Based on the success of my last effort (see http://basementgamingbunker.blogspot.com/2011/06/complete-15mm-army-in-one-weekend.html), I decided to have another go at a one-weekend force. And once gain, I am very pleased with the results.
Eureka Miniatures released the Ventaurans through their 300 club last month, and I was lucky enough to be in on the pre-orders. If you haven't seen much about these minis yet, my colleague David B. reviewed them on Dropship Horizon (link). But once I had the minis in hand, I realized that I didn't quite know what to do with them. They are very detailed, but I typically prefer simple color schemes.
Then I remembered the 300-second Halo Spartan method (link).
Just like the Sons of Thunder project, I decided to create a 100-point Alien Squad Leader force. This time, I loosely based it on the Alien Imperial list. These minis screamed "superior energy weapons" and "aiming devices" rather than plain infantry. The paint job was very simple - two coats of Citadel Leviathan Purple wash, Vallejo Gold helmet lenses, Vallejo Heavy Warmgrey weapons and backpacks, Model Master Euro Gray on the bases. I then based them two per stand (1-1/4" fender washers again), and flocked them with a new "gravel/ash" blend.
But what support options could I use with these minis? I looked at several spare vehicles I had lying around, but none seemed to match the Ventaurans in technology level. Then I noticed a couple packs of GZG New Israeli Jetbikes that I was going to use in another project. I think the tech level is perfect, and the body armor is pretty compatible with the Ventaurans. I may swap the New Israeli heads with Ventaurans someday, but even now they look fine in the same force.
So here's what I came up with for an army. It follows the Alien Imperial list, but doesn't hold to the required units.
- 4x Imperial Soldiers (1 as command stand)
- 2x Imperial Heavy Weapon Squads
- 4x Imperial Recon Light Vehicles (1 as command stand)
I look forward to using them against my Sons Of Thunder (Human Imperial) in the near future. Alien Squad Leader is one of my favorite rulesets, but I haven't been able to properly use it with my single-based armies. Now I have no excuses!
Cheers,
Chris
