JDMG MC1 Mercenaries 03

I continue my reviews of Mercenaries who can be used in the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game. Of the three that I am showing here, only Rico Dredd has appeared in the Judge Dredd stories in 2000AD comic. The other two are characters I have created to use in my current campaign. All three were produced by Warlord Games.

At the far left is Rico Dredd, the clone brother of Judge Joseph Dredd, which is to say they were both cloned from the same genetic source, in their case Chief Judge Fargo. Rico was a superb Judge - he came top of his class in 2079, narrowly beating Joe, who came second. However, Rico had a bad streak in him that caused him to fall  from grace. He got involved in criminal activities, including extortion, assault and racketeering. When Joe witnessed Rico murder an innocent cafe owner who had refused to pay him protection money, Joe arrested him. Rico resisted arrest by opening fire, but the shots went wide. Given Rico's skill with a firearm, Joe would later posit the theory that Rico was trying to commit suicide by cop out of a deep disgust at what he had become, rather than trying to kill him. Whatever his motive, Rico was sentenced to twenty years hard labour on the prison colony of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, where he grew to hate his brother. He was particularly angry that Joe didn't testify in his favour. After serving his time on Titan, Rico returned to Mega City One seeking revenge on Joe. Confronting him at his home, Rico challenged him to a duel to settle their differences, knowing that with his superior skills he could always outdraw his brother. However he had grown used to the weaker gravity of Titan after his twenty years there. This slowed him down by a split second and allowed Joe to shoot him dead. Carrying his brother's lifeless body out into the street, Joe declined a paramedic's offer of assistance, allowing the writer, Pat Mills, to conclude the story with a line from the Hollies song, "he ain't heavy - he's my brother!" Long after Rico's death, Joe would be haunted by his memory and Rico appeared to him in a number of flashbacks.

In JDMG, Rico is a powerful Level:9 Infantry Hero equipped with Bionic Lungs and armed with a Cursed Earth Eagle Pistol. His following 10 Talents are - Academy Star, Accurate, Close Combat Shooter, Crackshot, Crippling Fire, Dirty Fighting, Leg Shot, Pistol Whip, Rapid Fire and Situational Awareness. He costs 345 Credits. It is unlikely that I will use Rico in my campaign but I may well use the figure as another former Titan inmate with the same stats.

In the centre of this group is Willi Braun, aka the Sector 13 Slasher. Warlord Games sold him as a Juve with Club, but I decided to upgrade him to a Punk and make him a named character. Braun is a psychopath who murders his victims with a Las-Knife. He is a loner, but as a Punk Mercenary, he could be hired by a number of forces. I made him a Level:3 Punk Infantry Hero. His only weapon is his Las-Knife and he carries no other equipment or armour. His four Talents are - Skilled and Deadly, Smack-down, Stealthy and This is my Las-Knife. He costs 125 Credits. I thought the figure was far too good to relegate to generic Juve status, even though that is what Warlord Games marketed him as.
At the far right is Oleg "Ollie" Zhirkov, an East Meg Agent and Spy. East Meg Agents are highly motivated individuals, exceptionally well-trained, who will stop at nothing to complete their assigned missions. Be it assassination, sabotage or espionage, there is no one better than a good agent. Ollie is a Level:3 Illegal Infantry Hero, armed with a Knife and Handgun Pistol. I gave him the following four Talents - Accurate, Silent Action, Silent Killer and Stealthy. He also has the following Special Rule - Super Secret Agent Man, which grants him the Infiltrator Talent for free. He costs 145 Credits. One thing that bothers me about this figure is the waistcoat he is wearing has the hammer and sickle logo of Russia on its back. Would an East Meg Spy really wear that if working undercover? Or perhaps it is a double bluff?

Crooked Dice 7TV Agents 01

I recently showed you my Savage Schoolgirls and not-Doctor Who figures that I'd bought from Crooked Dice Games (CDG). This review completes my round up of figures that I have bought from them but it certainly won't be my last as I plan on buying yet more figures from them. This batch can be classed as 7TV Agents. 7TV is the name of the rules set devised by CDG for use with their figures. It has spawned numerous spin offs and supplements. Despite me being very interested in their rules I have yet to get any of their rulebooks or supplements. I expect that will also change later this year.

First up is someone whom CDG have called the Man from 2000. Fans of Gerry Anderson's 1970's TV series UFO will instantly recognise him as Commander Ed Straker. Ed is in command of the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation or SHADO as it is usually known as. This organisation is tasked with defending Earth from alien invaders. The figure is standing in a casual relaxed pose but he holds a pistol behind his back. I was a huge fan of UFO and I'd love to see CDG make more figures from the series, especially the female Moonbase crew. I had a huge crush on Lieutenant Gay Ellis played by Gabrielle Drake. With their metallic purple wigs they were very striking.
I'm not sure why, but I received two versions of this figure. I guess it was just a thank you gift, seeing as I did place a rather large order with CDG. CDG have given the Man from 2000 a name, Darius, so that is what I shall call this figure. Note that the figure comes with a choice of three heads and the option to give him a pistol in his right hand. I see Darius as some kind of business man, probably the CEO of a successful company. He makes a fine addition to my growing collection of civilians.

The third figure in line is called the Man from 3000 and he can be purchased with the Man from 2000. Collectively, they are known as the Men from the Future. He is instantly recognisable as Number Six, Patrick McGoohan's character from cult TV series, The Prisoner. I was not a fan of this show so it seems highly unlikely that I'll use this figure as anything more than a civilian.
The final figure of this group is Melissa Temple. CDG call her Ms. Temple, so I added her first name. CDG describe her as a fiery redhead with quite a temper who works in an office. It has only just occurred to me who she is based on - Donna Noble (played by Catherine Tate), one of Doctor Who's many female assistants. I can't believe that I have only just spotted that one! So, technically, I should have posted her when I did my review of CDG Doctor Who figures. Once again, she works well as a generic civilian character.

The next batch of figures come in two pairs. First up is Pandora King, a martial artist and agent for Department X. I suspect she is based on the character, Annabelle Hirst as played by Rosemary Nichols in the TV series, Department S. Alternatively, she could be based on any one of Tara King (Linda Thorson), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) or Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) from the 1960's TV series, The Avengers.
Her male partner is Hugo Solomon, who is unmistakably a not-Jason King (Peter Wingarde) from the TV series Department S, as well as spin off series, Jason King. He was always a debonair ladies man, as well as being good in a fight. In CDG's alternative reality, he is also an agent for Department X. He is armed with a pistol.

Next up is the head of Project Time Lift, Benton Troad, a well-meaning, somewhat overweight man who cannot shake years of immersion in ministerial bureaucracy. I think he is a character unique to CDG's 7TV universe, although the fact that he is wearing a badge with the number two on makes me wonder if he also appeared in The Prisoner.
Troad's assistant is Bambi Gascoigne, whom CDG describe as being cool-headed and an all round good egg. She is dressed in casual but smart clothing. Both her and Troad could double as ordinary civilians.
These are a nice collection of figures with multiple uses, making them quite versatile.
They all retail at £4.00 each if you wish to buy them separately, However, the cheaper option is to buy them as two-figure sets - The Men from the Future, Hugo Solomon and Pandora King, and Benton Troad and Bambi Gascoigne. Each set of two figures costs only £7.50. At the time of writing the figure of Ms. Temple is out of stock.