From MikeF - Gamma Wolves North-Star Faction - 75 points

I really lost steam at the start of February, but I figured that would happen thanks to work. This is the last group of models I have for Gamma Wolves. They represent the Arcology North-Star, which is built upon the remnants of the last U.S. and Canadian military installation. It was set up as a bastion of freedom after the apocalypse, but it's really just totalitarian dystopia. It's frame pilots are fed into a meat grinder of constant war, so it tends to lack veterans. In game terms, it's frame pilots have to be predominantly rookie pilots which reduces their effectiveness. They are however plentiful!

The models for this faction are from Anvil Industry and Nuclear Shrimp games. Unfortunately, NSG seems to have disappeared. I'd review their models, but I don't really see the point. 

Group Shot. The guardsman is for scale only.

These suits from Anvil Industry are fantastic!

Heavy Suit from Nuclear Shrimp

The plasma cannon on top and the top missile launcher are from Puppets War.

Very tricky to pose as each arm comes in 5 different pieces and no instructions!

Legs come in 4 pieces.

For scoring: 3 x 28mm vehicles and 3 x 28mm infantry = 75 points.

It also looks like I've had some points mistakenly added to my total. Unless those are pity points :(

Thanks for visiting!

Minion Miles: Very nice - I never heard of the company “Nuclear Shrimp” but they dont sound all that appetizing, still the minis are nice.  As for your points, perhaps a bit more info and we can see what the issue is.  I’m worried if a make a change it will be viewed as “Vindictive Points”. :)

From MikeF: Gamma Wolves - The Burg Faction - 28mm (25 Points)

Continuing with my Gamma Wolves projects I completed some light mechs for the arcology known as, The Burg. This arcology is formed from the refugees and scientists who fled to the southern tip of Africa (Johannesburg) to escape the apocalypse. Once there, they had to science the s*** out of the place to make a go of it. Genetic engineering resulted in a population that's resistant to radiation and toxins, but are stuck with a 20 year lifespan. In game terms, this results in relying on fairly junior pilots compared to other factions, but are resistant to your mechs reactor radiation. Each action by your mech in the game, puts stress on its nuclear reactor. If you push it too hard, you start to kill the pilot. Depending on the benefits of squeezing out one more action despite the safety risks, you may not be too concerned for the pilots well-being. As such, being able to survive the reactors output might make up for the relative lack of experience.

These models are from Puppetswar and represent 5 light mechs. Light mechs are basically suits of power armor, so these models work nicely. I painted them to match 3 other models I painted a few years ago, which will represent the medium and heavy mechs for the faction.

I forgot to include a model for comparison, but they are the same size as a space marine terminator.

Armed with heavy weapons, missile launchers and a handy buzz saw!

The large one in the center is also from Puppetswar. The other two are Tau Battlesuits from Games Workshop.

5 x 28mm models for 5 points each = 25 points

I have one more faction for Gamma Wolves to complete. Probably won't have it ready for next week, because work is going to get a bit hectic, but should be done early February.

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Great work Mike. I'm really enjoying your take on the various arcology backgrounds and these mechs from the remnants of Joberg sound quite interesting. I like how the game introduces arcology-specific benefits and limitations to the tactical play. These suits look very nice, and I especially like the reflections on the visors. 

I look forward to seeing the last faction in February!

- Curt

From MikeF - Gamma Wolves - Bolschev Arcology - 28mm - (120 Points)

 My second entry is another faction for Gamma Wolves. This group is from an Arcology called Bolschev and is made up of the remnants of Eastern Europe and Asia. That's a pretty wide range, but it's obviously meant to depict the old Soviet Union and satellite states. This Arcology borrows from the usual stereotypes of Eastern Europe using more rugged and less sophisticated machinery. These models reflect this well and I added lots of weathering and rust. I was originally going to add red stars as insignia, but didn't feel right doing that. Instead, I added what I think are British Army insignia. As coincidence would have it, the main insignia I used has the same colors as the Polish flag!  I managed to make 6 units consisting of 1 heavy, 3 medium and 2 light walkers. I added two 28mm figures for scale purposes.

