Alternative Armies - 15mm Laserburn Aliens

Alternative Armies is a great place for some Old School miniatures for skirmish games.   I painted these guys ages ago, aliens from the Laserburn range.  These are 40 year old miniatures.  I think they still hold up well.  

15mm Laserburn Aliens, from Alternative Armies

First up, the Mrurz.  These guys are obviously a take on the Kzinti.  Large cat-like warriors...what's not to love.  Sadly there are only 3 sculpts, a leader, warrior and a special weapon.  I plan on doing more of these guys though.  They make great "Feral" in Clash on the Fringe.  

Mrurz alien, from Laserburn

Second, the Thulg, large lizard like aliens.  These guys are big.  Bigger than the Khurasan Garn actually.  Again, there are only 3 sculpts, one of which is a power armor leader.  Asia these guys need that.  

Thulg alien, from Laserburn

The Vroof are strange beings, large aliens with vestigial wings.  There are only 2 sculpts. 

Vroof, from Laserburn

The Giant Snave is a large cyborg giant.  No clue what is underneath all that gear.

Giant Snave, from. Laserburn

Finally, the Giant Kron, a large giant of a alien.  Armed with a large energy cannon, he obviously means business.

Giant Kron, from Laserburn 

There are more that I have not photographed, the Space Demons, Froog, Szithk and the Shantek.  Perhaps another day.  

Anyway, all of these are great for skirmish games like Clash on the Fringe, Rogue Scout and Five Parsecs from Home.  They fit perfectly for those who want some nostalgia on their table.

Khurasan Miniatures 15mm Feral Parasachnid Bug Horde

 

I finally got around finishing my bug horde from Khurasan, 32 of these beasts and their big brother.  The recipie is the same as the Beetle bug, so I will not repeat that here.  

The horde consists of 24 regular and 8 flying critters.  I changed their big brother slightly.  I repainted his pincers in the same yellow as the body.  The black was bothering me and I don't know why I did them black.  It took some deft airbrushing work to get it to match perfectly.  

These guys make great "Beast" and "Close Flyer" units in Alien Squad Leader.

"It's clobbering time!"

"Now, hold still..."

These guys were fun to paint.  Simple and straightforward.  They will be accompanying their Ixx masters into battle in the near future.  

Khurasan Miniatures 15mm Feral Giant Parasachnid Ogre Beetle

Nobody likes bugs.  Especially yellow alien bugs.  This brute below, the Parasachnid Ogre Beetle is no exception.  He is part of my GZG Ixx horde, painted in the same scheme as those bizarre aliens which hail from the Dark Dimension, beyond Time and Space.

This monstrosity was easy to assemble and paint.

The Beast of Altair VI.

The recipie was:

• Primed white.
• Airbrushed in Tamiya Yellow Green, followed by Tamiya Flat Yellow at 45 degree angles.  
• Airbrushed with Vallejo Model Color Lemon Yellow on the upper most areas.
• The belly was airbrushed with Citadel Fuegan Orange and Cassendora Yellow.  Citadel Washes flow perfectly through an airbrush and did a nice job of adding interesting contrast to the carpace.  
• The upper maw was painted with Citadel Contrast Gryph Hound Orange and Iyanden Yellow, followed by Warpstone Green.  
• The pincers were done in Flat Black as were the spots. I used a brush and an AK Flat Black paint pen for this.  This was very random.  
• The whole model was washed in Minwax Polyshades Peacan, then sealed with matte varnish.  The Pecan gave a nice warm tone and tied all the colors together. 
• The maw and mouth were then washed with Citadel Earthshade, Flesh and Sepia washes.  
• Tamiya pigments were used to highlight the pincers and portions of the legs.

The upper maw spews acidic bile to dissolve prey and ready them for consumption.

For scale: Laserburn Imperial Trooper, GZG Mercenary and GZG Ixx.

Tamiya yellows airbrush like a dream. If I was ever going to do an Imperial Fist army, I would do it in Tamiya yellows.  No fuss, no issues.  Just a perfect coat of yellow, first time, every time.  

I'm pleased with how he turned out.  He will make a fine addition to the Ixx menagerie.

