Gallery - Wreck Age and Broken Contract

This post is for all the folks wondering about the scale and detail of Wreck Age miniatures from Hyacinth Games and Broken Contract from Breaker Press.

If you like these miniatures, here are some useful tidbits:

• You can buy Wreck Age miniatures directly from Hyacinth's online store but there are a few retailers who have some (e.g., Noble Knight), including Adpeticon exclusive figures and stuff Hyacinth no longer appears to produce.
• Hyacinth Games is preparing the second edition of Wreck Age and you can download the beta quick start on their forum. They are looking for feedback through February 11, 2017.
• On March 17, 2017, Hyacinth will launch a Kickstarter to fund post-apocalyptic themed vehicles, including two cars, one pick-up truck, two motorbikes, and an ATV.

• Check out the Breaker Press online store if you are looking to buy some of their awesome miniatures for Broken Contract or ...
• ... pledge to their current Kickstarter project to nab some of the minis at a slight discount and help fund printing the rulebook as well as gaming accessories.
• And definitely take a look at creator Nick Baran's awesome Broken Contract blog.

I'll be using a stalwart volunteer serving with the Macragge Defense Auxilla (a.k.a., the ubiquitous plastic Imperial Guardsman) for scale comparisons throughout.

Beginning with the Wreck Age figures -

Here are two mean-looking pieces of work from the Raiders starter boxed set. The Raiders are a subfaction of Drifters. The other (existing) Drifters miniatures are called Nomads.

Two more Raiders, also from the boxed set. I guess you would call these guys "true 32s." I know that Hyacinth Games wanted a line closer to the slim Infinity-style rather than GW's bulky "Heroic" proportions.

And here are the balance of the Raiders. The one on the left is the final of five boxed set miniatures while the figures in the center and on the right are from an expansion booster. The expansion figures are not strictly Raiders and are thematically and aesthetically suitable to join up with the Nomads sub-faction, as well.

Here are the Reclaimers, specifically two from the Reclaimers starter boxed set ... yes comparison to the Adeptus Mechanicus is inevitable! These guys are religious fanatics devoted to the rediscovery and preservation of technology. The Wreck Age core book goes into some fascinating detail about the various strains of Reclaimer philosophy. It will be very tough to resist painting them with dark red robes ... maybe irresistible ...

These two heavily-armed Reclaimers come in an expansion blister. The Reclaimers have access to great tech but their mastery over it is ... developing. Watch out for the Malfunction Die ...

These three make up the balance of the five-figure boxed set: (from L to R) pincher claw, solar panel, and metal detector. While most post-apoc games have some sort of tech-focused faction, I think the Reclaimers from Hyacinth are the best at nailing the look and feel.

Moving on to Broken Contract:

The only two factions are the disgruntled miners in the shackes of indentured servitude called Breakers and the Black Squadron, corporate security goons paid to keep the workers in line. Each boxed set comes with a deck of small-sized cards with equipment and skills.

I am only showing a few of the miniatures as I haven't had time to even assemble them yet - they just arrived on Monday! But you can get a good idea of the scale and level of detail and character from this small sampling.

Yes, this guy does come with arms ... it's Will Kollis, leader of the Breaker crew, one of the taller characters in the line ... not counting of course ...

... Trest the Breakers' Gene-Mod character! The Black Squadron also have a Gene-Mod character, who is just as massive.

Talla Kellerman here is one of the shortest figures in the Broken Contracts line. Before I stood her on that base, I wondered if she was supposed to be a child. I like that Breaker Press has made characters in different shapes and sizes - yes, even including the Gene-Mod body type. No shame!

On the left we have Naria Anlika of the Black Squadron and her colleague Sarie Moerta is on the right. So just comparing Naria, Sarie, and Talla, you can see there is a good amount of body type variety.

And finally, a comparison shot ... I think these look pretty good together. Meaning: they will all be used in This Is Not A Test!

The Fuel Depot, Part 1

Picked up the Chemical Plant from Pegasus Hobbies some time ago. It's a weird kit, when you think about it: chock full of pipes and tanks and valves obviously designed to be connected but which simultaneously do not necessarily combine into anything coherent. Is it some kind of experimental psychology? My assembly process was akin to automatic drawing and I guess I ended up with components for a sort of fuel depot. Maybe?

To denizens of the "Far" Post-Apoc, the ruins of the Long Ago are like rapidly evaporating memories of a dream. The shapes are oddly familiar, like a string of words spelled at random. Who knows what the Ancients intended these strange monuments to accomplish?

