Achtung! Panzer!

New materials have arrived on the Red Planet for the construction of an armored machine of war for the German Empire. This massive landship (name and classification unknown at the time of this publication) was delivered from KAS Wotan when she arrived this week.

This recent addition to the Imperial forces is, thankfully, not yet ready to take the field. Surely, once assembled and manned, this weapon will not sit idle. Although the journal's sources within the Viceroy's Office give us conflicting information about whether or not the landship is operated by the Kaiserlich Heer or the Kriegsmarine, one thing is certain at this time. A fiendish mechanism such as this can only be intended for one purpose: a direct assault against either Her Majesty's Martian allies, or the Crown Colony itself!

[Editor's Notes: This was a Hasbro toy, from the GI Joe line. It's called an IMP. I obtained this one for little cost via eBay after seeing some nice conversion done with one on another site. I think it will make a fine machine of war for my German 28mm forces. I've disassembled it already, and am considering the proper spray color. I might even do a naval splinter camouflage paint scheme on it. It needs to have a few logos Dremeled off, and various bits and bobs removed and added. Anyway, consider this the 'before' photos.]

European Gothic structures

If you follow my other blogs, you know by now that I have been sucked into the Warhammer world again. It's a great setting, I'll give it credit for that.

But I have virtually NO scenics for the Empire other than generic terrain. I already had a few things for the Lizardmen I was using for VSF, with a similar tropical feel. But half-timbered buildings? Wattle and daub? Nein.

Anyone have easy ways to make these buildings? I will need at least:

• Tavern or coaching inn
• Farmhouse
• Two or three townhomes
• Barn/stable
• Outbuildings
• Sigmarite Shrine

A River Runs Through It

   Found this posted on TMP (The Miniatures Page). An interesting idea for what looks to be reasonably attractive, cheap do-it-yourself river sections. I hope the blog owner doesn't mind me sending extra traffic his way.

http://wargamesandstuff.blogspot.com/2010/02/making-rivers.html

   Essentially, he uses cheap vinyl tile as his base and some silicon caulk for building the banks.

   Personally, I think cross-pollination of blog ideas like these are a great thing. The more exposure to good terrain tips, the better, I say.

The Lizards of Lustria - In the Beginning...

...there were lizards. Then the frogs (Slaan) worked their diabolical mage-science on them, and made Lizardmen. Not satisfied with that, they made different types: Saurus, and Skinks, and even Kroxigor.

When it was decided we would forge a path back into Warhammer, I knew we had to have a Lizardman army.

"Why?" you may ask?

Simple. I already own quite a few, all painted up and ready to go. They can pull double duty for me: Venusian lizardmen for my VSF Universe and Lustrian skinks, saurus, etc. for Warhammer. Being a cheapskate, I think that is great.

At this time, I have the following already painted (*indicates the unit includes a champion):

• 1x Saurus on Cold One, black and red
• 9x Saurus warrior, black and red (plastic)
• 7x Skink archer, green blue and yellow (plastic)
• 10x Skink javelins, red and pink*
• 10x Skink javelins, dk. blue and lt. blue*
• 10x Skink archer, green and yellow (plastic)*
• 10x Skink archer, red and orange (plastic)*

As far as the unpainted ones go:

• 1x Stegadon
• 2x Skink champions
• 1x Skink champion (plastic, 6 ed.)
• 12x Skink spears
• 6x Skink drummers
• 1x Skink totem bearer
• 10x Saurus warriors (plastic)
• 2x Saurus spearmen
• 22x Skink archers (plastic)
• 1x Skink warchief (triceraton skull helmet)
• 1x Saurus Cold One rider
• 3x Saurus Temple Guard command (hero, standard, music)

Somewhere I have some more Skink totem bearers that I have modified to be hauling really big clubs, but I am not sure how many. Five, maybe. And, I think, a Skink shaman. Need to dig those out.

Unobtainite Deposits

Yesterday I went to a game store in Houston, the venerable Nan's Too. Anyone who has gamed in Houston during the past, oh, 20 years or so, knows Nan's. The nice thing about this place is that, being so old, you can find some older stuff there. I found some older GW minis that I could use, but more to the point for this blog, I got a package of resin "pyrite crystals" made by Armorcast. Got the package for $5. Haven't compared that price to current website price, but it seemed good. Just wish they had had a couple more packages.

The plan is to turn these crystals into the wonder mineral "unobtainite" for Victorian Science Fiction. It cancels out the effects of gravity when exposed to electricity. More power, more anti-gravity.

The resin has been washed, dried and primed. Next step is to get to painting. Blue crystals, red Martian landscape. I'll put photos up when I get some work done on it.