Thursday 3 November 2016

JDMG MC1 Street Judges 01

As I begin my (many) reviews of my collection of 28mm scale figures for the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game there is only one place I can start at and that is, of course, with Judge Dredd himself. In addition, I'm looking at some of the other Mega City One Street Judges who may appear in my campaign. Some of these Judges are generic unnamed Street Judges, whilst others have been named after my close friends and fellow Bloggers and they will definitely appear in my campaign.
Before I could take any photos of my extensive collection of figures I plan on using in this project I had to create a suitable backdrop to photograph them against. So, using two 6" by 6" ground tiles from the WWG TLX Streets of Titan set and six 6" by 2" wall tiles from the WWG TLX Codename Titan set I came up with a suitable scenery backdrop to represent a street in Mega City One or indeed, any generic sci-fi city.
All four of these figures are meant to represent Judge Dredd but seeing as "Ole Stony Face" is unique I had to choose just one to use as Joseph Dredd in my campaign. The choice was an easy one for me. The figure at the far left of the group is AD68 Judge Dredd 2 with Daystick from the Wargames Foundry 2000AD range and is, in my opinion, the finest sculpt of Judge Dredd ever made. The way the mouth and chin have been sculpted looks like he is based on a Carlos Ezquerra illustration, which is certainly no bad thing. After all, Carlos created the look of Judge Dredd along with writer, John Wagner. To me, he just looks like he means business and he does look as hard as nails and totally ready for action. I can't say enough good things about this figure - he is just perfect!
In the Judge Dredd Miniatures Game, Judge Dredd is a Level 20 Infantry Hero with a value of 625 Credits and very impressive stats. I am not planning on using him in my campaign but that does not mean he definitely won't be making an appearance. Who knows what might happen in the future?
Dredd's background is well known and I'm sure there is no one who is reading this who doesn't know who he is. For over 40 years Judge Joe Dredd has saved Mega City One more times than anyone can remember. He has always said his place is on the streets and has always avoided positions of command. Nevertheless, he is considered the most senior of Street Judges and even Chief Judges pay attention when he speaks. He is the Law, and you better believe it, creep!
The other three figures of Judge Dredd will be used as normal Street Judges. I have yet to name any of them. Second from the left is AD79 Judge Dredd 3 from the Wargames Foundry range of 2000AD figures. To me, he is a very average sculpt and I would never dream of using him as Judge Dredd. As a generic Street Judge he is okay but he is nowhere near as good as the other two Foundry Judge Dredd figures.
Third in line is the Indyclix version of Judge Dredd. Indyclix was a short lived expansion set for Heroclix, which produced superheroes and villains from the big two American comics publishers, DC and Marvel. Indyclix concentrated on characters created by a few independent comic publishers, including 2000AD. I had a number of swaps of this figure, so I removed one from his clicky base and glued him to a normal 25mm diameter slottabase. For a normal Street Judge he is a decent enough sculpt but I feel he lacks the wow factor to be Judge Dredd.
At the far right is my oldest and probably rarest figure of Judge Dredd. Incredibly, he was made by Citadel Miniatures before they became a subsidiary of Games Workshop. Even more unusual, he was sculpted as a 32mm scale figure. Bear in mind this was in the early 1980's when all of the Citadel figures were 25mm scale. At the time, that made him something of an oddity - an over-scale figure. The figure was clearly based on an illustration by Ron Smith, who I must admit was one of my least favourite Judge Dredd artists. Originally, the figure held a Mk.1 Lawgiver pistol in his right hand and a daystick in his left hand. At some point his daystick snapped off and so I re-sculpted his left hand. I also replaced his Mk.1 Lawgiver with a Mk.2 Lawgiver. For many years he was my unique Judge Dredd figure, simply because no one else made any MC1 Judges, never mind a Judge Dredd. He saw quite a lot of action. Now, however, I have relegated him to generic Street Judge status but this figure will always hold special memories for me.
Now I move on to my player characters for my JDMG campaign. All of them are Level 1 Street Judges apart from Judge Nash, who is a Level 1 Med Judge. At the far left is Street Judge Burnett. I decided to make him the team's sniper. As such, he is armed with a Lawrod Rifle, which replaces his Lawgiver Pistol. Both weapons use the same ammo but the Lawrod has a much greater range. His two starting Talents are Accurate (which allows him to re-roll a missed Shoot attack that uses 1 Shooting Dice) and Boom! Head Shot (which causes any critical hit done with a Standard Executioner round single shot to do triple damage instead of double damage. Ouch!). Clint is a bit of a loner but he will surely prove his worth at ranged combat. His figure is a Judge with Lawrod Rifle from Warlord Games.
