Special Forces/Mercenaries 2: Women Operators

Well perhaps I didn't get this out nearly as quickly as I thought I did. Although being shut indoors due to a lock-down sure does give one time to actually paint miniatures. So on with the pics, I shall explain on the way.

Another fire-team of four, this time all painted from scratch. Let me know what you think.

So these are more Elhiem figures, expect lots of Elhiem figures in the future too. Got quite the stockpile. So yes expect more in the not too distant future. Less distant than this post for sure. I can be more confident in the statement this time what with the lock-down to last 3 weeks and little in the way of work to do.

The photos were taken at two different times of day (camera ran out of batteries.) sadly lighting wasn't ideal in either so I included both sets. First up we have a bare-headed fighter. Her outstretched left arm looks odd and a bit uncomfortable. Overall though I like this figure.

So this time around I actually did some research on camouflage patterns. I have tried to imitate modern multi-terrain patterns on three of the figures.

Can you spot the hair-tie? Made it blue to hark back to Oronegro's old colours (you'll see this quite a bit actually).

Next up is the figure with the blue bandanna, by far my favourite pose! Also the figure with which I think I most closely matched the British Multi Terrain Pattern (MTP), I really do quite like it and, as it is supposed to, it works with many different terrains. In the case of these figures I have done a simple arid/desert base for, well, simplicity. Also if I hadn't said this is my favourite figure you'd probably tell by the number of photos.

I feel that Elhiem excels with poses like this one, where the figure is just about to take a step. I have found with previous figures of theirs that these are often the best ones.

Sadly this is the best photo of the back which is a shame as the body armour carrier got a different camouflage pattern.

I really should have done something about that spec of hair, looks like she has a whisper thin moustache.

Also a friend complemented me on the boulders (stones picked up from the driveway) what do you think of them?

A picture from earlier in the day, not the best but some of the colours are more clearly seen.

So next up is my least favourite of the figures. A very awkward looking pose and the sculpting of the face was just plain ugly. There are worst figures out there to be sure, however this one really does let down what is overall and excellent set. The only figure in the set with a helmet though so while ugly the figure at least appreciates safety.

Quite a long rifle, took the opportunity to do a mismatching stock. I feel like I missed the opportunity to do more with this set.

Quite fuzzy I am afraid but the colours are still clear enough. As is that rather awkward arm.

Something I appreciate about these figures is the non-uniform appearance. Mixing and matching clothing and gear creates an interesting appearance.

Better picture from the rear, again I was trying to do the MTP camouflage. I think I overdid the white elements and it is a little too green.

The final figure, with which I really went ahead and tried to recreate the old Oronegrean colours, is another pose I really like. Perhaps the bright red hat is a mistake, unless you ascribe to the "so overt it's covert" philosophy. The trousers are the stand out point for me. Simple olive drab with wash for shading. I really like how they turned out.

Photo is relatively clear but the figure is too far away.

Figure is nice and close but not so clear, argh, it was about this time I got the low battery warning AGAIN.

Very fuzzy photo, my apologies.

From the side, again good sculpting, nice sense of movement.

These final photos were the group ones I took earlier in the day. The sun had yet to clear the volcano on which my house is built so they were in shadow. Although when I took the later photos the sun was quite strong which didn't help either. Ah well might take more photos indoors if that helps.

The team assembled in the early morning light, going out on a patrol in the quarantined city.

They spot something off to their left and respond. What will happen next?

So that's all for today. I hope you have liked these figures. I like to think of them as successors to Las Minvervas who were an elite unit up until they were disbanded in the late 19th century (having fought on the losing side of the Oronegrean Independence/Civil War). Might try get more women operators in future to bring them up to a squad level.

I hope that all of you are safe and sound during these difficult times. I wish you and yours all the best and I will see you next time. Until then have a good day/night.

Get out of here Stalker: Wargame rulebook

So something arrived in the post today, something I almost thought would never arrive. Perhaps security around the zone has been tightened? Meet Zone Alfa a brand new entry into the Osprey Wargames series. So new in fact that I pre-ordered this copy. I have yet to read the rules but if they are as good as the artwork then this is sure to be the source of much fun in the near future.

Special credit goes to Sam Lamont the illustrator, there's some incredible scenes in this book!

So some exciting news but I am afraid those anticipating miniatures will have to wait a while longer. I have been very busy at work and have not had much time for painting. That being said I am slowly chipping away at some models and I may get some done soon.

I am looking forward to presenting this both to the local club and to my D&D friends. There are some fine prizes to be won, for those willing to brave the zone.

So until next time I wish you all a good day/night.

Special Forces/Mercenaries 1

Happy New Year to you all. I hope that the new year finds you all well. The new year is usually a time for new things. However, today I actually bring you something that has been years in the making. This figures were sent to me many years ago by Winttrix (Emmett) Some have actually featured on the blow before. However, they were in need of touch ups where they had chipped. Now, finally, I have finished them. I hope you like them, however, please keep in mind that the credit is to Emmett who is responsible for 90% of the work.

