Thursday 31 July 2014

IMP12 Starvaulter Instructor free miniature for August 2014


“Its been a year since we began the space opera dream of The Ion Age so I want to give our friends and customers something special for the anniversary twelfth free monthly miniature.  What should it be?  How about something that's coming in the next twelve months?  Yes.  Good idea.  I know just the thing.  Spoken of in the fiction of the Prydian Civil War and hinted at in quests and adventures and in fact the best of the best when it comes to Human warriors.  The Starvaulters.  Sitting at the top of the military tree for the Prydian Army but actually answerable to the Aeddan Council on New Glastonbury Tor the Starvaulters are proper Space Knights.  Obeying the Code Gallant they take up quests which bring them into contact with foes as diverse as Marcher Barons, The Khanate Empire, The Zin and aliens as yet unknown.  I am sure they pass on their combat knowledge to the ranks of the Retained as instructors.  A fitting birthday treat for IonFans.” 

The IMP12 Starvaulter Instructor is August 2014's free miniature which is automatically put into every order at the rate of one per order of any value.  It can also be bought in any amount too on the monthly IMP page of the website.  Starvaulters are master warriors who have proved their mettle.  Wearing MkVIII Alwite armour and carrying a Valerin 3MW Laser Rifle the instructor is minus his helmet and instead shows the long hair that mark out his kind.  Designed by Sam Croes he is to be the first of many.  About  18mm tall he is a big fellow and bulky in his armour. too   A real character. This miniature is a fine addition to any 15mm science fiction collection for any game system.

So this is the last month in the first year of the free monthly miniatures series.  I am already looking back at the earlier miniatures such as the Knight of the Dead from November and remarking it seems so long ago. All of the Year One Collection is now online if you missed any or just want more.  Year Two will begin in September 2014 with IMP13 but lets focus on the here and now.  August is going to be a big month.  More on this in a few days.


Of course you earn reward points on all orders too through your account.  We realise that some of you may wish to purchase the currently free miniature to get multiples of it without placing a lot of orders so you can do just that.  Visit this page on the website for the miniature at a fair price for a special miniature.  There is a growing page on the Ion Age website where the current and all former IMP series free miniatures are shown so that you can see what came before.  Enjoy and go HERE

Lastly yes this does mean that you can now get IMP12 before month's end but I am cool with that. This is being done for my benefit as I will be travelling on the 1st of August.  But any orders that come in from this point until August will get IMP11 Female Adventurer AND IMP12 Starvaulter Instructor free automatically with bought codes.  Any questions asked and comments wrote will be answered upon my return, so I am not ignoring you all!

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Wednesday 30 July 2014

Ion Age Year One Collection now online!

 
August will mark the one year birthday of The Ion Age and as I hinted at a week ago we are going to be having a month of new releases, special offers and sneak peeks too. This will go across the whole month but it starts here and now in terms of releases with the Year OneCollection.

We at The Ion Age love to give things away free. We love to keep the fun in wargaming and to make our universe deep and rich and one way we do it is the monthly free miniature. Every month we have a special IMP series figure which is put into all orders for free. This release gives you the option to purchase formerly free miniatures from Year One. That is August 2013 to August 2014. The prices are reasonable and it means you can get the ones you might have missed and get more of any you like the look of for your collection. As I have said people asked for this and since we now have ten fold more customers than we did when we started out it makes a lot of sense. But not to worry...Year Two kicks off in four weeks with another free and unique miniature.

Here is a list of the miniatures by month in this collection:

Month One (Aug - Sept 2013) - Kneeling Retained Knight in Cloak.
Month Two (October 2013) - Retained Knight with Power Fist.
Month Three (November 2013) - The Knight of the Dead with Pumpkin.
Month Four (December 2013) - Santa Desteria with sack of Presents.
Month Five (January 2014) - Winter Musterman with Bottle.
Month Six (February 2014) - Zin Envoy.
Month Seven (March 2014) - Female Muster Patrol Officer.
Month Eight (April 2014) - Salute 2014 Promo, sitting Muster Girl.
Month Nine (May 2014) - Retained Sniper prone camo net.
Month Ten (June 2014) - Malig Tank Ace (space goblin).
Month Eleven (July 2014) - Female Adventurer with Pistol.
Month Twelve (August 2014) - Starvaulter Instructor in powered armour with laser rifle.

