Sorry its taken a few days longer than planned to get this stuff released!
The Exo-Lord Command Equipment Sprue -
Includes a Satallite Uplink, two bits of Medical equipment (could also be used quite easily as specialist weaponry!) A suppressed pistol and 2x wrist blade.
Here are some examples -
"The Doctor will see you now"
And the wrist blade on a Black Ops Alpha Strike Sargeant -
The New Gladius Conversion Set -
Includes quite a few different bits to make all sorts of different conversions - two swords to be waved about, plus various scabbards. You can cut the blade down to make a "drawing the sword" conversion (or if you want me to do the work, wait for the upcoming Black Ops commander!)
This guy has a drawn Gladius, the decorative scabbard and one of the recently released Fusion Pistol!
@Livanbard - I'm sorry no plans for any new melee weapon bits. I will be cutting back on releasing "bits" now as I'm working on a totally new project which requires almost all my time!
@Foda_Bett and Deadairis -
Left handed versions of my various melee bits a somthing Id like to do, but its quite a lot of extra work per product, when only 10-20% of the population would swing a sword left handed it doesnt seam unreasonable to exclude them and use the time for another product - I only have about 25 hours a week to work on new stuff if Im lucky!
I know its a pain for people wanting the parts for a specific conversion, but you could alway use another left sword hand.
@Newabortion - Thanks very much!
And for the rest of you, here is the photo he is referring too, WIPCAD renders of some new "Regiments" miniatures.
Ive not sent them to print yet so I welcome any feedback. Scale wise they are roughly the same proportions as Forge Worlds IG miniatures, so the same height as Cadian plastics but smaller heads, arms etc.
This looks like a promising start to the range! I am not a fan of the helmets so far though that could be because I am after a more blocky style as a pose to your more realistic military style.
Also the scale is very promising, how will they compare to an exo lord height-wise?
I've only recently become aware of Anvil Industries and really like what you guys have to offer. I do have a question though. At some point are you guys ever planning to do some demonic exo-lords?
@Commander Cain - I will probably add some more Sci-fi ish helmets at some point.
Heightwise my test print model is about 31.5mm, and I will be increasing the overall hight slight to add another 1mm or so.
They are probably 1-2mm shorter than Ex-Lord, but considerably less bulky!
@Azreal13 - I see what you mean, the facial features are quite pronounced which gives that effect, but when they are printed at the proper size they should look a lot more normal.
@Malkira - Thanks, We have no plans to do any Deamonic Exo-Lords.
Once Ive completed the Black Ops range with the addition of a Command unit, I will be working on completely new products quite different from the current Exo-Lords range.
@Azazelx - They do fit correctly, but are very "thin" over the head. I wanted to avoid having a comically large helmet.
I may have gone too far the other way though, So I will look at resizing the helmets slightly.
@Malkira - Thanks, We have no plans to do any Deamonic Exo-Lords.
Once Ive completed the Black Ops range with the addition of a Command unit, I will be working on completely new products quite different from the current Exo-Lords range.
Sad day. There aren't many demonic exo-lord type manufacturers out there, and my greenstuffing skills are basically limited to soft under armor gap filling.
That's not gonna stop me from buying a few pieces though. Thanks for the awesomely quick reply.
I thought I'd post some not too great pictures of the first two figures I've finished from my most recent order (and thanks for those heads, Joel!)
I really hate painting eyes. I might switch his head out for a different one.
This guy is my new favorite!
Here they are with my previous two one-off Black Ops in the background
It's hard to see in the pics because the black wash really dulled the colors and the camera isn't helping a whole lot, but they're painted in a blueish grey with dark blue splinter camo.
I suppose I should explain, these guys are part of my Relictors chapter. The way I see it, the Relictors kind of inhabit a grey area with with Imperium. They seem to flip flop between being renegades and not, so I figure as a result, they tend not to get supplies regularly and have to scavenge for their own. This results in them adopting older equipment, equipment "borrowed" from other chapters, and ancient gear that they've recovered in their pursuit of ancient relics and chaos artifacts. I figure the 1st company is going to get the really funky stuff. So, these will be my Sternguard. I figure that they've also adopted other practices generally frowned upon by other chapters, such as using camouflage on their armor and weapons. This moreso to ensure their marines' survival since they may not be able to recruit regularly. So, each Sternguard and Vanguard squad will have their gear painted for specific environments. In this case, I'm going with an urban team first. I'll eventually complete the woodland team, probably by filling out the rest of the squad with snipers.
Most likely I'll primarily wind up using these figures in skirmishes against my brother and his hated Xenos lizardmen and giant frogs.
for the eyes I'd suggest running a line of brown paint above and below the eye to touch the iris in each case.
If you look in the mirror you'll see your eyelids just graze the top and bottom of your iris, if you can see the whole thing with white above and below you get that 'pop eyed' appearance
"I KNOW 267 WAYS TO KILL YOU WITH MY THUMB. STAY. THE. HELL. DOWN."
Its definately all about the silent thumb kill for Black Ops! The enormous guns they carry are just emergency back up!
slightly more on topic- Thanks for posting the photos up Barzam! They look awesome.
My policy with eyes is generally not to bother! Orlandos advice is good - now you have the white and black painted so nicely you just need to narrow the eyes down a bit (Just on the top edge, bottom edges look fine)
I thought I'd show what I'd done with various bits and pieces(including Anvil!Hence I've posted here!). Joel, I'm the one who keeps posting jokes in the order comments box!
Some of my Hawklords;
@Slipstream, Excellent! Send us more jokes! Great miniatures, thanks for sharing.
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New Product anyone? Its been a while, but by popular demand, three new sniper sculpts to add to the Master Sniper, forming a Five Man Recon Team. Each sculpt is different and one figure has two interchangeable heads, making a 10 man squad more varied!
On the same subject, I hope you guys will excuse me showing off a little Master Sniper diorama I did, the first of my Black Ops miniatures Ive found the time to paint!
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I went for a fairly muted and realistic Urban Camo scheme, with dark grey armour and mottled Beige/green Camo Cloak.
cincydooley wrote: Hey Joel, what is your typical shipping time to the US?
It varies quite a bit. Royal Mail, our provider, say it takes 5-7 days. In our experience it takes anywhere from 4-10 days for the majority parcels, with the very occasional one taking a bit longer than that, up to three weeks, if there is a delay in customs for example.
If you need a parcel urgently you can contact us to arrange an express option which is a little faster and more reliable, its an extra £5 or so, hence its not our default option.
I'm guessing that the guy just to the left of the spotter is the one with the swappable head. I'm guessing we'll be seeing more of the single piece figures then? They look damn good for being a solid chunk of resin. Think we might see a squad with single piece figures and swappable weapons down the line?
Shipping from Joel to SF Bay Area is usually < 2 weeks. Response on rare issues is, as you might expect, super-quick.
Unrelated to the snipers, anyone recommend any appropriately sized Necron-ish guns for Joel's ARC trooper models? They're about GW human sized, but would really like guns that look all sciency for them.
Thanks very much to my US customers who have chipped in with typical shipping times!
@Asherian - No plans for any new Exo-Lord parts currently, Im working on some completely new sci-fi miniatures for my game at the moment.
@JeffJedi - Not quite sure yet, most likely he will have a cloak, be waving a gladius round and have a slung rifle on his back. Hoping to get a 5 man Command squad done soon but not sure exactly when I will get round to it.
Bumping with painted pics (albeit still quite WIP)
These will be reconnaissance marines in my slowly-growing Sons of Horus 40k army. I'll be using mostly official bitz but this squad in particular caught my eye as perfect for that particular niche. They arrived today, I've been painting them since I got home. Could do with a bit more colour and the wash has pooled in places so need to tidy that up. The blue looks greener in natural light, I'm a bit crap at taking photos. I'm very, very impressed with the sculpts and they arrived within 3 working days which, as has been said before in this thread, is great service. There's not a lot else in the anvil range I want to use right now, but I'll definitely be watching intently from now on
Spoiler:
In my opinion, much nicer models than the official forge world recon marines. What were they thinking with those half-cloaks and the bolters with weird extended barrels?
Firstly the WEBSITE - Its currently in maintenance mode due to our security certificate expiring, we are in the process of sorting it out and hope to be back up soon, apologies for any inconvenience.
Secondly apologies for my radio silence recently, Im working on concepts and background material for my long planned Independant wargame project, and I dont want to release any information untill its ready, hence the long time between updates.
@Bull0 - Thanks very much for the photo, they look great! Glad you like the figures.
@Madmuzza- Im afraid those pads have been withdrawn from sale and will not be returning, Im very sorry about that, so you are not mad, the pads were not there when you checked prior to my taking the store into maintainance mode.
@Davethepak - The new wargame will have an extensive line up of Mechs/Exo Skeletons which may be suitable for re-purposing as a Centurion, however I wont be designing anything with "proxing" in mind, as the new project is to allow me to flex my creative side a bit more in creating totally new models and concepts, rather than stuff which has to fit with pre-existing popular miniatures scale/style wise.
Anvils Hammer wrote: @Madmuzza- I'm afraid those pads have been withdrawn from sale and will not be returning, Im very sorry about that, so you are not mad, the pads were not there when you checked prior to my taking the store into maintainance mode
I was also looking for some layered armor like those. Why were they taken off sale? C&D from GW?
I hope the site gets up soon... I'm hunting around for models to build more Honor Guard out of.... really liked the AI stuff last time around.... of course, I should be painting.
Thanks guys, for people looking for a good way to build customized HG, I recommend 1 sternguard or vanguard set from GW and then 5 stormlords from AI +5 extra capes... works really really well. I think it would do well for the non-UM chapters too, as you can customize the look quite a bit with the AI and GW combination.
