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.