Review: Sierra Foxtrot One Five, first issue

My friend Panzerfaust 150 and his writing/editing partner George Grealy have managed to get the first issue of their new 15mm Sci-Fi magazine out the door(take a read here).

The first issue puts them off to a good start. Reviews, how-to's, interviews and scenarios are all there and are on par with most of the stuff the pros turn out. The scenarios and interviews are top-notch and the reviews sound like they were written by a customer instead of a salesman, you'll have a hard time finding a better written and more reader oriented gaming magazine, especially for 15mm SF.

In addition to the model reviews and a solid setting and system agnostic scenario you get a very interesting interview with Shawn Carpenter of Ambush Alley Games. And you get all that (and more) for the low, low price of absolutely free!

Give it a read and let them know what you think (and if you can, send them an article or ten).

Review: QRF Sci-Fi aliens

With my hand finally absolutely, completely healed from a modeling related injury (might be a good jumping off point for a piece on modeling tool safety) and the obscene heat that has been hanging around since mid-summer has finally broken I can end my largely unintentional hiatus. I have a few kits backlogged for reviews so I'll start with two that Ambush Alley's newly released Tomorrow's War got me working on this week, specifically QRF's Large Alien Bipeds (pack SF06) and Skullhunters (pack SF08).

The large Alien bipeds are Geiger-esq aliens which are pretty large for 15mm. Standing beside QRF's Deep Space Marines the Aliens do look quite menacing with the marines (and most other non-power armor humans in 15mm) standing about as high as the creature's shoulder. Details like big nasty teeth, claws, long spiky tail and crenelated chitinous hide are clean and well defined and the poses are dynamic and appropriately menacing.

The Skullhunters are, like Khurasan's "Vacation Alien" excellent stand ins for the classic Schwarzenegger alien baddie the Predator, QRF's offering has at least two advantages over the Khurasan figure in that for the price of 2.8 Vacation Alien figures you get a pack of 8 figures and while there is only the one "Vacation Alien" sculpt the Skullhunters pack contains 7 different sculpts with an assortment of equipment and poses including two with strange alien spears and one quite ferocious unmasked hunter roaring it's victory at it's vanquished trophy.

These packs along with QRF's SF03 "Alien Facehugger" pack are some of the cleanest cast sets I've recieved purchased in a long time. Both the "Facehuggers" and the Skullhunters only really need some light work with clippers and file to smooth out the underside of the integrated bases, the Large Alien Bipeds need only slightly more work to clean them up as I have found a slight propensity for light flash between the legs and under the arms but this is thin and easily removed with a #11 or #20 blade. None of them have any noticeable mold lines.

If you want to do some classic sci-fi action movie gaming these miniatures are great choices for stand ins for these classic movie aliens. Both sculpts scale well with each other and with QRF and Rebel human figures; they also have just the right look for your Alien and Predator themed war gaming.

Review: QRF Stryker ICV

The heat wave has receded somewhat which means I can actually enter my work area again which means I can begin working through the rather large QRF order that arrived last week.
The first item on the block is the set of five Stryker ICVs.

Strykers are likely to be pretty important for Force On Force and Ambush Alley players as they are a major component of current US Army mechanized infantry and have been something of a fixture of combat in Iraq. Regardless of the problems and shortcomings of the real world Stryker, they are likely to feature frequently in most modern and near future wargames just as they will likely to continue as the Army's first tier APC.

As is usual for QRF's vehicles all components are white metal although there is less appearant flexability to these parts but that is likely down to the thickness of the parts relative to the generally thinner parts of the HMMWVs. Of the three of these that I have assembled so far none have shown any significant pitting as I have found on some of QRF's other large components. There seems to be a fairly consistent flash seam running along the mid point of the hull which is easily removed with a #11 and a fine file but must be done so carefully as it runs across several detailed sections. There is also a rather annoying plug section on the starboard side of the hull near the front of the sand channel racks; I found it easiest to cut away as much of it as I can with clippers and then cover it over with kneedite ("green stuff") stowage (visible on the vehicle on the right in the photo). Attaching the wheels to the hull is fairly easy and doesn't require much more than dry fitting and gluing.

Although it lacks the slat armor and ridiculous amounts of stowage frequently seen on current Strykers in the field the detailing is very good with clean edged hatches and the various protrusions. Scale seems good, especially compared to most 15mm figures in my collection; comparison with the other vehicles will have to wait until I can dig up the dimensions of their RL counterparts but they appear appropriately large next to most of the other AFVs I have.

