Land Ironclads: Sprue Fortress III

You may remember a couple of years ago I started work on a small Sprue Fortress to go with my Sprue Village and Sprue Town for Land Ironclads and Aeronef games. Unfortunately I managed to lose the model (don't ask) but recently found it so decided to slap some paint on it before it went AWOL again...

Here it is with an aeronef and some Land Ironclads contraptions for scale...

Land Ironclads: Aurorean Martian Land Transports

The last of the 2mm Irregular SF models are these IKSF10 Alien Transports.

Initially I planned to use them as an older type of land ironclads, with hull mounted werpons firing out of the sides, but I don't think they look quite right for that, they are a bit too civilian... I haven't decided quite what to use them for, maybe they can be supply trains?

Painting Target: 485/1000

Land Ironclads: Aurorean Martian Indra Ironclads

Staying on Mars, I painted up these three of Irregular Miniatures 2mmm IKSF7 Alien MBT's and Aurorean Martian class 5 Indra land ironclads.

Still not quite sure what models to use for the larger classes, but I quite like these as the smallest class of ironclad for the Auroreans.

Painting Target: 482/1000

Land Ironclads: Aurorean Martian Contraptions III

The last of the Aurorean Martian contraption bases , this time using IKSF8 Alien SPG from the Irregular 2mm SF range.

I really like these 2mm models, I just need to find something similar in 6mm to use for the larger Aurorean land ironclads...

Painting Target: 479/1000

Land Ironclads: Aurorean Martian Contraptions II

Continuing with the Martians and the Irregular 2mm SF range, I have painted up a number of IKSF9 Alien APC's as some different (as yet unnamed) Aurorean contraptions.

The models are slightly larger than the scout vehicles, so I mounted them two to a base.

Painting Target: 478/1000

Land Ironclads: Aurorean Martian Contraptions I

Back to Mars as I try and finish off the remaining models for the Belgian Land Ironclads supplement. Following on from the trial models painted in January, I have bought a pile more models from Irregular and have painted up another couple of bases of Martian Camros contraptions using the Irregular IKSF11 Alien Scout vehicle model. I really like these designs and would love to see them made in 6mm as well as 2mm.

I forgot the exact colours I painted the original base but think I cracked it (Iraqui Sand over Red Leather wash for reference). The slight difference is, I think, due to using a white undercoat this time, not black. Here are all three bases ready to bash the Belgians!

Painting Target: 475/1000

Land Ironclads: Sprue Fortress II

A bit of progress on the sprue fortress, building up the ground work with filler and Green Stuff...

Not a lot of activity at Blease Central today after last night's gig - it went well, here's a bit of footage...

Land Ironclads: Sprue Fortress I

A little break from 6mm - here's some 2mm! :-)

Busy day today with work and trying to get Saul's stuff ready for his first gig tomorrow evening (7.30pm Frog & Fiddle in Cheltenham if you are free) so just a work in progress shot of my latest effort playing around with sprue...

Land Ironclads: Aurorean Martian Contraptions and Infantry

The Aurorean Martians, being introduced into Land Ironclads via the forthcoming Belgian supplement, are based on the race of Martians that appear in George Griffith's Astronef scientific romance and are not related to the Wellsian Olympian Martians that invaded Earth in the original rulebook. 

The race Griffiths described is technologically advanced to a point of stagnation and I was not sure exactly what look to go with until I discovered these wonderful looking models in Irregular Miniatures 2mm SF range, with their vaguely "Art Deco" look. These models are IKSF11 Alien Scout Vehicle and will see service as Aurorean Camros class contraptions.

I have realised that I have based the models on a land ironclad bases (40mm deep) not a contraptions one (30mm) and will correct this asap.  I am going to order some other Irregular models from the same range to use as Aurorean land ironclads.

For the Aurorean infantry I wanted to avoid both the close order look of the European colonial infantry and an irregular native look, so have used Irregular's IK1 Infantry Section from their C20th range. I think it looks ok and provides a contrast to the human troops shown yesterday.

2014 Painting Target: 29/1000

Land Ironclads: Nova Belge Infantry and Artillery

As SWMBO will testify I am a messy worker and that goes as much for my painting area as anything else. Under the detrius I re-discovered undercoated and based units set aside for the Belgian Land Ironclads project which I have been pondering on and off whether to paint all white (the Belgian tropical uniform) or green/grey (the Belgian Peking Legation Guard uniform). As I have been pondering for over three years I thought I better make my mind up!

As the British and French will wear red and blue respectively for operations on Mars in Land Ironclads I decided to go with the green/light grey uniform, rationalising my choice that no one will find contradictory details of the Nova Belge Legion anywhere... :-)

As well as two understrength battalions I also painted up an artillery battery, pictured here alongside one of the Charlotte-Ameilie land ironclads I painted in 2011...

