Progress continues!

March just blew past with bad weather assailing my Queensland bastion and no posting!

An update on my SYW project

After accepting I would have to break my resolution, now four months old, not to buy any more metal figures for a year, I was reminded by my wife, I should check the inventory she and I complied in December 2011 for the AB horses. 

Hmmm, yes, I actually did have a box of over thirty AB horses, which would be prefect as replacement mounts for my Austrian and Prussian forces.  So, resolution remains intact, and the re-kindled project moves on!

Whilst recovering these horses from the bowels of Mt Neverpaint, I came across another ‘bright shiny object’, in the form of a cache of mechanical walkers or gears produced by the Canadian manufacturer, Dream Pod 9, for their ‘Heavy Gear’ rules.

Yet another project rekindled, or another bright shiny object!  

The 'Heavy Gear' models are the second generation, pewter figures sculpted to 1/144^th scale, which comes out roughly as 12mm, by Canadian, Alain Gadbois. This range replaced the earlier larger 1/87th scale gears and was released for the Tactical Rules variant in about 1997.  This cache was still in their original packaging.  Should I try to sell them as is, or?

Of course, I couldn’t resist I had to assemble them!  My explanation to myself for the diversion is, it would only take a couple of evenings’ work to do so and then I would have them ready for painting.  Perhaps, a further day or two for the painting and besides don’t painted figures always get a better price when offered for sale?  And in the interim, I can always have a couple of solo games with them.  Memories from over a decade and a half ago flood back!

The first faction assembled awaiting painting, is the Southern Milicia depicted below:

I am able to field a fire support cadre, comprising, from right of frame to left, along the back rank, a Long Fang Naga, a Black Mamba, a Spitting Cobra and in front, a Command Jager; the first of two general purpose cadres follows, comprising of a Command Jager and three Jagers; the second general purpose cadre, is understrength, it comprises three Jagers, of which, one is a Blitz Jager, one is a Flame Jager and the third a Jager; in front is the reconnaissance cadre, comprising three Iguanas and a Jager Para, fitted for air dropping, as is one of the Iguanas, which is the cadre’s leader.

To the right of frame, there are two infantry cadres equipped with Jackrabbit motorcycles and side cars and another infantry cadre, which is transportable in a HPC 64, hover APC recovered from an unsuccessful invasion by the Colonial Expeditionary Force (‘CEF’) on Terra Nova.

On the left of frame, there is a Hover tank cadre, comprising of four HT 72 tanks, again compliments of the CEF.  I have modified these by the addition of extra weaponry located on the tank’s turrets.

I have also disposed of all of the hexagonal plastic slotta bases, which came with the gears and flight stands which came with the tanks and have replaced them with 3mm MDF circular bases of varying sizes.  The infantry are mounted on 10mm diameter bases, the gears, tanks and APC are mounted on 30mm, while the Naga is on a 60mm base.

The plastic bases were generally too small to accommodate the bigger gears, and no bases were supplied with the jackrabbits, the infantry or the Naga.

For the tanks and APC, I have used a clear plastic stand to enhance the hovering effect of these vehicles, rather than the black plastic ones which were supplied. 

Next step will be to undercoat these models with a matt black.  Followed by the application of a base coat for the camouflage.  The camouflage, depicted below, is designed by Dream Pod 9 for use by the Southern Milicia when it is deployed in the desert or badlands terrain on Terra Nova.

I enjoyed putting the models together.  The pewter is soft so it’s easy to remove mould lines.  The figures are well sculpted and re-pay careful assembly.  The most time consuming part of the exercise was the removal of the model's slotta base, unnecessary if I had retained the original bases.  

Though no assembly instructions are provided, the location of the various components can be determined by reference to the small photographs depicted on the cards included in the kits.

The other faction, the Northern Guard will follow.

As for rules to use with these models, I may elect to get a copy of ‘Future War Commander’, as these are quite popular and I would be able to run the gears, tanks and infantry as is.  Alternately, I might go for the actual ‘Heavy Gear’ rules, which are obtainable, as downloads from the Wargames Vault