Believe it or not the BMP-1 actually has a pretty high ground clearance, so if you lay as flat as a board the thing can drive over you without even touching you (though I'm sure that the experience is terrifying). Then again, Fred didn't exactly have much time to think of this strategy, so he is indeed lucky not to have been pinned under the treads.

Compound fractures just plain suck.

Hooray for Sov light armor! Your BMP was instantly recognizable. Right attitude from the track commanding hyena, too. 'Yeah. Sure there is. I don't know you from Adam, I have orders. Shoo.' XD

The BMP was a lot of fun to draw on this page, and strangely cooperative compared to other vehicles I've tried my hand at. This isn't the vehicle's only appearance, so I hope my luck keeps up!

The BMP is pretty damn easy of a vehicle to draw. Very recognizable shape, with a really simplistic boxy design. The fact it was the world's first APC helps, too. Though by modern standards it's a piece of crap, even an M-203 40mm grenade can pierce its armor and a low-yield mine can gut the command station with ease.

There was also their nasty tendency to just burst into flame when enough bullets riddled it; fuel and ammo compartments had no protection, practically.

Hey, there's an idea for ya, the APC gets shot up and bursts into flames! :D I'D love it!

P.S. Awesome, right down to detailing of the inside hatch cover.

I'll let you in on a secret... I have absolutely NO idea what the inside of the BMP-1's hatch looks like. In fact, I'm just waiting for an armor aficionado to re-educate me, but I looked at the blank space and thought that there had to be at least something there for the commander to interact with.

It's off the baseline Soviet standard BUT that has varied greatly over the years as well as from factory to factory. The baseline blueprint standard is the closing/locking handle in the 12 o'clock position with the end of the handle facing to 6 o'clock when opened. That puts the locking lug as far opposite the hinges as possible. I'm willing to buy the additional 'hoist' handle for leverage, particularly if you expect to be doing urban fighting where closing your hatch in a hurry might be resisted by someone trying to keep it open. The first aid kit is certainly non-standard but I've seen FAKs taped in similar locations on other armor. Sometimes smoke marking grenades are likewise wired to the inside hatch cover for convenience. I've seen a Skorpion taped to the inside of a hatch cover, even.

Anyhow, point is that it's detailed believably and looks lovely. It's not like the BMP-1 was standardized across all producing factories any more than the T-34 was. Local variations were common, field repairs and fiddling were rife, and then soldiers will tack on goodies to any bit of spare space. It works.

Ohhhhhhh ouch. Talk about rug burn on those arms. Poor Fred.

Also, AWESOME job on the BMP. God I lurve ICVs. Also, the uniform on that officer is pretty damn spiffy too, right down to the markings and such. Also, goatee.

I was also tempted to add some grime to his jeans, or even put a hole in them, but either I plum forgot about it or (more likely) I didn't know how I was going to do that in photoshop. I was reasonably pleased with how the road rash came out and I'm glad you noticed it!

Also, the BMP was very cooperative- it surprised me with how simple, elegant, and austere it is despite looking more complex. If it comes down to a showdown between this and the Bradley M2, the M2 would probably win, but it wouldn't look as good!

The uniforms were not too challenging since I sort of worked out a design in the early pages, but I figured that as an officer the hyena should have a slightly different touch- particularly since African (national) militaries have a surprisingly flamboyant style of dress. It was fun to mix and match American, French, and Russian kit, though you may not be able to tell on this page. Future pages should be more of a giveaway.

Oh yeah, I totally know what you mean on the mix of kit. I have this small handbook with a selection of uniforms from different countries in different areas. African nations are always a hodgepodge. American helmets, Russian rifles, french... I dunno. Whatever they do best.

...Speech? o_o The only good thing about the frogs is their language. *laughs*

Damn, there is no way I can see this having an happy ending. Things have gotten really sticky here.

Ah, but who will have a bad ending and who will have a profitable day? Keep reading!

I will keep on reading.

I like the coloring. It looks very natural, as always. The textures and shading are spot on.

Thank you! I think I'm going to ask you this since I respect you as an artist- can you pick out what aspect/panel you liked the most and what aspect/panel you liked the least? Also, why?

JUBOKKO!

Nicely done tank! And the textures on that shirt are amazing!

The tank was cooperative, for the most part, and the textures are actually pretty easy to do. If you want I can explain the steps.

Well done...

Thanks!

Look forward to the next installment.

The beret was a particularly good pick for uniform since Russian armor as a rule is cramped like you wouldn't believe. Also that would be the gunner that Fred is talking to since the commander sat behind the driver and the turret was only big enough to accommodate one man. I love my Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored fighting vehicles.

OK. Next page here we go.

Panel 1 Good panel. I like the expression on his face, the scratches and bruises and the swirly marks letting us know he's getting his bearing back. Background is top-notch again darn you. One major flaw in this panel and it is the word balloon. You have it coming from off-panel in this one which makes me think someone else is saying it but it extends to the next panel to connect to another word balloon where Fred is saying it. Makes the reader stop and try to figure this out. There two word ballons should have been cut. If a word balloon is in the panel, we need to know who it is coming from. The word balloon in this one should be pointing to Fred and stopping there with the word balloon in #2 also pointing to Fred. It was like you were trying to do something innovative but it ended up being a little confusing. This word balloon could have trailed off with a "..." to be continued in the next one to show a continuing thought though. Next time. Enough about that.

Panel 2 A panel showing good depth. Fred's leg seems to be intentionally obscuring the cheetah though. Not sure why.

Panel 3 I think you may have had a little trouble drawing Fred's position in this one. His pose looks a little stiff and maybe cramped. The cheetah is excellent though. A very tight panel. Might have worked better from a little farther away because you have a page break that takes us back to the beginning. This is generally considered undesirable. Good pagebreaks take the reader's eye to the next panel. Might have also done good as a tight shot of the leg or some other angle. Just saying the viewpoint here is a little flat.

Panel 4 good shot. Takes us right to the next panel... almost.

Panel 5 I'm not sure this shot was necessary and I say that for two reasons. One, he is not saying anything in this though it looks like he should be shouting something in alarm. "WHOA!" or "HOLY-" would have really made this panel feel worth it. As it is, it's like he is suddenly silent.

Panel 6 Awesome. Simply awesome tank there dude. Fits perfect with the background and the character to show it scale. Fred's pose is great too. Only problem is you cut the driver's head off in the top. Not good even if it is so small.

Panel 7 Great pic. Probably my favorite on the page. I like the Hyena captain but mainly the depth and perspective on the page. The gun seeming to point at Fred is nice too. All good stuff here.

Plot/Writing I'm still confused about the children in the last page but it is OK. The dialogue is all good except for the flow of the balloons in the top two panels. I like this page more than the last as it looks cleaner and has some good impact shots.

that is a Russian made BMP-1.

LOL i had driven a BMP-1 last year...