KamehameHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

Lots of films and TV shows lend themselves to adaptation for tabletop gaming. Dawn of the Dead? Check. Road Warrior? Check. Star Wars? You betcha. Robotech? But of course. Happy Days? Mmm... not so much.

So how do you play a game on a tabletop when the main characters are powerful enough to blow up moons? R. Talsorian games gave it a go with their RPG rules for Dragonball Z, but considering that the game and its singular supplement are now long out of print, you may have a hard time finding out for yourself. But should you even bother?

Personally, I probably wasn't as big of a fan as I needed to be to fully appreciate the RPG when I bought it. The vastly disparate power levels, to someone who was used to "balanced" games like Champions and GURPS, made me wonder exactly how to balance things. However, one element that stuck with me was that the publishers acknowledged the large number of DBZ toys and action figures that were on the market, and included a couple of pages on how to use them in your game and how to modify existing ones to look like your characters. It was a nice touch.

And when I say "large number", believe me. Reissues of Japanese figures with articulation at the neck and shoulders (action-tastic!), 2" PVC figures, new sculpts with detailed paint and accessories, and now, Real Action Heroes super-articulated 1/6 scale figures. Fortunately for my need for blog content, they even did a series of 1" tall figures. So how do they work with the spokesminis?


If you like Goku, you have a number of options.


No, really. A whole bunch of options.


Majin Buu also gets a fair amount of representation.


Perhaps a more than fair amount.


The series includes a number of less-important characters...


As well as some just plain smaller ones. (these DBZ figures are mounted on 20mm rounds, for the curious)


With 96 (!) figures in the series, they manage to cover a broad spectrum of the characters, and it's nice to see multiple poses for characters that actually have different iterations (like the Seiyan and Super Seiyan stages... if you don't understand, don't worry about it. You're probably better off.)


What else is interesting about the 1" figures is that a number of them were simple half-size versions of the 2" figures, which allows for some figures to have "regular" and "giant-size" versions. I think Supersystem and WarEngine are the only systems that might make use of such a mechanic, but since they're high on my list, they work for me.


I should mention that the paint on these figures does *not* take acrylics, in the event that you're hoping to give them touch-ups. I don't know about the unpainted pink plastic.


How do I know this? Check out monster Broly up there. The nasty brown spots were my attempt at shading with an ink. I think it was a GW Flesh Wash. It may be possible to hit them with a matte sealer and then paint over that, but I haven't tried it yet.


This is an example of what the back of one of the larger figures looks like. There's serious casting bubbles from the molding process, but the copyright information is just printed on the back.


On the smaller figures, they just carve it in.


Not even the smallest figures are safe. Poor guys! The point is that if you got really gung-ho and wanted to clean up these figures for anything resembling an award level paint job, you have a fair amount of filling to do.


It is worth noting that only recently, Jakks Pacific released giant Shenron dragon figures that do well to tower over these figures. How much do they tower? That base is a 5" CD.



Poor Skunk. No respect. No respect at all.

So you've seen them, and decided that you absolutely need them. How do you find them?

The only thing I can say is good luck. DBZ figures continue to be made, but the more recent iterations are much larger, 2-3 inches tall or taller, and these figures are small enough that they don't exactly rate individual auctions. I can tell you that these figures were released in the US by Irwin toys, and there were 8 blister cards with 12 figures apiece. Past that, you're on your own.

So what do I think of them? Unless you're a DBZ fan, it probably isn't worth your time to track these down. I'm glad I picked them up when I did, as they keep my rebased Heroclix figures company. There is also the benefit that these are recognizable characters, so if you're running a demo of some ruleset, the figures alone can be something to draw people in.

As far as being DBZ toys goes, I don't think they're that bad. The sculpting does a decent job at letting them represent anime characters. Colors are bright, and they occasionally have a surprising level of detail. As I mentioned above, they cover a wide variety of characters, though I am curious as to why they didn't do any of Krillin or Piccolo, two mainstays of the saga.

Happy hunting!

