Monday 13 August 2018

Strontium Dog - Max Bubba and his Gang

Max Bubba was an outlaw who eluded capture by taking over a time portal and escaping to Norway in 793AD. There he hatched a mad plan to eliminate the Vikings as well as humanity in revenge for its treatment of mutants. He was thwarted by Johnny Alpha, who had been sent into the timeslip and made an alliance with a Viking known as Wulf Sternhammer. Bubba waited many years until Johnny and Wulf retired. He tracked them down to their humble shack and ambushed them. His men pinned out the Strontium Dogs to die from exposure, but was forced to gun down Wulf when he tore free of his bonds. Alpha faked his own death and, driven by vengeance, hunted down and executed Bubba and his four henchmen.
Warlord Games released figures of Max Bubba and his gang as part of The Good, The Bad and The Mutie starter boxed set and here they are -
I have two versions of Max Bubba. The one at the far left was produced by Wargames Foundry and as you can see, he's a good bit taller than the Warlord Games version standing next to him. Of the two, I prefer the Warlord Games version, mainly because his facial features are more indistinct and almost blurred, which closely matches the artwork of Max. Max's face looks like he's wearing a stocking over his head. Also, I like his Blazooga he's carrying.
The blue skinned mutant is Brute Mosely, whose mutations are his bestial-like head and blue skin. He is a minor character, as are the next three henchmen.
Third from the right is Impetigo Jones whose skin is badly diseased. He wears bandages covering most of his face to hide his deformity.
Second from the right is the mutant known only as Skull. He has skeletal-like features, which offer no advantages or disadvantages in game.
Finally, is Low-Down O'Phee, whose torso is much reduced in size, even though the rest of his body is perfectly proportioned.
The Warlord Games figures of Max and Brute came with separate arms and weapons, but the other figures are all one-piece castings. I like these figures a lot and rather conveniently they have a Notoriety rating of 40, the same as the combined total of Johnny, Wulf and Gronk. The Good, The Bad and The Mutie set features a scenario booklet that pits these two sides against one another in three different encounters. I'll certainly be giving them a try out.

18 comments:

  1. Ahh the gloating's of a mad man (Bubba not you) Taking the time to kill foe rather then just getting on with it! Never pin someone out to die! JUST KILL THEM!

    Sorry plot rant over! An impressive selection of outlaws. They look like a rough bunch and I for one shall not invite them to tea!

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    1. I certainly wouldn't invite them round for tea, either, Clint. You do raise an interesting point though - why do so many villains love to gloat instead of just killing their captive?

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    2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xAMYHJYesM Scotty agrees

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    3. That sums it up nicely, Phil.

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    4. It's an ego trip. Having your nemesis entirely in your power and then riffing off a soliloquy that accentuates their impotence. Probably more satisfying than actually killing them. They have to know. When I take over the world I will absolutely do that with cat in lap.

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    5. Laughing my ass off, HP! :-)

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    1. Cheers, Phil. I can see why - he is impressive.

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  3. Great painting on the group Bryan, not my favourite group of muties so probably won't get these

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    1. Thanks, Dave. I fully understand they won't be to everyone's taste.

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  4. A colourful bunch to be sure, Bryan, with Brute probably being my fave of the lot; albeit I was always more a fan of Impetigo in the comics. I look forward to seeing how these guys fare against Alpha and his partners in the starting scenarios, so am eager to see your BatReps :-)

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    1. Many thanks, Simon. I'm hoping to get these in action real soon as I do plan on running the scenarios from "The Good, The Bad and The Mutie" supplement. All that I have left to paint from the starter collection I bought is the little house, which is about halfway done. I've also only just received some new terrain items from Dave, which will fit in perfectly in my "Strontium Dog" games.

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  5. Really nice stuff Bryan, must admit I think these characters passed me by completely in the comics (I only read 2000AD occasionally) but a great group of figures, I too like Brute the best though.

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Thank you kindly, Roger. Brute Mosely has proven to be very popular amongst my followers, which doesn't surprise me as he is a cool figure.

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  6. Is it wrong to feel sorry for Impetigo Jones? Anyone who is known for their disfiguring disease/deformity never really has a chance, do they? Maybe he's a really nice person underneath all that, if you got to know him :-) ?

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    1. Not wrong at all, Hugh. Indeed, you could extend that further and ask, is it wrong to feel sorry for any mutant? They didn't ask to be born that way. It happened to them because of a freak of nature following a devastating nuclear war. On the other hand, the fact that he hangs out with Max Bubba suggests he not a nice man at all.

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  7. As usual Bryan I'm out of my depth with your characters and backgrounds but at the same time very much enjoying reading about them.

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    1. Many thanks, John. That's a perfectly reasonable reaction if you've never read the comics. However, I'm glad you're enjoying these posts as I do have more to come.

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