Automatically Appended Next Post: ...if the site gets back up, that is (man a new release makes me really impatient).
Anvils Hammer wrote: @Madmuzza- I'm afraid those pads have been withdrawn from sale and will not be returning, Im very sorry about that, so you are not mad, the pads were not there when you checked prior to my taking the store into maintainance mode
I was also looking for some layered armor like those. Why were they taken off sale? C&D from GW?
I have to admit that I am very disappointed that I won't be able to buy these shoulder pads from your store. I just found out that you were the company that made them and have been waiting several days to order them while your website has been in maintenance mode. You don't have even one pair left to sell me?
All these figures were painted by Stephen Moran, a customer our ours. I liked the style of his own Black Ops figures a lot so he kindly agreed to paint us up a small studio army!
Well seeing as the pads that go with those helmets have been removed from the site have gone I am guessing that the helmets have also had to be taken down. Shame as I wanted some more of those fellas...
@sing your life - Yes I know, they used our models with our permission - some great paint jobs.
@Mrflutterpie - Those heads were actually withdrawn from sale a long time ago as I wasnt particularly happy with the part and mould quality.
Ill always withdraw a product rather than sell somthing which isnt as good as I can make it, and Im afraid Ive not got round to remastering it.
Apologies to anyone inconvenienced by the occasional withdrawal of a product - there are various reasons and its not somthing I do without careful though.
At the moment Im working hard on concepts, background and miniatures for a totally new wargames universe Im creating, so you will hopefully forgive me for neglecting the existing product range!
Im hoping to be able to share some details of the new project in a few weeks time.
... Ill always withdraw a product rather than sell somthing which isnt as good as I can make it ...
This is why you're tops. I'm really looking forward to the regiments stuff. You can get a super human sized shoulder pad in any style you'd care for, but run of the mill humans are left in the dust.
Love the new stuff. You know, I think it's about time Steam Lords had a range of gravity-based weaponry. I have a feeling it might be really popular at the moment....
I was planning a separate "Regiments" range of generic infantry. Im now going to be working on figures for my new game system, however a large portion of them will be human infantry in the same scale so useable in other systems. Ill also hopefully make the regiments scale shoulder pads available at some point.
@Arbitorian - A good suggest but as above, working on a totally new project so all "bits" work is on hold for the foreseeable future.
@RiTides - Yes the 5 man Recon team is available now -
@SickSix , Yes my apologies I missed that one. - We've unfortunately had to withdraw the "complete sets" options from sale for various reasons - cost, complexity of packing orders etc. We want to focus on full kits like the Black Ops which are easier for us to make and also easier for the customer to assemble and game with! Apologies for any inconvenience - All the Exo Lord parts are still available separately so you can make full figures up if you want to.
That render you showed before of the spec-ops trooper, is he on hold for a while, or is he just not happening now? It's a bit disappointing that the Exo-Lords are going on hiatus. I'm sure that whatever you come up with for your new line is going to be awesome though.
Sweet! But it is listed as out of stock... is that normal, and I should feel fine to go ahead and order it? If so, I'll be doing so shortly
Oops my bad - It was out of stock as the mould is worn out, but I made a new mould last night, so Its back in stock now. Thanks for reminding me!
@d-usa - Cheers, great looking model!
@Barzam - Yes the rendered parts are on hold, but will be used in some form or another as figures for my new project, so human infantry will be available for that.
I was planning a full range of "stand alone" human infantry similar to Victorian Miniatures and others, but the plan now is gearing everything around my planned game system, which is a much more exciting prospect for me from a creative point of view.
Im very proud of the Exo-Lords range and all the bits we sell, but Anvil is over two years old now, we have an awesome business set up and have all the skills we need to make some really awesome figures, so its time to take the next step and work on something totally new, which I hope plenty of our existing customers will get behind.
I have the first prototype figure on my desk, I really wish I could share it already but we are keeping a lot back for "launch" all one go, Hence why things have been quiet recently!
Manus wrote: We don't appreciate quiet - nope not a bit............horsehead, bed, plan
So long as its a tiny resin horse head that's fine!
Im hoping the new stuff will be sufficiently well recieved that you will all forgive me the extended absence, Its really nice to be working on stuff from scratch with no "what are people going to be able to proxie this as" requirements to think about, I can use my full creative design skills.
Okay, I know that you're trying to keep everything under wraps right now, but just answer me this, is this new project going to be sci-fi, fantasy, or neither?
@SickSix , Yes my apologies I missed that one. - We've unfortunately had to withdraw the "complete sets" options from sale for various reasons - cost, complexity of packing orders etc. We want to focus on full kits like the Black Ops which are easier for us to make and also easier for the customer to assemble and game with! Apologies for any inconvenience - All the Exo Lord parts are still available separately so you can make full figures up if you want to.
That's a shame. I always ordered "complete sets" whenever I made an order from you. The small savings always made me spend more.
SickSix wrote: Please give us fair warning before Exo-Lords go away.
I Iove those figures and had planned to purchase a fair amount. I still do put need some wallet recovery time.
Yeah, I hope the Exo Lord stuff doesn't get discontinued. While I wish you all the best with your game, my interest really lies with interesting and cool components to mix in with "compatable plastic and resin kits from other manufacturers". If you do decide to withdraw them, please give us at least a month. (I get paid fortnightly, and usually have bills queued up I have to pay, which makes it hard to suddenly drop a pile of money on stuff).
I second that motion. don't get rid of the Exo Lord Line. I have discovered the vanguard legs, arms etc and are in love with them (especially since another bigger company has turned on the bitz market and almost squashed it right out of existence)!!
That being said I am looking forward to your new lineup
Barzam wrote: Okay, I know that you're trying to keep everything under wraps right now, but just answer me this, is this new project going to be sci-fi, fantasy, or neither?
well I can spill some beans.. Its near future Sci-Fi, a global civil war across earth and the Orbital/Lunar Colonies.
No Swords, Daemons or Skulls, so apololgies to anyone who likes those things...
Dont worry guys, we have no plans to withdraw any current products from sale, I hope to sell the Exo-Lords and particularly the Black Ops for many years to come!
In the event we are forced to withdraw any product by shall we say.. "outside influences" then of course we will give our customers as much warning as we possibly can.
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"COLOURS" Tradeshow is this weekend September 14th/15th at Newbury Racecourse in Reading, we will be attending the show both days, so if any of you guys are in the southeast of England do pop over and say Hi! We will have the whole product range with us.
Sounds interesting - I do think there is a law against "no swords" though!
Perhaps it's an IP thing - I'm pretty sure someone used the concept No Swords before........
Anvil Industry presents AFTERLIFE, a project to create a new narrative driven war gaming experience.
I am finally able to release the first details of our new project Ive been working on for a few months now, its in its very early stages, and we will be launching a Kickstarter in a few weeks to get some awesome new artwork and miniatures in production!
What is AFTERLIFE?
Over a number of separate volumes, we will tell the story of a near-future Earth torn apart by civil war after the collapse of the social order imposed by the Unity Council.
Earth burns as sprawling Mega Cities built for a world of prosperity become brutal war zones and the Unity Council’s authority crumbles away. Dozens of corporations, emergent governments and resistance movements form loose factions and alliances in battles for control of Earth’s resources and technology.
We plan -
-New range of high quality 28mm scale Science Fiction miniatures.
-Exciting and innovative rules set designed for high speed tactical play.
-Immersive narrative background story with stories , graphic elements and artwork.
-Missions and scenarios which allow players to recreate the ongoing story on the tabletop.
Each new Volume of AFTERLIFE will expand on previously released Volumes, adding new miniatures and rules options, and continuing the narrative to its eventual dramatic conclusion.
The AFTERLIFE Volumes will be player driven and interactive. You will be able to report back the outcomes of battles and the tactical choices made during campaigns, and we will use this information to drive the next stage of the campaign or impact events in future Volumes.
You can leave any feedback and suggestions here, but I've also set up a dedicated discussion thread in Misc.Wargames for more in depth discussion of rules and miniature concepts! You can find that thread HERE.
@Alpharius - Yes our plan does have elements in common with Gates of Antares if thats what you refer to, and also apparently Battletech has a similar fluid universe, but Ive no experience with that game.
The plan is to make sure the figures and rules work extremely well as a stand alone single missions game, and then build the narrative elements and progressive interactive storyline on top of that.
@Malika2 - Do get in touch by PM or email about the writing side of things
@Sicksix - I am creating an entirely new miniatures range! The current models will not have a place in the official background, but I will create rules so that people can use the Black Ops figures as experimental military super soldiers if they want to.
You lot at Anvil make some beautiful bits so i'd expect good things from your own game. (Model wise at least. Rules wise i guess we'll have to wait and see. )
I haven't any real experience in the field but if you are looking for proof readers or people to write bits of fluff then i'd love to have a go. Even if just at a throwing around ideas level.
@Snrub - Cool models first while I work on getting the rules set written, I have lots of ideas and concepts but need to string it together. Its likely people who back the first Kickstarter will be first to get a "Beta" rules set when its available early next year.
@Asherian - Nope no connection, its a new project totally separate from my existing product range. Ive choosen to do it this way so Im not limited by what already exists, when it comes to making new stuff.
Ill be keeping the website, this thread, and facebook fully updated with news and information about the Kickstarter when its better planned out.
@Some_Call_Me_Tim and anyone else interested in painting, writing, CAD designing, sculpting etc for the project, there are a few details on the "Job Vacancies" page of afterlifevolumes.com, and you are welcome to email me about it - easier to keep track of that way.
Had a thought for a cool set of heads if you find time to have a bash at it?
Steam lord scale, bare heads with the faces cut off revealing the skull / gore beneath. Imagine their mentor had had his face removed as punishment for double dealing / 2 faced-ness, and now his followers cut the skin off their own faces as a mark of belonging to his cult.
