Pulp Figures – Dangerous Dames

A couple of years ago, Bob Murch of Pulp Figures and Crucible Crush released a Kickstarter called ‘Dangerous Dames.’ It was an exciting concept, superbly done. The range has 33+ women in 1930’s clothing and gear, plus a sacrificial altar, a motorcycle with sidecar, exotic pets, and a pack of accessories. There is a mix of body types, and a refreshing lack of cleavage.

Now that they are no longer a Kickstarter, they have been released as a number of packs, each with a loose ‘theme,’ some more coherent than others. (And spread out through several of his ranges) These figures are a few from the release. I have made no effort to sort them by pack in the pictures.

The figures are crisp and clean, and the detail is easy to bring out. Mould lines are minimal. My painting doesn’t really do them justice.

First we have a pair of Adventurers flanking what I imagine as a Special Agent.

Our next selection is a trio suitable as Investigators, witnesses, or whatever you need.

Now we have another Adventuress, and a pair of two Women from the Mysterious East.

Finally we have an Investigator, a Scholar (with a suspicious-looking sculpture) and an Aviatrix.

Going through the Pulp Figures catalogue to count figures in the release, I was mostly struck by how many exciting figures I didn’t show. (Although a few are in other posts.)

Pulp Figures are always great. (I am a fan) and these are especially so. The Kickstarter was fulfilled quickly and with no problems, so the service was great too. Thoroughly recommended.

VBCW: The Rani’s Bodyguard

When fighting broke out, the young Rani of Kandibar brought her bodyguard to England to support the Crown. She has led these stalwart sons of the Empire herself, with no concern for her own safety.

Pulp Figures released a set of ‘Dangerous Dames‘ that contained The Rani. She cried out to be in my VBCW. The two figures with her are her personal bodyguard and her loyal Vizier, both figures from the ‘Thugs’ pack.

Although intended for my VBCW campaign, they will also prove useful in Pulp, Colonial, or VSF games – Will they be allies or enemies?

The bodyguard unit is WW1 Sikh infantry from Woodbine Designs. They come in packs of 10 assorted poses, available with either Sikh or Hindu heads. There are plenty of poses, so you probably won’t get two the same. (I specifically asked for only certain poses)

The fit is great, and they are a joy to assemble and paint.

NB: The region of ‘Kandibar’ is not my joke, I stole it. I stole it so long ago I don’t remember whose campaign I stole it from. All credit goes to the original author.

Pulp Figures Zulu Wars British

Bob Murch is one of the most talented sculptors around. He’s known for 1920’s Horror, SPACE 1889, Flint & Feather to mention a few. Lately he has expanded to Dark Ages with Saxons and Normans. (For more information try Pulp Figures or Crucible Crush.)

However, he has also recently released packs of ‘African Kingdoms‘ figures, Natives suitable for the Zulu Wars, and lovely they are! To go with these (Not yet released, but go check the site) he has sculpted Victorian British infantry. They are hefty 28mm, and remind me very much of the old Northwest Rebellion and SPACE 1889 figures – But they won’t mix well, being to a more modern scale. They are beautifully sculpted and proportioned, and would be marvelous if given to a better painter than me.

Not a lot more to say: They are single-piece castings with a variety of poses, and I really enjoyed painting them. In style, they are everything I like, and a subject I like. They are just lovely, satisfying figures.

That being said, they also took me back to a happier time, painting scads of Ral Partha British, and RAFM 1885 Canadians. They are great for Colonials and VSF alike. You want them.

VBCW: Spode’s Black Shorts

I wanted a unit based on Roderick Spode’s Black Shorts in the Jeeves & Wooster stories. I found a perfect base in The Crucible Crush 8th Army figures: Early war British equipment, and short trousers.

I had enough figures for two units. The first unit was built straight from the box. They were given black shorts and socks.

I put the figures with helmet covers in the second unit, and added helmet covers to their companions. This made for an easy way to tell the two units apart.

I also had two Bren gunners – A bit late for the period. So I converted them to Lewis gunners. I’m not thrilled with my Lewis guns, I may buy a couple and replace them.. someday…

The figures are lovely, and a joy to paint. With these and the Pulp Figures Highlanders, I really wish Bob had also done some inter-war/early war British infantry.

Pulp Figures: Jet Truppen

This is an unusual unit for me: I didn’t have any intended use for them, I just wanted them because damme, they are the coolest miniatures out there. They are from the Pulp Figures Weird Menace range.

The figures are sinister and threatening, and would look good even without the jet packs.

They are a scary-looking bunch.

VBCW: She-Wolves of the BUF

When I started building VBCW forces, I bought some BUF troops in side cap and jodhpurs. It struck me how much they resembled a bunch of troops I already had: The Pulp Figures She-Wolves.

I already had many of these figures, and they were painted to match the police in a SF campaign I was running. Rather than repaint them, I chose to put my BUF troops in blue uniforms.

I picked up enough figures to make a unit. They are armed mostly with MP38s. This SMG is just outside the VBCW period, but I just ignore that fact.

The unit has an officer and an NCO, and several extra figures not shown – There are several packs of She-Wolves, including a unit builder.

The figures are well sculpted and cast, and the service is great.

I have a few extras from other manufacturers. Left to right:  A converted Moonraker Future Warrior, a Hinterland trooper, and an Artizan Designs miniature.