Next up is me. This is Street Judge Scott, the team's leader. As such, I decided he would specialise in leadership abilities that prove beneficial to himself and the rest of the team. His two starting talents are Academy Star (which grants him a permanent +1 bonus to his Will stat) and Voice of Command (which grants a +1 bonus to all Will tests to any allies who are within 12" of him). Will is the stat used by Judges to make arrests and by perps to resist arrest. So, Judge Scott will excel at making arrests as well as helping his colleagues improve their chances of making arrests. His figure is AD1 Judge Dredd 1 produced by Wargames Foundry as the first figure they made for their 2000AD range of figures. He is, in my opinion, the second best sculpted figure of Judge Dredd. Seeing as I wanted a really cool figure to use as my alter ego I had no hesitation in choosing this figure.
The figure second from the right is Street Judge Gilbert. Steve works on the principle that if one Lawgiver Pistol is good then two have to be better. His two starting talents are Luck of Grud (which allows him one re-roll per game) and Dual Shooter (which grants him a +1 damage bonus when he fires two pistols simultaneously. However, he only rolls for one pistol and no criticals are allowed). Initially, the Dual Shooter Talent is not that impressive but as he gains more experience at being a Twin Shooter, Judge Gilbert will really shine. Suffice to say, his forte is with the Lawgiver Pistol. His figure is the Warlord Games Judge with Twin Lawgiver Pistols.
At far right is Street Judge Hillers, who in my campaign is not romantically involved with Judge Gilbert. This is not the case in real life! Hilary wanted to be called Judge Hillers instead of Judge Hilary or Judge Gilbert. She is good at both Ranged combat and Melee combat but she prefers to bring her victims in alive instead of dead. As such, her two starting Talents are Skilled and Deadly (which allows her to re-roll one Melee die) and Leg Shot (which uses a single Lawgiver Standard Executioner round. If hit, the target loses no Hits but can't Move or Melee until the next Phase). Judge Hillers represents the conscience of the team and will be the least likely to demand excessive force. However, anyone who thinks she is too soft will quickly come to regret it. You underestimate her at your peril. Her figure is a Female Street Judge from Warlord Games.
Here are another four of my player character Judges starting at the far left with Street Judge Moore. A veteran of many fire fights, Simon knows how to handle a gun. His two starting Talents are Accurate (which allows him to re-roll a missed Shoot attack with any firearm that uses one Shooting Dice) and Close Combat Shooter (which allows him to fire his pistol even if an enemy is in base to base contact with him). Judge Moore is a specialist in the use of the Lawgiver Pistol. His figure is based on one of the Warlord Games versions of Judge Dredd from the Heroes of Mega City One boxed set.
Next in line is Street Judge Webb who is the team's stealth and agility expert. His two starting talents are Stealthy (Until the start of his next Phase, enemies within 20" of him must make an opposed Will test to take any action against him. Enemies further than 20" away cannot see him) and Agile (which allows him to re-roll any non-combat Agility test). Roger will hone these Talents further as he gains more experience. His figure is based on the Warlord Games version of Judge Giant, who also appeared in the Heroes of Mega City One boxed set.
Second from the right is Street Judge Crowe. Jez wanted him to be called Judge Crowe instead of Judge Winstanley and I was only too happy to oblige. He is the team's Melee Combat expert. His two starting talents are Martial Artist (which means he loses the Weak rule from any Fists and Feet attacks he makes) and Skilled and Deadly (which allows him to re-roll any one of his Melee Dice). Jez likes to get up close and personal with perps. As such, I chose the figure of a Warlord Games Street Judge with Daystick to portray him.
Finally is Med Judge Nash. Tasked with keeping Mega City One safe from virulent diseases and plagues, Med Judges can also be found on the frontline of the streets, ensuring the safety of other Judges when under fire. Seeing as Andy is a paramedic in real life, it was an obvious choice to make him a Med Judge. His two starting Talents are appropriately enough, Medic (which allows him to heal one injury after a game) and First Aid (which allows him to automatically restore 1 lost Hit to an ally in base contact with him. He can also heal himself of 1 Hit if he passes a Will test). JDMG is above all a skirmish game with the emphasis firmly on combat. As such, it should prove highly beneficial for my team to have their own medic close by. Andy's figure is based on the Warlord Games figure of Med Judge 1.
I hope my fellow Bloggers are satisfied with how I have portrayed them for my campaign. If not, I can certainly change them. If you have the JDMG rulebook, just let me know what changes you'd like me to make. If you don't have the rulebook but would like to know more about the game you can download a PDF copy for free from the Warlord Games webstore. See here https://store.warlordgames.com/collections/judge-dredd/products/ebook-judge-dredd-rulebook
More Street Judges next time, folks. If you have any questions you want to ask about the game or my campaign please don't hesitate to contact me via the comments section or by e-mail.