This code comprises twelve different 15mm miniatures in white metal. These were formally the free in all orders monthly miniatures from August 2013 to August 2014. You have the option of purchasing a whole collection or three whole collections with a saving of 10%. You can also select single miniatures from the drop down list. These run from top left (Month One) across by row to bottom right (Month 12).  Go HERE.

Lastly yes this does mean that you can now get IMP12 before it becomes the free miniature but I am cool with that. We will be changing the free miniature on the 31st July for the month (and outlining what is coming on the 3rd of August too). This is being done for my benefit as I will be travelling on the 1st of August. But any orders that come in from this point until August will get IMP11 Female Adventurer AND IMP12 Starvaulter Instructor free automatically with bought codes. Excellent!

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Monday 28 July 2014

Sneak Peek SEORC Geo Shelters coming 7th August 2014

As the Prydian civil war rumbled and then began to roar its way across the Prydian Precinct there started to emerge a need for more structures.  While the Seorc Compono Guild (SCG) revolutionised rapid settlement construction with the Habitation Dome Riser System (HDRS) the hugely successful 'Hab Domes' were still time consuming to ship across the core systems and beyond and also to assemble once at their destination.  Added to that the twin arising demands for structures suitable for friendly atmospheres (non lethal) at a lower cost and the increasing numbers of war disposed and the pioneers of SEORC put their minds to the challenge.   Ubiquitous Rubbacrete and Golglass were too heavy and expensive (titanium alloy being at a premium) and there was no need for towers and landing pads this time.

The solution lay in the Kabeatan research station on New Glastonbury.  At the northern pole this station sat atop a deep dig into the ice.  The workers, fabricators and seekers who resided there did so in a little used SEORC design; the Geo Shelter.  The Geo Shelters were made of a thin titanium alloy skeleton with a dense carbon weave fabric stretched over it.  Resistant to cold but simple and durable these structures were used as Accommodation and as Storage was well as for Laboratories with purpose made components added to them to suit their functions.  There was even a Defender version armed with a Moth 88 Rotary cannon in a turret mount a defence against roving packs of Darga which ranged across the tundra.  These  SEORC Geo Shelters fitted the bill and a massive fabrication plant was founded.

While lacking the more permanent facilities of Hab Domes the SEORC Geo Shelters were shipped out in their millions all across the Precinct and used by patrolling troops of all sides in the conflict as well as by researchers.  But the biggest beneficiaries of the SEORC Geo Shelters were the normal people who had lost everything in a war that was seemingly ever lasting.  Anywhere you travel in space you will see these structures in all their variety.
Quincy Portent, SGC New Glastonbury, 4330IC


Coming your way in a series of Early Supporter Offers (ESO's) on 7th August 2014 at The Ion Age as part of our first year anniversary month the SEORC Geo Shelters are brand new one piece 15mm scale resin buildings. Useful in many different settings from our own space opera to near future, post apocalypse, arctic survival, refugee camps and temporary command stations during zombie outbreaks plus many more each of our new domes will be about 50mm wide and 30mm tall.  Different models for the offers will be:

IAF064A Habitation Geo Shelter
IAF064B Storage Geo Shelter
IAF064C Laboratory Geo Shelter
IAF064D Defender Geo Shelter
IAF064E Smashed Geo Shelter 

August is going to be a big month so keep an eye on us...more blog posts real soon.

Thanks for reading.

GBS

Thursday 24 July 2014

IAF015J Smashed Hab Dome released!

1st Squad do you copy? 1st Squad come in now. This is Sergeant Utrecht 4th Squad. Sound off. That's an order. Click on 1st Squad.”


From his vantage point in the rubble of a fallen building the Sergeant who was now in command of 4th Squad looked out at the rows of SEORC type Habitation Domes that made up more than half of Fergusville. They were spotted in among the more recently constructed buildings a testimony to the recent prosperity of this small town on Camarthen Prime. A prosperity that was now gone with the return of the Shia Khan Empire. It was likely now never to return as the whole planet was slowly being turned into a wasteland by war.

1st Squad do you copy? 1st Squad come in now. This is Sergeant Utrecht 4th Squad. Sound off. That's an order. Click on 1st Squad.”

