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I've been completely determined that I'm going to finish painting my Dropzone Commander starter set before having owned it for a year. So, I'm currently shooting for finishing them before the 1st of November, which will mean I'll be a month early. - But it's good to have that buffer zone.

As you can likely guess, I've been painting.



First up, was painting my second UCM APC. I went for a different highlight this time, Tallarn sand. I think it mutes the colours a little more, which I'm kinda happy with.




I also painted up my second Infantry Squad. I got slightly lazy on some of the details compared to my original - didn't bother even attempting to put extra detail onto the guns for example. However, they're a centimetre tall, so, to be frank, they'll do!




I also painted the APC's Condor Dropship. - And I am well aware of the wings situation. Truth be told, I think it looks better that way, more aggressive. Though you can't really make him out, I've painted my pilot in my planned scheme for my Praetorians and Navy elements. They're going to look very different from my yellow desert / GDI scheme... Something more suited to fight my Scourge, in fact.

The Condor took the most time to paint. There's actually a LOT of painting in that model and, to be honest, there's way more details there I could have done but was too lazy to take advantage of. One of the results of Hawk Wargames cramming so much detail into the models - even the less detailed plastic versions like these.



Next up, my UCM Sabre tanks. I wasn't sure how my colour scheme would look on these guys, but I'm quite content with them. I'm not sure if I should have painted the railgun a different colour though. - Possibly the last third of the gun black, perhaps?






So, this is my UCM painted so far. Just the Rapiers and the two dropships to go.




46 days left

Looking good. I like the desert theme you have going there. Not a fan of the reversed engines on the condors, but not my models

Nice job, check out my UCM and Son's Shaltari in my dakka photos.

Nice size forces there! Have fun.

I was due to run a couple of demo games today, but my players didn't turn up.

In any case, to make something out of it all, I figured I'd take a few pictures, including the progress I've made on finishing off my UCM starter army.




Here's the Starter Game set up in its full glory.

These are neat, thanks for sharing your thoughts and progress

So, after an extended period away from Dropzone Commander gluing a very large amount of Mantic models together, I'm back doing some Dropzone as I've got a game on Tuesday. - Which is just the spur to get me doing some painting again.

I'm taking a break from my UCM for painting though, despite only having 5 models to go from the starter set. - As, quite frankly painting brown / yellow was getting me a bit down. - Cover, damn you, cover!

So, I'm having a go at Scourge, which is altogether a far easier thing to paint.

I've got a 999 point Skirmish game, quite probably against PHR without command cards. (My opponent has just bought his PHR army and with new cards coming out, there's no point buying the current ones). What I'm looking at trying to do is build a list that includes the new(ish) Harbinger Dropship and its contents. - I actually have 2 harbingers, 6 AA Ravager Walkers and 6 Stalker anti vehicle walkers. However, it's quite difficult building a list to include them, I find. I'm tempted by the Ravagers, but their lower strength might give them problems against PHR aircraft.

So, I'm having a look at:

--------------------------------------
Desolator (Champion)
4 Prowlers in Intruder

2x 3 bases of Warriors hordes in Invaders, with a marauder

4 Prowlers in Intruder
2 bases of Destroyers in an Intruder

3 Stalkers in a Harbinger, with a mini arc caster
3 Reapers in a Marauder
----------------------------------------

I have a feeling I'll miss the larger threat area of the Hunter tanks though - They may have short range, but their speed helps make up for it. - The threat area of a Stalker is only 12" as opposed to 21" for a hunter


An alternative, I suppose is:

Desolator (Champion)


2x 3 bases of Warriors hordes in Invaders, with a marauder

4 Prowlers in Intruder
2 bases of Destroyers in an Intruder

3 Hunters in a Marauder
3 Reapers in a Harbinger, with a mini arc caster
----------------------------------------

I think that three hunters in a marauder and three ravagers in a harbinger are a solid way to go. Reapers and stalkers are good, but they are less multi-purpose than I would like the core of a force to be.

I ended up fighting something else out. Its still the stalker and reaper army but I've switched the HQs squad of prowlers for a gunship.

There's even paint that isn't primer on every model now. I've actually done more painting now than what is shown here, the harbinger, prowlers and a stalker have had some drybrushing done. It took literally seconds per model too.

Looking good so far. Let us know how the game goes. That is a very aggressive force.

Achievement: Kill an enemy Commander in Close Combat with a unit of Prowlers

I was fighting a rather odd PHR army.

Zeus CV3 Commander and an Odin Heavy Walker, in a Neptune

2 PHR Infantry Squads in 2 Junos (AT), in a Neptune

2 PHR Infantry Squads in 2 Triton Dropships

An AA Walker and an AT Walker in a Neptune
An AA Walker and an AT Walker in a Neptune

So, lots of infantry, not much anti air.


We're still playing Targets of Opportunity, but we were on a 4' by 4'. I could tell quite early on that my opponents plan was to try to capture the 2 side buildings and blow up the middle one.

He sent one battlegroup each of infantry into each of the side buildings on Turn 2. I countered on the left flank by sending in all my normal warriors. - So 6 bases of warriors VS 4 bases of PHR infantry. - I sorta guessed that the fight would be 50/50.

On the right flank, I wasn't too sure what to do. I had my Destroyers hanging round the building but I wasn't certain how good they were against 2 squads at once... So, I fired my desolator at the building first, which killed a good few of the PHR infantry and then charged in. Daftly, I didn't look at the destroyers special rules... Lets just say, I shouldn't have been so nervous (I could have fired before charging!)

My plan on turn 2 was basically to just overwhelm the 2 Anti aircraft walkers with targets, so I sent in my gunship and every dropship that I could. My gunship managed to scare one of the AA walkers into reaction firing at it - And failing to kill him. The gunship then managed to take out the walker in return fire (First Blood!). That then scared my opponent into marching up with his other AA walker to shoot down the gunship (successfully, sadly).

But, that was entirely according to plan. With both Anti Aircraft having shot their load (oh, matron!), that left the way clear for me to send in my Prowlers and Stalkers via dropship right into range of my targets.

Luckily, the close-combat with my warriors went in my favour on the left flank, eventually. And my destroyers did their job on the right flank, especially with the Desolator nearby. - The 'Enemy Within' command card completely neutered any attacks against the destroyers.

After taking down the AT walker that was left on his own, my Stalkers headed towards the Zeus and opened fire over several turns. Between the Odin taking the odd hit for it, and, on one occasion, the Zeus' save saving against all 3 of my shots, it looked like things were starting to go a little wrong. - We spent so much time fighting in the buildings, neither of us had any objectives and the Neptunes Shaped Charges made a real mess out of my stalkers.

Then came up little Prowlers, who had spent the entire game gnawing on the Zeus to no real effect (darned shield!). Until, on turn 5... They did it. 2 little prowlers left, 18 points, killed a 136 point Zeus Command Walker.

With me in main possession of both buildings (admittedly, with no objectives) and my opponents Commander dead, he conceded at the end of turn 5 due to him feeling there was no reasonable way to regain enough points back for a win.

Achievement... Completed!

I've been painting yellow.




Days later... I've been... still painting yellow.



I think it's good enough for me to move onto the whole rest of the models now.

I probably won't try doing the rest of my UCM until I get my airbrush. Of course, then I need to figure out how to use an airbrush.

Painting yellow can be incredibly frustrating. Especially crisp yellow. So far so good though.