What's on my Workbench, September 2020

So I haven't gotten around to taking nice pictures of completed figures, partly because Ninja Babushka really outshines everyone so best wait lest everyone appear inadequate in comparison.

A concept, a prototype and a production vehicle walk into a bar....

The E-75, a paper tiger in the literal sense.

The E series tanks were an attempt by Nazi Germany to rationalise and simplify their tank production and types. Basically they came to the realisation that having many overly complicated and unreliable designs with many different variants of each, may have been contributing to them losing the war. Of these the largest was the E-100, a 100+ tonne monster, for which a hull was built (which the British got their hands on, assessed and then promptly scrapped).

The E-75 was to be the standard heavy tank, a replacement for and derived partially from the Tiger 2 tank. It would weigh somewhere between 75 and 100 tonnes (which is still quite ridiculous even today). None were built as the Nazis were too busy losing the war (and the RAF was bombing the industrial tank building capacity into the dust.)

An interesting looking design nonetheless, with a ridiculously long gun (I am not sure if this is meant to be an 88 L71 or a larger calibre?). This tank will probably get roped into the forces of Orotinia as a post war production based on German plans.

Iosif Stalin-7, now with excessive machine guns!

The seventh instalment into the line of tanks named after Soviet leader Iosif Stalin (these were named to please Stalin and there's a bunch of nonsense around this tank series as a result) this machine actually made it to prototype stage and can be seen at the Kubinka Tank Museum outside of Moscow (which I long to one day visit).

The tank is all around impressive in terms of firepower and protection. However, it was also highly complex and expensive and to an extent needlessly excessive (those rear facing machine guns on the turret are next to useless). It was not accepted into production but some of it's features were incorporated into the IS-8/9/10/T-10 (there's some nonsense going on there).

But hey it looks cool and if nothing else it would certainly intimidate any foe who didn't expect to see it. I will probably put this one towards the service of the Pan Andean People's Republic and/or Ororussia (Oronegro's odd colony).

M1117 Guardian, boring but also the only useful one here.

The M117 Guardian is the odd one out in this line up. Not only is it not a tank, it is also the only vehicle here that was actually mass produced and put into service. A replacement for some of the ageing armoured cars in US service, this vehicle is used by the US Military Police as well as a few other nations.

It is armed with a machine gun and an automatic grenade launcher. It provides relatively good protection from mines and small arms fire but that's about all. It will probably be put towards the service of Gran Bolivia or someone else. it is quite generic.

Regarding the model itself I was somewhat disappointed to find that once you put the feed for the grenade launcher in place the gun barrels can no longer elevate which totally defeats the purpose of having them moulded as a separate piece.

Anyway that's all for today. I hope to get a bit more work on these done next week maybe ready to show off the following weekend. We shall have to see. I hope you have enjoyed this post and I will catch you all next time. Take care everyone. :-D

Ninja Babushka and company! Wasteland A-Team

So today I am very, very excited to bring you what has been a true labour of love. Creating this little group of survivors was an exercise in character creation, conversion, sculpting and painting. With each element informing one another as I pieced together who exactly these little people were. Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to them. I hope that you get along well, because if not Ninja Babushka will be most displeased.

Our brave heroes stare down the horde. An unfair fight, the zombies don't stand a chance.

So in creating these characters I did more than just give them names, I also considered that abilities they would have. These I have designed to be suitably generic so that they an be adjusted to whatever rule set is in use. Some of these abilities are suitably ridiculous, and generally unbalanced. That being said I have generally styled the group so that while lethal and incredibly strong at close range and melee, they are vulnerable to long range fire. So keep your distance if you want to live.

Ninja Babushka: The Iconic leader.

Nina Babushka.

Role: Leader, melee specialist.

Traits/Abilities: Babushka Knows Best

"So you think you are smarter than Babushka? Stronger than Babushka? Faster than Babushka? Hmph, we'll see."

- (Passive) Babushka automatically gains better stats than any model within her proximity.

She had a lot of sculpting work done to convert a tracksuit Ninja into a Babushka, it was also quite a joy to paint the floral pattern on her jacket.

She is perhaps the most deadly of the group. Do not think she is merely some little old lady, it might be the last mistake you make.

Fire-Fighter: Because there are so many fire puns.

Fire-Fighter.

Role: Specialist, flamethrower

Abilities/Traits: Firestarter

"I spent my life putting out other people's fires, now I just want to watch the world burn."

- (Passive) immune to all fire damage, flame attacks and ambient fires (including anomalies).

