Martian Skyship, Part 1

   With a bit of space made on the table thanks to some finished 15mm vehicles, I decided it was time to finally work on the hulls at least of my pair of 28mm Martian Skyships. I bought these from Ironclad Miniatures through their US distributor at Historicon back in 2015, I think. So almost two years ago. For me, that's not too bad.

   Anyway, I took the pieces out of the boxes and cleaned them up with warm water and detergent, just like I always do with resin. Dull, but I hate it when I try to prime a piece and some mold release is still on it, causing all manner of havoc. So, suds, rinse, let dry overnight.

   Next day I laid out the pieces and did a bit of test fitting. The fit is pretty good. Looking at it, it seems that the deck and lower hull pieces are the same as in their British Airship. If not, they are pretty similar. It's not a problem or complaint, mind, just an observation. The upper works are nice, but they don't quite fit the curve of the deck. I thought about sanding down the edges of the deck, then though about how much time that would take and the chances I screwed it up worse, and decided that the small flaw wasn't going to be that much of an issue.

   Yeah, I am a bit lazy, too. But mostly I didn't want to make a hash of it and be forced to wait until I bought another ship.

You can see how the curve of the deck and the curve of the 

upper works doesn't quite match.

   Next I glued the lower hull to the underside of the deck, and after that dried for about ten minutes - I'm using CA - I flipped it over and attached the fore and aft bulwarks. Or gunwales? Anyway, the upper deck railings. I held off on attaching the mast collar on the deck for now, as I will need to carefully position it so the guns and ship's wheel won't be in the way. More on those later.

  Once the glue was nice and dry, I took the model out to my spray booth for a shot of flat black all over.

   And that's about as far as I have gotten in the actual build. Why? As I looked through the box in which I had stashed these kits, I noticed I had forgotten a couple of things that I need for them: to wit, guns and a ship's wheel! The ships come with a control console of sorts, but it looks too modern for my vision of VSF. So I need to order those... and that's why I know there will be at least a Part 2 to this series of posts. Probably a Part 3 as well.

  I'll end this post with a few thoughts about what I'm going to do with these two vessels.

• Sails: Lateen rigged, will cut the sail from some heavy paper, maybe some of that scrapbooking stuff, especially if it has a nice pattern on both sides. Rigging from white cotton thread.
• Ship's wheel: both Eureka and Houston's Ships make nice ones. Leaning towards Houston's because of the next item...
• Guns: I want at least a pair of swivel guns on the railings, and a heavier gun either in the bow on a raised carriage/slide, or in the waist with perhaps a pivot mount. Houston's makes some that are specifically for VSF aliens that are strangely reminiscent of designs in 1889.
• Flight Base: Not sure. I can custom build one, I suppose. I don't like how the champagne glass stand turned out, so I will be trying something else. Probably some thick brass wire. But it will need to have either a wide or a heavy base underneath for stability.
• Transportation: They are getting their very own trays and custom pluck foam. I may need two trays, one for each hull or one for the hulls and one for the sails. I am going to leave the masts removable, maybe magnetized.

Perfect for VBCW: the Armadillo

The Armadillo was an armoured fighting vehicle produced in Britain during the invasion crisis of 1940-1941. Based on a number of standard lorry chassis, it comprised a wooden fighting compartment protected by a layer of gravel filling the 'walls' of the fort and a driver's cab protected by mild steel plates. Armadillos were used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Home Guard.

   Warlord Games makes this historical but unusual improvised vehicle for their 28mm Bolt Action WWII game. When I saw it on TMP, my first thought was "Huh. That'd be perfect for Very British Civil War." Anyway, it runs $35.00, and you can order it from their webstore.

Even more... Armoured Bear!

   While not exactly inexpensive at 37.75 euros, it's an interesting figure. Scibor, the maker, sells this as a general, but they also sell 'regular' dwarf bear cavalry. 28mm, by the way.

The Christmas Goodies

  I usually don't get a lot of game stuff for Christmas. The reason for this is that my hobby tends to confuse most of the family, and my wife never knows "what you want the most."

