Additional Reinforcement

Still in expansion mode with the Combine with a heavy focus on vehicular options.  The current vehicles have mostly been with a budget mindset, though I am starting to get the itch for some good quality model add ons.

I am unsure of the source for this HEMTT Since it was part of an eBay lot.  It will serve as either scenery or an objective in most cases, though I can potentially do some transport or recovery with it.

The hummer here is just another off the shelf diecast which could serve as a dedicated transport for a squad.  The other vehicle is from the now defunct Sayiner Micro Toys and was titled Fossa.  I had to scratch build the gunner turret and used a cold war soviet gunner with a Heavy Gear gun.  The wheels came from a Hot Wheels car.  I wish I had bought more of the Fossa when they were available.

These last two are from an Amazon listing for diecast military vehicles.  I have a number of these to work on as fillers for larger games.  The AFV on the left I am rather happy with and plan to use regularly but the gun car on the right may end up spending more time on shelf than in game.

I am now over a dozen vehicles with easy access to inexpensive additions.  Thoughts are moving toward some more specific reinforcement with things like air support and maybe some impressive center piece options.  I am currently leaning toward an armored train but super heavy tanks are also possible.

That's all for now, until next time.

Still Alive

It's been about two months since I've added to this project.  Got caught up in a couple other projects that kept me busy, but I am back at it.

I have added more diecast vehicles and still have some tucked away for future work.  The APC is of unknown origins as it lacked a company marking or serial number.  The turret is a printed BTR turret that fit almost perfectly.  The other two are planned as unarmed transports, scenario objectives, or just general scenery.  I hope to have a decent selection to allow for supply column ambushes or to add to base defense scenarios in order to make the table feel a bit more alive.

I still have a few side projects taking up time currently but it is my hope to get started on some air assets in the coming months.  I'm also on the hunt for more sci fi themed units similar to the Gear Krieg walker.

Until next time.

Nuts & Bolts

The basic design theory for this project is inspired mainly by the Imperial Guard of Warhammer 40,000.  I may deviate from the basic principles of that army here and there but the staples will be infantry backed by armor.  When it comes to infantry I will be limiting myself to Soviet troops so that there is a mostly uinform look for part of the force.  The approach on vehicles will be very loose, if it's roughly in scale and I can easily get my hands on it I will likely add it in.  The hope is to one day have a force large enough for some truly epic battles on large tables.

The current progress on the force over the last year has been in bursts of activity here and there.  As I wasn't anticipating treating it as a primary project I didn't go in too heavy.  Half of what is seen has been done in the last few months and should expand pretty quickly now that I'm driven to make it a main option.

This truck marks a first for me in miniature gaming.  I have done miniatures without the ability to fight in the past, but never as an item specific to an army.  I plan to add a selection of support vehicles to be used either as unarmed transport, scenario objectives, or just to make the table feel more alive.

For rules I plan to use Squad Hammer Core by Nordic Weasel Games.  This is easily my first choice since it's easy to set up and gameplay moves quickly.  As full disclosure I am involved in playtest and have photos of my painted miniatures displayed in the book.  I'm definitely open to adapting to force to other rules depending on the preference of my opponent, though my primary efforts will be considered with Squad Hammer in mind.

That's all for now, thanks for taking a look.

Beginnings

Welcome to the little corner of the internet where I will be keeping track of the development and tabletop encounters for a singular 15mm sci fi miniatures project.

The Cottonian Stellar Combine started out as fun diversion with little serious intent about a year ago.  A friend and myself were playtesting and needed modern infantry so I settled on an inexpensive box of cold war Soviets from Plastic Soldier Company.  I opted to paint mine pink since neither of us are very serious about historical miniatures and I knew my friend would appreciate the extreme decision.

I added my first vehicle for testing armor rules, settling on a Zvezda BTR, once again opting for the inexpensive option. 

Eventually we moved on from playtesting and back to our usual fare of science fiction focused gaming.  Since I had a sizeable force of pink infantry I decided to continue using them in our regular games.

Matching dice were acquired and I had a Chieftain tank sitting unused in my collection.  No longer limited to using only Soviet representations, the Chieftain was added to a evolving project.

Continuing to add new models I chose to focus between WWII and modern while adding models that also give a sci fi flavor to the force.  A Zvezda KV-2 and General Early walking tank from Gear Krieg by Dream Pod 9 were added.

The most recent development in the process is the addition of this rocket artillery that I dug out of my diecast box.  I'm unsure of the source, but going forward I will be opening the force up to random diecast options as well as proper scale model kits.

In the future I plan to detail new additions as I add them.  The design idea is to have a large number of infantry backed by supporting armor and artillery.  Air support is inevitable, though most of our primary games don't cover rules for it so that may be a while.  Victories and defeats of the army will also be added as games are played with them.

That's all for now, thanks for taking a look.