Arloc Mechanica: Super40K Battle

The ruins of Arlos Mechanica

When was the last time you were playing 40k and your Orc Warboss was duking it out in a total slugfest with a Space Marine commander? Not too long ago? All right, but during the slugfest did your Orc pick up a piece of terrain, like a small car, and slam the commander with it, knocking him back half a foot on the tabletop crashing through debris on the way. Then the commander stands up, dusts himself off and plows back into the Orc, tackling him and crashing through a wrecked Rhino in the process.

This is what I've been wanting, highly cinematic, over-the-top action in the 40k setting. Is your Eldar Autarch about to launch into an important attack? Why not preface it with a long-winded soliloquy speaking of themselves in the third person first? This isn't the first time we sought alternate ways to play in what is a great universe, and fun minis. Well, we had the answer the whole time in the second edition rules of SuperSystem, the excellent superhero miniatures game.


Leading up to the battle I wrote the general setup here and came up with four separate groups to participate. These are basically superhero groups on paper, proxied with 40k models and forces. I gotta tell you, the port over from hero to sci-fi was incredibly easy. A Space Marine is basically a superhero anyway, so this was a no-brainer.

Each group consisted of three units; a character model (or two) and at least one 'henchmen' group. Henchmen groups are exactly as they sound. The one exception were the Dark Angels, which had two units (a character and a really powerful character), one of which couldn't come onto the table right away. The "good guy" forces are found here and the "bad guy" aliens are found here.

I setup the game with something similar to a con perspective. I wanted "allied" sides of two teams each, but I also wanted everyone to have their own, unique objectives that even their ally didn't know about. I slanted these mission briefs quite a bit so it might even come down to a four-way free-for-all battle. Obviously I borrowed heavily from our historic Vikings game last summer. On to the battle.


Orc boyz and a Deffkopta see a lone Dark Angel in the distance...

Tau Gun Drones surrounding an Imperial Guard team taking cover...


...and gun them all down to a man


A Vindicare Assassin waits to take the shot...

The Ethereal stalks the Imperial Priest while Tau Drones surround him


Orcs cautiously advance when a Dreadnought teleports in from orbit!


Carnage ensues!


Warboss Magstuf and the Deffkopta wade in on the massive Dreadnought


Magstuff and Tracto epically duke it out


Magstuff picks up an old escape pod and slams Tracto with it...


The Ethereal's blade skills are more than a match for the Imperial Priest


Parting shot; the Vindicare guns down the Ethereal in the distance

All in all we had a blast. The SuperSystem rules are now in third edition, and a lot of the hero building has been tweaked. The rules themselves are straight forward and easy to pick up on the fly, two of the guys (two of our Chris') playing in this battle had never used them before,and Andy and I were both rusty, our last super battle being three years ago.

This was the feel I had been shooting for too; a bold Imperial hero with a small band of soldiers and a sniper lurking somewhere on the battlefield. A single Dark Angel and a massive Dreadnought versus a dozen Orcs. The action was as over-the-top as we wanted, and gameplay went quickly. I need to slightly alter some of the mission briefings and better define individual objectives.

SuperSystem also allows for non-combat actions as well, so if you have someone who needs to crack the code on a security door, pull the hatch off of an escape pod, or make a science type roll on some new organism, it's all in there. This can lead to all sorts of cool scenarios. As far as this particular scenario went, we'll have to play it again now that we're more familiar with the rules and see how things pan out. Being comic book based, scenarios and back-story become more vital than ever and even a basic rooftop brawl can be entertaining.

Arloc Mechanica Mission Briefing: Xenos Forces

Tau Empire:

Aun’el Shi’ur, you are honored to retrieve a long sought Necrontyr artifact for our sept. Its capabilities will assist the greater good in our further expansion. We believe it will be able to translate space-time and give us information from our future. You will go to the dormant moon Arloc Mechanica with our new allies, Magstuf and his retinue. Their methods are crude but their loyalty and devotion to our way of life is steadfast I assure you. Use them as you will, retrieving the artifact is critical. If you are able, contact the Imperial Guard commander in charge of their retrieval team and open diplomatic relations with him. It is our understanding that their dedication to their ruling government is wavering. If we can bring his element into our fold it would a boon towards unifying this sector.