The addition of religious script having been cut in to their scalp ( possibly as a separate range but seriously cool if combined together) would be awesome if possible, though not sure if that would be too fine to sculpt?
Ive finished some new Artwork featuring a new unit which will form part of the initial release, Unity Council Exo-Mechs, advancing down a city street.
Prior to the outbreak of war the Unity Council controlled Earth’s only standing army, and had exclusive control over all development of Military equipment. This means that while the Unity Councils forces are frequently outnumbered they enjoy a significant technological advantage.
These Unity Council Exo-Mechs are more sophisticated than those fielded by other factions, in this example being equipped with high powered EMP Cannons as well as Smart Grenade Launchers.
If you have any feedback on these designs or have suggestions for other high-tech Unity Council units you would like to see, please let me know, or join the discussion on our facebook page!
Now these would make great miniatures, I like your approach with these and the weapon layout although I would love to see one of these loaded out with a mini gun fixed similarly as the smart grenade launcher
I really like these ones. The fact that there's clear design links between this armor and the previous one is a great touch. Furthermore, I think I actually might like these more than the Exo Lords. Good job!
In response to overwhelming demand, Im pleased to release the Rock as a stand alone product!
You can now purchase a pack of ten rocks!
These rocks are great for standing on, throwing at enemies, or using to crush skulls.
The sad thing is, if you made a pack of flat techno-trash toppers to add to bases, or some wood bits like what you get from the Hirst Arts molds, I'd buy a ton of them
Also just small bits of techno-trash to add to bases.
Really like that art work joel, though a slimmer recon version wouldn't amiss; I imagine a tabletop full of these would seem quite bulky, slimmer armour variants could counter that
Slimmer armor? How about attachable flight units? Something like the Lifter Units from Dragonar or the flight units from Gundam Gaia Gear?
Something like those would look pretty bad ass.
@melcavuk - Yep opposing factions, I want to try and keep running "themes" in the design of each factions miniatures where I can, so there will be infantry to go with these UC mechs which have similar shaped armour plates to the larger suits, for example.
@Malika- Yes we have some good ideas for terrain as its an integral part of the game, but we are focusing on miniatures for now.
@lord_blackfang - Sorry! :p
@Chris Valera - the current plan is slotta bases and tabs, with small resin peices as you describe to make simple scenic bases really easy and affordable.
@kitch102 - Yes there will be smaller versions - still exo skeletons but a lot less bulky, designed for speed more than survivability
@Barzam - flight units are definitely on the cards
ruyn wrote: What kind of time frame is the project on?
The plan is to get the Kickstarted up in a couple of weeks, and the first miniatures in peoples hands before Christmas.
The game itself - a lot depend on how well our initial miniatures based KS campaign does, but I hope to have the first Beta rules and missions available a few months into next year, and the full first volume around April.
This is what we hope for. One thing I wont do is rush it, so I wont ever set a hard deadline unless Im 100% confident I can deliver a very high quality product/game by that date.
@LDD - yes, lots of relatively "normal" infantry with your typical flak jacket and rifle (or future equivalents).
The initial KS will include the two Exo-Mech units previewed so far, plus a couple of regular infantry units.
Really looking forward to backing this, how much for will likely depend on how customisable the units and models are both in an ingame and modelling perspective (variety of load outs, unique looking equipment, etc) and the background, I've always been partial to a future earth based setting, its nice to see various different writers takes on how/why/when we wreck the planet.
From the perspective of coaxing my wife into modelling/playing the game when it comes out have you planned on any female miniatures for the game, not as their own faction but as models within the factions (to quote her, female not slutty in appearance)
Saw this on Anvils fb page so I thought id repost. See what people think here.
AFTERLIFE figures basing - what do you think of this idea?
Description and some Pros/Cons I can think of in the image. Doing it this way (as oppose to having totally separate bases) is less flexible and varied, but it means we can make the models cheaper, stronger and a lot easier to assemble, which is important for resin figures ina large scale war game project I think.
Am I on the right track here? Let me know your thoughts. Joel
@melcavuk - In order to keep the models simple (easier to make, cheaper for the customer, easier to assemble/game with) Im going to be keeping the parts count to a minimum.
Typical infantry will have two parts - legs and everthing else, and the upper and lower parts will be interchangeable across infantry types to allow more variety.
Mechs will typically be one peice legs body and head, plus interchangable weapon arms/attachements.
To balance the more limited posing/customisation of the figures, I will be doing my best to make as many different poses as possible, and different varients of similar units.
Female miniatures - yes they will be present in the game in small numbers, and yes they will be sensibly dressed and proportioned!
@edlowe - thanks for posting that up here, I didnt get round to it.
The general facebook feedback was that most people don't like the idea, preferring the option of using their own bases.
Instead we are going to use slotta bases (very cheap in bulk, so don't add to the retail cost of a figure) and flat resin tabs on the feet. This means the tab can be very easily removed if needed.
In addition to the plain tab, we will also produce a number of different themed basing packs with small resin rubble piles/girders/sci-fi bits and pieces. Basically a really easy way to cover up the slot gap and create easy scenic bases.
We are definately going to try and figure out the best way of making rubble/tech bit sprue.
We dont generally ship sprue with our products, but for the afterlife figures we will try to include lots of basing extras in a row between the sprue and the figures, this only adds minimally to our costs and makes basing a whole lot easier and better!
I will be designing some specific flat insert pieces to fit on the base between feet, covering the slottabase gap.
Well we've been really quiet lately, sorry about that!
It's because we have been working really hard on getting stuff ready for the Kickstarter - mostly work on our animated trailer which is designed as a little introduction to the story of AFTERLIFE - Its been great fun to make and I hope you guys will like it!
I anticipate that the Kickstarter will launch toward the end of next week (4-5 days time) if Kickstarter approve it quickly, and it will run untill 9pm UK time on Saturday 16th November.
Here is a preview of two Unity Council units which will feature in the first KS.
On the left the Medium Exo-Mech, with two of the heavy weapon options - EMP cannon and Smart Grenade Launcher, and to scale (showing how big the Mech is!) A Unity Council Marine with Assault Rifle - Work In Progress still! Im probably going to swap his trench coat for something a bit more high tech!
I hope you like the models, I will be previewing as much more as I can during the campaign - which will cover the release of these two units plus two more for the Republic faction, plus perhaps some stretch goal options but that depends on you guys!
I'm surprised this is already going to kickstarter! You may want to make a new thread for that when it launches.
The renders look good, and should be easy enough to make in resin... but I'll be concerned if you're aiming for injection molded plastic if you have made sure these can be molded.
Anyway, will of course be watching and wishing you the best with it! As these look useful for many things.
The renders look good, and should be easy enough to make in resin... but I'll be concerned if you're aiming for injection molded plastic if you have made sure these can be molded.
Maybe I should have phrased it "I'll be concerned if you're aiming for injection molded plastic but have not yet made sure that molds can be made for these models / there are no undercuts whatsoever".
Having seen Wehrkind's resin casting magic and also making urethane molds from 3d printed masters at my work, you can get away with a Lot of undercuts with a flexible urethane mold... but once you want to do "hard tooling" the undercuts become crucial.
I expect the Kickstarter page will explain exactly where they're at in that process, and if they're just planning to continue resin casting for these, it's no problem anyway...
So, what you are saying is that you want it to look like a Space Marine? He's said he won't be involving the Exo Lords stuff in any of the background. He wanted to do something uniquely his own, hence the new armor designs. I am really not seeing a Halo influence though.
I agree that the Halo-like helmet does look a bit silly. However, if the ExoMech is as modular as all your other models with removable heads, it's still awesome.
@RiTides - We are launching this one now that we are ready too - its a trial run in a sense, so we can get feedback from everyone, and experience of the Kickstarter process before launching the main game next year, it also means we can get some of the models out there months earlier than otherwise.
No plastics yet, and probably never for smaller models like regular infantry - Having worked with resin for several years and seen the incredible quality and detail which we can produce compared to companies which have KS funded hard plastic/resinyplastic/PVC models, we are sticking with resin for the time being.
Proper plastic kits are certainly an option for larger stuff like gunships, heavy Mech's and so on.
@Barzam - I think I said "in a few weeks" a few weeks ago! Im sorry if its inconveniently times but the fact is that there will always be other KS's running, other companies releasing other products, and seasonal variations we have no control over, so its almost impossible to pick a "perfect time" to launch things. We will try to include a paypal pledge option for people who are unable to contribute directly during the campaign - which I know is quite short.
@Jehan, as Barzam said this is a totally new project, nothing like Exo-Lords planned anywhere.
Regarding the HALO similarity - Yes its there to some extent, but its a helmet designed to go on a human head. There are hundreds of existing Sci-Fi helmet designs and only so many ways to arrange a visor/armour/comms stuff around a human head so anything I produce is likely to look a bit similar to something already out there!
@Absolutionis - The heads will be one peice with the torso. In general the new AFTERLIFE figures will be nothing like as modular as my existing stuff.
Its somthing I've thought a lot about, and its a trade off - More components in a resin miniature means more modularity but substantially more resin and rubber are needed, and also more labour time, this pushes production costs up substantially, and also makes the figures more difficult for gamers to prepare and assemble.
As AFTERLIFE is (hopefully) going to be a game with mass market appeal, the figures have to be as affordable as possible and also straight forward to build and paint, so for this reason I will be aiming for each model to consist of 1-3 components.
Anvils Hammer wrote: No plastics yet, and probably never for smaller models like regular infantry - Having worked with resin for several years and seen the incredible quality and detail which we can produce compared to companies which have KS funded hard plastic/resinyplastic/PVC models, we are sticking with resin for the time being.
