AK47 Republic - Objective Marker Competition part 1: Ideas

 Over on the AK47 Republic FaceBook group, there is a competition to create an AK47 objective marker based on an old CD or similar sized base.

You can put in as many entries as you want, I have several ideas I'm planning to make because having just got the game, I don't possess any markers at present.

I have 6 main ideas so far, shown below, plus a 7th secret idea which will only be revealed when I submit them for judging!

I sketched out the ideas and then watercoloured them using washable felt tips.  I scribble on the inside of an old Pringles tube type lid, then use a wet paintbrush to pick up the ink and apply it.  It gives a more subtle effect than colouring straight onto the paper with the felt-tip.  Using technical drawing pens with waterproof ink ensures the original sketching doesn't run.

Click on the pic to see the ideas in detail!

I'll post some more detail in the coming days as the projects progress.  I've been busy 3D printing various vehicles and accessories for these little dioramas.

Piggy store sheds

I'd seen a few other people make these store sheds so a few years back I thought I'd have a go too.  The starting point was some Britains farmyard 1/32 scale pig arcs (or "pigloos" as I've always known them).  The originals were metal as I had with my toy farmyard when I was a lad.  Mine are still in Mum & Dad's loft somewhere but I picked up a set of modern ones for a few quid on ebay.  These turned out to be plastic rather than metal but it didn't make any difference to my plans.

Some sheet styrene and some pieces of square section styrene rod were used to box in behind the door opening.

I had some old Antenocities Workshop 15mm scale doors in my bits box and these fitted neatly into the doorway.

After  quick spray undercoat, the roofs were painted dark grey and the front panelling and ramps/doors dark blue.  The entrance ramps were stippled with brown to show where people have been trudging in and out.  A wash of Future floor polish and black ink prpovided shading and I drybrushed with the original colours for highlights, with some lighter grey added as an extra highlight on the roofs.

Doors were painted in bright colours and I used some rather nice waterslide hazard transfers to show what's in each shed.

The sheds have featured in a few games, I thought I'd use the finished photographs of them in action from one of my zombie games.

These were a cheap and easy way of adding a few extra buildings to the games table, and they come in useful in all sorts of different games.

Nodding donkeys

I happened to be browsing the TTCombat web site the other day when I came across these nodding donkey oil pumps in their "last chance to buy" section.  I hadn't spotted them before, presumably because they were in the Wild West section.

Oil pumps.

Though sold as 28-32mm, they look fine for 15mm and would probably even do for 6mm.  At £3.95 for 2 including postage, they're also excellent value.

What's on the sprue.

Although there are no instructions, these simple kits are all on a single sheet of 3mm MDF and fit together very easily. As with most TTCombat MDF kits, the parts were cleanly cut with only a single small point of contact keeping them in the sprue.  A few minutes with a sanding block cleaned these up and they glued together with superglue for the bits I needed to stick instantly and PVA for the rest.

Initial pump assebly complete.

I decided they looked a bit bare, so cut some 6mm wide strips of cereal packet card and used this, folded at 90 degrees, to cover the tabs on the edges.

Cereal packet card added.

I added the strips around all edges of the motor housings, using superglue for a quick bond.

Motor housing detail.

I also added some on the top of the support frame.

Support frame detail.

The entire model was given a coat of Wilko Supernova black emulsion paint to seal the MDF and provide a good base for the next stage.

Base coat finished.

The pumps tower satisfyingly over a 15mm figure.

Base coat finished.

These will mainly be used in sci-fi games, so I added a few vents, grilles and other greeblies from Lego bricks.

Extra decoration using Lego.

The base motor housing is very plain and even these few bits make a big difference.

Extra decoration.

Lego "cheese" slopes make nice vents when glued on at an angle.

Vents.

A curves slope makes an interesting equipment housing.

Curved slopes.

Some sloped grilles finish off the rear of the base housing.

Rear grilles.

The pump bases were given a coat of taupe craft acrylic for a concrete colour, everything else was painted burnt umber, then stippled with random patches of burnt sienna.

Finished models.

A drybrush of GW chainmail completed the initial painting, but I decided they needed a spot of brighter colour somewhere.  Taking inspiration from a few pictures I'd seen online, the "horse heads" were sponge painted with some Wilko "Bumblebee" emulsion paint from a tester pot.

Extra oil drums.

A couple of extra oil drums were added for a bit of interest, these were given the black/umber/sienna base coat as the main model, then toothpaste masked before top coating using a green spray can.  A scrub with a toothbrush in warm water gives a realistic chipped paint look.

Vents.

These tick the box of being scenery with which models can interact.  It doesn't just block LOS, figures can also be placed in and on it.

Hide and seek?

These will make a useful game objective.  It would probably be pretty easy to motorise these if you wanted for that extra bit of realism, but I'd taken so long sticking all the little bits of card on that I knew I'd never finish them if I didn't just get a move on!

Epic Dominus siege artillery

 The Dominus siege artillery is a variant of the Crassus superheavy troop transport.

The troop transport area is replaced with 3 massive Bombard siege mortars, giving my 2 vehicles more firepower than the 5 Bombards.

The mortars are so large that as with the Bombards, the Dominus requires a logistical tail of amunition and support vehicles, though at least there is space for the gun crews within the vehicle this time.

MKHAND_INDUSTRIES once again provides this excellent model, there are also alternate weapons for the front hardpoints (heavy flamers) and 2 different elevations of siege mortar.

Epic Bombard siege mortars

My traitor forces have a well equipped gun line specialising in siege warfare.  A large part of the artillery force includes Bombards.

The Bombard comes in 2 different flavours, one based on the Chimera chassis and the other on the Leman Russ.  I prefer the Leman Russ variant, the heavier chassis seems to suit the massive siege gun much better.

MKHAND_INDUSTRIES again, I chose the option with a separate loading arm to make clean up and painting easier.

Given the size of the shells these things will fire, some Trojan ammunition transports and trailers will definitely be needed soon.  There is no room for the crew other than a driver, some additional Chimeras or Centaurs will also need to be printed.

Epic Thunderer siege tanks

The Thunderer siege tank is a variant of the Leman Russ-based Destroyer tank hunter.

The Thunderer replaces the laser destroyer of the tank hunter with a short-ranged demolisher cannon, creating a vehicle suitable for battlefiels demolition or siege warfare.

The lack of a turret or secondary weapons means that it isn't ideal for urban combat unless well supported by infantry and other armoured vehicles.

This model is another from MKHAND_INDUSTRIES, I've chosen to print the version with track guards but it also comes with exposed tracks.

Epic Valdor tank hunters

 The Valdor tank hunter is an ancient design based on the Malcador heavy tank chassis.

A Neutron Laser Projector forms the main armament of the Valdor. This powerful weapon is comparable to the defence laser/turbo laser mounted on the Shadowsword superheavy tank and makes the Valdor an efficient superheavy tank hunter.

The Valdor has an unusual asymmetric design, with a sponson mounted las-cannon on one side but part of the power systems for the neutron laser on the other.

Another of MKHAND_INDUSTRIES designs, this printed neatly with no problems flat on the build plate of my printer.  I made sure that it was well-supported under the hull, main gun and las-cannon.

The Valdor is a sort of budget Shadowsword and this group of 4 operating with my traitor forces will certainly give any loyalist Titans something to worry about...

Ambush position!