So you may think that a firefighter with a flamethrower would be a totally fantasy figure. Yet despite being out there I put a lot of work in to make them look just right. The helmet is based on some Russian firefighter helmets and the flamethrower is based on Soviet designs used during WW2. A lot of research for one made up figure.

A rather complex figure to make but one that is sure to turn up the heat.

Bolshy Nurse: Sick of zombies eating her patients.

Bolshy Nurse.

Role: Support, medic, dual pistols

Traits/Abilities: Placebo effect.

"After years of budget cuts, she's learned how to make a little go a long way"

- (Passive) gets at least double usage out of healing items.

This figure was the simplest conversion, just added a bag and trimmed her ponytail. That being said I was nice to make a more useful figure than just woman with pistols.

In terms of range (flamethrower not withstanding) she's the best equipped of the team. Again reinforcing the notion that this is a close combat group.

Warrior Chef: Dishing out wasteland justice.

Warrior Chef.

Role: Heavy, melee specialist

Abilities/Traits: Only the finest cuts

"She's the finest butcher in the zone, saw her cut a mutants arm clean off."

- (Cost action point, timed cool-down re-use) Perform a devastating melee attack that bypasses all armour and deals double damage.

Another more simple conversion. You have seen the base figure in a previous post. This figure has had a gender swap, is wearing a mask for good health safety and is using rubber gloves.

With figures like these the fake shadow technique really pops, much nicer than the quick wash technique I have used recently. Clean and bright may not be the most realistic but hey we're talking about a chef fighting with rubber gloves on.

Angry Teacher: Gives opponents bad grades.

Angry Teacher.

Role: Support, technician

Abilities/Traits: Lecture

"Can't tell if he's teaching them something, or just pissing them off?"

- (Cost an action point) Grants temporary combat buff to nearby allies.

Another more interesting conversion. Replaced an arm (he had a machete, not a pose I particularly like) and gave him to text books. Again another pistol wielding figure. So there are no long range weapons (the flamethrower can't really go that far).

Now the fact I made the ability of Angry Teacher to maybe being annoying people into success is in now way a reference to those of my friends or family who are teachers. It is totally a coincidence.

All the figures are a mix of Alliance Stalkers and Survivors, overall I really like the lively poses and the opportunities for conversion (as evidenced by my insistence on converting half of those I am working on). These figures were some of the first with my attempts at varnishing and it shows in their glossy finish. Since then I have got better results which will hopefully show on figures I will show off soon.

Anyway that is all for today, I hope you have enjoyed these figures, if you have any ideas for other characters, I am loving making these crazy characters. I do have more characters to show off, so until next time I wish you all a very good day/night.

Currently Reading: Books on Soviet Tanks

Well I don't have pictures of my models to show due to having had a very busy weekend with many other engagements. So those pictures and their associated stories will have to wait for the time being. In the meantime something of a book review. I have been reading through the series of books by James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell. I have already finished their book on the T-55 and the T-10 and I am currently reading the one on the T-54.

The covers area really nice and judgement of the cover in this case does match the quality content inside.

So what do you get inside? Well quite a lot, a lot of pictures both historical and of surviving vehicles, perfect for anyone wanting to recreate these in miniature. You also get a good deal of information which is presented in a balanced, clear and concise manner. The topics range of specific differences between variants to the behind the scenes story of their production. It may not be the most riveting stuff, certainly not Game of Thrones. However, it is interesting (admittedly one guy did get sent to Siberia for getting into an argument about torsion bar suspension, so there are some stakes to the drama.)

Overall good quality titles and I probably will pre-order their upcoming book on the T-62 at some point. That being said I did notice some editing and layout issues, this impacted the T-10 book the most with labels referring to images on the left that were on the right, etc. There was also some repetition but nothing too major.

Overall I give them 8.5/10. Would recommend them, especially on a discounted price. I got my copies from Book Depository, and they took around a month to get from the UK to NZ (they would usually only take a week and a half, but delays are the least of my worries given present circumstances.)

Oh and as for models, well I don't have any assembled versions of any of these tanks. I do have some work in progress T-55s and I am sure that the book will be useful in painting up those (although I have very simply wargaming kits from Plastic Soldier, lovely quality mind). I am interested in seeing when Trumpeter's promised T-10M will drop to add to my collection of IS-tanks.

Anyway, if you have any questions about these books please do not hesitate to ask I will be more than happy to give you more information. As stated more models on the way (when I get photos), but until them I wish you all the very best.