Batman (Ben Afflick)

This is the special Batman included in the Suicide Squad Starter Box I bought several months ago. It is made by Knight Models for the Batman Miniature Game. In keeping with the Suicide Squad film, it is the Ben Afflick version of Batman. The Knight Models company has made several versions of Batman each with slightly different game costs and abilities. Twelve versions now including an Adam West one.

Primed white I painted it Thamar Black, drybrushed Greatcoat Grey, lightly drybrushed Cryx Bane Base, and even lighter drybrush of Cryx Bane Highlight. I then washed the model with GW Badab Black. I painted the bat symbol on the chest Thamar Black. I then did another light drybrush of Cryx Bane Highlight on the parts that are not cape and cowl with another wash of GW Badab Black. The face was painted Khardic Flesh, drybrush Midlund Flesh then washed the model with Agrax Earthshade.

The base was included with the model. I painted it Umbral Umber, drybrushed Bootstrap Leather, lightly drybrushed Rucksack Tan, and a final light drybrush of Menoth White Highlight. The base was washed with Agrax Earthshade. After gluing the model on the base I painted the rim with Exile Blue, the colour I will use for the "Brave and the Bold" faction.

Not my best model up close but at arms length it looks really good.

Suicide Squad Game Box

Earlier this year, in May, I picked up a huge amount of Batman Miniature Game figures from a store that was selling them cheap. This was because the company was changing the SKU codes and the distributor in Canada that the store dealt with was no longer going to carry them. Unfortunately there was no rulebook available at the store.

The month after, I found a webstore in Canada dedicated to the Batman Miniature Game that was selling this...the Suicide Squad Game Box. Among the things it came with was a rulebook. It also came with a special Batman, the Ben Afflick movie figure. More on that in another post.

You get an awful lot in the box. Two buildings, lamposts, markers, dice, and thirteen figures of the Suicide Squad and Joker's band from the same film (unassembled and unpainted) at 35mm scale. As mentioned before, you get the rulebook plus there are also special Suicide Squad scenarios to help learn the game. Currently there is a second edition of the rulebook available from the Knight Models company on their website for free, as well as a compendium and quickstart ruleset.

The buildings were easy to put together and for a three by three foot table you do not need much more scenery...but it would help. The buildings provided have lots of platforms for models to rest on as they scale up or down the building.

Here is the three story building with the Batman (Ben Afflick) figure for scale.

You can even stack them for skyscraper type action on the tabletop.

A good deal to get started in this game, as each figure will generally cost 20 euros or 40-50 euros for a leader and three henchmen models. The old models were metal and the new models being produced are made of resin. The Suicide Squad Game Box is currently out of print but may be available in some stores. They also might be looking at a new two player starter box as well. I will be posting more about the game and models I paint as time goes on.

Amphibious Landing Craft

These models were from the Amphibious Landing Set from Spartan Games, plus some extra models. They also came with beach objective tiles and rules for landing scenarios. The models are also able to be used with any faction.

Here is some of the craft with land units onboard.

Small carriers.

For medium land models. Also tugboats.

For small land models.

 The landing craft for large land models.

I used various dollarstore and some Privateer Press paints.

Desperate Mercenary (Male)

Like the female model, the male metal Desperate Mercenary model (available here in plastic) does not cost a lot of soulstones, isn't very good at shooting until he's taken at least a wound, and gives you a soulstone if he is eliminated. Worth it to plink him for a damage on turn one to make him combat viable for the rest of the game. He can also fan two targets for one AP, so saving him for end turn shenanigans is worth it.

Primed black. Skin painted Khardic Flesh, drybrushed Midlund Flesh, lightly drybrushed Ryn Flesh. Pants painted Exile Blue, drybrushed Cygnar Blue Highlight, lightly drybrushed 50/50 Menoth White Highlight and Cygnar Blue Highlight. Shirt and greaves painted Mouldy Ochre and drybrushed Cygnar Yellow.

Jacket painted Cryx Bane Base, drybrushed Cryx Bane Highlight, lightly drybrushed Trollblood Highlight. Metals painted Pig Iron and highlighted Quicksilver. Reds painted Khador Red Base and drybrushed 50/50 Menoth White Highlight and Khador Red Base. Leathers painted either Umbral Umber and drybrushed Bloodstone or with Bloodstone and drybrushed Rucksack Tan. Hat and beard painted Thamar Black. Skull on hat painted Menoth White Highlight.

Base was made with hobby air drying clay and dental tools to shape. Painted dollarstore Black, rough brushed Skorne Red and drybrushed Khador Red Base. Entire model washed with Agrax Earthshade. Outer base painted Mouldy Ochre.

Not the best paint job looking at it close up on the camera but good enough for playing games on a table.