These are the Homies in your Neighborhood

Most mini games are about the characters: soldiers, superheroes, vampire hunters, and others packing all kinds of implements of destruction. Then there are the villains: werewolves, robots, zombies, ninjas, ninja zombie robots, and the like. But heroes vs. villains can get boring. What you need is civilians! Heroes can rescue them, villains can threaten them, and zombies can turn them into more zombies. As such, I present to you: Homies!


The idea for these particular figures came from Matakishi. I had no idea that there was a release in this scale until I saw these figures in a game report.


It should be noted that these are the "micro" Homies, half-scale versions of the series 3 figures. Any of the regular Homies (or any derivative lines) will be way too big.


If you do an ebay search for "micro homies", you should be able to find vendors selling the complete set of 24 for anywhere from $8 to $15.


These figures aren't going to be for everyone. They are pre-painted plastics, and they are sculpted in a very exaggerated style that some may find unacceptable. They also have a sculpted "(C) Homies China" marking on the back.


However, they manage to have a fair amount of detail, and have great character. Furthermore, urban-style figures in this scale are generally hard to come by, so these figures can fill a unique niche.


All the better to become zombie chow!


(Urban style minis who are better equipped for the impending invasion are slightly easier to find)

If only they had a decent place to live...

Welcome to the Urban Jungle

When you're looking to construct a city for gaming, there are a number of ways to go. The easiest is to simply find someone like the Miniature Building Authority and buy a finished city. Two problems with this idea are that TMBA doesn't do terribly much in the way of modern structures, and they're also pretty high on the price scale. Option two is to purchase some kits from companies like Litko Aero or Armorcast. These aren't cheap either, and they require assembly and painting. There also isn't all that much variety in the theme from either vendor. The third route is to build a city from scratch, either by casting your own bits with the help of Hirst Arts (or folks who sell finished castings, if you can't invest the time for all the molding) or using techniques detailed by hobbyists like Matakishi.

There is another route, and it's one that a lot of hobbyist are far too willing to discount as looking "cheap": paper terrain. There are a number of companies that produce cardstock terrain, and with a little work, you can create an excellent table for gaming.

The first company I'll look at is Microtactix. These folks were the first company I found who produced PDFs of modern buildings for gaming. When I saw their Twilight Street sets, I was hooked. Buildings were easy to prepare, easy to cut out, and easy to build, and you could assemble a decent city in an evening. Scoring, cutting, and gluing a building like this can be done in 10 minutes once you get the hang of it.


Scored and cut.

A judicious application of glue, and it's time to detail the piece.

When you consider the wide variety of buildings provided in the first two sets, plus the sense of humor involved (they included a strip club, a run down adult novelty store, and a movie theater specializing in porn... are you detecting a theme?), I was hooked. I went through the better part of a pack of cardstock and killed at least one set of inkjet printer cartridges printing out buildings for my city.

Then I moved, and I learned of the durability (or lack thereof) of cardstock terrain.

Once I settled in to my new residence, I availed myself of alternate printing options and tried making up a more durable set of terrain, only to realize that the Twilight Street products were still falling short of my needs.

One nice thing about products with electronic distribution is that their publishers are able to provide sample/bonus content. That way, potential customers can get a feel for the product, and people who buy in to the product have a nice little bonus that they can make use of. In the case of Microtactix, they make their Twilight Street sets available through a number of online vendors such as RPGNow, and they all provide access to each release's sample buildings.


The samples are compactly prepared for a minimum of printing, with one page dedicated to the assembly instructions and the second page set aside for the building itself. The sample kits are also designed to give an idea of the level of detail involved: mostly, these are just boxes, but there are some efforts to add a little bit of detail here and there.

So what's wrong with Microtactix? Problem number 1: the rooftops. All of the rooftops in the Twilight Street sets are marked with a 1" grid. While this is just what the doctor ordered if you're a d20 player, it does a disservice if you're playing a miniatures game where estimating range is a significant element. Granted, if you place the buildings on a board that's marked with an equal grid, then at least all players will have the same ability to estimate their ranges. Personally, I like my terrain to be a bit more flexible (as a side note for Heroclix players: while this is not the case for the demo buildings, all of the buildings in the first and second sets include optional roofs marked with 1.5" grids).


