Coming Soon......

Hopefully Sunday


the shop...and the PLA!

PLA, better pic

I hope, easier to select and zoom

News.....PLA are on the move

Webpage shop ready very very soon and as part of the launch, Ive a flashed out Sino PLA army ready.

I'm very pleased how simple and nice they are to paint up. I was wavering on these in terms of 'flashing' out the line, however I'm now convinced to flash it out fully.

Here is a WIP of the first bunch

The infantry, HQ and support Weapons figures.

Ill add the two infantry LMG drones, two HQ drones (holograph and recon) plus the Heavy Drones plus the heavier weapons teams (Anti Tank, HMG) a little later. I forgot to prime them...
This will be followed by Grenade Launcher, Missile Team and Heavy Cannon Team.

Any other variations you'd like to see let me know. Once Ive sold some.....Ill work on Spec Forces and Power Armor/Full suits

Liebster Award nomination.....

"Hi Keith. I've nominated your blog for a Liebster Award! I might not have technically stuck to the rules re who you can select but I wanted to pick blogs I liked!!You can see my post listing all my nominations (including this blog) here: http://wargaminggallimaufry.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05"

Which was nice even If i didn't truly understand what it was!

So, without further ado..
Id like to thank my director, my mother........

Ok Alastair for nominating me, despite my poor. poor spelling and gamma and  random/sporadic postings :)

As it is with the nomination, Ive a few things I need to cover on my website


My nominees for the award are....

• http://clearhorizonsalvage.blogspot.co.uk/

• http://dropshiphorizon.blogspot.co.uk/

• http://modernwargamer.blogspot.co.uk/

• http://coldwargamer.blogspot.co.uk/

and

• http://spacecockroach.blogspot.co.uk/

Most others are already nominated I think..I'm not sure if I should renominate?


And now for the questions.......

Why did you start blogging?

Hmmmmm.....I have no idea. I think it was more of a way to manage and display my projects, which turned into a tool to show off my own sci fi range. It developed into a place to rant, comment and ask for advice.


If you could change one thing about the wargaming hobby, what would it be?


Hmm hindsight into what I liked and what Ive actually stuck with. Ive dabbled in just about every era of war gaming you can imagine. I'm sure most people have, however I either keep coming back to the same project or have actually stuck with a theme. This is something which I clearly enjoy and If Id of known, id of not invested in so much other stuff! For some people this is the joy, however having to many projects and limited time, does not really afford to finishing anything!

What is best in life? 

Erm...not stating the obvious ones..

Everton FC, 3d printing and the general joy of producing something.


Fame or fortune? 

Fortune...Id be the Wolf Of Wall Street.....however for gaming.......
(Yes I watched it last night)

What miniatures are you most proud of having painted?

Hmmm. I dont have the patience to be good, however my stuff is worthy enough of a gaming tabletop, however I do have an element of 28mm French Marines FIWs and a WW2 American 15mm unit Im rather proud of. They are only small elements, due to my patience/boredom threshold.

How do you deal with burn out?

I just concentrate on real paid work....I then realize that its FAR worse then painting/modelling and find pretty refreshed. I think my problem is boredom, I jump between projects daily. It means I get a little bit done at a time, before finally returning to it. Its like a circle of projects.


Why is a raven like a writing desk? 

Are you on crack? :) Seriously I have not idea what this is, so Im changing the question.


 Who would win a fight. A Tiger or a Lion? 



Tiger.....trained to fight alone

Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Wars.


Definitely star trek. I think its mostly because it was the first 'effects' that truly caught my imagination. Star Trek was sort of Doctor Who. Quarry scene over and over....
 As a boy I was obsessed with Star Wars, well the action figures. Had them all! The newer films ....meh not so excited, unlike the newer Star Trek which I really do enjoy.









If you had to stick to one set  of figures for the rest of you life ?

Easy.......my own :) Seriously, It would force me to broaden my releases! :)


What is your favourite takeaway?


Im really struggling with this one. It has to be either Indian or Kebab. I mean proper Kebab, none of that donna muck!  I always think you get a takeaway, because its not something you can recreate at home, you can get close, however with an Indian or a Kebab you cant really create something like it. All attempts just don't quite live up to the one you can buy from a takeaway.  Its same as fish and chips, well Northern Chippy. Home is Liverpool and the chips are not as good down here, nor is the fact you cant buy gravy!


and thats about it! I shall be updating those that I ahve nominated later today and replying to Alastair! I did look up the rules, however Ive found around 1342 variations...!

