2 More Deathrays Done, Plus Other Items [OOC]

Friends and Followers,

I have finished two more rays, the standard bearer and one of the carbine-armed riders. Here's a couple of pictures (sorry about the background - its my official paint desk):

Also, I received many small bits of lead from overseas this week! Yay! The folks at Black Cat bases were kind enough to pick up a couple of miniatures for me from Donnington Miniatures at Warfare in Reading (that's in the UK, for all us Yanks), and shipped them to me. One I won't be able to use for this project, but the others shall probably work. What are they, you ask? Priests! I now have a trio of priests (one mounted!) to provide spiritual comfort and guidance to the Papal forces on Mars.

I also got in a batch of Papal infantry and Zouaves from Freikorps, direct. I had to go to them, because it was faster than ordering from Little Wars, even though Little Wars (the US distributor for Freikorps) is just across town from me! Haven't started on them yet, but look forward to getting after it soon.

I did start painting the French Foot artillery I bought for the pontifical forces. I'll only have one gun crew and a breechloading field gun, plus a wrecked gun objective I am planning. But that's plenty, I think. I can see a race to retrieve the gun or destroy it before the natives can get their hands on a modern European field piece.

Also, I made a little progress on the rivers, which I will post about tomorrow on the gaming terrain blog.

That's all for tonight/this morning. Got to go get some sleep so I can make 8:00 Mass!

Spar Torpedoes in the Sky

Martian Flying Cavalry Carries Torpedoes

"They're mad, I tell you. Completely barmy. I'll have to get the Royal Artillery Research and Development nobbins on this immediately!"

That was the response of General Sir Michael Stackpole, KB, when informed by this journal that it appears the Galforrian Deathray Cavalry were practicing with what amounts to small spar torpedoes in their hands. One of our clandestine correspondents in the Galforrian Empire was able to watch the flying cavalry at training, and described it thusly:

"They had these long, long poles, very thin, sort of like a regular lance. But no point on it. Instead, there was this... I dunno what to call it. Some sort of explosive device. Anyway, they flew under a few barrels full of water, suspended high up, you see, and tried to hit the barrel - swinging in the wind it was, so not too easy to hit. But when it did hit! By the Hammer of Grabthor! The barrel exploded as soon as the tip of that lance struck it solidly." (Translated from Galforric)

I certainly hope our scientists can swiftly come up with a counter stroke to these fiendish devices. I fear that the fragile peace on Mars shall soon be a memory, if the militaristic machinations of the Galforrians and their Germanic friends continue thusly.

[Editor's Note: I am heavily leaning towards this option. I have some small egg shaped beads I am thinking of putting at the tips of the lances to represent a shaped charge explosive of some kind. Possibly a tiny fragment of handwavium or something. That leaves me with two carbine-armed riders, who become the personal guard of the Prince. I only need one more pack of lancers to complete the unit if I go that route. I'll have a unit of ten lancers, with musician and commander, plus a half unit of five, with the Prince, his standard, two guards and a tambour drummer. Should be plenty, yeah?]

Deathrays over Mars!

Prince Gopotty's First Recruits Take to the Skies

A few months ago, our readers were treated to the first photostats of Martian Prince Musta Gopotty of Galfor mounted upon his (somewhat) domesticated golden whorled deathray, gliding gracefully through the cerulean skies of the Red Planet. Prince Gopotty has named his personal deathray mount "Rogor," which translates to "Slasher" in English.

Since that time, the Prince has been consumed with the difficult task of finding Martians brave enough to join him in the pursuit of mounted aeronautics. A few hardy souls have answered his call and received the intense training required. And you can see photostats here!

We have here the man who will be captain of the flying cavalry, Lord Impaw Sibbel. He is armed with what appears to be (at great distance, to be sure) an American .41 cal Navy revolver, with a brass frame, as was popular in the Confederate States during the War Between the States.

The next photostat is a drummer, apparently intended to fly with the prince to provide signalling to the rest of his army far below.

This last photostat is a shot of the first of the 'other ranks' for the Prince's Own Deathray Guards Cavalry. He is armed with a lance and a revolver. This journal's military contacts are not exactly convinced of the effectiveness of the lance when used on a flying mount, but reserve final judgment until such time as an entire unit of flying lancers can be observed in action.

