Dystopian Legion: Knightly Orders, Light Dragoons

I have finally finished with the Light Dragoons. These guys took forever, and as always, once you take some good pics of your minis, you see them in all their sloppy glory, so have to go back and work on them some more!

Either way, these guys are ready for the table, (not that two unit's will be seeing the table at the same time very often).

I was particularly proud of the hat bands on their glengarrys. The check looks fine from a distance, but up close, not so much.

Here are some group shots. The close ups are Under the cut at the bottom of the post.

 

To distinguish between the two sections, the bases are different. One with fences, and the second section with some bricks/tiles on them. I had originally though to do them with different colour facings on the uniforms, but this way they can all be fielded in one unit, is I don't want to put them on the table with their specialist in tow (the guys with the big guns).

 

 

Now, on to the individual pics of each Knight. Warning, that's a lot of pictures after the cut. Click on the pictures for larger versions, that way you can see all the flaws in my paint job!

Kingdom of Britannia: General Conveyor

This month's challenge was to paint a box!  Well, not quite, but anyway, this little APC will do for packing up a unit of flame-throwers, and sending them up to the front lines of my opponent.

I have made two little additions to the basic model, firstly, I have magnetised the driver, to give me the option of fitting him, or having the hatch closed (I have yet to figure out how I will attach the open hatch as an option, rather than a permanent fixture).

Secondly, I have given attached a little pennant, with the badge of the 91st Highland Infantry (without the crown, as I have seen this version too) as this will be the unit I use with the Conveyor. The other badge on the side is taken from here. Of course, none of these are valid to the Victorian era, but then again, this is steampunk, not historical gaming, so all is good!

As always, when I take pics, you see bits I have to touch up, but it'll do for now.

Colore ton Monde June

The results from last month are here. Please let me know if you can see it, as it's now on Facebook, rather than blogger, and I don't know what the access is. There was no real theme for the month, and we were left free to paint whatever. I chose to do the Tod-truppen for my Thule Society for IHMN.

As has been posted on the Club Chaos Facebook page, the theme  for the month of June is as follows:

* Le temps des boîtes *
En juin, beaucoup de monde sont dans leur boîtes, se préparant à déménager. On emballe, on emboîte, on protège. Pour le mois de juin, nous vous invitons à peindre un modèle "en boîte", que ce soit une armure lourde, une combinaison étanche, un transporteur de troupe, ou toute folle déclinaison que vous créerez.

*The Time for Boxes*

In June, lots of people are in their boxes, preparing to move house. We wrap, we box, we protect. For the month of June, we invite you to paint a "boxed" model, that could be in heavy armour, a diving suit, a troop carrier, or what ever other crazy variation you create.

I have a troop carrier for my Britannians sitting waiting to be painted, which takes care of that!  Sorted!

Finally, there are two other little things I would like to mention. First off, Ubique is running a wonderfully unique give-away on his blog, so for more details, click here. Obviously, it is not in my interest for you to enter, but I really do feel it's worth yours.
Secondly, I have rather generously been nominated for a Leibster Award by Ian, who had some very kind words to say about my blog, so I shall be posting my response to that shortly.

Kingdom of Britannia: Armstrong 12lb Gun

I am finally getting round to posting this. The gun has been completed for months, but I finally got round to putting the finishing touches to the base last night. I've had quite a break from painting Dystopian Legions, but I've been working myself up to getting the army finished. Only a few (well 4.5) units to go, and a couple of vehicles. Maybe the arrival of the Black Wolf Section, being a small but characterful section with a different scheme will get me on the path again.

Anyway, here are the pics your here to see:

Close-ups of the crew here. Full review of the mini here.

Kingdom of Britannia: Light Dragoons

After three sessions building them, my Light Dragoons are finally done. These guys were a bitch to put together. I kind of assumed all the arms were the same, an would fit any of the three bodies, they are not. I tried to pin the arms, but they are too thin for me to pin (I hear on the forums others have managed), so instead they are held on with green-stuff and copious amounts of super-glue. Also, dry-fitting the legs with the bodies and the main part of the walker is far from easy.

Still, the first section is built and ready for painting (although they will see the table before they are fully painted, that's quite certain).


I think I'll add some pennants to the back of these guys, so I can distinguish between my Sections. That should fit with the Dragoon idea.

You can see my original review of this unit here. I would like to add to add to that review that assembly of these models is not for the feint of heart, and an indication of which arms go with which body would be appreciated (numerals on the sprues would be more than adequate).

Colore Ton Monde January: Results

Here's my submission for January's Colore ton Monde, who's theme was, there is no theme. For that, I just finished off another of my Dystopian Legion KoB figures, why not start off the year as I mean to go on, as I'm on a roll with these guys. 

