Models & Toys
DOLLAR GENERAL: Mummy Army & Skeleton Army
Dollar General has a new 10 figure set of mummy soldiers available for Halloween 2018. There are 10 new mummy figures and 10 skeletons (in 8 poses) which have been around for years. The mummies are 54mm and the skeletons are about 45mm. These guys are a little cartoonish, but I like the concept of mummy soldiers. They are only $1 per pack of 10. Excellent price.
I posted pictures of the Skeletons a couple of years ago.












2019 Versions.

I posted pictures of the Skeletons a couple of years ago.
FINALLY FOUND THE YELLOW DFC DRAGON!
I have been looking for this guy for more than a decade. He showed up on ebay in an otherwise average lot last week. I was all set for an evil bidding war but I was the only bidder. Lucky day!
Based on the other figures in the lot, I would guess that he is original Hong Kong production (as opposed to the PRC marked figures made in mainland China.) Like the brown knights, he would be one of just a very few rare color variations to come from Hong Kong.






Based on the other figures in the lot, I would guess that he is original Hong Kong production (as opposed to the PRC marked figures made in mainland China.) Like the brown knights, he would be one of just a very few rare color variations to come from Hong Kong.
SEARS Catalog Version Dragonriders of the Styx Playset.
I can post pictures of this very rare catalog Dragonriders of the Styx playset thanks to David Pietila. David says it is the Sears version and he should know. This set seems to be missing the dragon, but that does not mean it wasn't included originally. This was David's childhood set. Here is what he has to say about its background:
Greetings,I have found a box of Dragonriders of Styx that has been in storage at my Mother's for years. Apologies for the pics, but the item is 19 hours away from me. I had someone else send my photos. The box has instructions, I believe there is an order form on the other side. My mom had written on the box "If you boys open this again I will return it to the store." The box is a plain mailer, at one time it had a label that was plain as well.





Greetings,I have found a box of Dragonriders of Styx that has been in storage at my Mother's for years. Apologies for the pics, but the item is 19 hours away from me. I had someone else send my photos. The box has instructions, I believe there is an order form on the other side. My mom had written on the box "If you boys open this again I will return it to the store." The box is a plain mailer, at one time it had a label that was plain as well.





GANSITOS / GANSI PREMIO: Seres Miticos
This set of 10 soft plastic mythology figures was released as give away prizes in Mexican snack cakes in 2017. The cakes are called Gansitos/ Gansi Premio. The company that makes them is called Marinela. The figures are about 35-40mm tall. They came individually wrapped with a collector card. They are on the small side for toy soldiers. Nice quality.










What the heck are these?
I've had these for years and tried off and on to find out who made them and what they are called, but no luck at all. I think they were made in the 1980s, but maybe the 1990s or both. They are made of rubber and have holes in their butts for pencils. The little dragon is fairly ordinary looking, but the mutant centaur birdman is one of the weirdest figures of all time. So, does anybody know anything solid about these guys?





While we are at it, what are these guys?
PUBLIUS: Dwarves
Publius is a Russian company that makes very high quality, and costly, figures on par with anything else available. These five dwarves are the first fantasy figures from this company (at least that I know of). The big (Dwarf King?) warrior is standing on some rocks which make him 58mm. That is kind of tall for a dwarf.
The other guys look like thieves to me, or am I just profiling? Who else walks around with a lantern and a hand axe? I'm not saying that all dwarfs are criminals. I'm not saying that I would pick up any of these guys hitchhiking at night either. Some of those Lord of the Rings guys were cool. These suckers on the other hand are the old school Norse legends kind of dwarves . . . violent, devious bastards.










The other guys look like thieves to me, or am I just profiling? Who else walks around with a lantern and a hand axe? I'm not saying that all dwarfs are criminals. I'm not saying that I would pick up any of these guys hitchhiking at night either. Some of those Lord of the Rings guys were cool. These suckers on the other hand are the old school Norse legends kind of dwarves . . . violent, devious bastards.
SCS DIRECT: Humans v. Aliens
Yet another new set from SCS Direct: Humans v. Aliens. There are 8 figures each of aliens and human civilians. All but one of the aliens can be used as fantasy monsters. The humans are just the type of civilians I have been searching for to use in zombie set ups. The housefrau ready to do battle with her rolling pin is outstanding.