A Special Forces team? A mercenary unit or a well equipped militia. These figures have many uses.

Working on these figures got me thinking more carefully about camouflage. Matching Emmett's work was a challenge.

Once again making use of the summer sun. Although it is quite harsh, fortunately the photos turned out okay.

Something I like about these figures is the mix of colours, something that you don't get with those in uniform.

Repainting the gun to match Emmett's work was a very difficult task in this case.

Tried to get his face in this one. It is okay but I think the sculpting is not the best. Although it is decent enough.

Another part that needed a lot of touching up was the hat. Which actually turned out really well much to my surprise.

Yeeeeeehaaaawwwwww......... had to get that out of my system.

File under impressive moustaches too.

Emmett painted the stetson really well so it was quite the task for me to touch it up without ruining it.

A lot of work needed to be done on the back of this figure too.

Perhaps the most complex to touch up was this figure where I had to match the camouflage with the paints I had.

Another decision was to paint the grip of the gun. It works well and matches the look of what Emmett did.

I have not done anything at all to the bases. They are quite simple and I like them a lot. I think I will do similar in future.

The final photo. The last hear but hopefully one of the first for the new year. 

Well that is all for today. I hope that you have enjoyed this post. As you can probably guess from the title more Special Forces/Mercenaries are coming up. Some more are those painted by Emmett that I have touched up. Others are ones that I am painting from scratch and which will take more time.

Something to look for in future is me actually trying to do camouflage patterns correctly. I went along to my first meeting of the Auckland Wargaming Club last month. Didn't play any games but it was quite fun to watch them. One thing I did realise was that it would be hard to find others willing to play in the Oronegro setting at least initially. So I will use the old try but true trick of painting units up as if they were the real thing, but using them as whoever in the fictional world. To that end the Soviets, West Germans and Cold War British (and others) I got recently are likely going to be painted correctly, or as close as I can do. Painting up these special forces with their mixed camouflage is good practice for this.

Anyway as an aside I am also going to post a photo I took about a week ago. This was the sky at about 2pm, the photo was taken from the same balcony as the photos above. It has not been touched up in any way. The cause, the fires in Australia. For those unaware of the scale, that's over 2,000 km away. For those of my followers in the US, that's as if fires in Texas turned the skies in New York orange. The scale is quite horrifying. To put it simply the world that afternoon seemed apocalyptic. My heart goes out to those brave people fighting the fires over there and those who's homes have been lost or are still at risk. May rain come sooner rather than later.

Apocalyptic. That's how it felt. Dark at 3pm on a summers day. Totally unreal.

Anyway let us hope that this year will be a good one. I wish you all the very best, have a good day/night and I will see you all next time.

POWER ARMOUR!

Well hello everyone for what is certain to be the last post of 2019 by me. This one has been a long time coming so I hope you enjoy what I have to show you today/tonight. Let me introduce El Grupo de Contención (Containment Team) who are the final set of miniatures for el Ministerio de Investigación Burocrática (Ministry of Bureaucratic investigation). These miniatures are also from Elhiem Figures just like the last couple posts. Let's take a closer look.

Iron Man's somewhat more subtle cousins.

While the men and women in black make up the bulk of the MIB there are others who are trained and equipped to deal with those really, really persistent gas leaks. Most notable are El Grupo de Contención (Containment Team). Wearing the most advanced individual protective gear available to any Oronegrean forces, they fall somewhere between infantry and armour.

Group photo. Somewhat ruined by the shadow of the Camera.

In terms of protection they can easily shrug of most assault rifle rounds up to 7.62mm. Protection does extend up to 12.7mm (the 50 cal) however only for the torso and thighs, which are covered by the densest and thickest plates. Resistance to higher calibre rounds is limited to shots from long range and glancing blows. Chemical, Biological, Radiation and Nuclear protection is a central feature of the armour as is resistance to explosives. In short it can take a punch, the same kind of punch a light tank can take.

Another photo of the platoon

It should be noted though that protection is not even across body. The rear of the legs do not have any armoured plates to protect them and there's gaps on the underside of the arms too. This is mitigated by their advanced optics, digital battlefield awareness system and HUD prevent any threat sneaking up to attack these vulnerable locations undetected. Much like a tank it is important to consider the balance, in a triangle, between armour, mobility and firepower. So let's move onto the second factor of mobility. 

The platoon splits up into three fireteams each of four troopers.

Unsurprisingly given the level of armoured protection the armoured suit is significantly heavy. Even individual plates are hard to lift and a whole suit cannot be moved unaided. That's where the power aspect of the power armour comes in. Each suit has a basic internal mobility system, which prevents the suit from crushing its user. However, the primary source of mobility is the large exoskeleton which enables the wearer to run, jump and roll as if they were wearing gym wear. This exoskeleton is somewhat vulnerable due to being exposed but failure of the system is uncommon even when it received fire.

