Muscle Car Apocalypse

puddingwrestler · January 18, 2011, 06:11:05 PM

While mucking around trying to find some cars the right size for wargames terrain (see TFH for the results!) I noticed how many 1/32 scale diecats cars there are out there, and at quite affordable prices. This got me to thinking, and I ended up writing a set of post apocalyptic road rally death wargames rules called 'Muscle Car Apocalypse' which are still undergoing refinements.
But here's the first batch of models for the game. Part of the infamous wastelands gang 'Herman's Germans', we have here Hans (A driver with pistol and knife), Heinrich (A fighter with SMG and Molotov) and Hans's Hot Rod (A coupe with extra armour, window armour and a tuned engine).
The car is a 1940 Ford COupe I got ages ago while building 1/32 scale custom japanese cars as a parts donor, but never used. I've removed the interior, glass and bumpers and fitted plasticard armour. The chassis is screwed on and the opening doors and bonnet have been glued shut. The boot, despite looking like it should open was actually riveted on.
Figures are Tamiya ww2 germans with minor modifications. Later gangs will be a bit more inidividualistic - I've ordered some alternate heads (some of which have outrageous moustaches and bowler hats!).
This was a quick little project - if I'd had more cars I could easily have made about four in a day.

This decal got damaged so I had to repaint parts of it...

The paint on the figures is a bit glossy, I'll hit it with matt varnish.

AXU · January 19, 2011, 02:01:05 AM

Excellent !

Can you put more pictures?

puddingwrestler · January 19, 2011, 02:06:24 PM

When I have more built I will post more pics.
I have four more cars on the way from various sources; A 55 Chevy convertible, a 57 Chev Cameo pickup, a Ford Anglia of unspecified vintage and a 55 Packard Caribbean. I have rough plans for all of them.
I'm hoping to get some play test games in in about a fortnight and I'll take pics then as well.

arkon · January 19, 2011, 04:32:39 PM

there was a board game for "mad max" style car mayhem, cant remember the name but ill try to find it.

pyro-manic · January 19, 2011, 05:11:59 PM

Games Workshop did one many, many years ago. I can't remember what it was called now, but they had a demo game of it at Games Day/Golden Demons a few years back (2006 I think). Looked quite fun.

puddingwrestler · January 19, 2011, 09:30:30 PM

Pyro is refering to Dark Future, which can be aquired for free from GW. The miniatures are, of course, just about impossible to find.
The boardgame could be one of several.

Well, three new victims arrived by post today, and I popped over to Korumburra (the next town down the highway) where I found a 1/32 VW Kombi and a 49 ford custom in the newsagent(!).
So I'm building a road pirate battle bus. I doubt it's be that effective in game since it's so expensive you have all your eggs in one basket, but it'll be fun to try out!

And soon I shall build the mightiest Ford Anglia ever seen! Mwahahahahahahaha!

Mossie · January 20, 2011, 02:51:02 AM

I remember Dark Future, it was coming on line right around the time I was reading White Dwarf & there were many articles on it. You can download a PDF the GW site, it's a pretty heafty file & includes the White Dwarf articles. You can even print out the tracks & templates & such, of course you'd need to find the models or substitute similar ones.
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?community=&catId=cat1290025&categoryId=1100014&aId=5300012&_requestid=780704

Gotta love anything with a post apocalyptic feel to it, hope you do some more PW.

RotorheadTX · January 20, 2011, 04:51:02 AM

Quote from: arkon on January 19, 2011, 04:32:39 PM
there was a board game for "mad max" style car mayhem, cant remember the name but ill try to find it.

In the good ol' ancient days Steve Jackson Games produced 'Car Wars'. It was later rolled up into GURPS, IIRC.

Captain Canada · January 20, 2011, 05:06:45 AM

I have no idea what you guys are on about, but that's one cool looking car ! I look forward to seeing more !

puddingwrestler · January 20, 2011, 01:29:37 PM

I've got Car Wars. THe ultimate super edition thingee which combined all the previously seperate expansions etc. I got it at the opshop for $5. It's a touch cumbersome in my opinion and the scale is sooooooo small...