Cheers

Keith

ArmiesArmy Updates

Hi  all

Its been a while and releases have slowed down somewhat due to several reasons. The first being that I am creating my own webstore. Im moving on from BlackHat Miniatures (huge thanks to them though) as I try to create my own little empire. Its going be small for a quite a while, however I hope to invest all my profit...(i hope) into other lines of figures branching out into moderns and other ideas. As it is, Ive decided to hold off all my crop of (ready and nearly ready) models until Ive got my own shop open. Ill then have a big launch with lots of new stuff .

Some items to look out for are the PLA HQ sets, support weapons, heavy support weapons, Gun Drones and APC.

For the Enemy Uknown Ill have the Support Weapons, HQ with Alien Leader, Assault Squad and a Heavy weapons platform.

For the my Rusks, Ill have some unreleased  forces and a few new packs and my BTR 160 (plus variants). Ill also have the Cartographa scout vehicle; internal security vehicles the Remizov, Dukhovich and Kresik; The Normovich series of vehicles and trailers

And finally in the scifi world the NEW Imperial Russian forces (Whites). This range will consist of infantry squads, LMGs' RPG's, Support Weapons, Snipers and HQ, including a APC and Heavy Tank. 

For the modern range, Ive started off with the ZIPRA Rhodesian forces. They can be used for pretty much ANY African region from the 70's up to today, given the nature of uniforms and weapons being very similar. This will be followed by some more specific forces...if they actually sell :)

So.....please keep in touch and Ill make more annoucements when Im closer to opening the store! All members following my blog will be intitled to a royalty card (yet to work out) which will give you first dabs on preorders and more importantly a discount.

Thanks all

Keith

ArmiesArmy



Just for a reminder :)

A new dawn......

It is here.......................

My Tiranti Casting Machine and Melting pot!

I picked it up this afternoon with the face of a proud father! The wife just shook her head and wandered off. Ha....she has no idea the fun this will bring me!

and yes.....that is a new fire Extinguisher....! Ive also got a leather apron, eye protection and heavy leather gloves. Hopefully Ill never need them. Next up a rather important purchase....the metal! Thankfully Mike from BlackHat bulk bought some extra as he knew Id be after some. With any luck I can pick it up over the long weekend with some molds and give it a spin...pun intended....

Soon as I have the hang of it, get some organisation (Mrs will add that) and start the website Ill be launching ArmiesArmy very own webstore!

Horahhhh

Keith

Something Different!....Bush Wars

All

Just a quick update on the Cold War range I’d been talking about. First off, it’s started. I’m having test sculpts created, however I’ve gone a little off track and theatre as I’m focussing more on the ‘influenced’ Africa bush war battles s. Both sides were secretly or not so secretly supported as the big boys tried to influence and project their powers. First in line is the Rhodesian Bush war, which was first in line of a series of wars which ravaged South and South Southwest Africa for many years.
As it happens, Id dare say that the African Guerrilla /freedom fighters ‘look’ did not change throughout the period, armed with the infamous AK rifle and RPG, so they should cover a big number of troops. The Rhodesian campaign also saw a number of old rifles like the SMLE and SKS in play, so I’ll do my best to represent them. A head swap will probably allow you to look at some other COIN campaigns such as Malaysia etc.
Anyhow to the sculpt, the first is an African Zipla insurgent. It needs a little reworking of the AK, however given that its 15mm it will certainly cut the mustard, and overall I think it’s quite excellent!  

So much so that Smok the sculptor is working on a bunch more of them for me. His facebook page is www.fb.com/SmokSculpture if you’d like to see more of his work. Really impressed with the guy!
Finally…..he is also working a  test figure for the existing scenario I had talked of, A Swedish 1980’s Infantryman, so not all is lost with the theatre. I am also gaming this :)

Stepping it up.....ArmiesArmy to open a new WebStore soon

That's correct, Ive decided to step up the game a little bit. The wife hoped this miniatures fad would eventually wear off, however even she is admitting its something Im sticking to, so has allowed me to do a little investing. With the new investment Ill be purchasing my own spin caster (Ill have one in the next two weeks...if all plans go well) so Ill be casting my own  figures! Im rather excited by this.
I imagine that it will take a little bit of practice for me to get to understand it, however Mike from BlackHat is on hand with some advice if I need it! This brings me to my thanks for Mike whom I would not of got as far into this adventure without him! So cheers fella :)

I am currently trying to juggle a very, very busy working schedule and setting up this little business, however its safe to say, when Ive a business plan,  a website, package and labeling and Ive learn t how to cast to the quality Mike did for me, then I shall open! Hoping to be within 6 - 8  weeks.

To add, I will also be increasing the range of vehicles, flashing out the current ranges , adding new Sci Fi and also delving into a few additional lines. The first most likely line being the 'Cold War' period, however mostly looking at some more unusual theaters.