Primary Objective: Secure and retrieve the Necrontyr artifact.

Secondary Objective: Open diplomatic ties with Imperial forces.

Tertiary Objective: Investigate any leftover technology on the moon.

Aun’el Shi’ur is an Ethereal caste member who is renown with his skill wielding the Tau honor blade. Like most Tau, his strength and agility are above human average and in addition, Aun’el Shi’ur’s mind is tempered well beyond human standards.

Tau Empire Gun Drones: These AI-enhanced autonomous drones are the equal of any of the best foot troops humanity has to offer. Where they truly excel is in their speed and maneuverability. They are armed with twin-linked pulse carbines, ablative armor, and advanced target prediction software.

Tau Empire Fire Warriors: These soldiers make up the bulk of the Tau Empire’s ground forces. They are lightly armored but their personal defense is augmented by a small, personal force field generators similar to what Ethereal caste members wear. They are also equipped with the deadly long-ranged pulse rifle.

Name:	Tau Empire Fire Warriors
BP:	85
AP:	7
Attributes:	Strength: 3 Agility: 4 Mind: 3 Resolve: 4
Powers:	Armor x2 Combat Sense x4 Perfect Timing Force Field x3 Ranged Attack (8D, 30”) -Rapid Fire
Vitality:	Henchmen Group x10

Name:	Tau Ethereal, Aun’el Shi’ur
BP / AP:	85 / 9
Attributes:	Strength: 4 [1], Agility: 5 [1] Mind: 4, Resolve: 4
Powers:	Combat Sense x3 Force-Field x3 Melee Attacks x3 Soulless Super-Agility x1 Super-Strength x1 Extra Vitality x2
Vitality:	10

Name:	Tau Empire Gun Drones
BP / AP:	85 / 8
Attributes:	Strength: 3, Agility: 5 Mind: 3, Resolve: 2
Powers:	Armor x3 Combat Sense x3 The Difference x1 Enhanced Senses x2 Soulless Extra Attacks (+1AP) Ranged Attack (7D, 30”) -Rapid Fire -Super Damage x1
Vitality:	Henchmen Group x5

The Orcs:

Da nose-less ones think theys know us. They don’t. We hate their food, their pretty cities, their breath…it’s time to show ‘em who’s da boss. Dat Grot, what’s-his-name, came through and pilfered good, we’s got pass keys and other codes. Enough to steal the next shuttle and bugger off but good! We been kept like dogs for toos long. First, theys gonna pay or my name ain’t Magstuf! When da boyz get a load of me trophies they’s gots to give me back the big chair. When da time is right we strike. We ain’t dumb.

Primary Objective: Coup de Grace all individual models that are not Orcs.

Secondary Objective: Investigate strange fungus growths.

Tertiary Objective: Steal Tau Empire shuttle and escape moon.

Warboss Magstuf was taken into the folds of the Tau Empire’s “greater good” when his pirate vessel ran out of fuel and was adrift mid-system. Since then he has played along with his captor/benefactors until he could make good his escape. He is large, even by Orc standards, and carries a wide variety of weapons. He prefers to attack in close combat rather than at range and when he is such engaged his fury is a force of nature.

Mek Grumbolt is a skillful yet reckless Orc who pilots a kitbashed and highly-modified “deffkopta” flying machine. His crank-operated chaingun’s “dakka dakka” staccato echoes over the din of even the most pitched battles.

Magstuf’s Boyz are all that’s left of the pirate vessel Deep Entry. They are equipped with naturally thick hides and crude armor. They are armed with their signature bulky, primitive slug-throwing rifles as well as a variety of knives and clubs.

