Lucky 7th – APE Knights

In the cramped tunnels of Gibraltar the most common death for an APE is by Sturmzombies, but only after their weapon has jammed or run dry.

APE Knights are being field tested as an alternative load-out for Grunt APEs. In place of the Browning .30 cal, they carry a massive APE-sized tower shield with steel thick enough to stop rifle caliber bullets.

It's too early to tell if APE Knights are more survivable, and so far only the most foolhardy have volunteered. Surviving Knights quickly learn to improve upon the Grenade Drill by shielding themselves from their own blast.

These are custom models I made for the US Lucky 7th faction in the Incursion boardgame.

They were inspired by the melee Terminators in Space Hulk (the ones with a Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield).

The baseball bat is obviously not as practical as the oversized pneumatic hedge clippers ... but it looks so damn cool!

Conversion Details

• The models are APEs from Incursion.
• The shields are Mechanical Shields from Max Mini. I filed off the gothic Warhammer 40K look from the front of the shields. I wasn't brave enough to try sculpting a glass viewport on the front of the shields (to match the viewport on the back). 
• I did a lot of finicky cutting, sanding, and pinning around the shoulder and elbow  to get the shield positioned in a decent way.
• The bases are from Dragon Forge Design. Read more about my scenic Incursion bases here.

Game Stats

APE Knight

Requisition Points	3
Action Points	3
Fortitude	6
Damage Points	4
Limit	2

Armaments:

• HTH Weapon – An APE Knight adds +1 to each DD for HTH Attacks it initiates.
  
• Grenades

Special:

• Unstoppable – See SNAFU page 10.
• Improved Grenade Drill – An APE Knight is immune to it's own grenade blasts.
  

 

Design Notes:

• APE Knights have +2 Damage Points compared to other APEs thanks to their shields.

SWD – Von X Clones

After revoking his loyalty to the Reich, Hugo found himself increasingly paranoid about who he could trust. In a spark of brilliance, he decided to clone his own children. Who better to trust than those of your own blood...

 

Gretel Von X Clones

 

Left to Right:

• Gretel 1 – Original Gretel. Armed with an MP 40 and Grenades.
• Gretel 2 – Armed with an MP 40, a Geballte Ladung, and a mean haircut.
  
• Gretel 3 – Armed with an MG 15 and Grenades.

The plastic weapons and bits are from Rubicon Models's German Stowage Set 2.

Ilsa Von X Clones

 

Left to Right:

• Ilsa 1 – Original Ilsa. Armed with dual MP 40s and Grenades.
  
• Ilsa 2 – Armed with a Panzerschreck and a Luger Skorpion Machine Pistol.
  
• Ilsa 3 – Armed with dual MP 40s and a Tellermine.
  

The plastic weapons and bits are from Rubicon Models's German Stowage Set 2. The Luger Skorpion is from SoTR's German Weapons Pack.

 

Hans the Hunter Clones

 

Left to Right:

• Hans 1 – Original Hans. Armed with a Harpoon Gun and Club.
  
• Hans 2 – Armed with a Shield and Club.
  

The shield is from Max Mini: Mechanical Shields. I filed down the front to remove the gothic Warhammer 40K look. I wasn't brave enough to sculpt a glass viewport on the front of the shield (to match the viewport seen from the rear view).

Bases

The bases are from Fenris Games, Dragon Forge Design, and Gadzooks Gaming. Learn more in this post: Incursion Scenic Bases.

Motivation

I always found it strange that when you kill Gretel in one mission, she can come right back in the next mission! (The same goes for Ilsa and Hans of course.) I know it's just a "game", but I like my games to lean towards believably when possible.

I thought long and hard about this problem, and in my own spark of brilliance I realized why not use clones!! It's the perfect solution.

Furthermore, there's already precedence in Secrets of the Third Reich for the Germans to have cloning technology:

SoTR G-DOOM03 Clone Tanks

Result

These are some of my proudest conversions! I'm so pleased with how these came out. Especially Ilsa with the Panzerschreck and Gretel with the MG 15. That MG-15 was such a PITA to stick in her hands.