Problem 2: They're small! You don't really realize just how undersized they are until you place figures in front of the doors. Max completely blocks out the entrance to Stinky's Pizza. Particle can barely even see the door! This is one place where scale with wargame minis goes kind of woogy.


Since Citadel introduced the slotta base concept back in the mid 80's, separate uniform bases have become popular with many minis manufacturers. It means less metal needs to be used to cast each model, and it also makes it easier for gamers to cut figures away to be based as needed. In order for it to work properly though, the base has to be thick enough to support the metal tab, which means that figures get even taller, even if they're standing on the scale equivalent of two phone books. When you build your terrain, you'll need to decide whether you're scaling it for the height of the body, or the height of the entire model. My preference is to go for the entire height; that way, if you have open doors, it's easier to move models into and out of your buildings.


Unfortunately, whether the figures are mounted on slottas or washers, they just don't work with these buildings as is. This is not to say that these problems are insurmountable, but the fix for these two issues is the subject of another post.

There is one other problem with cardstock models in general: they are vulnerable to being trampled by rampaging monsters.


Oh my God! It's a lion!


Our heroes gather to witness the devastation first hand.


Where the hell was Booster Gold when the monster was rampaging? At a P.R. shoot. Dumbass.

As for what caused the devastation? I'll let you in on a secret... I'm working on models to be used in J. J. Abrams' remake of Ghostbusters! No kidding! I even have a world exclusive photo of the monster for you, currently code named: Cloverpuft.

ZOMBMG!

Not like I need something else on the top of the queue...

Vroom!

One question that comes up frequently among gamers new to the modern genre is "What scale cars should I use?" Over at Small Cuts, Maxxon did a great job explaining why this can be hard to answer for gamers. Of course, knowing what scale to look for is a lot more useful if you have some specific brands and product lines to look for. Maisto and Road Champs are two brands that aim for the 1:43 scale, but that scaling tends to be both inconsistent and too big. 1:48 would be closer, but that scale tends to be reserved for plastic military aircraft models. 1:50 is even better, but most of the products in that scale are models of construction and industrial equipment. Fortunately for gamers, Hot Wheels has started making small collections of cars in the 1:50 scale. As such, I introduce to you: Bone Shaker, from the Custom Classics line.


One thing worth mentioning is that Hot Wheels does a pretty good job of hiding the actual scale of these cars. It isn't mentioned on the package. Anywhere. They also don't make any mention of it on either their kid- or collector-friendly sites. Where is it mentioned? On the peg ends at your local retailer. However, as you can see, the packaging gives you a great chance to see how it compares size-wise to your minis.



Bone Shaker was first released in the regular Hot Wheels line in 2005, and it quickly gained popularity as the the first example of a Rat Rod produced by the company. The unfinished nature shows in the primer grey used on the top and the front of the car.


But enough with the efforts at gaining any kind of credibility about automobile trivia. How does this thing look on the table?


Pretty damned good.


I mean, it's got a skull for a front end! And not in the oversized "SKULLZ!" style of Warhammer 40K, but in that B-Movie badass zombie hunter kind of way.


See what I mean?


Since it has an open top, it'll be easy enough to fit a driver in to run this bad boy through the streets of any area suffering from the heartbreak of undead infestation.


If you want to nitpick, the car definitely works better with the slimmer spokesminis.


Max is more of a motorcycle guy anyway.


Sgt. Alexander could do with a tank more than a hot rod.


'Manda prefers something a bit sportier.


Skunk may be an excellent pilot, but dirtside, he's relegated to riding shotgun.


Superheroes don't need no stinkin' cars.


No, there's something about the chainsaw that makes this terror a perfect fit for Ashley. Of course, if Britney Spears has taught us nothing else, it's that when photographers are on hand to watch hot women stepping out of cars, there's likely to be a gratuitous crotch shot.