It had been a rough day for the whole 334th Regiment but the sergeant's concern was only for his own soldiers and his immediate surroundings. After all it was up to the Knight General to win the war. He just wanted to live long enough to get home. The platoon had advanced through the outskirts of the town and the remains of a Vicar Close Support bombardment that had greased the waiting Legionaries and Maligs. Right now he was concerned with a partially collapsed habitation dome which had been ready coated a bright yellow. 1st Squad had taken shelter there preferring it to the fabricators yard which had a half dozen abandoned SEORC Geo Shelters in it. The dome had taken the brunt of an exchange of fire with a solitary Khanate Warlord that had tried to ambush the platoon. Its Maia 12.7mm scatter cannon had caused the roof to partially fall in before two Anvil 888 rounds had taken it down hard.

1st Squad do you copy? 1st Squad come in now. This is Sergeant Utrecht 4th Squad. Sound off. That's an order. Click on 1st Squad.”

Utrecht was about to give up and resume the advance into the town but it was then that he noticed the titanium alloy hatch to the yellow habitation dome was slowly being pushed outwards a degree at a time. After a few seconds the hatch fell from its two remaining hinges and slammed into the rubbacrete paving. The sergeant smiled broadly as nine Muster emerged coated in fine yellow dust making their white helmets look like summer flowers. Those SEORC domes could sure take a licking.

Glad your Momma's let you out to play. Now pick it up 1st Squad. We gotta war to win!”

4th Squad on active from 334th Regiment, Fergusville, Camarthen Prime, 4331IC.




IAF015J Smashed Hab Dome
Down but not out! This Hab Dome is battered and bruised perhaps from Marcher Baron bombardment or Khanate Legion caresses but its still standing. Cracked open like an egg with one side totally intact and then other reduced to rubble the top of the dome has slid down but its still got an intact mounting point for a turret top of your choice. This release is from a great number of world wide requests for something in between an intact and a totally destroyed structure. So here you have it! A high quality grey tone resin one piece casting which is 65mm wide and 20mm to 30mm tall with a high degree of external and internal detailing. It fits in well with the rest of the terrain range from the Ion Age. Suitable for use in any science fiction setting as well as The Ion Age. Decorate your wargame table. As always this code can be bought as a pack or as a single or select the three packs and save 10% option on the page. Go HERE. Price 5.00GBP.



Here are some images showing the new Smashed Hab Dome in a comparison with a totally intact Hab Dome and also with an IAF015A Sentry Gun turret mounted which, as I am sure you will agree, looks totally cool!

 

IAF015I Cratered Hab Dome
Hab Domes are tough. They need to be. But sometimes that tough exterior comes up against something so lethal that it leaves the Hab Dome a totally ruined shell of what it used to gloriously be. Since we began our terrain range we have had requests for damaged and destroyed structures and after some hard work we can give you just that in the form of the Cratered Hab Dome. A high quality grey tone resin one piece casting which is 65mm wide and 10mm to 25mm tall with a high degree of external and internal detailing. It fits in well with the rest of the terrain range such as the Hab Dome and Block House. Suitable for use in any science fiction setting as well as The Ion Age. Decorate your wargame table. As always this code can be bought as a pack or as a single or select the three packs and save 10% option on the page. Go HERE. Price 4.00GBP.


IAF015 Hab Dome
The first 15mm resin building from the The Ion Age. Fabricated by the Seorc Guild Hab Domes have many uses and can be found all across Prydian space. The Hab Dome is the starting point for a whole series of resin structure system for The Ion Age in 15mm scale. The Hab Dome is the basic unit for stackable and adaptable units. It can be used on its own or with our other terrain releases. It is a high quality grey tone resin one piece casting which is 65mm wide and 30mm tall with a high degree of external detailing. Suitable for use in any science fiction setting as well as The Ion Age. Decorate your wargame table. As always this code can be bought as a pack or as a single or select the three packs and save 10% option on the page. Go HERE. Price 7.00GBP.


Information Burst
There is just a week to go on the free IMP11 Female Adventurer in all orders so if you want this lovely lady (saving 0.60GBP in the process) then get an order in before month's end. Perhaps you are going to dome your wargame table up? The Female Adventurer will included automatically in the package. Once you have had a chance to take in the awesome of the damaged building (which was a complex undertaking in the making let me tell you) then we have a little look at the upcoming anniversary month for us with the Year One Collection which is being put together right now. We are working on more miniatures right now and have just about got our 15mm vehicle conversion pack ready as well so you can expect to see that soon. We are already being asked for more variants of the wheeled and hover Adder Combat vehicles, we will put our thinking caps on for this. Lastly remember that by placing an order with us you will sign up for an account with the website and that means you get Reward Points in all purchases (plus the free miniature every time you order). These points can be used any time to get free products and discounts on orders.