2 Medium

2 Light, 1 Medium

1 Heavy

Last post I mentioned one batch of models I ordered that arrived despite international sanctions. I ordered these models in early January 2022 from Souldark Miniatures based in Russia. It doesn't really sell miniatures, as their products are more like toys for action figures. However, their toys made decent mechs for super cheap. In hindsight, my timing was laughably bad. One of those "what were you thinking?" moments. I assumed the order would never be sent and I didn't even bother reaching out to the company or asking for a refund (can't imagine what the response would have been). To my surprise, sometime in March, a package showed up at the post office. About half the order was not as advertised and were of no use (a much smaller scale despite being the same price as the larger models). The other half was the right size, but needed lots of work to make serviceable. Oh well, at least they were cheap!

6 x 28mm vehicle for 110 points. I knocked 5 points off for each light walker.

Thanks for visiting.

Minion Miles: A vehicle is a vehicle - I scored them at 20 points each.  Rules is Rules and these are very nicely done.  That's 120 points for you Sir!

From MikeF - Gamma Wolves - Ghosts of Tiamat - 28mm - Under Construction (110 points)

First post of the Challenge and first completed faction for a new project - Gamma Wolves by Ash Barker. I picked up his new rule book last year. It's published by Osprey Games and is meant to represent Mech combat set in a post-apocalyptic future. Most sci-fi games seem to be set in some form of a post-apocalypse or dystopia. We're so pessimistic these days!

The game can me played in a few different scales. The easiest would have been 15mm or whatever Battle Tech and Heavy Gear are, but those scales already have games attached, so what's the point? What I really wanted to do was 28mm! There's much less selection at this scale though, so I had to scour the internet and my own pile of shame to make 4 factions for the game. Some of these were very lucky and/or timely purchases. I managed to purchase from a couple of companies that have since gone belly up and one order even managed to beat international sanctions to my mail box (stay tuned for that one)!

In the game, each faction represents an arcology. Arcologies are the only habitable places on earth and their populations have to scavenge from the wasteland to survive. Since outside is so deadly, you need a vehicle for protection. This inevitably brings arcologies into conflict with one another and the arcologies warriors battle it out in mech suite or "frames". Frames come in 3 sizes: heavy, medium and light. Each frame can carry an assortment of weapons with larger frames able to carry more weapon systems than lighter ones. Lighter frames are also more maneuverable.

 The Ghosts of Tiamat are one of the games factions, but they are a bit different than the standard arcology. They are evolved artificially intelligent nanobots that were originally designed to rebuild the atmosphere and save the planet. They ended getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of damage humans could cause and began to multiply and grow out of control. They've since returned to the surface and continue self replicating from the planets salvage piles. Occasionally they cobble together some frames of their own to defend against the other arcologies.

I wanted this faction to look the most high-tech with a sleek design and shiny paint job. The models are from Antenocitis Workshop (out of business) and Ravenstar Studios (still around - check em out!). The force consists of 3 light frames and 3 medium frames. I painted them using mostly metallics. Vallejo's Gunmetal and GW's Ironbreaker are used primarily.

3 Light Frames from Ravenstar

3 Medium Frames from Antenocitis Workshop

For points, each medium frame is a 28mm vehicle for 20 points each = 60 points.

The 3 light frames are a bit trickier. They are technically 15mm, but they're larger than most 15mm vehicles. I put them at 10 points each = 30 points.

Plus 20 points for the studio, under construction.

110 points total.

Thanks for visiting!

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Oh man, I think I need to pick up this ruleset as the setting sounds very cool. I like the whole 'frames' concept and can see how you've worked with these to fit the look and feel of a particular faction. I'm looking forward to seeing the 'frames' from the other 'arcologies' over the coming months. Very inspiring. Great work Mike!

Curt