Not Your Usual Flying Circus by Just Needs Varnish blog

It is not often that something takes us by surprise (the big Scottish spring storm of this year aside!) but when we were contacted by Just Needs Varnish Blog to show us an article he had published we were!  A flying circus indeed!  You can read the whole article on his blog where he takes a dozen Octopod Racers (HOF110) from the HOF 15mm Science Fiction Range and converts them into Steampunk or Weird War One flyers. Lovely work and a cool read too.

Sculpted in the main by Elton Waters the Octopods are an army within the HOF Range comprising infantry, casualties, jet bike and the jet flyer too.  Just as with the Rim Mercs, Cultists, Post Apoc Warriors among others the Octopods have a platoon pack ideal for skirmishing with a saving.

If you have painted, converted or diorama set any of our miniatures or written scenarios for our rule systems such as USE ME and would like to show us and perhaps be featured like this please email on sales@alternative-armies.com.  We would love to hear from you.

Thanks for your Time.

Lincombe Barn HOTT Tournament 2025 sponsored by Alternative Armies

We are delighted to announce our sponsorship and prizes given to Bristol Wargaming Club in England for their annual Hordes of the Things (HOTT) tournament. BarnHotT 2025! The event happens on Sunday 15th June 2025 and its a small 15mm scale friendly event with an entry free and free food for those playing too.  Read more and get involved on their WEBSITE.  Good luck to everyone on the day.

Alternative Armies has a huge array of suitable Fantasy miniatures in the HOT 15mm Range (HOT154 Skeleton Giant above) as well as the classic Tabletop Games 15mm Fantasy Range not to mention the mighty Sengoku 15mm Japanese Fantasy Range and our HOB 15mm Buildings.  

We also have over twenty different pre-made HOTT 2nd Edition 24AP Armies each of which comes with all needed element bases included for free.  Above is HOTT1001 High Elf Army.

Recently restored a true 1980’s classic monster F24 Seven Headed Hydra which is a very different take on this legendary foe to our own HOT35 Giant Hydra.

If you run an event and would like to ask about our sponsoring of it with prizes please contact us on sales@alternative-armies.com with its details and we will be in touch.

Thanks for your time.

Fomorian Axe Warriors new for 28mm Erin Celtic Mythology

“The true and original inhabitants of Erin are the Fomorians or the Fomori as they call themselves. Though other Peoples would debate this claim it is true that their remote ancestors battled the Partholan and were perhaps created by the Ancient Craft that raised Erin from the primordial black seas. The Fomori inhabit the cold seas and have many rocky enclaves of the coasts and roughly build stone fortifications inland; they even have a few Crystal Towers left from the times of Culach and his successors. 

A Fomori is a creature of the cold waters and though they stand from three feet to near twelve feet in height, with a normal Warrior being about six foot, they all have wet, scaly and blotched leathery skins.  The Sea Devils, or Helpers of the Fomori, are the smallest and weakest of their Peoples and the mighty Champions of the Fomori are the largest.  A typical Warrior will go to battle near naked armed with his teeth and sharp fingers carrying perhaps an iron sword or a spear and a poorly constructed shield. 

Lofty ideals form no part of the Fomori soul. They war for very simple reasons: conquest, cruelty, and avarice.  Their plans are evil and darkness embodied, none walk the coastal paths without one eye on the foaming waters of the cold sea.” - From Erin the game of Celtic Myth (2005) 

The original Fomorian Warriors (CM13 and CM16) in the Erin Celtic Myth range are 30 year old classics and have been remolded several times since.  We are proud today to announce the first of many coming new Fomorian Warriors!  Three new 28mm metal miniatures sculpted by Sam Croes. These three have as with EVERY other code in the range been added to the All of Erin Bundle which gives you everything in the range with a 5% saving built in.  The last new release of the Spring Mega Event 2025.

The new codes are:

CM33-01 Fomorian Warrior axe raised

CM33-02 Fomorian Warrior axe and shield

CM33-03 Fomorian Warrior two handed axe

The warriors of Fomor are bigger than Pucci but smaller than their Champions and Heroes.  They out bulk a Man but look puny next to Morc of Chicol the monster.

Every miniature in the range is a single and alongside this we have five different Warbands which give a force with a saving. A hero, champion and warriors.  Choose from Fomorian (above) or Pucci along with Sidhe, Firbolg and Milesian.

Thanks and may the gods be kind to you.

Skeletov Cossacks new for Flintloque and Slaughterloo

Like a cloud of glittering snowflakes the cossack riders of the Dark Czar hound the Grande Armee du Norde circling ever around its trudging troops.  Skeletons and Zombies drawn from all over the vastness of the Witchlands dressed in a multitude of colours and atop silent dead mounts. The Skeletov Cossacks are numerous and remorseless on the battlefield sweeping in on isolated groups and putting them to the sword.  They are hunters and chasers. 

New releases for Flintloque and Slaughterloo who take the side of the Undead of the Witchlands.  The new Skeletal Cossacks follow up on the Moskova Volunteers expanding the ranks as we move towards an entire new division of the dead to oppose the Emperor Mordred and his Elves.

55524 Skeletov Cossacks:  This code contains five different 28mm scale metal Skeletal riders and five Skeletal Horses.  Dressed in robes these Cossacks of the Donne are armed with curved sabres with bone hilts.  An officer with pistol, musician with horn, standard bearer with pole and two poses of trooper.  The horses are supplied with two pieces (55524H) easily assembled. As with all larger codes you can choose from the set of five riders with five horses or a unit of ten with a saving or a single pose with horse. Supplied with our resin cartouche style bases.