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Wednesday 23 July 2014

Coming soon...The Year One Collection!

The Year One Collection...well nearly!
The Ion Age is going to be one year old next month and as I have been hinting at we are going to mark the new month of August 2014 with a monthly miniature and a review of the whole year.  This means that in the early part of August we will be putting a page up on our website that contains the 'Year One Collection' with the option to purchase any of the miniatures from the last year that were given away freely in orders.  There will be the options to purchase each miniature on its own or the set with a saving.

You might have noticed that there are only eleven miniatures in the image here and a handy Ion Age logo covering the twelfth.  This is purposeful...no early looks at it as I want it to be a total surprise to mark our first year.

We do listen to feedback and hundreds of 15mm science fiction wargamers asked us to make the free miniature an item for normal purchase so we did.  It was not our original intention to do this and as I have said before I found it rather upsetting that so many people publically insulted me for giving things away free in all orders.  In any event we will keep making free monthly miniatures and who knows what Year Two will bring.  Thanks as always for your support.  I love 15mm science fiction and from nothing we have gone a long way already.

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Thursday 17 July 2014

Adder Combat Lifters five variants now released!

“Walker press the stud and get the engine turning over.  Give her five seconds and then get the blades moving.  I want to be on cushion thirty from now and motive power in thirty five.”

It was a tall order for Private Hinde Walker as Adder 467 Abigail One was currently sat on its flat hover bed in the midst of a snow flurry on a gentle slope outside of Carvel City.  In such temperatures getting to a green across the line active status in half a minute was going to be a challenge.  The compartment was cold to begin with and as the other three vehicles around them began their own start up sequences Walker ignored the breath that fogged in front of him and set to work.

“This is Abigail One to all vehicles.  We will be heading up the slope and then down the reverse to support the infantry advance upon the city.  Regimental Command has informed me that the generators of Carvel's Hurwent Shield will be going offline in about ten minutes time.  A mechanical failure as a result of a little explosion courtesy of our friends in the Retained of the 53rd.  Once its down we glide on in and ask them really politely to put down their weapons and the city is ours.  Easy.  Well, we will see.”

Private Walker listened to his Adder commander speak over the platoon channel and thought to himself that it would be great if it were that easy.  They had already lost Abigail Three to a Canlastrian anvil round and with it their only long range hitting power.  Without the twin 60mm missile pods that Three had carried they would have to rely upon the two rotary cannons and Abigail One's own grenade launcher from the rest of the platoon.  Walker hoped that command was right and opposition was light.  Adders could deal with infantry and battlesuits but bigger armoured foes like the Mullo were a whole other matter.

With a feeling of slight queasy motion under his feet Walker knew the skirts were now full and motive power was available.  He checked for green lights across his display and seeing them clicked the vehicle channel to let the commander know he was able to move out.  Seconds to spare.  Not bad at all. 

“Come on Four get moving.  Time for the off.  It's not that cold.  Follow us when your ready eh.”

Adder Vehicle Platoon Abigail on active from 203rd Regiment, Carvel City, Havant III, 4329IC.


Thanks everyone for your support over the last two weeks in our now just finished Early Supporter Offer on the Adder Combat Lifters.  Every order is now in the mail across the world and today the five codes involved are now on general release.  We had a lot of fun with this one and we actually near wore ourselves out!  Read on for all the information and more excellence to come this month and next too.


IAF036A Red Adder Combat Lifter (1 Hover Vehicle Kit)
This pack contains one white metal and resin vehicle.  A light hover vehicle in the 'Red Adder' combat lifter variant armed with a rotary cannon in a turret mount.  This is the standard Adder for varied uses.  An Adder lifter kit once assembled is approx 60mm long, 30mm wide and about 25mm tall.  All Adders are supplied with a one piece hull and with a separate turret with separate white metal weapon to add to the turret.  Typically only two or three pieces which are very easy to assemble. This code can be bought as a pack or three packs saving 10%.  Price 4.00GBP per pack.