Narrative Ideas

Imagine that the Allies don't know the SWD has cloning technology. The SWD knows this and uses this to their advantage. During the initial stages of the Gibraltar assault, the SWD carefully divides their clones along different "fronts" to hide the fact that they have clones. Then, during a crucial battle, the SWD unleashes an army of clones to gain the upper hand.

Once the Allied commanders learn the truth, they task the MI-13 with locating and destroying the cloning facilities. Similar to The Hive (SNAFU, pg 32) where the MI-13 have located a Drohne factory and are moving in to sabotage it.

Lucky 7th – Tesla Cannon APE

Allied super-science unveils the latest in APE weaponry: the mighty Tesla Cannon!

This is a custom model I made for the US Lucky 7th faction in the Incursion boardgame.

I've dreamed of making an APE with a Tesla Cannon or Heat Ray ever since reading the fluff on pg 2 of the SNAFU rulebook 13 years ago. I've finally fulfilled my dream! 😊

(click to enlarge)

 

 

Conversion Details

• The model is an HMG APE from Incursion, with a pneumatic fist instead of clippers.
  
• The main Tesla coil barrel is from Zinge Industries: Tesla Coils - Sprue of 8. I carefully sawed off the cooling barrel of the HMG using a Tamiya Handy Craft Saw II (#74111) to make room for the Tesla coil.
  
• The copper and silver ribbed cables are from Zinge: Poseable Wire Wrapped Cables.
• The terminals where the ribbed cables connect to the gun and backpack are from Zinge: Cable Terminals - Plugs & End Caps.
• The tiny Tesla coil on his fist is from Zinge: Mad Scientist Bits Sprue.
• The large metal "battery" thing on his back is from my Warhammer 40K bits box. I think it was part of some Imperial Guard tank stowage or something similar.
• The base is from Dragon Forge Design. Read more about my scenic Incursion bases here.

Game Stats

Tesla Cannon APE

Requisition Points	5
Action Points	3
Fortitude	6
Damage Points	2
Limit	1

Armaments:

• Tesla Cannon – ROF 1 (w/ 1 DD on Reaction Fire). Range 8. Treat all targets as having Fortitude 4. Can hit targets up to 1 square outside Line of Sight (ex: around a corner, but not through a door).
• Charged Shot – Special Ranged Attack (costs 2 AP). Pick a square in Line of Sight (ignoring intervening models). Draw a line to that square. Every square at least partially covered by the line is hit. Make a separate DD roll against each target, treating their Fortitude as 3.
• Tesla Fist – Adds +2 to each DD for HTH attacks.
  

Special:

• Unstable – When the Tesla Cannon APE becomes a casualty (except by V-Gas), roll a D6. On a roll of 1-2 it explodes: Every model within Range 4 (including around corners) is hit. Make a separate DD roll against each target, treating their Fortitude as 3.

Incursion Scenic Bases

Most of my Incursion models are mounted on "scenic bases" that I added extra details too.

Scenic bases are intricately detailed bases you can buy. They're a great-looking alternative to sculpting your own or to the traditional sand-and-pebbles style.

I went with scenic bases since I'm not skilled at sculpting and I felt Incursion wouldn't look good with sandy bases. They were worth every penny! I had a great time adding extra details to them too.

I used three brands of bases, plus I sculpted a few with greenstuff:

• Fenris Games
• Dragon Forge Design
• Malifaux Diorama Bases

Fenris Games

Fenris Games makes a set of official bases, objective markers, doors, and faction markers for Incursion. You can't get any better than that!

Here's what the bases look like:

They also have several other designs that would look great for Incursion:

• Templar Ruins
• Temple Flagstone
• Dungeon Labyrinth
• Sulaco
  

Dragon Forge Design

I used the following bases from Dragon Forge Design:

• Concrete: 30mm / 40mm  (Note: I cut off the sidewalks with wire cutters.)
• Stone Floor: 30mm / 40mm
• Goth-Tech Set 1: 30mm / 40mm
• Goth-Tech Set 2: 30mm / 40mm
• Goth-Tech Set 3: 40mm
  
• Fractured Concrete: 30mm / 40mm

Here are some examples:

Concrete

Stone Floor

Goth-Tech

Goth-Tech

Fractured Concrete*

*I'm planning to make these look flooded. Once the models are painted I'll add some "water effects".