Custom Classics cars will run you around $4 apiece at your local Target or *Mart. Give 'em a look!

Ladies and Gentlemen... your spokesminis!

In showing off how pieces may or may not work with your collection, I thought it would be useful to select a number of models that represent different genres, different builds, different base heights, and different sculpting styles. You'll be seeing a lot of these folks.


From left to right: Skunk, from Heresy Miniatures; Particle, from Four Color Figures/Old Glory; a Warzone Cartel figure that I'll call "Max", occasionally available from Prince August; Ashlee Campbell, from Hasslefree Miniatures; Megapulse, also from Four Color Figures/Old Glory; and finally, a figure from "Babes with Guns" from Mark Copplestone's Future Wars line, who I'll refer to as 'Manda.

I have a way to go before my photography skills can compare to Hyun.


In any case, Here are the gentlemen with a ruler so that you can get an idea of precisely how tall they all are. The ruler is lined up with the center line of all three bases, but I suspect that the perspective of the camera is distorting things slightly. Hopefully this will still be useful as long as I'm consistent with my mistakes.

I chose Skunk for a couple of reasons. First, I love Andy Foster's work. As science fiction is a relatively new pursuit for Heresy, I wanted to give it whatever bump I could with the half dozen or so people who are likely to ever come see this site. Second, Skunk is a slimmer figure, and one of a minority of science fiction figures in that he's not brandishing a firearm. Finally, I love his pose from the side view, looking like he's just loping along. Great character in such a small piece. Also noteworthy for our purposes is that he's mounted on a 25mm slotted base.

As a shrinking superhero, Particle is but one in a pack of three figures that includes 15mm and 10mm scale versions of the same character. Particle is the tallest of this bunch, even being mounted on the lowest base (a 1" round fender washer) and ignoring the fin on the top of his head. I like him because rather than the standard pose/attack look, he's striding onwards, either to get a slice of pizza or to go to Kuala Lampur.

I chose Max because of his proportions: he's a wall with feet. This particular design style seems to have gone out of favor, especially considering that the last Warzone releases from Target tended to be a little narrower. Max makes for a fine big badass that should more than adequately represent the larger 28mm human types in your collection. I'd love to tell you that Prince August stocks him, but I forgot that Target got rid of the Cartel as a faction when they made the second edition of the rules. Best guess is to keep your eyes open on Bartertown or ebay.

Next up: the ladies.


Kev White + Evil Dead homage = babe-a-licious zombie hunter Ashlee Campbell. I selected Ashlee because of her proportions: she's an adult female who's a little shorter than the men around her (as opposed to Maria, who is designed as "petite"). She's also one of my favorite adventurer minis from Hasslefree.

Megapulse is another shrinking super, and she comes packed with a 15mm version of herself. I chose her as a tribute to all of the G.I. Joe fans out there: the sex appeal of the Baroness, plus the anonymity of Cobra Commander. What's not to love? Like Particle, she was sculpted by Bob Naismith, who is known to the pre-painted plastic crowd as the sculptor for the Battleball board game and Heroscape. Can't hurt to try drawing some of those players to the metal side of the table. Both Megapulse and 'Manda have integral metal bases by default and are mounted on 1" render washers.

I chose 'Manda (and a model from Mark Copplestone in general) because of Mark's work with Grenadier's old Future Warriors line, now on sale from EM-4 (and distributed by Tin Dictator in the US). Both the new and the old lines feature clean sculpts without the "gribbly bits" syndrome that infects models from some other companies' science fiction minis these days.


I suppose I should say a word about these folks too. I have a confession: I also like pre-painted plastic minis, as will become a bit more obvious in future posts. To represent that crowd, I present:

• Sgt. Drake Alexander, from the Heroscape Master Set "Swarm of the Marro".
• A member of the Mistryl Shadow Guard, from Star Wars Miniatures.
• A rebased "Booster Gold" figure, from the DC Heroclix set "Hypertime". Booster has been removed from his clix base and rebased on a 3mm thick 25mm round base from Litko Aero.
  

So, there you have them, the spokesminis of the OQ!