VBCW: Pulp Figures Mounties 3

A while ago, I made a 10-man RCMP unit for a friend in the UK. I used Pulp Figures Mounties, and I think it turned out well. So much so, I copied it and made one for myself.

But when I was thinking about a unique unit for VBCW, I realized that I wanted the RCMP musical ride. I was making various units based on old Britains toys, and I remembered the Britains Mountie fondly.

First of all, I had to obtain 10 ‘Sgt Prestown of the Yukons.’

He comes armed with a Winchester rifle – A carbine would probably be more likely than a lance, but I wanted my musical ride sweeping the field. So I trimmed away the rifles, and drilled the hands to take lances.

The lances were made from floral wire, and the pennants are paper. I printed the outlines in pale grey and pink, then painted them once they were attached to the lances.

The unit would also probably be wearing khaki serge, and you could paint them that way. But I wanted scarlet.

Photos of the ride shows them riding very dark brown horses, but the old Britains Mountie that inspired all this was riding a black, so my horses are also blacks.

The coats on the figures are rather brighter than my phone seems to show.

The figures were a joy to paint and assemble. I am very pleased with the way the unit turned out.

 

VBCW: Pulp Figures Scots

(Apologies to Bob Murch, I originally titled this as ‘Pulp Miniatures’ – Sorry)

I started collecting forces and terrain for VBCW gaming after reading AAR’s on the ‘View From the Hill‘ blog, and many discussions with the author.

I recently picked up several packs of figures appropriate for VBCW from Pulp Figures. Mainly known for packs of Pulp Personalities, they are also a good source for various Inter-War troops that cannot be found elsewhere.

These are my Highlanders, painted to match the old Britains Swoppets and Herald Khaki Infantry. I loved them in my youth, and I love the look even now. They are fielded in a 10-man unit.

These are the poses used, without duplicates. They are well-detailed, essentially flash-free, and are a joy to paint. They scale well with my various other VBCW figures.

I also have a Tommy Gunner and a Vickers gunner – I can swap one or both into the unit to give it a bit of ‘punch.’

Otherwise they are attached to the Headquarters.

In case it’s not obvious, I recommend these figures to one and all.

Bob has also sculpted a set of 8th Army miniatures that match perfectly in scale and style, that I will be using to make Spode’s Black Shorts. These are available from Crucible Crush.

Figures used:

PBT 12 Highland Infantry Command

PBT10 Highland Infantry Rifles

PBT11 Highland Special Weapons

PHP18 Rugged Sons of the Empire

Pulp Figures Mounties 2

 

Back in 2017, I painted a set of Pulp Figures  PYP05 ‘The Scarlet Patrol for my friend Doug’s VBCW campaign. Since then, they have saved the day so many times that we felt the force should be increased to a full 10-man unit.

Like all Pulp Figures castings, they were well-designed, well-cast, and a pleasure to paint.  I’m actually a bit jealous, because they look pretty spiffy on the table.

The pictures don’t do them justice, my camera is not giving good results. This is frustrating, as I have waited months for picture-taking weather.

The figures I had already sent have one figure with a pistol, plus four riflemen. The guy with the pistol takes care of unit command, but we need to up-gun the force. This needed a bit of delicate surgery, so I bought a fine razor saw at Lee Valley Tools.

 

The figure with a pistol had his right arm removed with my new saw, and replaced with the rifle arm taken from the standing figure with Winchester. It was a simple conversion, but quite effective.

The next conversion was not as easy.

I removed both arms from the standing figure, being careful to not damage the hat under his arm. I removed the hat from his arm, sanded the base of the hat and extended the brim a bit with putty, and fitted it to his head.

It doesn’t look all that great, so I think I’d have been better just attaching the crown, and making a new brim from plastic card.

The weapon arms came from a sailor figure: I cut the arms away from the body (with my new saw!) and worked the Lewis gun free. I then used files and a Dremel to remove netal from the inside section of the gun. I wanted the arms and gun as a unit to ensure the gun looked natural, and not like a random bit glued in place.

When the arms and gun fit, I slid them into place and added a drop or two of glue. There was very little filling needed. Some putty was used to make gauntlet cuffs.

They are based on 3/4 in (20mm) OD fender washers, covered with glue and sand.

So now Doug will have a complete unit, with a little more ‘kick.’ I’ll ask him for a photo of the unit all together.

Update June 5, 2019: Doug sent a picture of the unit all together!

See also: Pulp Figures Mounties

See also: The View From the Hill

Pulp Figures Mounties

This is Pulp Figures‘ pack PYP05 ‘The Scarlet Patrol.’ Although intended for the Canadian Yukon, they can also serve (painted khaki) as dismounted Canadian troopers in the Boer War. They are well sculpted, and paint up really well.

I painted them as a gift for a friend, reinforcements for his VBCW forces (As seen on his blog, ‘The View From The Hill’) A group of sharpshooting Colonials was just what they need to tip things in their favour.

I also found a pair of souvenir zinc-cast Moose in the local dollar store. They are well-detailed, and a good size for 28mm. At one dollar each, they would be an economical source of mounts for a fantasy unit of some sort.

I didn’t send them off with the Mounties, I kept them for my Flint & Feather natives to hunt.