Deep Desert Martians (woot!) (little update 1-12-13)

[Sinewgrab]

So, as part of my ongoing VSF Fubar project, I have finished the second of my projected armies - The Tusken Deep Desert Martians.  In my VSF Mars, I have divided the worlds races a bit differently, and have so far written the current little bit of fluff...

   In the days of old, Mars was populated by those who we now know as Tuskens and Barsoomians.  They were, at that time, the same.  Their technologies led to the creation of a worker race, now known as Greens or Tharks.  We discuss these at length later.  Their culture was strong, their grasp of scientific principles advanced, and their race populous.  
   Then, the Cephalopods came.  When they came to Earth, millenia later, men called them Martians, but they were as alien to Mars as they were to Earth.  None are entirely certain whence they came, but more on them later.  Their effect on Barsoomian culture is what matters here.  
   The battle between the Barsoomians and the invaders weakened both, but the Cephalopods eventually triumphed, leaving the native culture shattered.  Those who were left to be fed upon in cities became what are now recognized as the Barsoomians, in the great cities of Helium and Kadabra.  Descendants of John Carter still exist in Helium, though most fled to the desert to continue the battle against the Cephalopods.  Those who fled, and fight to this day, are now known as Tuskens, and are now habitually wrapped in their protective layers of cloth and the distinctive gas mask that allows them to ignore the dreaded black smoke of the Cephalopods.  The Tusken lost most technology, and developed instead their relation to the Desert Oxen, and the dreaded Trolls.  They learned after Man came to Mars, to use his simpler and more available technologies, but they still maintain their herds of Oxen, and their trained WarTrolls.

And so, here we are...I have always liked the look of the Tusken Raiders from Star Wars, and felt they deserved more air time.  This is my way of combining them with the Fremen from Dune and putting them on Mars.





These are almost entirely the original paint jobs, with some touch up and an ink wash to bring out the details and give the a more cohesive color scheme (the original figs have 3 totally different colors for robes).  I mostly just added muskets and rifles to the majority, though there are a few with new arms.

I also did their Oxen Artillery - I just added cannon to the tops of the Bantha models, and it looked surprisingly effective.




And, as I was clearing up space to try and sell some of the lead mountain, due to no further want of the particular figures, or in this case, a growing hatred for the game they belong with, I was struck with inspiration...and made the first Tusken Troll.




This worked out fine, because I always hated the faces and heads on the Trolls, even if I did find them the least offensive of the Hordes factions. I hate the "newest is bestest" tone of the Privateer Press games though, and have been trying to sell these to no avail.  At least this way, they will see some use.  Here is the second one.





And so that leads to this, to use as an occasional ally, and sometime foe for my Norwegians, and next, the Prussian/Germans, and the British, and the Barsoomians, and some Greens...oh, and the Cephalopods.



50 or so Tuskens, 2 trolls, and 5 Banthas, with one more to come when the parts have set as far as glue goes. This one I think is complete - I also have a Rancor I can add if I want to.

[Bullshott]

That's a niice little army you have there, with some interesting challenges for more conventially armed forces - not the least of which will be lots of cheap bantha artillery vs. more expensive stem tech forces ... and then there are the trolls 

[Viper4Dan]

Sinewgrab:

These are incredible! Love the idea of using the Tusken Raiders for the deserts of Mars....you just never know what lurks beyond the next sand dune. Add a few Bedouin tents and a water hole and your good to go! Next up, the Jawas!

[Sinewgrab]

Sinewgrab:

These are incredible! Love the idea of using the Tusken Raiders for the deserts of Mars....you just never know what lurks beyond the next sand dune. Add a few Bedouin tents and a water hole and your good to go! Next up, the Jawas!

Bedouin tents, eh?  Huh, I hadn't thought about that...hmm, must google...

And I considered Jawas - but they are MUCH harder to acquire for some reason.  No-one ever has large amounts of them for sale - not even on ebay - so I quit trying to find them.

[Ray Rivers]

 

Splendid force!

Love the Oxen Artillery!    What a great idea!

[aggro84]

Looking good! Great idea. 

[Chairface]

Outstanding! I love the mounted troops especially.

[CyberAlien312]

Very good! I love the use of those tusken raiders.

[Froggy the Great]

Were you not exactly across the continent from me, I'd totally come over there and throw down.

Could you post the stats you're using?

Also, I'm sure the FUBAR community would love it if you'd post this over on their boards:  http://www.forgeofwar.uk.com/forum/index.php

[Mason]

 

Superb!
 

While they are all great, the Troll concept is sheer genius and bloody hilarious, to boot!
 

[einarolafson]

Impressive!!

[VSF Gamer]

Well done my good man! Love what you've done!

[Quendil]

Really like them 

I do wish that someone would release Dune related miniatures though 

[Sinewgrab]

Were you not exactly across the continent from me, I'd totally come over there and throw down.

Could you post the stats you're using?

Also, I'm sure the FUBAR community would love it if you'd post this over on their boards:  http://www.forgeofwar.uk.com/forum/index.php

I feel the same way.  I'll try to get the stats together in a postable form - right now, I am using a Magic card editor to create unit cards, and there is no easy way to post that many jpegs (in the case of my Norwegians, at least).

And thank you for all the nice comments.

[Sinewgrab]

And this is what I use to play FUBAR...