26 comments:

  1. Absolutely outstanding painting Bryan, they are, imho, the very best I've seen you do. Having painted my fair share on the "Mongoose Publishing"/"Warlord Games" Judges (and not enjoyed one of them), I am full of admiration as to just how very well these have turned out. You've even picked out the US colours on their belt buckles!!! Wonderful, simply wonderful.

    I'm also pleased to see you go with the preferred black uniforms, and is that a gloss varnish finish I spy on their helmets? Are you going to properly the coat the other three-quarters of each mini ;-) What combination of greens did you use btw, as it stands out very nicely.

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    1. Oh, wow! I am overwhelmed by your kind words, Simon. With a project like this, I pulled out all the stops to paint the figures to the very best of my abilities. This really was a labour of love and still is as I strive to complete my collection. I would agree that these are some of the best figures I have ever painted.

      The paint scheme I adopted is, in my opinion, the definitive colour scheme for Mega City One Judges. Yes, the uniforms should be black. Yes, the helmets have been gloss varnished. So too, have the Lawgiver Pistols. And no, the rest of the figures will not be gloss varnished! Why spoil them? ;-)

      For the green bits you may notice a slight difference between some of my Judges. That is because the early figures were painted using the old Citadel paints before they got renamed and changed. Goblin Green was the main colour I used. However once I abandoned the Citadel paint system and switched to Foundry Paints, their paints dominate my Justice Department. I now block colour the green bits with Foundry Bright Green Shade 25A. I then add highlights with Foundry Bright Green 25B. Finally, I add extreme highlights with a 50/50 mix of Foundry Bright Green 25b and Foundry Ochre 4C. I hope that helps, Judge Moore.

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  2. I agree with Simon, arguably your best painting yet! The belt buckles are delightful and the greens are fab. Top, top work Bryan.

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    1. Many, many thanks, Med Judge Nash. I really needed a steady hand to paint those belt buckles, I can tell you.

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  3. I am hugely flattered to be included and with a Lawrod as well. What can I say. Well brilliant is suppose absolutely brilliant.

    Seeing the gold shoulders reminds me of when I started playing JD and I painted the shoulders yellow. I still maintain I was right to paint them yellow despite a player calling me a fool and wrong and an idiot as he claimed they should be gold. And while I accept that the uniform is gold to me yellow was better as it gave more of a comic book feel. I have nothing against gold pads at all in fact they look quite spiffy, I just wish my player had the same feeling towards yellow as comic books do not print in gold.

    If I was doing them again I would do them yellow as well. But I still do like the gold.

    Sorry rant over!

    Once again very flattered, now where did I put my belly wheel?

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    1. Thanks, Clint. There is some discrepancy over what should be the "proper" colour scheme for a Judges uniform. As depicted in the comics, the shoulder pads have appeared as yellow in the past. There was also an argument over the uniform - was it black with blue highlights or blue with black shading? Now, as the artwork becomes more photo-realistic, it is accepted that the uniform is black and that the shoulder pads are gold. Still, there is no reason why you can't paint your Judges the way you think they should be. I certainly wouldn't criticise you for doing so.

      Oh, and you really don't need a belly wheel, you fine young specimen of a man. :-)

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    2. no fool (the fools are those who might call you a fool). Its fantasy, you can paint them how you want to paint them for your own games.... polka dot pink if you like. As for the gold/yellow debate.... gold is probably accurate (for those who follow the changing realism of modern rendering) but I`m with you, especially being an `old school` gamer, and I would do mine yellow as well... like we all did of old.

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    3. Thanks Bryan as long as you are aware that I am not criticising your painting/colour choice one little bit. But I also went for the blue uniforms with black shading.... I might have to do a pic on my blog! Just for fun.

