Fjodin’s new 15mm Miniatures for the SHM Range
I have known Fjodin (I call him Nick) really since the first month after the SHM Range began on 15mm.co.uk. A young and fierce design talent he lives in Australia and though we have never met we speak fairly often by email and I enjoy his blog too. He has taken a real shine to the creatures of deep space and told me quite a while ago that he intended to sculpt as many of them as he could manage so that his vision of alien life would make it to the wargaming world. This is what the SHM range is all about. I doubt any miniature company except 15mm.co.uk (I am very responsive to industry and customer feedback, just read this ) would have looked at what will end up being a dozen unarmed creatures of all types and said ‘we will take a risk on these’. It is a shame that a lot of existing and new 15mm ranges consist of nothing but more ruddy human soldiers in powered armour.
My plan is to release all of Fjodin’s designs into SHM as single miniatures but also as packs for wargamers and even just painters to pick up and adore because they are quite simply lovely. Examine the image above, each of these creatures could very well be treading or oozing across the dirt of a world under a different sun right now. In wargaming terms they will all feature in my next USE ME project ‘Alien Safari’ which is a solo game system seeing a group of hunters or soldiers trying to capture or evade random critters. Fjodin actually inspired me to want to write this set of rules based on these creatures.
Fjodin left it up to me to name these creatures and so I have done so right here on this blog. They are, from left to right, as follows:
SHM44 Nessian
SHM45 Slurmite
SHM46 Avarep Cobra
SHM47 Galdor Burrower
The miniatures in the picture were painted by Eve Hallow and he did a great job I think as he had no idea and no instructions from myself or Fjodin on what these critters looked like!
These SHM codes are out at the end of this week on 15mm.co.uk.
GBS
Nice to see these being released. They truly are great miniatures and a real joy to paint. Can’t wait to pick up another set and do some variant colour schemes.
Eve
That will be Friday Eve for the public release. Comments on the Notables Yahoo Group praising your painting already. Plus Eli has already converted his Slurmite.
GBS
I love these designs and just received some in the flesh!
You are so right about the industry and how it lacks much of the window-dressing that makes science fiction what it is. A lot of this can be converted and cobbled together, but guys like Fjodin are cutting out new paths into unexplored territory.
-Eli
Thanks Eli. Guys like you and Fjodin are doing what I had hoped with the SHM range; creating sci-fi that is new and exciting and off the path. So let’s dress the windows…lots more to come in 2012.
GBS
Fjodin did a great job sculpting these! Eve’s paint job really brings them to life! Like the sound of USE ME Alien Safari. I’ll definitely need to buy that once it’s released. It’s awesome that 15mm.co.uk encourages up and coming artists to share their visions of alien lifeforms, and to make those visions available to the gaming public in white metal! You are putting fun back into sci-fi wargaming!
Thanks Maj!
We do our best.
I am working on Alien Safari but its slow going, not hard, but so much on its taking me ages!
GBS
Thanks, always nice to hear my painting is appreciated.
Eve
Fully support all the comments about these delightful critters, and Eve’s painting. Great news about the Use Me Alien Safari game/rules – possible starter set with some PDF print-and-assemble terrain to follow, maybe? (There’s got to be something for the beasties and/or their hunters to hide behind, after all.)
As for “a lot of existing and new 15mm ranges consist of nothing but more ruddy human soldiers in powered armour”, it ain’t just in 15mm! Presumably these are what other folks think will sell, but they’re not selling them to me!
Hello Alastair,
Thanks for your comment. I am spending spare moments on USEME AS as time allows. As for 2D scenics, you are more the man for that than I, those inter-war vehicles you made up for USEME are really nice.
Suits me to be honest..everyone loves 15mm.co.uk for its different approach to wargaming. Besides if you have HOF Retained Knights, what else do you need.
GBS