That is Very reassuring to hear! I love seeing companies that already know what the heck they're doing in a certain arena stick to it when kickstarting . Ramshackle Games did this quite well with their recent kickstarter, continuing to produce in resin.
So, this has me much more interested since I know you'll be sticking to what you're experts at . Excellent decision!
Anvils Hammer wrote: @Barzam - I think I said "in a few weeks" a few weeks ago! Im sorry if its inconveniently times but the fact is that there will always be other KS's running, other companies releasing other products, and seasonal variations we have no control over, so its almost impossible to pick a "perfect time" to launch things. We will try to include a paypal pledge option for people who are unable to contribute directly during the campaign - which I know is quite short.
Well, at least it is after Bones rather than during their campaign. I believe you said we would be looking at funding two factions' basic troops for this, right?
Still not seeing a Halo influence beyond the helmet having a visor though. I suppose that it has some vague similarities to the Halo 3 CQB helmet, but that feels like a stretch to me. The overall bulk and general design feels more in line with the heavy armor of 40k than it does Halo.
Barzam wrote: I believe you said we would be looking at funding two factions' basic troops for this, right?
Still not seeing a Halo influence beyond the helmet having a visor though. I suppose that it has some vague similarities to the Halo 3 CQB helmet, but that feels like a stretch to me. The overall bulk and general design feels more in line with the heavy armor of 40k than it does Halo.
So long as people disagree on what my stuff "looks like" I think Im in the clear
Yes, rewards for this KS will include a booklet of background material (with contributions and editing from Mark Latham, Ex GW studio and very experienced, so expect good stuff!) and 4 starting units - A mech unit and an Infantry Unit for the games first two factions.
The units released now will of course be fully usable with the first sets of rules when I can get those finished!
Barzam wrote: I believe you said we would be looking at funding two factions' basic troops for this, right?
Still not seeing a Halo influence beyond the helmet having a visor though. I suppose that it has some vague similarities to the Halo 3 CQB helmet, but that feels like a stretch to me. The overall bulk and general design feels more in line with the heavy armor of 40k than it does Halo.
So long as people disagree on what my stuff "looks like" I think Im in the clear
Yes, rewards for this KS will include a booklet of background material (with contributions and editing from Mark Latham, Ex GW studio and very experienced, so expect good stuff!) and 4 starting units - A mech unit and an Infantry Unit for the games first two factions.
The units released now will of course be fully usable with the first sets of rules when I can get those finished!
Nice that you've got Mark involved, he's a good fella. Any chance of a preview of what your ideas for pledges are? Would be good to be able to save up the pennys.
Nice that you've got Mark involved, he's a good fella. Any chance of a preview of what your ideas for pledges are? Would be good to be able to save up the pennys.
Sure as a rough guide - pledge levels will vary from £10 for just the booklet up to around £45- 50 for the booklet and a starter set of figures, plus any freebie stretch goals we are able to add dependant on how popular it all proves, with a higher "vanguard" pledge level for people who want to get involved with beta rules testing (And get some extra figures months before everyone else does)
@Tim? - Yes I know the lack of paypal is a problem for some people so we will be selling the equivalent pledge levels through a separate section of our webstore at some point.
@Jerram - Yes 12pm, and we were so careful to double check the timezones/names! Sorry for the mix up!
@Overtyrant - I guess some people have access to someone elses paypal account but not their own card, or prefer the convenience.. Its interesting that KS dont accept paypal as an option.
@Barzam and Azazelx -There is an early bird pledge but I highly doubt they will all be gone before you can get to it (I will be DELIGHTED if they are all gone that quickly!) The equivalent main pledge is not that much different in price.
and now for some last minute edits, CAD design and general panic!
I don't understand why people always want a PayPal opinion, KS accepts Debit cards as well as Credit cards....
Well, I'm not sure about KS, but I know that one of my credit cards and one of my debit cards will not work for European websites, only one of my credit cards does. However, if they accept PayPal, all of them work. This might just be a problem with my bank (as an American bank), but it is something to think about. Also, some people feel safer using PayPal.
There are certain posed which actually benefit from fewer parts - fir example having a guy aiming down his rifle sight is only really possible if the torso/head/weapon are all one piece.
@Kroothawk - Yes it was a mod, which is fair enough really if they prefer one thread.
I guess all the anvil news for the next few months will be KS related so may as well keep it all here.
and yes we are FULLY FUNDED in 2 hours 39 minutes.
Im amazed and humbled by the level of support this got, which is far beyond what I expected, and now I will try to think of some good stretch goals!
--------------
reposted from the closed thread, some comments on the component count of the miniatures.
My general plan with AFTERLIFE stuff is to keep the amount of components as low as possible, as there are lots of advantages-
More flexibility with posing
better detail
fewer mould lines/resin gates to remove
much easier to clean up and assemble
more durable
Cheaper to manufacture, so lower retail price - this helps keep them competitive compared to mass produced plastics.
To ensure there is still lots of variety, we will be making as many different poses for each set as we can, and also making different "versions" of the same miniatures set, so a mould for infantry with berets, and a mould for the same infantry with gasmasks etc..
How about keeping the 2-3 part mini's ( for all the reasons stated) but also putting in 1 mini in each set that is fully modular / pose able. Would add variety , keep the modellers and gamers happy and stop everything looking the same.
While I love being able to pose my own models, Anvil's pre-posed units (I'm looking at you sniper marines) are so well-modeled and cleanly cast that I don't hate. Pleased I got to sneak in early enough to get beta access.
I am certainly going to try and think up some stuff to extend the project a bit at this stage, though I wasnt expecting to be in this position until next week!
@Brother Garrod - yes the lack of female miniatures is one of the most common complaints about most sci-fi games. There is no reason why they would not feature, and I will include some in AFTERLIFE for sure, probably not within the scope of this KS project though.
There will be stretch goals to add weapon options to the Exo-Mechs.
@Big H - I know a fair few people will want the fully multi pose versions. What we will probably do is make the multi pose Exo-Mechs (15-17 separate components each!) available as an add on. They will probable cost around £5 each though, so a project for those who want a challenge, as they are the same kits I will be using to build the single peice posed versions.
@Azazelx - Sorry about that! I thought 50 would be more than enough, didnt expect it to pick up funding so quickly.
@Jehan - It will all be available at retail, hopefully by the end of January as soon as the KS pledges have all shipped out.
@Livan Bard - we will have a think about making the whole booklet available digitally.
@Looky Likey - do you mean multiple copies of the Special Ops figures? Yes there is no reason why we cant send out a duplicate set if people are interested, though most of the Special Ops figures will be made up into full squads, will multiple different poses, in time for the main launch, so may be better to wait for that.
@Manus - Thanks, We will think about making some parts available separately, but its not a priority, as I have a ridiculous workload just developing the game, and I need to sleep sometimes!
Thanks again everyone, now back to thinking of stretch goal options.
Malika2 wrote: Congrats Joel! Very curious to see how this works out!
Thanks!
I am surprised and very pleased at how well we have done so far, just over two weeks to go - I kept this project shorter than most so we can get working on the rewards sooner!
Im finishing off some CAD files for printing over this weekend and if everything goes to plan, I should have some completed or at least WIP miniatures to show off by the end of the project, I appreciate many people are not impressed by computer renders alone!
I should be able to get previews of the Republic Grenadiers up by mid next week also.
STRETCH GOALS - the money we've raised so far is enough to cover the initial development costs I wanted but if we are able to get more interest and pledges, economies of scale mean we can include more figures and parts. I've updated the project with stretch goals up to 18k, and most of them are free upgrades for the main "Assault Team" pledge, plus some Add-On goals - Heavy weapon support teams for the Infantry squads.
ichigo wrote: I can't believe they are offering free postage to everyone! That's awesome!
Well we offer free postage on the website for all orders over £35 already, and I hate Kickstarters which have a low pledge cost but ridiculous added shipping charges, its misleading. Free Free shipping for everyone is the simplest and best option in our opinion.
I've been busy today with the CAD software playing Stretch Goal catch up. "Update #3" on the Kickstarter page shows the Republic Missile system which we already unlocked, and the next stretch goal is the Minigun system for the Unity Council Mechs -
For the time being, all my time will spent on AFTERLIFE so we will continue to sell the existing range of conversion parts, but I wont add to it in the forseeable future. Im sure others will pick up the "bits" baton! I do enjoy making Bits parts and when we have more resources Ill likely go back to it from time to time.
@Rigeld - Magnets are great, but fiddly and actually quite expensive used for lots of models. The AFTERLIFE figures have to be as user friendly as possible, so weapons which can be either glued in place, or pushed in with a little Blu-tack and a push fit pin join.
@Jerram - Yep, in the last week of the Kick Starter I will be updating the list of "Add-On" options, and any freebies will be available for purchase also.
@Barzam - Yep, the ammo box is clipped to the back of the upper arm, the belt allows for movement in the forearm for aim adjustment.
Functionally it would make more sense to have it mounted to the guys back, but that makes casting and assembling the miniature a lot more complicated and limited.
Anvils Hammer wrote: @Rigeld - Magnets are great, but fiddly and actually quite expensive used for lots of models. The AFTERLIFE figures have to be as user friendly as possible, so weapons which can be either glued in place, or pushed in with a little Blu-tack and a push fit pin join.
That's fair. Are the arm holes going to be a relatively standard size so that (for example) a 1/8" magnet will fit snugly? Or are we going to need to drill them out (or build up a magnet)?
@Hulksmash - I like making bits and random stuff, but designing complete miniatures is the plan for the time being, its a lot more risky, business wise, but an exciting new challenge.
@Rigeld- I will design them so that the hole the connector pin goes in is an existing magnet size - probably 2mm. Then people can drill out the other side if they want to.
Anvils Hammer wrote: @Rigeld- I will design them so that the hole the connector pin goes in is an existing magnet size - probably 2mm. Then people can drill out the other side if they want to.