Some individual shots. This one shows off the wasteland theme of the base with dead grasses. A homage to Fallout the classic post apocalyptic game, which also heavily features power armour.

Finally we turn to firepower. Here things become less extraordinary. Usually it's just your basic selection of infantry weapons. There's some more exotic weapons, such as miniguns, available but these are rarely used. Assault rifles and general purpose machine guns are the norm. Light anti-tank weapons are sometimes brought out however the troops also carry a selection of grenades, which given the exoskeleton can be thrown over long distances accurately. This provides an alternative to rocket launched grenade systems.

Oddly for top secret forces these troops often wear Oronegrean flag patches. Although if you see them you are unlikely to be able to tell anyone after.

Overall then these forces are not the kind of people you as an extraterrestrial, or supernatural individual really want to encounter. Far less so if you are just a run of the mill human being. Which is a distinct and horrifying possibility. Despite belonging to the MIB these units are called into military operations. They are one of the very few groups who have the privilege to work with Los Angeles Negros, Black Angels, in combat operations. However, this only occurs when explicitly invited by the angels. Who, much to the horror of the MIB, are somehow able to contact the bureau but cannot be reached by the very agency which is able to locate a rogue alien slow gas leak, in a cave, in the jungle, at midnight on the other side of the globe, have never been able to track down their even more secretive allies.

The lighter green exoskeleton clearly visible in this shot. It is linked into the large "backpack" which serves as the power unit for the armour, a storage compartment, the battlefield computer and communication equipment.

Moving onto the miniatures themselves I must say that I am rather impressed. There's some areas where detail is lost and some holes not fully filled. However, the proportions are very good and detail is, upon the whole, excellent. 7.5/10

Heavy weapons troopers wear a slightly different variant of the suit. Notably the smaller "backpack" and larger helmet

In other news I attended my first meeting of the Auckland Wargaming Club. Watched a few games and got to show off these figures who were as yet unfinished. Wish these figures see any action on the miniature battlefield sometime soon? Well let's see, watch this space.

Ammunition belts unroll from within the "backpack". The heavy weapons version is easier to open to allow resupply of the internal ammunition magazine.

One final comment before leaving it to the photos and captions. Deciding upon the camouflage was quite a fun exercise. I decided to take that ambiguity between whether these units were infantry or armour and represent that through camouflage. The choice was for a four tone pattern, dark green base, with khaki patches bordered by sand on top and black below. This was influenced by some cold war tank patterns altered to work on the smaller plates of the power armour suit. 

Front on view highlights the different helmet design with wider visor. This allows a wider field of vision without use of a HUD.

Despite the weight of the suit these soldiers are highly mobile. Their operations require rapid response. Armour substitutes subtlety. When you can't take the time to sneak in you must instead survive inevitable fire coming your way.

So I have paid homage to the Fallout franchise but I will also mention the classic novel Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. Have to say I prefer the mechanical look to the naturalistic one described in the books.

Have to say that I probably wouldn't have had so many photos of so few figures but my camera ran out of batteries after photographing three. So instead of deleting some and using more of others I went with what I had.

This figure I particularly like for the pattern of the backpack. The "logic" of the pattern is clear to see. Whereas on other figures it is harder to make out after the washes were applied, the four tones stand out here.

Final photo, gun and helmet mounted flashlights are clear to see.

So that was quite a long post. Included many things that would previously been included on a post on the Oronegro blog, which usually focuses on the "in universe" aspects. However, I am still thinking about how to approach the story so before that's clear I am going to hold off posting there.

Also time to say greetings to the blog's latest follower Miguel Angel Martinez hope you enjoy what you find here. Welcome.

Now to you all I shall wish you all the best for the holidays and the new year. I look forward to bringing you exciting and varied content. Until then have a good day/night.

End of University Purchases.

Well to celebrate the end of university I bought a whole load of models. Over the course of a few months admittedly. I have done a rather long post on my second blog for this. So instead of doing a repeat of that post I shall instead post the pictures and leave the comments to a minimum. I hope that you find this interesting.

The entire haul. What a mighty collection.

Here we have the S-Model 1+1 sets and the Caesar Infantry

The Plastic Soldier company T-55 tanks. These are really high quality. I hope they add more to this range.

ModelCollect tanks and two big box sets. The Revell set was 48% off! A real bargain.

A Dutch unicorn Boxer and two exciting Italeri reissues of the Esci cold war sets.

Another box set, a Zcvezda tank and some Trumpeter tanks.

To finish off we have some more infantry.

Well I am going to leave this here. I hope that you have a good day/night and I look forward to slowly bringing you these miniatures in a completed state.