Free Worldwide Postage until 1st March 2016 at 15mm.co.uk

Leap into the Fray with our Leap Year Offer!

From now until early morning 1st March 2016 we are having a free worldwide postage on all orders over 10.00GBP in product value!  This applies to Alternative Armies, 15mm.co.uk and The Ion Age on all our 6mm, 15mm and 28mm miniatures and game systems in fact everything on our websites you can put in your cart (not downloads).  All you need to do is add to the cart and the website will do the rest.  Go HERE.

If you like 15mm scale including HOT Fantasy, TTF Fantasy, HOF Science Fiction, Laserburn, Altuos Renaissance, Pony Wars and ACW, Isarus Dark Age, Medus Medieval along with 6mm sci-fi and a lot more go to 15mm.co.uk.  

All the offers on our websites made during this month are still valid until the end of this event so in some cases you can get a double advantage.  Here are a list of the blog articles from this month applicable to offers:

Altuos 15mm Renaissance Range 25% off 25 Codes

Say Goodbye to the 15mm Charger APC and Maginot Defence Tower

Combing Orders Text

So if you like Flintloque, High Fantasy, Ganesha Games and other 28mm scale ranges check out Alternative Armies.  Space Opera science fiction wargamers should look to the unique range and setting of The Ion Age for excellent 15mm and 28mm miniatures, vehicles and rule systems.

Our three websites are having a free postage event.  If you place an order for more then ten pounds (10.00GBP) the shopping cart will automatically give you free shipping worldwide.  As many orders as you like across one, two or all three of our websites at www.alternative-armies.com, www.15mm.co.uk and www.theionage.com.  While the vast majority of customers are happy to place orders in this way we know that some of you would like to place a combined order by email and receive a paypal invoice to pay.  This is totally fine with us and here is what to do for a combined order by email.  Firstly choose your point of contact.  Is it Alternative Armies, 15mm.co.uk or The Ion Age?  Choose one and email us on sales@alternative-armies.com, sales@15mm.co.uk or info@theionage.com.  

Make your email title 'combined order' and give us your name, your shipping address, your paypal email address and a list of codes and quantities that you want to order from across our ranges.  We will then reply with a total and a paypal invoice.  You will get a free monthly miniature if you have Ion Age codes and you will get any other items offered free if applicable from the other websites if you have codes from its ranges in your order.  We typically reply quickly but be assured you WILL NOT miss the free postage on your combined order as we will honour it as long as your email comes in before the offer ends.  Speak to you soon.  Thanks.  

Gavin Syme (GBS).

Batch Painting 15mm Figures for AoMaS by Andy Jefcoate

Welcome to the second article for Age of Might and Steel by Andy Jefcoate a great fan of 15mm fantasy wargaming.  Andy has more articles to come which will feature on our blog and in this article he talks and shows how to get your figures painted and on the table using the very popular HOT21 Zombie Horde pack. If you missed the first article on building a Goblin Army then you can read that HERE on our blog.  We hope you enjoy and all comments or emails are most welcome. Follow the links in the text to visit our website for the rules and miniatures mentioned.  GBS

Batch Painting 15mm Figures for AoMaS

Everyone has their own individual style and method for painting figures and this often differs according to the scale and genre of figures you are working on. Recently I've been painting large numbers of 15mm fantasy figures and without a system this can take a long time. I thought I'd talk you through the system I use which as I have limited time I've found effective. The figures I'll use as my example are zombies from the 15mm.co.uk pack HOT21 Zombie Horde.  This pack has sixteen mixed unarmed Zombies in it and is excellent value and varied use too.

For Age of Might and Steel (AoMaS) you really need zombie units of 10 or 12 stands and each unit has to have a magic user attached. I personally don't like to paint a unit all in one go so I do it in 2 batches of 5 or 6 stands but this is just personal preference.

1. I start by gluing the figures 3 to a 40mm x 20mm stand. There are 4 different poses in this pack and I insure that there are 3 different poses on each stand but in a random order. Once the glue's dry I undercoate the figures in a matt black paint. I like to use acrylic paints as they dry quickly. 

2. I then add my basing material by adding fine sand to paint of the colour I want the bases to be and put it on. For my current 15mm fantasy armies I'm using a sandy brown as the base colour. Doing the basing material at this stage is a bit unconventional but I don't like it when I accidently get basing material on a nicely painted figure! I find it easier to just touch up the base itself later on if any paint from the figure gets on it. 

This can all easily be done in an evening leaving a couple of hours between each stage.The basing paint can then be left overnight to dry hard.

3. The first paint I usually start with is any metallic areas but as the zombies don't have armour or carry weapons I can skip this stage. 

4. Next I paint any flesh colour which for zombies in 15mm I like to use a sickly pale green. You could also use a light grey or add grey to a flesh tone if you want the zombies to look a bit more fresh!

