ware I have sanded the bottom of the buttons to make it flat.

Well the next step is to clean up the water putty, and prime them for paint. I was going to use gesso but I think there are to many for that.

Noel

What have I done!!!

2010-08-22T15:56:00.002-04:00

Today I have picked up a few items I wanted to try out. No not more minis, but hobby items. I picked up some Gesso and black paint. Now this was not as cheap as the people on the net were saying, but it was not to bad. I also picked up some cheap brushes for the Gesso. The next thing I got came to me last minute in the craft store. I was looking for some thing to use for bases on my minis, they had some wood rounds but they were of mixed size and most I could not use. I then thought to look at buttons. Well there it was right there a bag of buttons. Now I did not buy these as they had to many small ones in the pack, but there were some that were the right size. I then went to the net when I got home and did a search for buttons, and sure enough I searched for 3/4 buttons bulk and found what I wanted. 140 buttons for $7.50, I ordered 2 packs as I have around 200 minis in 15mm that need bases. The photo shows them next to US money and I use Pennies any way, and they look a tiny bit smaller then the penny.
So I have spent my budget for the next few months but I have some work to do any way.

Those Boyz!!!

2010-08-15T07:43:00.000-04:00

Well with yesterdays post on the amount of Orcs I have allot of work to do. I have been hampered over the years as to just how to pint them. The guy who gave them to me gave me some he painted, and he did a simple paint job the F**ken worked great. Duh why did I no think of that. My problem is I am a die hard GW 40k Ork fan, and was thinking of my old Ork hordes and how they were painted. Also there is a very high level of detail on there minis that could lead to allot of painting. So I hope I have been sparked to get these guys painted, and mounted.

Noel

MJ Space Orcs, pluss some AA Shia Khan

2010-08-14T14:49:00.000-04:00

Well It has been a very long time and I have not posted any thing. I have been very busy with work and life. This past week a very good friend of my parted with his MJ orcs, and gave them to me (yea me). So I took what he gave me (around 50 or so) and added them to mine, for a grand total of 209 Orcoid troopers.

Here they are and I only have a very small amount painted. So I have my work cut out for me. Once painted I will be looking in to getting some 15mm colonial brits from a Zulu range and having a mass game of Orc vs Brits.

Noel

"I have got it"

2010-06-19T13:43:00.000-04:00

I have got it, For the last few years I have been trying to recreate the TAU from 40k in 15mm. Will this proved to be a tough task due to the IP rights to the name TAU. Well today I did some digging, and found some very cool info about the name TAU. Now if I spell it Tau this is not the same. This is a letter in the Greek alphabet. So I cold have simply spelled it that way. IF I spelled it T.A.U. this is short for Tel Aviv University. Some of what I have found was from this site INFO. So I have settled on doing an army with the name Tau'ri form Stargate. I am not going to post a back story but just finish my army and hope they turn out great. Also the symbols will look like this-

This is very close to the 40k TAU symbol ware the top of the T is a circle.

TAU is the property of Games Workshop, and mentioned here for clarification only. I will never use the TAU names as printed by Games Workshop.

Memorial Day

2010-05-24T13:28:00.002-04:00

I know it is early by just a week but I found this quote and just had to post it right away.

"You Military Heroes Gave up all Your Tomorrows so I Could Have Mine! Thank You."

From the bottom of my Hart this quoted rings true.

Thank you.

Noel

http://noelvh1.jalbum.net/scifi/

2010-05-09T12:03:00.000-04:00

http://noelvh1.jalbum.net/scifi/

My Gorkamorka Trukk

2010-02-20T12:06:00.005-05:00

I know this Blog is for 15mm, but I am all over the place. I have left 28mm for 15mm, but there are a few games I still play. Gorkamorka is one of my fav game of all times.

I found photos of a kit bashed buggy on the net and wanted to make it. I was working from the photos and well screwed up my measurements. Here are the buggy photos.
Photo
Photo
Photo
Note: To the guy who made this buggy great job Dude!!!!! But sorry I will copy this buggy!!!!

So here is my Trukk, in a working state not finished. I know the photos are not great as to the primer but I have to share this now!!!! I have made this hole thing out of sheet plastic, and left over bits. I looked at the buggy photos and tried to guess at the size. I was going to try and make plans of this but tossed them when I saw I went wrong. Well any way here are the photos. Please post your questions in the comments section and I will reply here on the blog.

From trukk

Thanks for looking.

Noel

The Scene Orcs are back.

2009-12-19T11:28:00.001-05:00

Well it looks like the Scene is selling the Orcs once more, but the photos are not showing up on there web site. I will try and get photos of them up here soon.

Noel

The Scene's MMinitures removal!!!!

2009-11-07T08:08:00.003-05:00

I just found out about the range of 15mm Scifi Miniatures form the company the Scene. It looks as if one of the Big guys out there is going after the little guys again. This big guy has not been mentioned but I am going to jump up and say who I think it is, GW!!! I have seen this in the past as they took on one of my favourite game company DemonBlade games. DB had a rang of mini called the Orgs and well looked like Orcs, but they did not look like GW's space Orcs. Never the less DB lost the case and pulled the minis of the shelves. I was lucky enough to have a ton of them, and picked up more from eBay. Now I think that some of the minis are close to the old school GW space Orks, but they are not close to the new ones. So I don't see how they have the right to go after the Scene. If GW wins this then any one who has some thing that looks some what like some one else's product then they should be sued!!!! Now did GW ever look at the range from AA, as there minis look just like the old Blood axe space Orks. I have seen these minis for years, and have had them in my collection for about 8 yeas, so why can they get away for GW, but the Scene can not. I know of a few other company's out there that have a line close to one of GW's lines, but these company's are big! So why dose GW not go after them?????? Next we will see GW attack any company making a miniature, as they make miniatures. This just makes me sick. Now I have to say the GW's minis are some of the best in the world, but there other products have come up way to short. The rules they have created over the last 10 years have well sucked!!!!!! The have great ideas but pore equitation of them. Not to mention once they put a new product on the market they drop support, quickly there after. I see GW as a money hungry pig!!!