Thanks for taking my rambling and barely coherent question and answering it perfectly :-)
Awesome. I'm excited.
@Hulksmash - I like making bits and random stuff, but designing complete miniatures is the plan for the time being, its a lot more risky, business wise, but an exciting new challenge.
@Rigeld- I will design them so that the hole the connector pin goes in is an existing magnet size - probably 2mm. Then people can drill out the other side if they want to.
Cheers,
Joel
No one can say you don't listen and take on board feedback and good ideas from your customers, Joel. Kudos!
@Rigeld- I will design them so that the hole the connector pin goes in is an existing magnet size - probably 2mm. Then people can drill out the other side if they want to.
No one can say you don't listen and take on board feedback and good ideas from your customers, Joel. Kudos!
Where ever its possible!
Im working on the parts for the Republic Mech final print sprue at the moment, Ive adjusted the arms to be more easily magnet useable, and also the two guns.
Once Ive sent this file to print I will be working on the CAD for the Republic Grenadiers, which is long over due!
Sorry it took so long but it took more time than I expected to complete the Grenadier design, I wanted a very specific look and there were a few trial and error alterations.
I hope you like it, any feedback welcome!
I will be working on the Heavy weapon upgrades next, and early next week I will have Resin components to preview, not just renders!
The KS runs for another nine days so plenty of time for me to get lots more done!
I love that. And - speaking from an idiot when it comes to the challenges involved in casting, etc) are there going to be multiple poses for that? Like, striding, aiming, etc?
Ive just updated the KS page with a summary of what's included in the Vanguard "Special Operations Pack" so you can see the miniatures we have planned!
£75 gets you the whole wave one "Assault Team" Pledge plus £45 worth (estimated) of pre-release figures in the Vanguard wave 2, along with some dice and the Trial Rules PDF. We are offering as much value as we can for people who support the game in its infancy!
In a couple of days I will be posting up a rules summary detailing some of the more unique concepts we are developing for the game.
If I was a huge weirdo who was only interested in the armoured legs from the Marines and/or Grenadiers, is that something that this KS will be producing?
As in, will the Marines and Grenadiers have seperate legs when produced, not, will you be creating an "All Legs" pledge level. I'm not that big of a theoretical weirdo.
Plenty of you have signed up for The Vanguard Pledge with only a very vague description of what's included, and we appreciate your confidence in us, but its only fair we share some more information!
Over the past week I've been further developing the background for AFTERLIFE and Ive settled on the figures I want to develop for the Vanguard Pack.
It will contain eight miniatures with an estimated retail value of £around £45, including the imposing "Goliath" Heavy Support Mech for the Republic, and a Predator Strike Drone for the Unity Council. Plus an exclusive Bounty Hunter Miniature. You will get these models months ahead of everyone else, along with the trial rules set to try out, so its great value for money in exchange for your advance support!
A full description of the planned miniatures is below. In a few days time I will be posting a summary of the Rule set we are developing for the game, giving you a taste of how it will play on the table top.
For the Unity Council -
A lighter version of the Medium "Ajax" suit, The Tracer provides extreme agility and speed with an enhanced sensor array. It is commonly issued to Unity Marine Command and Recon elements. Estimated Retail value £6
Equipped with a compact collapsible Long Rifle, powerful side arms and numerous blades and other weapons. An elite and secretive Special Forces Unit, the training and bio-engineering procedures used to create Spectre Assassins is unknown. Their strength, endurance and lighting reflexes are matched only by their skill with their chosen weapons. When a Spectre operative is assigned an objective, only death can stop them. Estimated Retail value £6
Lightly armed and equipped, technicians are experts in battlefield technology and electronic warfare, they frequently accompany Unity Council forces into combat zones to secure vital data and intelligence, and its rumoured some are also trained in illegal Afterlife procedures, allowing them to retrieve data from the minds of fallen enemy soldiers. Estimated Retail value £6
A compact UAV with a variable payload of scanners and lethal weaponry, the Predator Strike Drone is widely used by Unity Council forces for reconnaissance and to supplement the air support offered by heavier Unity Gunships. The planned model will have an approx 40mm wingspan. Estimated Retail value £5
For the Pan-Continental Republic-
Captain and two support officers. Estimated Retail value £12
Standing around 55mm tall and containing two crew members, a pilot and gunner, the Goliath is the most powerful unit planned for the Special Operations Pack. It will be larger version of the Republic medium Mech, offering the Republic some serious fire power! Estimated Retail value £10
PLUS - . Never to be sold at retail,
PLUS - Complete trial rules PDF, with tokens, markers and templates to print out. Missions pack using all the miniatures in a number of different scenarios designed to get you playing straight away without spending ages reading the rules . Set of four D10 Dice.
All for £30 extra on top of the Wave One Assault Team Pack.
Join The Vanguard today and play your part in the battle for Earth!
Thanks,
Joel
So glad Ive upgraded to the Vangard pledge, those extra figures sound awesome
@Ed Lowe- Thanks for your support! I certainly plan to make the Vanguard add on set as awesome as possible, Ill be getting to work designing the next batch of figures as soon as we've shipped all the Wave One rewards.
@Plastictrees- The legs will initially be cast in the same mould as the bodys, so will not be available separately. However at some point we will likely offer a "bits" service for the AFTERLIFE range which will include the separate legs, as they are suitable for conversions with other similarly sized miniatures.
Ive just posted an important KS update with more information about the game itself, which I reproduce here -
Here are some of the more unique planned concepts which will make up the AFTERLIFE Ruleset. These are all subject to development and alteration/improvement during play testing. After In house testing and balancing VANGUARD backers will get the trial rules set to try out several months before the main game release.
• "Learn by playing" mechanic - A series of basic scenarios will introduce new gamers to the core rules/mechanics one by one, with the game developing in complexity over a few hours as the rules are learned. This removes the need to spend hours reading the rule book before you can pick the dice up!
• D10 mechanics Most actions are resolved with a single dice role, keeping the game fast, but the D10 allows for lots of statistical variety between units.
• Simultaneous Activation system. Player A declares an action for a single unit, player B declares a reaction, which is assumed to take place simultaneously. This ensures both players are continuously involved in the game.
• Game Scaling Mechanic - Units will deploy into the game with a simplified "Battle" profile, but upon close range contact with the enemy will switch into "Skirmish" profile, allowing models more individual autonomy. This needs some extensive play testing, but the idea is to ensure a larger game moves fast in its opening stages, but the game gets more tactically interesting as opposing sides close in on their objectives.
• Fog of War- To add realism, Units are assumed to be invisible until they are detected by a scan/LoS. Players will have options to bluff with "ghost" units and substitutions, so you don't know exactly what you are facing until its right in your sights, this means the players will have to stay on their toes and it will be difficult to predict your opponents actions and strategies simply by looking at the miniatures on the table.
• Resource Points - Army lists are not always set in stone before the game, you start with a certain number of resource points which can be used to deploy units to the battlefield, or use special tactics and options such as Artillery Strikes. You can alter the makeup of your forces during the game, and redeploy "dead" units if you have sufficient resource points left, this adds an extra level of tactical uncertainty for players. In some circumstances it will be possible to earn extra Resource Points by achieving mission objectives.
• Command Points - These can be spent each turn to perform heroic actions and special combined actions involving several units acting at the same time. Careful use of command points will be essential to victory, as you can do most damage to your enemy with a "combined arms" approach, using the strengths of different units together to achieve powerful combination attacks.
• Faction Building - Rather than limit players to choosing a certain army list and units from that factions, we hope (subject to balance in play testing) to create a "DIY Faction" list where players can create their own corporation/government/resistance movement/mafia gang, and combine most units from any of the core factions to create a unique army, or add mercenary forces from one faction to supplement another.
The AFTERLIFE Battlefield and Terrain.
We will be looking at design and manufacturing options over the next few months to find an affordable way to make our own terrain system, though existing terrain by many other companies will also be ideal for AFTERLIFE games.
Combat in AFTERLIFE takes place across a horizontal battlefield but a vertical element will be a critical part of many scenarios. This will be achieved through the use of printed Floor Plans representing the upper levels of buildings which cannot feasibly exist in 3D. Floor Plans can also represent underground bunker facilities, space stations, rooftops or any combination of these elements, above or below the ground.
Units will be able to climb up and down between building/bunker levels and across combat zones at different altitudes, as well as fire between levels and across the air gaps between them. Battle Field Objectives will be scattered throughout the entire combat zone and require players to plan complex 3D strategies to try and outfight their opponent.
An example battle could see forces fighting entirely within a large sky scraper or adjoining skyscrapers, or landing on the roof of a sky scraper, clearing down through the building and then attacking through a military base to infiltrate an underground bunker.
The Narrative Missions.
AFTERLIFE will have a number of "Free play" missions with simple "capture the flag/wipe out your enemy" style objectives, suitable for any terrain and faction lists, but it will also feature a number of narrative missions in each volume.
The narrative missions will recreate a series of missions from the background story, with pre-set forces, approx terrain layouts and mission objectives. Missions will vary widely in size and scope and it will not always be a fair fight!
We are hoping to include secret instruction packs for the narrative game, which will opened as players reach certain points in the missions, revealing new objectives and tactical options, and occasionally a really nasty surprise which will leave one player fighting for their life and the other grinning like a maniac.
@Plastictrees- The legs will initially be cast in the same mould as the bodys, so will not be available separately. However at some point we will likely offer a "bits" service for the AFTERLIFE range which will include the separate legs, as they are suitable for conversions with other similarly sized miniatures.
Great, so at the very least they are a seperate piece. Is the plan for the Marines and Grenadiers to be legs, torso, 2x arms and head, or will you combine parts of the upper body?
