MINI WARGAMING: "Car Wars Correspondence: Part-1" (20 December 2007)

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TOP: Maksim's (mine) 6mm Car Wars collection is quite diverse:
Irregular, Reviresco, Khalsa Brain Games, Grenadier, Dark Horse and MORE!

Hi Everyone,

The best part about having a blog is when other folks E-mail you to correspond, share tips, give advice, and just gab...

Hi Greg,

Thanks for writing.

I always appreciate a tip, advice, or to just hear from another gamer and miniatures hobby enthusiast.

=======
[[[Greg: Hello Sir, I've been enjoying your blog and Yahoo sites - especially recently as I've also been on the hunt for 1/285 modern civilian vehicles. ]]]

Thank you very much. A positive word or constructive criticism is always welcome.

Ever since I posted my 6mm Car Wars AKA Autoduel posts, I’ve received a lot of letters about them and seen interest rise in playing x1 scale or 6mm Car Wars. Being the original scale, one can use all of the original maps, templates and counters with no modification.

And one can get a used copy of the Car Wars pocket game very reasonably these days. I often see them go on E-bay for $5.00 USD or less.

[[[Greg: I also appreciate the links and information you've provided - a great help when I did the Golan Heights last summer. ]]]

You’re very welcome!

I’d love to hear more about your Golan Heights game. The Arab-Israeli Wars (AIW) are my favorite period for microarmour and have long been a gaming focus of mine. Please write me more about this if you have the time.

TOP: L-4's collection is mostly Grenadier...
...and the larger (8mm to 10mm) Citadel Battle Cars.
Don't yuh love the sexy stripes?

[[[Greg: A little bit ago I found this seller on E-bay:
Everydaygoodz ]]]

I had heard of this seller before, but I haven’t purchased from him yet… so your feedback is particularly valuable. Thanks!

Not only have I seen people purchase Z-scale cars from him for microarmour or x1 scale Car Wars, but I’ve also seen people buy 28mm scale civilians for use in zombie or superhero games.

[[[Greg: …and thought you might be interested. They seem to have an E-bay store dealing in z-scale (1/220) train stuff, including great bunches of plastic civilian vehicles, for pretty reasonable rates. ]]]

They also sell textured plasticard, plastic fencing, lamp posts, and a variety of other railroading hobby products at a price much less than I’ve seen elsewhere… even when you factor in the shipping.

[[[Greg: No big rigs or delivery, but lots of sedans, minivans, and such in a variety of makes and colors. ]]]

For big rigs and/or freight trucks, you have a few choices:

- GHQ (convert military trucks to civilian ones)
- Irregular…
- Evergreen or Plastruct…
- Other RR makers including Kibri…

There were other 1/285 manufacturers, but I think that all of the other makers are now out of business or have discontinued their 6mm freight trucks.

TOP: "Matilda" has been hauling Vegamite across Oz for years!
Ask my good friend, Tas! He'll tell yuh!

[[[Greg: They stand up pretty well, size-wise, with my GHQ/C-in-C stuff - perhaps similar or slightly smaller than the Irregular civvies. ]]]

Good to hear.

[[[Greg: The only slight detractors are that they come from Hong Kong, so there's a bit of a wait and… ]]]

I always worry about ordering outside of mainstream Europe, the UK & Commonwealth nations, and the continental United States.

Thanks for the info that this seller is legitimate.

[[[Greg: …they smell a bit odd. Hopefully airing them out will deal with it. A good find for me – ]]]

Hmmm…I hope the airing out works.

[[[Greg: I'm looking to do a full-on Fulda Gap this coming summer - and thought I'd pass it along. ]]]

Awesome. I miss the great Warsaw Pact / NATO games of the 1980s. They were a lot of fun. It’s sort of odd to think now that there have been abundance of signs that NATO forces might have been even more substantially superior to Warsaw Pact ones than previously imagined.

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot about the Soviet experience in Afghanistan.

[[[Greg: Thanks again and I hope the interview went well, Greg. ]]]

You’re very welcome!

The job interview went great. I’m hoping that they’ll make an offer to me before the end of the week. They were definitely interested. My job interview went almost an hour and a half… much longer than one usually expects, which is usually a good sign of keen interest.

