The Truckdoza

Alreet! Welcome Back.

Need transport across the Wastelands? Come book the Truckdoza. Rough terrain is not a problem. The ram deals with obstructions and barricades with ease. As the wasteland is a risky place a twin machine gun is mounted on the cab to deal with those pesky bandits and mutants.

Many years ago, I picked up this cool pickup truck from Ramshackle Games.

Picture courtesy of Ramshackle Games.

The model is heavy and I can be clumsy. I dropped the truck from height and snapped some wheels off. It was assigned to the rework bits box.

During the Covid Lockdowns, I discovered the truck while looking for bits. I also found these cool looking tracks in there, from a cheap B&M stores toy tank. They matched the length of the truck perfectly.

The problem was fitting them. Stripping the truck down, I had to remove the truck bed component. I ran some Balsa wood batons the length of the Truckadoza. This allowed the tracks to be fitted with small wood screws. The dozer blade was fitted from the orginal model. The rear gate was made from a gift card I had been punching rivets from. Some resin junk armour was added from Ramshackle games. A Fox Box Ork Jerrycan and back pack (now availble from Ramshackle games) was also added.

The Truckdoza was parked (pun intended) until last week, when sorting bits for the Junk Raft (see my previous post).

I added googly eyes to hide the screw tops holding the tracks on. The vehicle needed foot boards. The were made from gift cards and interesting looking bits cut from plastic food trays. Another backback was added from the bits box, along with a Ork Skull which was painted in mythril silver as a nod for the film Mad Max fury road. 

Some armament was needed. Another bits box delve turned up another Ramshackle Item, which has lurked there for over a decade. A mount was made from two circles of EVA foam. Rivets were added. I am using tiny nail jewels. You can buy packets of 1000 quite cheaply. They are consistant looking and a better match to the model scale.

The model was primed black and heavily drybrushed in sheet metal. The whole thing was washed in brown. I could have left it there, in a oxidised grimey metal state. Grey was sponged over the metal panels and then colours sponged over the top to give a worn or chipped paint look.

Thanks for looking, take care out there.

Meet the Colonists #3

Hello and welcome back,

This is the first of a batch of posts, catching up on the figures I finished last year. I am a fair bit behind with my blogging.

For now, get comfortable and get ready to meet the next bunch of colonists on the world of Corrosion. 

Mayor Minstum Leuien is a retired senior military officer from the Brittannia quadrant. He wears the Mayor's hat of office (because someone robbed the chain and medallion) to show that he is the leader of the colony of Pusterom. Minstrum is armed with a exotic looking las pistol which was looted from the many piles of scrap across the world of Corrosion.

The figure is a Northstar Steampunk figure. The hat started life as a spare scrap of green stuff putty which I fashioned into a wizard's hat. It was just laying about and it seemed a good item to fit to Minstum. The shoulder eppulets are resin bits from Anvil Industries. I replaced the minsicule revolver with a dark eldar las pistol dug out of the bits box. He also gained a mantic Forge Father back pack.

Homer Caine is Pusterom's security leader and sherrif. He came to Corrsion after going AWOL from the Liberty Security Forces. His military background got him recruited by Minstrum as the town's securtiy boss and sherrif. The wanna be law man wears a fancy high tech helmet found in the scrap which gives him advantages targetting or locating hidden foes. Caine keeps an eye open for visiting bounty hunters as there is still a bounty on his head from Liberty.

The Homer Caine figure started life as a Northstar Steampunk figure. The eppultes are from Anvil Industries, the helmet is a spare Asterian Marionette Phantom head by Mantic. His weedy revolver was replaced by a plastic Void Viridian auto pistol. A sherriff's badge from Dead Mans Hand set was pinned to his chest. His whole ensable is finished off with a rather fashionable pair of grenades from a 40k Space Marine Scout.

Lenny Magnusson got lucky one day out in the Corrsion wastes, finding a fancy pants energy weapon on a rusting killbot. After dragging it back to Pusterom he spent a good while trying to find a way to use it. The solution was a bot targetting system, a battery and a back pack. Now, when out prospecting in the wastes, Lenny just zapps anything trying to mess with him.

The figure is a old OOP Warmachine mechanic. I added a backpack and scratch built the pack mounted energy weapon from beads, sequins and foam clay power lines.