Name:	Warboss Magstuf
BP / AP:	85 / 6 [9]
Attributes:	Strength: 7 [3], Agility: 4 Mind: 2, Resolve: 4
Powers:	Armor x2 Combat Sense x1 Extra Move x3 Iron Will x2 Melee Attacks x3 Super-Strength x3 -Rage
Vitality:	11

Name:	Mek Grumbolt
BP / AP:	85 / 8
Attributes:	Strength: 3, Agility: 7 [1] Mind: 3, Resolve: 4
Powers:	Armor x1 Combat Sense x2 Extra Move x2 Enhanced Senses Flight Iron Will x1 Perfect Timing Ranged Attack (8D, 30”) -Only While Flying Super Agility x1
Vitality:	7

Name:	Magstuf’s Boyz
BP:	85
AP:	7 [9]
Attributes:	Strength: 3 Agility: 5 Mind: 2 Resolve: 3
Powers:	Armor x3 Climbing Combat Sense x3 Extra Attacks (+1AP) Extra Movement x2 Instant Stand Ranged Attack (8D, 30”) -Rapid Fire
Vitality:	Henchmen Group x10

Arloc Mechanica Mission Briefing: Imperial Forces

Dark Angels Space Marines:

**Begin Transmission**
Praise the Emperor.
Brother-Captain Othniel, our travels have been successful. Brother Jakoubek and I were ready to leave this system when our ally, Inquisitor Artiger, contacted me in secret. A dire artifact, the unholy Victory Machine, has been unearthed on a nearby moon and should it fall into the wrong hands, any hands, it would be heresy. There are those in the Imperium who would see the artifact acquired, Artiger and I agree that this cannot be allowed to happen under any circumstances. He is using what resources he has available to teleport us to the surface of the moon. A precise strike from his cruiser in orbit should render the artifact a non-issue. Brother James and myself only need to find its location. Alien heretics are noted to be in the area as well, presumably looking for the same device. They will suffer.
Praise the Emperor.
Chapter Master Tristan Tracto
**End Transmission**

Primary Objective: Destroy the device known as the Victory Machine.
Secondary Objective: Destroy any alien presence.
Tertiary Objective: Destroy any opposing presence.

Chapter Master Tracto has served with honor and distinction in the Dark Angels space marine chapter for centuries. He wields the Sword of Durendal, a chapter artifact said to have been wielded by El‘Jonson himself. In addition he wears an ancient suit of Articifer Power Armor and a custom bolt pistol sidearm rests on his hip. The latter is rarely used; Tracto prefers to dispatch his foes in melee combat.

Venerable Battle-Brother Jakoubek fell in battle hundreds of years ago. Mortally wounded and crippled beyond repair he was placed within the tomb-sarcophagus of a Dreadnought. Since then he has become the living embodiment of a war machine, utilizing his vast array of weaponry to its fullest effect. Trusted advisor and friend to Tracto, Venerable Battle-Brother Jakoubek will often accompany the chapter master on many off-mission endeavors as well as investigations and protocol matters.

Name:	Dreadnought Brother James
BP / AP:	170 / 8 [18]
Attributes:	Strength: 7 [2], Agility: 5 Mind: 3, Resolve: 6
Powers:	Armor x4 Combat Sense x4 Extra Attacks (+1AP) Extra Move x10 Knockback Resistance x3 Melee Attacks x3 Ranged Attack (9D, 30”) -AoE (Blast) -Chain Attack -Rapid Fire -Super Damage x1 Super Strength x2 Vehicle -Level 3 -Giant Robot -Independent -No Carrier (-8) -Turret
Vitality:	13

Name:	Chapter Master Tracto
BP / AP:	85 / 7
Attributes:	Strength: 4 [1], Agility: 4 Mind: 3, Resolve: 5
Powers:	Armor x3 Combat Sense x3 Density Increase -Immovable Iron Will x2 Knockback Resistance x2 Melee Attacks x2 Super-Strength x1 -Super Knockback
Vitality:	9

Imperial Guard:

Dear “Reverend” Soble,

You may have fooled the others of the council but I know what you are, you are a soldier of the Imperium and you cannot turn your back on that responsibility. You have far too much experience in battle, and far too many grafts and bionics frankly, for you to turn to faith and wander aimlessly as a vagabond preacher. You owe the Imperium of Man.