Thanks again for writing, Greg C., and giving me permission to re-post some of this E-mail!

Have a great Thursday!
And happy holidays!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: "New 6mm Sci-fi From GZG" (10 December 2007)

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TOP: Floating grav tanks rock!

Hi All,

GZG just came out with some new 6mm sci-fi miniatures sculpted by some great industry personalities: Thomas Pope and John Lerchey.

TMP news blurb here:

New GZG 6mm Items:

DF-X02 CGI (Contra-Gravitic Induction) Tanks
(sculpted by Tom Pope) x3 for £2.50

GBPDF-X03 Light Scout Cycles
(sculpted by Tom Pope) x6 for £2.50

GBPDF-X04 6-wheel Armoured Gun Trucks
(sculpted by John Lerchey) x3 for £2.50 GBP

TMP news link here:
http://theminiaturespage.com/news/779115/

Link to GZG here:
http://www.groundzerogames.net/

TOP: Feel like racing on circuit boards?

Thomas Pope is a great guy... he trades actively and shares a number of my miniatures interests: 6mm or x1 scale Car Wars, 6mm sci-fi, 28mm fantasy, and many, many more. Thomas and a good friend created one of the greatest miniatures archive galleries on the Internet: The Stuff Of Legends (TSOL). Chances are, if you're looking for something, you can learn more about it at TSOL. I didn't know he has a TRON fetish... LOL

Thomas Pope's Mini gallery here:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tpope/miniatures/

Thomas Pope's great miniatures archive project, The Stuff Of Legends (TSOL):
http://www.solegends.com/

TOP: Mercenary gun trucks of the future!

John Lerchey is another one of the great characters of the industry... We've worked on a number of 6mm sci-fi projects together and I've always appreciated his forthright nature and great sense of humour. Like Thomas, he also maintains an active web presence with several sites. It's good to see him sculpting and it's thanks to a great company like GZG that some of the biggest fans of 6mm sci-fi can turns their projects into a share-able reality.

John Lerchey's Gaming site here:

http://okapi.andrew.cmu.edu/lerchey/www/gaming.html

John Lerchey's Miniatures Gallery site here:

http://okapi.andrew.cmu.edu/lerchey/www/Minis/

Some of John's cool, quirky humour on display:

http://okapi.andrew.cmu.edu/lerchey/www/SnowDemon/index.html

Have a great Monday!
And Happy Chanukkah to my Jewish readers!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: "6mm Sci-fi QT Minis?" (27 October 2007)

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Hi All,

This is a slightly different post than I usually write because it's primarily a call to help identify some figures rather than my usual rants, jokes, and exposes. So, reader, without further ado:

Can you identify the below miniatures?

Do you know the stock numbers or identifying names for these pieces?

Do you have a QT miniatures catalogue...
...with their OOP 6mm sci-fi or starfighter lines?

Can you send me a copy either electronically / digitally or by snail mail?

Are these even QT miniatures?

Inquiring minds WANT to know!

I want to extend many thanks to Steve C. and Andrew Parkin, who have been corresponding with me about these minis. Andrew is also the President of The Wakefield & Ossett Wargamers, who are the hosts of The Recon Gaming Show / Convention.

The Wakefield & Ossett Wargamers Club (UK) maintain a web page here:
http://uk.geocities.com/a_parkin_w_o_w/wowhome.htm

And more information about their Recon Gaming Show / Convention can be found here:
http://uk.geocities.com/a_parkin_w_o_w/wowrecon.htm

TOP: Photo #1

Two tracked vehicles and four wheeled ones.

No visible armament.

TOP: Photo #2
Four APCs that might be tracked, GEV, or grav.

Two of them have mortars mounted in the back of the vehicle.

Otherwise, no visible armament.

TOP: Photo #3
Four APCs, all hovercraft or GEV.

No visible armament.

TOP: Photo #4
Two GEV APCs, two GEV MBTs, and a tracked or GEV arty vehicle.

The MBTs and arty vehicles may be converted, hard to tell.

The MBT turrets look like modern 20th century vehicles.

