Warfront Studio 28mm Hard Plastic Modern US Infantry

A few weeks ago, Andy from Warfront Studio reached out and asked if I would take a look at a sample of their brand new 28mm hard plastic Modern US Infantry set. Modern military isn’t a period I personally paint or collect, but I am always keen to explore new plastic ranges and see what manufacturers are bringing to the tabletop. Having spent some time inspecting the sprues, I have to say I am genuinely impressed with what the team at Warfront Studio have put together.

My immediate impression upon opening the box was just how much content Warfront Studio has managed to pack onto every single frame. I often buy plastic kits where half the sprue feels like wasted space, so it is refreshing to see a product designed to deliver maximum value. Each full boxed set contains thirty-five 28mm miniatures split across five frames, and the density of parts is remarkable. The sculpting detail across the kit is sharp and crisp, meaning these figures will paint up exceptionally well whether you prefer quick drybrushing and washes or meticulous multi-layered highlighting.

What really sets this kit apart is the sheer variety of customisation options packed onto the plastic. Every frame includes five head options, allowing for plenty of character across a unit. In terms of firepower, each sprue comes loaded with a Stinger launcher, a Javelin launcher, a light machine gun, and a sniper rifle, alongside a comprehensive selection of tactical gear and accessories. Across a full set of five frames, you have access to five of each heavy weapon option, ensuring no two figures in your force need to look identical.

From a purely economic perspective, thirty-five detailed hard plastic miniatures for thirty pounds represents phenomenal value for money. Keeping tight control of hobby budgets is always at the front of my mind, and a price point like this makes entering small-scale modern skirmish games genuinely affordable. It serves as an accessible entry point for complete newcomers to historical or ultra-modern wargaming, while giving veteran gamers on a budget a fantastic foundation for building sizeable forces without breaking the bank.

Since I don't build or paint modern forces myself, I will be passing these sample sprues along to one of my regular gaming group who I know will bite my arm off for them. I am going to see if he fancies painting up a couple of figures from the frame, and if he does, I will be sure to share the finished results here. In the meantime, I wanted to share these close-up shots of the frames so you can appreciate the quality and layout for yourself. Warfront Studio has crafted a real winner with this release, and I look forward to seeing how the rest of their range develops in the future.

Playing Hammers Slammers with John Treadaway

Yesterday I had the absolute privilege of spending a day gaming in the shed of John Treadaway, a long-time veteran of the hobby and editor of Miniature Wargames magazine. Joining me around the table were Kevin Dallimore (painter & designer) and Paul from Pazoot Wargaming. We dived headfirst into a game of Hammer’s Slammers, with Paul and I taking command of separate Slammers detachments, each fielded with a pair of M2A1-4 Blower Tanks, M9A1-3 Combat Cars, an A21 Hover Jeep, and a couple of infantry squads. Facing off against us was Kevin, commanding a simngle larger rival mercenary detachment commanded by a Colonel. Our joint objective was to search a local town and recover a critical data crystal from one of the buildings, but there was a catch; unbeknownst to each other, both Paul and I had been secretly bribed by outside influences to secure the crystal for our own shadowy benefactors. The promise of enough credits to retire comfortably and never step foot in a tank again was just too tempting to pass up.

One of the two Slammers detachments lined up where they deployed. 

The enenemy mercenary units were scattered throughout the town

Kevin considering his options... missiles. Lots of missiles!!

Deploying right on top of our objectives forced Kevin into a rapid reaction, though thankfully for me, his opening salvo of missiles smashed directly into Paul’s vehicles while mine were largely obscured by terrain. Despite taking swift early losses, we pressed hard into the town and traded fire at close range, obliterating a significant portion of Kevin’s armor. Enemy infantry attempted to tilt the balance by raining Buzzbomb fire down from the rooftops, but their attacks had little effect and only served to betray their positions. Our retaliatory fire was immediate and severe; we swept the buildings with heavy powerguns, including a devastating main gun strike from my own Lieutenant's command tank. With his force reduced to absolute tatters, Kevin’s Colonel decided discretion was the better part of valor and ordered a full retreat, leaving us masters of the field.

Most ranges were effectively unlimited, but close range inferred a bonus to hit that often proved the difference. 

Incomming missiles. If these can't be taken out they hit the tanks weaker top armour.

Thinner skinned armoured vehicles like the combat cars were picked off quickly by Kevins forces. Thankfully these arn't my vehicles burning!

That was when the real trouble started. With the main threat eliminated, our secondary agendas immediately took center stage. I managed to grab the data crystal and made a frantic dash for the board edge, but couldn't quite clear the perimeter in time. Realizing Paul likely had the exact same secret mission, I swung my remaining Blower Tank around and opened fire on his detachment, taking out his Lieutenant. Paul’s Sergeant took command of the detachment and didn’t hesitate to return the favor, sending a shot straight into the rear armor of my tank and vaporizing my Lieutenant in response. 

The layout was simple but verry effective and made for a quick, fun game. 