When shown the evidence of this airborne threat, a spokesman for Viceroy DeGroot's government had this to say:

"We are used to the flying ships of the Martian natives. And we have countered them, to their consternation and our benefit. This new force is merely a response to the success, here on Mars, of our superior Earthly civilization.

"Thankfully for our peace of mind, it seems that Prince Gopotty is having some difficulty finding recruits with both the nerve to mount a large, carnivorous, not-totally-domesticated flying beast and the skill to master the use of weapons while controlling said beast in flight. It will be some time still before these aerial marauders can threaten our security here in the Crown Colony. By then, the Viceroy is confident that our professional military, naval, and aeronaval officers shall have some sort of counter for this sort of perfidious, nearly silent but deadly force."

[Editor's Note: Finally! Progress on this project. I am torn on the main armament of the Prince's Own, though. A poll in the making. Which should it be, rifles or lances, or a mix? I lean towards lances, myself, but am not quite sure. There are two more saddled up and ready to be strapped onto their deathrays, a standard bearer and a rifleman. Just need to get some more leather lacing to strap them on with. Hope you like the photos. As before, the figures are Black Hat's Martian Cavalry, a mix of Command, w/Guns, w/Lances, and Mounted Princes packs. The deathrays are Safari, Ltd. Spotted Eagle Rays, and the saddles were cast by me in resin. If you want one or two, I could probably be talked into making some for you. I have actually thought about neatening up the sculpt and casting them for sale so others could do the same kind of conversions on any creature they wanted. What do you think?]

HYDRIUM!

Hydrium Discovered in Ghola District!

Hydrium, that marvelous Martian miasma, is of course what provides so many large creatures on Mars with the lift necessary for flight. It is naturally occuring in many animal species, and in at least one plant species, the hydrium tree, more commonly known as 'liftwood.' The fact that hydrium has a greater lifting potential than hydrogen while remaining totally non-flammable makes it an extremely valuable commodity.

"Coupled with the slightly reduced gravitational effects on the Red Planet," states Professor Percival Botham, "naturally occurring plant-based hydrium makes very large objects capable of flight without the use of cumbersome gas bags. With gas bags, the scale of such aerial behemoths becomes astonishing."

Until recently, it was thought by Earthly scientists that hydrium was a natural digestive byproduct unique to Martian biology. However, the eminent Texican geologist, Howard Burroughs, has discovered a natural 'well' of pure hydrium gas in a secret location in the remote agricultural Ghola District of the Martian Crown Colony. Mr. Burroughs was searching for petroleum deposits when he noticed the distinctive mango-like scent of hydrium in the air.

The ramifications of this discovery may upset the delicate balance of power between the European states on Mars and their allies, thanks to the frontier location of the sleepy Ghola District. Naturally, Her Majesty's Government lays claim to the strategically important mineral, as is only right, providing Mr. Burroughs with a handsome percentage of the profit to be obtained from hydrium development without burdening the man of science with the tawdry financial details.

"Ghost" Archers Developing

This journal hopes to be able to produce an 8-part photostatic essay on the creation of a Martian "ghost" archer in the near future. Please be so kind as to keep an eye out for these mysterious red devils of the deserts. While no one knows their plans at this time, such furtive, secretive activity can not possibly indicate trustworthiness. The author suspects the hand of the perfidious Hun behind these strange natives.

The Prince in Flight

As promised, good readers, here is a rather poor photostatic image of the Prince Gopotty astride his mighty flying mount. The photographer was severely mauled by the golden whorled deathray immediately following the capture of this image; donations to his widow may be sent care of this journal, made out to cash.

[Editor's Note: Hydrium is a wonder gas introduced by James Oppel in his novel Airborn. I highly recommend it for younger readers and as a light read. Not exactly Victorian, but it has zeppelins and air pirates, so how bad could it be?]

The Prince is Ready!

Whorled Deathray Cavalry Take to the Skies

At long last, His Highness, Prince Musta Gopotty has finished training the first of the golden whorled deathrays for cavalry service. Eleven more brave Martians have volunteered to train with the Prince in the art of aerial cavalry. Some are armed with guns, some with lances, and two are known to have been in possession of musical instruments when they volunteered. Perhaps once a few more golden whorled deathrays are captured and saddled, they will be seen practicing their graceful yet deadly art in the skies of the Red Planet.

Photostats of this momentous occasion in Martian military history are forthcoming, awaiting only proper lighting conditions for a better quality photo.