5.  Then it's time for the clothing and hair. I use 3 drab colours such as a light brown, a dark brown and a grey, randomly across all the figures for the majority of their clothing and their hair as this makes the stands look part of the same unit even though they don't wear a uniform. I then like to pick out the odd clothing item in a brighter colour such as red, blue or green to give a bit of variety but only a maximum of 1 or 2 items per stand so as to not lose the uniformity.

6. By this stage the majority of the figure's surface area is painted and it's time to pick out any details that are unique to a particular casting. With the zombies one of the figures looks like it has half it's intestines hanging out so a nice dark purple for these catches the eye. I also add blood around any areas that look like they could have been wounds and on a few figures put blood on hands and around their mouths to hint at previous dark deeds! This adds a further bit of variety between figures.

7. To bring all this together I then cover the whole of each figure in a black ink wash. As it dries it highlights the detail on the castings, it dulls down the colour of the individual paints and also brings colours together by creating areas of shade. If you're painting figures with nice uniforms you have to be careful not to overdo it so as not to obscure brighter colours but this won't matter with zombies it just makes them look more grubby.

8. The zombies themselves are complete so its time to touch up the main base colour if required. The fine sand gives a nice texture which can then be highlighted with a lighter colour. I find that a bone colour works well over the sandy brown. I've done the bases in the same style for all of my 15mm fantasy armies as I can then use units as mercenaries or swap monsters to different armies and they immediately fit in visually.

9. For durability I then give all the stands a coat of varnish to protect them for transport and from damage in the heat of battle such as being battered by dice or being accidently knocked from the table. I use a spray matt varnish so that the figures aren't too shiny but again this is just personal taste.

10. Finally once the varnish has dried I add static grass to the  bases using PVA glue as it ties the units in with the green of my terrain tiles, but again this is purely personal taste. The use of different flocks can change the look of any army and can be used to fit them with whatever terrain you require. 

Including leaving the base paint overnight these 10 steps can be completed within 24 hours and I've done it in the past to have that final unit finished for a particular battle.

If you want extra variety you can convert some of the figures quite easily. With zombies you can simply clip bits off or bend them out of shape to show earlier damage. I always fancied doing a unit that's coming up out of the ground which wouldn't be to hard to do. Something for a future article perhaps........

Thanks for reading.

Andy

Altuos 15mm Renaissance Range 25% off 25 Codes

15mm.co.uk has a large selection of classic 15mm historical ranges for wargamers to choose from. These include the Isarus range of Dark Age and Ancients, the Medus range of Medieval and Hussites, the Altuos range of Renaissance and Turkish as well as Potomac ACW and Brickdust Napoleonics too. We don't often mention them much across the web and social media so we decided its time to share the love (appropriate time of the year too) with 25% yes twenty five percent off twenty five codes in the Altuos range. Go HERE. 

There are about one hundred and forty different miniatures in the Altuos range from the 15th to the 17th century covering the nations of Europe plus Ottoman Turkish too. Infantry, Cavalry, Command, Artillery Crews, Artillery pieces too. To be fair to wargamers who play Renaissance era rule systems and have diverse ideas of which armies to field the twenty five codes reduced are randomly spaced across the range. Discount is on the screen you just add to your cart. Go HERE.  Enjoy the range looking for the discounted codes.

The discounts last until the end of the month of February. 

Thanks for Reading, 

GBS

Say Goodbye to the 15mm Charger APC and Maginot Defence Tower

Yes say goodbye to the popular HOF27 Maginot Defence Tower and the HOF28 Charger APC models in our HOF 15mm Science Fiction range.  They will be withdrawn from sale at the end of February 2016.  But wait you say!  Why withdraw them when everyone loves them?  Well we have decided to re-master both of these models and then release them once more into the HOF Range in the late spring.  Its a great time to do this as we plan to expand the propulsion options on the Charger and weapon mount on the Maginot too.  Don't fret though since these new versions will be 100% compatible with the original models.  The new versions are also designed by Sam Croes who came up with the originals.

If you want to get your hands on the current Charger and Maginot before they become extinct and sought after you can go HERE.

Both of these models feature large in the Human Colonial Armies of the Alien Squad Leader rules system and are part of the sub-set of the HOF Range that is Security Force Alpha.  Click HERE to see all the SFA codes. The SFA range contains more than fifty different poses of 15mm white metal miniatures and vehicles allowing a wargamer to assemble a cohesive force for their campaigns. A whole integrated range within HOF which will be expanded even more.

All across the Human Colonies and on Terra itself there is a need for security after, during and even before the high rollers and expensive kit arrives in the battle zone. Security Force Alpha is just that force filling in as police, paramilitaries, mercenaries and planetary militias too. They are the faceless grunts that do the thankless jobs needed by all those who govern, control or enforce. Use them as you will from the near to the far future! 