The Scene is not selling a 28mm product, so why should they come under attack?

I have pledged never to buy another GW product, as long as they attack the small company's that are not competing against GW.

Noel

Why no new posts!!!

2009-11-01T07:28:00.002-05:00

Well I have not been posting in a long time and this is partly due to a packed summer, and a new job role. With the summer being full with vacations, and weekend fun I was not able to work on my TTG stuff. I have also been given the a lateral promotion at work and I jumped at it. I am now closer to home, but have no time to work on TTG stuff. Things are settling down, but it is now fall and time to clean up the yard and get ready for winter so I am not sure if I will have time till early winter.

Well this is just an update and as soon as I have some content I will post it.

Noel

Force XXI looks to be back in bis!!!

2009-09-05T09:16:00.003-04:00

I have to put a plug here for Force XXI. Mel is coming back, and is looking to expand his range of low cost good looking minis and armor for 15mm.
Force XXI
I have a few of these vehicles and love them. I also had some of the troops, and they were very cool as well. I did sell off the troops to make room for my 15mm orks. The one thing Mel needs to work on is his rules. I picked them up and was not that happy with them. I opened them to find a pile of papers. If Mel would take the time to re-edit them, and fix the charts the rules would be worth buying. I would also like to see them in PDF and a bit cheaper.

Over all I am glad to see Mel make a come back during this time of 15mm SciFi.

Noel

Theorky 15mm: My Painting Desk!

2009-07-25T13:54:00.000-04:00

Theorky 15mm: My Painting Desk!

Tanks Tanks, and more Tanks!

2009-07-25T08:31:00.003-04:00

Well I have a fav tank and that is the Lemanmuss. When I was playing 40k I have a bunch of them for both my Orks, and my IG armies. So when I moved to 15mm this is the tank I wanted to use. The problem was no one made it in 15mm, and that would be a copy right issue. But one day I found a web site that had the plans for most 40k vehicles. I took a look at them and though I could scale it down and make some for 15mm. I printed it out using the % print option and sure enough I was able to make a Lemanmuss in 15mm. Here are some photos of my first one. Now this tank is a bit big and will need to scale it down a bit more, but it was the first.

Here you see the tank with some minis, so you get a feel for the size. And yes this tank is made out of paper, and PVA glue. I did you card stock (thick paper) and I printed it out on my regular printer. And yes the main gun barrel is paper. I rolled the card stock around a drill bit and glued it in place.

Noel

My Orcs!!

2009-07-25T08:19:00.002-04:00

Here is my war boss for my Orc army. I have converted a Black Raven Foundry Fantisy orc to be the boss. I have added bits form 28mm minis to get that lager than life look.

Here are 2 of my many Orc bikes I have. These are from The Scene But I got them from MJ miniatures before the sold them off to The Scene.

This looks like a GW Epic Gargant, but it's not! This was some very OOP tinbot that some one gave me. I have 4 of them and will be using them as Dreadnought armored Orcs. I also have Epic Gargants I will use as well for the same.

Well I hope you like.

Noel

15mm Orcs!!

2009-07-25T08:10:00.002-04:00

Back in the day I played 40k and loved the Orks, I mean I really loved them. I had well over 3k worth of them and 1/2 of my army was OOP minis. Now this was back at 40k 2nd ed, with the 3rd ed of 40k the orks lost there flavor completely. Try as I did I could not like this new ed of 40k, so I sold them off. I know they have brought some of the ork flovor back in the new ed of 40k but the cost of the game is way to high for me. So over the last few years I have been collecting 15mm Orcs in hopes of recreating that flovor. I started out with the rule from Table Top Games Imperial Commander, then moved to Beamstrike. The only problem was time. Now I am starting to get some time to work on my minis both SciFi, and Fantasy, and want to share this with all who are into 15mm gaming. So I will be splitting my time between the two and posting as much as I can.

Noel

SciFi Comparsion photos.

2009-07-25T07:46:00.002-04:00

Here are photos of my SciFi minis in a side by side view. From the photos all of these minis work well with each other.

This first group is just my Orcs.
L to R Fantasy Orc converted, MJ Orc (the Scene), 2 from AA Shia Khan (15mm UK), Another MJ Orc.

This next group has some others mixed in.

L to R Peter Pig SciFi trooper, MJ (The Scene), AA (15mm UK), GZG, Laserburn redem (15mm UK).

Noel.

Blog change!

2009-07-25T06:41:00.002-04:00

I was to be working on this blog with a friend of mine, but he is unable to get into the site. I will be posting his work for him, when he sends it to me. So I have decided to rename the blog to fit with my other blog. My other blog is Theorky 15mm and is currently about 15mm Fantasy.

Noel

Peter Pig Slide Show!

2009-07-24T09:10:00.000-04:00

Here is a slid show of my Peter Pig SciFi 15mm dudes and some of my Tanks by Force XXII. Click on the slide show to bring you to the photo album to see the full size photos.

Noel.

Yet another blog form me!

2009-06-27T12:23:00.000-04:00

Well I have decided to create another blog this one will focus on my 15mm SciFi gaming. I have asked another person to work on this blog with me. When he is ready he will introduce him self here. I will be uploading some photo of my mini soon.

Noel