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.

Furthermore, with only the cranial mass remaining, the Kriegmaschine-Z's V-Gas emissions are below the threshold of Allied V-Ger Counters, making them exceptionally useful for ambushes.

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.

SWD – Zombie Macaques and Chimpanzees!

Gorillas are in short supply on Gibraltar. That's why Dr. Hugo Von X first experimented on the native "Barbary Apes" before starting work on his Panzeraffe project. The experiments showed great potential, but were ultimately limited by the monkeys' intelligence. Hugo turned his failed subjects into zombies and let them loose in the tunnels.

Zombie Macaques / Makaken-Z

(Note: These are actually chimpanzees because I couldn't find any 28mm scale macaques.)

 

Next, Hugo experimented on Chimpanzees. The experiments were a great success due to the chimps' higher intelligence – the apes were able to wield guns and obey limited commands. Upon success, Hugo immediately moved on to his pinnacle Panzeraffe project and zombified the super-chimps to better focus his resources.

Zombie Chimps / Schimpanse-Z

These are custom models I made for the German SWD faction in the Incursion boardgame.

If you can think of better names than Makaken-Z and Schimpanse-Z please let me know! I considered "Sturmaffe" but thought it's too close to Panzeraffe (a very different model).

Conversion Details

The small chimpanzees pretending to be macaques are from North Star Figures (available in the US through Recreational Conflict – the same place I got hardsuit divers for the Übertaucher).

The larger chimps wearing pants are from Impact! Miniatures. They are the Chimpanzee Midfielder and Chimpanzee Runner.

• The coiled cables and some of the cable terminals are from Zinge Industries.
• The plastic blade and the plastic boxes on the back of the larger chimps are from my ancient Warhammer 40K bits box.
• The rest of the blades are from Tiger Miniatures (WEP03, WEP04, and WEP018). They're available in the US through Recreational Conflict.
• I sculpted the cloth that's wrapped around the wrists using ProCreate putty.
  
• I added the "battle damage" by cutting with a sprue cutter, drilling holes with a hobby drill, and bending limbs with a pair of pliers wrapped in 4-6 layers of paper towel (to prevent the plier's grooves from embedding themselves on the soft metal).
• The bases are from Fenris Games, Dragon Forge Design, and Gadzooks Gaming. They are detailed here: Incursion Scenic Bases.

Game Stats

Makaken-Z

Requisition Points	1*
Action Points	5
Fortitude	4
Damage Points	1
Limit	U

Armaments:

• None

Special:

• *Pair – Each purchase of a Makaken-Z for 1 RP gives two models for deployment.
  
• Strength in Numbers – See Sturmzombies.
  
• Leap –  May move through spaces occupied by other models if it has the AP to do so. May never end its activation on another model. CP may not be used to initiate or complete this movement.
  
• Agile – A Makaken-Z may make facing changes for free.
• Simian –  It costs 2 CP to give a Makaken-Z 1 extra AP. Sir Yes Sir! means the Makaken-Z receives 2 AP for every 2 CP spent.

Design Notes:

• Macaques get 5 Action Points because their top speed is greater than the average fit human can sprint. (See: How fast do monkeys run? What is the average human sprint speed?)
• Macaques get 4 Fortitude despite their diminutive size because they are such a hard target to hit when moving. (Watch about 10 seconds of this video and compare their size & speed to the humans nearby.)

Schimpanze-Z

Requisition Points	1
Action Points	5
Fortitude	4
Damage Points	2
Limit	U

Armaments:

• None

Special:

• Vicious – A Schimpanze-Z rolls 2 DD for each AP spent on HTH.
  
• Strength in Numbers – See Sturmzombies.
  
• Agile – A Schimpanze-Z may make facing changes for free.
• Simian –  It costs 2 CP to give a Schimpanze-Z 1 extra AP. Sir Yes Sir! means the Schimpanze-Z receives 2 AP for every 2 CP spent.
  

SWD – Übertaucher

Hugo's early experiments on his eldest son Hans showed the potential for creating a race of Übermensch. He continued the experiments on the hardy deep sea divers that were building the sub pens under Gibraltar.

This line of experiments was ultimately a failure, as Hugo could not prevent the occasional loss of limbs and horribly marred skin. The surviving subjects had brutish proportions similar to his own son Hugo. Hans crafted oversized diving hardsuits for them and fitted them with industrial construction tools. These Übertaucher rapidly accelerated construction of Gibraltar's deep undersea areas.

Hans occasionally invites the Übertaucher to go hunting frogmen with him. Now that the Allies are at the gates of Hugo's precious doomsday device, the Übertaucher are sent to hunt APEs in the tunnels and to guard the sub pens. They are second only to the Panzeraffe as the most feared creature to face in the dark tunnels.

Rivet Guns

Harpoon Guns & Double Melee

These are custom models I made for the German SWD faction in the Incursion boardgame.

They are the Hard Suits from Recreational Conflict's Lead Bones range. Amazingly, they also sell the same models in 15mm scale! (I scooped up several packs of those for future use in 15mm post-apoc 😊.)

I found them so phenomenally cool that I had to shoe-horn them into Incursion!

If you can think of a better name than Übertaucher, please let me know. Other names I thought of include: Panzertaucher (I love it, but I feel it's too similar to Panzeraffe) and Übersoldaten Diver (but I feel they aren't true "Übersolders" like Gretel and Ilsa). A couple good places to start with are (1) the German wiki page for diving hardsuits and (2) the history of German diving hardsuits.

Conversion Details

• The 2 harpoon guns and 1 "pincer claw" are from Incursion's Hans the Hunter model. Both were sawed off of Hans using a Tamiya Handy Craft Saw II (#74111). I used both the large blade included in that saw and a smaller blade from Fine Craft Saws (#74105).
• The circular saw was made from a bent 1mm brass tube and a cog from Green Stuff World's Plastic Cogs and Gears Steampunk pack.
• The long hoses running from the guns to the backpack are made from the shaft of a spear (WEP04 Spears from Tiger Miniatures). Conveniently Recreational Conflict also sells the spears.
  
• The connectors for the long hoses are Zinge Industries Cable Terminals. 
• The bases are from Fenris Games and Dragon Forge Design. They are detailed here: Incursion Scenic Bases.

Game Stats

Übertaucher

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

Armaments:

• Drill / Club / Fist – An Übertaucher adds +2 to each DD for HTH attacks it initiates.
• One of:
  
• Rivet Gun – ROF 1 (w/ 1 DD on Reaction Fire). Adds +1 to the DD roll for actions but not reactions.
• Harpoon Gun – See Hans the Hunter.
  
• Second Melee Weapon – Rolls 2 DD for each AP spent on HTH.

Special:

• Mask – An Übertaucher ignores the "Rackley Hated His Mask" card.
  
• Restricted View – An Übertaucher has only a 90 degree LOS.