Twilight 2000 British Infantry - 28mm

A British Infantryman armed with an L1A1. Dressed in DPM camouflage with body armour and a rather full rucksack.

The figure is based on a Crooked Dice X-Commando with an Empress Miniatures Modern British helmet with enthusiastic camouflage. The rucksack is from the Warlord Games British Commandoes range.

Twilight 2000 British Infantry - 28mm

Crooked Dice have a range of British Army figures for their period film and television programme game 7TV.

This figure is straight out of the box (or in this case ziplock bag).

Armed with the L1A1 SLR and wearing a beret, he could represent a soldier in older uniform in a less hostile environment.

Oathmark Dwarf Sprue

At Salute 2017 Osprey and North Star had the first sprue for the forthcoming fantasy battle system "Oathmark".

It is probably compatible with the Frostgrave sprues.

Warlord Games KV1/KV-2 tank

Another Salute 2017 purchase, the Warlord Games KV-1/KV-2 tank.

This is the first kit I have seen with the new colour  instructions. It is a two sprue kit, but also includes a sprue of Russian infantry and a weapons sprue. Instruction leaflet for the Russian infantry and the front of the instruction booklet.

There are also two data cards and some smoke markers.

Infantry sprue.

The two tank sprues.

It can build both a KV-1 turret and the KV-2 turret. Strangely there is a pistol port on one side of the KV-2 turret, but not the other side or the back of the turret.

So, the KV-1 turret and the main part of the body has been constructed.

The details still need to be added to the turret.

The join on the turret sides needs blending with some milliput.

The rear machine gun port has to be added.

Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago - Empire Militia

While looking for the Games Workshop Skinks, I also found a box of Games Workshop Empire Militia and a Games Workshop Empire Detachment box.

The sprue will build four figures with various weapon and head options.

Due to the transitionary Black Powder period of the old Warhammer game, there are some black powder weapons included which are unsuitable for the Ghost Archipelago setting.

This is the first figure I have built.

I based him on a Renedra (via Perry Miniatures) 20mm base which I then added to a Renedra 25mm base. This is because the Frostgrave figures are supplied with integral bases and I thought that this figure (which might end up as a Heritor) needed the additional height to make it suitably imposing.

Armed with a Had Weapon and Heavy Armour. he is ready for the fight.

Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago - Skinks

While looking for something else, I thought that the Games Workshop Skinks might make an interesting race to add to Ghost Archipelago.

These are one set of sprues:

I think in my box there were components for 24 figures. The shield fits on either side, and you need to remove the weapon (there are no shield arms).

This is the first set of six, armed with hand weapons and will have shields added after painting.

Rubicon Models T34/76 - the build part four

So I used Citadel Athonian Camoshade on the body and turret, and Citadel Agrax Earthshade on the wheels and tracks. Unfortunately the shade dried with a mixed gloss and matt finish, so I used some Humbrol acrylic matt varnish (49) to get a common matt finish.

To recap, the tank was undercoated with Citadel Chaos Black followed by Humbrol Dark Green spray. The track and wheel treads were painted with a mix of Vallejo Black Grey and Hull Red. A mix containing more Hull Red was used on the ice cleats and the spare track links.

A similar mix was used on the exhaust pipes.

Rubicon Models T34/76 - the build part three

So I have undercoated the tank (Citadel Chaos Black spray) and given it a base coat of Humbrol Dark Green spray.

I masked the tracks to reduce the amount of over painting that was required. I have painted over the black with a mix of Vallejo Hull Red and Black Grey. The spare track pieces were painted with a more mix containing more Hull red. The exhaust pipes and the front tow hooks have also been painted.

The wheels need a bit of touching up.

Twilight 2000 Soviet Infantry

So the other two Empress figures from the Chechnya Russian pack are now painted (there is a fourth figure but that is assembled but stored elsewhere).

A marksman with sniper rifle and disposable light anti tank weapon.

 Light machine gunner.

 Group shot of the three figures.

Messing about with boats...

Many years ago I bought a small rowing boat from Ainsty.

It has had a few different paint jobs over the years, but nothing has grabbed my attention.

I painted over the Citadel Ogre Flesh spray undercoat with Vallejo German Camouflage black brown. It was then dry brushed with Citadel Terminatus Stone.

Finally I have shaded it with Citadel Nuln Oil.

So my future explorers of the Ghost Archipelago now have a boat.

Rubicon Models T34/76 - the build part two

So I have finished the build. Besides the rails, it has been built straight out of the box.

The fuel tanks on the rear deck have been smoothed off and attached. I had contemplated adding some soft stowage, a bucket and other bits such as pioneer tools.

But as that is the reason why the T34/85 build is still not finished, I decided to just leave it as is.

There is a lot of dust on it, it will be dusted before it goes for undercoating (when the weather improves).

Twilight 2000 British Infantry - 28mm

Twilight 2000 was a role playing game from the mid to late 'eighties published by Games Designers Workshop. It is set in a post nuclear world where World War Three happened.

Finding suitable figures is difficult, as the period (1995 - 2000) is not well covered by modern figure manufacturers.

The Soviet forces can be covered by Chechnya period Russians. British troops are more of a problem.

Crooked Dice specialise in figures for real and imaginary characters from classic television series from the period 1960-1985 One of the ranges cover the X-Commandos from the fictional series Department X. I have used them for support for A.G.E.N.T.S.

The figure below is equipped with body armour similar to that used by the British Army of the period, and is armed with an L1A1 SLR. The head supplied with the figure has a beret, so a period British Helmet would be required. Empress do a range of British helmets of the current design, one set has camouflage, which would hide any differences between the period and current helmets.

 As characters in Twilight 2000 often have to carry everything with them (fuel is scarce) I added a Warlord games Commando rucksack to the back.

A scarf made of greenstuff round the neck binds the head to the body. Greenstuff is used to add the straps to the rucksack.

The surface of the figure is not as smooth as it should be. I will run a slurry of milliput over it to smooth it over.