Stalking Death

Painted 15m Chuhuac Special Ops Sniper

Hey folks,

Today, I had a chance to have fun with one of my absolute favorite miniatures from the Chuhuac range. The figure is the sniper from RAP005 Chuhuac Special Ops.

RAP005 Chuhuac Special Ops 

I wanted to paint him in a color scheme that was more subdued than the one shown in the catalog pictures which are designed to show the figure clearly.

Today's project was designed to really display the sniper in action. He's in cover, in a position where he can hunker down with his accelerator gun to support the rest of his team as they move forward.

 

This miniatures and others can be found - HERE

Enjoy!

-Eli

Mr. Harold's Mini Review - 15mm.co.uk Loud Ninja Games Space Raptors

Mr. Harold of ClearHorizon Miniatures was kind enough to review the entire 15mm Chuhuac range on his regular video review channel on YouTube.

Thanks,

Mr. H!

Loud Ninja Games at Salute 2014

Hey all you UK conventioneers!

We here at Loud Ninja Games are happy to announce that, while we will not be at the convention ourselves, our partners at 15mm.co.uk are going to be carrying us to Salute 2014 (http://www.salute.co.uk/salute/salute-2014/). Come see us at their stand, TF07.

So, if you haven't got your claws on any 15mm or 28mm Chuhuac, come on by and let Gavin Syme and his mates help you put some dinosaur goodness onto your sci-fi gaming tables.

Thanks,

-Eli

Loud Ninja Games Open for Business!

Today marked the opening of our LNG store page at the 15mm.co.uk site. Our partners have set us up with a lovely little home there from which we can provide our products to both sides of the Atlantic with incredible service.

From here on out, this will be the place to find all your LNG product needs, Chuhuac and otherwise. 

-Eli

Tomorrow is the Day!

Tomorrow, March 10th, we open for business on the LNG page at the 15mm.co.uk site. Please feel free to stop by and look over the entire range of Chuhuac miniatures available for regular purchase for the very first time. 

Looking forward to having you there!

-Eli

Space Raptors Spring on the Scene Soon!

We are happy to announce that the Chuhuac will soon be available for sale. It's been a long haul but that amazing time is upon us. Our partners at 15mm.co.uk will be opening the Loud Ninja Games page on their site, Monday March 10th 2014!

Here is a listing of the codes we will be putting up on Monday:

RAP001 Chuhuac Troopers (6)

RAP002 Chuhuac Leaders and Support Weapons (6)

RAP003 Chuhuac Command Section (4)

RAP004 Chuhuac Herdmaster (1)

RAP005 Chuhuac Spec Ops (6)

RAP006 Chuhuac Assault Troopers (6)

RAP007 Chuhuac Battlesuits (2)

RAP008 Sirrus APC (1)

RAP009 Chuhuac Grav Bikes (3)

RAP010 28mm Chuhuac Alphas (3)

RAP011 28mm Chuhuac Troopers (3)

There are also bigger packs that offer savings and ready made platoons and wings:

RAP007P Chuhuac Battlesuit Section (6)

RAP008P Sirrus APC Platoon (3)

RAP009P Chuhuac Grav Bike Wing (9)

RAP001P Chuhuac Platoon (28)

RAP004P Chulhuac Herd (75)

Wow! That's eleven codes and five unit pack offers right out the gate!

We're super excited to finally have made it to this point. Thanks to each and every one of the Kickstarter backers, friends, family and our partners at 15mm.co.uk for all the support and faith in Loud Ninja Games and the Chuhuac. This is just the beginning!

Sincerely,

Eli & The LNG Crew

At Last!

ALL PLEDGES HAVE BEEN SHIPPED!

I am happy to report that each and every pledge has been shipped.

This brings to an end a very long and winding journey. I almost feel like I should be throwing a ring into a volcano or something right now. Fortunately, I had 100+ Sam Wises to keep me company along the way. You have all been great and I think you, dare I say it, from the bottom of my heart.