And here are a few more links for the 6mm sci-fi nut:

QT Miniatures, a UK company, has apparently sold off part of their old lines, do not manufacture much of the rest, and do not maintain a web site. They have a manufacturer's entry at TMP here:
http://theminiaturespage.com/man/qt/

Snapdragon Studios, a UK company, used to make a wide variety of 6mm sci-fi terrain, but no longer produce any of these pieces that were prominently features in the Dirtside II rule book. They now concentrate on producing 25 to 28mm scenery with a smattering of pieces for other scales including some 1/300 fantasy pieces. Their site can be found here:
http://www.moondragons.com/

Force 21 is a small, not well known American company that produces a variety of resin-cast sci-fi goodies including 6mm, 10mm, 15mm, 20mm, starships, rules and more. Their web site can be found here:
http://www.iowatelecom.net/~colsten/index.html

Irregular Miniatures, a UK company, is one of the largest and oldest companies in the business. They make EVERYTHING! Their web site can be found here:
http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/

Scotia / Grendel Productions, a UK company, is also a very large and successful company that makes a fine line of 6mm sci-fi miniatures. Their web site can be found here:
http://www.scotiagrendel.com/index.html

And last, but not least:

Monday Knight Productions (MKP) is an American company that bought out the old 6mm sci-fi MAATAC line from Superior and makes a wide variety of other miniatures goodies. Their web site can be found here:
http://www.mondayknight.com/mkpindex.htm

Have a great Saturday!

And a Gut Shabbos to my Jewish readers!

Update (4 November 2007 at roughly 7:00am):
My buddy Covert Walrus wrote in with QT catalogue information: Thanks, CW!

As promised, from a catalog circa 1977/78

Starforce 300

SF1 GNAT one man fighter 2 for 45p*
SF2 DRAGONFLY two man fighter 45p*
SF3 MANTA Three Man Fighter 45p*
SF4 MANTA armed tug 45p*
SF5 SCARAB one man fighter 2 for 45p*
SF6 DOVE Courier ship 2 for 45p*
SF7 DOLPHIN Freighter 1.70*
SF8 PYTHON deep space tug 45p*
SF8A PYTHON with Laser/drive unit 1.60*
SF8B PYTHON with warp shields 1.60*
SF8C PYTHON as 8B & tractor beam 1.60*
SF9 Laser Unit 60p
SF10 Star Drive 60p
SF11 DELTA command ship 1.60*
SF10A Warp Drive and turret 1.15
SF12 MANTA warp shields/scanner 1.60*
SF13 STARFIRE armed space yacht 1.70*
SF14 MOCCASIN Raider 2 for 45p
SF15 6 assorted turrets 25p
SF16 MOCCASIN APC 2 for 45p
SF17 MOCCASIN Hover Tank 2 for 45p
SF18 Combi Carrier with howitzer 60p
SF19 MOCCASIN Command centre 2 for 45p
SF20 INFANTRY in power armer 45p
SF21 Combi carrier/Drone launcher 70p
SF22 FALCON two man fighter 45p*
SF23 TROOPERS on JET CYCLES 4 for 45p
SF24 LASER CUTTER with crew 45p
SF25 COMPRAN riding lizard 2 for 40p
SF25A COMPRAN Infantry 45p
SF26 COMPRAN Riding lizard 2 for 30p
SF27 COMPRAN riding lizard 2 for 30p
SF28 COMPRAN Riding lizard 2 for 30p
SF29 COMPRAN Riding lizard 2 for 30p
SF30 HVY Hover tank 2 for 60p
SF30A Hvy Hover Mortar carrier 2 for 60p
SF31 ECM Hovercraft 2 for 50p
SF32 Location Hovercraft 2 for 50p
SF33 Armoured Command Centre 2 for 60p
SF34 Hvy tank [RAMORIAN] 2 for 60p
SF35 Armoured scout car [RAM] 2 for 45p
SF36 Droid Carrier [RAM] 70p
SF37 Armoured APC [RAM] 2 for 45p
SF38 Armoured Mortar carrier[RAM]2 for 45p
SF39 Howitzer carrier[RAM] 70p
SF40 EDV Carrier [RAM] 2 for 45p
SF41 Solar Lance [RAM] 70p
SF42 RAMORIAN troopers 45p
SF43 MOCCASIN Hover Truck 2 for 50p
SF44 Half Track Truck [RAM] 2 for 50p
SF45 Drones for SF21 2 for 45p*
SF46 Track pack 25p
SF47 Droids for SF36 45p
SF48 Not Available
SF49 POLARIANS super fast infantry 45p
SF50 MOLE subsurface tank 60p
SF51 MOLE subsurface APC 60p
SF52 MOLE subsurface mortar 60p
SF53 Waspcopter 45p*
SF54 Lt. Hover tank [SOL MARINE] 4 for 45p
SF55 Lt. SP gun [SOL MARINE] 4 for 45p
SF56 Lt.APC [SOL MARINE] 4 for 45p
SF57 SOL MARINE Lander 3.75

