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Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: Daeothar on November 09, 2012, 09:15:50 PM

Title: Baker's Dozen: More spaceships and the helicopter receives paint
Post by: Daeothar on November 09, 2012, 09:15:50 PM
Well, as these things go, I needed a little breather from the RPG campaign I'm running due to an increased workload at, well, work. So another DM stepped in and started a brand new scifi campaign, which he called 'Baker's Dozen'. Something inbetween genuine space opera, hard scifi and anime to be precise, with World of Darkness roleplaying rules, and homemade rules (still WIP) for (space) combat.

Things got off to a cracking start and before I knew it, I found myself working on the spaceship we're all zooming around in. Scratchbuilding it from many 1/72 plane parts, of which I have plenty still lying around, from when I built and painted them without pauze back in highschool. Most of it is F-16, but there is more in there than I could possibly list, and it's only halfway finished... ::)

Why? would you ask, do you need a spaceship model in an RPG? Well, we pretty soon found ourselves in our first space battle, complete with zero-G nuclear explosions and hard vacuum boarding parties. And this was played out on the coffee table, with (if my memory serves me right) several blocks of Lego, some toy cars and (believe it or not) a piece of sausage. Yeah; I know...

That had to change, and fast. So hence the building frenzy. This was not made easier by the fact that the DM had made a 3D render of the ship in some program, so I was pretty much stuck with realizing his creation. It's ending up a somewhat free interpretation, but we're all flexible that way, and the rule-of-cool overrules any rational or OCD fueled argument pretty quickly anyway.

But what is a ship without other ships to interact with eh? We so need something to shoot at! ;D

That's where it became both frantic and interesting (not necessarily in that order). We (the crew) pretty soon captured a gunboat that was involved in an attack on our ship, which is capable of transporting a 10 man squad, but also fits into one of our ship's docking bays. Oh; and it can cloak itself. Of course! ;)

So, I remembered some EM4 fighters I once bought at a whim. 12 pretty well scaled 1 piece models that were once part of the Silent Death game. In fact, I based the size of 'our' ship on their scale. As a concequence though, I had to scale all other ships roughly accordingly. I also ordered 3 more sets (plus a set of the equially cheap mechs/robots), so these can also be used to fight some space combat in a more formal gaming setting (meaning; with a 3rd party ruleset, and not something we make up along the way).

Which meant BIG ships! I scoured the interwebs for some suitably large ships (but also cheap!) and preferably also a space station. I eventually found an old Revell Perry Rhodan Sol ship, which is large (35cm long) and is shaped in such a way, that it could easily double as a space station. In the same deal, I also scored a Space Probe kit from the seventies and an old ERTL Millennium Falcon, which is actually scaled at approx. 1/60 and as such might be the basis for a future Star Wars project. 8) But I digress.

I also found 3 Sith Infiltrator snapfit kits for € 1,50 each, which I immediately picked up. These were destined to become frigates, as they are of a similar size to the PC ship (which fluffs out at approximately 100m long). I left off the stabilisers (those would become a flight of heavy bombers later on), and added some bomb and tank halves from my extensive stock of Hasegawa 1/72 aircraft weapons to change the outline and make them look more like the cruiser they were destined to escort.

Which was next; a Starblazers EDF Cruiser at Hobby Link Japan for about € 4,50 plus P&P. I picked this kit not just because of its looks, but also because of the fact there came two smaller spaceships with it. Yay; more ships!

Of course, with all this shiny plastic congregating, the coffeetable is no longer a viable backdrop anymore. So I found a large scale picture of the Big Dipper on the web (might be Hubble) and had it printed in two 60x60cm parts. Those parts were mounted on 3cm thick isolation foam, and the edges were covered in ducttape for extra protection/strength, as these will have to be transported to the livingroom of choice for our games every time. I plan to cover the back of one of them with a generic sand/dirt/grass theme and the other with a ship's deckplating/grating, so we can use them with the 28mm miniatures we are assembling for close encounters.

Yeah, forgot that; the entire crew (including about 6 NPCs next to our 6 players) are being sourced and prepped as well. Plus a whole range of generic bad guys to, ehm, encounter. The characters are the most fun, but also the most difficult to source. Luckily though, I already have gathered a considerable amount of generic scifi types, quite a lot through the Bazaar here on LAF btw, so some of you might recognize some miniatures that have migrated from one leadpile to the next (mine)...

But enough jibberjabber again (I've been known to rant); on to the pictures!