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    4. @ Steve. I totally agree, mate. I've seen pictures of Judges painted in blue and yellow and they look fine. It all comes down to personal preference and I was never one to advocate that uniform colours must be perfectly accurate to be acceptable.

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    5. @Clint. No, no criticism was taken. I understand where you're coming from and your point of view is as valid as anyone else's. I would love to see photos of your Judges on your blog.

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  4. Just from that description alone I would really like to see that blue with black shading. It sounds really attractive.

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    1. Me too, Clint is an excellent painter so want to see his efforts!

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  5. Very, very nice, Bryan. Absolutely top notch painting. And Judge Crowe has a big stick and knows how to use it! "When you run out of ammo, punk, i'll still have this big stick..." *tap, tap, tap*

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    1. Thanks, Jez. What I was wondering is this - does the Justice Department know about "The Way of the Crow?" I can well imagine that Judge Crowe knows about it. Perhaps he learnt it whilst on an exchange visit to Hondo City.

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  6. Hate to be a broken record, but I too think this is some of your finest painting to date, they are simply stunning work Bryan, and I love the fact that Judge Webb is based on a Judge Giant figure (always one of my favourite characters), but I had to laugh at Stealth and Agility as his special abilities, sitting here having just go up for a nightshift and full of the "bacon butties" I had for tea, I don't exactly feel empowered with either of those!4

    Lets just hope my alter ego performs better than the real one would.

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. Thanks, Roger. I, too, am a big fan of Judge Giant. I already had a figure to use as Judge Giant so this figure I chose for you was going spare. As for specialising in stealth and agility the great thing about miniature gaming is the characters we choose to portray can bear little in reality to our real life counterparts. I lack all of the qualities my Judge character has and if ever a zombie apocalypse occurred I'm sure I'd be very lucky to survive Day One. But in gaming we can be the heroes we aspire to be. Ain't that grand?

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  7. Great paintjob on the Street Judges!

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  8. With only a couple of exceptions, these models from different eras and different manufacturers all look remarkably compatible with each other [there is one model which is a touch over size and another that is a bit small, I think?]. It's an impressive collection!

    I wonder what is the correct collective term for a group of Judge Dredds?

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    1. Thanks, Hugh. I always think that different sized figures look more realistic when grouped together, so size discrepancy never bothers me.

      Hmm, a collective term for a group of Judge Dredds? How about a nightmare of Dredds?

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  9. {{{At far right is Street Judge Hillers, who in my campaign is not romantically involved with Judge Gilbert. This is not the case in real life! Hilary wanted to be called Judge Hillers instead of Judge Hilary or Judge Gilbert. She is good at both Ranged combat and Melee combat but she prefers to bring her victims in alive instead of dead.}}}

    Oh WOW HOW ON EARTH did I totally manage to miss the entire section on the above. I read the article as well. The phone went half way through reading this (I recall) and when I came back, I must have skipped the entire vital paragraph(s), somehow. This is fantastic and WOW Bryan you`ve made me look so cool and sexy.

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    1. I must admit that I was kind of surprised you didn't comment on your alter ego. I am so delighted that you're happy with the figure I chose to represent you. Judges Gilbert and Hillers will not be romantically involved in my campaign (it is against regulations anyway) but you will be partnering one another in most cases.

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  10. Just got in.... milk containers in each hand!! Hils shouting at me "Stieve, come see this.... look, look, LOOK!!"

    Btyan, I READ this..... HOW by Bonaparte`s holy b...... HOW did I miss Street Judge Gilbert and Judge Hillers. I look such a mean dude too.... I likeeey ^^ :-)) Twin pistols, yep, that would be me *chuckles* why one when two does much better that's me to tee. I LOVE them both very much. Honoured to be in your game mate.

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    1. Again, I was expecting some comment on your alter ego but better late than never, and yes, Steve, you are a hard ass Judge. I see you as the Justice Department version of Chow Yun Fat from the Hong Kong action film, "Hard Boiled" (one of my all-time favourite films!).

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  11. Ooooooh perfect analogy: Chow Yun Fat sits well in my `perfect image` psyche.

    I swear I`d never ignore an article, I honestly and true to goodness SOMEHOW (noooo idea how) missed it is all.... what`s so odd is that Hils did e-x-a-c-t-l-y the same thing as well.

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    1. No worries, Steve. It is not something that would cause me grief, anyway. Nice to hear you have a "perfect image" of yourself. I do, too, but like most people, my perfect image is about as far from the truth as you can get!

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