I went with a simple enough variation on my colour schemes, I chose to make him match my Artillery/Engineers sections rather than have another redcoat. I think the red collars and cuffs are enough to keep him in with the general scheme for the army.

 

I also added some detailing to his base that I'm carrying on with my Armstrong Gun. I like the way he turned out. As usual, the crisp details on these larger 32mm figs really make painting them fun!

Dystopian Legions: Kingdom of Britannia The Knightly Order Light Dragoons

I finally received my Light Dragoons (their full name of Knightly Order Light Dragoons is a bit of a mouthful, so I'll keep referring to the shorter version here). These have been released since December, but only made their way over to Canada at the start of this month. I got round to taking them out of the box to photograph and assemble last night, so here we are with my thoughts on these minis.

There are three Dragoons in the box. Two normal troopers and a specialist. These models come in multiple parts, with the main body of the troopers armoured suit, or walker, being in resin, and all other parts being in metal. The bodies of the troopers are one piece, with two arms to attach to each. The walkers come as resin main body, two legs and a gun to be mounted on the shoulder.

Box Contents

In terms of flash, the resin parts were very clean, with no mold lines, and just a little nub on each to clean off, that removed itself with ease. The metal parts had more flash than I have come to expect from Spartan Games, but none that was hard to remove, and there are next to no mould lines to worry about,

The box also included one activation card and one unit card. I have read on the forums that some people have received two cards for this unit. In mine I only had one, suggesting the others were a mispack.

I had two problems with this box. One was that I was missing one of the guns for the normal troopers, and the second was that one of the arms was miscast, leaving a break in the lever it was holding. I suppose I could remodel this with some wire easily enough, but since there was another part missing, i have sent off to Spartan for the parts. My previous experience with this has been positive, so I expect the bits to arrive shortly.

I was disappointed not to be able to build the unit as I had planned, so I went ahead and bought another box, and there were no mispacks in that one, so the assembly I talk about here is of the second box (although of course I can build two of the tree minis from the first box too). Having two boxes also means I can swap out one of the normal troopers for the specialist if i really need to save those two points. Furthermore, I can run two sections of these in a game, if I so desire. I doubt I will do this, as I have become rather attached to the Hussars that they would replace

Assembly

There is a bit of trial and error when building these models to see which set of legs goes with which trooper, as there is only one right way. A little more explanation as to which legs go with which body would be very helpful. The most fiddly part of the assembly is attaching the lower arms. Due to the nature of the minis, it's extremely hard to dry-fit the arms with the body in the exoskeleton. I have heard that some people have pinned these which a job of work as the arms, like most of Spartan's 32mm minis, are very thin. I tried to pin one, then gave up and used greenstuff to weld the join the elbow. This seems to be holding, but even then requires patience.

All in all, I am happy with these guys. The flash is easily removed, leaving not patching required, and the mold lines are minimal. The assembly required is not negligible, and requires patience. I won't count the mispack/miscast against them, as Spartan seem to be quick to rectify these matters.

Dystopian Legions, Kingdom of Britannia: General Conveyor

My New Years gift this year was the General Conveyor. The APC option for a Kingdom of Britannia Infantry Section. I was initially unsure as to whether I would need one of these, but I got one anyway. It will allow me to have the option of greater mobility for one section on the field, and the model goes well with the other armoured options (the Bassets and the Terrier). Also, I was intrigued by the driver options, and I wanted to see them for myself.

As to what was included in the box, here's a run down of the contents:

Activation cards. Two are included, however, since this model is fielded as an add-on option for an existing Infantry Section, there is no need for any to be included. Kudos for Spartan in giving more than we need.

The metal parts of the mini include the turret doors, which are the same doors as you get on the Basset Tankettes, and the Terrier Ironclad. Great job for Spartan, as this means less moulds to make, but also good news for people who like a little uniformity in their forces. As you can see in the picture, I got an extra one. That'll be useful if another one falls off, or just for the bits box. There are also 4 metal treads, which go on top of the resin parts to complete the treads of the APC. These are nicely thought out, and fit really well. There is a little flash on these parts, but nothing that is not very easily rectified.

The crewman comes in two options, one taller than the other. The shorter of the two allows you to have the turret doors closed (there's a gap to allow you to see the back of his helmet if you do). I don't quite see the need for this option, but I am not going to complain, as he will find use somewhere else for sure, maybe for another Basset, if I could ever possibly think of a reason to field four of them. Otherwise, I'm sure there'll be another tank out for the faction at some point that will use him. The other small piece of resin on the right here is the hitch for the APC, which has the tow rule. There is nothing anywhere that says as such, just what I have gathered from the forums. A little more info on this would not be amiss, but taking it as the hitch, there's really only one place to put it.

The front and back of the Conveyor. Nicely detailed, little to no flash, and fit together very well with the other resin parts.