The models are good, construction and assembly is fairly simple and the model offers a good base for a number of conversions. Given it's role in the US inventory and how iconic it has been in Iraq since 2003 most collections should be able to find space for at least one or two.

Review: QRF Modern US infantry M4 w/ Helmets (new range)

QRF recently updated their Modern US Infantry line, phasing out their old packs for new sculpts that have a more current look to them. These figures are definitely more 'modern' than the figures they replace, the helmets have more of a resemblance to the current MICH helmets than the PAGST helmets. The M4 carbines have been noticeably 'tacticalised' with suggestions of optics, laser/illuminator units and vertical fore-grips. The uniforms and load bearing gear have suggestions of Interceptor IOTVs and current MOLLE LBE systems. This puts these figures fairly solidly in the 21st century, GWOT era.

[Right: Old QRF US modern infantry in three color desert camo, New QRF US modern infantry in my first attempt at desert MARPAT]

Material quality and casting is good as most of QRF's small and medium sized parts with no noticeable weakness, bubbling or other impurities. Small amounts of flash are present on the ends of gun barrels and on the underside of the integral bases while there were some noticeable mold lines or pits on some of the figures these are generally only present in areas where they are either easily disguised or removed.

[Left: Old QRF US modern infantry in three color desert camo, New QRF US modern infantry in three color desert camo]

Poses are nicely varied and not only cover all of the common ones (running, kneeling, standing) but have some nice variations. Some of the poses are a little stiff but strongly resemble photographs you will see from military training and combat.

Now we get to the difficult part for me. I had very high hopes for these figures and had been very happy with the previous line. The detail on the equipment had been excellent and some of the best I have seen in this scale; there were some shortcomings, such as the lack of facial detail (not a huge problem for most of them as you could paint them as wearing shemaghs or balaclavas). I'm sad to say that unfortunately these figures don't represent an improvement over the level of detail and sculpt quality. The body and uniform equipment is well sculpted and appears sufficiently detailed and authentic as to stand up to even close inspection. Weapon detail, extremities and the head are where there is a recognizable step backwards in detail and fidelity. Many of the faces and hands are distorted and weapons don't hold up well to close inspection.

[Right: Rebel Minis US modern infantry in UCP ACU, New QRF US modern infantry in an attempt at MultiCam]

I've been thinking about how to conclude this review for a few days now. These figures are no longer particularly appropriate for operations prior to 2000. While they would mix reasonably well with Rebel Minis' Modern US line the way the two lines are packaged generally don't give you a particularly compelling reason to do so. They do look pretty good at table distance though and at those distances mix pretty well with QRF's old line. If you want to get a bit more variety or fill a couple of gaps in your modern US collection they are pretty good choices and the line does include a few options that most of the others don't have like M16DMR armed marksmen. We'll see in a few weeks how those line up.

Review: Rebel Modern US Infantry Command Pack

Now, the second part of the Rebel Minis Force onForce Platoon Box, the US Command Pack.
The sculpts are on par with the figures from the regular infantry pack, largely because they are the same sculpts with a handful of exceptions. The medic is simply one of the riflemen with a modified pack and leg bag, the difference is subtle so look closely! The RTO is okay, seemingly based on one of the 'leader' sculpts but showing some noticeable differences (Personally I rather prefer the QRF RTO sculpts from the old US modern command pack but I'm not sure about the accuracy of either one's equipment).

Then there is the last of the unique sculpts, the medium machinegun teams. These are the ones that have given me the most trouble; they are sculpted in pairs as an emplaced two man team operating a medium machinegun. At least that's what it's supposed to be, what you actually get is the same two men from the sniper teams but the rifle has been replaced with what looks like a M249 SAW and the spotter scope has been cut down for binoculars, still wearing their 'boonie' hats and rolled sleeves taking cover behind some boxes and a couple of fist sized rocks. Now I realize why the Rebel SAW gunners seemed to be holding such large weapons compared to my QRF SAW gunners, Rebel's sculptor seems to have confused the M240B and the M249.

The US Infantry Command pack seems to have quite a few extra figures, compared to standard Army Infantry TOEs and USMC Infantry TOEs. You get five MG teams (listed as M240G teams), a SAW gunner, Medic, RTO, Platoon leader, three Squad leaders (one which is expected to act as Platoon SGT), Javelin gunners, six riflemen, and a Grenadier. This seems a lot even for a TOE that calls for a three MG weapons squad and several superfluous riflemen.

Since the sculpts are largely the same (the Platoon Leader and PSGT/Squad leaders are the same figures as the Squad Leader and Team Leader figures from the regular sets I don't think I need to go over the sculpting of the figures and the casting quality is on par with the regular infantry packs I've reviewed before although I think the one I received had slightly more flash.