First our character ship. Yes; the ship is also a character, as the onboard AI is one of the NPCs. It's called the Friendly Contact, as we thought that name might cause some hapless controller to overlook us on his radar screen, giving us an edge when things get hairy (which they tend to do). There is supposed to go a large smiley on the top (very friendly), and since none of the players (me included) thought empathy was a relevant skill, it was also decided that the ship should have a slogan on the back: 'We feel for nobody!' (slight reference to Spaceballs there ;)  )

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/FriendlyContactEVSuitsAndStealthCraftWIP.jpg)

Accompanying it, are the aforementioned shuttle (an old Eldar Falcon from the Space Marine game) and some EV suits, which are also used (one of them IS a character btw, as he's a robot, but more on that in a minute). These are Epic scale stand-ins, but I might simply debase them and use these with some small alterations.

Here is FC again, with one of the 'Sith' frigates. Three of those will be finished eventually, but two are done right now.

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/FriendlyContactAndPatrolShipWIP.jpg)

And this is FC again, with the large cruiser and some of the Silent Death fighters:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/CruiserFriendlyContactAndFightersWIP.jpg)

Here they are again, from another angle:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/GenericBattleshipWIP.jpg)

Next up is a flight of the EM4 fighters; one quarter of my standing force now:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/GenericStarfightersWIP.jpg)

Followed by the bombers I made from the Sith Infiltrator wings, plus some plastic rod and strip and halves of some ZUNI pods. The actual fronts of those pods are the tailpipes of these bombers now and the cockpits are the fronts 1/72 scale racks for Mk82 bombs. This all fit together amazingly well!  The bomb racks reminded me of Pterodactyls for some reason, so that's going to be their name. They are accompanied by the two extra craft I got with the cruiser, and two more are to follow.

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/GenericFighter%20BombersAndCivilianCraftWIP.jpg)

Almost rounding up, here we see good old Friendly Contact nearing a large space station. And boy, is it large! I started greebling up one side of it, but soon decided to stop that, as the scale did not require it, and this is not Star Wars. If anything, the aesthetics more lean towards anime, which usually is all about clean lines anyway (just look at the cruiser again!). So, I only had to base it. And it being so dang huge, the base plus rod have to be very sturdy and stable indeed. So far, the rod is perfect, but the base is too light and small (it already toppled over once, crashing into the cruiser and breaking off two of its antennae :(  ). So I will alter it soon.

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/GenericSpacestationWIP.jpg)

And finally, the playing boards. One of them had the audacity to start bulging in the middle, so I might have to take the picture off and reapply it... To do is a couple of layers of protective varnish and a couple of layers of matte varnsih to take the sheen back off again. They're very light though. In fact, I think they're lighter than the space station!

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/PlayingBoards.jpg)



Ok; this is getting pretty long, so I will just leave you with some pictures of the 28mm minis Ihave so far. At a later date, I will list all the characters and their minis. And probably some more opposition as well...

1st: my own character, Batsu, who is an ex-militairy hacker. Based on an Infinity mini:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/BatsuWIP.jpg)

2nd is Weyland the Smith, a former human cyborg, who managed to save his essence in a machine after his flesh and blood body was destroyed. He's about 3.5m tall and an engineering genius. Based on a mini I bought here on LAF. Probably a Metal Gear mecha:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/WeylandTheSmithWIP.jpg)

Some ever present slaves of the corporation/administration/warlord. Again bought here at LAF, they're Heresy Customs Officers:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/GenericCOPsWIP.jpg)

From the same buy; some battlesuits and a gang form the Rezolution game. Both will be generic opponents and should die a lot in-game...

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/GenericCorporatePMSWIP.jpg)

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/GenericFAGsWIP.jpg)

And finally, the beginning of some futuristic scenery, as nobody wants to play on a huge plain field without any form of cover:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/BarricadesSceneryWIP.jpg)

Well, that was a lot to begin with, but I've been at this stuff on and off for a couple of weeks now. So it is about time for some paint, I'd say! :D
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: James Holloway on November 09, 2012, 11:58:12 PM
Gorgeous! I like the ships and the playing board in particular. I have just been bitten by the spaceship combat bug myself and am definitely making a few notes.  :D
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: The Voivod on November 10, 2012, 08:12:58 PM
Sweet model for Wayland,dude.
Hadn't seen that one yet.
I've primed my model.
See if I can get it painted in the coming week.

You start painting the Friendly Contact.
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: Elbows on November 10, 2012, 08:26:16 PM
Love it.  Are you using that old Epic Falcon as an actual ship or is it just shown for scale?  Very cool project, very character-ful if you get my meaning.  Dig it!
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: Mason on November 10, 2012, 09:48:48 PM
You certainly know how to open up a thread with a bang.

Some great scratchbuilding there.
Looking forward to seeing this come together.
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: dijit on November 11, 2012, 01:06:44 PM
Lovely stuff. I always love seeing starfighters and scale spaceships.
Where was the space station from?
Duncan
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: Daeothar on November 11, 2012, 02:22:12 PM
Cheers guys; once I get caught up in the momentum, I find it hard to stop every now and then and take some pictures. So that's why my project threads usually open with a bang. Of course the hardest part is keeping that momentum, but I don't feel like slowing doen just yet... :D

Next up; one of the NPC crew members, Krollo. He's a half-ork (yes; apparently some Shadowrun is in the mix too) and one of the cargo handlers on the Friendly Contact. He also doubles as muscle on the security team. He's got only one hobby; weaponry! When it is time to reach out and touch the baddies, his only disappointment is usually that he is unable to bring all his favourite toys along. Still; his strength gives him ample opportunity to lug around much more hardware than he would need...