The two sides of the model are the same part included twice. This means there are less parts to cast for each model. There is some small bits of resin flash on one side, but they are on the part of the mini that is covered by the metal treads shown above, so a bit of filing and it's a non-issue.

 The floor of the model. Not symmetrical, but I don't see that it matters which way round it is placed.

Overall, I'm impressed by the simplicity of the design, he lack of work needed to get rid of flash and spare resin, and the way the parts fit together smoothly to make the model. A great kit, if not a little over priced. Not for the kit itself, but for it's worth on the table. It's a pretty chunk of resin for what it does (move a small amount of troops around a little faster and a little safer).

The (almost) finishes results:

The driver and turret door configuration has to be determined, but I like the fact that there are some nice flat spaces on all sides of the APC. This will allow me to personalise it, with some insignia and other markings. This was something I found lacking on the Terrier, as despite it's larger size, it is too busy with sculpting detail to personalise in the way I wanted.

All in all, I give this kit a 8 out of 10, with the Canadian price tag dropping it from a 10. I may put it up to a 9 if I get my moneys-worth out of it on the table. This is a nice model, with crisp, clean casting. The detail is very visible, and not overpowering. This should be easy enough to paint up.

2013: The Year In Review

It's that time again where we look back at the year past, and take stock, before making plans for the year ahead.

This year has most definitely been the year of Dystopian Legions for me. I have painted a little over half of the minis I have for the game, and all the rest have at least a basecoat on.

Models that I have completed include:

1 Lieutenant
1 Section of 6 Line Infantry, (+Sgt, Musician & Specialist)
1 Section of 6 KRRC (+Sgt & Musician)
1 Section of 6 91st Infantry
2 HMGs (1 and 2)
2 Basset Tankettes
1 Bertie
The crew for the Armstrong Gun

I have a bunch more to finish off, but they'll have to wait for next year now. I also have an APC I got as a pressie, and have ordered the Light Dragoons to round out my force.

What's more, I have played a whopping 6 games of DL this year. I take pictures of each one, with the intention of writing up battle reports, but that has just not happened. In summary though, my first couple of games were wash-outs. My Britannians are very soft and squishy in melee, and my Hussars take a little getting used to. Once the games started going up above 100 point (Starter Box size) they came more into their own, being able to use their superior firepower at range to lay down enough fire to do some damage before getting trapped in melee.

I'm doing alright against the Prussians, I really love my Terrier and my Field Gun. The Lethal Ability is just wonderful against models with multiple wounds. Against the Empire of the Blazing Sun (Japanese) I'm still struggling to find the best combination of forces.  There are a couple of local players who own FSA armies, but they have yet to throw down against my mighty Britannians.


Anyway, here are some shots of my last game against EotBS.

Facing off

Line Infantry, ready for the push forward

You can't hide...

In other goals, I have tried hard to keep up with the Colore Ton Monde challenges this tear, and have done okay. I dropped the ball in January and October, but managed to get the rest done in time. 

I have tried to update my Gallery, but I seem to have reached the limit if 20 pages. Who knew the interwebs had page limits? I'll have to find a way around that.

For 2014:

First off, I want to finish my Britannians that are more than half painted, as well as the APC (a New Years gift) and Dragoons. (ordered, but not yet arrived)  I was initially tempted to buy into the Antarticans when they come out, but I'm going to hold off on that. One army for a game I don't play regularly enough is more than enough for now.

Other games that I am interested in playing in the coming year include Saga, Muskets and Tomahawks, and The Hobbit. Yes, the Hobbit!. I have just watched the second film, and I am very keen to give the game a try. If only I can find a way to do so without giving GW full Price for their minis. Maybe I'll get some of the first wave of minis in some sales over xmas. I do have some Rohirrim for the LoTR battle game I can paint up (they also double as vikings for SAGA, so win win!).

This is, of course, alongside the games of Warmahordes and WFB (at 500 points) should be more than enough to be getting on with.

Happy New Year to you all, and Happy gaming!

Kingdom of Britannia: KRRC Sergeant

For this month's Colore ton Monde, the challenge is to paint a secondary leader. Not the big boss, but someone in authority none the less. This, matched with an inspiring game of Dystopian Legions last week (my first win, and the first outing for the Terrier Ironclad) led me back to this guy. The Sergeant from this box, who has been painted up to lead the King's Royal Rifle Corps, who now number 8 figures including the drummer (which leaves me with three troopers to complete their number, or 1 more and some specialists).

I'm quite happy with the way he turned out, although the rusty barbed wire on his base needs a little something to make it more realistic

I had this guy earmarked for this unit as it was the one I had just finished when I bought him. There was some swithering as to whether he would be repurposed for the 91st once I started them, as the army I fielded last week was essentially Scottish in theme, but he has been commisioned to his original unit. I'll have to find my Scots Sergeant elsewhere.

Now to get back to the Ironclad.