There are days when it feels so very nice to finally sit down, relax, and paint some space frogs. For me this was just such a day after dealing with a myriad of stresses related to our upcoming move. I'm very eager to get started on my new army for WHFB but before I do that, I want to see these Frog Fighters finished. I've really enjoyed painting them and they are truly unlike anything else I've painted before. Using such bright colors has been a treat as I can't even remember the last time I painted anything orange. This has been a fun way to kick off the new year of painting but I'm ready to move on to bigger projects.
These frogmen certainly have their share of problems but I really wouldn't expect anything more from a range of miniatures called Critter Commandos. Looking at them now I am reminded what a pain it had been to clean off their horribly located flash and mold lines. Also there are some odd inconsistencies with the sculpting itself. For example, half the frog warriors have pupils already sculpted onto their eyes while the other three frogs have smooth eyes without any detail. Further, the two heavily armored frogs have significant and obvious differences between them. Maybe it's intentional, like one of them is wearing an older generation of armored suit, but considering the other shortcomings of these miniatures I suspect this would be an overly generous explanation.
Even with their strange blemishes I still really like these miniatures. It's also been fun thinking about how I can incorporate them into the gaming side of my hobby. As I mentioned previously, I believe Killzone, available for download from Galaxy In Flames, offers the greatest potential for quirky miniatures like these and so that's where I've focused my attention. I currently favor playing them as Space Marines because the equipment matches nicely (guns, jet pack things, full bodysuits), so that way the bigger guys could be used as Terminators as befits their larger bases. Also I think it would be the simplest option considering how familiar most people are with Space Marines and the way they perform on the tabletop, making it easier for opponents to handle this particularly unusual counts-as situation.
I'm now happy with the plans I have in mind but I'd love to hear any other suggestions on how I might make use of these miniatures. They are destined to appear in only the friendliest of friendly games so I don't really anticipate any problems, though I do prefer to take as reasonable of an approach as I can. I have a few other sets of Critter Commandos currently packed for the move which I'd like to work on later this year. With them I'll be able to provide the Frog Fighters with a number of loyal allies as well as an appropriate group of enemies for them to battle against, the dreaded Ratzi Menace.
I look forward to keeping this project handy for when I need a short interlude from my more serious painting interests. I aim to finish these miniatures in a day or two and should then be able to settle into a comfortable hobby groove. That's the plan at least, we'll see how it works.... Until next time, happy gaming!
Those are some weird miniatures (hair dryer weapon) but damn nice paintjobs.
ReplyDeleteHa, nicely done on the paintjobs. You've got lots of options for them. Off the bat, they'd be great in games of AE Bounty, which is a ruleset I think you would enjoy to boot.
ReplyDeleteAs for other Killzone teams, could do Tau (firewarriors plus two stealth suits) or maybe Orks (boyz plus two flash gits?), but both would end up being pretty low points-wise. Marines could be the best way.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if you combine the different groups, Tau could work really well. Some as tau, some as battlesuits, some as kroot, etc.
40K Slann? lol! old skool! Interesting figures, and nice paint job mate!
ReplyDelete'I'd love to hear any other suggestions on how I might make use of these miniatures.'
ReplyDeleteThe first words that came to mind was : 'a bull frog battle tank'
Killzone doesn't allow for tanks though. :-(
@ The Angry Lurker - They are indeed a weird bunch, one of the frogs looks like he's about to throw a pineapple as if it were a hand grenade! Thank you very much, I appreciate the compliment. :)
ReplyDelete@ Gyro - Right on, thanks! You're familiar with so many games I thought you might have some good ideas for how else I can put these guys to work. I'll have to check out AE Bounty, thank you for the recommendation!
@ sonsoftaurus - I did consider Tau but didn't look too much into that, thanks for reminding me about that. I really like your idea of mixing the various sets together and try to fully take advantage of what the Tau Empire has to offer. Thank you for the help!
@ whencannonsfade - Haha! "Coming to a 40k tabletop near you... SLANN 2: The Revenge of Slann. This time they have guns, and they mean business." Thanks so much, I'm glad you got a kick out these guys.
@ Da Masta Cheef - I'm totally onboard with that idea, bull frog tanks would be awesome! I was actually working on this the other day trying to figure out how I could expand the project to include some vehicles. The idea I came up with would allow for two armies, probably around 1000 points each, to be used against each other with legit FOC's no less. It might be too crazy even for me to really go through with it but I'm keeping my options open. :) Thanks for the input, Masta Cheef, hopefully I can come up with something good that will live up to your froggy vision!
These guys are cool. I love the poses the most, dynamic and a little odd, but the rolling eyes give them a lot too. They're just so good to look at and I can imagine they'll be a lot of fun to play.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to have these guys see some action on the tabletop, I expect you're right that they will be a lot of fun to lead into battle. Painting them has brought me so much joy it would be a shame to not make use of them. Thanks so much, Porky, I'm very happy to have shared them with you!
ReplyDeleteThe Frog men remind me of an old 90's Cartoon when I was growing up - Bucky O'Hare
ReplyDeleteBut they do look rather cool
Haha! I'd probably buy some Bucky O'Hare miniatures if someone made them, that would be fun. :) Thanks MC Tic Tac, I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteThose are great. Very fun blog, you have here.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Happy Whisk! That is kind of you to take an interest in my blog, I really appreciate it. Your own blog is delightful and so delicious, too. Mmmm... cookies. Thank you!
ReplyDelete