The fellows over at
HAWK Wargames were kind enough to send the WWPD dudes some promo Dropzone Commander stuff, and we're eating it up! I received the UCM starter (I immediately went out and bought the PHR starter as well- what can I say?), and figured there's no better place to start than the core element of the game: the dropships!
The Condor is the workhorse medium dropship of the UCM.
[Flavor text from the Hawk Wargames Website]:
A lighter, faster cousin to the Albatross, the Condor is typically employed for spearhead operations. With a smaller transport capacity, it also finds extensive use with specialized sections that do not typically take to the battlefield in vast numbers. Designed with a similar philosophy to the Albatross, the Condor is a low cost unit with moderate armoured protection, and is best employed beyond the reach of enemy air defenses. Due to its higher combat speed, it is often called upon over the Albatross to ferry mechanized infantry formations to flashpoints. In any case, UCM military doctrine discourages the transport of over 30 men in a single unit. This limits the risk of high casualties should a dropship be lost, making the Condor the UCM’s premier infantry transport.
These were a lot of fun to paint! They're a strange plastic-like resin (I'm not sure what it's called, but it's a flexible resin). I had some problems with some details getting a bit muddled, but on the whole the casts were really quite good! cleanup and assembly was simple.
I spray coated them black, and then painted them in VALLEJO Cam. Olive Green (70894) (the same color I use for Russian armor in FoW- I tried to find a spray can of that color but they seem to be sold out everywhere still). The highlight is VALLEJO Russian Uniform (924). Then I added some gunmetal, red and blue bits, and black where appropriate.
Though their stands come with a neat adapter, I decided to magnetize them for the hell of it. Be careful assembling the stands- you need to push the post into the base. Be sure to apply the pressure evenly to keep one of the stands from snapping.
I found myself making lots of dropship noises and saying things like "We are in the pipe five by five" while painting these. I am looking forward to getting them on the table (hopefully alongside
Scott's excellently painted models).