   This year, I received the following:

• Welsh-English dictionary. Useful for my Republic of Wales faction in our upcoming (hopefully) Very British Civil War games.
• Desert Fort, 15mm. From Battlefield in a Box. Originally for Flames of War (and still useful for that), I imagine it will see more use as a fort on Mars for my 15mm VSF games. For which it is darned near perfect, right out of the box. At $40, I recommend it.
• Aztec Noble's House, Granary and Protoceratops Tent. From Acheson Creations. Resin buildings for my VSF gaming. They are destined to be used on Venus, or perhaps Earthin (When the Navy Walked). Will need a few more pieces for a small village, but a good start.

   That's pretty much it, from a gaming standpoint. I am hoping to pick up a few minis this week with some Christmas money, but not too much going down in that regard.

  I hope everyone else got some gaming goodies too. Let us know!

"Germans Mister Rico! Zillions of 'em!"

   I've been working on a lot of stuff for the last few days. Strangely, a lot of it is Germans, in two different scales and in two different genres. There's also one other thing at the end. But no spoilers. You want to know what it is, you have to work your way down. All part of my sinister plan. Muah ha ha!

   Let's start with my very first base of FoG Renaissance troops. It is a command stand of Thirty Years War Catholic Germans. I'll let him be Johann Tserclaes, Count Tilly when I am using a Catholic League army, and the Tilly's Veterans regiments that come with them. Figures are 15mm Old Glory. I used GW's Devlan Mud wash for shading. Very happy with the results.

Banner is from warflag.com - an excellent resource

    This next batch is all of the 15mm Imperial German line infantry I have right now. I plan to get another twenty in the future, but this, plus the twenty Aetherbattalion (Seebattalion) I already have. In the background is a stone outcropping I have set up for the jungles of Venus.

 Figures are Black Hat Prussian Line Infantry

   A stealthy assault rises up in the midst of a strong fortification! 6mm VSF German tunneling vehicle which can carry a company of infantry (1 base). The wily Hun attacks from below! I only have one for now, but I want more (three more would be great so that I can transport a full battalion).

Figure is GW Epic 40K

   Finally, what you have all been waiting for: the secret surprise! My as-yet-incomplete Martian two-man skiff. Again, 15mm. The crew are about half-done. The motor needs to be finished as well. I have it mounted on a short brass rod and then into a base I built from three steel washers and some putty.

Skiff by Black Hat Miniatures

Modular buildings

So I am thinking about making a kind of modular building for my kids' new Empire army. Wall panels, gable ends, ceiling panels. Connector pieces (both end to end and inside and outside corners), doors and windows, chimneys.

How tall do you thinkI need to make the walls for a single story? I was thinking 2 inches, maybe 2 1/2 inches.

The plan is to put a layer of sculpting clay onto a pre-cut base of either styrene or thin plywood. Call it about 1/8" thick. Then sculpt the pattern into it. Make an RTV mold of that, and cast in resin.

That's the plan. What about it? I need feedback before I get started.

Resin Minerals Painted

I bought a pair of pieces of Armorcast's resin "Pyrite Crystals" from a local gaming shop last week, and got them painted up over the weekend. Finally had time to take a photo of them and put together a few thoughts about them, especially as compared to my previous crystal project, the green 'handwavium' ones I made of carved pink foam.

My review:

• Nice quality casting.
• Good stronge yellowish beige resin
• Very little flash or pitting
• Nice lines
• Details okay, but not fantastic. Just a clump of rock crystals.
• Super easy to paint.
• Price: $5.00

What I Did:

1. First I used a sharp hobby knife to clean up the little bits of flash, mold lines, etc.
2. Then I washed the pieces with warm soap and water, rinsed and dried with paper towel. Let it sit overnight to air dry more.
3. Next, a little bit of superglue to fill the few small bubble pits. Let sit for an hour to cure.
4. Then I sprayed each piece with flat white paint.
5. Color on the rocks was achieved by using several coats of thinned Vallejo Intense Blue. Ground color was Ceramcoat burnt sienna.
6. Brush watered PVA glue on base (using 100 for $4 cheap-o plastic bristle brush), then dredge into my Mars ground mix, and let dry.
7. Next morning, two coats fo Testor's gloss, followed in afternoon by Testor's flat.
8. Will finish by brushing on a coat of water-soluble gloss onto the crystals to make them shiny.
   