My Combat Cars provided much needed anti-missile cover and counter fire against Kev's infantry up in the buildings. 

One by one the enemy vehciles were blown to smitherines.

The Blower Tanks are not hovercraft. Downward facing Jet engines means these are effectively very low flying helicopters with an armoured skirt. Tough as hell for incoming fire on the front and side and packing a massive gun, secondary tribarrel powerguns and anti-missile defences. 

Kevin's infantry were hidden in various buildings and were an unwelcome appearence when they suddenlt revealed their positions by firing down on thin top armour with their Buzzbombs. 

Two of my Combat Cars reach a greenhouse and find a data crystal...containing someones music collection! This is not the Data Crystal we were looking for. 

Tough as nails, none of the Blower Tanks were destroyed by the enemy. 

With both of our command vehicles in smoldering ruins, our bewildered second-in-command officers hopped on the radio to ask what on earth had just happened. They then secured the crystal, returned it to high command, and left both Paul and me missing out on our comfortable retirements. We managed the rare feat of winning the scenario while simultaneously losing our own personal games!

Paul interviewing Kevin between game turns. We all took time in front of the camera and gave our thoughts on how the game was progressing. I'm looking forward to seeing the final Battle Report on Pauls channel in a few days (no pressure Paul 😉)

One of my Combat Cars is destroyed. 

The final shoot-out...between my Lieutenant and Pauls Lieutenent in our respective command tanks. I destroyed him first, then his second in command repaid the favour. 

It was a fantastic day of gaming filled with great banter, incredible miniature scenery, and cinematic tabletop moments. Paul filmed the entire engagement for an upcoming battle report, which should be going live on his Pazoot Wargaming YouTube channel in a few days. If you want to see the action play out in full detail (and witness our tactical betrayal firsthand) be sure to keep an eye out for his video.

1812: The Retreat from Moscow (at Replay Wargames Show)

The Rejects gathered at the Royal Engineers Museum on Saturday for a demo of the collaborative skirmish wargame that Ray & I collaborated on with Paul earlier in the year. We were able to play the first three scenarios and everyone seemed top have a great time. Indeed the group seem to want the chance to play the fourth game in the campaign so I spent a bit of time writing up the notes and deciphering the game rosta to calulate the condition of their party of stragglers should they wish to play game four. 

We have just wrapped up the third game in our 1812: Retreat from Moscow campaign, and what a brutal journey it has been. The cold is bitingly relentless, the Russians are closing in, and every single step through the drifts feels hard-fought. Here is how our desperate band of survivors has fared across the first three games, along with where we stand heading into our final, climactic scenario.

Game One: The Barn at Dawn

“A handful of exhausted soldiers wake in the half-light of an abandoned barn, breath misting in the frozen air. During the night, their unit has moved on without them—boots crunching away into the darkness, leaving only silence behind.

Outside, the land is no longer empty. Russian scouts stir and advance, tightening the noose with every passing hour. The barn offers little shelter, and less safety. You must act quickly, learn fast, and move with purpose if you are to survive the day.”

Six of our men stumbled out from the shelter of the barn into the biting wind, only to find Russian infantry emerging from the gray morning to harass their retreat. They suffered their first heartbreak early on. Vincent was overwhelmed by the enemy, though he certainly went down fighting. In a heroic last stand, he emptied both of his pistols, bringing down two Russian soldiers before the rest swarmed him with bayonets.

By the end of the game, five of the original group remained standing. Fortunately, they had enough spare food to entice three lost stragglers—Phillipe, Jacques, and Arnoud—to join their ranks. Losing Vincent cost the group morale, but bringing three new recruits into the fold helped steady their spirits, keeping theitr overall group morale steady at 5.

Game Two: Through Frozen Streets

“The village emerges from the snow like a half-buried memory—low wooden huts, collapsed fences, frozen lanes choked with drift and debris. Once it might have offered warmth and shelter. Now it is silent, watchful, and already stripped bare by those who passed through before you.

As your group advances cautiously between the buildings, shapes begin to move at the edges of sight. French civilians—camp followers, families, the wounded—huddle in doorways and barns, too weak or afraid to continue alone. They have waited for soldiers who might protect them, or at least give them a chance to survive the night. Without help, they will freeze where they stand.

There is little time. Russian troops harass the village from all directions, probing through alleys and fields, firing from cover, then fading back into the snow. They are not yet strong enough to overwhelm you outright, but they are closing in, testing your resolve, waiting for exhaustion and panic to do their work."

Navigating the ruined village was a tense affair. Russian skirmishers probed the village constantly, from alleys and tree lines, refusing to engage head-on but whittling away at the french stagglers nerve.

During the chaos, Jacques fell to enemy fire, dropping the group morale down to 4. However, the French managed to rescue five French civilians hiding among the wooden huts, including two vital specialists: Antoine the Surgeon and Margarete the Cook. While gathering civilians does not boost the groups morale, their skills quickly proved invaluable. To ensure the party could keep moving, they were forced to make the pragmatic choice to leave two civilians behind, but only after sharing rations with them so they wouldn't starve. Because they treated them fairly, the group suffered no morale penalty for leaving them behind.