* denotes wire and clear plastic flight stand.
Spelling as per original document.

Shabbat Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: New 6mm Microarmor Manufacturer!

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TOP: U.S. W.W.I.I. T30 Howitzer Motor Carriage by Bob MacKenzie.

Hi All,

A new microarmor manufacturer appeared over the weekend:

ARMSTONG MINIATURES!

Welcome to the scene, ARMSTRONG!

You can find their fledgling web site here:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bob_mackenzie/ARMSTRONG_MINIATURES.htm

And according to their press release, this is their plan as a manufacturer:

We present for you a range of 1:300th scale miniatures for conducting large-scale wargames without the outlay of larger scales. The range will be added to as fast as I can!

The product range looks good with lots of rarer vehicles, previously unavailable, being included in their lines:

Prices as indicated by code, otherwise individually priced.
A= 55p, B= 80p, C=£1.50

* Means that this product is available.

Italian Range:
It1, Dovunque-Viberti Radio truck. A*
It2, Autocannone 102/35 su CM50 Milmart self propelled Naval gun 102mm. B*
It3, Autocannone 65/17 su Morris Self propelled 65mm gun. A*
It4, Armoured Morris ammunition truck for Auto portei batteries. A
It5, Lancia 3RO Self propelled 100/17 Howitzer. B
It6, Lancia 90/53 Self propelled AA gun. B
It7, M13/40 Command Tank. A
It8, 65/17 Infantry gun with crew. A
It9, Breda Tipo 90/53 - Forthcoming.
It10, Breda Tipo heavy truck. - Forthcoming.
It11, Fiat 508 Topolino - Forthcoming.
It12, Dovunque light truck - Forthcoming.
It13, Ciano self propelled 75mm AA Gun - Forthcoming.

TOP: An Armstrong prototype mini, possibly from the Italian W.W.I.I. line.

British Range:
Br1, Morris 15cwt truck with tilt. A*
Br2, Morris Radio truck Mk2. A
Br3, 18pdr Mk1 Field gun with No24 Limber (BEF/ Hungarian Battery). A
Br4, Morris FAT1. A
Br5, Bedford MW 15cwt truck with tilt. A
Br6, Bedford MW Radio truck. A
Br7, Austin K2 Ambulance. A
Br8, 6pounder Portee. A
Br9, 2pounder portee. A

TOP: U.S. W.W.I.I. T30 Howitzer Motor Carriage prototype by Bob MacKenzie.

American Range:
Am1, M3 Halftrack. A
Am2, T30 HMC mounting 75mm Pack Howitzer. A
Am3, M3 Tank Destroyer mounting “French 75”. A
Am4, T19 HMC mounting 105mm M2 Howitzer. A

Russian Range:
Ru1, SU57, SP 57mm gun. A
Ru2, SU76i 76mm self propelled gun on captured Pz3 tank chassis. A
Ru3, Odessa Tank. A
Ru4, SU45. A
Ru5, STZ5 Artillery tractor. A

TOP: An Armstrong prototype mini, possibly from the German W.W.I.I. line.

