Unfortunately for my STALKER/Mordhiem "Forest" project, all 5 boxes of the miniatures arrived at the same time, due to delays (instead of arriving spaced out over a month). Combined with the lack of instructions, this has paralysed me with indecision (I have 5-6 warbands to create, shared from the boxes).
Then, I got a Black Seas started box (the pirate craze continues) and assembled them, but lost momentum when looking at rigging them.
So... I needed to regain momentum, and where better than the scale where I have a 99% completion rate at painting? Tomorrow's War, Gruntz, FAD, Dirtside were where I really expanded away from the sphere of GW, Battletech, Warmachine in the early 2010s and 15mm was the scale I used. There was a wide range of manaufacturers - GZG, Rebel, Khurasan, Blue Moon, and (now defunct) Critical Mass Games.
It also solved another dilemma I had. In my Mortal Tank Engines/WW2 tanks+zombies/Fallout/Mad Max universe of mercenary tank platoons, I wasn't sure how to base my infantry. In a FoW block, or individually like the sci fi above?
Digging through my sci fi collection, I realized the FoW squad-on-1-base just didn't spark joy. The big square bases dwarf the boring drab WW2 minis. 15mm is a scale more focussed on vehicles than infantry, and 15mm WW2 infantry is dull even by 15mm standards. So why was I using WW2 infantry? Exactly.
I've decided to use much cooler and more distinct sci fi infantry alongside my WW2 tanks. It also makes my universe more distinct, not just rebadged WW2. Also means I already have plenty of minis painted ready-to-rock. Still need some 15mm werewolves and zombies, though...
I cunningly bought my daughter a label machine for her birthday which she enjoys using...
I've got quite a lot of sci fi armies. Back before postage cost more than the minis, you could get a platoon of 30-40 infantry and a handful of vehicles (basically a 40K army) for $70-80. At the time, it was cheaper than a single 40K tank.
I shudder to think of what the weight of metal in the boxes above would cost to post in 2026...
Something I dislike in wargames is a very "fixed" universe where all the background is coloured in for you in immense detail. Like 40K, or Battletech, or LoTR. You feel there is a"right" and "wrong" way to paint stuff or build armies. Inspiration is good, but too much fluff can stifle creativity.
For example, this army has mostly GZG troops but the mechs are suits from DUST (28mm!) and the metal chicken walkers from some unknown indie manufacturer.
This not-Soviet army uses GZG infantry and vehicles from Khurasan (not 100% sure of the mech but I bet it's a John Bear Ross sculpt).
I also discovered some unpainted modern 15mm (Peter Pig?) which are now sitting on my bench. I always disliked the scale of Bolt Action (24" range rifles for 28mm just looks 'off') but with 15mm the 24" shooting range looks fine and allows vehicles to fit in better.... I wonder how much a Konflikt 47 rulebook costs...
