Gruntz 15mm - Earth Force APC

I buy a lot of stuff from Rebel Minis.  They are located in the US, so no extortion from the Royal Mail.  They have great service and good sculpts, including my favorites, the Viper mechs.  I've built quite a bit of my 15mm collection out of their models.  They boys both want their own models and due to all of the above factors I ordered theirs from Rebel.

Rhys got his first, which is what drove Owyn's "need" for models of his own.  They both earned infantry right off the bat.  They had to be good at school to get their rewards, and one bad day cancelled the whole week.  Rhys' infantry can be found in this post.  He wanted them to look like clones.

To sweeten the deal I also bought them each a couple of vics.  Just like the infantry I queued up all of the various vehicles on the web site and let them choose what they wanted.  Rhys chose the Earth Force APC.

Turtle Mk 1 tank.

It's a resin casing with metal tracks and a metal turret.  Great value for what you get.  The decals are GW IG stuff.

Front view with the Rhys' Raiders emblem proudly emblazoned on the front glacis.

Based on my experience in armored vehicles the turret basket would take up the troop compartment.  Obviously Sci/Fi could be different, but since there is a hatch on the roof of the turret, I've decided that this is a light tank and not an APC.  It can carry four dismounted scouts in the back, very much like an LAV-25.

Quarter view.

Rhys' Raiders are a mercenary light armored cavalry battalion.  They run a mix of light tanks, APCs and light mechs, providing armored reconnaissance for a reasonable price.  The Turtle light tank was standard fare under the empire and they are still manufactured by a dozen different corporations, making replacement and upgrade easy and cheap.  Key considerations for any mercenary company.

Top view.  The Turtle is very heavily armed for its weight class.

The Turtle carries a light laser as its main gun.  For heavier targets it has four Dragon light anti-armor missiles.  The co-ax is a light cannon, ideal for engaging infantry or other light vehicles.  It can also carry a four man scout section; a key capability for a recon unit.

Gruntz card for the Turtle Mk 1.

The Turtle used by the Raiders has upgraded fuel rods giving it greater speed.  The raiders favor fast hit and run attacks.  Any time they get into a stand up fight they consider it a defeat.  The only exception is enemy recon units, who they are more than happy to mix it up with.

Rhys' Raiders.  Get there first-est with the most-est.  For all your armored reconnaissance needs.