Unobtainite At Last!

ORE FOUND IN CROWN COLONY

Viceroy Claims For Britain

As our more scientifically savvy readers can tell, the photostat above reveals the site of a massive source of unobtainite, the wondrous mineral that sunders the fetters of cruel gravity, binding all things to the planetary surface. Merely energize the smallest fragments of this fantastic substance with [CENSORED BY VICEROY'S OFFICE] of pure galvanic energy and soar into the heavens, shielded from - nay! repulsed by! - the gravitational force dragging us all to the core of the planet.

These crystals and the land surrounding them have been seized under law by the Viceroy himself. The discoverer of the deposit, Mister Clyde Abernathy, formerly of West Stoking, currently residing in Singh's Songhouse, Victoria Landing, has already filed suit to maintain his properly filed deed of claim on the property. The Viceroy's son-in-law and principle advisor on commercial legal affairs, speaking to our correspondent solely under the condition that his name would not be printed, revealed that the courts have already been influenced by the Viceroy, and the suit would be summarily dismissed.

Maton's Mechanical Monstrosity!

Herr Professor Doctor Otto Maton, the brilliant but utterly ruthless and maniacally despotic mechanical genius, has been at the drawing board again, developing a larger, more dangerous creature of unlimited power.


Here is the result: a massive mockery of Man in mechanical menace! Note the massive galvanic collector coils mounted on the giant's back. They supply power the matched pair of magnetic disruptor cannons which replace the infernal device's arms.

The photostat presented here was taken by Miss Eugenia P. Whistlebum during her brief but unwilling stay with the Belgian Madman. Miss Whistlebum smuggled the exposed photostatic plate out of the fiend's lair under her petticoat bustle when she was released following the undisclosed but reportedly very hefty ransom paid by her father, her fiancee and her future father-in-law.

[Editor's Notes: Back at it at last. I have some new terrain. The old handwavium crystals were made of pink foam cut with a hotwire, then painted. This unobtainite (blue, not handwavium green) is a resin product from Armorcast. Pyrite crystals, if I remember rightly. The new automaton is from Hydra, one of Matt's pulp sci-fi line Destroyer Robots, or Warbot Destroyer, or something like that. So far, it has been assembled and primed black. I hope to get a bit of painting time tomorrow night, so it may get brassy by then. The chest plates may get steel instead, to protect the delicate inner workings. Red eye? What do you think, HAL?]

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.

RTV Purchased

   I bought this past weekend the first RTV I have ever had.

   For those of you who don't already know, RTV stands for Room Temperature Vulcanizing. It's a silicone rubber material used to make molds for casting resin, plaster, etc. It generally can NOT be used for lead - the temperature is too high, melting the mold. I believe there are some types that can handle the high heat, though.

   What I got was a Smooth-On product, called OOMO 30, IIRC. It mixes in equal parts by volume (easy!). I have read good things about it on the internet, at TMP and other places. Found it at a local art supply store.

   So, obviously, the plan is to sculpt up some items, make molds, and get to casting. Some of these things will be scenics related, so I thought I would mention it here. Specifically, I want to create some doors and windows to be attached to buildings, in both 15mm and 25mm scales. It is a pain to try and scratch build them each time, so I am going to try and create some good masters to cast from. Might make some railings, chimneys and such, too. Start simple before trying something ambitious.

   Anyway, wish me luck. I have a nasty feeling I am gonna need it. When I get a space cleared to work on it, I'll get to work. Hopefully, pictures and such will be involved as well.