Survivors of the "Near" Post-Apoc are confronted with a world built of crumbling assumptions. They thought they understood how things worked until it all fell apart. The infrastructure of their fallen society now stands aloof and suddenly mysterious.

what do you suppose it does, Vern?

That industrial doohickey was actually the last thing I built but was a nice size to test out colors. I sprayed a few Badger Ghost Tints, starting with Plasma Blue, to get a burnt/greasy complexion. Not sure yet how to handle the dry-brushing. Those two (unfinished) hombres are Bootleggers from Great Escape's line of gangs meant for use with The Chicago Way.

Arc de Lapidated

I call this one the Sisyphus Device because - as near as I can tell - it accomplishes nothing qua machinery. It's hard to tell in this picture but I dirtied up the pieces with Vallejo European Dust. I wonder if the big tank should be in a different color? I'm thinking of going over it with a streaky white coat before any further weathering.

modern art is really the worst

The main piece (or, more precisely, collection of pieces) has yet to be primed. The plan right now is construction tractor yellow and maybe the big tank will be green. Looking at it now, it seems like the fossilized skeleton of some bizarre six-legged beast reconstructed - perhaps incorrectly - for display to the public.

All three contraptions will be based to match my trailer park. Whatever they are, they have drawn the people to them. For some, they represent a link to the Long Ago. Others have come to puzzle out their original use. Still others will come - to claim them as spoils!

Post Apoc Trailer Park, Part 1

How many post-apocalyptic tabletop landscapes are defined by the ubiquitous Plasticville O scale trailer set? At least one more ...

Mine are based on shaped insulation foam glued to 1/8-inch hardboard. I started with 1/2-inch foam because it was the thinnest I could find and still spent considerable time trimming it down. I didn't want the trailers sitting up on hills so much as hoping the final product might stand out more with a little extra elevation.

a cultist from North Star takes aim from the safety of a cluttered workbench

The Plasticville trailers come with embarrassingly chintzy wheels and a retractable step under the door. I wanted a more settled-in look and so trimmed off the undercarriage bits along with the tongue jack and discarded the wheels and step. My trailers are supported by 1/2-inch foam and skirted with strips of corrugated Plastruct sheets. The trailer kit itself goes together in no time and mounting it up like this adds very little complication while providing a realistic effect.

don't want any mutant raccoons getting under there

One of the most fun - and also most expensive - aspects of this project is hunting down all the gubbins to junk up the scenery. I found mine from a variety of sources: from the usual suspects like Armorcast and TTCombat to model railroad vendors like Rusty Rail and Rusty Stump. I wanted these pieces to pull double duty and work for both "near" as well as "far" post-apoc gaming, everything from Project Z to Terminator to This Is Not A Test and Wreck-Age.

I scratch built the porches because I couldn't find any premade examples that appeared to be constructed by some daffy redneck. Fortunately, I had exactly the right skills to make them myself (i.e., none whatsoever).

I love it when a plan comes together

For the eagle-eyed readers: that sniper rifle next to the roof-surfing mattress comes from the Bolt Action US Infantry weapons sprue, which I reckon makes it a .30-06 ... BOOM HEADSHOT! I like terrain that inspires scenario rules ...

One of my favorite stages of a terrain project is priming. This is when all the disparate elements either pull together ... or don't. How do you think it turned out this time?

it's always tempting to leave 'em like that for some reason

And then on to the real work: my miniatures want to suffer and scrounge through the post apocalypse in Living Color™! The Plasticville trailers aren't exactly covered in detail so weathering really helps them pop. Someone once said, making terrain for miniatures war gaming is mostly a process of hiding your mistakes. Fortunately, you don't even have to worry about that when it comes to this genre.

what ails ye, wastelander?

Our first trailer is the (No Such Thing As) Free Clinic. The trailer is conveniently labeled for the ease of unlettered drifters and raiders. Seems like the Doc produces extensive amounts of byproduct - including a surfeit of off cuts, one would guess, given the orange biohazard bags piling up on top of the operatory. To be honest, I'm considering repainting those bags. I'd love to hear some feedback on them especially.

that teddy bear has seen some things, man

Doc's pride and joy is that gleaming white fridge out back. Organ and blood donations always welcome! All his medical files are carefully stored nearby. I don't know if that's a HIPAA-compliant solution but no one has complained yet. Well except the one ingrate who scrawled "BUTCHER!" on the side of the Clinic. Like they say, you can't please all of the patients all of the time. Caveat leper.

Stay tuned for more!