Unfortunately I really don't think the Medic and RTO sculpts justify the purchase of the entire pack and the mis-equipped and out of uniform MG teams are definitely a point against it. I would probably just purchase an extra one of Rebel's standard US Infantry packs and do some work with a knife and putty. Which would also mean that I would have an actual FO figure.

Rebel Minis 15mm Modern US Infantry

I managed to make some time to sit down with my Force on Force US Army Platoon Box from Rebel Minis, starting with one of the Infantry packs. If you use the commonly found 9 man/2 fireteam squad organization you will get two full squads plus a few extra riflemen and a pair of Javelin gunners which you can swap in if you are building a Stryker platoon or organize them with the Javelins from the other packs in the 'Box' as a weapons squad. These are definitely the most modern US 'moderns' I've seen, obviously wearing the IOTV body armor system and mounting optics on their carbines.

Above: Just finished fireteam and squad leader, first try at ACU's UCP camo pattern.
Below: QRF Modern US (old range) on left, Rebel Modern US on right

The sculpts are clean, well executed and seem well proportioned; some are quite active and dynamic. Uniform detail is good with major features well defined and even some small details sculpted in (one of the few times I've seen sculpted in seams on the boot panels). Weapons are well sculpted and fairly detailed but seem a little bit large compared to the figures (and are definately a larger than the QRF modern US figures), and some proportions or deatails are a bit off this is particularly appearant with the SAW gunners with their rather long barrels and exaggerated bipod and some of the carbines with their oddly short and sharply angled magazines.

Casting quality is somewhat mixed. While the mold lines on the outward facing surfaces of the figures are minimal, flash and mold lines on inward facing areas like between the legs or between the arms and chest can be quite prominent during painting and are difficult to remove without significant care and some very small tools. The packs I received had almost no bent or transit damaged parts but one or two in the pack I looked at today did have miscast details like the SGT who was missing the front sight post and barrel from his carbine. The metal used in the casting is quite hard but not so much that small adjustments of thin parts will cause damage but it can make cleaning and removing flash difficult.

These miniatures stand out as one of the only 15mm offerings to depict current US infantry kit such as prevalent carbine optics, IOTV body armor, radio headset, MICH helmet etc. If you want current or near future troops these are one of the best non Sci-Fi offerings. Having gotten these has gotten me tempted to pick up some QRF Strykers and some supporting armor for Force on Force.

Below: Rebel Modern US Infantry left, QRF US moderns right

Rebel Minis 15mm Insurgents review

I finally got started on actually doing some OPFOR, starting with Rebel Minis' 15mm Insurgents. These little guys are ready to make your MOUT a whole lot more exciting with four RPGs and 16 AK armed gunmen.

First, When and where are they appropriate? Given their armament of AKs and RPGs there isn't any real technical reason why they can't show up anytime in the last 50-60 years. Their clothing (boots, cargo pants/utility trousers and tee-shirts or tactical shirts topped by a scarf around the head and the classic AK magazine pouches over the chest) poses few limitations either as there have been various rebels, insurgents, reactionaries, terrorists,guerrillas, kidnappers and random pissed off Arabs/Muslims/Christians/Jews, etc running around dressed like that since the 50's all over Europe, Central Asia and North Africa.
The only real shortcomings I can see with this pack is that it lacks light support weapons which are called for in many Ambush Alley! scenarios and the limited number of poses (4: RPG, AK firing, RPK firing, RPK running; the firing RPK and AK figures ar nearly identical except for slight differences in the gun barrels). Otherwise it fills a very important gap in the availability of good insurgents/guerrillas for your 15mm gaming.

Now, Quality check. The figures are rather sturdy and stable. Mold lines do not pose any major issues but you will find yourself spending a lot of time checking for bits of flash in hard to reach places, if your batch is like mine. The poses are a little stiff looking but have a good sense of movement about them. Clothing detail and overall figure proportions are both good while weapon detail is acceptable.
Compatability with other ranges: Their height and proportions fit well with Rebel's other 15mm figures and with QRF's moderns line although if you are going to put the two side by side I would suggest using something to increase the height of the Rebel figures as QRF's integral bases are somewhat thicker.

Conclusions, I have one or two slight misgivings about this set but over all they work well for their intended purpose and getting them as part of one of Rebel's Ambush Alley Battle Boxes makes them a good deal.
I'm somewhat tempted to get another pack and convert some to carry some Al-Quds machine rifles so that these guys will have some support weapons other than RPGs.