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Painting Agency Blog spots the Ikwen

“The pseudo-amphibioid natives of the jungle world Kwiell were progressing well through their version of the Bronze Age when the first sky visitors arrived.  Unfortunately for the Ikwen ("the Forest's Children" in their own language of hypersonic clicks and squeals) the visitors were not a curious scientific team, but a fleet of freebooters hired by the Human Empire to scout out sources of the fusion-modulating superheavy element unbihexium.....”

Allison M over at the Painting Agency Blog is a real fan of 15mm.co.uk and notably the Loud Ninja Games range of miniatures you can find there among many other things.  Check out the original blog post HERE and visit this page HERE for the Ikwen. The post on the painting agency blog concerns a guerilla action carried out by the native Ikwen against Human invaders.  A great little story which would sit well for a campaign using any 15mm sci-fi rules such as USEME or Alien Squad Leader with the Ikwen and perhaps the Rim Mercenaries from the HOF range standing in for the greedy Humans.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Wasteland Raiders, Rad Zombies and Road Wardens released by Loud Ninja Games

"The wastelands of the blasted future are a dangerous and crazy place where sanity and even life itself have been challenged and often destroyed by the powers that brought the world to its knees. These miniatures are designed to be used in any post-apocalyptic or science fiction setting where wasteland peoples and creatures have developed." 

 Loud Ninja Games headed up by designer Eli Arndt have released three new 15mm packs into the part of the range 'Wasteland and Mutants' on their page at 15mm.co.uk. They join not only the other packs in that part of the range but of course the Alien Encounters, Ikwen, Yandrassi and the Chuhuac with over thirty codes into total! Go HERE for the whole range and you can refine by search for only Wasteland packs if you wish. 

The three new packs are excellent for present day gangers, post apocalypse raiders, near future hunters and most anything else that needs weird and wonderful in 15mm scale. Highly detailed white metal miniatures sculpted by Eli Arndt. Here are the details. Go HERE. 

RAP030 Road Wardens 

This pack contains three different highly detailed 15mm scale white metal humans with pistols and a rifle all wearing light armour. Even in the wastes there are those who cannot abide evil. These brave men and women take up arms in the name of something more than simple survival and take to the roads dispensing justice. They are known by many titles but often go by a more classical, romantic title - Road Warden. All miniatures are supplied unpainted and without bases. 

RAP031 Rad Zombies 

This pack contains five different 15mm scale white metal radioactive zombies in various poses. Exposed bones, melting flesh and grinning skulls these are scary foes! In the wastelands and the ruins of the old world, there are those who have been so changed that even after death they continue to menace the living. Whether it is through strange energies, chemical cocktail or mutant virus, Rad Zombies now roam where man once dwelt seeking to feed their insatiable hunger. All miniatures are supplied unpainted and without bases. 

RAP032 Wasteland Raiders 

This pack contains nine different 15mm scale white humans in various poses. Crude weapons, scavenged firearms, punk style hair, rough clothing these are the guys that haunt the innocent in a nightmare future. In the shadow of the world before there are those who are so intent on survival that they leave behind all pretence of civility and community, choosing instead to make their fellow man their prey upon which they sustain themselves. Those who take to this life live as bandits, raiders, and much worse, banding together to use might to make their living as Wasteland Raiders. All miniatures are supplied unpainted and without bases. 

These new packs go excellently with the fearsome Terrorclopes and the helpful Wasteland Buddies as we as the not pictured here Mutants and Super Mutants in the range. RAP028 and RAP029 Sculpted by Eli Arndt and painted here by Sam Croes. Enjoy! 

Thanks for Reading, 

GBS

How to Build a Goblin Army in AoMaS by Andy Jefcoate

Welcome to the first article for Age of Might and Steel by Andy Jefcoate a great fan of 15mm fantasy wargaming and a good guy all around.  Andy has more articles to come which will feature on our blog but in this article he talks and shows how to assemble a Goblin Army for use in the game. We hope you enjoy and all comments or emails are most welcome.  Follow the links in the text to visit our website for the rules and miniatures mentioned.  Thanks.  GBS

How to build a Goblin Force for AoMaS 

using figures from the 15mm.co.uk ranges 

As a fan of fantasy wargaming my favourite scale is 15mm as it allows you to field impressive looking forces without taking up huge amounts of space and can also be achieved without considerable expense. Both of these things appeal to me! 

Over the last few years I've used the Age of Might and Steel (AoMaS) rules as they are quick to learn, fun to play and flexible enough to be used for games of a few units a side up to major battles of several hundred figures.  The rules are on the website as a paid for PDF download. The fantasy ranges at 15mm.co.uk cover all the unit types available with many of the monsters being interchangeable between armies. Since reading the Lord of the Rings as a child I've always had a soft spot for goblin wolf riders (someone has to) so the first force I decided to build was goblins. 