Academy Games Kickstarter - 878 Vikings, 1754 Conquest, Freedom

Back in April, I participated in Academy Games' Kickstarter for 878 Vikings. I have been a fan of the company for their game 1755: Rebellion about the American revolution, which was a fantastic light strategy game that does a good job with the history of the time too. I reviewed that game here which includes the mechanics that drive most of the historical games from this company.

In addition to the 878 Vikings game, I also picked up the 1754 Conquest and Freedom: Underground Railroad games as addons. I have now played all three as solo games and looking forward to playing them with others.

878 Vikings: Invasions of England is about the period of British history when there was a succession of Scandinavian invaders and the knifes edge they came to being overwhelmed. After a play through, both sides must play carefully and not overextend themselves. It uses the dice mechanic common throughout the Academy games series as well as the card mechanic. Plays 2-4 players in 1-2 hours.

 Freedom: Underground Railroad is a different sort of game from Academy Games, in that it is cooperative against the semi-randomly moving slave hunters. Players are abolitionists from 1800-1865 attempting to free slaves from the South and help them escape to Canada as well as changing attitudes in the United States against slavery. After one play-though I have already learned more about this historical event and am looking forward to playing it more. 1-4 players in 1-2 hours.

 The last of the three is 1754 Conquest: The French and Indian War. This is a very excellent strategy game that gives you a great sense of the importance of the First Nations during the conflict between the French and English in North America. The expansion deck is a must to accentuate this concept and add immense replayability.

 To give an example of what the game looks like, here is the Maritime Provinces at game end, a French victory. English are red and white. French are purple and yellow. First Nations are green.

 Quebec, Ontario and North United States areas.

Great Lakes region.

I am immensely happy with these acquisitions and played another game of 1754 after writing the draft of this. The English won with timely playing of two truce cards. The game was a nail biter, which is a good thing.

Woukou Raiders

The Woukou Raiders are excellent in melee and are hard to hit if they are engaged in melee. They also allow other melee models engaged with the same enemy to get a free 1 action attack if you get the right trigger. They are also part of the Last Blossom, for use with Misaki.

Primed white. Skin painted Khardic Flesh, drybrushed a blend of Midlund Flesh and Sulfur Yellow, and lightly drybrushed a blend of Ryn Flesh and Sulfur Yellow.
 Metal parts painted Pig Iron and highlighted with Quicksilver. Leather bits painted with Umbral Umber, drybrushed with Bloodstone, lightly drybrushed with Rucksack Tan. Thamar Black used for the hair with Coal Black drybrushed on. Different parts painted with Khador Red Highlight and drybrushed Ember Orange, for that Ten Thunders "Last Blosom" look. Agrax Earthshade used on model and base as a wash.

Looking from the back, for the middle figure's clothes, Meridius Blue used with Arcane Blue drybrush and Arcane Blue /Menoth White Highlight lightly drybrushed on.

For the right figure's clothes, Exile Blue used with Cygnar Blue Highlight drybrushed on, and Cygnar Blue Highlight/Menoth White Highlight lightly drybrushed on.

For the left figure's clothes, Coal Black used with Coal Black/Menoth White Highlight drybrushed on, and Coal Black and two parts Menoth White Highlight lightly drybrushed on.

Base was made from Basius 2 Plaguelands plate. Painted Umbral Umber, drybrushed Iridian Hide, lightly drybrushed Rucksack Tan. Base washed with Agrax Earthshade.

Jorogumo

The Jorogumo are spider people who work for the Ten Thunders faction. It greatly benefits from the "smoke and shadows" upgrade, resilient, dishes out good damage, and heals all damage after taking out an enemy model. Ouch. Plus the model looks very scary. They also come in a box of three!

Primed white. Painted all Thamar Black. Drybrushed Greatcoat Grey, lightly drybrushed Cryx Bane Base, even lighter drybrush of Cryx Bane Highlight.

From the waist up drybrushed Coal Black mixed with Khardic Flesh, then blended Ryn Flesh in lightly, then an even lighter blend of Menoth White Highlight.

A blend of this last one was lightly done over the lower body and legs. Green jems were painted Gnarls Green, a dab of Wurm Green applied, then a tiny dab of Necrotite Green was added.

Metal parts painted Pig Iron and highlighted with Quicksilver. Leather bits painted with Umbral Umber, drybrushed with Bloodstone, lightly drybrushed with Rucksack Tan. Molten Bronze added to parts of shield.

Badab Black wash used on lower body and legs, Thraka Green wash on upper torso/arms/head, Agrax Earthshade used on everything else.

Base was made from Basius 2 Plaguelands plate. Painted Umbral Umber, drybrushed Iridian Hide, lightly drybrushed Rucksack Tan. Base washed with Agrax Earthshade.