10mm Wargames Atlantic Skeletons

 

 

 

       Ages ago I gave up painting minis below 15mm, the metal models were expensive, fragile and poorly detailed. Recently Wargames Atlantic (and Warlord, to be fair) have brought the magic of high-tech injection molding to the world of tiny wargames minis.  The results are quite impressive. I had to use a magnifier to fully appreciate the detail on these tiny figures, they are as good as minis several times their size. They are cleanly cast in a firm gray plastic that reflects the finest of detail without a trace of flash and only the faintest hint of mold-lines. 

       The set come complete with bases and has a vast horde of variously-armed skeletal warriors including command, musicians (I was going to ask how a skeleton uses a trumpet, but we have accepted that skeletons can walk and fight so I will just be quiet), casualties (the re-dead un-dead?) and a smattering of highly detailed tiny skulls. 

28mm Wargames Atlantic American Revolutionary War British Grenadiers

         As a companion piece to the Minutemen Wargames Atlantic brings us the grenadier company of the 5th Regiment of Foot. This regiment served against the colonies for the first two years of the war before shipping out to the West Indies. It took part in various battles, including Lexington and Bunker Hill (both 1775), Long Island (1776) and Brandywine Creek (1777). These figures could also serve as the Grenadier company of other regiments as the differences in uniform were nominal. 

       The minis are molded in a firm gray plastic that shows detail very well, there is no flash and only traces of mold-lines. The sculpting is first-rate, details are well defined and cleanly cast, the abundant creases and wrinkles clearly reflect the tight-fitting uniforms of the period. There is a limited selection of heads (the troops not being allowed a choice of headgear). I do very much like that the backpack, cartridge box and sabre are cast as a separate piece that can be attached after the belts and straps have been painted, it greatly eases the chore of painting. The figures are normally proportioned and posed, no giant hands or strange huge heads so often seen on metal minis. The muskets and bayonets are a tad on the thick side but not so sturdy as to look odd.

 

the front of the box,

some very nicely painted minis

28mm Wargames Atlantic, American Revolutionary War Minutemen

        "Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here."

        And that's how it all got started. For us it got started through the release of Wargames Atlantic's new "Age of Reason" range. Quite reasonably (see what I did there?) they chose to time the release of these minis to go with the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. Well, it is reasonable to my American-centric viewpoint, your mileage may vary. Regardless of that these are some excellent minis that will blend well with other manufacturer's products. The good folks at Michigan Toy Soldier provided this sample for review.

       The models are well proportioned, reasonably animated (no wild running poses or awkward positions) and nicely detailed. The figures come as a torso with attached legs leaving the choice of arms and head to you. There is, as is common with Wargames Atlantic sets, a good selection of heads with a variety of headgear. The weapons consist of muskets and powder-horns (the ammo pouches are cast onto the mini) but, quite appropriately, no bayonets. The figures are cast in a firm gray plastic with no flash and limited mold-lines.  The detail is clear and should paint easily as the edges are crisply cast. The clothing drapes and folds over the body naturally.

       While these are exactly the sort of figures you would seek for a reenactment of Lexington/Concord or the Battle of Bunker Hill they can be used throughout the first couple of years of the conflict and can easily be added to other units as new recruits that haven't fully kitted-out in later years, or as local militia through the entire period. Without squinting too hard they could be mixed into units serving in the French & Indian Wars.

 

the front of the box

I'm sure not that even Bob Villa could help these two, Ruined Barns from Dungeon Artifacts

 

 

the last of the commissioned work from Dungeon Artifacts is this pair of ruined barns

two otherwise sturdy stone structures that have fallen on seriously hard times

 

they must have stood untended for many years to be in such a sorry state of affairs 

I primed these black and dry-brushed up from that darker tone

 to give these buildings a bedraggled look

 

 

just as easily they could be painted in shades of gray over the black primer to give the look of buildings that had been ravaged by war and left partially burnt

If Zillow did 28mm houses this one would be sold already, Dungeon Artifacts strikes again

 

 

this one I got over the counter at Michigan Toy Soldier so I'm not sure what they refer to it as on the Dungeon Artifacts website, I chose to paint it as an Italian style villa in warm colors and a red tile roof

Old Woman, What knight lives in that castle over there?

 

 

28mm Wargames Atlantic Foot Sergeant defends the stairway 

       Another commissioned project for Dungeon Artifacts is this Norman Tower. It is printed in PLA in a dark gray color and is very nicely detailed (with opening doors which simply delights my inner nine-year-old). As you can see it has an impressive bulk, this is mostly due to its height as it requires only a reasonable footprint on the table. I was quite impressed with the quality of the print, no misshapen parts, chipped corners or broken fragile pieces which one often encounters with plaster or resin models. The model assembles in a layer-cake fashion to allow access to the interior spaces, which are as detailed as the exterior, another advantage of 3D printing!

If good fences make good neighbors, then stone walls must make for an excellent relationship; stone walls from Dungeon Artifacts

        I implore my good readers to forgive me for the paucity of posts over the last couple of weeks, family obligations and a painting commission have absorbed most of my free time. The one upside of the painting commission is that I have some pretty pictures of freshly printed and painted terrain to display for you. These models come to me from Dungeon Artifacts who have an overwhelming collection of 3D printed models that on offer for sale. They are nicely printed with minimal cleanup. The PLA filament results in a model that is almost as tough as a hockey puck but they use very fine hotends so there is little evidence of the printed layers. 

        Frankly, once I had taken a look at the models "in the plastic" I was excited to get to work.

 

as usual I hit them with a rattle-can of automotive primer, in this instance flat black

the printed plastic is nearly impervious to common solvents

 

then I opened with a wet-brush of Americana Milk Chocolate followed by a heavy dry-brushing with Honey Brown, then I went in and picked out various stones with a few additional colors for variety

 

once that had been sorted I hit the whole thing with a thin wash of Soft Black, 

after that had dried I dry-brushed a light coat of Boulder to pick out highlights and make the edges pop

       These are excellent models and very reasonably priced. They are tough, light and easy to paint. If you would like to see a small portion of the their catalog in person drop by Michigan Toy Soldier as they have a good selection of items on hand for retail sale.

       Very Highly Recommended!

A Massive Thank-You to all our Vets

 

        As the son and grandson of veterans I would like to take the opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all who have served to defend my nation and freedoms. Your sacrifices are honored and appreciated by all decent Americans. Service at home or abroad, in times of peace or war, was a gift to the nation that cannot be matched in any way. I can only say "Thank You" with all my heart.

Happy Birthday USMC

 

 

        Happy Birthday to the most senior of our glorious armed forces!  Everyone raise a beer (or, more properly, two as only the first Marine got one) and a cheer to the remarkable history of heroism and sacrifice of the unparalleled heroes that have proudly gone by the moniker "Leatherneck"

Heroes of Bronze "Approaching Storm" Concept Teaser

 

This looks promising, support it if you can!

Maybe we can get a REAL historical movie about the period instead of crap like "300"

Midgard at Michigan Toy Soldier, November 1st

 

       November 1st at 1pm I will be running a Midgard demo game at Michigan Toy Soldier. This will give me a chance to field some of the Medieval minis I spent the summer painting and will offer the opportunity for new players to give Midgard a try before taking the plunge.

Protected Cruiser Atlanta, Part 8, Completed and commissioned

        Just some formal shots before handing over to my buddy Steve. The model looks so much better without the workbench clutter. Therer were compromises (of course) in reducing this to a manageable size; a pair of six-inch guns went missing as well as about one-third of each of the foredeck, midships and stern. I tried to maintain the overall look of the vessel.