On paper you are still under orders, and therefore under my command, for another two months. That is just enough time to send you to the edge of the system and investigate rumors of Quandan’s fleet returning as nothing but wreckage. You can pick your own team, but I want you away from system central for a good while. Perhaps when you return you will know your place.

Planetary Governor Sulpheus Mape

Primary Objective: Obtain and protect the Victory Machine.

Secondary Objective: Destroy all intact scanning stations.

Tertiary Objective: Find alternative transport from the planet.

Reverend Shamus Soble is well on his way to retirement in the private sector. A massively built man, he has adopted an unassuming guise in that of a street preacher. A far cry from the decorated veteran he once was. Though his zeal for the Emperor of Mankind is honest he detests what his corrupted government in his sector has become and longs to strike out on his own. His contacts have heard rumors that a device from long ago, dating back to before even Mars was terra-formed, has been marooned on the very moon he has been sent to. If he can retrieve this item it can be his key to writing his own destiny.

Vindicare Assassin Mendel is one of the few remaining soldiers who have served alongside Soble in battle decades past. He is a deadly shot with his Archangel sniper rifle and manages close assault roles just as easily, dispatching foes with vibro-blade and Gyrojet pistol alike. He wears an advanced armored bodysuit and multi-suite mask.

Imperial Guardsmen are countless among the galaxy. These particular troopers, hand picked by Soble, are veterans of his last company. They have served Soble in many roles and will follow him to hell and back if only asked. They are equipped with standard issue flak armor and use special issue lasguns which fire an enhanced beam that shifts between dimensional layers in a manner very similar to the psy-bolts used by the Grey Knights.

Name:	Vindicare Assassin Mendel
BP / AP:	85 / 8
Attributes:	Strength: 3, Agility: 6 Mind: 2, Resolve: 5
Powers:	Armor x2 Combat Sense x3 Extra Attacks (+1AP) Force Field x1 Fortune x2 Ranged Attack (9D, 32”) -Extended Range x1 -Rapid Fire
Vitality:	8

Name:	Reverend Shamus Soble
BP / AP:	85 / 7
Attributes:	Strength: 6 [2], Agility: 3 Mind: 4, Resolve: 4
Powers:	Armor x3 Combat Sense x5 Knockback Resistance x3 Melee Attacks x3 Super-Strength x2 -Super-Knockback x2
Vitality:	10

Name:	Imperial Guardsmen
BP:	85
AP:	6 [8]
Attributes:	Strength: 4 Agility: 4 [1] Mind: 2 Resolve: 4
Powers:	Armor x3 Combat Sense x3 Enhanced Senses Extra Movement x2 Knockback Resistance x1 Ranged Attack (8D, 30”) -Affects Ethereal -Rapid Fire Super-Agility x1
Vitality:	Henchmen Group x5

Encounter on Arloc Mechanica

999.M41

The dead moon of Arloc Mechanica once housed a thriving Imperial industry. The sector was hit by successive disasters and mankind’s firm grasp was diminished to a thin thread. The moon was abandoned while the remaining citizens headed coreward to mass in protective numbers on the primary planet of Axiomica.

Arloc Mechanica has remained silent and empty with the exception of leftover scavenger bands that refused to take part of the mass coreward migration. Being on the fringe of the system, automated systems were set up to detect incoming fleet and object movements.

It was these systems that detected several large piece of debris translating in-system at high velocity. Many of the massive chunks passed harmlessly through space, some smashing against the inner asteroid belts. Some, however, smashed against the surface of Arloc Mechanica itself.