Malifaux Diorama Bases

I bought mine from Gadzooks Gaming & Wonder Emporium:

• 30mm Mad Scientist Lab (pictures here)
  
• 40mm Mad Scientist Lab

Example:

Greenstuff

Lastly, I sculpted some bases with greenstuff. I tried to mimic the official Fenris Games bases:

How-To:

I made most these around 2013 so please forgive my memory. I think I made the texture by wetting the greenstuff and then lightly pressing into it with some base-coated rocks made from this Woodland Scenics Stone Mold. The water was to prevent the greenstuff from sticking to the plaster rocks. Afterwards, I ran a thin metal tool around the edge to separate the greenstuff from the curved portion of the base.

Extra Details

I added extra details to make the bases look even cooler and tie them all together.

Bullet Casings:

I made these with a copper wire (approximately 20-guage) that I bought from Home Depot for cheap.

I carefully stripped off the plastic sleeve and then snipped the wire into short pieces. I used the sleeve to make pipes (see below).

Pipes:

I used several materials to make pipes of different diameters:

• The white pipes are leftover sleeves from the 20-ish gauge wire I used for making bullet casings.
  
• The green pipes are a 14-19 wire (14 gauge, 19 strands) that I also bought from Home Depot.
• The brass pipes are a 1mm brass rod that I also use for pinning models.
• The dark grey & highly detailed pipes are Zinge Industries Pipes and Fittings.
• I also used random bits like leftover spear shafts for some of the pipes.
  

Damaged Pipes

Zinge Industries Pipes

Ribbed Cables:

All of the cables are from Zinge Industries Wrapped Wire. This stuff is awesome! I also used it to make the Zombie Macaques and Chimpanzees, the Tesla Cannon APE, and to customize some Sturmzombies.

Chains:

The chains are from Greenstuff World: Hobby Chain 3mm

SWD – Kriegmaschine-Z

What could be worse than a horde of zombies running at you? A horde of armored zombies with claws running at you... at least that was Dr. Hugo Von X's thinking in his development of the Kriegmaschine-Z.

The Kriegmaschine-Z are a by-product of Von X's development of the Sturmzombies; an offshoot to his experimentation that didn't prove as easy to mass produce as the final Sturmzombies, but however have found a useful niche in the SWD warmachine.

These are semi-official models I'm adding to the German SWD faction of the Incursion boardgame.

They come from Secrets of the Third Reich (SoTR) – the world Incursion takes place in. Similar to how Space Hulk takes place inside Warhammer 40,000 and you could easily grab minis from the larger 40K range and make rules to use them in Space Hulk.

The models are G-SOTR45 Kriegmaschine-Z and the fluff I wrote in the beginning is actually their official fluff from the Panzer Mech rules supplement! So Hugo indeed created these monstrosities!

These are some of my very favorite models (after swapping heads, see Conversion Details). They look so downright evil and terrifying, like the epitome of Nazi mad-science.

My only complaint is that the models are a bit 2-dimensional – they are "flat" with their arms and legs one plane. The good news is that this can be somewhat fixed by cutting, pinning, and repositioning the arms (see Conversion Details).

The bases are from Fenris Games, Dragon Forge Design, and Gadzooks Gaming. They are detailed here: Incursion Scenic Bases.

Conversion Details

I did two simple conversions:

1. I replaced their heads with German Zombie Heads in Helmets from SoTR. The original models were wearing gas-masks, which I felt was silly for zombies to be wearing. I think the exposed zombie faces look much cooler and more terrifying.
• Note: I didn't replace the head of the zombie standing on the lab floor (blue & white checkers) because its head would have been much harder to cut off cleanly (due to the tubes going into its face). I felt the head looked cool enough so I kept it to save myself the trouble.
2. I made the leftmost model feel less 2-dimensional by cutting off his right arm at the elbow, pinning it, and rotating it forward. The arms are thick enough to support pinning with a 1mm rod. Since the arms are mechanical, it's easy to get a clean cut and reposition around the joints. 