For your add-ons, a Marine/Grenadier squad is 6 guys correct?
The legs will be one piece, the entire upper body a second, so two pieces per figure, but plenty of different sculpts so you get just as much effective variety as a multi piece kit, but with more natural poses.
Correct the current marine/grenadier squad is 6 men, I will make that clearer, as well as update with a 10 man squad option during next week before the project ends.
There is a new update. Shows some more dynamic poses of the Grenadiers and some tractor heavy weapon units. Can't link from where I am but check it out.
I completed the CAD for the Weapons tractor with four weapon options. Tractor Base done by Kit from Zinge industries, Weapons by me (Joel). Its an infantry support unit designed to be able to keep up with a squad and operate in enclosed spaces if needed, carrying a range of lethal weaponry.
I will post up more Images tomorrow as well as details about how these can be purchased through the Kickstarter.
For now I wanted to share this art render I made up, a squad of Grenadiers advancing with two Weapons Tractors. Multi-purpose Missile launcher on the left and Minigun on the right.
Well, I think I just found an awesome replacement for the Ariadna Traktor MUL. Seriously though, those look really neat. The troops look like they'll be fun to paint, too.
Small question I've got, not sure if it's been covered anywhere. Have the base sizes for the miniature been decided yet? Or will that be something to be sorted out during the beta stage?
Most infantry troops will be on standard 25mm slotta bases. This is because they are very cheap so I can keep costs as low as possible, and also because casting a resin figure on a slotta bar makes it a lot more durable and easy to attach to a base.
I will be making resin "base accessories" to incorporate into the sprue, so players can have ready made scenic elements to attach.
Larger models will be on 30/40/50mm bases, I'm undecided yet exactly what to use.
@Jehan - I guess after a few hundred years of being a nice guy and cleaning up everyones mess, Wall-E ran out of patience :p
Guys, a lot of people have moved up to the "Vanguard" pledge level, so there are some Early Bird slots available.
These are just £41 for 19 miniatures plus a 36 page full colour booklet of art, background material and short stories.
Most infantry troops will be on standard 25mm slotta bases. This is because they are very cheap so I can keep costs as low as possible, and also because casting a resin figure on a slotta bar makes it a lot more durable and easy to attach to a base.
I will be making resin "base accessories" to incorporate into the sprue, so players can have ready made scenic elements to attach.
Larger models will be on 30/40/50mm bases, I'm undecided yet exactly what to use.
Makes sense, the base accessories idea sounds good.
Hi Joel,
I've just had another look at the KS page, and I wonder if the presentation of the pledge rewards might have been done in a way better to encourage people's participation?
What I mean is look at these two - on an intellectual level we know they're the same, but to me (and I presume other highly visual people - and we're talking about a market who pay GW prices to paint toy soldiers here) one definitely seems like a lot more for the money - it's a visceral/emotional reaction, but then Kickstarter is a little like the way people go mad bidding on eBay and spend more than the Buy-it-Now would have cost...
You are quite right! I guess I wanted to keep it less cluttered but it does detract from the impact having only one of each figure shown. Thanks for your input and for making the example image.
We did this first KS, without the rules and full game system, partly so we could get some experience of the Kick Starter process before launching the full game.
What you've pointed out is one of many lessons learned and I'm sure a few more to learn in the next few days!
I'm currently making up prototype miniatures for the UC and Republic Mechs (as in actual resin!) so tomorrow we will do our final update, and I will adjust the image as you suggest, with resin replacing render where possible.
Fingers crossed we can get a few more backers on board.
Joel, will you be allowing people to switch out squads at the Assault Team (or any) level?
So could you go Assault Team and get 4 squads of Grenadiers?
I don't see why not. The pledge are designed as a "taster pack" of models for the game, but if people are using the figures for other systems I'm happy to swap out squads for others like you say. So long as the value is equivalent.
"Recon" is fixed, but Assault Team and Vanguard pledgers can swap a unit for a double of another unit, Ill update the KS with the info tomorrow.
Automatically Appended Next Post: In response to some feedback that the Asymetrical missile launcher looked a bit odd, Ive updated it to feature two missile pods and centralised optics/targeting tower.
You can also see the Autocannon/light artillery varient.
A small suggestion though - or rather an observation - will the autogun on the tractor have the same power-level as the autogun on the UC-suit?
When looking at the muzzle of the two - the UC-suit one looks more powerfull - just a thought
I'm so happy I wen't for the VANGUARD level - cant wait to see the SpecOpsPack models/renders.
The game system sounds very promising - And I'm happy to see you've gone with the 28mm(heroic) scale - I will admit that the Grenadiers, will most likely make a guest apearance, in my IG army as Stormtroopers
Looking forward to seeing resin - keep it up Anvil
The Autocannon is actually larger caliber than the Smart Grenade Launcher on the UC suit, so will have more overall power most likely, but the UC launcher will be able to effectively engage a wider range of targets with its more varied payload and advanced targeting systems.
The heavy weapons on the tractors will be marginally more powerful than those mounted on the Republic Mechs, being slightly larger and with more ammunition. But the Mechs are tougher and more mobile so its a trade off.
Scale wise - the typical human in afterlife comes to 31mm tall, matching other games of the same scale, but for the sake of better realism, the legs/arms/heads/weapons will all be a little more realistically proportioned than GW's stuff, They should still be easily usable along side heroic models though.
Ive got the first two AFTERLIFE models assembled on my desk (pre-production prototypes) and I'm rather pleased with them. I have one UC Mech with Smart Grenade Launcher and SMG, and one Republic Mech with An SMG and either Tri-Cannon or Missile launcher.
Ill be posting up a video update on the KS tommorow with the resin prototypes.
Anvils Hammer wrote: I don't see why not. The pledge are designed as a "taster pack" of models for the game, but if people are using the figures for other systems I'm happy to swap out squads for others like you say. So long as the value is equivalent.
"Recon" is fixed, but Assault Team and Vanguard pledgers can swap a unit for a double of another unit, Ill update the KS with the info tomorrow.
I love the tracked weapons. You need to sell the tracks separately from the weapons once you get them rolling.
Looking forward to tomorrow and seeing some pricing on those and maybe the squads. I've got a little bit of spare cash I'm going to throw at this just to support Joel who's been awesome for all my bit needs
@hulksmash - yes We will sell the tractor units separately I think they will be popular :p
@Jehan, that would be amazing! With a bandolier of shells and an assault rifle slung over his shoulder.. maybe a chainsaw replacing a hand..
If I knew for certain that Pixars legal team had a sense of humour I would totally go for it!
Well we are coming toward the end now! Just over 48 hours to go and in the last couple of days I've managed to get some resin miniatures ready to show you guys!
I've just updated the Kickstarter page with extra information and photos for the pledges and Add-Ons, and more importantly posted up a video showing the pre-production figures, these are unfinished but a great indicator of the scale and detail level carried across from the CAD renders!
I've made up a pair of UC Exo-Mechs, a pair of Republic Exo-mechs and a pair of Republic Gun Tractors.
The Assault Team pledge gets you 19 miniatures plus a full colour background art/story booklet, and if we hit a few of our stretch goals in the next few days extra figures will be included for free!
Ill be working over the next week or two to get all the AFTERLIFE figures ready for full production, including the infantry - still waiting on the prints for those guys unfortunately but will have them next week!
Wow those are some fantastic looking models, I'm really tempted to get in on this but finding a game locally might be a push when the rules come out... so tempted.
Melcavuk wrote: Wow those are some fantastic looking models, I'm really tempted to get in on this but finding a game locally might be a push when the rules come out... so tempted.
Go in on it anyway. You know you want some just to paint up.
Melcavuk wrote: Wow those are some fantastic looking models, I'm really tempted to get in on this but finding a game locally might be a push when the rules come out... so tempted.
The cool thing is you get two forces when you pledge, also if you back at vanguard you get the chance to beta test and help develope the game plus aload of extra figures really early including a ks exclusive bounty hunter.
Im personally using afterlife along with dz to drag a curious mate into the hobby
Melcavuk - I totally get that a new skirmish game is going to have initial issues with a small player base. For this reason I'm designing the game so that the volume "starter packs" will ship with models for two factions, and also a majority of the models will be useable in more than one faction list.
Combined with the "learn as you play" missions I'm planning to write up, this means finding a game should hopefully be as easy as finding a willing wargamer and splitting your models with them.
Barzam wrote: I really like the idea of doing the tutorial missions. I wish more games did that.
In preparatory work for making the AFTERLIFE game system I look at other games to see what works and what doesnt, and my number one frustration is having to sit down and read the rule book for ages before I can play.
I'm pretty sure with the right structure, its possible to learn an entire rules system "as you play" with no more than 3-4 minutes reading required at any one point, and this is the plan for AFTERLIFE - just a list of models and other things you need, and then get on with playing!
Anvils Hammer wrote: Well we are coming toward the end now! Just over 48 hours to go and in the last couple of days I've managed to get some resin miniatures ready to show you guys!
I've just updated the Kickstarter page with extra information and photos for the pledges and Add-Ons, and more importantly posted up a video showing the pre-production figures, these are unfinished but a great indicator of the scale and detail level carried across from the CAD renders!
I've made up a pair of UC Exo-Mechs, a pair of Republic Exo-mechs and a pair of Republic Gun Tractors.
The Assault Team pledge gets you 19 miniatures plus a full colour background art/story booklet, and if we hit a few of our stretch goals in the next few days extra figures will be included for free!
Ill be working over the next week or two to get all the AFTERLIFE figures ready for full production, including the infantry - still waiting on the prints for those guys unfortunately but will have them next week!
The arms on the heavy suit look wonky, but it looks easily fixable. The only other thing I'm thinking when looking at this is, "did someone say gue'vesa stealthsuits?"
addendum: aha! I thought about it, and I think I see now why the exo-mechs look so wonky. Not such a bad idea if my thinking is correct.