Alternative Armies - Dominator Spheres, Guardians of Dimension X

There are many strange inhabitants of Dimension X, many of them being "Artifical" in nature.  The Dominator Spheres, from Alternative Armies, are the guardians of the Psionic Overlords of that bizarre realm.  

Dominator Spheres by Alternative Armies 

The Spheres are multi are multi part models.  Four arms and a central body.  The arms can be posed in any configuration and are easy to bend to form a variety of poses.

Krang and the Cybernetic Overlords of Dimension X 

I painted the Spheres in a simple metallic scheme.  Nothing fancy.  Unfortunately my phone camera really does not due them justice.  The lighting made them look a lot more shiny than they actually are. 

• Black primer
• Vallejo Real Metal Steel, airbrushed.
• Airbrush highlights with Vallejo Model Air Steel and Chrome.
• Tamiya Clear Red was used on the central eye sensor.
• Washed in Polyshades Tudor.
• Sealed with Vallejo Metal Varnish.
• Tamiya Pigment Titanium was used as a slight highlight on the upper portions.  

These guys fit perfectly with my vision of this alien realm. When used in Alien Squad Leader, they will be the Power Armor guardians for the Cyborg Enslaver command stands.  

Alternative Armies - Space Brains

I picked these small Alien Space Brain guys up a few years ago, mainly to go with "Krang", my Big Alien Space Brain, also by AA.  Krang and his clever minions are the Overlords of an army of cyborg slaves from Dimension X.  That sounds more impressive than it actually is. 

The Psionic Overlords from Dimension X

The paint scheme was simple: Reaper Master Series Rosy Skin triad and Steel, from the Vallejo Real Metal paint line.  This steel is the most realistic version I have ever seen and is super smooth, usable in an airbrush without and thinning. 

The Power armor guards are from Khurasan.

These guys work perfectly as Psionic Masters for Alien Squad Leader.  Plus, they were fun to paint. 

15mm Alien Trees

Whenever we are near a Hobby Lobby I get excited.  I usually get good deals on airbrush spare parts and also pickup unusual items for terrain building.  

Recently, while at said store I grabbed some I things that looked bizarre enough for my purposes. 

Strange flora grows on Altair VI

It was a simple task of gluing them onto washers and adding appropriate flock.  I managed to make 21 tree stands of various types. 

Not bad for $15 bucks.  

Brigade Models - Larminat Heavy Hover Tank

Even though they are silly, I love Hover tanks.  They look cool to me for some reason.  I had these two beasts for some time: Larminat Heavy Hover tanks from Brigade Models and recently managed to get some paint on them.

These were painted in the same scheme as my Old Crow Hover vehicle pool.  Look u0 that post for the paint recipie.  

Brigade Models Larminat Heavy Hover Tank

These guys were obtained to go with my Old Crow Hover vehicle pool, which was painted in a German Panzer Grey.  These guys are big enough to classify them as Superheavy tanks.

The vehicles come with a turret with a laser cannon, however because I like variety I also grabbed two turrets with a more conventional main gun.  The stowage rack was empty, so of course I filled it with stuff.  

The Larminat is larger than most vehicle models.  It dwarfs vehicles from Old Crow and Ground Zero Games.  

Overall I am pleased with this model.  They were easy to paint and assembly was basically zero.  

My Gaming Den 3.0

I admit: I am spoiled.  My wife is very accommodating and has allowed me to claim the basement as my own domain.  She is supportive and came up with many of the ideas below. 

Over the years my basement Den has slowly evolved: from an unfinished concrete basement into a cosy warm cave. Lage TV, fireplace, 3 piece washroom, leather sofas, gaming area and plenty of display and storage options.  

For miniature display my den contains 4 large glass display cabinets, 10 wall mounted glass cabinets and 3 wall mounted antique letter press drawers converted into display cabinets. 

Asher is my main gaming opponent.  He usually wins. 

My gaming table is a 6.5 x 4 foot MDF board, with multiple gaming mats.  It is mounted on black resin shelving which holds all my board games, painting supplies and some terrain.  The table is bar height, 40 inches.  Smaller terrain is stored at the side, in a roll around storage bin.  