2014 Painting Target: 22/1000

Contraptions And Smoke

I've managed to finish a few bases of contraptions for the Belgian and French VSF armies. The models are all from Brigade's new French range (Tony did not have any of the new Belgians to hand when he sent the land ironclads), so I have painted one set up as Belgian.

Both contraptions are really nicely done and paint up easily using a basecoat, wash, drybrush technique.

A while back I mentioned I was considering adding some Kapok smoke to the land ironclads and having found a stash of Kapok in the games room, decided to give it a go on one of the Belgian ironclads on Martian service. I coloured the Kapok with a marker pen and superglued it to the funnels. I'm not 100% sold on it but I think it certainly adds something to the model and helps reinforce the steam-era feel of the models and game...

Onto the Belgian colonial infantry now (which being all white will double as Italians and a host of other nations with a change of flag!).

Les Belges Advance...

Belgium is probably not the top of many peoples list of "must do" VSF nations (probably not even for the Belgians themselves) but I have found them to be much more interesting than stereotypes suggest, even if their 19th century history is not widely known to those outside the country. Writing a Belgian supplement for Land Ironclads has proven to be like peeling an onion, stripping one layer to find something new underneath. From their involvement in the Mexico to the Congo via French machinations to annex them after the Austro-Prussian War there is certainly more to them than meets the eye.

Of course they have proven a quite attractive little project given the quality of the forthcoming Brigade Models shiny new toys which I quickly put a photo of each up on White Wine Sauce yesterday before the light failed but here present some more...

Whilst most of the models have been based up for battles on Flanders green fields against the French, as you can see at the top I did base up two of the Charlotte-Ameilie class (as an experiment) as on Martian service. Having given it some more thought (and as they are the smallest class of land ironclad in the game) I intend to purchase some autumnal foliage clumps to add some red vegetation in the near future.

The others, as with the French, have odd 2mm Irregular figures dotted around to give a concept of scale as well as the odd foliage clump acting as a tree. I did toy with have one bursting through a wood but it looked somewhat silly when I did a dry run.

Next on the painting table are the two sets of contraptions Brigade are also releasing as part of the Belgian army, plus some of Irregular's 2mm SF range which I think will make excellent Aurorean Martian contraptions (the models I picked have a slightly pulp look which suits the scientifically focussed Auroreans). I was hoping to crack on with these today but a persistent ear infection is draining the will to work and all I feel like doing is trying to fall asleep in front of the telly (much needed sleep as the pain kept me awake most of the night). Maybe tomorrow...

Remember Liège!

Ok, the identity of the new Land Ironclads army is out so I can show off the Belgians I painted yesterday...

First off are two battalions of Belgian line infantry from Irregular's 2mm range. With a change of flag they can become Serbian (and if you aren't too fussy about the grey trousers a number of other nations).

The cavalry are three squadrons of Belgian Guides in green jackets and red trousers. I do like Irregular's 2mm cavalry as they are easy to paint and readily identifiable on the tabletop.

Back to finishing off the land ironclad support then onto contraptions and some Belgian Legion on Martian service...

Allez Les Blockhaus Roulants!

First off apologies for the brevity of posts this month, real life work has been rather intense and got in the way somewhat and when I take a week off the body decides to down tools with a stinking cold and now some nagging ear infection! :-( Anyway, enough of the woes of Steve... Bleaseworld is 2mm world at the moment with all hands to the pump on the "secret VSF project" (now a "guess what it is" on the Wessex Games Facebook page if you think you've got an idea...).

As part of this project I finally finished the new Brigade Models French land ironclads this morning after a basing disaster earlier this week with some chinchilla sand that went pear shaped. The basing seems to take longer than painting the actual models, which I must say are rather lovely.

To help fill the bases on the smaller models and give an idea of scale I dot the odd 2mm Irregular cavalryman or infantry group on the base, as well as an odd foam tree. I'm currently debating whether to add some kapok smoke from the funnels, a decision being tipped by the fact that SWMBO can't find the bag she bought last Christmas!

I have also painted up two battalions of OPFOR infantry for the project as well as a regiment of cavalry. I'll hopefully be posting photos of these later in the week (when someone guesses what the "secret VSF project" actually is) along with some photos of the new land ironclad support for them which Brigade will be releasing in the next fortnight as part of the project!

After this it'll be back to the mud and blood of the trenches, and the skies above (and death in the dark future of the 41st millenium if Saul gets his way - those new Dark Eldar do look quite nice and the "barges" a little bit Space 1889!)