I snapped up one of those early bird assault teams.
At first I was thinking maybe ~70$ was a little expensive for 19 models. I hummed and hawed for a bit and then I thought about it for a sec and came to the conclusion that a Space Marine Tactical squad costs 65$ for 10 models. So I laughed at myself for being foolish and then promptly pledged.
The KS is moving up again which is great, hopefully we will hit a few more stretch goals before the end.
@poda-t Im not sure what you mean by wonky? and which mech? The smaller republic one has the pilots arms inside the mechanical arms. The larger UC mech has totally mechanical arms which are "nerved-synched" to the pilot. The pilots actual arms are deadened and folded across his chest.
Gue'vesa are the human auxiliarys right? Yep I think these would fit quite nicely for that, similar "mecha" asthetics.
@Ovion - They are roughly equivalent units from both factions, but the UC one is a lot more advanced and high-tech, in the early stages of the war the Republic gets pretty beaten up, only their superior numbers prevent a crushing defeat.
The Gattling gun on the Tractor is actually a fair bit larger than the one on the mech, and with a much bigger ammo reserve! The Exo-Mech is quite a bit more mobile though.
@Snrub - You also get the art and background booklet! I know its not what anyone is pledging for really but its hopefully going to be well worth a read! Thanks for your support!
If any one has questions about the proposed miniatures range, background, game system, etc I'm happy to answer them, Ill be sticking close to my computer untill the KS ends at 9pm tommorow night!
Still looking good Joel - though I often have a hard time seeing the new stuff, because of the tears in my eyes, when I think about you are not making any new bits.
The tractors are really interesting though - which weapons do you have planned for them?
Manus wrote: Still looking good Joel - though I often have a hard time seeing the new stuff, because of the tears in my eyes, when I think about you are not making any new bits.
The tractors are really interesting though - which weapons do you have planned for them?
Sorry! Hopefully I will make new bits at some point, and some of the AFTERLIFE range will be available in a bits service, all when we have the man power!
Initial weapons for the Tractors - Minigun, Gattling Gun (with three larger barrels), Autocannon (used in the game as a light artillery piece) and Missile launcher.
I will be making other weapons in future which fit the same size socket, and they will all be interchangeable across the various Republic miniatures which use that style of turret Heavy weapon.
Anvils Hammer wrote: @Snrub - You also get the art and background booklet! I know its not what anyone is pledging for really but its hopefully going to be well worth a read! Thanks for your support!
Hey i'd never knock back an art booklet. You never know where inspiration will spring from. And background material is always good.
Also or some reason the 2nd vid and they picture with the stretch goals aren't showing up on my computer. They do however appear when i use my tablet. I'm not sure if this a problem on my end or on the KS page but i thought i'd bring it to your attention just in case.
I snagged myself one of the EB 'assault' pledges today, I'd really love to bump it up to the 'Vanguard' level but with all the big Kickstarters lately i'm almost completely broke...
@Anvil,
Is there any chance that the Exclusive bounty hunter model might be added as a paid add-on for people outside of the 'Vanguard' pledge level?
Bugger, can't afford to back this any more thanks to my bloody car needing £525 of work doing to it. Why is it that whenever I back something on kickstarter my car has to go into the garage?
Sorry I'm not able to back this at this stage Joel, I'll definitely keep following developments though and will order some stuff as soon as I am able.
hmmm... well i was just about to put some money down, but, don't have a credit card at the present.... hmmmm.. quite a pickle.... well, it's as much a pickle as it is a sandwich, but the point is i have money, just no way of pleding it... ah well.
@Snrub - they work ok for me. have you tried clearing your browser history or refreshing the page?
Mr Gutsy - thanks very much for your support!
The "bounty hunter" exclusive figure is a named character - Elon Hesp, a contract special forces operative who features in the storyline of the vanguard missions.
I'm not going to make him available outside the vanguard pledge - its exclusive after all, however there will be plenty of other similar bounty hunter/soldier of fortune/mercenary characters in the game, so not shortage of cool models down the line.
Nick - I PM'd you about it.
Poda-t - We know not everyone is able to use a credit card/pledge on Kickstarter directly, so next week we will be making a paypal option available on our website for the pledge levels, for a limited period. Hopefully this is of some use to you! We dont want anyone to miss out on a technicality!
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Thanks for your support everyone! We are over £10.5k now and closing in on some stretch goals to add free miniatures!
Just jumped on the bandwagon a day ago. I'm at Vanguard. The video showing the mins sold me! Very awesome looking sci-fi exosuits/mechsuits. Would be great add to my Starship Troopers collection. As well as for the Afterlife game, of course. My gaming group has an *open universe* type setting (using a mod'd Necromunda ruleset). These guys will make for a unique battleforce, to say the least.
I will definitely help playtest the game, as well. Anyway I go, it's great minis at a great deal!
Anvils Hammer wrote: @Snrub - they work ok for me. have you tried clearing your browser history or refreshing the page?
Well it's working now. I don't know why they weren't appearing. Maybe just a temporary crappy internet connection and they failed to load. It is now a non issue.
That was my guess! Congratulations!
I have a 5 year old son who knows I make models, but I've not introduced him to the mass violence aspect just yet... give it a few more years!
Less than 12 hours to go, then its on with the manufacturing, I'm hoping we will be able to get at least some of the pledges shipped in time for Christmas, with everything shipped by the end of January.
The Kickstarter ends in just over one and a half hours! I am doing a LIVE Q&A session on the Kickstarter comments page, and you an also leave questions here.
To give you guys an idea of the world and background story of AFTERLIFE, Ive prepared some short sample extracts from the written material we are compiling for our Booklet, which will be supplied with most pledge levels.
I hope you like the extracts, and if you want to read more, its all expanded on in the booklet!
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Extracts from the Afterlife Prologue.
These extracts are taken from the short stories and background pieces which are included in the printed booklet we are working on.
From the history of the Unity Council -
The Articles of Unity
In the darkest hour, one man strove to bring light. Armand Tennyson, the head of the KronoTec mega-corp, managed to bring company chiefs, fractious warlords and political heavyweights to the negotiating table. A director of relentless ambition and ruthlessness, he could see the end of mankind approaching, and with it the end of his wealth and power. By his will, the other parties fell into line. The mega-corps signed an endless series of restrictive covenants in lieu of trust, before turning their attention to restoring order. Tennyson and his followers pooled their resources to form a new global alliance so powerful that none would dare challenge them. A new coalition was formed: the Unity Congress. An embittered populace raised their voices as one in support of the new organisation, which promised to end war and suffering once and for all.
In a campaign lasting less than three years, the Unity Congress eradicated warring factions, political statutes and all hint of rebellion. Troublesome corporations were split up or bought out and forced to adhere to the new laws. Military hardware was seized. Further development of weapons technology was prohibited. National borders were erased, and the old Union dream of a single global nation became a reality at last. Following democratic elections to find a ruling council representative of the whole globe, the Articles of Unity were signed.
***
The Cataclysm
Despite the UC’s best efforts, the underground resistance movement continued to spread. In 181.AU, they had a success that had repercussions beyond their wildest dreams. Somehow, a young resistance fighter named Emir Donovan infiltrated the Sphere Nexus. Before he was killed, he managed to broadcast the resistance’s documentary evidence to an oblivious population for the first time. For many, having sleepwalked through their lives for so long, the revelation was too much to bear. Evidence of the council’s many crimes, the conditions in the slum zones, the Terra Nulia wars, the amoral excesses of the spire-dwelling classes, and the utter disparity of wealth and living conditions were all revealed. It was a spark that ignited waves of protest across the world. As violence escalated, the Unity Council declared martial law, and the standing army was recalled to the hyper-cities to restore order.
Extract from the summary of the current situation -
With the hyper-cities in a state of lockdown under martial law, the Unity Council is under siege, with effective control of less than 60 percent of the world’s territories. UC forces are engaged in high-intensity conflicts across dozens of warzones to restore Unity control. Few within the hyper-cities have any idea of the strife beyond the city walls. The denizens of the lower warrens continue to be oppressed, and the majority of the worker classes continue to ply their trades under a shadow of fear. Surveillance drones buzz about the streets scanning every citizen for the tell-tale signs of defiance. The Unity Council still controls the fusion grid and most of the world’s bio-farms, and has access to the best military hardware. Most of all, they have Afterlife, ensuring that the Council will live through the disorder and see the rise of the UC once again.
Called Upworlders or spire-dwellers, the ruling elite were ultimately the cause of the Cataclysm. Now they live on, protected from the strict resource management of the Sphere. The families of senior mega-corp owners and senior personnel, they have lived in the lap of luxury for too long, and become utterly detached from the people in their charge.
Introduction to the Pan-Continental Republic
Named for the old Pan-Continental Union that had so benevolently changed the course of human history at the end of the 21st century, the newly formed PCR consulate comprises members of civil organisations, industrial corporations, and several former Unity Council members. The most high-profile defector from the Council was Vargo Federici, now First Senator of the new Republic, and head of the Radoni mega-corp.
As a cabal of largely industrial corporations, the Republic is rich in material resource, but lacking in the sophisticated military tech of the UC. They have stepped up their military operations considerably, pushing prototypes into service as quickly as possible to defend their position, and to strike blows against the Unity Council’s forces. The general state of chaos around the world has given the Republic time to build, for the UC is beset on all sides, whilst the Republic is, at least for now, seen as benevolent.
From the short story "Afterlife" by Mark Latham
I continued on, looking for some means of entry, until finally I found a maintenance panel leading to an air duct. I was tired, and even my considerable strength was failing. It took some time to prise it open, but eventually I managed it, and squeezed myself into a tiny ventilation shaft. I crawled, painfully slowly, along the duct until I saw light up ahead, filtering upwards through a large grille. I edged forwards, and peered down into the room below.