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/KrolloFrontWIP.jpg)

Made from the legs of a GW tankcommander, a Cadian torso with the eagle shorn off, Catachan arms and some plasticard to bulk him out; under the soles of the feet, between the torso and legs and between the arms and torso. The head is from the original GW Imperial Guard; I just added the fangs with some putty.

The gun is a standard Cadian lasgun with the barrel shortened and the energy clip replaced with an aftermarket drum magazine. Assorted extra equipment, a handgun and a 'This-Is-A-Knife' are strapped to his belt, from various sources.

I am contemplating also giving him a backpack. It would fit his weapon-hoarding character, but I like the fact his torso-armour is visible form the back. On the other hand; it does not even protect the kidneys, so it might be better off being covered after all. What do you think?

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/KrolloBackWIP.jpg)

Where was the space station from?
It's a Revell kit of the Space Ship Sol, from the Perry Rhodan series, which is hugely popular in Germany, but quite unknown outside of Germany. I was lucky enough to have owned a small stack of translated mags as a kid, but an enterprizing cousin borrowed them from me and then sold them... :-[

Anyhow; in the fluff, it's supposed to be an 8km long generation ship, but I thought it'd look equally good as an orbital space station. So I mounted it at an angle (it did not come with any form of stand), and as you can see, it's pretty huge. 35cm to be exact...

It can still be found on Ebay with regularity, but prices are starting to mount. I was lucky to pick this one up, together with a Space Probe space station from the seventies and the aforementioned Millennium Falcon, which will both be used eventually for only €60,- in total  :o on Marktplaats, a local Dutch version of Ebay.

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Other/LuckyBuy.jpg)

As a parting piccie, here is one of the (many) renders of the Friendly Contact, as designed by our industrious DM (this one pretty low-res, but he has more in the pipeline, which are nicely skinned etc). As you can see, his version is more boxy, but I'm trying to capture the general lines set out by him.

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/Ship.jpg)
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: Mason on November 11, 2012, 02:27:59 PM
Loving Krollo.
A great bit of kit-bashing and conversion.
I would go with the backpack as it would give him even more bulk.
Nice work!
 :-*

Nice selection of kits there, too.
Gotta get me a Falcon one day.
 ;D

It certainly seems that your group put a lot of effort into your roleplaying as that render is rather spiffing!

Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: Daeothar on November 11, 2012, 02:33:32 PM
Cheers Mason  :)

It certainly seems that your group put a lot of effort into your roleplaying as that render is rather spiffing!

You have no idea... One of our group has designed the (all of a sudden not so friendly) Smiley which will go on the back of the ship. And apparently, we now even have a Facebook page!  ::) As I dont facebook, I haven't seen it yet, but we are taking involvement and nerding-out to whole new levels with this campaign now...  lol
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: Mason on November 11, 2012, 06:37:01 PM
Cheers Mason  :)

You have no idea... One of our group has designed the (all of a sudden not so friendly) Smiley which will go on the back of the ship. And apparently, we now even have a Facebook page!  ::) As I dont facebook, I haven't seen it yet, but we are taking involvement and nerding-out to whole new levels with this campaign now...  lol

I sympathise with the facebook thing.
Not into any of that kind of witchery myself either. >:D

You seem to take a completely different course with roleplaying than I do, where I try to keep things to a minimum so I can wing my way around things.... ::)

One of my mates ran a campaign where he went really deeply into it and prepared all manner of props.
I thoroughly enjoyed playing in it, I must admit, but he did have difficulty if we ever strayed from a fairly linear path.

Each to their own, I suppose....

Saying that does not stop me admiring your efforts, though!
 :)

Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: Daeothar on November 11, 2012, 09:38:57 PM
Well, you know about my Interbellum pulp campaign, so you know I can get a bit prop-crazy... ;D

And for the record; those props are there because I love using them, and usually, they're the things I use to steer the players when it suits me, and I can be flexible about where and when I introduce them. I'm very wary of creating props tied to a specific location, waiting for the group to find them, because I'm all too aware of a group's tendency to firmly tangent away from any well prepared clues! ::)

And the minis and terrain is all carefully designed to be as generic as possible, so they can be used whenever a similar mini is required. Prime example is of course the set of roads I made for car chase situations.