Postie arrived on Corrsion and found he wasnt much good at salvaging. In the piles of junk he found an ancient postal trolly. To earn an living he started work courioring messages and packages across the town of Pusterom. It was amazing just how many folks didnt want to speak to each other in the town face to face. The Pusterom Postal Service was born. Postie keeps a pair of cats he saved from a crashed ship and they travel with him while he does his rounds. It is rumoured that at least one of the cats is a PSI Grynx cat.

The Postie figure and cart are unconverted resin figures by MEP Miniatures.

Thanks for looking, take care out there.

Meet the Colonists #2: Alien Zoologist Team

Hello and Welcome back,

In this post, we are going to take a peep at my Alien Zoologist Expedition Team. While they are for the Alien Zoologist Game, some of these figures will also double up as Colonists for the Skirm game or the township of Pusteron on my own world of Corrosion.

In case you don’t know, Alien Zoologist is a solo game by Florian F. Manthey, where an expedition hunts alien creatures, eggs and poo for a zoologist's collection. The game leans heavily on kit bashing a expedition team and creating alien critters from butchered toys. It features tokens to collect or interact with the critters. I made mine last year but I haven’t got around to painting them.

The Expedition Team.

The Zoologist:

Lord Aluicous Sidney Oldwood Smythe Smythe Smythe (just known as Lord Oldwood to every one who doesn’t want to run out of breath just speaking to him) is a Aristocrat from the Brittainna group of systems who has a passion for building up his own zoo. He is a old friend of Lord Valchiria of Wreckage station which orbits Corrosion. Lord Oldwood ect ect, has brought an expedition to the world in the hope finding creatures for his alien zoo. In the game the Zoologist acts as the guy trying to capture critters hopefully uninjured.

The figure started out as a Sci Fi ganger by the now sadly vanished Kallistra games. I have another one of this figure, so butchering it to make the Zoologist didn’t smart too much. The tares in the t shirt were filled and big buttons added to it. I sculpted a gas mask and added a back pack with hoses to house the ventilator (not all worlds have a breathable atmosphere). The sword was removed and a post to make a big butterfly net added. The butterfly net was built from wire and had putty wrapped around it. The netting came from a bag of halloween sweets. The shoulder epaulettes are resin and came from Anvil Industries.

Sadly, I cant see many characters roaming about with a giant butterfly net searching for junk to salvage on Tapu or Corrosion. Not unless they are really eccentric!

The Big Game Hunter.

Simply known as 'The Major', he is ex Brittannia military from an aristocratic family. He has a passion for killing animals to make himself feel better ("well they don’t complain about it as much as the poor, eh what!"). He sports an old antique hunting rifle owned by one of his equally blood thirsty ancestors.

The Major figure is based on a Stargrave Crew man torso. A pair Dead Mans Hand cowboy rifle arms were added. They didn’t fit too well so a pair of putty shoulder pads were added to cover the area. One of the great things about Sci Fi figures is that a lump of putty can hide a multitude of kit bash sins and not make the figure look odd. As the rules say he needed an antique hunting rifle I scratch built one. The head came from the Dead Mans Hand set and the backpack is from Anvil Industries.

On Tapu/Corrosion the Major arrived on the world and brought his great granddaddies' big game gun. He heard there is plenty of stuff to kill and is looking forward to indulging in his favourite hobby.

Doc Wildeyes, the Scientist:

Doc Wildeyes is the Expedition Team's biologist and is interested in studying the creatures and collecting their genes. In the game the biologist collects the critters eggs for captive breeding and research.

The figure is the only one of the set un modified, as I thought it was perfect for the job. It is from Northstar Miniatures Steampunk range.

On Tapu/Corrosion Doc Wildeyes serves as the colony's resident medical practitioner. If the med packs cant fix you, are you brave enough to go under his scalpel or terrifying rusty Autodoc machine?

Riff Void, the Assistant.

Riff Void is the assistant to the Doc. A young man wishing to start a career in Alien Biological research. His job is less glamorous than the other members of the team. He has to collect the alien critters dung for analysis. He also has the fun job of distracting the beasts if the team members are in danger.

The figure torso is a Warlord WW2 German in a great coat, I got as a free addition from Northstar (thanks guys). The arms are from a fantasy dwarf sprue, complete with shovel. Putty shoulder pads cover any limb misalignments. The head is from Ramshackle Games. The bucket is scratch built using a medical connector cap and some wire. The backpack was made from a lump of spare putty (I always mix too much!).