So, following the greatest adventure analogy, where do we go from here?

Well, there are other journeys, other adventures. The first order of business will be getting the Chuhuac into general release. Gavin already has the LNG retail website in place, but so far it is empty and waiting for me to tell him that all packages are away. I am hoping that the Chuhuac will have been released for general sales by the time Salute comes around. While I cannot be there, it is a HUGE convention and having my creations there will be so cool.

Next there will be the Ikwen. These already got leaked in a previous comment by a backer, but they will be the second alien species released by LNG. Sculpted by Roderick Campbell of Highlander Studios, these will be a very different sort of alien from the Chuhuac. I was hoping to have these ready by Salute, but that may be pushing it.

After that, who knows what I'll get up to. I have some of my own sculpting to throw into the mix, including some post-apocalyptic mutants, some new aliens and I will continue to work with other talented artists bringing to life more of my designs. Andreas Udby and I have been working on finishing the 3D Designs for Chuhuac air units and a light attack vehicle and so there are some future releases for the Chuhuac in store.

Again, thank you all for your endurance and I hope to see each and every scythe-toed, scaly bastard painted up and on a table someplace.

ScrreeeeeeEeeeeee!!!

-Eli Arndt

Overstock Add-Ons

Hey everyone,

As noted on the Kickstarter page, we ended up with some overstock items. Also, as mentioned, we wanted to offer these to our Kickstarter backers as a way to get their hands on some of those little bits they wish they had ordered more of.

Why are we doing this?

Well, to be honest, to help with shipping costs.

How does selling more product help with shipping costs?

The Chuhuac Kickstarter campaign cost more than planned and we find ourselves at a bit of a loss for the shipping costs. It will take a bit for us to cover then early $2000 in shipping costs for the Kickstarter alone. As Loud Ninja Games has yet to open for regular retail sales, we have not brought in any additional revenue since the Kickstarter. So, to help speed things up and cover some of those shipping costs, we can sell the overstock items and apply the sales directly to overall shipping costs. A few additional items added to the orders won't tip the costs of their shipping tremendously.

So, how will this all work?

Rather than write out a list of everything we have left and create a mad dash for the goods, we figured we would invite you all to email us at loudninjagames@gmail.com with any requests for additional products. These will be supplied on a first come, first served basis while supplies last. Once we have a chance to sort out the orders, we will then send off PayPal invoices (sorry this is the only way for us to take payments at this time). Once payment has been made, the items will be added to the sorted orders.

How long will we be doing this?

Requests for last minute add-ons will continue until all stock is gone or February 1st, 2014, whichever comes first.

So, can we give you any hints as to what we have left?

Yes, the main things we have available are RAP 001 Troopers, RAP 002 Heavy/Leaders, RAP 008 Sirrush APC. We also have some of the RAP 005 Commandos and RAP 009 Jet Bikes. 28mm fans will be happy to know we have quite a few RAP 010 28mm Squad left. There are other items available but in very limited quanitites and we are completely out of RAP 007 Battlesuits.

What will I be charged?

For these add-ons, we will be charging the Kickstarter rates. So this is a great chance to get some items before they hit retail and regular pricing. Many items may not remain structured or priced the same in retail as we now have a better idea of their production costs and will be adjusting pricing to come in line with those. Included below is a list of codes and their Kickstarter prices (some items may not be available) -

·         RAP-001 Troopers (6 fig) - $6.00

·         RAP-002 Leaders/Weapons (6 fig) - $6.00

·         RAP-003 Command Section (4 fig) - $5.00

·         RAP-004 Herdmaster (1 fig) - $1.25

·         RAP-005 Commandos (6 fig) - $6.00

·         RAP-006 Troopers Assaulting (6 fig) - $6.00

·         RAP-007 Battlesuits (2 fig) - $10.

·         RAP-008 Sirrush APC (1) - $10

·         RAP-009 Attack Bikes (3 fig) - $10.00

·         RAP-010 28mm Squad (6 fig) - $25.00

Remember to please send your requests ONLY to loudninjagames@gmail.com. Requests not sent to that email will not be considered.