Rosie?

Love this figure!




More No Name Fun from Russia: Mounted Chaos Knight & Wolf Rider.
The Russians with no name are at it again. These figures are just weird, and I mean that in the best way possible. The wolfman rider comes with either a giant gun arm or a crazy techno mace buzz saw arm. He actually makes a better post-apocalyptic figure than a fantasy figure. He can be a mutant rather than a werewolf. I mean no offence to werewolves. Some of my best friends are werewolves. The evil knight comes with one and two horned versions of his mount (some of my best friends are also evil knights.) They size out to about 45mm scale.






October, that wonderful month of Marik Purple and Pumpkin Orange...
And another late night quiet time post! We've been crazy busy, way too busy to worry about gaming or figures or anything much up here in the freezy frontier... Howevah, dat said... I DO have a few projects spinning around my brainpan while I wait for the crazystorm to pass...
Allow me to introduce to you to the Marik Periphery border world of Ezmer's Regret. As you can see the map is in a very old format...

Meet Bob, She is an off sequence Orange giant,. A bit dim, cold for a star, but enough to make a slim "garden zone". It's family of Planets is less than impressive; a silicate ball called Toast, tidally locked with a surface of rough natural glass. Moonpie, an airless ball of cratered silicates, Ezmer's Regret, moonless, and with an iron core, it's somehow on the good side of habitable...ish. Sodapop; a carbon dioxide atmosphere around a rocky core. Creamsicle, a not very exciting gas giant... presumably once a bit bigger. and two asteroid belts; Trashbelt (full of dense metallic ore bearing rock), and Blackbelt, a lot of carbonized ice balls...
I've made a nice paper model of the place... I'll have to tell you more about it tomorrow.



Allow me to introduce to you to the Marik Periphery border world of Ezmer's Regret. As you can see the map is in a very old format...

Meet Bob, She is an off sequence Orange giant,. A bit dim, cold for a star, but enough to make a slim "garden zone". It's family of Planets is less than impressive; a silicate ball called Toast, tidally locked with a surface of rough natural glass. Moonpie, an airless ball of cratered silicates, Ezmer's Regret, moonless, and with an iron core, it's somehow on the good side of habitable...ish. Sodapop; a carbon dioxide atmosphere around a rocky core. Creamsicle, a not very exciting gas giant... presumably once a bit bigger. and two asteroid belts; Trashbelt (full of dense metallic ore bearing rock), and Blackbelt, a lot of carbonized ice balls...
I've made a nice paper model of the place... I'll have to tell you more about it tomorrow.



A Prezzie from Debbie
I don't make blog posts often enough, do I? Well, Here's my first blog video about a lil' something my Debbiewife got me a few days ago...
The Battle of Ubba's Bridge
On a dark Alaska night, with the winter wind howling outside clanging mysterious heavy things into the side of the house and whisking slivers of ice under the door to semi melt in a dirty puddle I have decided to record my latest game of Battletech; the Battle for Ubba's Bridge. Here's a Map to orient the dear reader to the tactical situation as it was that cold red morning of somemonth, 3025, on a little known, and less regarded world named Ezmer's Regret, on the fringes of the great Free World's League...
REPORT OF DOTOROTU REGIONAL COMMAND, EZMER'S REGRET.
Ezmer's Regret;

