Ogre Miniatures - 6mm armour units and another AI Supertank - 3 Ogre-related Painting Challenge submissions

Ogre Mk. V - Challenge Submission #5

A capital addition to my growing forces for Ogre Miniatures, the 6mm scale miniatures wargame based upon Steve Jackson's Games' 45-year-old board game.

The Combine Ogre Mk. V is a very large cybertank, with more than double the firepower of the Ogre Mk. III that I recently built. Above, next to the Mk. V you can see a normal sized 6mm (1:300) scale PanEuro "Jaeger" heavy tank. I went with a traditional Combine = red, Paneuro = blue paint schemes. For the Ogre Mk. V, the base red was accomplished with a light spray of Army Painter Dragon Red primer. I then laid in several glazes of GW Druchii Violet for shading. I painted highlights and some light weathering and damage using various artists' oils, especially Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Scarlet, Cadmium Yellow, and Peach Black.

I was hoping to get several troops of Paneuropean armour units done to go along with this Ogre: GEVs (armed, jet-powered hovercraft), missile tanks, super heavy tanks, howitzers, etc.). It ended up taking a couple more weeks.

I suggested 15 points for the Ogre Mk. V (which is easily equal to or larger than the size of a 20mm T-34 or similar tank). Add 20 points for Skaro (Robots). The Ogre Mk. V is a giant robotic tank! This garnered me 35 points for this entry into the 2022 Painting Challenge.

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Paneuropean "Galahad" G.E.V.s - Challenge Submission #6

The Paneuropean "Galahad" G.E.V. (Ground Effect Vehicle) is my favourite type of  "armour unit" in the Ogre game universe. Something about these jet jockeys zooming in at 200 kph, then zooming out again to try and avoid the Ogre's weapons (two moves per game turn!). This entry is a squadron of such fast attack vehicles. I went with a traditional Paneuro blue paint scheme. 

After assembly, I primed all the units with GW Chaos Black, and laid in flat white zenithal highlighting with an airbrush. The base blue of the G.E.V.s consisted of several washes of GW Drakenhoff Nightshade. I then laid in highlights and details with oil paints, and did some light weathering with oils, acrylics, and powders. 

The relative size of the Galahad G.E.V. is shown against a "Jaeger" Heavy Tank above, and my Combine Ogre Mark V. Some more Paneuro vehicles, artillery, and a Fencer (Ogre), were next in queue for the Challenge. 

(8 x 2) points of 6mm or 1:300 scale G.E.V.s are a modest 16 points. Add 20 points for Klendathu, an Invasion Gone Bad. Some of the classic scenarios from the game I remember playing include Raid and Ceasefire Collapse, deep, fast movements of luftpanzer forces that ultimately did not prevent the rise of the A.I. overlords during the Descartes Revolution. TOTAL = 36 POINTS

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Ogre Miniatures 6mm tanks and artillery - Challenge Submission # 7

"Ajax" Missile Tanks (MSL) are another popular Paneuropean armour unit. Their missiles hit hard and at a longer range than their fellow Paneuropean G.E.V.s and Heavy Tanks. However, the Missile Tank's amour is lackluster, and they are slow. This entry includes a couple of platoons of Ajax's. 

The "Arquebus" Howitzer (HWZ) is the heaviest hitter in the Paneuropean arsenal, excepting only their own Ogres and actual nuclear cruise missiles. Long ranged, but immobile, there was a time when Ogre players tried to devise the perfect "4-Howitzer Defense". A combined arms force of various tanks, G.E.V.'s, and infantry is probably a better bet. I have included a battery of 4 artillery pieces.

The Paneuropean "Thor" Superheavy Tank (SHVY) is almost like a miniature Ogre. Dual main armament that can be combined or fired separately, and some point defense anti-personnel batteries give it a lot of firepower. However, it's human crew is still subject to disablement with a non-fatal hit. I painted up a platoon of two of these beasts.

In the basic game of Ogre, the objective of the Ogre player is to destroy the Paneuropean Command Post (CP). To the Combine, destroying the centralized Command, Control, and Communication at such a brigade or divisional level is worth the loss of an Ogre. What the Ogres think of that is anyone's guess.  

After assembly, I primed all the units with GW Chaos Black, and laid in flat white zenithal highlighting with an airbrush. I used a couple of different tones for the base blue, glazing with washes of GW Drakenhoff Nightshade or Indigo oil paint. I then laid in highlights and details with oil paints, and did some light weathering with oils and powders. 

The relative size of the various units is shown against a Galahad G.E.V. 