IAF036B Yellow Adder Combat Lifter (1 Hover Vehicle Kit)
This pack contains one resin vehicle.  A light hover vehicle in the 'Yellow Adder' combat lifter variant armed with a twin Anda 60mm Missile Pod in a turret.  This is the Fire Support variant.  An Adder kit once assembled is approx 60mm long, 30mm wide and about 25mm tall.  This Adder is supplied with a one piece hull with a separate turret with integrated weapon all in resin.  Only two pieces which are very easy to assemble. This code can be bought as a pack or three packs saving 10%.  Price 4.00GBP per pack.


IAF036C Black Adder Combat Lifter (1 Hover Vehicle Kit)
This pack contains one white metal and resin vehicle.  A  light hover vehicle in the 'Black Adder' combat car variant armed with Fretan type Railgun in a turret mount.  This is the armour punch variant for anti-vehicle use.  An Adder kit once assembled is approx 60mm long, 30mm wide and about 25mm tall.  All Adders are supplied with a one piece hull and with a separate turret with a separate white metal weapon to add to the turret.  Typically only two or three pieces which are very easy to assemble. This code can be bought as a pack or three packs saving 10%.  Price 4.00GBP per pack.


IAF036D Orange Adder Combat Lifter (1 Hover Vehicle Kit)
This pack contains one resin vehicle.  A light hover vehicle in the 'Orange Adder' combat lifter variant armed with a 50mm Grenade Launcher in a turret mount.  This is the infantry support variant.  An Adder kit once assembled is approx 60mm long, 30mm wide and about 25mm tall.  All Adders are supplied with a one piece hull including wheels and with a separate turret with integrated weapon all in resin. Only two pieces which are very easy to assemble. This code can be bought as a pack or three packs saving 10%.  Price 4.00GBP per pack.


IAF038 Smashed Adder Lifter (1 Destroyed Hover Vehicle)
This pack contains one resin terrain piece for your games. Laid on its side, axles broken and turret ring smashed this Red Adder Combat Car has seen better days. The Smashed Adder is approx 60mm wide and 35mm tall in one piece of resin. It can be used in your games as a terrain marker, a scenario objective or a casualty of an Adder in play. Lots of details and an excellent narrative piece for your games. The Smashed Adder is a 15mm scale vehicle in one high grade grey tone resin piece. This code can be bought as a pack or three packs saving 10%.  Price 4.00GBP per pack.

Go HERE for all the Prydian Army Vehicle codes on our website from the variants of the Havelock Battlesuit, to the variants of the Duxis Battlesuit and the variants of the wheeled Adder Combat Cars too. Oh, and of course the Skylark Patrol Flyer and the Khamel tracked bike.


Information Burst
The latest Early Supporter Offer (ESO) is now over and all the hover variant Adders are on general release. I would like to thank the near hundred of you who took up the offer and your package are on their way to you as of today; enjoy!  We would love to see your pictures of your Adders all painted up and we have enjoyed those already sent in.    Earlier this week we sneak peek previewed the first test casting of next week's release the Smashed Hab Dome which you can see on the blog.  We are now at the half way point for the free IMP11 Female Adventurer in all orders. Lastly remember that by placing an order with us you will sign up for an account with the website and that means you get Reward Points in all purchases (plus the free miniature every time you order).  These points can be used any time to get free products and discounts on orders. 

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Wednesday 16 July 2014

Adder Combat Lifters lifting off!

The first three bins of Adder Lifter hulls for packing up
The current Ion Age early support offers (ESO) ends early on Thursday morning this week but we are all busy packing up the orders for the Adder Combat Lifters that have come in over the last two weeks.  I am very thankful for such a good response and those wargamers who asked us to do a hover variant of the Adder Combat Cars proved they actually wanted them by flocking in.  We will be doing another ESO next month but it will be rather different in focus and not vehicle based like previous ones.  No hints as yet but soon.

So you have the rest of today to get an order in if you wish to get 25% off these lovelies before they go on general release on Thursday.  We are on track to get all orders out tommorrow but it might mean working some overtime which I am happy to do.  Got to spread space opera happiness.

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Monday 14 July 2014

Sneak Peek - Smashed Hab Dome coming soon!

The first resin casting from the master design
When we released the Cratered Hab Dome back in June 2014 it went down really well.  People had commented and also contacted me directly to say that they really liked how The Ion Age created crashed, smashed and destroyed versions of its structures and vehicle releases.  These allow for easy placement on the gaming table as scenics or to mark casualties as well.  The Cratered Hab Dome showed one of the fantastic IAF015 Hab Domes in a state of total destruction hit perhaps by a strike from the air with massive power.