On Tapu/Corrosion, as Riff Void is the youngest colonist he has the great job of cleaning the town's outhouse. A job even the beadbots turn down. You know you are the bottom of the pile when a beadbot outranks you.

Gnarly Petain the Ranger.

Gnarly Petain has travelled many worlds, learning the ways of the beasts and how to live off the land. Gnarly Petain is hired to find and track the animals. In Alien Zoology the Ranger puts out food to attract the beasts.

The figure is a gunfighter torso, head and arms from the Dead Mans Hand set. I chose it as the Ranger is described as being armed with two pistols. Shoulder pads were added to Sci Fi the figure up a little. The backpack is made from spare putty.

On Tapu/Corrosion, the character is just another scrap hungry adventurer from a frontier world, hoping to make his fortune.

Thanks for looking,

Take care out there.

Introducing the DEAP from Skirm

Hello and Welcome Back,

The DEAP (Deployable Environmentally Adaptive Peacekeeping) Troops are a faction from the Skirm game by Bill Making Stuff. As the name suggests, they are a peace keeping Bio Weapon designed to be dropped as seed pods in troubled areas. They then grow absorbing absorbing local DNA so they can survive in the local environment. 

These DEAP were living happily at the bottom of the Neon Sea in the Gutterlands where they were dumped, until some bright spark decided to go fishing with a black hole grenade. The vortex forced the DEAP onto dry land were their peace keeping and law enforcement programming has kicked in. 

In my own settings the DEAP are a kind of GELF and will make appearances in the Corrosion and Mattblackgod’s worlds settings (except on MBW they will be seen as mutants). 

These figures started life as Borderlands game Psychos I had laying about. In true Bill Making Stuff style, I cut off limbs and added toy crab parts. The psycho heads were replaced with GW plastic ghoul heads. Two heads has their eye sockets drilled out and glass beads added to make bug eyes. 

A suicide psycho had the grenade drilled out and a wire spear added. I didn't like the look of it as the Spear head was too small...and sharp! It was snipped off and a trimmed pole weapon from the bits box glued on. A peice of wire was stripped from it's insulation. The core were twisted and then wrapped around the join like rope. 

Making these guys has been a interesting learning experience. Hopefully I have picked up a few new ideas for future conversion work.

I think the DEAP offer interesting conversion potential. How would they look if their spore pods had landed in a forest, jungle or tundra? I bet those DEAP won't smell as fishy as this lot.

Thanks for reading, 

Take Care out there. 

Green Valley Hooligans

Hello and Welcome back to my blog. This is my 500th post. I can’t believe I made it so far.  So sit back and enjoy next bunch of post apocalyptic miniature goodness. 

The Hooligans started life as a wandering band of bandits. After a decade of wandering the gang discovered a wonderful green valley, unspoilt like a ghost from the distant past. They sent scouts into the valley and learnt that besides the mutant bears and wolves, there appeared to be a group of what appeared to be peaceful tribals. 

Deciding that this could be a great opportunity to settle down. Moving forward into the valley the Hooligans discovered that another bandit clan had attacked the tribals. A small band of the tribals where fighting back with the limited weapons at their disposal. Arriving at the village the Hooligans offered their services on condition that they could settle in the valley. The peaceful villagers had mixed feelings but then having a strong ally who could protect them had it’s advantages. The tribals had problems for years with the bandits. Many of them had been killed and a few women molested. 

The Hooligans moved out and hit the bandits hard, who where expecting badly armed poorly trained tribals not battle hardened bandits. The Hooligans wiped the other bandits out with ease, allowing the abused villagers a chance to execute some captive bandits.

A generation later the Hooligans live side by side with the tribals peacefully and have intermingled with them (and providing a much needed genetic variety to the tribals). The Hooligans are regarded as the warlike element of the tribe. Bandit raids have now become a thing of the past. In addition to patrols and war parties the Hooligans escort trade convoys in and out of the valley. 

Critchlow & Klara 

Critchlow is the Hooligans leader. His calm and ruthless attitude has kept him war party leader and green valley safe. Klara is the gangs second in command. She commands respect and is a fierce opponent. Many of the Hooligans including Critchlow wish was their squeeze but Klara has made it clear she is not interested, backed up by bouts of deadly violence. 