So; Fallschirmjäger in Interbellum can pop up anywhere in the world, due to their airborne nature, which makes them versatile enemies. The same goes for a large bunch of (Voivod; scroll away NOW!) AT-43 Red Block troopers, which will function as generic SciFi troops. Be it friendly or hostile. And I have the FAGs (Futuristic Asian Gang) for that purpose as well, next to the Patrolling Mechanized Suits (PMS) and the COPs (Customs Officer Patrol).

All of those can (and will) be used repeatedly, thus minimizing the amount of minis that need to be painted.

The fighters and other ships for instance are also a careful first step into space combat games such as Silent Death, so they might well see lots of use there as well... ;)
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: Mason on November 12, 2012, 03:00:26 PM
So it is just part of a much bigger 'CUNNING PLAN' !!!

I am beginning to see the light.
 ;)

Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: chromedog on November 13, 2012, 06:06:47 AM
Your mecha/cyborg guy looks more like a Jovian Chronicles mecha than a Heavy gear one (although they are both done by the same company and share the same influences on design).

Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Generic Scifi ships and characters
Post by: tomogui on November 13, 2012, 06:31:10 AM
How can this thread not have a million views and comments?! I think it's just wonderful.

Love all the kitbashed and repurposed spaceships, especially the EDF battleship. I am keen to see how the 28mm skirmish side of this works out too. A fantastic project.
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Daeothar on January 28, 2013, 09:05:57 PM
Right, out of the trenches and back into space again (for now at least... ::) )

The campaign progresses, and we (the PC group) have just nicked some valuable stuff from a very, very rich industrial, and now need to escape the planet. The Friendly Contact is in geosynchronous orbit above us, but we will need to shake off swarms of scrambled fighters and approaching heavier stuff before dashing out of the atmosphere towards the ship.

The group is now traveling in a cloaking-capable attack-shuttle we captured after some mercs tried to board us earlier. Patched up and with some personal touches added, the sturdy VTOL transport is serving us well so far.

For the dirtside action, we used 28mm miniatures, so the shuttle, now dubbed the Indecent Proposal, had to be the right size. I chose to use a free papercraft template, as we needed it fast, and even my cashflow has its limits...

Here's the link, should you wonder:  http://www.toposolitario.com/workshop/chickenhawk.html (http://www.toposolitario.com/workshop/chickenhawk.html)

It's a great model, and I plan to make an ultimate version later out of plasticard, at approximately 140% of its current size, complete with interior. This one, I gave moving engine pods by attaching them to a round balsa rod, which I cut holes for in the already built wings and fuselage. The engines are now connected and swivel down for landings. Looks and works great! 8)

The turret is an after-market addition, and comes from another free papercraft template of his, I believe an armoured, wheeled scout vehicle. And since his templates are all made in several different skins, it's easy to mix and match.

I also added the Friendly Contact smiley to the roof, and the craft's name to the nose, complete with appropriately vulgar hand gestures :D

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/BD13%20-%20Indecent%20Proposal.jpg)

But since we now need to flee those fighters, and 1) none of our houses are large enough to accomodate an aerial/space furball with dozens of fighters (plus; outside is too cold right now) and 2) I'm not nuts enough (yet) to build and paint all those fighters in 28mm scale, I had to build the IP in a more forgiving scale.

So I made a copy of the shuttle out of pieces of sprue and plasticard at the same scale (approximately) as the Silent Death/EM4 fighters I planned on using. I do have some pictures of it unpainted, but for now, you'll have to settle for one with its grey undercoat on...

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/BD13%20-%20Indecent%20Proposal%20WIP.jpg)

And finally, the opposition.

I decided to make these guys as versatile as possible again, so my take is that they're mercenary fighter units, selling their services to corporations, which is a win/win situation for both sides; the mercs do what they're good at and make money, and the corporations cut down on overhead and don't lose their own people and assets when things go radardish up. ;)

First up, Blue Squadron:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/BD13%20-%20Blue%20Group.jpg)

Second is Red Squadron:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/BD13%20-%20Red%20Group.jpg)

And finally Green Squadron, still WIP:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/BD13%20-%20Green%20Group%20WIP.jpg)

Green has some heavier assets with them too, in the form of two light frigates. ALso both still WIP:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/BD13%20-%20Frigates%20WIP.jpg)

So, next step is to get those green guys finished, come up with some more original names for those squadrons and get the IP painted as well. Then we'll see to the Friendly Contact again, which still requires its building to be finished before painting... ::)
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: The Voivod on January 29, 2013, 08:01:31 AM
The proposal is starting to look nicely.
I'm surprised how much detail you got in this em4 fighters (what, no Pink Squadron?)
Can't wait to see them up close, since I've ordered myself some boxes myself.

See ya Thursday. I'll be manning the torpedoes, which will be our only hope if you make you pilot rolls as usual.
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Blackwolf on January 29, 2013, 08:11:14 AM
Great thread,always wanted to do something like this :)
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Mr.Marx on January 29, 2013, 08:27:35 AM
:-*

Where is that model space battleship from?!?!?

