Happy Birthday to me...

So it's my birthday - another trip around the sun endured.

But I mustn't complain - thanks to thoughtful people in my life I got to open some gaming related presents this morning! 

First, from Trials of a Casual Wargamer - a pack of Perry Miniatures ACW metals, skirmishing Union soldiers to be precise.  Lovely sculpts (as you'd expect from the Perrys) and I really do love a unit of skirmishers!

Looking forward to adding these to my Universe of Battle project 😀

And from my wife, a few packs of bases from Antenocitis Workshop...

Hex Bases (with some Arena Hex so not everyone is stood on a curb or manhole) 25mm, 40mm and 55mm - this little lot should give me enough bases not just for the Infinity collection, but also the minis I have set aside for Reality's Edge/Hardwired - guess I'd better get the marigolds on and get the 'wargamer washing up' on!

More future-friendly planters

I think more tables need planters to bring a little colour to urban settings - and while Bazza_18 had already done a range of large ones with built in benches, he recently offered up a set of smaller futuristic planters - so of course I picked up a set (well two, but I'll only show on set here as they are the same!).

The pack contains three planters - a hexagonal one, a rectangular one and a three-section rectangular one:

Here's Domaru-chan to show you the size and scale of these planters:

I'm currently thinking about putting quite exotic plants in these to add a little height and texture to the ground-level of our Neo-Shinjuku table for Infinity and Cyberpunk games like Reality's Edge and Hardwired.

I'm really happy with these planters - clean prints and the futuristic texture on the sides sets them apart from the flatter MDF options out there for this setting.

Tunguska hired help

It's another one of those seller offers - and this time it brought reinforcements for the Tunguska collection!

First up Miranda Ashcroft, Authorised Bounty Hunter:

I also picked up the CSU mini - which I will use as a proxy ABH of whatever sort takes the fancy!  Of course, my NCA CSUs both have briefcases so this one won't get confused 😉

I possibly want another ABH for Tunguska, but want one that fits in with Miranda and the CSU mini (almost like tactical business wear).  Not identified a suitable option yet, but I'll keep thinking!

Don't fence me in...

I picked up some fencing from Bazza_18 to provide some additional detailing to the streets of Neo-Shinjuku - the pack contained four sections with posts at either end and four with the single post.  This allows for a range of set-ups from just the one pack which is pretty cool.

Here's a shot with Domaru-kun to give you an idea of size.

These are a useful addition to the scenery collection and would work for anything from Moderns up to Sci-Fi. Very versatile!

All aboard!

 

I picked up another Bazza_18 item to add to the Neo-Shinjuku collection - a bus!  This comes in two pieces (OK, so the listing included a hovering stand too but I don't plan on using that - but it is useful for those who might want their bus to hover, it's got two pegs that fit easily into the underneath of the bus):

As you can see, really simple to assemble - just glue the roof (and windows) section to the body of the vehicle and done.  Here's a pic with Domaru-kun to give you an idea of size and scale:

I'm really happy with this piece - it'll look great alongside the other vehicles I have from Antenocitis Workshop and will represent the little Isetan buses shuttling shoppers back and forth around Neo-Shinjuku!

Super-Proxy!

 

I received an offer on a mini that had been on my watch list for quite some time - the Vortex Black Ops for my Nomads.

I'll be giving him the helmet option - that way he can be a Zero in our Bakunin or a Spektr in our Tunguska quite easily (and quite possibly something or other in Corregidor too!)... of course if we play an intra-Nomad conflict only one of them can take him in any game though! 😅

At your convenience...

 

Something a little different today on the Bazza_18 scenery front - a public convenience! 

"Who is taking so long in there?!"

But that's not all - the door section is removable!

"Oh! What were you doing in there Domaru-kun?!"

And yes, the interior does feature detailing...

It was a little difficult to take a pic of the inside - but there's a sink and toilet in there!

Operation Winter is Coming 2020

Another Autumn, another Operation Winter is Coming! It's a basic idea - winter here is usually wet, fairly cold and not conducive to getting minis and the like ready for painting.  So Autumn is a time for model prep, base dipping and priming!

So, this is what I've got on my radar this time round for prepping as part of Operation (in no order as they will likely move about as inspiration strikes!):

I've got my Mercenary Lochos built but not based - I've still got my Athenians and Spartans to build, then I'll base them all up prior to priming.  I love the minis, but the wrist joins on the metal stuff is killer at times from Footsore.  I've got some scatter scenery from Fenris Games also that I'll share soon - that'll primarily work for Mortal Gods (but also Broken Legions and similar).

I've got an order in with Pendraken to 'finish' (haha) the Irish side of this project - as well as a force of Tudor English to pit them against.  I've also placed an order for suitable scenery from Battlescale that I'm looking forward to doing too.

I've got three armies for this made up of Mierce Miniatures stuff and my mind it turning to the special scenery pieces for each too.  I've got one pretty much planned out and I'm just waiting for suitable MDF bases.

I've asked for Antenocitis Workshop bases for my birthday to finally get my Infinity collection moving! With the release of N4 it's about time I got stuck in properly! The bases will also work for other projects of a Cyberpunk vibe too...

And finally there is a mystery project I've got on order as a little taster...more on that when it arrives!