A Rogue Trader fleet, its flagship the Cinereux, was inbound when a catastrophic event took place while in warp space. All that emerged were fragments of the fleet itself. Rogue Trader Captain Quandan had discovered an item of myth and legend: the Victory Machine. The Victory Machine is said to be able to autonomously receive messages from the future. The only evidence to point to his discovery is the sudden radiation sickness Quandan was inexplicably afflicted with…as a child. Tampering with the Victory Machine sends ripples of radiation across space and time.

The Victory Machine was aboard the Cinereux. It may have survived this disaster.

Ragnarok Rising

Raganrok along with the rest of his team, the Super Soviets

Two years ago this winter I wrote a teaser post that foretold of things to come with the above brute of a super-villain. It also included what I thought was a pretty cool silhouette too. Well through much delay, setbacks, and generally ignoring anything on my work desk, I've finally finished him, the largest miniature I've ever painted!


Ragnarok began life as an action figure from the "Adventures of Spawn" line. The character is Overkill, and you can see a pic of him in his original guise here. It was one of those figures I picke dup "just because". It was pretty cool and had great lines and would good up on the shelf with the other assorted figures, I did not initially plan on "re-purposing" him.


The right hand has been magnetized, so it's easy to swap out. As you see from the "in progress" shot, there's also a big, honking chainsaw attachment you can swap out. Instead of letting it lay around for longer, unfinished, I just painted the fist. I can always add the chainsaw later. Also, since the fist detaches, I am going to devise a small, flying stand for it, with a magnetized 'exhaust' plume to attach so the character can "launch" his fist, Shogun Warrior style, in game. Then you would have this fist flying around the rest of the game, smacking the enemy around. It would have stats like a sidekick. I've been playtesting some Galactic War I rules for Scott Pyle lately, maybe I can get him to stat Ragnarok up?


At the top of the post you can see Ragnarok with the rest of the Super Soviets, (and here's the reinforcements). As you can see from that pic, this fig is absolutely HUGE! The lines of the action figure fit perfectly with the lines and the style of the Four-Color SuperSystem figs too. I also like how even though the scale is across the board, and how they all have matching bases. Now everyone's painted up in matching uniforms, I have one heck of a team! Based on Donogh's comment below, I swapped this pic with the first pic of the post so right off the bat you get a sense of how massive this latest addition really is.


"Larger than a really large tank." One last scale pic...

Cleaning House

A weekend or two ago I just could not sleep. This isn't that rare for me, but I had insomnia in a bad way. So I cleaned up my painting desk and work table. I took everything off, dusted it, cleaned individual items, and even used Pledge, haha.


I also 'cleaned house' so to speak with the inordinate amount of figs in my queue. Ugh, we all have this problem, and even though I have, literally, hudnreds of unpainted figs in boxes, are any of them really pressing? No, not not really. To that end I boxed up 75% of the clutter in my painting queue. It's boxed up now, and the neatness shows.


This hulking behemoth has got to be painted! Project Ragnarock was conceived as a mega-scale fig to use in games of SuperSystem. Somewhere along the lines I got the idea to magnetize his hands (so I could have a flying stand of one fist zooming around the battlefield) and he's been in limbo ever since. He'll become a member of the Super Soviets.


Of course we all collect odd bits and ends here and there to use in terrain projects and scratch builds. This is my burned-out automobile headlight collection. I plan on basing these on metal washers and painting them up as "flavor text" terrain pieces. Of course I'll mask off the bulb part, leaving it clear once finished. They should turn out all right.


Do I even need to recount the long and arduous journey my ten 40mm Choctaw have endured? This is almost a running joke I'm sad to say. When you're not currently gaming in the genre, it's hard to get inspiration to finish projects in said genre. These guys have suffered long enough though, and their time is close at hand!

There is unrest in the forest...

...there is trouble with the trees

Well, although its been another post-a-day month here in July, I haven't been very productive on actually doing stuff. I rectified that very recently with this troupe of nature-themed superheroes intended to be used for SuperSystem.