Game Three: The Killer Wind

“The Grande Armée is no more than a memory, swallowed by snow and silence. In the endless white wastes of the retreat from Moscow, the stragglers press on through a howling blizzard, half-frozen, half-lost, and clinging to the hope that the next ridge or frozen treeline might offer shelter—or escape.

Visibility is measured in yards, not miles. Landmarks vanish as quickly as they appear, and the wind distorts sound and direction alike. Shadows move in the storm: enemy skirmishers, lurking Cossacks, or desperate foes driven by hunger as much as hatred. Attacks come suddenly and without warning, melting back into the snow before the soldiers can regroup.”

This third game was by far the groups hardest challenge. A driving blizzard cut visibility down to almost nothing, making it nearly impossible to locate the escape route. To make matters worse, the storm allowed Russian forces to close in undetected before opening fire at point-blank range. The Stragglers took casualties during the push through the storm, losing Jerome, Sebastien, and one of the civilians. The sudden losses rattled the men deeply, leaving the group morale hanging by a thread.

Campaign Phase: Preparing for the Final Push

To give our survivors the best possible fighting chance, I managed several administrative details between games, though one key tactical choice remains in their hands.

Medical Care: Rolling for collected bandages and alcohol yielded five points of healing, and Antoine the Surgeon added three more. With eight total heals available to cover seven accumulated wounds, every single man in the group enters the next scenario fully healed.

Rations & Supplies: Between automatic rations, carried-over stock, and a lucky food token discovery, the party had more than enough provisions to feed everyone, leaving two spare rations which can attract new stragglers to join the group for the final push.

Frostbite Checks: Arnoud generously passed his woollen hat to Phillipe while keeping his heavy coat. Even with low morale penalizing the checks, great die rolls spared both men from injury. The firewood the group collected ensured the rest of the troops stayed warm enough to avoid frostbite as well.

Now the group face one critical decision before setting up the final game. With spare food for two new recruits, and flenty of fodder for horses they need to decide to add two fresh infantrymen to their group, or two mounted cavalrymen? Either choice will raises the groups morale slightly up to 3.

Roster for Game Four: The Eagle

Here is how our small band of survivors looks as they prepare for the final dash to safety:

Etienne: Unwounded. He carries our pouch of gold and keeps Antoine the Surgeon close by his side.

Jean: Unwounded.

Marc: Unwounded. He travels alongside Margarete the Cook.

Phillipe: Unwounded, wearing a warm fur hat in place of his shako.

Arnoud: Unwounded, wrapped in a tatty fur coat over his uniform, armed with his sword and musket.

Recruits: Two additional soldiers (Infantry or Cavalry, pending the players choice).

There is spare fodder, but its not needed for the last game. In Game Four, they either break through the lines to rejoin the remnants of the Grande Armée, or they perish in the snow.

Unlock Better Stories

In my latest video, I dive deep into one of the most passionate debates across our tabletop community: should we strictly follow rules-as-written, or are house rules necessary to bring actual history to life on the table? If you have ever felt that an official rulebook flattened the unique tactics of a conflict just to keep things symmetrical for a commercial tournament, you are certainly not alone. I invite you to watch the video for my full thoughts, but I wanted to break down the core ideas right here for everyone looking to elevate their tabletop experience.

When game designers publish a set of miniatures rules, they have to write for a broad market, creating standardized mechanics that function across uniform table sizes and balanced tournament scenarios. But our local wargaming clubs are not sterile playtest environments. We bring specific terrain collections, tailored army list preferences, and shared narrative goals to every game night. When we tweak a rulebook, we are not disrespecting the author or fixing a broken game; we are continuing a long-standing hobby tradition of adapting commercial tools to fit our unique tabletop vision. Modifying a rulebook helps turn a generic engine into a living system that reflects the exact historical flavor our group wants to explore.

In my experience, hobbyists generally take two paths when crafting custom mechanics. On one side, gamers use house rules to inject authentic period flavor, like customizing command structures or modeling weapon quirks that commercial rules flatten for balance. On the other side, many of us use house rules for minimalist abstraction, stripping away endless modifier tables and clunky chart-checking to keep the game moving fast. Adding an umpire or game master to the mix further unlocks asymmetric play and dynamic fog of war that rigid manuals simply cannot handle. Whether you want more tactical grit or faster gameplay, house rules give you the power to tailor the friction at your table.

The key to successful homebrewing is making surgical modifications rather than sweeping overhauls, testing small adjustments in low-stakes games so you do not accidentally destabilize the core math. Beyond the mechanics, collaborating on house rules creates a shared culture within your club, turning off-the-shelf manuals into custom heirlooms passed down to new players. Check out the full video for the complete discussion and step-by-step breakdown, and let me know in the comments how your club handles modifying official rules!