Thank you all for considering adding to your orders to help us cover the costs of shipping!

-Eli

They Didn't Eat The Mailman

51kg of Space Raptory Goodness

These hurtled across the pond. Sent on Monday, they are on my doorstep by Wednesday the same week. I haven't even opened them at the time of this update. I find myself gripped by a mix of excitement and apprehension.

As the "young people" like to say, "Stuff just got real" :)

More soon,

-Eli

Progress Report

A recent update from my pals over at 15mm.co.uk informs me that the production run for the Chuhuac "Space Raptors" Kickstarter is as approximately 70% of total production. Even cooler, some of the smaller production runs are completely done. This means it won't be long before I am buried in metal space raptors and going mad trying to get them out in the post.

Soon....very soon...

-Eli

The Future of LNG

I realize, with the Chuhuac Kickstarter yet to be fulfilled and the range's retail release still pending, that it may seem odd to discuss the future of Loud Ninja Games, but there is a future and I would like to talk about that. 

Despite the stumbles and slumps in getting things going, the mindset here has always been for us to turn Loud Ninja Games into another place you can find new and interesting miniatures in an ever-expanding product line. To this end, we have been working to develop future ranges and expansions on the Chuhuac. I have also given thought to the best way for me to present our products to the public and to make sure they are available across the widest area possible. 

So, let's take a look at some of what is in store. 

RETAIL FUTURE 

Before there was a Loud Ninja Games, I had established a working and friendly relation with Gavin Syme ate 15mm.co.uk.. In many ways Gavin has been a major influence in my growth as a sculptor and my development into a miniatures entrepreneur. When it came to considering how I wanted to go about selling my line of figures to the gaming public, he was the obvious person to turn to. The end result is an agreement between Loud Ninja Games and 15mm.co.uk in which Gavin and crew will become the retail source for my line in 2014. 

Why did I go this route?

It comes down to simple resources and customer service. 15mm.co.uk is an established company with myriad ranges across a number of subjects and scales. They have in-house mold-making, casting, packaging and retail facilities. Add to this my trust and existing working relationship as well as their knack for serving worldwide customers with quick and fair shipping and it really wasn't much of a decision.

Why not do it myself?

As much as I'd like to, I really cannot and would rather not have to mire myself and my family down trying to manage inventory, sales, packaging and shipping. 15mm.co.uk will be able to keep stock on the shelves, shipping going smooth and a clean and well-managed retail site. I'll still maintain creative control as well as marketing and promotional interests and in return I'll collect a percentage of the sales. Loud ninja Games is still a brand and I'm still in control of that brand, but I've got a big brother (so to speak) in the industry that can help me make it work.

FUTURE OF THE CHUHUAC
The Chuhuac are a range of minis I have wanted to make forever. I have a host of ideas for them, most of which came to fruition in the Kickstarter. Still, there are more troop types and vehicles I would like to add to this range.

Now, allow me to be a bit tentative here, if I may. Just because I would like to make something, doesn't mean the opportunity will present itself or that it would be a good idea. I'll have to see where the market goes with these dino dudes before making any final decisions. Of all the designs I am sure would be well-received, a flying vehicle like a dropship or gunship and a light tank are at the top of the list. After this, new troop types may be in the future and even more vehicles, but that really comes down to how things shape up for the Chuhuac.

Here are a couple of WIP images of what we are planning for our vehicles...

The light attack vehicle in its most basic shape.

And, the gunship/dropship in some very early WIP renders.

FUTURE RANGES
My vision for the LNG brand has never been about a one-shot with the Chuhuac and then let it ride. I've had host of new species ready in my notebooks for ages and all of them are at least runners up for inclusion in this line as miniatures. The exact order in which they will be released, really depends on how things shape up for the company. Smaller, easier to release ranges and one-offs are always doable while larger, more involved ranges will absolutely have to bide their time or wait for a windfall. I can, however, show you the NEXT release, already in early development.

