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.

Weather delays

Probably for one of the first times ever there is a weather related delay in miniature painting and reviewing. The heatwave in the US this week (and in my area, the week before) has put a bit of a hold on my ability to work on miniatures (when super glue starts boiling in the bottle and paint dries as it pours it becomes very difficult to get much building or painting done).

I will also be attending a security conference this month which between preparations and attending will take up most of what would be my normal productive (miniatures) time. I do have a few items for my USCMC project ready to be written up so I will try to put up something so that I can keep semi regular updates going.

My latest QRF order arrived (cleverly packed in an old Purina box) containing what should be the last models required for the USA Stryker Platoon and the c.2003 USMC for Iraq. Once the weather abates I should have plenty to share.

Busy weekend!

This weekend I went down to Washington DC and managed to meet up with my friend Panzerfaust 150 and his gaming group for a Tomorrow's War playtest. The game was great fun and the rules seem like they are well on their way to being done.


The game was hard fought and reaction tests and Fog Of War card draws were decisive. Artillery bombardments hitting deck armor does nasty things to vehicles and can really turn the tide of an engagement.
Panzerfaust 150 has some more on the test on his blog, check it out.

Now I have to finish my test report so I can get it submitted to Shawn and the test group.

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.

New arrivals

An order from Scale Creep (comprising a QRF M1A2 Abrams MBT and a gaming mat) arrived late last week and today I discovered a parcel containing review copies of QRF's new Modern US M4 armed infantry (codes MAI01 and MAI02, photos on the right).

The figures look pretty good on a quick examination and I've started cleaning, prepping and mounting a few of them to try to paint them tomorrow and do some comparison and detail photos. Look for a full review in the next few days (provided work and home issues allow me enough time)

The Abrams is painted up and is awaiting basing for some comparison photos which I hope to get done in time for a post late in the week.


As a disclaimer Geoff of QRF provided me with these models for review after reading my original review of QRF's old line of US infantry figures. I also place an order with QRF over a week ago for, amongst other things, all 8 of their new Modern US Infantry packs.

QRF RQ-1/MQ-1 Predator UAV

Earlier this week my second QRF order arrived. While most of it was simply duplicate packs of figures in my existing collection (they will be added to my Xenomorph and USCMC collection, a project that is temporarily on the back burner as I try to concentrate on prepping my modern forces to run Ambush Alley intro games for my local club), there was one significant stand-out in the package, a Predator drone.

Now I realize there isn't a lot of need for an actual model of a Predator in Ambush Alley (or really in Force On Force for that matter), much less a figure scale model. While it will probably never serve as much more than a fancy marker to remind players of the asset card it does look pretty awesome and should definitely be a great visual addition to the game (it will probably help get the players in a more appropriate state of mind when it shows up).

The model is all metal of similar consistency and quality to QRF's other vehicles. The wings may need a bit of straightening but they bend into shape just fine; the body, tail, sensor pod and missile pylons (if you build it in the armed MQ-1 version) are solid and need little more than a few swipes with a flat file to remove some flash from seams and flatten join areas where the wings and tail will be attached. Attaching the sensor pod will require either careful cutting and gluing (not my recommendation) or a bit of drilling (a process I found relatively easy once I found the right bit). The missile pylons attached just fine once I flattened the tops of the pylons and smoothed the area of the wings where I glued them on.

The detail is good and scale seems reasonable (not that I can find many good comparison photos), although I don't see scale as a major concern unless you are planning to use it as a terrain piece (might make an interesting scenario objective, now that I think of it). Overall it's a simple model that can really add something to the experience of a game and fills a gap in most other ranges.

Getting started on Terrain

After reading Generation Kill and starting to re-watch the miniseries I've finally gotten the motivation to really get started on some terrain for Ambush Alley.
My state tax refund arrived yesterday which made it hard to choose between placing another QRF order to complete the Stryker Rifle Platoon and the USMC Division Recon Platoon or Buying most of the terrain I need for now from JR or Gamecraft. Fortunately for my miniature collection the QRF order won out and I sat down today to make a start on the pile of balsa wood I bought at a nearby art store. Here is my first attempt, it's approximately 4"x3"x2" and I think it might be a bit too tall.

Also makes me wish that Shawn over at AAG was still making those Ambush Alley terrain sets.