Tactical Map, Ubba's Bridge environs.
Someday 0400;
The tiny Marik Garrison at Dotorotu City became concerned about reports of a possible bandit landing in the Hopalong Valley; an important breadbasket region feeding the main depot. Satellite and Scout assets determined a reinforced lance of unknown mechs had indeed infiltrated onworld with trucks and an apparent aim of raiding food supplies and kidnapping young labor. The raiders were slow, but advancing, and it became clear that to prevent further depredations in the more heavily populated upper valley the bridge near the Ubba farm was going to have to be held or destroyed, this mission was given to the young new lieutenant Molly Flandersfield, and her wingman, the green Sgt. Zindy Kate; piloting an antiquated Falcon and a light Hermes mk I respectively.
Someday +3, 0700 Lt. Flandersfield approached the bridge moving west down the Moopig Pike, at Rock Candy Hill sensors detected two mechs holding the bridge; tentatively identified as a Clint and a Whitworth. Scouts by this time had determined that the bogies were probably House Liao troops via radio chatter. Lt Flandersfield immediately ordered Sgt Kate to barrel down the pike closing range as quickly as possible so as to minimize the enemy's superiority in long range weaponry, and tilt the firefight into a Marik advantage. The enemy, meanwhile maneuvered it's Whitworth into the light woods by the bridge, while the Clint, using jump capability, summeted Fozzil Rock, establishing a field of fire to support his companion. Lt. Flandersfield engaged her own jumpjets and leleapfrogging from Rock Candy Hill to Armadillo Ridge, then down to the woods sheltering the Liao Whitworth. At this point it looked like her plan was going very well, but by chance the exchange of weaponfire with the Whitworth took a very bad turn, and an SRM round seems to have punched through her aged Falcon's torso armor and detonated the copious Machinegun ammunition storage, the ensuing cookoff was catastrophic, and her mech was reduced to atoms within seconds. It appears that the Lieutenant had disengaged her ejection system (though against all regulations, a common practice with warriors who own their mechs to avoid being dispossessed and shaming their families).
At this point Sgt. Kate, correctly, chose to save her asset since the mission of taking the bridge was impossible against these odds. Having pulled back to the company bivouac for minor repair, it is determined to deploy a new Mission to take the bridge. Tonight Sgt Kate will scramble again with a detatchment of Dotorotu Public Safety armor vehicles and infantry, and medium artillery support. She will take the bridge and hold it until further notice.
REPORT OF DOTOROTU REGIONAL COMMAND, EZMER'S REGRET.
Ezmer's Regret;

Tactical Map, Ubba's Bridge environs.

Someday 0400;
The tiny Marik Garrison at Dotorotu City became concerned about reports of a possible bandit landing in the Hopalong Valley; an important breadbasket region feeding the main depot. Satellite and Scout assets determined a reinforced lance of unknown mechs had indeed infiltrated onworld with trucks and an apparent aim of raiding food supplies and kidnapping young labor. The raiders were slow, but advancing, and it became clear that to prevent further depredations in the more heavily populated upper valley the bridge near the Ubba farm was going to have to be held or destroyed, this mission was given to the young new lieutenant Molly Flandersfield, and her wingman, the green Sgt. Zindy Kate; piloting an antiquated Falcon and a light Hermes mk I respectively.
Someday +3, 0700 Lt. Flandersfield approached the bridge moving west down the Moopig Pike, at Rock Candy Hill sensors detected two mechs holding the bridge; tentatively identified as a Clint and a Whitworth. Scouts by this time had determined that the bogies were probably House Liao troops via radio chatter. Lt Flandersfield immediately ordered Sgt Kate to barrel down the pike closing range as quickly as possible so as to minimize the enemy's superiority in long range weaponry, and tilt the firefight into a Marik advantage. The enemy, meanwhile maneuvered it's Whitworth into the light woods by the bridge, while the Clint, using jump capability, summeted Fozzil Rock, establishing a field of fire to support his companion. Lt. Flandersfield engaged her own jumpjets and leleapfrogging from Rock Candy Hill to Armadillo Ridge, then down to the woods sheltering the Liao Whitworth. At this point it looked like her plan was going very well, but by chance the exchange of weaponfire with the Whitworth took a very bad turn, and an SRM round seems to have punched through her aged Falcon's torso armor and detonated the copious Machinegun ammunition storage, the ensuing cookoff was catastrophic, and her mech was reduced to atoms within seconds. It appears that the Lieutenant had disengaged her ejection system (though against all regulations, a common practice with warriors who own their mechs to avoid being dispossessed and shaming their families).

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