A lot of the comments and contacts asked if, due to the popularity of the Hab Dome, we might consider doing a second version of it damaged.  Damaged this time not destroyed.  Roughly at the same time we were replacing the molds for the Hab Dome for the fifth time and this rang true with us and we thought why not.  After a couple of rough sketches and deciding on the level of damage Sam Croes got started on creating a Smashed Hab Dome.

A view from all angles of the first casting with IAF016 for scale
We decided upon a level of damage that was extensive but not total.  The fundamental being of the structure would be intact and recognisable and the corridor connector hardpoint would also be intact.  As you can see one side of the dome has been smashed and collapsed down on itself meaning that the roof has slid to a forty five degree angle.  You can still put a top mount upon it if you wish.  The build of the model was a challenge and took several days but I think its turned out really nicely.  I hope you do too.

We are putting this model into production as of the end of this week and it will be releasing it on the 24th of July after the end of the current Adder Combat Lifter ESO period.  All comments are welcome and feedback is valued so drop me a line or a comment.

Thanks for your time.

GBS

Thursday 10 July 2014

IAF052 Nox Demos with Jupiter Plasma Rifles released!

The Shia Khan Empire favours energy based weapons over those using projectiles as ammunition for the majority of its Legions.  While other instructional vids will be dealing with the Maia and Juno classes of weapons our subject here is the designated Jupiter series of plasmatic weapons primarily the Jupiter 46mm Plasma Rifle.  The Jupiter Plasma Rifle is a heavy infantry weapon in the weight brand of some sixteen kilogrammes for the gun itself and another twenty kilogrammes for the linked power supply.  It has been observed in use by two alien soldiers with one manning the weapon and the other handling the power supply and ensuring function.  As such it is not the most mobile of infantry carried weapons.  However using dedicated power supplies within their Segmentum pattern armour along with enhanced strength Nox troopers can make use of the Jupiter on their own both wielding and charging it themselves.  Khanate plasmastic weapons use a similar technology to our own which we estimate is some century and a half more advanced with a superior discharge and kill potential in infantry sized deployments.  A chamber within the Jupiter Rifle with a spherical size of 46mm across is superheated and injected with a tiny amount of material which is then accelerated from the barrel using an array of linear magnets.  The resultant projected blast of plasma can be accurately aimed at moderate to long ranges superior to our Hermit class.  We have only estimates of usage duration that a typical power supply linked will allow for twenty shots before significant charging is required or supply switched.  Battlefield reports and vid feed show Jupiter shots penetrating Alwite Powered Armour with relative ease and survival rates from injury by Jupiter Plasma Rifles are very low.  Commanders in the field recommend the destruction of captured Khanate weapons and power packs as instances of booby trapping and remote overcharge and detonation are common.
Academy Auto-Trainer Series 16, New Glastonbury, 4331IC


IAF052 Nox Demos (Jupiter Plasma Rifles)
The Nox are the elite infantry of a Shia Khan Legion.  Capable of carrying weapons typically used by a pair of Legionaries or Maligs they can lay down a degree of firepower more than double their actual number if they were lesser troops.  Our second brand new pack of Nox..  This pack contains five white metal miniatures depicting Nox armed with Jupiter 46mm Plasma Rifles in various poses including a minor officer in command helmet.  Nox miniatures are about 18mm tall and broad across the shoulders. This code can be bought as a pack of five miniatures or as single poses or three packs saving 10%.  Price 5.00GBP per pack.  Go HERE.


IAF051 Nox Demos (Janus Blastguns)
Wearing powered and very tough Segmentum armour the Nox are the elite infantry of a Shia Khan Legion.  Given the toughest tasks and carrying weapons that are usually the duty of two Legionaries between them Nox are more than a match for Retained Knights and often pose a challenge to the mighty Desteria Knights too. This pack contains five white metal miniatures depicting Nox armed with Janus 47mm Grenade Blast Guns in various poses including a minor officer in command helmet.  Nox miniatures are about 18mm tall and broad across the shoulders. This code can be bought as a pack of five miniatures or as single poses or three packs saving 10%.  Price 5.00GBP per pack.  Go HERE.