Critchlow and Klara are from Emporium Miniatures. These guys are obviously inspired by the art work of Carl Critchlow in the old GW Dark Future rule book. I decided to name the leader after the artist. 

Mad Dave & Karl

Mad Dave is one of the Hooligan’s close combat specialists probably because he has anger issues. He favours an old rotary cutter which is also handy for cutting into ruins and wrecks for loot, or those rare occasions where an escape is needed. Karl is the Hooligan’s technomancer. He carries a old energy pistol and an energy field generator which is handy for when the gang comes under fire. The field usually allows Mad Dave to take is anger out at whoever is shooting at them. 

Mad Dave and Karl are from the Mini Gangs - Key Chain Mohawks by Ramshackle games. Karl lost his sword tip in a cat invasion of the paint table.

Maz and Broose

Maz is a skilled medic and hacker, skills he learnt from books he found in the library of a school in Green Valley. During a bandit raid Maz was wounded and his arm had to be amputated (by Mad Dave who seemed to enjoy performing the operation). In the weeks that followed Maz grafted an arm from a robot to his shoulder. Although he graft was successful it took him months to train himself to use it. Now Maz’ arm is fully functional plus he can punch through a wall. Broose is the war parties gun man. He keeps enemies pinned with automatic fire while the rest of the gang get close. In battle his trade mark battle cry of “Yippe-ki-ee” can be heard of the rattle of his assault rifle.

Maz and Broose are from the Mini Gangs - Key Chain Mohawks by Ramshackle games. 

Masher

Masher is the Hooligans big un and like Mad Dave like to get up close & personal with enemies. His extra bulk and strength allows him to overcome most wasteland psychos easily and even the bears that prowl the Green Valley. In addition to a large hammer Masher carries an modified industrial rotary cutter inspired by Mad Dave who he idolises. 

 

The figure is Chicken by Ramshackle Games. It lost it’s sword in the same cat related incident as Karl. One of the downsides of resin figures is that they can be fragile and not cat bum resistant. I have lost a couple of other resin figures to those cats. The blade was replaced by a 40K Space Ork weapon. The cutter fits nicely on the hilt of he sword. 

The Hooligans are slightly inspired by the gangs of the Taiga forest in the Metro Exodus computer game. 

That’s all for now. I hope 500th post has entertained. Here’s to the next 500! Thank you for following and reading my posts over the years. 

Take care out there and lookout for post 501. 

Convert a 10

Welcome back Wanderer, come get warm by the fire. Let me tell you about Ten. 

Over on the Post Apoc Wargames Forum 

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/post_apoc_wargames/

There is a annual challenge set by the Warlord. This year’s challenge was to convert the celebration 10 year figure. See what others have done here:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/post_apoc_wargames/warlords-challenge-2019-f59/

Finally I have gotten around to doing the  Warlord’s challenge - Convert a 10 figure. Took me long enough to get motivated. 

I got carried away and forgot to take WIP pictures as I went along. DOH! 

Starting with a 10 figure I had a dig about in the bits box. After uncovering a few different arms from various manufacturers I discovered a pistol wielding arm. The arm came from EM4 Trooper Command arms - which are metal and designed to add a bit of variety to the Combat Zone plastic troopers. 

Carefully I clipped the arm away from the figure and filed it smooth. The shoulder pad had to be removed too. At this point I filled a couple of holes in the cast, mainly in the backpack and sleeping roll. 

The arm was lined up by eye and the spigot trimmed off. The arm was further trimmed to make it fit. After supergluing the arm in place a little greenstuff filler was added. A new shoulder pad was sculpted from greenstuff.

 

Hey presto - done. I meant to add some further pouches but I forgot in my hurry to finish the figure. DOH!!

A simple and fairly quick conversion. I may do more in the future as I still have a pile of these figures (if anyone is interested in getting a 10 figure please contact me at mattblackgod@gmail.com).  

Thanks for looking. Take care out there.

This and that.

Hello and welcome back to my blog. 

Real life has been keeping me busy but I am slowly cranking the handle. There is a old ruin model I am still reworking. 

A couple of years ago I had a converted 28mm Warlord ww2 British Tommy but he was missing a gas mask. So I sculpted one.

