Friday, March 24, 2023

Landsknecht Ogres

        Frankly I can't recall which brand of "Classic Fantasy" it is that brings us Lansknecht Ogres but that really matter very little at all. What we do have here is another set of interesting and well-thought-out minis from the fertile minds at Wargames Atlantic.  The figures were sculpted with dual use in mind. The High Fantasy club will be thrilled to find all the typical weapons of the Landsknecht; halbreds, arquebuses, two-handed swords and pikes. Weird War Two and Sci-Fi fans will applaud the inclusion of Near-Future/Scf-Fi guns. 

        As far as the models are concerned they are cast in a firm medium gray plastic that displays detail very well. The models exhibit no trace of flash and hardly any mold-lines. There is a wide selection of weapons and the usual superabundance of heads. These are big models, fully assembled they will easily top 40mm tall (but they ARE Ogres). The detail is crisp and accurate to the "Landsknecht" style (I can only dream that WA will get around to some 28mm historical Landsknechts).

front of the box

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Sci-Fi Bugs of the worst sort, Harvesters from Wargames Atlantic

 

       I'm not afraid to admit it; bugs have always creeped me out. Starship Troopers, Aliens, yep, if it has an exoskeleton I don't care for it. Then along comes these minis, they look like something you would find under a microscope infecting an animals skin. At about 30mm tall (depending upon how you choose to position them) they are big for most sci-fi/fantasy minis; huge if you are using 15mm and absolutely gigantic next to 1/300 scale stuff (micro-armor vs giant bugs, anyone?) But enough about my issues, on to the minis!

       The models are molded in a firm gray plastic the takes detail well. There is no trace of lash and very few mold-lines. The break-down of the minis into components allows a great deal of freedom as far as positioning during assembly for the four large bugs on each sprue, the two smaller creatures are one-piece castings (larval forms of the bigger bugs?). There is an option for "ranged bio-weapons" in the form of foreshortened limbs that look suspiciously like cannon with an underslung bayonet. If these are ray weapons, projectile throwers or slime-flingers are up to you and your rules of preference.

the front of the box

Look out Catachans, here come the boys from SPACENAM

 

       I won't pretend for a moment to know what "SPACENAM" is, I have several guesses but they are of little importance now. What it has given us (on the other hand) is this set of very interesting minis from the workshops of Wargames Atlantic.  Cast in the same spirit as GWs Catachans (a sort of Rambo writ large in the sci-fi vein, or Arnold in Predator) these minis are both more attractive and half the price. Flawlessly cast in a firm grey plastic, with no trace of flash and very few mold-lines, this set provides more weapons choices and better sculpting. As usual there is a lavish supply of different heads and the breakdown of the models into parts allows a wide range of positions. These boys have definitely been spending time in the gym (or getting some sort of gene enhancement) they are very buff without the cartoonish look of the GW product.

front of the box 

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

The M.P.s caught up with me and I'm AWOL no longer

        I won't make excuses; I have been neglecting the blog terribly the last six weeks or so. I haven't given up the hobby or any other such nonsense, I simply didn't have the motivation to write. I DID take a road-trip south and photographed another fort for my Fortified Places page, this time it was Fort Boonesborough in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. 

      I also have gotten the chance to review four new figure sets; Imperial Navy Breachers for Kill Team from Games Workshop; The Harvesters, Space 'Nam, and Landsknecht Ogres, all from the busy workshops of Wargames Atlantic. These will appear in the blog as I do the write-ups and on my 28mm Plastic Figure Review page as well. 

      Additionally, as time allows, I will present the AAR on the All Quiet on the Martian Front mega game that was hosted at Tom from Texas' place a little while back. It involved both his and The Housemartin's extensive collections of minis.

       This weekend is Battlefields, so a photo essay will be in the pipe for that as well.


 not kidding at all, it was a big game

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Getting ready for Battlefields, I have three spaces in my truck if anyone wants a lift

      One of the big advantages of running a skirmish game (02 Hundred Hours) at Battlefields is that I don't have to haul 24sq ft of terrain and hundreds of figures. This leaves me with spare room in my ride if anyone wants to save a little gas and ride along. Be warned I plan on staying through the second session so this will be an almost all-day affair.

       Text or call if you want to join in the fun.