One Week to Go on the Adder Combat Lifter Offers
Seven days remain on our Early Support Offer (ESO) Adder Combat Lifter series of vehicles.  Our first hover vehicles. We have an offer for you of 25% off the release price on each code.  Choose exactly what you want in your order. The Adder is the standard light combat lifter used by the Muster in the Ion Age.  Adders come in coloured variants and this ESO concerns the Red, Yellow, Orange and Black Adders.  Here are the details of the offer which runs from 3rd July to 17th July:

IAF036A Red Adder Combat Lifter (Mini-Gun Turret) 3.00GBP (save 25% off 4.00GBP)
IAF036B Yellow Adder Fire Support Lifter (Missile Pod Turret) 3.00GBP (save 25% off 4.00GBP)
IAF036C Black Adder Punch Lifter (Rail Gun Turret) 3.00GBP (save 25% off 4.00GBP)
IAF036D Orange Adder Combat Lifter (Hermit Grenade Turret)  3.00GBP (save 25% off 4.00GBP)
IAF038 Smashed Adder Lifter (Hover Destroyed Vehicle) 3.00GBP (save 25% off 4.00GBP)
Every order placed gets the IMP11 Female Adventurer (worth 0.60GBP) included free automatically.  

Go HERE for the full blog post and other links.


Information Burst

We are a week into July and the reception to this month's free miniature IMP11 Female Adventurer has been great with emails coming to me that praise both the vital skill of Sam Croes design work but also her classic space opera posing and useful nature as a figure.  It does make me wonder what game systems she will end up in much like the Zin Envoy of a few months back.  I would like to thank all those who have taken us up on the latest ESO and there is a mighty stack of Adder Lifters on our shelves here ready for the 17th to arrive.  While the Nox grow as a force in the Ion Age with this new release I can now confirm that there will be another release in our terrain range in two weeks time in the form of a damaged Hab Dome.  We had so many requests for this after releasing the Cratered Hab Dome that we have put a lot of effort into getting it ready a blog post on it soon.  There is an article on posts made on the Lasers and Broadswords blog here showing one keen IonFan's collection of miniatures and terrain.  Lastly remember that by placing an order with us you will sign up for an account with the website and that means you get Reward Points in all purchases (plus a free miniature).  These points can be used any time to get free products and discounts on orders.

Thanks for Reading.

GBS

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Lasers and Broadswords Blog - Galactic Marines and Hab Central

It always makes me smile to see our miniatures and terrain being used by a wargamer who gains the most excitement and fun from it.   After all though I depend on this industry for my living and those I work with too a big part of life for me is enjoying the tall tales, adventures and collections that result.  Its the point of the hobby for me.  To that end here are some images and links from Lasers and Broadswords blog run by Alexander Wasburg.  Click through for more and some reading too.  One of the first customers of The Ion Age almost a year ago he has quite a collection.  Enjoy!

Lasers and Broadswords Blog - Galactic Marines and Hab Central


Retained Knights, Havelock and Skylark
Khanate Legion and Hab Dome




Adder Red Combat Car



Block House with Hab Domes


Landing Pad with Flak Turret

Thanks for Reading and thanks Alexander!

GBS

Thursday 3 July 2014

IAF036 Adder Combat Lifters - Early Supporter Offers

A detailed account of the origins and design of the Adder series of Combat Cars can be found elsewhere in the database. However not all the Adders taken from the ancient military designs were of a wheeled variety there were others too. In some campaigns the Muster required light vehicles that could traverse ground that wheeled and tracked designs could not. While repulsar technology was available its relative expense compared to more primitive lifter technology for hover propulsion made the production of a huge number of Adder Combat Lifters the feasible choice for equipping the Prydian Army. Worlds with a lot of water and swamps and also urban zones with broken ground were ideal for these vehicles. They could carry a four man fire-team or they could act in a support role with mounted weapons in the same range as those used by crewed weapons or battlesuits. A modular hull meant that often only the turret and some internal systems had to be changed over to create a new model in the series.