Basing 

For those of you who aren't familiar with the AoMaS rules, all the main units are made up of figure stands with a 40mm frontage. Infantry are based on 40mm x 20mm stands with 2 figures for light infantry or archers, and 3 for medium and heavy infantry. Cavalry are based on 40mm x 30mm stands with 2 figures for both light and heavy cavalry. Heroes are based on 25mm x 25mm stands although I generally use 25mm round stands to make them obvious and I like to use a bigger stand for the army general. Special stands such as war machines and monsters can be based as you like but I still use a 40mm frontage, with 30mm, 40mm and 60mm depth according to the size of the model.  Element Bases to use are HERE.

My Unit Choices 

It's no surprise that my first unit choice was wolf riders but they're a compulsory unit in any case. Using pack HOT5, you get 10 wolf riders in each pack which gives you 5 stands. 

I wanted a unit of 10 stands which would therefore need 2 packs. If you buy 3 identical packs you get a 10% discount (use the drop down menu on the product page and select three packs) which is excellent value, and in the end I bought 4 packs but more about that later. 

I then wanted some ordinary goblin warriors, which are medium infantry and the other compulsory unit choice. These are provided by pack HOT4 with 16 figures supplied per infantry pack. I wanted an 8 stand unit so 2 packs would give me the 24 figures I needed with a few left over. This gives you the units you must have (apart from heroes and magic users), so now you are free to choose units that match your playing style. 

I decided on some goblin archers to provide ranged attacks. These are supplied by pack HOT61, and as I wanted an 8 stand unit with archers based 2 to a stand I only needed 1 pack. As heavy infantry are a useful unit to have I wanted some goblin knights. These were supplied using pack HOT4A from the orc range. The more heavily armoured figures work nicely. I wanted a 9 stand unit to form an attack column so 2 packs supplied the 27 figures I needed with a few figures left over for unit leaders. 

For the final unit in my basic army I decided that I wanted some more wolf riders but this time I wanted mounted archers. Although there isn't a specific pack for these they are easily created using the regular wolf riders in pack HOT5 (I mentioned that I bought extra packs) with the riders clipped through at the waist and then another pack of goblin archers HOT61 also clipped through at the waist (but being careful to trim round the quiver). Please see the attached photo. Make sure that the 2 halves are trimmed to a flat edge and they glue together nicely. I wanted 6 stands so I still had some wolf riders left over for mounted characters. 

Choosing Special Stands 

In AoMaS you are allowed Special Stands in ratio to the number of units in your Army, and the ratio varies according to which Fantasy Race you are using. 

All armies must have a general. For my general I bought pack HOT3 which includes a goblin king with an axe along with bodyguards so job done! I put him on a 30mm x 30mm base to make him stand out. The kneeling warriors with spears were used as standard bearers for my units. I then based 3 wolf riders individually on 25mm round bases. 1 was painted as a magic user with the other 2 painted as heroes. 

To bolster the size of my archer unit and give some longer range shooting if I needed it I purchased a goblin bolt thrower pack HOT16. For my initial monster choices I bought 3 trolls using pack HOT3A. Trolls are supplied individually but again by buying 3 there was a 10% discount. Then I also bought a Manticore which are supplied singly in pack HOT28. 

Army Points 

The total APV of my goblin force is 430 which is a good size to start playing with. 

Tactical Lessons 

Heavy infantry are slow but solid in combat against all other units. They should anchor your line where needed. The medium infantry are faster and good at holding the line against other medium infantry or light troops. 

Archers provide ranged attacks but may not charge into combat so you need to be careful where you send them. They are useful for holding terrain features or objectives and move as light infantry so move quickly even in dense woods or rough terrain. Remember that war machines move as heavy infantry though so if you need your archers to move quickly don't attach a bolt thrower. 

As light cavalry the wolf riders are fast and can move around the flanks, but be wary of heavy cavalry. As a special rule wolf riders add +1 to their dice roles in combat but if you want to take on the heavies it wouldn't hurt to involve a hero in the combat as well. Of course if you can get in a sneaky flank charge that's even better. 

The wolf riders with bows cannot charge into combat due to being mounted archers but are useful to the flank or rear of the enemy. They can fire from a march column formation which can be particularly effective. 

The Trolls count as a stand each so can boost the size of units when attached, but the Manticore is the most effective when attached as it provides magical attacks giving you -1 on your base number. 

Conclusions 

After playing some initial games, this is a good all round starting force, but may not work with all scenarios. I plan to add an additional unit of wolf riders, heavy infantry and medium infantry to my collection in the near future. This will give me more tactical options when selecting a force. I've enjoyed the whole process of building and painting this army and although it isn't the toughest it's fun to play with and when all's said and done that's the most important thing for me. 

Thank you for reading. 

Andy