Tag: Pulp Figures

Steam Wars – Prepping For Our Next Game

Another couple of weeks without a post and the guilt is upon me again.  Best to do something about it before it gets to be too long and I forget what I have done.

The last few weeks have been surprisingly busy. Not on the blog front (obviously) but I have been almost too busy with completing hobby stuff to find time to write these words!  I have taken a few photos though, and played a couple of games in that time as well.  I have even painted a few neglected models, though I suspect that as I haven’t bought many recently, most of my collection is now likely to be classed as neglected.

We planned a warm up game of Steam Wars, so that we could remind ourselves of the rules (even the rules we write become forgotten when not played regularly) as a larger game was planned for later the same month.

My plan was to add in a few new units to the US Navy army so that they could be trialled in this smaller warm up game and then used with better results in what was planned to be a ‘big weekend’ of Steam Wars.

Also some of the other units that had been finished over the summer, but never deployed, would get their first outing in the warm up and either prove their worth or be reprofiled to play better in the bigger game. The joy of Steam Wars is the ability to profile up the units and vehicles as and how you want.

Want your Monowheel tank to be armed with Quad Ack Ack? – fine.  Want it to better its chances of hitting? – play it as being armed with two sets of ‘Twin Linked’ Ack Ack.

It also afforded me the excuse (not that I need one) of painting up the last of my Pulp Figures Rocketmen.  My last unit of these were SMG armed fly boys, and can deliver a good number of shots up close to any target.  These guys are pistol toting fly boys and are more close combat orientated.  We have found that a flying unit is difficult to destroy using traditional land based firearms. however, flying up to the aircraft and shooting the pilot in the head seems to do the trick quite well.

I will let you know how the actual game goes when I next get time to post something…

 

Steam Wars – Navy Backlog And More

So, as I take a brief pause in Steam Wars painting, its time to look at what is left to be done.

Pretty much everything is undercoated, 2 Ironclad transports are the largest land based vehicles, a bit of artillery and some gun/ targeting drones should be quite quick to finish.  The second Gyrocopter wont be to hard either.

The Ironclad Submarine will likely be last on the list but also easy to finish.  More deck gunners are lurking at the back and a Gatling gun might be soon to be done.

HMLS Gladstone was purchased as the first item for the force and at this rate might be last painted as I just find it less appealing than a lot of other bits.  Only a couple of units of infantry are left with just a few heroes to add in as well.

Then I can get properly started on the Martians…  Six tripods await.

Along with a horde of low tech infantry and assorted cephalopod troopers and armoured suits.

Steam Wars – Balloon Or Ships Crew

Just a quick post today.  These three chaps were added as a last minute addendum to my most recent army list.  We managed to plan a larger game so that we could get all our currently completed fliers out on a table.  All those craft needed crew.

Made by Pulp Figures and some truly excellent sculpts as usual.  Some figures are made so well that they are always much easier and more enjoyable to paint than so many others.

As they will not be profiled in the game and so that they are not confused with any of the real units I have based them on very small round MDF discs (these are for flavour only and wont be on the table for anything but visual effect).  This also allows them to be placed on parts of the vehicles where other figures cannot fit in.

One will be used as hot air balloon crew, another will get to drive my small hover launch. The last will become captain of the Pride of America, the new Navy flagship.

It may have been planned as a playtest game for the expanded flyer rules but was always just going to be a flying fest for us to indulge in.

Pictures of that game will follow soon…

Steam Wars – At Last, Some Of Those Rocketmen Get A Bit Of Love And Attention. 

About a year ago I ordered 10 of Pulp Figures Rocketeers from Bob Murch in Canada.  The range has been sold here in the UK by North Star for a while now but the Rocket Corps were not in their lists until quite recently.

Mine were based and undercoated and then placed in the painting queue early on but have held a place of shame for a while now.  They sit at the back of the paint table in full view every time I sit down to do something…  And there they stayed for 12 months.

They can be found lurking in the background of a large number of photos on this blog. Photos of other finished miniatures that have jumped their position the queue.

They have now had some long overdue love and attention.  Well, at least 5 of them have…

The original packs mix pistols and SMG armed troopers. The 2 packs I bought allow me to field either the mixed units, as packaged, or 2 units of 5 men, all with the same weapon.

This unit, planned for deployment in my next Steam Wars game, all carry SMGs. Hopefully allowing them to swoop in and deliver a hail of bullets to unsuspecting foemen.

It marks the continuation of my push to get all the US Steam Wars Navy force completed over the next couple of months.

I have never claimed to be a great painter but even I cannot fail to achieve a good finish when the figures start off as iconic and full of style as these guys do.