Ever since I picked up 40K RT back in the mists of time I wanted a Ambull miniature but  being a spotty teenager I never had the cash. So the new Ambull kit landed and as it is far cheaper than what the old metal Ambulls fetch I decided to treat myself.  The kit is easy to assemble. 

 

It’s behind you! 

I am looking forward to getting the paint on this critter, as soon as I decide what colours to paint it. Inspiration from natural history isn’t helping my decision.

Meanwhile I have also been busy digging through the mini collection to get some gangs ready to get on the tabletop. 

This lot are some of my old Stalkers. I took lots of inspiration from the Stalker computer games. All of them are converted in some way. 

This is Meatheads’ Crew, a bunch of Stalkers operating out of Rubbleborg. They go on salvaging runs into the Oncewhere city ruins. I will do a full crew run down once I have got the character fluff written. 

That’s all for now, thank you for looking.

Stay safe out there.

Warboy transport.

Hello and Welcome back.

Sometime last year I began working on a transport for my 20mm warboys for use in my Blood and Fire setting and to be used in  games of Warlands or Gaslands. 

This is a 1/72 Warlord M3 half track kit. The chassis was taken and a Hotwheels car body & engine added. The body was hacked and stretched to fit the M3 chassis. Thankfully it was a plastic body and easy to work on. Various bits from the M3 kit and the junk box was added. 

During painting the primer became textured as the solvent in the can seemed to be running low. It has added a gritty effect to the paint job. 

That’s all for now. Thanks for looking and take care out there.

Matt Black Data #3 Headshot Armaments

Headshot Armaments:

Hailing from the Liberty City Ruins, Headshot Armaments started making pipe rifles which they traded with locals. They moved into repairing weapons and moved into weapon building. The company also specialises in munitions manufacture.

The company hires Stalker bands or organises missions to find old pre end weapons and equipment. They then refurbish them and trade them on. As a result the company found itself attracting raiders after free weapons. This has lead them to equip and arm their employees. 

Heeding the call Headshot Armaments moved to the ruins of Matt Black City. Looking around the company decided that the township of Wastetopia would be a good place to set up. Added security provided by the Warlord and his Wasteocrates is an attraction. Plus the Warlord demands reasonable tribute of one decent weapon  or armour a month and a weekly tribute of ammunition. 

The Warlord likes the Headshot being set up in Wastetopia as it will attract traders and a weapons manufacturer would be handy in an assault on the town.

The minis are a mix of old 40K RT Squat, Plastic Space Marine conversion and Space Lords figures. This faction will be growing with time. 

More Wastelanders....

I was gifted this little lot from Curtis at Ramshackle when he moved his workshop. The Nuclear Renaissance figures are great Wasteland fodder and are ideal for Mattblackgod's world.  As there was a few of the same figure I have done a couple of conversions which I will detail as I go along. 

Medic for Great Lakes.Some one will have to patch them up after the Wasteocrates get hold of them! 

Wasteland Shamans are integral to many communities in the wastelands giving guidance,advice and "healing" when needed. Guidance often comes from strange ancient devices such as Magic 8 Balls. Many claim to speak to the ghosts of the ancients and others claim to speak to the mattblackgod itself! Shaman will often drum into young wastelander's heads where it is unsafe to go by speaking of ghosts haunting places. Many Stalkers are amazed by the places that are "taboo" but all that means is more loot left. 

The figure on the left was modified by adding a Iron Pig Kolony rebel head. 

Kaludius the daft finds a strange shiny ball in the ruins.

"What does this do I wonder?" he mutters to himself as he polishes it up on his rags....

**BOOOMMM!!*** 

The Wastelands has a new crater.

The figure is the same as the two above. I removed the staff and arm. I added a weapon from Mantic Orx/Marauder.The head was replaced with a plastic Void Junker head. 

Out in the wastes vehicles are a life line between communities. The wastes are simply too hostile to travel on foot. Some has too build, repair and maintain the vehicles. Folks such as the Mech above. 

Every community needs healers like the one above. The Healers can often be found out in the Wastes looking for the herbs and plants to make medicines with. 

Need a gun for hire? Cin Emon is the lady to speak to. 

Once again I have enjoyed painting these figures (when my geriatric Cat Alice stopped making a nuisance of herself). They are very characterful. There will be more Ramshackle figures to be added to the collection in future...when I have finished painting the huge pile of stuff Curtis gave me. Thanks Again Curtis.