Hero Forge - Modern Anubite by @Thorvald (El Thorvaldo)

Back in December I stumbled on Hero Forge, which seems to be the best-quality and fullest-featured custom miniature maker on the Web. How I found it is lost to memory, but I had so much fun with it that I bit the bullet and registered an account, as it lets you save mockups for free.

Revisionist interpretations were fresh on the mind when Taniciusfox launched the ill-fated ATEN in 2013, and the Black Guard was a foolish attempt to play to the GM's furry bias. As I opted to recycle the United Arab Republic for the superior Imperium Offtopicum XIV, the Guard was put on the bench as I figured out a feasible sci-fi angle. The result was, narratively-speaking, a much richer product; unfortunately, I'd barely even scratched the long-arc before that game too imploded. Ironically, despite heavy suggestions in chat, I never explicitly described what they were.

Strictly speaking, if this was proper kit they'd be wearing helmets, but for the purpose of the model this makes a sleeker profile. Also available for night operations.

Fast fact: Khamsin, chamsin or hamsin (Arabic: خمسين ḫamsīn), more commonly known in Egypt as khamaseen (Egyptian Arabic: خماسين ḫamāsīn), is a dry, hot, sandy local wind affecting Egypt and the Levant. From the Arabic word for "fifty", these dry, sand-filled windstorms blow sporadically in Egypt over a fifty-day period in spring, hence the name. When the storm passes over an area, lasting for several hours, it carries great quantities of sand and dust from the deserts, with a speed up to 140 kilometers per hour (87 mph; 76 knots), and the humidity in that area drops below 5%. Even in winter, the temperatures rise above 45° C (113° F) due to the storm. The sand storms are reported to have seriously impeded both Napoleon's military campaigns in Egypt as well as Allied-German fighting in North Africa in World War II. . .

Hero Forge © Sky Castle Studios.

[Originally submitted to DeviantArt July 2022.]