Category: Wargames

I think I’ve made a huge mistake…

Way back I used to play Battletech. It was a fun little wargame and I always enjoyed the combination of tactics with heat management. Likely explains my past love of Star Fleet Battles too. However, between the two I don’t think I’d ever sit down for a game of SFB again. As for Battletech, it always seemed a bit more approachable, plus I enjoyed painting the figures.

I recently picked up the introductory box set of Battletech from Catalyst Games. Likely get a review up over the next month or so (quick version: nice set, lots of decent minis and stuff in the box). Of course now I’ve got a hankering to dip further into the game. Looking at the Total Warfare book. Considering picking up infantry and tanks. Not to mention an entire slew of modeling projects for terrain.

I’ve got that itch. I have to resist the urge to scratch it. I’ve got a few other painting projects like my Firestorm Armada fleets, not to mention my Flames of War Russian infantry company has been looking at me with all those sad little eyes. Think I have to give them some attention soon. But giant robots with big shooty things, it’s the new shiny on my paint bench and hard to ignore.

Sorylian Skyhammer cruisers

It’s been slow going with my fleet, but I’ve managed to finish up my Sorylian cruisers for Firestorm Armada. I’m satisfied, not quite overjoyed, but satisfied with the paint job. There is a little more detail to eek out of the figures, but not sure if I have a steady enough hand to really bring those out.

I’m using Vallejo paints, which is new for me. Base coats are no longer an issue, however I still am getting some muddied results with the wash. Hard getting the right consistency. Might have to bite the bullet and get some ink washes (been hesitant with the shipping costs, so I might see about making a run up to a gaming store in Seoul).

Still have to finish off my battleship and then move on to my Terran fleet. Sort of disappointed with the lack of detail in the smaller class ships for the Terrans, so I might have to try something more fancy to make those figures really pop. Not to mention, I need to get a few more games under my belt too!

Note: I’ve thrown in one of the frigates to give a bit of relative scale to the figures.

Sorylian scythe frigates

I’ve finally finished my Sorylian frigates. The models have a fair amount of detail, but I went through a few color schemes before I found something I liked which might have muddied some of the models a bit. I’m working with Vallejo acrylics which is something new. I like the paints but you have to water them down a bit and in the end the color can bleed a bit. Takes a few coats if you’ve thinned it out too much, and it took me a few tries to repeatedly get the right consistency.

Still I am fairly happy with how they turned out. I might have to try and work on some more dramatic color selection to bring out other details, but for now I wanted to give the frigates a uniform look. Still have to play a game. Might have to break out the models for a spin soon.

Dipping a toe into space fleet battles with Firestorm Armada

It’s been ages since I painted minis. Moving to Korea I had to pack up a lot of my miniatures and hung up painting for a while now. But the bug has crept up again and I’ve had a long hankering to get back into painting.

I recently picked up Firestorm Armada and really like the miniatures. I’ll post my impressions on the game once I get a few games under my belt. For now I thought I’d share my painting exploits. Below are a few pics of the Sorylian Collective fleet I am working on.

The figures are pretty nice. A mixture of resin and white metal, they have a fair amount of detail. Some of the miniatures are pretty big. Notice the battle cruiser with the coffee mug in the background as scale. I’m looking forward to finishing these guys up and seeing how they do in the vast reaches of space (which also happens to be my living room floor).