Meet the Ikwen...

I don't want to say too much about these odd alien humanoids, but these images show off some of their more interesting features. Please, don't pay too much attention to the weapons as they are really just placeholders for the final weapons. More on them as they develop, but they will be released in 2014, hopefully in the first half of the year.

So, there you have it. LNG is definitely thinking forward and the new year will bring new shiny toys from us to you.

Thanks,

-Eli

More Painted Examples of the Chuhuac

Hey folks,

Just a quick update to the blog to show off the latest crop of painted samples that were sent my way from my partners at 15mm.co.uk. Their resident pro-painter has done a splendid job on all of these and I think he followed my notes very well. 

Herdmaster - a company level command figure carrying a staff of office which sports the preserved toe claw of on of the unit's historical elites.

Commandos - this single pack contains six Chuhuac and includes a leader , SAW gunner, and a sniper poised and ready to lay down some hurt with his accelerator gun. The commandos where lighter armor and stealth packs that mask their biometrics as well as provide them with optical camouflage (yes, invisibility).

Chuhuac in HTH - These six minis have been posed in various crouching, slashing, biting and kicking poses and depict what a pack of these aliens would be like up close. Because they do not have weapons sculpted on them, it has been noted that they would work well as casualties, gunners, or even as possible vehicle crews. 

This picture shows how the Chuhuac scale up to one of the 15mm Ion Age miniatures. The Ion Age minis are in the larger category of 15mm figures and so you can see that the chuhuac are at a nice size to blend in with most range.

Chuhuac Battlesuits - These are a popular favorite. Each battlesuit comes with two SAW arms and two of each of three support weapons - Drone Missile Pod, Accelerator Cannon, and Heavy Plasma Gun (not shown). The chuhuac pilot is fully enclosed inside the armored body of the battlesuit and uses hi-tech sensors an micro-cams to interface with the outside. The Chuhuac use their battlesuits instead of support weapon teams, allowing them to keep their support weapons as mobile as their infantry. To the Chuhuac, speed and maneuvering is everything.

Grav Bikes - These miniatures are two-piece models with the rider's body sculpted on to the bike. There are three variant heads that can be glued on, allowing a bit of animation in the sculpts by adjusting the head positions. The pilots of these bikes steer with their tails which are in the rear section of the bike, leaving their hands free to control weapons and sensors. These bikes are used as scouts and for fast, local air support as each carries the equivalent of four (4) SAWs.

28mm Chuhuac Squad - Many folks had expressed a desire to see the Chuhuac in 28mm. While the main product line was conceived of as 15mm, I thought it would be nice to at least provide a 28mm squad. The 28mm squad is depicts a typical six-member pack of Chuhuac, including Alpha Leader, SAW, and a Plasma Gun.

These figures are a beautiful upscaling of the 15mm Chuhuac and are robust and sturdy models. All of the trooper heads are separate, allowing some minor variation by posing them. The Alpha's head is sculpted on depicts the greater amount of plumage the Chuhuac leaders display.

Here is a 28mm Chuhuac, posed next to a 28mm Ion Age miniature.

Chuhuac Preview Pics

Hey all!

This morning I received some preview puvs of the painted Chuhuac that will appear in the catalog at 15mm.co.uk. While these do not depict the entire range, they do show the potential for these critters.

-Eli 

Progress Report

Alright, so for those following along on the blog, I do apologize for the long time since the last post. There hasn't been a lot of interesting stuff to share with you all as we're really into the nitty-gritty of the slogging grunt work of bringing these miniatures to life.

Where are we at?

The current metal production of the Chuhuac stands at about 30% complete at last estimate (about a week ago). The casters report that they are finally getting the hang of the tricky casting and attention these minis demand and have managed to improve their success rate from 45% to 85%. This should speed things up a bit for the remainder of the production run and really makes them a bit more viable as a continuing retail product.

