By Bryan
Normally you create objective markers for your army...but in this case, I had an idea for a set of objective markers I wanted to do so badly that I made an army to go with them! A couple of weeks ago I took you through my initial 1000pts of Afrika Korp, now I will show you the Indiana Jones themed objective markers for the army, and how you can go about doing this yourself.
"It belongs in a museum!"
Okay, first up, I am not the first imaginative hobbyist to think of linking the Indiana Jones films with their Afrika Korp army. I have seen some very cool examples in Flames of War and Bolt Action already. But if you are inspired, don't let that fact stop you. No doubt your take on things will be unique and will have your own twist. I really love the films and the idea of adding something a little light hearted to one of my Bolt Action platoons. By the time I had researched, collected, converted and painted this set of objectives, it really added something special to my army. Now my DAK had a purpose, I could really see them scouring the North African deserts for these ancient artifacts, on special orders from Berlin.
The Ark of the Covenant
This is my favourite objective and really is the centerpiece of the army. After all, "an army which carries the Ark before it, is unstoppable..." Well, let's hope so. This miniature comes as you see it. No converting and you can easily get your own from a small Australian company called Castaway Arts (scroll to the bottom of the accessories page). They have been around for many years, I remember meeting the owner/sculptor as a budding wargamer back in the 90's, great guy. You can pick up just the Ark by itself or get the German troops to carry it too. I painted the DAK the same as my painting guide here. The base was an old 60mm I had lying around and I added texture using polly filla from the hardware store and some gravel. I assembled it before painting and it wasn't hard to get in between the crew and Ark. As well as an objective I am also considering using the miniature to 'count as' a Flakvierling quad autocannon artillery piece. I figure the immobile and 16 'shots' could represent what would happen if the Ark was opened!
The Holy Grail & Dr Elsa Schnieder
Next you see here Dr Elsa Schnieder, and unlike the film, she has successful taken possession of the Holy Grail. To make this objective I searched around for a suitable female adventurer, finding many but settling on this one from Artizan Designs Thrilling Tales range. I did modify the miniature by taking off her pith helmet and swapping it for a DAK field cap. Some touching up was necessary around the hair with modelling putty. The Grail itself I made by finding odd bits from old plastic sprues and carving them to shape with a modelling knife. A suitably sized piece of real rock added to the base and the job is done.
Again, I am very happy with how Elsa turned out, and am considering using her as a Medic in the army. I figure the guys who fail to roll a 6 to be saved simply chose the wrong Grail cup! "He chose..poorly..."
Dr Jones
Okay, so who's going to stop my army from succeeding and allowing the Nazi armies from ruling the world? Dr Jones of course! I have modeled him to be both a single figure and and objective marker. The 60mm round base has a large crate on it, containing the lost Ark, with a bit of flat space to place Indy. The crate was made from balsa wood but it would be easier to find a resin crate from one of the many terrain manufacturers out there.
I deliberately chose the truck in the picture above as it looks more like the truck that transports the Lost Ark in the famous chase seen in Raiders than a normal Opel Blitz. It's the Henschel truck from Minairons. My Henschel truck isn't exactly the same and I have since found the exact truck is available from Company B, the Mercedes G3A truck, for those who want to be accurate.
The miniature I have used for Indy is the 'Kentucky Davies' from the Artizan Designs Thrilling Tales range. I have slightly modified him by adding his iconic bull whip using some green stuff modeling putty. Just roll the putty into a very thin sausage shape and curl as required. I let it dry and then cut out a chunk where his hand will hold it. I then glued it in place.
Ernst Toht
This villainous looking character provides the link between the DAK platoon and its objective marker set. Sent by the Fuhrer himself to ensure his forces secure these ancient and powerful relics for his own dastardly plans. Known to the troops simply as 'the man from Berlin', this figure again comes from the Thrilling Tales range. I didn't modify this miniature at all, and he comes as you see him. I run him as a member of my platoon's HQ section.
Da dada da da dada!
Now all that's left is to have some games with objective based missions. Instantly an extra layer of narrative is added just by having themed objective markers. I suggest giving some thought to your armies objective markers, can you make them tell a story? If you have some objectives of your own, post them up on the forum thread below and let's inspire some ideas for each other.