German Range:
Ge1, Pz3 F 37mm gun tank. A
Ge2, Pz3 H/J Short/Long 50mm gun tank. A
Ge3, Pz3 N 75mm howitzer tank. With etched schurtzen. A
Ge4, Stug3 B Assault gun. A
Ge5, Stug3 D Assault gun. A
Ge6, Stug3 F Assault gun. A
Ge7, Stug3 G Assault gun. With Welded & Saukopf mantlets & Etched schurtzen. A
Ge8, Stuh42 105mm Fire support with Welded & Saukopf mantlets & Etched schurtzen. A
Ge9, Pioneer Panzer3. A
Ge10, Bergepanzer3 with Anhanger. B
Ge11, leSPW-304 APC. A*
Ge12, leSPW-304 APC with Mortar. A
Ge13, leSPW-304 APC command with 37mm PAK. A
Ge14, leSPW-304 APC Pioneer wagon. A
Ge15, leSPW-304 APC Command radio. A
Ge16, 75mm PAK auf Hotchkiss. A
Ge17, 75mm PAK auf Lorraine. A
Ge18, 105mm Howitzer auf Lorraine. A
Ge19, Somua Mittlerer personnel carrier. A
Ge20, Somua Reihenwerfer. A*
Ge21, Panzerjager PAK40 auf SomuaP301. A*
Ge22, Somua “Katyuska”. A
Ge23, Somua Munitions wagen - Forthcoming.
Ge24, AML Mortar carrier. A
Ge25, Lorraine Beobachtungs wagon. A
Ge26, 76.2mmPAK39 auf SD6 “Diana”. A
Ge27, 10cm K18. A - Forthcoming.
Ge28, 24CM k18 - Forthcoming.

Empire WW2 Range:
In1, Indian Wheeled carrier. A
In2, Karrier Spider FAT. A
In3, 3.7inch Pack howitzer. A
So1, Marmon Herrington Mk2 Armoured car. A
Ca1, Otter Scout car. A

French W.W.I.I. Range:
Fr1, French 75 mounted on a medium truck - Forthcoming.
Fr2, French 25mm ATG mounted on a light truck - Forthcoming.
Fr3, Halftrack reconnaissance vehicle AMC M1929 P16 - Forthcoming.
Fr4, ZT2 25mm SPG - Forthcoming.
Fr5, ZT3 37mm SPG - Forthcoming.
Fr6, Renault AMR33 - Forthcoming.
Fr7, 4.7cm APX Anti Tank Gun - Forthcoming.

X Gauge Rail Guns & Locomotives:
X1, Kurz Bruno. £4.80 *
X2, “Winnie” 14inch gun. £4.80 *
X3, “Pooh” 18inch Rail Howitzer. £4.80 *
X4, V188 Diesel Manoeuvring Locomotive. £3.00 *
X5, BR-- Locomotive - Forthcoming.
X6, Crew carriage. £3.00 *
X7, Ammunition van. £3.00 *
X8, Flak wagon with Flak 38. £3.00 *
X9, Flat wagon for springing mines or carrying goods. £2.00 *

And despite the new manufacturer being run by a chap named Ian Armstrong, my friend Bob is also obviously involved. You can check out his wonderful web site here:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bob_mackenzie/index.html

Have a great Monday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: New 6mm Sci-fi Producer! Welcome, Iron Fist Micro Armor!

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TOP: Some of the great new sculpts from Iron Fist Micro Armor!

Hi All,

I'm very pleased to announce the availability of a new 6mm sci-fi producer:

Iron Fist Micro Armor!

The owner originally announced his new web site at the Epicomms forums, one of my favorites on the 'Net to which I have a link on the right side bar of my blog here.

You can find their web site here:
http://www.lovejoy-horses.co.uk/model%20horse%20hobby/ironfist.html

TOP: A Space Marine in danger of being run over by a Scout Robot - DW6mm!

TOP: A Scout Robot - DW6mm in a scale comparison photo.

IFMA appears to be a small garage shop producing one-off resin casts of unique home-made sculpts. Owning a few myself, I can say that they are of the finest quality and the sculpts are beautiful. I own three of the Rogal Dorn / Macharius superheavy tanks. Great casts, incredible miniatures!

TOP: The amazing Rogal Dorn / Macharius superheavy tank...

...in a scale comparison photo.

TOP: The impressive Devastator superheavy tank...
...in a scale comparison photo.

The sculpts are a bit pricey, but for a unique casting and original sculpt, I feel they are a good value for what you get. And compared to other garage kits, they're amazing.