New Very Cool 28mm Vehicles from Germany

I don't usually make more than one post a day, to keep things nice and tidy, but I don't think I can wait on this one! The maker of some very cool VSF-worthy equipment was on TMP's news today, and rightfully so, I think.

The armored steam tractor (above) was the new release being advertised, and it is very nice, and will probably find its way onto my gaming table. But the monowheel (below) has got to be the coolest thing ever. Even if you do have to provide your own crew figure and gun.

Here's the website:

http://tobsen77.de/index.php?lan=en

I will be buying both of these items, probably more than one of the monowheel. The only question is which nation gets to use it? They used a Copplestone British machinegunner in their photo, but state that most any seated crewman and gun will work.

French Foreign Legion? British (as shown)? Texican? What do you think?

I just don't think German when I see the monowheel. Too light for Germans in my mind. Though that tractor fairly screams RaupenPanzerzug (tracked armored train, in my bad German translation).

Primitive Huts

Okay, these huts are just becoming available, although they have been discussed on The Miniatures Page (TMP) for over a year.

The sculptor (whose name I can't recall off the top of my head, but who goes by the TMP handle of Cacique Caribe, or CC) finished them, oh, November of 2007 I think. Then he shopped around for someone to handle the casting and marketing and such for him, as he didn't really want to do all of that himself, but there was a lot of interest in the models.

Enter Alex Bates in Alaska, of the new Forge of Ice company. They get a deal worked out, and now, they are in production.

First, a group shot. There are four different designs:

Now a close up of one:

I have nothing to do with the paint jobs (nice work, though, especially the snow) which were done I believe by a Mr Robert Phipps of the United Kingdom, a customer of Forge of Ice and friend of Alex's. I hope no one minds me swiping the photos, but I'll remove if you want me to!

I pinched this tidbit regarding the snow effect from TMP (http://theminiaturespage.com/)

"Regarding the snow effect, Rob [Phipp] says:

I Just use a bit of PVA wood glue on the bits I wanted covered in snow, then used a white flock, then another coat of PVA and then Bicarbonate of Soda for the snow effect. You get a nice brilliant crisp white from it.You don't have to use a white flock underneath but it stops any colour from the tent from showing through if your PVA is too thin.
And that's how he does it!

-Alex"

The reviews have been most complimentary, for both sculpting and quality of the production castings. You can reach Alex through his blog, and here's a link with more info and pictures of the tents. http://forum54.oli.us/index.php?topic=5205.15

Primitive Huts

Okay, these huts are just becoming available, although they have been discussed on The Miniatures Page (TMP) for over a year.

The sculptor (whose name I can't recall off the top of my head, but who goes by the TMP handle of Cacique Caribe, or CC) finished them, oh, November of 2007 I think. Then he shopped around for someone to handle the casting and marketing and such for him, as he didn't really want to do all of that himself, but there was a lot of interest in the models.

Enter Alex Bates in Alaska, of the new Forge of Ice company. They get a deal worked out, and now, they are in production.

First, a group shot. There are four different designs:

Now a close up of one:

I have nothing to do with the paint jobs (nice work, though, especially the snow) which were done I believe by a Mr Robert Phipps of the United Kingdom, a customer of Forge of Ice and friend of Alex's. I hope no one minds me swiping the photos, but I'll remove if you want me to!

I pinched this tidbit regarding the snow effect from TMP (http://theminiaturespage.com/)

"Regarding the snow effect, Rob [Phipp] says:

I Just use a bit of PVA wood glue on the bits I wanted covered in snow, then used a white flock, then another coat of PVA and then Bicarbonate of Soda for the snow effect. You get a nice brilliant crisp white from it.You don't have to use a white flock underneath but it stops any colour from the tent from showing through if your PVA is too thin.
And that's how he does it!

-Alex"

The reviews have been most complimentary, for both sculpting and quality of the production castings. You can reach Alex through his blog, and here's a link with more info and pictures of the tents. http://forum54.oli.us/index.php?topic=5205.15

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...]

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.