Adder Combat Lifters come in many types within the series. With an average weight of just over seven tons and roughly seventeen feet in length that Adder is not as resilient a vehicle as the Mullo used by the Retained but its easier to maintain. A colour coding system is in use to make Adders easy to assign to Regiments (and indeed the Marcher Barons use the same system) and to allow Muster who can sometimes not be as used to war as a Retained Knight a simple recognition method. The Red Adder is the standard Combat Lifter with space for four and mounting a turret with a Moth 88 Rotary Cannon. The Yellow Adder is the fire support lifter and has two crew along with a turret with an Anda 60mm Missile Pod. The Black Adder acts as an armoured punch giving the Muster the ability to knock out battlesuits and other smaller tough targets with two crew and a turret mounted Fretan Rail Gun. Less common is the Orange Adder which is infantry support mounting a specialised turret with a Moth 30 automatic 50mm Grenade Launcher which is a recent introduction to the series. Others in the Adder lifter series include the Green Adder which is a command and control at the battalion level and the White Adder for medical teams and battlefield triage. The 'Battle Taxi' type Grey Adder is heavily modified and can carry two fire-teams or a whole squad at a real squeeze. There are also some very specialised Adders too for purposes such as Blue Adder, the Brown Adder and the Purple Adder. Every Muster Regiment is in possession of hundreds of Adders across the spectrum for all its roles and since they are so easy to fabricate and to maintain they are making a real impact in the ongoing Civil War and in the Camarthen Star System too.

IAF036 Adder Combat Lifters front view
 
Rear View
We decided to 'Add' upon last month's Early Supporter Offer with another on smaller sized 15mm science fiction vehicles. This time the hover, floating variants of the Adder Combat Lifter series of vehicles. Our first hover vehicles which we did a small sneak peek at during the week. We have an offer for you, not a bundle this time, an offer of 25% off the release price on five different codes. Choose exactly what you want in your order. The Adder is the standard light combat lifter used by the Muster in the Ion Age. Adders come in coloured variants and this ESO concerns the Red, Yellow, Orange and Black Adders. Here are the details of the offer which runs from 3rd July to 17th July:

IAF036A Red Adder Combat Lifter (Mini-Gun Turret) 3.00GBP (save 25% off 4.00GBP)
IAF036B Yellow Adder Fire Support Lifter (Missile Pod Turret) 3.00GBP (save 25% off 4.00GBP)
IAF036C Black Adder Punch Lifter (Rail Gun Turret) 3.00GBP (save 25% off 4.00GBP)
IAF036D Orange Adder Combat Lifter (Hermit Grenade Turret) 3.00GBP (save 25% off 4.00GBP)
IAF038 Smashed Adder Lifter (Hover Destroyed Vehicle) 3.00GBP (save 25% off 4.00GBP)

Every order placed gets the IMP11 Female Adventurer (worth 0.60GBP) included free automatically. Go HERE.
IAF038 Smashed Adder Lifter
There are many more images of each of these vehicles on the pages of the website.

The Adder Combat Lifters are resin and white metal vehicle kits which require a small amount of assembly. They have a single piece highly detailed body in resin and a separate turret in resin which if required comes with a white metal weapon to mount and or white metal hatch covers. The smashed adder is a one piece resin casting. Excellent value and useful for just about any 15mm science fiction wargame from the present day to near future and space opera too. An Adder Lifter kit once assembled is approx 60mm long, 30mm wide and about 25mm tall. Typically only two or three pieces which are very easy to assemble. The Smashed Adder Lifter is approx 70mm long and 40mm wide in one piece of resin. It can be used in your games as a terrain marker, a scenario objective or a casualty of an Adder in play.

At the end of the promotional period we will ship out all orders that contain these ESO Offer codes alone or with any other items from our ranges. All orders that do not contain these offer codes will continue to ship out as normal.

The Adder Combat Lifters and their supporting codes along with all of the 15mm white metal Muster miniatures are all working towards the release of Patrol Angis our 15mm skirmish science fiction rules system. In the vehicles expansion of the game the Adder will join the Skylark in performing duties such as combat support, troop transport, precision armour killer and general artillery call downs with more to come later.

Here are the scale shots with our 15mm miniatures from the sneak peek last week plus others too:

Red Adder Combat Lifter facing Canlastrian Muster
Black Adder Combat Lifter tries to down a second Duxis Battlesuit
Orange Adder Combat Lifter glides past a crashed Skylark
Smashed Adder Lifter taken by Nox Troopers
Yellow Fire Support Adder Lifter advances
We think that the Adder Combat Lifters are great light vehicles and we hope that you do too. Excellent Value and very useful. Thank you for your support of all of us here at The Ion Age in allowing us to pursue our dream of a space opera future that is wholly its own.

GBS