Have a great Thursday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

P.S.
A note to my readers, I will be out on vacation starting tomorrow and probably won't be able to post again until next Monday.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: Gunbird's Excellent 6mm Irregular Autos!

.TOP: Some of Gunbird's excellent 6mm Irregular autos!

Hi All,

I posted a few photos awhile back with some 6mm automobiles from my collection and that of my friend, L-4, which stirred up quite a bit of interest. A short while later, my friend, Robin AKA In Repose, posted some photos of his 6mm autos on his blog (link on right sidebar) and eventually several other folks have as well. One of the latest folks to have posted photos of his 6mm autos is Johan AKA "Gunbird," who has graciously allowed me to re-post his photos here.

However, before I share the rest of his photos, I thought I'd type out a few quick lines about scale and 6mm miniatures.

First of all, there is no real standard among miniature manufacturers. The 6mm designation, which means that an average man is roughly 6mm in height... tends to be more of a "convention" or "suggestion" than an actual standard. So, some manufacturers tend to make "6mm" figures that actually measure around 5mm, while others make giant fellows that measure closer to 8mm! And then there's body girth, some H&R / Navwar figs look positively child-like and waif'ish, while some larger Scotia figures look like they might have packed in a few extra meals to get their portly girth. And in the end, whether a miniatures gamer likes the figures is primarily a matter of taste.

Personally, I like them all! And I never let a little scale difference bother me.

Too see a graphic example of the differences in scale with 6mm miniatures, please check out this photo by my friend Bob Mackenzie from his excellent gaming site:

From left to right: New H&R (far left), Old H&R, GHQ, CinC, Small Scotia,

...Adler, Large Scotia, Irregular and Main Force (far right).

It's not hard to see the gambit of differences from the smallest 5mm (1/300) figures (the old UK microarmor standard) from H&R / Navwar to the largest 6mm (1/285) (the new US microarmor standard) from GHQ and Mainforce, which are, in reality, much closer to 8mm or about 1/250 to 1/220 (Z-scale RR-size) in size.

To see my friend Bob Mackenzie's great site, please follow this link:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bob_mackenzie/index.html

Having said that, the Irregular 6mm automobiles packs are very large for 6mm minis, and I'd call them a better fit for 8mm or about (1/220) or ("Z" RR scale).

TOP: An Irregular "6mm" car next to a smaller 5mm H&R T-34 WWII Soviet tank.

Here's what Gunbird has to say about the 6mm automobiles that Irregular puts out:

I've taken the liberty to finally (had 'em for two years now) paint up a few and do a short comparison. My end conclusion is, which is probably shared by most of the folks who have also purchased the 6mm Irregular automobiles, is that they are almost useless for 6mm.

They do fit in neatly with Battletech though, or in a 1/200 scale miniatures game. And I really wish one of the big producers of 6mm would get their heads out of their proverbial black holes and produce some properly scaled 6mm cars. I'm aware of the GHQ Technical and the H&R Landrovers, etc., but I want civilian cars. Blast it to oblivion!

Though I know from a purist wargamer's standpoint, cars are just fluff, I want to make my battlefield look a like more real, not a sterilized grass mat environment that looks as if some giant took a big broom and swept off all traces of civilian life bar the houses…

Here's a description of the pack:
For four Pounds Sterling you get a pack of modern 6mm vehicles. Not a shabby deal, if I say so myself, as it has a motorcycle with sidecar, several cars, a van and a truck, and they paint up **nicely**. Anyway, as I'm doing loads of 6mm at the moment, I thought, why not, so painted up a few. None too shabby if I do say/paint them myself, but... are these really 6mm?

It was a bit of a bummer though, to see that they are very big minis for 6mm. And unfortunately, this confirms that there are no useful civilian vehicles on the market (...discounting stuff like Battlecars for which E-bay seems to be the only option) and you would think, that by now, at least one of the 6mm manufacturers would have stepped in to do at least a few generic civilian vehicles? I guess they deem the market for them to be too small.

So, are they bad? Not really, yes, they look a bit shoddy, have big mold lines and flash to get rid of, and the wheels look wonky, but I'm used to that from Irregular. After all, what's in a name? I'll be buying some more of the packs, but to make wrecks (you could have seen that coming a mile away ) to scatter on my Battletech board for after my mechs play soccer with a few cars.

