Colonial Defence Force from GZG

 More of my Ground Zero models, this time some of their new Colonial Defence Force sculpts.  These are going to become the "Green Hollow Rangers".  Green Hollow is a sparsely populated, heavily forested world and the GHR are renowned for their wilderness skills.  I've opted for 2 packs of rifles, 1 support weapons and 1 light machine guns plus 2 packs of cavalry for recce work.  The soft cap heads suit the image I'm trying to create, cavalry only come in helmets but I don't mind this because you can see why mounted troops would want an extra bit of head protection!

Green Hollow Rangers ready to be cleaned up and undercoated.

L-R: Assault rifle, LMG (with drum mag), anti-tank rifle

L-R: LAW, assault rifle, LMG.

Cavalry - not available with caps, but helmets are a must for safe riding!

The one thing that's missing is an obvious squad leader in the rifles pack but this doesn't matter too much.  All troops are well-provisioned with full webbing, day sacks, partial armour (eg shoulder plates), the usual details you'd expect from GZG.  I already have some ideas on painting which will tie in with some of the previous figures I've done.  I'll put together a more in-depth review when I've got some painted.

GZG sale goodies

I've just received a box of glittering metal goodness in the post, my latest delivery from Ground Zero Games.  Lots of reinforcements for the Neo Colonial Commonwealth in the form of NAC Marines:

NAC SAWs

NAC Support Weapons

NAC Rifles B

NAC Rifles A

Medics and casualties

More casualties!

 I'm planning on turning some into military police, others will be converted with head swaps:

Conversions using Peter Pig wolf heads!

Dungeon furniture on Twisting Catacombs Kickstarter

Although I have all the corridors and rooms I need from my Hirst Arts casting, additional furniture is always useful.  I discovered the Twisting Catacombs Kickstarter from Zealot Games a couple of days ago, lots of great furniture and other useful bits for anyone running a dungeon crawl.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1207385459/twisting-catacombs-miniature-dungeon-scenery

Only 3 days left as I write this, well worth a look!

Veni Vidi Vici waterslide transfers

All my armoured vehicles are looking rather anonymous, lacking any sort of ID markings.  In order to correct this, I've been looking at various waterslide/dry-rub transfers (or decals if you prefer).  I do have a huge stock of old WWII markings and a few modern vehicles, but most of them look too.. well, too WWII really.  After perusing a range of web sites, I've settled on some Veni Vidi Vici transfers:

Swooping Eagles

I need logos which can be used on a large number of vehicles - this swooping Eagle is just the sort of thing I'm after for my Neo Colonial Commonwealth marines, reflecting how they'll swoop down from orbit onto their enemies.  (OK, so the counter-insurgency fighting they've been involved in on Charity and Gordon's Gamble has made the "swooping" part rather difficult but you get the idea!)

Wolves

I thought these wolves heads are different enough from the standard GW sort that I can use them without people going "Oh, Space Wolves!" when they see them!

Heraldic mythical beasts in 25mm, 15mm, 10mm

Nice heraldic beasts, and this time available in 3 different sizes!  I would have gone with these designs for my NCC marines but I'd have needed so many sheets and would have ended up with so many unused ones that I used the Eagles instead.

Hazard signage

How could I resist adding a set of biohazard/radiation/explosive/poison/electrocution/laser/low temp warning signs to my order?!

Lions and more

Detail of above

 I liked these Lion's heads and the rampant Lion is nice too.  I was very impressed with the service - I ordered Sunday evening, had an e-mail Monday lunchtime to say they were in the post, envelope arrived Tuesday morning - excellent!  All the transfers I've shown above are available in a range of colours but I've mainly gone for simpler designs in plain black so that they'll be easier to see on the vehicles.

So, how do they look on the models?

Claymore APC

Goanna scout car

Lancer APC

Lancer APC

Outrider scouts

Sabre MBT

I'm very pleased with them, now all I need to do is print some ID numbers onto the clear waterslide transfer paper I've bought - no-one had numbers in the font I wanted and because I want 3-part numbers, using ready-printed decals would have involved lots of individual numbers, trying to get them all lined up neatly.  Far easier to print my own - assuming it works!

I have used up a few of my old transfers too...

The Scene armoured boat

This small armoured river boat from The Scene has WWII German tank serial numbers, bow markings from a Hind-D gunship and a red triangle on the roof from a GW Space Marines transfer sheet.

Spartan/Phalanx Destroid / Longbow BattleMech

 My Spartan or Phalanx Destroid / Longbow BattleMech has a range of transfers from WWII German PzIII and an old GW Predator tank from the mid-1990s.  It still needs varnishing to hide the carrier film better!

All these transfers have been applied onto gloss Pledge/Future floor polish with some Humbrol Decalfix and a top coat of Pledge/Future to seal them in.

Sheringham 1940's weekend

 Sheringham 1940's weekend.  Sadly a rather misty day so no Spitfire flypast as planned!  Not much in the way of vehicles apart from the occasional jeep or civilan car but lots of people in suitable '40's clothing, a few of whom looked rather familiar...

"Don't tell him Pike!"

Mr Jones the Butcher.

82nd Airborne

2 young(?) lads ready for evacuation.

Liberation by the 82nd Airborne at Nijmegen.

The George Stephenson

Matchbox reinforcements

I've finished adding assorted stowage to lots of old Matchbox vehicles recently, most or more-or-less ready for painting now.  These will mainly be reinforcements for the Charity Freedom Alliance who have had to make do with unarmed APCs up until now.

Stowage has come from the fantastic new Brigade Models stowage sets, also a few old resin ammo crates, plastic girder off-cuts plus lots of hand-sculpted stowage rolls.  Being second hand, lots of these were very well played-with and have wonky wheels and bent axles so I've had to snip a lot off!  Hopefully some new axles from brass rod or steel piano wire will be suitable to replace them.

Lots of wonky axles - wheels snipped off, new axles to come!

All ready for undercoating!

Weasel armoured cars with Brigade stowage and Milliput canvas rolls.

SP gun with pintle mount and assorted stowage, 2 more Badgers.

Stoat scout cars with Brigade and Milliput stowage.

"Frost Fighter" 4-track and another Stoat.