Arranged below me were dozens of large pods; glass-fronted, liquid-filled tubes each bigger than a man, and all plugged into thrumming machinery. A lone scientist went about his work, monitoring each pod in turn. To my revulsion, I saw that within the pods were human beings, white-skinned and blue-veined. I watched the scientist pause at one of the tubes, before leaning forwards and tapping on the glass. The activity sparked the occupant to life, and the body jerked in response. I saw the bio-mechanical cables feeding into the wretch’s body, and the pale, milky eyes that blinked open and stared around lifelessly.
I recoiled from the sight of it, too noisily, causing the scientist to look up at the ventilation unit in alarm. There was no time to think—I was discovered. I punched through the grille and dropped down into the room. I was not only strong, it seemed, but agile and stealthy. Even as the scientist turned to run, I was upon him, twisting his head and snapping his neck like a twig. I approached the pod with the pale man inside, and rested my hand upon the glass. The poor creature seemed to see me, and pressed his hand against mine. Then I saw, with mounting fear, my reflection in the glass. We were the same, he and I; whatever these things were, I was one of them. My head swam, I couldn’t process the revelation, but I was slapped back to reality when my eyes alighted on my reflection again. There was someone moving behind me....
From the Short Story "Into the Void" by Joel Pitt, edited by Mark Latham.
Fourteen hours ago, the Radoni corporation had declared its allegiance to the upstart Republic and severed its connection to the Sphere Network, taking with them thousands of Resource Units, several million high-tier citizens, and a significant portion of the Unity Council’s military resources in the sector. Tonight none of that mattered. Radoni engineers had been developing an advanced prototype battle system for the Council. It must not fall into the Republic’s hands. Rearden had his objectives: Recover the project data, and destroy any existing prototypes.
Minutes later, the air filled with muffled screams and weapons fire from inside the building. With spectrum stealth no longer required, Rearden activated his squad’s narrow-band relay, and information flooded into his HUD. Tactical and visual spectrum data from any of his men could be layered over his own, allowing him to see through their eyes. Rorch was in position with the drop gear twenty metres to his right, Dareon and Shrabe were running from the far side of the roof, their elevated biometrics glowing a dull red in the corner of his eye.
Rearden stood on the edge of the world, a chaos of illuminated steel and glass fingers protruded from the smog cloud of the lower industrial levels, reaching towards the night sky. Below his team, the wall sheered vertically down into the darkness. Dareon and Shrabe dropped their innocuous grey cylinders over the edge. They did not pause, trusting to their timed detonations to do their work. Seconds later, the two soldiers stepped into the space above the clouds.
I hope you have enjoyed reading these extracts! For much more, look for the AFTERLIFE Prologue booklet which will ship with all pledges of "Afterlife Booklet" or higher.
RiTides wrote: Less than 90 minutes left on this one! Getting close to the 12K mark, and still just a handful of early birds left.
Yep, so many people have upgraded from their early birds to the Vanguard level, so they keep coming up! Hopefully we will get to 12k and every Assault Team pledge gets 2 additional free miniatures.
Yes it was a super exciting finish! reaching 12K with literally seconds left on the clock!!
Thanks so much to all our project supporters!
The hard work begins on Monday and I'm super excited to get this product out there!
PAYPAL OPTION - I know for one reason or anther not everyone is able to pledge on Kickstarter, and as we don't want anyone to miss out we will be creating a special section of our website in a few days time which will allow you to "buy in" to the various pledge levels directly though our webstore. This paypal option will be available for a limited time only while we are sorting out the backer survey, I will make a full announcement in a few days time when we have sorted out the details.
@Khorneball - Don't worry, your bank has a while to sort it out as we don't get the money for 14 days!
Looks like my payment went through alright. Glad to see this got the boost it did. We even got all of the free figures aside from the tractors. Not bad. I eagerly await my opportunity to build/paint these.
And the tractors were purchasable so I'm getting some as an add-on . Will be interested to see how they compare to my tracked weapons from PDC's campaign (I think these are smaller, but more detailed).
Yet another project I couldn't back. I'll wait eagerly for the exo-mechs to go retail though, I love them, although that amy be because they remind me of BL2's engineers...
The background excerpts were interesting. One question about the artbook. Will it be concept sketches and the like or will it be like painted examples of the models? Or both? Both is good!
What I really appreciate about this kick starter is the lack of aliens. I'm xenos'd out to be honest. This game looks to be a nice shift away from galactic wars of space elves and angry locusts.
Hulksmash, don't forget Joel has said that he will be putting up a paypal thing on his website to allow those of us who missed out to get in on the action a little. I don't have much available money right now, but would like to get something at least to wshow my support.
@RiTides - Ive got a PDC tractor, ours are a lot smaller - sitting neatly on a 25/30mm base, and yes more detailed - the benefit of resin!
@B0B - Hopefully retail in December if we stay on schedule, otherwise mid January.
@Snrub - its more of a background book, there are some full page artwork pieces and some graphic elements detailing weapons/mechs. There will not be any painted models as they will not be ready in time, But we will of course post up online gallerys.
@Khornball - Yeah I'm the same, I just don't find Aliens appeal to me.. Its hard to empathise with your army when its just a hive mind or other strange alien race.
There will be some pretty horrifying.. lets say "entities" in AFTERLIFE, but nothing extra terrestrial.
@Hulksmash and Conrad - Yep there will be a paypal option next week.
I just need a few days to try and get my head around all the work that needs doing, and prioritise things right.
Anvils Hammer wrote: @Snrub - its more of a background book, there are some full page artwork pieces and some graphic elements detailing weapons/mechs. There will not be any painted models as they will not be ready in time, But we will of course post up online gallerys.
Oh yeah man, that's cool. Look forward to seeing the models, and the book, in the flesh.
Since you guys over at Anvil Industries already know what you're doing in regards to manufacturing and shipping, etc. Do you for see any problems in the coming month or two?
Apologies for a lack of updates - we are working hard to complete the models and booklet and will have some new previews of completed models available as soon as I complete them.
the PAYPAL OPTION for backing our Kickstarter is now live on our website - CLICK HERE Please read the product page and the KS page carefully before pledging in this way.
The Paypal option will remain there until we have previewed examples of all the final models, I estimate about 7-10 days. After that we will take it down, and then the final products will all be available at retail as soon as we have shipped out all pledge rewards (including paypal pledge rewards).
Please note the "Add-On" products are only offered for sale to people who are also purchasing the Assault Team and/or Vanguard Pledge level.
@Snrub - I hope there will not be any issues. Barring "acts of god", the booklet is 95% completed, and I have almost all the master components for building and finishing the final miniatures, so I am hoping to start shipping before Christmas, and we have allowed plenty of extra time for unexpected delays between now and the end of January.
The Kickstarter page is the most accurate info source.
The Unity Council Marines get a Medic (they all have personal comms).
The Republic Grenadiers will get a communications dude - as they don't have squad level medics, nor do they have decent comms gear for each individual soldier.
And yes if you want, you can leave a comment in your order letting us know to swap out squads for other equivalent squads, so you can double up one faction if you want to.
Just a heads up. The Kickstarter page says the Republic gets the medic and the Unity Council gets the comms. Something to maybe send out blast to make sure people know since it's the opposite.
Glad to hear about the rest. I'll be putting in for the kickstarted and a decent sized bitz order for stuff I'm thinking of building soon
Hulksmash wrote: Just a heads up. The Kickstarter page says the Republic gets the medic and the Unity Council gets the comms. Something to maybe send out blast to make sure people know since it's the opposite.
Ah... in that case I might have to do it that way round! Oops... I must have reversed them in my head..
You know I might actually end up doing both for both squads! Sticking a slightly larger pack/extra equipment on the back of one of the 6 riflemen is unlikely to offend anyone.
We will ship out you bits with your 1st wave Kickstarter stuff, trying to ship at least some reward packages before Christmas but it all depends how long it takes to make moulds and get production up and running! Yours will unfortunately have to ship out after the KS backers - trying to do it roughly in order we receive pledges as it will take a few weeks to get it all made - over 4500 figures!
That would be excellent Personally I really like the look of the Grenadiers so I'm doubling down on those. Plus the suits and tractors are pretty cool.
As for the bitz no worries. It's generic bitz and I've got commissions to do before I dive back into my stuff
Hot dog! What a great email to come home to from work!
I wish I could have added more but I have to control overspending. My two month old son will need lots of playthings for his first Christmas. I will definitely be buying more in the coming year once it goes fully public and kickstarter has been fulfilled to enlarge my collection and really hoping the game does well!
Might get some Exo lords to proxy in some models for game purposes.
Hoping that there is a campaign of a sort to drive this narrative background as well, nothing like having a reason to play for hours on the weekends,
Booklet - 95% completed and ready to send to print this week.
Mechs - Component parts printed and cleaned up, part way through posing and assembly of masters.
Infantry - Some parts need to be reprinted again to get the scale correct, updated previews coming soon.
Gun Tractors - almost ready for manufacture - photos of final kit in a couple of days.
More updates toward the end of this week I hope.
While we are working hard on the Kickstarter we have not forgotten about the rest of our product range. We are holding a limited sale on our BLACK OPS miniatures kits.
You can get 20% off all BLACK OPS kits until the 26th December. We have also put up Royal Mails advisory last shipping dates on the front page of the website, and will work hard to get all orders shipped as fast as possible in the run up to Christmas.
I will definitely be ordering some once they are available!
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ever considered to make short legs for the exo-lords so its possible to make exo-dwarfs hmmm? 
or
He was always an evil genius, he's been recycling the useful material into shells, everything else became baricades