"Ghost" Archers Sighted In Outlying Agricultural District

In other news, we have sighted a few Martians dressed in strange headdress and carrying bows sneaking about the countryside. Martian militia units have also been sighted in the same area, armed with a mix of guns and swords. Only time will tell the intent of these furtive figures, but this journal would suggest that the Government send patrols to the Ukana District.

Sentinel #2 Preparing for Service at Orlock

From Orlock Ironmongery of Mars, reports filter out that bombardment rockets for the long-awaited Sentinel #2 are in development. Only time shall tell what form these terror weapons shall eventually take, as security has been extremely tight (good show, that!) and many copies of misleading evidence have been allowed to be discovered, in order to confuse the spies of Napoleon III and Kaiser Wilhelm.

[Editor's Note: I must remember the silly names I give these Martians, for continuity's sake. I rather like Musta Gopotty, though. Be careful to wear nitrile gloves when pouring resin. It does not come off of skin easily. Please let me know if you like the 'new' look of the posting - more like a newspaper, I think. It won't be every post I make, but...]

Deathray Dilemma

Gentlemen, I have a quandry, which I hope that you may help me resolve. I truly despise indecision, so I must make a stand quickly.

Here's the situation: I have 18mm Martians [Black Hat], and two sizes of deathrays. I am thinking of buying more 25/28mm riders for the larger deathrays and more smaller deathrays [Spotted Eagle Rays from Safari, Ltd.] for the smaller riders.

I have a variety of other flying devices and mounts and plans and such for 25/28mm, including High Martians, airships, etc. Nothing else currently on tap for 15/18mm, though I would like to get on to scratchbuilding some kites and airships for them as well.

Reports of Progress on Deathray Training

Gentlemen, we have received alarming reports that Prince Musta Gopotty of the Martian state of Galfor, that implacable opponent of all things Right and Proper - that is to say, British - is readying troop of soldiers mounted upon devilish flying mounts. The Martian Deathray is a rightly feared predator of the Martian highlands, where it gracefully soars under the twin moons of the Red Planet. Never before has anyone even tried to keep any in captivity. Their enormous size and strength and well-known ferocity indicate such would be nigh on impossible!

And yet, the impossible does seem to be happening! As these photostats clearly show, the renegade Prince has mounted one of the smaller species of deathrays, the golden whorled deathray. While smaller than its cousin, the Great Deathray, it is much faster and more agile, and clearly capable of carrying off a man, or carrying one mounted on its back.

[Editor's Notes:]
The ray is a spotted eagle ray toy I bought at the Dallas Zoo. I think it was manufactured by Safai Unlimited or something like that. I scraped that info off the bottom - oops! Then I drilled a hole in its belly and popped it onto a clear flight stand. The rider is a Martian prince in 18mm from Black Hat miniatures. The straps are some strips of sueded lacing that I just superglued onto the toy.

The big problem was that the cast miniature would not sit on the flat back of the ray. So I had to make a saddle of some sort.

I bought some clay, mold putty and two part casting resin at the local Hobby Lobby. I sculpted a saddle out of the clay and baked it hard, per the package directions (I used green Sculpey Primo).

Next, I made a mold using the mold putty. It was really easy: knead the two equal sized bits of putty together, then press onto the master and let it sit. It took all of about 30 minutes for the mold to be ready.

I popped the original 'green' out of the mold and

mixed a small amount of the resin - still way too much, it turned out. Poured the resin into the mold, waited about 10 minutes (just to be sure), and popped out the little white beauty you see here, next to the original.

The whole process was really easy. Granted, the sculpting is primitive and a simple form, but I am still very happy with how it came out. I can make more saddles for the Great Deathrays now. I have even figured a way to modify them to make a two-man saddle possible for the bigger rays.

Other projects are moving along as well. I have been working on several Martian buildings from plastic containers of various shapes and sizes, filled with expanding insulating foam for extra rigidity, and then the bottom given a layer of Water Putty for heft. When I get one really finished, I'll post pictures. I even have some "in progress" shots. I am nearing completion of the entire squad of 28mm British Secret Weapons troops [Praetorians from GW], and have one of the two modified Sentinels ready to go except for a final shot of matte spray and the banner.

I bought some dried plants to make more Martian terrain, as well. Some strange looking trees will be making their appearance on the gaming table soon.