I MUST HAVE ONE.

MM.
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Malebolgia on January 29, 2013, 09:15:51 AM
Fantastic stuff man! And also nice to see those miniatures you bought from me being used straight away. :-*
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Daeothar on January 29, 2013, 07:21:09 PM
Voivod; Yes; we're all a bit concerned about Pink Squadron... lol There might still be a Pink Five though...

Oh; and that's what Fate points are for, mister! But to be on the safe side, yeah; better shoot straight. You know; just in case...

:-*

Where is that model space battleship from?!?!?

I MUST HAVE ONE.

MM.
Which one? The big unpainted one in my first post? That's a 1/700 scale model of a cruiser of sorts from the Starblazers/Battleship Yamamoto Anime series. Great value for money. I got mine from Hobby Link Japan, where it was prized somewhere around € 5,-, and even with shipping it cost me less than half of what local and internet sellers were charging for it. I might get more, eventually...

And Malebolgia; cheers! :) Yeah; sometimes, 'from one lead pile to the other', actually means into a painting queu. Who'd have thought?  ;D
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Mason on January 29, 2013, 07:44:57 PM
A wonderful update, Daeothar.

I love the IP, in all of its guises, and the paintwork on those ships is top drawer, especially Blue Squadron.
 :-*

Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: The_Beast on January 29, 2013, 08:13:54 PM
How could I have missed this thread for SOOOOO long?!?

I'm a vacchead, myself, and whine a bit to myself by the lack of fleets to 'burn noiselessly in the aether', then I find THIS!

I've got to pay more attention!

I've got a few of the Perry Rhodan kits, but never got around to a use. I see with new eyes.

I remember seeing translations of the novels years ago, but got a 'juvenile' pulp vibe that didn't interest me at the time. The kits try to 'greeble' with decals, but not as bad as the old B5...

Really will be watching this!

Doug
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Marine0846 on January 29, 2013, 08:40:15 PM
Lots of very cool toys you have.
I really enjoy see what other gamers are into,
part of the fun of this Forum.
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Mr.Marx on January 29, 2013, 09:32:52 PM

Which one? The big unpainted one in my first post? That's a 1/700 scale model of a cruiser of sorts from the Starblazers/Battleship Yamamoto Anime series. Great value for money. I got mine from Hobby Link Japan, where it was prized somewhere around € 5,-, and even with shipping it cost me less than half of what local and internet sellers were charging for it. I might get more, eventually...


Was it this one by any chance?
http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN33411

Also, you are pure evil for introducing me to Hobbylinkjapan.  o_o

MM.
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Daeothar on January 30, 2013, 12:55:46 PM
Yes, I've been a very bad boy... :D

And no; the one you linked to is a smaller scaled one, and also another ship. Mine is this one, which comes in at about 24cm;

http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN11623 (http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN11623)

I'm planning on acquiring some more kits from them shortly, as I'm really impressed by their ranges, prices and service. Especially the anime inspired kits are just a fraction of the price you'll pay in Europe. maybe I should start an import business; there should be good money in that... ;)
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Mr.Marx on January 30, 2013, 09:18:03 PM
Yes, I've been a very bad boy... :D

And no; the one you linked to is a smaller scaled one, and also another ship. Mine is this one, which comes in at about 24cm;

http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN11623 (http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN11623)

I'm planning on acquiring some more kits from them shortly, as I'm really impressed by their ranges, prices and service. Especially the anime inspired kits are just a fraction of the price you'll pay in Europe. maybe I should start an import business; there should be good money in that... ;)

Any idea how much smaller it would be?

Would you be amenable to perhaps adding a few extra bits to your next order if someone was to pay in advance, chip in on the postage and ask really, really nicely?  ::)

Mr.Marx

Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Daeothar on February 02, 2013, 10:56:16 PM
Grmph; made good on my threat to order on the 31st and missed your post; sorry about that. :?

But to be honest; I probably would have respectfully declined anyway, as I always try to get as much stuff in my orders, without going over the maximum tax-free amount (€25,-). So, for Y2460,- (approx. €22,25), my order was already full. Cost me an additional Y1580,- (or €14,30) P&P, for 2 of the larger ships (same scale as my first capital ship), 2 fighters (useable for 28mm) and 3 smaller capital ships (same scale as the one you linked to earlier). So that's not too bad at all: the money spent on this entire stack of boxes (including P&P) would get you only one of the larger ships in the US or EU (if you're lucky)...

But that's not the purpose of this post actually. It's to show off the finished smaller iteration of the Indecent Proposal!