(9 x 2) points of 6mm or 1:300 scale amour units (6 MSL, 2 SHVY, and 1 CP), plus 4 points for the 4-HWZ battery, makes for 22 points. Add 20 points for Cybertron (Robot(s). In the basic game of Ogre, all the powered armour infantry, various tanks, and artillery that the Paneuropean player fields are opposed to a single Combine  robotic supertank. And there is a more than even chance that the Ogre will win.

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This completes the contents of SJG's Ogre Miniatures Set 1, plus a couple of the "Thor" Superheavy Tanks from Set 2. Didn't quite finish the Paneuropean Fencer Ogre-class tank. Maybe in a couple of weeks. 

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Thanks again to Curt, Sarah, and all the Minions for a other great Challenge. I fell short of my rather modest 300-point goal, mostly due to work commitments. But, I was able to paint up a couple of my favourite Star Wars characters, and I finally finished these particular Ogre miniatures, which I had assembled back in 2019!

Ogre Miniatures - 6mm Combine Mk. III and Paneuro Mobile Infantry and Heavy Tanks - Painting Challenge Submission #1

I have played Steve Jackson's game Ogre since it was a Metagaming pocket game in the late 1970's. I even got a detention from the Principal at St, Paul's High School once, playing Ogre with a friend instead of attending study hall. 

For those unaware, the game is a fast playing sci-fi game pitting giant, A.I.-controlled atomic supertanks (the "Ogres") against futuristic combined arms forces consisting of various tanks, hovercraft, artillery, and powered Mobile Infantry. Each armour or infantry unit (or each Ogre subcomponent, like its main battery, or its tread units) has a rating for move, attack, and defense. A simple CRT gives odds for the results of (combined) attacks, which include destruction, disablement, or NE. Any reasonable Ogre attack will disable or eliminate a unit, but there are a lot of enemy units trying to slow it down and pull its teeth. 

The original vehicle designs, by Winchell Chung, have stood the test of time. The tall sensor tower of the North American Combine Ogres, and the sleek Paneuropean tanks and blowers, have become iconic. In recent years, Steve Jackson Games started producing 6mm scale plastic models of the various Ogres and Paneuropean ground forces. They have future plans to do Combine tanks, hovercraft, etc. 

My first Ogre is a Combine Mk. III.  To start my Paneuro collection, I completed a battalion of Mobile Infantry; each of the 42 models represents a single 4-6 man squad, and each of the 14 3-model stands is a platoon. They are supporting 8 Heavy Tanks; fast, hard hitting AFV's, whose sole weakness is the relatively short range of their tac nuke shells.

After assembly, I primed all the units with GW Chaos Black, and laid in flat white zenithal highlighting with an airbrush. I went with a traditional Combine = red, Paneuro = blue paint schemes. For the Ogre Mk. III, the base red was accomplished with a light spray of Army Painter Dragon Red primer. I then laid in several glazes of GW Druchii Violet for shading. I painted highlights and some light weathering/damage using various artists' oils, especially Cadmium Red, Cadmium Scarlet, Cadmium Yellow, and Peach Black.

For the Paneuropean forces, the base blue of the tanks and infantry consisted of several washes of GW Drakenhoff Nightshade. I then laid in highlights and details with oil paints, and did some light weathering with powders. The infantry bases were finished with GW Martian Ironcrust, to simulate the blasted landscape of the Ogre Designer's Edition map board (seen in a couple of the photos).

The relative sizes of the Paneuropean models against my Combine Ogre Mark III can be seen in the comparison photos. I had actually prepped the Ogre for last year's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XII, but only started painting it last month; it does not count for this year's Challenge, only the tanks and MI do. 

I have assembled all the models in Ogre Miniatures Set 1, to which set all the above models belong. Next to be painted for Ogre Miniatures are an Ogre Mk.V, some GEVs (armed hovercraft), Missile tanks, Howitzers, and a Command Post. From Ogre Miniatures Set 2 I also have in queue a few Paneuropean heavy units, a couple of Super Heavy Tanks and an Ogre variant, a missile-rack armed Fencer. Check out all the OIgre Miniatures models available from SJG  here:  http://www.warehouse23.com/products?taxons%5B%5D=558399032-sb

Anyways, (42 x 0.5) points of 6mm  Mobile Infantry, and (8 x 2) points of 6mm Heavy Tanks should come in at  a modest 37 points for The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XII. Add 20 points for Caprica (Doomed). The mark of a good Ogre player is how they handle their infantry, but the poor bloody MI are going to die as fast as you send them in, Bi-Phase Carbide battle armour notwithstanding. This should total 57 points for my first entry into this year's Challenge.