VIP Scenario Model

So this is what I've done with the miniature Kassad was so kind as to send me. I based his colour scheme on my favorite sci-fi character - see if you can guess without following this link.

Anyways, I'm still ironing out a playable VIP scenario and story for the model, so I'll post that when I'm happy with it. I'll decide on his basing once I'm solid on his background too!

Again, many thanks to Kassad!

Sync out.

Official Gear: Maps, Counters, Battlefoam Bag!

Gale Force Nine: Maps and Counters
In this forum thread, the MERCS team have given us a teaser as to what is going to be available come September, with a limited run available to those lucky enough to be at GenCon this year.

The following maps are single-sided, super durable, wet erasable, full color vinyl:

Missile Silo

Fuel Relay Station

 
The following counters are clear acrylic with printed design and a felt backing:

Action +1
Action +2
Simultaneous Action (SA) Action
Simultaneous Action (SA) Move
Simultaneous Action (SA) Attack
Armor Failure
Blood 1
Blood 2
Load
Aim
Set
Grenade
Bounding
Overwatch
Suppression

Anchored
Ice
Armor Failure
Radiation
Repulsor Tag
Boosted
Blood 1
Blood 2

Battlefoam MERCS Bag
The bag was announced in this thread, has a desert-tan colour for a sleek military look, and has a whole range of MERCS specific features, listed below:

Zippered Front Pocket, for dice and tokens

 

 

 

Flap pocket, big enough for the MERCS Rulebook

Elastic Sleeves Hold, for official MERCS Game Mats

MERCS Faction Card Pockets

Inside the bag - able to hold 60 MERCS

Inside the bag - able to hold 60 MERCS

Sync out.

Battle Bunker: Closing

This is from Battle Bunker's Viv, posted on our Australian wargaming forums:


"G'day everyone.

As the title suggests, my dream of owning my own wargaming store has been realised. But ... its time for things to come to an end. I have decided after having ran Battle Bunker for more then 2 years to close. Its been an amazing journey and I've had some awesome times, however, I just haven't been able to generate enough retail traffic for the store to remain open.

Wargaming and scenery building has always been a passion of mine, and it upsets me to say its a passion I have lost along the way after turning my hobby into a business. It hasn't been easy, though its been a load of fun .. but with changes happening in my life, I've had to consider my future ... and whilst I hope to regain and embrace my passion for wargaming and things in miniature, running a retail shop will no longer be part of it.

For those existing club members, (and those who are new to our ranks) at this stage I am considering keeping the Battle Bunker Gaming Club running on select days of the week, subject to assistance from those club members who want the club to continue to operate.

The retail side of my business will close on Wednesday 24th of August 2011. Any existing customer orders will be finalised this week as I talk with the various suppliers I deal with, however, all remaining stock will be on clearance at 35% off until the end of August. I will not be accepting any new customer orders.

So with out too much more rambling on and sentiment ... thanks for all your support, laughter and good times I've shared with you all!

Cheers
Viv "

For a little background, Viv runs Battle Bunker, one of the few Local Gaming Stores in Australia (specifically in Melbourne). If you haven't watched Viv's wargaming/terrain/scenery tutorials on youtube, check them out here - they are fantastic How-To guides and displays of some of his custom work.


A Tribute
You can really feel Viv's passion in his youtube videos, and it saddens me to have heard this news. I've never met Viv, or communicated with him in any way, but when someone is that passionate about what they're doing it's easy to feel a loss.

His youtube videos have provided me with plenty of instruction, hints and tips, and construction How-To guides. But the most important thing he's given me, and I'm sure he's given others too - is inspiration. His videos always made me feel like the most daunting and difficult construction tasks were within my reach.

So this is my thanks to Viv of the Battle Bunker, for his contributions to the wargaming community. For always starting his videos with a smile, and signing off with a goodbye.

Sync out - take care Viv, all the best.

CLANS: Lords of Valhallen

My first CLANS squad - the Lords of Valhallen. I bought Games Workshop's Battle for Skull Pass a couple of years back, not really to play WHFB, but simply because I've always loved dwarves and goblins. They're my favorite fantasy races!

I've always liked the traditional fantasy fiction of dwarves, and kept that consistent in my background for CLANS. I also plan on doing a squad of dwarf slayers, firstly because I like the lore behind them and secondly because I'm an avid reader of Gotrek and Felix (reading through the saga for the second time now!).

Being from a large plastic boxed set, these models aren't as detailed as some of the other stuff available, but I had them lying around gathering dust, so I thought why not. I got to take my pick from the 30+ models in the box too, and it was nice to get some use out of these guys.

They were really fun to paint though, and I think the completed result looks cool. Anyways, onto some close ups of my Lords of Valhallen! (click to enlarge)

Sync out.

Ordered my sefadu and FCC!

I've placed my order with Defiant Gaming for my sefadu, and I'm VERY excited! I'm glad they were able to stock them so quickly - the MERCS guys only just dispatched their pre-orders on the 18th, so I wasn't expecting to have access to them down-under so soon.

They haven't got the sefadu factions cards yet though, but will have the cards next month when the Keiwai Waza come in.
No word yet on the reprinted KemVar faction cards though - if there's no update on that by the time the Keiwai Waza are released, I'll just grab the current prints. I've been itching to see how the Active Camo armour fares on the table!
[Update!] From MERC-Brian: We have the reprinted KemVar cards. They were reprinted along with CCC, sefadu and Waza.
Looks like I'll be getting 3 sets of faction cards in my next order!

I also bought up the MERCS FCC models, as I just haven't found the motivation to paint my Infinity models. The MERCS FCC didn't appeal to me at first, but they kinda grew on me. The Infinity models are nice, but not the same scale, style and feel as MERCS.
The collector in me triumphed, and I've decided I'll be grabbing all the MERCS factions.

Sync out.