One of the major obstacles to the completion of the production run is that all those delays i ran into have dropped my production smack in the middle of one of the casting company's biggest releases ever, putting me to a secondary position behind their own product, a fact that I am okay with and understand. They have their own time tables and release schedule and while they are doing work for me, I am the one who is off schedule, not them. So, no sour grapes.

I have a set of minis being painted for the catalog shots right now and so should hopefully have some "living color" images to show you soon. I'm also waiting on a couple of sets of the production minis to look over myself. Call this a quality control as the last sets I saw were just the master bits. Though, to be honest, I have to admit I really have no worries about the quality. I just feel it's sort of the thing I should do as a responsible business guy.

We're getting there and the end is almost in site. Soon I'll be pulling my hair out trying to fill all those boxes!

Thank you for your continued support,

-Eli

APCs Have Arrived

Hello Raptor Fans,

The post man delivered these two lovely packages today. After a hair-raising delay, thanks to the USPS, the Sirrus APCs arrived about 9 days later than they should have with their 2-day Priority delivery. Each box weighs in at about ten pounds and was a densely packed.

The contents of the boxes were wondrous. Each box contained fours bags of 25 APCs each for a total of 100 APCs per box. This is what 200 APCs in the raw looks like. Each APC was individually packed in its own baggy with its six anti-personnel guns. Chris at Ravenstar Studios cast them up as a seamless single piece chassis fusing the separate bottom piece to the chassis with not a hint that they were separate.

The detailing on the APCs is crisp and the resin is nearly flawless with a wonderful finish that one expects in a quality gaming model. the pics below show the nifty details in all their splendor. Future note, that hexagonal roof details is likely going to be the anchor point for future weapons upgrades of the Sirrus. My hopes is to create some add-ons that will use the same sprue weapons as the battlesuits. I hope to offer them in two ways - full kits and mountings that will let you make use of un-used battlesuit weapons.

Space Raptors Invade Scotland!

I have been informed by, 15mm.co.uk, that all the metal masters have arrived and that the production molding for all the metal Chuhuac has begun. The details of the packs are set and we're discussing the retail future of the range.

At the same time, Ravenstar informs me that the molding on the resin APCs is nearly done and ready to deliver to me.

Once I have these two elements in hand, I will be able to set to the task of putting together the pledges and getting them out to your eager and VERY patient hands.

I am very excited to have finally reached this point in the project. It is long overdue and it's getting real fast!

Take care,

-Eli

Pictures of Masters

There have been some requests to see the metals being produced by this project. Currently all I have are master casts destined for the molds, so I cannot take pics of them with any sort of inking or shading on them. I have done my best, with the camera I have, to snap a few pictures that show how I have had to minimize the basing to get them to work in the molds.

I've also snapped a couple of really rough pictures of one of the trooper poses along side a few figures from other manufacturers to show their general size.

                                         

 Tacked on to some paces using adhesive putty

Khurasan Miniatures Exterminator, Armies Army Commonwealth, Chuhuac, Khurasan Miniatures Control Battalion  

GZG Crusty, GZG Daghaur, Chuhuac, Khurasan Garn, Khurasan Meso-Nai

Video Shout Out!

Chuhuac Support Units (Part One)- Battlesuits

Sheshrawl felt the hum of his battlesuit around him. Eyes darted about, keying in status checks as the on board AI analyzed the battlefield below. Firmly ensconced in the carry bay, he and his packmates were on their way to the ground to assist several other packs of the Caltheed Herd. 

The herd had been pinned down by their enemies and his saurian brothers were unable to maneuver away and make use of their speed. The AI on his suit had already received drop zone data from the AI on the Chathra dropper and he was figuring the best drop pattern to deploy his pack in. He would have to make sure that they didn't drop into the field of some of those big pulse cannons but he was going to make sure the enemy would start to pay it's tole as soon as claws hit ground. Nine and one enemy packs and one hand (3) of pulse cannons would have to be dispatched for optimal effect, but there were many more on the ridges overlooking the settlement where the Caltheed Herd had been ambushed. 

