Brotherhood Army Grows!

 Welcome fellow Grognards and Young Guard!

Where has 2024 gone!  First Quarter of the year is already over!  Some much to do.

Painting continues and the growth and reduction of the pile of shame continues.

This installment covers the addition of a large amount of Brotherhood troops for a Xenos Rampant Army or Galactic Heroes use.

The Brotherhood Army now includes:

3 Squads of 7 Troopers

2 Elite Squads of 4 Elite Troopers

1 Mystic and his Acolytes

1 Cardinal and his three Pilgrims

1 Brotherhood Commander

Now I'm on the hunt for some unique vehicles and walkers/ dreadnoughts that will fit the army look.

Hope you enjoy!

PAINTED MINIATURES SCOREBOARD:

2021 Painted Miniatures: 169

2022 Painted Miniatures: 214

2023 Painted Miniatures: 544

2024 Painted Miniatures:  49 (more to come...SOON!)

Cybertronic Attilla III Cuirassier - Rounding out the Squad!

 

Welcome Grognards and Young Guard!  Welcome to any new readers out there as well!

I'm still playing catch-up on my 2024 finished project postings, so below are some recent additions.  I was able to pick-up three more Attilla III to round out the squad.  Working these into a robot army for Xenos Rampant or some troops for Galactic Heroes.

There is something about these models I just really love.  Tried to keep them simple, yet enough details to make them interesting.

Hope you enjoy!

Until next time, may your pile of shame grow ever smaller...and GAME ON!

PAINTED MINIATURES SCOREBOARD:

2021 Painted Miniatures: 169

2022 Painted Miniatures: 214

2023 Painted Miniatures: 544

2024 Painted Miniatures:  18 (more to come...SOON!)

Side Projects - Expect the Unexpected - Avatar AMP Suits

 Greetings Gronards and Young Guard!

Hope your 2024 is going well!  I'm catching up on posting some projects I have finished this year so far. 

This was a little side project that found its way into the line-up and to the top of the pile of shame.

I always take a trip through the clearance aisle at Walmart to see what I find.  The other day I found 5 Avatar AMP Suit toys in a local Walmart for $3.50 each.  Looking at the size of the drivers, they appeared to be a good fit for 28-32mm miniatures.  There were two versions.  One of the versions is pictured below.

Using some wooden circle bases I had on hand, I quickly mounted and positioned the 5 AMP suits on individual bases.  The paint job on them was pretty good, so didn't want to go overboard and repaint the entirety of the suits.  I looked at some Avatar video and images of the larger versions of these McFarlane produced suits to see what details might be added.  I repainted all of the suit numbers, adding them to the backside of the suits, which had been on those at the large size and in the movie.  I also picked out some metallic details and blacked out the canopies from the inside as I would not be using the drivers.

Prior to painting, I had positioned the arms and glued the rifles in their hand for a marching pose.  The construction of the toy doesn't seem to allow the off hand from reaching the weapon, so it is what it is, and I positioned it the best I could.

Before washing, I gave the unit numbers I painted on a coating of flat varnish to protect them.  I did the same for the details of the maker on the weapons as well.  I then applied GW Nuln Oil to the entire walker (minus the canopy glass).

After drying, I then finished each model by doing the bases.  These walkers will end up in my pending Warzone Capitol troops army for Xenos Rampant.

Very cheap and quick to do use of toys for wargames dreadnoughts/ walkers/ mechs.

I did not picture all five completed and I have one more on the way to round out the forces.

Until Next Time fellow Grognards and Young Guard, lock and load....and GAME ON!

PAINTED MINIATURES SCOREBOARD:

2021 Painted Miniatures: 169

2022 Painted Miniatures: 214

2023 Painted Miniatures: 544

2024 Painted Miniatures:  15 (more to come...SOON!)

Late "Orktober"

 

Greetings Grognards and Young Guard!

Sometime the real world gets in the way of the hobbies we love.  Of course, the real world tends to pay for the hobby habits we have, so not really complaining!

Unfortunately I missed the "Orktober" submission this year, but thought I'd put it out there anyway.  Some of these models have been sitting in my "pile of shame for decades".  

As I was going to see some old friends in Pennsylvania in October and our plan was to play some Necromunda, this gave me an opportunity to knock out painting/ re-painting my Necromunda gangs as well as getting to the Orks that had been collecting along side of them in an old GW figure case.

Many of these miniatures were from the Gorkamorka line, but I can't wait to use them for some Fistful of Lead Galactic Heroes or in a Necromunda game or campaign.  Who knows, I might even build a Xenos Rampant army of these Greenskins (UPDATE:  I have some more Orks with Shootas and Choppas ordered and on the way to make that come true!).

Hope you enjoy the troops below!  This also continues to pad my 2023 Painted miniatures record and is going to make breaking it in 2024 a real challenge!  Fortunately, there is a large "pile of shame" ready to supply minis to help me break the record in 2024!

Until next time....Happy (belated) Orktober!  GAME ON!

PAINTED MINIATURES SCOREBOARD:

2021 Painted Miniatures: 169

2022 Painted Miniatures: 214

2023 Painted Miniatures: 396!!! (400 is just around the corner!)

Simple Conversions for Galactic Heroes or Xenos Rampant - Gran Raider aka Ree Yees

Welcome fellow Wargamers to another installment of 'Of Dice and Army Men'!

Before I get too deep into the armies I have painted for Dragon Rampant, I have been working on a little side project for Galactic Heroes or Xenos Rampant.  It all started with an idea I had a few years ago and the Gran Raider figure from Star Wars Miniatures Game.

As you can see, this guy is not properly outfitted, in my humble opinion, for survival in the Star Wars universe.  He, for whatever reason, is bringing a knife to a blaster fight.

Now these minis are fairly cheap, likely for that very reason.  I have acquired a few and an evil plan has began to take shape!  Evil, quite evil....

As goes with the Grognard name, I have been playing wargames for quite some time.  I was introduced to table top wargames back in 1992, by some friends who were playing Warhammer 40K, Rogue Trader.  Times were different then, and we purchased boxes of plastic marines, 30 to a box if I recall correctly and just built our chapters out to massive numbers.  To do the same today, would like run the same cost as funding the next space shot to Mars.  But I digress...

So, having had many 'beakie' marines, I also was left with a pile of alternate arms, weapons, and accessories.

Lighting struck and when I saw this Gran Raider, he was destined to go under the knife.  Through the wonders of conversion, I removed both his arms (into the bits box they went) and glued on a right and left arm from my 'beakie' marine bits box.

I painted some additional details onto the marine arms to match the existing details on the Gran Raider model, repeat and 'voila', a squad of troops ready for the Galactic Heroes game!

 With some use of a power glove and bolter from the bits, I created a 'Sergeant' for the squad as well.

So, here is the full squad for your review.

There are many minis out there that can be repurposed and converted for your games.  In many cases, they can be done cheaply as well.

PAINTED MINIATURES SCOREBOARD:

2021 Painted Miniatures: 169

2022 Painted Miniatures: 214

2023 Painted Miniatures: 35

Until next time fellow Grognards and Young Guard, keep your fingers clear of your Xacto knife and Game On!