Hope at least one person found this useful, and do take note, all of this is my opinion, that of Johan!

My 2 cents,
Johan AKA "Gunbird,"
Netherlands, Noord-Brabant.

TOP: The "6mm" Irregular auto looks fine next to larger "6mm" Battletech minis!

To see the rest of my 6mm auto collection and that of my friend L-4, please follow this link:
http://6mm-minis.blogspot.com/2007/06/mini-wargaming-mad-maks-6mm-auto.html

You can find Robin AKA In Repose's photos here at his blog:
http://www.rottenlead.com/wordpress/2007/05/15/battlecars-by-gamesworkshop/#comments

To see some other great ideas for 6mm autos, please follow this link to Simon's site, Fort Wargame:
http://warweb.homelinux.net/Models/civvehicles.html

To see a photo of Barry from Timecast's excellent 6mm Irregular autos, please follow this link:
http://www.timecastmodels.co.uk/rail_timecast/6mm_5.jpg

Have a great Thursday!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures / videos: These are not all my images and videos. I am using various images and videos from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images and videos under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).

MINI WARGAMING: Mad Maks 6mm Auto Emporium!

.Some of L-4's amazing 6mm Car Wars collection...

...all guaranteed to run for at least TEN towed miles or more!

Great deals, my friend!

Howdy howdy, Y'all,

Welcome down to Mad Maks Auto Emporium, home of Smelchak Motors and L-4 Automotive Enterprises!

Maksim's 6mm Car Wars collection is a bit more diverse:

Irregular, Reviresco, Khalsa Brain Games, Grenadier, Dark Horse and MORE!

We got lots of fine cars for the discerning autodueler today. Come on down and take a gander!

Now we got all types of cars from the original x1 scale made by Steve Jackson Games to x3 Hot Wheelz scale made by Matchbox, but today we'll be mostly showing Maksim's favorites, the x1 scale 6mm beauties! Enjoy, y'all!

L-4's collection is mostly Grenadier and the larger (8mm to 10mm) Citadel Battle Cars.

Don't yuh love the sexy stripes?

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You can learn more about Autoduel AKA Car Wars here:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/2795

And here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_Wars

Rumour had it that once a miniature Adam West made good in that car...

C'mon, you know which one I mean!

Here's a very comprehensive and cool listing of Car Wars products:
http://homepage.mac.com/guyf/CarWars/products.html

And SWAT HQ is the best for Car Wars links:
http://www.serv.net/~owenmp/swathome.html

And a fantastic miniatures index:
http://www.serv.net/~owenmp/metal/index.html

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I highly recommend interested gamers take a look at Formula De Mini when you get a chance, great racing game and adaptations for Car Wars exist. A BGG link to Formula De Mini here:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/6539

A link to a Car Wars adaptation for Formula De Mini here:
http://www.fluency.paintedtarget.org/fd/index.html

"Matilda" has been hauling Vegamite across Oz for years!

Ask my good friend, Tas! He'll tell yuh!

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A link to L-4's Car Wars album here:
http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f248/Legion4/Car%20Wars%20_%20Asian%20Boats_%20Nec%20Tomb/

Maksim's collection has Formula De racers, city buses, & ugly compacts that...

...are well known to be stomped by the occasional Battlemech or Epic Warlord Titan!

A link to my Car Wars album here:
http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f23/Maksim-Smelchak/6mm%20Autoduel%20Minis/

A link to Thomas Pope's amazing site "The Stuff of Legends" here:
(He has a great Car Wars collections page!)
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tpope/sol/carwars.html

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Y'all have a great Thursday!

And I couldn't let you go without referring you to that "Mother of All Gaming Companies," Steve Jackson Games, here:
http://www.sjgames.com/car-wars/

And don't forget The Alamo!

See y'all at The Thunderdome!

Shalom,

Maksim-Smelchak.

Notes regarding photos / pictures: These are not all my images. I am using various images from around the web, mostly from public sources and/or private sources used with permission. I have tried to include only images under public domain, creative commons, or fair use. If I have inadvertently violated any copyrights, please inform me and I will remove your image/s (if it is indeed an infringement).