Small Soldiers: 15mm Alien Squad Leader Army

The Cyborg Enslavers were the army list which first attracted me to the game Alien Squad Leader. The list itself is not all that impressive. It contains only nine types of units with little in the way of powerful special units or vehicle upgrades. It can be quite challenging to use, despite its large size on the tabletop (due to cheap but weak/ineffective units).

Lead by their Psionic Masters the army consists mainly of cyborg thralls, backed up by more capable infantry and vehicles piloted by something a little more than a mindless slave.

Alien Squad Leader - Cyborg Enslaver Army, "You will be assimilated."

The army consists of:
3 units of Psionic Masters with Powered Armor retinue, 17 points ea
12 units of Cyborg Troopers (thralls), 4 points ea
4 units of Cyborgs with heavy weapons (thralls), 6 point ea
6 units of Androids (regular infantry), 7 points ea
4 Automated Weapon Platforms with heavy weapons (floaters with thrall drivers), 6 pts ea
2 Piloted Weapon Platforms with heavy weapons (floaters with human drivers), 7 pts ea
2 Troop Transports, airlifted, unarmed, 3 pts ea
5 Hover tanks, heavy weapons, turret, air-lifted, 11 pts ea

Despite being few unit types in this army it was quite fun to put together. Mixing and matching models from various manufacturers is one thing which really attracts me to 15mm. I decided to go with a mainly metallic paint scheme, supplemented by dark greys.

The Psionic Masters are powerful units (Power Armor, 5+ armor save on a D6), with several PSI abilities (similar to 40K). But they are primary targets and need to be protected otherwise much of the army will be automatically removed from the board. They were painted in Reaper Bloodthirsty Reds triad. The Power Armor guards were done with a thin Vallejo gold coat (over the bare metal, no primer), then washed with Reaper Walnut Brown (10:1 ratio of paint to thinner).

Psionic Masters and Powered Armored Retinue (15mm UK and GZG)

The Cyborgs are GZG Robots. They were the easiest to paint. I simply took the metal model, painted the weapon grey and then washed the whole model. Then painted the eye. Done. I used this same technique on the heavy weapon cyborgs. Heavy weapon cyborgs are 15mm.co.uk Imperial Warbots and GZG Gunbots. Cyborgs receive a -1 to hit with ranged weapons and -2 to hit in close combat, making them unreliable troops in combat. They do get a 5+ armor save (on a D6) however, which is nice.

Cyborg Troopers (GZG Robots)

Cyborg Heavy Weapons Team (mix of 15mm UK and GZG miniatures)

The Regular Infantry (Androids) are GZG UNSC Light Infantry. These troops, while better in combat (no penalties) have no armor save. These guys could have been represented by human troops or some other model type. However these GZG models are some of my favorites and I like the idea of the Psionic Masters using androids in addition to mindless cyborgs. They were airbrushed Tamiya JN Grey, then washed in Vallejo Grey wash. The visor was done in black then highlighted with Reaper Fire Red, Phoenix Red, Fire Orange then finished with a white dot. Weapons were Reaper Military Grey, washed black.

2020 Update: UNSC troopers are now done in the following process:

Tamiya JN Grey.
Weapons in Reaper Military Grey.
Wash in Minwax Tudor.
Highlight in Reaper Khaki Highlight and Vallejo White Grey.
Visors done as above.

Android Troopers (GZG UNSC Light Infantry)

more Android Troopers (GZG UNSC Light Infantry)

The original ASL Cyborg Enslaver list did not allow them to take armored vehicles. This really limited the striking power of this army, making a primarily a defensive force. Floating Heavy Weapon Platforms while possessing mobility and the ability to do pop-up attacks from behind cover, have no armor save, making them quite vulnerable and not suitable for offensive operations. The list for 3rd edition now allows 3 armored fighting vehicles per 100 points. Armored vehicles have a 4+ armor saving, giving the army a much needed unit when on the offensive.

Vehicles were generally painted with Tamiya Metallic Grey, Reaper Military Grey or Vallejo Steel/Chrome. The hover tanks are something that I had lying around and seemed to fit the bill (for the moment anyway). However, they are in the process of being replaced by six (6) GW 40K Tau Crisis Suits (a Christmas present from my wife!). They will be painted in a light grey scheme, with white accents.