Gimme Shelter

 

I've got another terrain piece from Bazza_18 today - a shelter.  It's a versatile piece providing some cover at the street level.  It also comes with a piece of clear plastic to add a roof, as well as some printed ad posters to add that authentic futuristic vibe (made for the rectangle on the right side you can see below - but spares can be used on other scenery!)

Our friendly Domaru have helpfully posed to give you a sense of scale with Infinity minis:

I really like this shelter - the cut outs and the space for an ad poster add some detail to tie the piece into the setting.  Of course, this will work well for Cyberpunk games too!

Clandestine Action Team Operative joins my NCA

 

I'd originally planned to use a Yadu mini as a proxy-Locust for my NCA, however since then I decided to start an OSS collection (and heavy on the Yadu to boot) so dropped the proxy idea. Fast forward and I spotted the Locust with Marksman Rifle as part of the Beyond Kalstrom pack and recently found a box-splitter offering it at a fair price so took the opportunity to pick one up:

Unlike most of the Kaldstrom stuff this chap isn't too winter-ready so I think it'll work well for my NCA and won't look out of place in Neo-Shinjuku!

Keep on Keeping Neo-Shinjuku Tidy!

Got another scatter terrain item from Bazza_18 today - a set of recycling bins to detail the streets of our Neo-Shinjuku:

Here's Domaru-chan to show you their size:

"Now which one am I supposed to put my empty Mitsuya Cider bottle in?"

These'll look great next to the vending machines we have in our collection!

"when the smoke clears, he’ll have fulfilled his duty"

Another one of those too-good-to-pass-by deals has arrived - this time it's Domaru Takeshi "Neko" Oyama to supplement the JSA collection:

I'd wanted this mini for a while and finally took the plunge - he's one of those sculpts that I'd admired long before purchasing my first Infinity stuff so I'm glad to have finally got round to picking him up. He'll be a lieutenant option most likely in our collection.

Neo-Shinjuku Love

So, in Shinjuku there is one of the famous Love statues...

Better half and a (young) Alex

Well, I took a chance and suggested it to Bazza_18 and he managed to sort us out with one for our Neo-Shinjuku scenery collection!

He even printed it in red!

Domaru-chan and Domaru-kun couldn't resist posing with it to show everyone how it looks with Infinity minis😉

Now there might not be many out there that would fit this kind of thing into their terrain collections - but it shows you just how up for a challenge and helpful that Bazza_18 is! 

As I intend to use Neo-Shinjuku as the setting for Infinity and any cyberpunk games we play (Hardwired, maybe Reality's Edge) this will see action in a few different games and will look really different and really take the table to the next level of detail!

Dire Foes 9 - Datacash

I got a good offer on the Dire Foes 9 set - Datacash, well it would have been rude not to grab it!

Richard Quinn can find use in either my NCA or my VIRD, Jelena Kovač goes straight into my Tunguska collection - and yes, the Databanker now makes it six briefcase toting Infinity minis I have! 😅

I really like the Jelena mini - I'll even forgive the tactical lump she's standing on!

UFOキャッチャー for Neo-Shinjuku

One of the Neo-Shinjuku wishlist items we put to Bazza_18 was the UFO Catcher (you know, teddy picker arcade machine) - we've won so much playing these machines across Tokyo during our trips we really wanted one on the tabletop! Well, after trying some stuff out, the main man Bazza_18 has come up trumps!  

The main structure comes in four parts (with some additional clear plastic screens to cut to size for the windows - not pictured):

The listing also included a great selection of toys to fill the machine with... (wait, one of those looks like a deadly prize!) - as I understand it these were printed in resin for the improved detail too:

Of course, I couldn't resist dryfitting this set to give you an idea of how it'll look - and Domaru-chan fancied trying her luck:

"If I can't get a Pompompurin charm, I'm gonna go for that kawaii plush instead! <3"

This kit is, simply put, absolutely amazing - it's turned out even better than I'd have dared hope! As with everything else from Bazza_18, I can totally recommend it - and this will work from modern through near-future and cyberpunk and beyond.  It's an incredibly fun and characterful kit and I'm really proud to have it in our collection!

Beba gets her Stallion Jack

 

You might remember I received the Outrage character pack but didn't have a concrete plan for the Beba Rodriguez mini - well, seeing an Anaconda done up as Stallion Jack I figured why not go that route for my StarCo (or anyone else who can take an Anaconda I suppose!).  So, I picked up the Anaconda TAG box (with an extra reduction from the seller as a bonus!):

But then this gives me another happy problem - what do I do with the Operator mini?! Well, seeing as it's a woman - I'm sure it'll end up in my Qapu Khalqi somehow (current thinking: proxy Ghulam HMG?)

Keep Neo-Shinjuku Tidy!

 

Well Bazza_18 on eBay dropped a surprise on me - some futuristic dumpsters!  These are not only better value than the couple of alternatives I've seen, they actually feature working lids!  I've taken a couple of snaps with Domaru-kun to give you an idea of size:

And one with one of the lids open (both do open though!):

These things are absolutely brilliant - they'll look awesome for games of Infinity, Hardwired, Reality's Edge, Rogue Stars and more!