Finished the little blighter last night, and I'm quite chuffed with the end result. It finally looks like I've found my mojo again, after almost two years of feeling my painting skills were slowly degrading. It's not perfect yet, but this is the smallest detail I've painted in years, so there's hope for the old codger yet... :D

Anyways; here it is, with its larger twin, so you can get an idea of the scale:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/ProposalsBigAndSmall.jpg)

A solo picture, with some more detail. Macro shots are brutal though; nothing breaks a painter's spirit (again) more thoroughly than an uncompromising high res picture, showcasing every little wonky shortcoming. But I'll manage, thank you... ;D It does look quite good on the table, at a respectable playing distance:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/LittleProposal.jpg)

And finally one of the little proposal, being pursued by some very zealous fighters:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/LittleProposalPursued.jpg)
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: the Little Proposal is finished!
Post by: The Voivod on February 03, 2013, 07:54:51 AM
Looks amazing.
Glad one of us found his mojo. I've been having a hard time blocking some orcs.
But at least I'm painting again.

The detailing really makes the proposal come to life.
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: the Little Proposal is finished!
Post by: Mason on February 03, 2013, 01:02:58 PM
 :o

The Little Proposal looks amazing!
An almost perfect copy in such a tiny version of the original.
 :-* :-* :-*


I find it hard to believe that you feel that your painting skills were on a slide, as you have produced some great stuff in the last couple of years (that road system and the characters for your Pulp RPG are seriously inspirational).
If that is a slide, I would gladly suffer that.
 ;)

Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: the Little Proposal is finished!
Post by: Sinewgrab on February 03, 2013, 04:33:44 PM
Well done on the scrtachbuilt Proposal!  I had not noticed this thread until now, and by gum, you painting skills are exquisite!
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: the Little Proposal is finished!
Post by: SaxonHalfling on February 03, 2013, 09:06:16 PM
cool project like the models

[ps where did you get the japenese battleships models form]
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: the Little Proposal is finished!
Post by: Daeothar on February 04, 2013, 09:45:33 AM
Thanks gents! :)

I find it hard to believe that you feel that your painting skills were on a slide, as you have produced some great stuff in

the last couple of years (that road system and the characters for your Pulp RPG are seriously inspirational).
If that is a slide, I would gladly suffer that.
 ;)
Thanks for the kinds words Mason; they're much appreciated. But be careful with what you wish for though; the reason my painting has declined in the past couple of years is that I'm basically getting too old too fast. :? I've since been diagnosed with arthritis (a family condition), especially in the hands, and this results in my fingers being very painful, not able to flex and shaking hands, especially in the morning. Things gradually get better later in the day, but especially in the cold and damp, it often lingers the entire day. And I live in the Netherlands,so those are the weather conditions most of the time... ::) This means that accuracy with the brush is a lot less than a couple of years ago. I am unable to do the fine detail work I used to do, and even simple block painting becomes a chore.

There are those times though, when all symptoms are gone (or a lot less) for a while, regardless of the weather, and I can actually reach the level I was used to. I used to place as Golden Daemon finalist on a regular basis and I dreamt of one day bagging at least one of them, but I'm not so certain now I ever will. Ah well; I'm still happy with those things I paint regardless. :)

[ps where did you get the japenese battleships models form]

http://www.hlj.com/ (http://www.hlj.com/)

If I pimp this company much more, people might acccuse me of being affiliated with them! lol  

But back to business!

I went to the local hobby store this Saturday to buy some vallejo paints I had run out of, when I stumbled upon a very cheap 1/72 kit of a Kamov KA-58 stealth helicopter, and immediately saw the potential. So I picked it up and since the wife was out with her friends all Sunday, I had the entire day to play around with this new toy. Back to 28mm for a bit! ;)

It originally is a rather large two seater, with the pilots sitting side by side, but by placing only one 28mm pilot in
there instead, the helicopter suddenly becomes a single seat, small attack craft!

So, I chopped up an EM4 plastic scifi trooper for the purpose. I used the torso and head as is, but cut off the legs (the standing straigh up ones) and reposed them into a sitting position. As I tried to use as much of the original cockpit as possible, I then had to shave down the legs and torso on the underside, so the pilot would not be bumping his head on the cockpit roof. I also added some plastic strip and sheet to suggest a seat on the back wall, and some greebles from the bitsbox to create a little more interest.

Then the arms. I used two EM4 sets of arms. Those arms are one piece; two arms, interconnected with a rod, which goes inbetween the two torso halfs, and both connected to the front by the weapon they're holding. there's not much detail to the hands though, so those had to go. So I used the right arm of the set with the pistol in a twohanded grip, and the right arm of the standard rifle arm set. Both hands were cut off and replaced with ones from the bits box. I believe the right one comes from a Cadian flamer guy and the left one from an Empire Flagelant (it held a whip previously...). I used a part of the connector rod of the arms as a nub to fix them (in)to the torso. The last remaining piece of scratch was an HUD from two small triangles of plasticard.