In addition to boxing away many figs and projects that I knew I wouldn't get to during the latest cleanup action, I also pulled some stuff out and stuck in the center of my painting desk...just because they were way overdue. I've done a fair number of official SuperSystem minis, but I wanted something a little more 'found' in origin. Although Superfigs are cheap, and a very good value, you can't beat free, which is what this 'forest team' is. Three of them were Mage Knight figs laying around, the Wasp was in the same boat. The big treeman was a WHFB model I used as my big guy on a Wood Elf Blood Bowl team long ago.

So here's my latest team; I've painted them but I don't have any fluff for them. Heck, I don't even know if they'll be good guys or bad guys. I'm thinking they're super protective of nature, forests, etc. and they'll fight pretty much anyone who spoils said nature. How aggressive they'll be remains to be seen. Will they sit in the forest, waiting to pounce, or seek out nearby cities that could one day encroach upon them, or might be polluting the air and/or water? Lots of good scenarios could emerge from their background.


Intentional or not, this Mage Knight fig is in the exact same pose as my old Warhammer treeman. I like the fig a lot, he's got very long, spiky claws, and his (its?) face has a lot of character. All I did here before painting it was pop him off his adjustable, clicker base and superglue him onto a metal washer.


I just had to use the Heroclix unique Wasp. I have a couple of regular Wasps too, which were the same pose as above, but in 28mm, this one was pretty cool in what I would guess is about 15-20mm. She adds a bit of a mystical element to the team, and really anchors it a little bit as being the only hero closely resembling a human to boot.

Part of doing painting projects with your six year old girl is you have to yield to their relentless suggestions from time to time. It should come as no surprise as to where I got this hero's costume color scheme from, ahem. This fig's a tad on the hefty side, but I like to think of her build as 'powerful', like a 1984 Mary Lou Retton...with wings.


I used the same hover stand that was on the clicker base originally. Again, all I did was pop it off and superglue it to a washer. I did prime the washer and figure separately, by the way. Her wings were done in a variety of odd-colored metallics I have on hand.


Man, I really like this little guy. Look back up at the group pic, he is little! I envision him as a little flyer, darting in and out with fly-by attacks, harassing the enemy. I like how he's been sculpted, most unceremoniously sitting on a stump, as if his low points and zero profile/table presence didn't warrant a stand or anything fancy. He's a hero now!


If you read my blog at all, you know I like puns, and this is no different. I don't have names for any of these guys but him. He'll be from the Canadian wilds of Quebec, so a suitably French-sounding name is in order. We'll just simply go with "le Bat" (as in "the bat"). He's also blue. Get it? Le Bat...blue? As in Labatt Blue?


Ugh, that was a bad pun indeed, but I'm keeping the name! Here's another tree guy. I have three trees on the team, but all three sculpts are different enough to give them their own identities. Well, the treeman and the other guy have the same pose, but there's a huge size difference. To further differentiate the tree guys I applied three separate brown schemes. This guys got the mid-tone. I envision him as a speedster type.


And last is our big guy, the brick of the team. Ironically enough, he was already painted (see below), and not too horribly either! Since the whole team was getting a paint makeover, ole 'woody' here was not spared. He was a nightmare to paint though. I washed, I drybrushed, I added highlight, I inked, I did it all. I over-complicated the process, there's only so much you can do to make something look like wood.


Here's the full team, prior to primer and painting. As you can see, there was another hero who did not make the cut. This troll character was going to be the leader of the team, but I felt he was a little too 'fantasy' and not 'superhero' enough.


My attempt at a new Blog banner for the top of the page...

This Week in Pictures

Chain Halberd!

I had to do some heavy duty trimming of some pine trees that were entangling some of my lines. So not only did I get to irresponsibly use wacky power tools, but it looked just like a chainsword-on-a-stick. I thought that was a pretty cool feature, I don't know if the neighbors I borrowed it from did or not.


