15mm FOW Pacific Marines

It seems we're stuck on a 15mm kick lately. Most of our volume has moved over to 15mm, with larger armies and orders becoming the norm. Here's images of a 15mm WWII US Marine force we did for a customer. It is based to be used with an unofficial Flames of War codex. It includes 3 platoons of marines with snipers, bazookas, a weapons platoon, and HMG platoon, and an 81mm mortar platoon.

The whole force assembled.

81mm mortars and 75mm artillery.

HMG's ready for a Japanese assault.

Overall a sizable army and with the options available should have plenty of variety when played.

15mm Modern Middle East

We recently did a 15mm Modern Middle East order for a customer. The figures are for Beruit in the early-mid 80's and represent Syrian commandos and PLO militia. Figures are a mix, with the only ones that I can identify positively are the Peter Pig figures.

Syrian Commandos

PLO Militia

Basing is a simple sand affixed with Matte Medium and painted. Silflor grass tufts were added at the end to dress up the bases a bit.

First Batch of Reapers Finished

Based and Ready to be Shipped to an Anxious Customer!

   You've  already seen most of these figures, if not all of them, prior to their basing.  I always feel that figures aren't complete until they have proper terrain to stand upon.  There is something about green that complements the figure.  I always say that it's a decorator's trick or a butcher's trick.  Decorator's trick: in order to join rooms of different colors you use plants in each of the rooms.  Butcher's trick: in order to make your meat appear redder and more appealing, add green paper backing or that weird green foliage to the butcher's case.  In addition, the base of the figure changes the mood of the figure.  For instance, below in the first picture, the female necromancer; imagine her on a sparse base with no foliage, just charred rocky debris.  It would seem desolate and foreboding; which would work equally as well as the sparse grass.  The sparse grass just doesn't seem as gloomy and I happen to enjoy how it makes the green in her staff and the green of the skeletons pop.

   So one word of advice, "If you are ever a titch dissatisfied with a paint job; wait until you base it and see how you feel."  The black of the stick or base you've been painting on is actually sucking the color out of the figure.  It's an optical illusion, like when they suggest wearing black to make you look thinner.  Dark colors make things look smaller but they also wash the color out of what they come in contact with.

I like how the blue on the marid has become so brilliant now that the green of the base is there to compliment.  And I know, she is a water genie, why isn't she on a water base?  Well, she could have been, but for continuity's sake she is on grass like all others.

I bet the first criticism here will be, "They're tavern people, they should have tavern bases!"  I agree, however, let's pretend that they are in a biergarten.  Always remember, if a person ever wants a particular base for a figure, all they have to do is mention it in their order and we'll do the best we can.  Otherwise, we err on the side of continuity.  It is no cop-out, just the uniformity of the figures in relation to other figures when in game play.

Basing for figures such as the center half-ogre can be difficult sometimes.  He comes on his wooden plank base, appropriate for a pirate but then what.  So, you can only use him in a tavern or a ship?  It may seem cheezy but we added the earth and turf to kind of camouflage the boards and make him more applicable to general adventuring.

I hate having to paint figures that I like.  They are like children; I give them a little bit of life and I don't want to let them go when the time comes.  I looked at Bob the other day and said with a pouty face, "Do I really have to send them?"  He of course said, "Yes" and laughed at me.  But, now you also know that I put a lot of love into what I do.