Painting Guide

I was inspired by the official paint job, but changed the armor to be more brown so they blend into the cave walls as a sort of camouflage.

Abbreviations:

• 70.XXX = Vallejo Model Color product number
• Citadel = Games Workshop Citadel Colour

Steps:

1. Assemble the models on their bases.
2. Prime Black – Use whatever brand of primer you prefer. I sprayed them with Citadel Chaos Black spray primer, then touched up the missed spots with Vallejo Black brush-on primer (70.602).
3. Paint the bases.
• I'm working on a guide for how to paint Incursion scenic bases. Check back for an update.
4. Basecoat the entire model, except the face and helmet, with Burnt Umber (70.941).
5. Wash the entire model with Nuln Oil (Citadel).
6. Armor:
1. Paint with a 1:1 mix of Flat Earth (70.983) and Burnt Umber (70.941). Leave the basecoat in the shadows/recesses.
2. Highlight with a 2:2:1 mix of Flat Earth / Burnt Umber / White (70.951).
7. Helmet Strap & Headstrap (zombie with no helmet):
1. Basecoat Black (70.950).
2. Highlight Basalt Grey (70.869).
8.  Metal (claws, toes, pistons, air supply) and Rubber (air hose):
1. Basecoat Basalt Grey (70.869).
2. Paint Neutral Grey (70.992), leaving some Basalt Grey in the shadows.
3. Highlight Light Grey (70.990).
9. Skin (adapted from Dave Taylor's excellent Surmzombie flesh tutorial):
1. Basecoat Rakarth Flesh (Citadel).
2. Wash with Reikland Fleshshade (Citadel).
3. Wash with Druchii Violet (Citadel).
4. Highlight Beige Red (70.804).
5. Highlight Basic Skin Tone (70.815).
10. Mouth & Teeth:
1. Basecoat the inside of the mouth including teeth with Burnt Red (70.814).
2. Basecoat the teeth with Khaki (70.988).
3. Paint the teeth with 1:1 Khaki / Ivory (70.918). Leave the Khaki basecoat between each tooth.
11. Helmet – I don't fully like how these came out, so here's how I would do it next time, plus how I did it this time:
• Recommended:
1. Basecoat Basalt Grey (70.869).
2. Highlight top of helmet with Neutral Grey (70.992).
3. Wash with Nuln Oil.
4. Highlight the rim and bullet holes with Gunmetal (70.836).
• What I Did:
1. Basecoat Basalt Grey (70.869).
2. Highlight top of helmet with Neutral Grey (70.992).
3. Wash with Nuln Oil (Citadel).
4. Wash with Agrax Earthshade (Citadel).
5. Drybrush with Dark Grey (70.994).
6. Highlight with Basalt Grey (70.869).
7. Highlight the rim and bullet holes with Gunmetal (70.836).
12. Hydraulic Fluid:
1. Basecoat with a 1:2:1 mix of Blue Green (70.808) / Flat Green (70.968) / German Camo Black Brown (70.822).
2. Paint with a mix of 1:1 Blue Green / Flat Green, leaving the basecoat in the shadows.
3. Highlight the rims with a mix of 1:1:1 Blue Green / Flat Green / White (70.951). Then using the same color, add "bubbles" with a fine pore sponge (I used a piece of leftover storage foam from my Battle Foam storage container). Dip the sponge into the paint, then brush most of it off on a piece of cardboard or a paper towel (like drybrushing, but leave more paint on). After using the sponge, stipple some more bubbles on with a brush. Note: in real life bubbles rise to the top of their container, so only add bubbles to the top of the tubes.
13. Seal the models. I put on three coats of a matt varnish.
14. Apply blood effects with Citadel's Blood for the Blood God technical paint.

Game Stats

Kriegmaschine-Z

Requisition Points	2
Action Points	4
Fortitude	5
Damage Points	2
Limit	4

Armaments:

• Mechanical Claws – A Kriegmaschine-Z adds +1 to each DD for HTH attacks it initiates.
  

Special:

• Strength in Numbers – See Sturmzombies.