Product Review: UAMC Marines from Defiance Games

I Stopped by one of my friendly local game stores last weekend and was curious about a box I saw piled in with some new releases.  Immediately, it was apparent there was some serious potential for some great veteran stand-ins in my Imperial Guard Army but the more looked the more I was really interested in these new models. The dude working must have noticed how intrigued I was and popped over to let me know about this cool new model kit.

He explained that these infantry models are from Defiance Games a, local manufacturer, and then handed me a sprue as a free sample. Apparently the folks a Defiance Games also gave this FLGS (Hobby Bunker in Malden, MA) a stack of the new models to give out as promo items. I guess it's the luck of living close to a cool small model company.

So here they are, my first look at the "UAMC Marines." Immediately those who are familiar with Wargames Factory's stacking sprues will see the same design here. Both are Boston based companies with a nearly identical manner of manufacture, one can only assume there is some connection between these two (though how much innuendo we can draw from the name Defiance is anyones guess).

Being familiar with the Wargames Factories Greatcoat infantry, I can see a lot of similarities here. The UAMC Marines are also a great value but the level of detail is much improved over what we saw with the Greatcoats. They also have some other nice additions like surprisingly detailed heads and a variety of sidearms and backpacks and pouches.

Also, much to my delight, these guys have really awesome looking weapons. I'm not knocking other independent model manufacturers but a lot of the time 3rd party (not GW) models have disappointing looking guns, often they look like an afterthought. Not UAMC Marines though, it looks like the design for the guns was a key component in coming up with the aesthetic for these models. Everything about them is modern and tactical with picatinny rails, underslung grenade launchers and pretty badass looking squad automatic weapon.

I was ready to buy these based on the pictures on the box, now having held them in my hand I can't go without them. For anyone who likes a more sci-fi and less gothic look, these guys are for you. A little bit Master Chief from Halo and a lot of Elysian Drop Troop.

There you have it - go buy some, the price is right.

Lose the Fear: Working with Greenstuff, an Adepticon class review

Last weekend was the first Adepticon weekend I've attended and knowing it was such a big event I really wanted to try a little bit of everything so I made a point to register early for a class. I've taken two separate weekend long masterclasses with miniature painter Mathieu Fontaine so I'm confident with my advanced painting techniques but I really feel like I have a lot to learn in terms of sculpting, especially using greenstuff, so Joe Orteza's class seemed perfect for me.

Learning basic painting tips from someone that paints at a professional level has revolutionized the way I paint models. Things like using a wet palette, pulling paint to the darkest desired area and using the flat of the brush instead of the point are all simple but necessary painting tips that are integral to painting like a pro. I'm happy to say Joe's greenstuff class offered me the same crucial basics that I believe will allow me to develop my sculpting to a useful and enjoyable level. 

We started the class by getting a 5 sculpting tools (only 4 pictured) and a mirror on which to create relief sculptures as well as a small batch of greenstuff and a packet of step by step instruction with illustrations to accompany the various tutorials. Right there I was content with the $20ish dollar cover charge for the class, the right tools go a long way. Since everyone in the class had some exposure to greenstuff we moved right into creating basic reliefs, a purity seal, a chain, laurels, tassels for a rope and a feather. Once Joe covered have to get your greenstuff to stick to the mirror but not your tool, and other stuff like that, I was surprised by how easy it was. I really can't say often enough how easily you can improve when a skilled instructor can look over you shoulder and say "no, like this..." when your dumb hands are trying to do the wrong thing.

We spent about 90 minutes sculpting and finished with another 30 minutes of discussion over how to fabricate other common wargaming articles like capes and banners. All told, I'd got a ton out of the lecture and now would feel confident trying to make some of my own items. I wasn't sure how much I'd get out of a 2 hour class since it's such a short time to learn some very in depth techniques, but it was plenty of time to cover the basics and still ask a few questions. Joe was a nice funny guy and was able to clearly explain what we should be doing so that I was able to get results I was happy with on the first try.

I would highly recommend that anyone looking to up their modeling game look into classes like this, whether they be at Adepticon or any other event.