I got the idea to paint the pilot and cockpit as if it was luminated from several bright cockpit displays, I also had to add to the instrument panel, as the original panel only has a huge amount of dials for some reason. So I used a very thin piece of plasticard to overlay the panel, and cut out some screens and drilled some additional dials as well. This was then glued onto the existing panel and presto!

For fixing a flying stand, I drilled a hole and put in a length of plastic rod, which has the same diameter as the standard magnets I have (3mm). I also fixed it firmly in place with some plasticard supports. It helped that there are two large weapon bays, between which the rod (almost) fit perfectly. The rod was then worked into the body paneling on the bottom with some Vallejo liquid putty, which I really like for these little filler jobs.

Then the cockpit area was undercoated with a flat black spray paint, and rather quickly painted in an OSL style, with the instrument panel being the source. Worked quite well I think, especially for the quick job I made of it (Sundays suddenly seem very short when you're hobbying away; I did the painting when my wife had come home again, and I really should have started dinner already... ::) ).

So; after one day (more of a very long afternoon btw) of work, the helicopter stands ready for painting. the cockpit's finished and the canopy added. I will try and do the undercoating this evening. I want to show the rotors as spinning, so I plan on sourcing some plastic sheet (stiff enough to not bend when free floating on the model)  that I can cut two circles out of. A couple of blurred rotorblades painted on, and it should look great.

It will make a fine addition to my growing collection of near future troops; finally some air support! :D

But enough of my usual blah; here are some phone pics of the status quo:

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/HeloWIP1.jpg)

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/HeloWIP2.jpg)

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/HeloWIP3.jpg)

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/HeloWIP4.jpg)

+++EDIT+++ corrected some atrocious spelling errors...
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: A stealth helicopter as a little sidetrack...
Post by: Predatorpt on February 04, 2013, 01:46:59 PM
Wow, never thought about using a 1/72 model with 28mm figures (I usually go for the 1/48 or 1/35 models). What model did you use?

The Revell one?:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REVELL-KAMOV-KA-58-STEALTH-HELICOPTER-1-72-04413-/270605835660?pt=UK_ToysGames_DiecastVehicles_DiecastVehicles_JN&hash=item3f015d5d8c

Or the Zvezda one?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zvezda-1-72-Kamov-Ka-58-Black-Ghost-7232-/221133978535?pt=UK_ToysGames_ModelKits_ModelKits_JN&hash=item337c9cbba7
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: A stealth helicopter as a little sidetrack...
Post by: Daeothar on February 04, 2013, 02:44:54 PM
I actually used the Revell one. It had been discounted from €12,95 to €6,50; my local hobby shop sometimes clears out static stock via a 50% off discount table. I picked up some nice bargains there over the years...  :D

Truth be told; I like this model a lot; it's a nice kit and the conversion was very smooth going, so I might consider getting me another one, even at the original price!
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: A stealth helicopter as a little sidetrack...
Post by: Mason on February 04, 2013, 03:48:07 PM
Sorry to hear about the arthritis, mate.
I, of course, did not mean I wished for the cause, only that I would take your results nowadays over mine anytime.
You are still producing top quality work that never fails to impress me.

This copter is a sound example of what I mean.
Excellent conversion work, you certainly have an eye for what 'works'.
 :-* :-* :-*

Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: A stealth helicopter as a little sidetrack...
Post by: Predatorpt on February 04, 2013, 04:50:08 PM
I actually used the Revell one. It had been discounted from €12,95 to €6,50; my local hobby shop sometimes clears out static stock via a 50% off discount table. I picked up some nice bargains there over the years...  :D

Truth be told; I like this model a lot; it's a nice kit and the conversion was very smooth going, so I might consider getting me another one, even at the original price!

Lucky you. I've scored my local hobby shops and they don't stock that particular reference. I'll keep an eye out for it and keep on following your conversion ;)
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: A stealth helicopter as a little sidetrack...
Post by: The_Beast on February 04, 2013, 06:03:27 PM
Lucky you. I've scored my local hobby shops and they don't stock that particular reference. I'll keep an eye out for it and keep on following your conversion ;)

I wish Revell here near matched Revell, Europe...  :'(

Definitely has to be the right 'copter; Hind's and Apache's are definitely too narrow. Come to think, most like Huey's wouldn't have enough 'nose', either.

Speaking of larger, every time I've played with one (I complete NOTHING), I always think the engine area should be for a commander and/or gun turret/bubble. This one almost looks big enough to give a go.

Thoughts?

Doug

Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: A stealth helicopter as a little sidetrack...
Post by: Daeothar on February 04, 2013, 09:05:12 PM
Lucky you. I've scored my local hobby shops and they don't stock that particular reference. I'll keep an eye out for it and keep on following your conversion ;)

I just checked out some Ebay auctions for this kit, and got a look at the Zvezda sprues. They're identical to the Revell ones!! So either one would get you the same results; just a matter of getting the cheapest one... ;)

Speaking of larger, every time I've played with one (I complete NOTHING), I always think the engine area should be for a commander and/or gun turret/bubble. This one almost looks big enough to give a go.