A klaxon sounded inside his armored cocoon, signalling the dropper was on final approach. His battlesuit AI warbled indicating it had completed its analysis and transmitted the data to his packmate's suits. Their combined AI network would maintain constant real-time analysis of their battle, feeding information to their pilots for optimal effectiveness on the field. Sheshrawl, felt his tail twitch, housed in the tail of the battlesuit and felt the feedback systems confirming his input, despite the tail being held by carry clamps. 

With the battlefield rising in his optical feeds, the sound of his packmates began to click and whistle. Thrask, goggled and clucked one of his usual jokes and the hissing and guttering of the packmates could be heard in appreciative response. Then, as quickly as the mirth had come, all went silent, the cunning minds of the predators in their metal avatars honing in on the imminent task. 

Lurching into a tight banked turn, the dropper's engines rose up in a growling cadence that vibrated through the hull and into the battlesuits it carried. Grav drives working overtime to bring the dropper into a controlled hover. Clamps released and freed the battlesuits in their carry bays, the only grip that of their talonned feet and the molecular adhesive pads in their soles and as the bays opened from beneath them, the battlsuit dropped down onto the battlefield amid theh ail of fire both friend and enemy...

CHUHUAC BATTLESUITS 

GENERAL DESIGN

Like many other Chuhuac designs, their battlesuits capitalize on their advanced technology and unique approach to the ergonomics of their species. At first glance, the battlesuits appear to be nothing more than large approximations of the species that constructed them, and this would not be an unfair assessment.

These weapons are designed to augment the abilities of the Chuhuac in ways that even their advanced biomechanical augmentation can accomplish. Incredible strength, heavier body armor and power enough to move at a speed comparable to that of Chuhuac infantry on the ground. Sensors and an on board AI, make the battlesuits incredible agile and aware, able to take in and process data at the speed of thought,s sometimes faster. Interpretive reflex systems, help protect pilots, kicking in intuitively when the AI detects a threat missed by the pilot. 

WEAPONRY

Weaponry is made up of two standard rapid-fire plasma guns, similar to those carried by the infantry as SAWs and two hard points on the back. These hard points can be given any number of loads to carry or left empty if a lighter mission role was desired. Standard weapons include: 

Heavy Plasma Cannon - Essentially a scaled up version of the infantry weapon, this weapon is capable of rapid-fire, launching scores of powerful plasma bolts down range to pin down the enemy, chew up light cover and destroy lighter vehicles and structures.

Particle Accelerator Cannon - The heavy-hitter for the battlesuits, this weapon fires an incredibly powerful beam of charged particles moving at near relativistic speeds. The impact caused by these particles is so great that they can disrupt the molecular bonds of a target. The resulting release of energy is usually rather dramatic and produces a spectacular light show as the target is rendered to pieces. 

Drone Missile Launcher - The primary indirect support weapon used by battlesuits in support of infantry, drone missiles are guided by the battlesuit's AI. through this control, the missiles can be directed to move around intervening terrain and impact in a variety of nearly limitless patterns. The payload on the missiles is also variable and consists of a flexible sort of proto-matter that can be set for varying degrees of solidity and instability. In this way, a single drone is capable of being used for anti-armor, high-explosive, fragmentation, air-burst and other roles simply by the pilot designating the needed mix of material properties.

OTHER SYSTEMS

The versatility of the Chuhuac battlesuits is one of their greatest attributes and in addition to the more common weapon loads, there are a host of other options utilized for specialize missions. Sensors, stealth systems, even gravitic jump motors have all been utilized in one mission or another. In space, they often employ thruster packs to allow for greater maneuverability. 

New Print for Chuhuac APC

The Chuhuac APC has had a bit of a refit.

While the original printing was good, the tech available for prints has improved while the project has been developing. I took advantage of this extra time to see if a few tweaks to the design and a new print might make a difference. I think it has.

The finished print gives you a really good idea of what a resin model of the vehicle will look like. The material used in these new prints has a similar weight, texture and consistency to the resin being used in good resin models.