In the gap between when I thought I was done with Sixmillopolis and my friend providing me with additional tiles, I went ahead and ordered some new models. While I have some existing armies I could have worked on (Soviets for Team Yankee, and both Rebels and Imperials for SW: Legion), none of those hugely enthused me at that point. So instead I ordered something completely random.
The models are from the Astagar range by Critical Mass (although I ordered them from Ral Partha - Critical Mass seems to have ceased operation a few years ago). The models are well sculpted and cast, and I will definitely recommend them. They're also decent value - a pack of 8 infantry is £4.95 (depending on exchange rate and fees, around $6-8 US).
Critical Mass did have their own rules system to go with their model ranges, but I haven't had any luck tracking down a copy. No matter, it's an obscure enough game that it's extremely unlikely I could find other players familiar with it anyway. I'm just as happy writing up something myself.
Since I'm making this up myself, basing and unit organisation was entirely my choice. I've used Battlefront bases (generally my preference for 15mm units) and arranged them into platoons as effectively an infantry company. The units I have right now are;
- HQ Section (one model on small base)
- 3 Infantry Platoons, each consisting of 6 Infantry Stands (2 models on medium base), 1 Grenade Launcher Stand (again 2 models on medium base), and an HQ Stand (one model on small base)
- Direct Fire Platoon of 3 Heavy Cannons (cannon plus two gunners on large base)
- Mortar Platoon of 3 Mortars (mortar plus two gunners on large base)
- Battlesuit Platoon of 4 Battlesuits (which I've put on large bases)
A couple of notes here on size and basing. First, the Astragar have 1/2" / 1cm long tails. On some of the models they are posed with the tail curled up, others have them trailing behind. Either way they take up a larger footprint on the base than a 15mm human model would, hence why I have only put two figures per base (even though they are still representing half an infantry squad). Secondly the Viperia battlesuits, which come in two poses. One of these poses (the one in the photos above) has it leaning forward. Which looks great and dramatic, but it means the model is front heavy and tends to topple forward. I solved this by mounting them on a large base.
Scale wise, while the range is nominally 15mm the infantry figures are more like 20-22mm tall. I don't know whether this is intentional and the Astragar are supposed to be 7-8 ft tall in-setting, or they're just a big 15mm sculpt. But this isn't a big deal, and they still look fine next to (say) Battlefront infantry models.
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| Astragar infantry next to some Team Yankee infantry for size comparison |
The colour scheme I'm planning on for these guys is a mix of dark blue/gray for the weapons and equipment, and then tan with a diamonback pattern on the tails. Basically, the same scheme as my Dark Eldar Sslyth but scaled down.
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