I suppose it would be possible, but I feel it would look 'off', if you were to add a cuppola instead of the rotors. Unless you add an alternative way to create lift and movement, that is.

In this case, the hole where the rotor is supposed to go is 14mm across, so a hatch and commander would fit, were you so inclined... :D
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: Commander Roj on February 05, 2013, 10:43:35 AM
Grmph; made good on my threat to order on the 31st and missed your post; sorry about that. :?

But that's not the purpose of this post actually. It's to show off the finished smaller iteration of the Indecent Proposal!


(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/LittleProposalPursued.jpg)

I really like this scratch built shuttle. I cant think of anything like it on the market. Well done!
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: Painted Fighters and one Shuttle in two different scales!
Post by: The_Beast on February 05, 2013, 02:13:58 PM
Speaking of larger, every time I've played with one (I complete NOTHING), I always think the engine area should be for a commander and/or gun turret/bubble. This one almost looks big enough to give a go.

I suppose it would be possible, but I feel it would look 'off', if you were to add a cuppola instead of the rotors. Unless you add an alternative way to create lift and movement, that is.

In this case, the hole where the rotor is supposed to go is 14mm across, so a hatch and commander would fit, were you so inclined... :D

Oh, I always assumed winglet thrusters in most cases; the Hind I hacked up has both winglets and big a** outlets (I assume exhaust) just behind the engine, as thrusters. 1/48, but still a struggle to shoe-horn an SM Capt. in the top position, and one of those imaginary Squats as pilot...

I really like this scratch built shuttle. I cant think of anything like it on the market. Well done!

Maybe someone will contact  Daeothar  about a master...  :D

Doug
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: A stealth helicopter as a little sidetrack...
Post by: MajorTalon on February 10, 2013, 08:49:26 PM
Where did that Space Battleship Yamamoto model come from? It looks awesome. :-*
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: A stealth helicopter as a little sidetrack...
Post by: Daeothar on February 14, 2013, 10:17:17 AM
I believe I got it from www.readmypreviousposts.com...  :D

OK, a smallish update again.

I started the paintjob on the helicopter. Under/basecoated in a dark grey, and the first camo colour has been applied; an even darker grey. On the left, you can see my trial camo scheme. It's a simple 3 colour affair, with irregular, overlapping  triangular shapes. Pretty easy to paint, and it looks nice. After the scheme has been finished, there will be a dark wash to bring out the surface details and the application of suitable markings and numbers.

The cockpit was masked when spraying the first coat, but the edges have already been blacked out on the outside now; I just need to paint in the camo scheme over the black in the end.

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/HeloCamoWIP.jpg)

Next up is a small tramp freighter I cobbled together out of parts from the EM4 plastic robot set. It's the birdlegged body with the leg nubs cut off, and the the two included rocket pods glued over the arm nubs, with the front of the pods turned backwards. I cut off the rocket tips and replaced those with some short pieces of plastic tubing to form the rocket/jet nozzles. The back nub, where another weapon should go, received two very small pieces of thin plastic rod, turning it into a turret.

And that's basically it! the result is somewhat reminiscent of the Betty in Aliens IV, and I like the look. For now, it's been basecoated in grey, received a black wash and I quickly painted in the cockpit and observation dome. Finished paintjob pending...

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/RandomFreighterWIP.jpg)

And to finish off, here is the stack of plastic model goodness I received from HLJ yesterday. Yay! :)

There are: two large ships, same scale as the one on page one. 3 comparable ships on a much smaller scale, for use as escorts. Those come with a fighter each, which scales up perfectly with the EM4/Silent Death ones; another flight for free ;) And then there are two fighters, which are approximately 1/100 scale, but are perfectly useable with 28mm pilots in the rebuilt cockpits. They're nice close air support, and maybe even a 28mm representation of some of the smaller scale fighters. I like the original paintjobs so much, I will probably do them up exactly like that (well; maybe not exactly ::) ).

On the bottom though, is a box I received earlier this week and did not come from Japan, but Ebay; it's an original Silent Death box with another 48 fighters. They came out even cheaper (with P&P) than the same amount of sprues from EM4, so I could not resist. You can never have enough fighters after all. :D

(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/BakersDozen/Goodies.jpg)

Next in line will be green squadron, which had some work done already, but is not finished yet. Game night tonight (and they'll see some action again I suppose), so no painting, but who knows what Friday and the weekend will bring... ;)
Title: Re: Baker's Dozen: More spaceships and the helicopter receives paint
Post by: Grumpy Gnome on August 29, 2019, 09:07:31 AM
So much epic in this thread... I felt it deserved the necromancy to see how things have developed in the mean time. I am a real sucker for Star Blazers! So much in this thread to inspire my hope for future sci-fi projects of different scales.