The battlebus and police interceptor are being painted now.

puddingwrestler · January 21, 2011, 10:29:46 PM

I'm giving it a roof mounted, shielded MG.
But I am also going to do strange and wonderous things up front.
Strange and wonderous I tell you!

puddingwrestler · January 22, 2011, 07:10:15 PM

Went to the Victorian Hot Rod show today, and scored a pair of 1/32 diecasts from one of the vendors. A 1970 Mustang (whith shaker hood), and a 59 Cadillac Convertible. In hot pink. Naturally.
Interestingly,the caddie is almost the same length as a Tamiya 1/35 SdKfz 251 half track troop carrier

puddingwrestler · January 24, 2011, 05:34:33 PM

I've now got three finished cars, two mroe on the bench, and a bunch or figures on the bench. I'll try to post pics tonight of the highway patrol interceptor and battle bus with magnetic crew.

Weaver · January 25, 2011, 07:03:45 PM

Quote from: puddingwrestler on January 20, 2011, 01:29:37 PM
I've got Car Wars. THe ultimate super edition thingee which combined all the previously seperate expansions etc. I got it at the opshop for $5. It's a touch cumbersome in my opinion and the scale is sooooooo small...

The battlebus and police interceptor are being painted now.

I've got a crate full of Car Wars stuff up the attic, and I think I used to play the pocketbox version of it more than anything else at school (with the possible exception of Ogre). I always liked the way players could have a hand in the game's evolution by coming up with new weapons and systems and sending them into SJG: the best ones got printed as official rules additions in the "Uncle Albert's" section of their Autoduel Quartely magazine.

puddingwrestler · January 29, 2011, 06:00:15 PM

Behold further insanity! I play-tested MCA on saturday, and as a result made some modifications to the rules. I also took some photos of the current MCA car and figure collection:

The mighty Road Pirate Battle Bus!

Which retains it's might when seen from behind!

The gunner's are fitted wtih magnets to hold their torsos to thier legs when not mounted to the bus.

Magnets which work from both directions! (cunningly... well, accidentally, I stuck the two sets of magnets in different directions, so you can't fir the wrong torso to the wrong legs!)

And here we see the partially completed Herman's Germans main car with magnificently magnetized minions!

The San Armageddon Police Department Highway patrol...

Which patrols in both directions (and sometime even sideways!)

And here we behold in shock and awe the mighty cow-catcher of the Ford Anglia!

Featuring a mighty oil-tank for porducing those nasty, tricksy oil slicks!

And here we see the whole collection, including those which have not been worked on (or worked over) yet. Front row, L-R:
Ford Anglia (Sedan; Window armour, Bulldozer, Pintel MG, Oil Droppers), Hans' Hotrod (Coupe, Window Armour, Extra armour, tuned engine), Happy Herman's Go Buggy (Convertible; Ram spike, tuned engine, oil droppers), Road Pirate Battle Bus (Ram bar, 2X Pintel MG, window armour), SAPD Highway Patrol (Coupe, Mounted MG).
Back row, L-R:
'59 Cadillac Convertible, '55 Packard Caribbean Convertible (with working steering!), '70 Mustang Mach 1, '57 Chevy Cameo.

And now a battle report-y thing on the playtest game:
Herman's Germans, under my command took part in a skirmish against a gang lead by my mate Pete. Pete took Roadsters (we proxied the two bi convertibles since we didn't have any roadsters, so they were about twice as long as they should've been

) and a Pickup. Due to some faults in the rules, which have since been fixed, I massacred almost all of the Pickup's crew on the first turn. Things did settle down and become more even after this with fairly heavy casualties on both sides. A high point was when Herman the German, who was on fire due to being hit by a molotov, boarded one of the roadsters, and killed the fighter in the passenger seat, before himself succumbing to the flames. This left his own car vulnerable as no one else in it could drive when Pete killed the driver, causing the car to go out of control...
As a result there have been various rules tweaks. Which you should obviously read. And then you should get yourself a gang together and beat up other gangs - the rules are now available for free on Terrain For Hippos! Tell your freinds! Tell your family! Tell your goldfish!

Muscle Car Apocalypse

RotorheadTX