The side wall has inserts in the wall which hold terrain and buildings.  The two small display cabinets hold my first 28mm figures I ever painted.  Many are horrible or sub par.  I keep them on display to remind myself how much I have improved over the years. 

The TV is my middle son's primary video game area. The larger glass cabinets hold my old Warhammer armies, 8 in total: Chaos Warriors (Khorne, Slaanesh and Nurgle), Dark Elves, Orcs and Goblins, Beasts of Chaos, Ogres and Vampire Counts.  

Two book cases hold all my printed material: RPGs and gaming books. 

V

Most of the wall mounted cabinets hold my 15mm collection.  

Just outside of the main room is a small alcove under the stairs.  It holds my hobby carts and larger terrain pieces in pull out plastic storage bins.  

This is my space, the place where I come to forget about adulting and be an irresponsible kid again.  

Clear Horizon 15mm Apocalypse Tank

Hello all. No, this blog is not dead. I have been absent online, but I have been painting, now and then this past year.  Remember, I am a lazy blogger. 

So, to restart things a little, here is some vehicle eye candy, the Apocalypse Super Heavy Tank by Clear Horizons.  I painted this beast in the same manner as the mammoth tracked Tohlic APC from Alternative Armies. See my other blog post for this paint recipie.  The only difference is that I washed it in Polyshades Tudor after painting.  There were too many lines and nick knacks on the model to shade completely with an airbrush. 

Clear Horizons 15mm Apocalypse Super Heavy Tank

I added a couple of Old Crow Gladius hover tanks to the mix as well.  They were kicking around and needed a home. 

The paint scheme, a rich red, matches my Laserburn Imperial Troopers.  Since it is Far-Future Sci Fi, realism be damned. 

The Apocalypse measures 100mm x 60mm

Overall I am pleased with the result. It goes with the Tohlic APC and gives my Laserburn Imperial Troops some much needed punch. 

15mm Sci Fi - Ground Zero Games Tracked Vehicle Pool

Continuing on with the vehicle porn (since I have nothing better to do), may I present my collection of Ground Zero Games 15mm Tracked Vehicles.  

These were the first vehicles I painted during my second foray into 15mm Sci Fi (for a history of my experience, and  how to avoid falling into my delusion, see this post).  I don't know why I waited so many years to photograph these together (the likely answer is that I am quite lazy).  

https://darebearsminiemporium.blogspot.com/2021/12/how-did-i-get-into-this-my-history-with.html

These are all metal models, like all GZG materials.  As per my usual, I did modify some of them to my own taste.  

These were airbrushed with the Vallejo Russian Green Modulation kit.  I then airbrushed on Vallejo Model Air NATO Black and US Light Grey to create a feathered camo pattern.  They were then washed in thinned Polyshades Tudor Minwax.  

15mm GZG Tracked Support Vehicles - Artillery, MRLS, Mobile Gun System and Anti-Air Artillery

15mm GZG Self Propelled Artillery and MRLS Launcher

15mm GZG Mobile Gun System and Skysweeper Anti Air Artillery

I wanted a heavier version of the Cougar tank.  So, I took a Skysweeper Anti-Air turret and modified it to fit the heavy plasma gun that comes with the basic Cougar tank.  

15mm GZG Cougar Tanks, modified with heavy plasma guns & a different turret.

15mm GZG Tracked Cougar Tanks, modified with heavy plasma guns

To modified the basic Cougar turret lightly to accommodate rotary gatling co-axial guns.  You never have enough firepower.  

15mm GZG Tracked Cougar Tanks

15mm GZG Tracked Cougar Tanks

15mm GZG Tracked Cougar Tanks

If I were to redo these APCs today I would replace their twin plasma guns with newer GZG remote weapon systems.  

15mm GZG Tracked APCs

15mm GZG Tracked APCs

15mm GZG Tracked APCs

Scout vehicles & Drones

Since these are all metal models they are not the easiest to transport to other venues, so they tend to remain in their cases, waiting for the day to roll across the dusty plains of Altair IV.