Tag Archives: 1/285

Future, Vehicles

Ogre

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The Steve Jackson game, Ogre, always seemed to lend itself to miniatures wargaming.  The rules were simple, clean, and precise and the number of miniatures needed was minimal.  The original game offered pretty simple terrain.  The follow-up, GEV, improved on that.

The license for manufacture has been held by Martian Metals and Ral Partha.  Currently, the license appears to be held by Steve Jackson Games and can be purchased from Warehouse 23.

The original miniatures were based on the counter silhouettes created by Winchell Chung.  Over the years, other vehicles have been added but the original designs still remain relatively consistent.

The Martian Metals pieces had thin barrels for tank guns.  Howitzers were little more than a rod attached to a base and had a tendency to break.  Ral Partha strengthened the gun barrels and added more detail to the howitzers.  The incarnation of the Ogre miniatures now features plastic Ogres to replace the earlier pewter pieces.  Below, an example of the plastic Mk III Ogre alongside an earlier Ral Partha version of the same piece.  The main differences I noticed were less detail in the treads with no detail on the interior side and the rear and forward portions of the Ogre attached.

Other smaller pieces are still cast in metal.  They are attractively sculpted.  The pieces are a little too small to work well with the massive Battletech pieces even though the scale is supposed to be the same.  I have found that the infantry figures for Battletech appear to me to be a little bit larger.

Older metal Ogres alongside the plastic Ogres. The plastic Ogres are in red. The tan Mk V Ogre has not yet had its armament added. On the left, are two Battletech pieces, an unpainted Demolisher II and a Big Demolisher.

For fans of Ogre miniatures, these are the natural choice.  The Mega Force toys by Kenner also mix well with these.  With dedicated miniatures support, Ogre provides a nice alternative to Battletech.

Past, Vehicles

GHQ WWII German Armor

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A selection of GHQ armor in the odd 1/285 scale. One artillery piece and all of the figures are by Heroics & Ros. The attention to detail on the vehicle castings is apparent. There is a precision in modeling that works well when modeling machines. Earlier castings including those from GHQ showed a free form sculpting which was not as effective.

German armor in western Europe in the later years of WWII used a 3-color camouflage paint scheme that can be a little tricky to make look good. Still, at such a small scale and with appropriate wet and dry brushing, some lapses can be readily forgiven especially since the original vehicles were often painted under some bad conditions. Most of these models were spray painted, masked and sprayed again, finally getting a wash of black and some drybrushed highlights. Details such as wheels, tires, tracks and cables were picked out with a brush.

Some of the vehicles shown here include the dreaded Tiger tank, the King Tiger, Panzer V and IV, and the Jagdpanzer IV. GHQ has a commitment to improving and expanding its range. This can be seen if one looks closely at the Opel Blitz trucks. An earlier multi-part casting is in the back. Newer Blitz show off the fine detail that GHQ excels at.
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