Another glorious day in the Corps!

US Colonial Marines in Hammer's Slammers, OOORAGH!

UD-4L Cheyennes on short final.  M577s dropped off over the horizon.  Dropships approach for a preparatory gun run

 A target-rich environment

But what gives, why are we here?  Mercs have invaded a bunch of alien ruins on some wierdo planet.  Those wussies at the UN cried for help.  The Corps stepped up; time to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and they're all outta gum!

One platoon of Ultimate Baddasses drop to the surface and prep for contact...  ..."one express elevator to Hell, going down!" 

First turn. UD-4L dropship's 'off table' barrage begins

And how!  There are: unguided rockets (MRLS) unguided hypervelocity rockets, miniguns (2cm tribarrels) and heavy ATGMs, whew!

First blood, a tank and MICV KO

 Mercs maneuver into better fire positions

 Then ATGMS and rockets (MLRS) hit...

 And hit

 And hit

 And hit.  Wow, the first volley was devastating.  So many top-attack munitions.

 Next turn Marines win initiative, UD-4Ls arrive on table (no more MLRS)

 Still a target-rich environment...

More Boom! miniguns bring the pain

KAPOW! not for long, a main powergun round cores a Cheyenne   "We're goin' down fast!"

Through and through shot.  That's why fliers stay off board in the Slammers 'verse

Tribarrels and main guns blow chunks out of the other dropship, losing both main ATGMs and their minigun.  "time to bug outta here"

Boom! ATGMs land.  Those top-attacks are deadly

And again...

"Mayday, Mayday"  crash and burn

Vroom, those dropped off M577 APCs finally arrive on table

Marines debus "hut hut!"

One squad goes to secure the crash site

 The other squad and APCs advance on the remnants of the mercs

The M577s destroy a MICV, the mercs bail

Buzzbombs KO the main weapons of the other MICV

Phew, by normal rules, we really should stop here as the mercs are depleted.  However, this is a do or die mission, so we continue

The mercs win initiative, they crawl into firing positions

Kablooie! the mercs mow down the advancing Marine squads.  Not. Good.

The M577s unload EVERYTHING on the mercs . "Let's ROCK!"

Result, a couple of greasy patches.  Marines win.

By Marines win, they mean they kill/destroy almost the whole merc force.  All that's left are the two command groups, for mercs that's all that matters really...

The surviving UD-4L comes in to extract the prisoners.  Perhaps now we will find out who was behind the mercs?

Stay tuned for the next installation of Marines In SPAAAACE!  (but perhaps it's best not to hold your breath, it may take a while)

And finally, a pic of

US Colonial Marines in HS, a work-in-progress.  I'll post a PDF when I'm done.

Woot!  USCMC, one of my favourite armies, these are some VERY old figs and toys.  The Marines are old Frikorps ones I painted nearly 20yrs ago, the UD-4L's are Galoob Micromachines and the M577s are Konami.  

I do have some of the newer Khurasan marines to paint/multi base and a company pack of M577 variants from FATC which will eventually become the full-time HS USCMC army with the addition of some (probably Khurasan) M40 Ridgeway/M22 Jackson tanks.