I have plenty of other ideas I may look at, given the time, such as my own skirmish rules, scenario packs, terrain and a sort of sponsored 300 club. This is somewhere you can get your ideas sponsored and produced ( Ive a lot of thinking on this!)

Anyhow,  hopefully I can continue to bring the same great quality that BlackHat miniatures did and add a little extra of my own. I'm hoping it will cover its costs and add a little bit to my hobby! I imagine most of it will be put back into more figures and lines!

Ill keep you all updated as I go along!

thanks

Keith

ArmiesArmy

Penal squads.......

The notorious penal squads…..with little hope the penal squads men and women have to do all the dirty jobs with little hope of success. Those that waver have a explosive collar to remind them to carry out their orders without hesitation. Those that survive can pay off time they owe, not many do though…..

Looking for ideas on what else you would like to see. The bottom middle figure Is very similar to the bottom right so maybe a lmg or a anti tank mine?

To add the far right is a lady...very PC!

BDB - Internal Security vehicle series

I bring to you from Comrade Burton 

 Канюк конструкторское бюро

(Buzzard Design Bureau-BDB)

BDB are proud to present the latest range of Internal Security vehicles to provide essential support to the glorious RUSK forces in securing urban and liberated territories. Sharing many common components with other BDB designs, they are designed for simple maintenance in the field, with robust engineering of components to guarantee a long service life.

Details of each vehicle are set out in the following pages.

Remizov

Powered by an efficient fuel cell, with electric drive to all wheels, the Remizov provides an economical, armoured transport. It can be fitted with numerous options, depending on the specific role it is destined for. Turret options (interchangeable with the proven BTR-160), include a variety of both lethal and non-lethal weapon systems. For example a targeted sonic heat generator is highly effective at dispersing crowds under the spell of traitors. The roomy rear compartment can provide seating for seven personnel, in addition to the squad commander and driver seated at the front of the vehicle. Filling this area with a large capacity optional water tank, the Remizov can double as an armoured fire engine, or more usually for crowd control, with a turret mounted water cannon. Also available are command and control, communications, light maintenance and ambulance variants. Whatever you mission, the Remizov can be configured to meet your requirements.

Dukhovich

Powered by an efficient fuel cell, with electric drive to all wheels, the Dukhovich provides an economical transport, capable of carrying eight passengers and their equipment, in addition to the driver. Built with lightweight composite bodywork and toughened glass, the Dukhovich protects its occupants against small arms rounds, thrown missiles and improvised firebombs. The air filtering pod on the roof is also proven against these threats, and can filter out all commonly used crowd control gases.

Dukhovich PV (Protected Version)

For deployments where the standard Dukhovich may not provide sufficient protection, an up armoured version is available. In addition to the substantial armoured window shields, the bodywork is enhanced by internal additional armour panels. These are installed in specially designed cavities in the standard version, allowing any such vehicle to be upgraded to the PV variant. Using the upgrade kit, two skilled technicians can convert a standard vehicle in a matter of hours.

Kresik

Designed for deployment alongside the Dukhovich, the Kresik can fulfil a variety of roles. It has proven very successful for carrying equipment and supplies, incident clean-up, and as a prisoner transport. Utilising the same chassis and power system as the Dukhovich, along with the same level of protection, the Kresik is a versatile vehicle, as well as being extremely economical to operate.

Kresik PV (Protected Version)

Like the Dukhovich, the Kresik is also available in an up armoured version. In the case of the Kresik, the upgrade kit comprises of two sub-options. One only improves the protection of the cab area, the other, both the cab and rear container.

All of them together!

A fine local security force series for vehicles Ill be adding to the soon to be printed list! Thanks again Andrew!

comments welcome

 
Keith

BTR 290 - Pre Orders

Mike from BlackHat has informed me that all preorders have shipped! Let me know when you start to get them and send me your painted pictures when you have them. Also please let me know your thoughts as I aim to improve!

Many thanks

Keith

A grand paint job.....Rusk Militia/Line Troops

Ive had these available a while at blackhat miniatures , however I'm slowly going through and getting them painted. These were painted by shakespeare studios and they look fantastic!

I use these as my Front line Rusk forces with the 'full' helmeted troops as guardsman. They will be part of a Civil War campaign Im about to relaunch. Im just waiting on my Imperial Russian troops, which are due any day now!

These are the HQ, Support Weapons and Infantry packs

cheers

Keith

Pre order BTR 290 to be shipped

Thanks to all that took part. It far exceeded expectations and for that I am gratefull! It means I've funds to do more:)


The first items will be posted out first thing next week. They will be shipped with any other items you may of purchased . I had a slight delay in refining one of the masters, it was picked up by the casting service, so now they are perfect.  You will receive the usual notification from Blackhat once they are shipped.

Thanks again

Keith