Me and a Jedi chick at Free Comic Book Day


Captain Rex meets Captain Chica

I've mentioned my wife a couple of times before, especially when talking about all the square footage she has so graciously given over to my geek pursuits. She's not a gamer wife though, so it was too good to pass on incriminating photos of her geeking it up.




After this was taken my wife enacted Order 66


No, it's not me with a close shave, haha. Digging up pics online to link in a post from earlier this week I ran across this one. It wasn't what I needed at the time, so I didn't use it, but I thought it was way too cool to pass up anyway. This guy's whipped up an excellent Priest of Sigmar outfit that looks very convincing.


Reduce, reuse, recycle...and RAVAGE!

Here's a sneak peek of a SuperSystem team I have on the backburner. After looking at this pic, I'm tempted to just dip them and base them and call it a day. No, that would be too easy, I may have to give these guys their proper due and actually paint them up. Obviously this will be a nature themed super team with a hefty mix of brawlers, bricks, flyers, speedsters, and the like. Most of these are just old Mage Knight figs I had laying around, with the exception being an old GW Treeman, and a Heroclix unique Wasp. My cost here is basically zero since all of these were just lying around my odds and ends.

Super Soviets: Reinforcements

The Super Soviets received additional reinforcements today in the form of a twin brother and sister duo, as well as a Soviet supers icon. Each of the three are formidable in their own right and bring with them their powers to an already impressive lineup.


The Siberian Arrow (aka Deadeye)

The Siberian Arrow is quick to temper and never backs down from a fight. His quiver of arrows include many 'gadget' arrows that give him the right tool for any job, while his standard combat arrows are flint-knapped from a razor sharp obsidian. He has unerring accuracy with his bow, an ancient weapon from days past made of the bones of a Wooly Mammoth. He is a highly resilient individual, and spy satellite photos show him training in the frozen tundra, in the dead of winter, without any sleeves or additional clothing.


The Grand Duchess (aka Shield Maiden)

The Grand Duchess was the Soviet Union's first super to wear a costume, making her debut close to one hundred years ago in the summer of 1918. She has been an unwavering symbol of her country ever since then. Other than her superhuman longevity and health, the Grand Duchess wields an indestructible shield made of an undetermined metal alloy. Not only is she able to use the shield in the more practical manner, she can also hurl it with great force, ricocheting off multiple enemies before returning to her waiting hand. It is affectionately named the "Tsar". She also displays superhuman agility and balance and superb hand-to-hand combat ability, there seems to be no slowing her down.


Medusa (aka Lady Blade)

Medusa is the twin sister to the Siberian Arrow, most easily recognizable by their hair. Medusa's hair, however, is more than just long locks, she is able to control her hair to ensnare, entangle, and even to strangle her foes. One grainy security camera footage from the French Embassy building even shows what looks like her hair wielding a small, bladed weapon, as if it were a hand. This is but one weapon in the living arsenal that is Medusa. Were there any targets left alive after dealing with Medusa they would surely tell you that no, not all ninjas hail from Asia. She is the master of the sword, and hers is a wickedly sharp blade made from meteoric iron. Footage from the 1980's shows her sword slicing through the armored hulls of Afghan tanks with ease, suggesting she possesses super strength as well. Although slight in build, she shrugs off the greatest of blows time and time again.


The complete team of the Super Soviets

The Super Soviet team is complete. Although you can battle with as little as three (or fewer, although I haven't done it) figs per side, I like a full six so you can pick and choose as needed (as I did with Monster Squad). Plus, as far as teams of Superheroes go, six is a nice round number and gives you plenty of options to spread power archetypes around. I like the cohesive look of the team and their colors, but I need to get some white sickle and hammer decals to add to their uniforms. I figure with all the Flames of War stuff out there I should be able to pick some up, and they should be the perfect size too. The team's not quite done, I do have one more rather large pièce de résistance to add when I get the chance.