A horse made of nothing but animated bone? Indeed.  You can purchase 55524H Skeletal Horse (as used by 55524) on its own.  A two part metal miniature of two halves which fit together giving a hollow rib cage. Saddled and will fit most Human sized horse riders. Now in our Battlefield Bits Range with many other mounts and other useful things.

An article will come in late May 2025 which will give Flintloque and Slaughterloo game rules for these new cavalry of the Dark Czar.  It will also feature a Flintloque scenario set in the Witchlands which sees a patrol of Elf Dragoons ambushed by Skeletov Cossacks.  This will be a free article and download.

Get started with Flintloque or expand your collection with characters using 5024 Escape the Dark Czar beginners set which comes with rules and scenarios booklet as well as ten resin miniatures with bases and dice.  An ideal core to start you.

Here is a line up of a 55508 Zombie Line Infantry with musket next to a new Skeletal Cossack and one of the mounted Zombie Cuirassiers from 5024.

The 'volunteers' of the charnel city of Moskova and other places of the Witchlands. Often effective when used en-masse the Skeletons of the Moskova Volunteers are poor troops but they are effective against lesser enemies such as Militia or Landwehr.  Choose from packs 55028,55029,55030,55031 and 55032 (with single choices within them) or 55523 Moskova Volunteers a mighty 28 miniature unit with saving.  

Thanks for your time.

Malig Gun Team and Grima Controller Team new 28mm Ion Age

“The feral hatred the Maligs have for our combat robots is something to behold.  A Goblinoid must know; must realise, that it is a machine they are facing and so it is incapable or malice or returning their enmity.  Even so I have seen them try to stab, hack and saw at a Grima in hand to hand combat in the way they tackle a man. With venom.  Is it their nature?  Or is it something the Khanate have done to them?” - Major Kal Winter, 873rd Regiment of Prydia.  4346IC.

The last new 28mm and Ion Age releases of the Spring Mega Event 2025 are here!  As asked for by IonFans a Malig Goblin Gun Team and a secondary gun team for the Planetary Militia and Combat Robots.  These follow up on the new 28mm scale Retained Bike and Bike Base from the start of April. Visit the 28mm Ion Age Range or search by code or by ‘filter tag’ among the now near 300 poses.  Above you see the new gun teams servicing Portable Weapon Platforms.

IB91 Malig Gun Team.  Two new poses as a value pack or as singles codes IA285 and IA286.  See all the Maligs on the website.

IB98 Grima Gun Control Team.  Three new miniatures (including an Ammo Box) as a value pack or single codes IA283 and IA284. The controller overseer for IB96 Grima Gun Team and they can be used for other purposes too with the Planetary Militia.  See the Grima Combat Robots on the website.

Our expansion of the 28mm Ion Age Range continues apace and we want to thank you all for your custom and support.  Soon we hope to pass three hundred poses.  Stay tuned!

Thanks for your time.

Franciscan Monks new 15mm Renaissance releases

Men of faith and of compassion have now made their 15mm scale appearance into our huge 16th Century Renaissance Range.  Six different poses of Franciscan Monks on foot which are ideal to add to the camps of your Italian Wars armies.

The new codes are MR174 through to MR179 and depict robed monks walking, marching, praying, standing, kneeling and with holy cross. They are all single miniatures like the rest of the range for maximum choice.

Sculpted by Sam Croes they join the array of infantry, cavalry, command, gunners, artillery, personalities as well as scenic pieces in the range.

Furioso is a set of wargames rules that covers European warfare in the sixteenth century. The rules allow players to fight large scale land battles with a simple to use and enjoyable gaming system.  Furioso can be played using any scale of miniatures. There are two books the core rules and army lists and the Italian Wars expansion with battle scenarios, Da Vinci’s machines and much more.  Print and Digital Download.  If you wish to get started quickly we have pre-assembled army packs which come with a saving and free element bases included.

Furioso English Civil War is pride of place in our 17th Century 15mm Renaissance Range.  Fight the battle of a British Civil War with ease in any scale and aid either the rise of Parliament or resist them on the side of the Royalists and the King.  We have many miniatures in this range for infantry, injured, casualties, command, cavalry, gunners and artillery as well as ruined brick scenics.

Thanks for your Time.

Repair Bot new 28mm miniature free auto in orders until 29th May 2025

“Got a feed jam or a wonky drive motor?  Leave it to me.  I can fix it no problem at all.  Happy to help and at reasonable rates too. Now let me look in my tool kit….”

Until 29th May 2025 the brand new 28mm scale Repair Bot, added to the Alternate Stars Range; is totally free. Yes free. A two part metal miniature placed at the rate of one per package into your order.  Any number of orders and any size of order.  As long as the order ships out (no digital only orders sorry) then it will be included by us and you need do nothing but order.  You can also purchase the Repair Bot if you wish and you will still get one free in the package.  We like to reward our loyal customers.

AS030 Repair Bot: Use this robot miniature in any game system of your choosing. Comes in two pieces one of which is the bot and arm with tool box the other is its arm with claw and welding torch.  It is the role of the Repair Bot to tend to broken and damaged machines, other bots, military grade vehicles and much else.  Seen singly or in groups anywhere mankind places its cities. Total height of 25mm.

He is a useful fellow indeed!  Sculpted by Sam Croes.  You can also place it in the 28mm Ion Age Range as a service unit for Grima Combat Robots or the Planetary Militia.

We said goodbye to AS031 Warbot III (perhaps after a little fixing work post battle..above) it joined all the other Formerly Free Codes with a hearty saving (due to their large production runs) alongside previous free in packages such as the 28mm Courier Bot and Info Bot.

Our three 'bots will serve your needs.  Ask for information, deliver a package or get your hover car fixed.

Thanks for your Time.