Troublemaker Games 28mm Scifi Light Infantry

[Troublemaker Games]

I would suggest providing the figure openhanded with the scimitar seperate

I've scribbled that down and will pass it to my trolls.

[Conquistador]

I would suggest providing the figure openhanded with the scimitar seperate

Then I/you can sell the sword on Evilbay...

Regretfully the sword, less so the boots, and less so the mega pistol just are off-putting to me.

Since these designs really don't appeal to me I think I am going drop off the thread at this point.  Good luck on your project.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Troublemaker Games]

Good luck on your project

Thankyou!

Here's an energy weapon concept render.

[mcfonz]

I can only echo what others have said on here. The proportions on the weapons are too big for my likings. Then trying to dismiss that there is any link to GW's Tallern's by following it up with the latest concept of what basically is a plasma gun.

I'd personally make the basic trooper rifles look more stripped back and basic. Have a look on google images for a more middle-eastern styled flintloque rifle which tend to have a styled stock. Remove the flintloque mechanism, add in am energy pack/battery - perhaps on the side of the gun rather than underneath, plus maybe a foregrip and a new muzzle - that would be a bit better. For individual sculpts some could have their guns partially covered by material. Try to keep it a little more in scale with the troopers.

As others have said, go a bit smaller on the boots, they are too clunky and draw the eye too much.

There is potential here, if these are pushed on a bit more.

Good luck either way.

[Troublemaker Games]

I'll definitely be making the boots a little smaller.

As to the rifle size, scaled up it'd be 46 inches long, and a US army M16 is 40 inches long, so it's not greatly oversized.

I don't disown that there are plenty of past inspirational elements here. In the case of the energy weapon, I had a careful eyeball at DooM and it's Plasma Gun. Ribbed casing is awesome.

Thanks for the comments. Perhaps as the campaign continues I'll swing a few opinions. :-)

[Vermis]

It is very difficult to be wholly original.

Are you the same guy who went on frothers and wouldn't back down from the position that anyone who so much as wrote the words 'marine' (or any tough, muscley, military type) and 'space' on the same page was a filthy thief of GW's IP?

they are pretty good

Jings.

[Wachaza]

The chain weapons are stupidly big. To deny they're a trip of Tallarns is really quite amusing.

[former user]

there are a lot of questions....
but first things first

GW-like? my ass! GW makes almost everything generic, so make anything SF with a arabic headdress, a futuristic weapon and a knee length tunic and people will call it tallarn. GW is very good at claiming they invented everything and also pretty good at making people believe so sometimes, apparently
so let's dump that and be done with it.
on the sculpts...
It appears that You worked with scans or something. Your figures are very close to real life proportions when it comes to clothing and body proportions. It is not unsual for military boots to be oversized, but whatever You pasted on them CG wise is a bit too much, as are the weapons. The recent trend of making figures closer to real life proportions is good, but then You will have to make the other stuff smaller too. If You want to  stay closer to the GW style (in this case it is actually them to have started that in the 90ies) You will have to follow with the heads and hands and also put more volume into the cloth.
As a side note, it might be only my impression that this forum is more historical oriented and quite anti-GW, but You will find quite often escalating discussions about anything that comes near GW 
the modular design....
is very interesting, but I don't understand what You actually intend to do
will the designs be cast in resin or lead? in this case moulds will have to be very precise if You want to produce the figures as kits.
Or will You offer the designs as 3D print on demand, which would be really innovative? I guess not, from what I read the margin is very small if you don't own a printer. So I guess what You want to raise the money for the moulds...

now my personal advice would be:
open hands is what people like, but it doesn't work with rifles - best here is the pistol grip concept, which is acheivable with 3D CG and slimmer weapons. For more modularity make the backpacks detachable, and vary the heads a bit.
And here comes the weird idea: vary the footwear, make some barefoot and sandals for conversion - the way the boot concept goes it would work, and it is realistic.
If You really want to avoid the Tallarn thing, desert warriors are not only "Lawrence of Arabia", "PLO"  and "Dune". The French had and have an African desert army with many different troop types that is mainly ignored in the english speaking world. You will find a lot of examples and ideas if You do a bit of research in that direction 
Good Luck with You business and keep us informed please 

[Dave Knight]

Vermis

No

[Troublemaker Games]

It appears that You worked with scans or something.

Nope. Built 'em stage by stage from scratch. I have some pre-booleaned versions saved, which I pose, then I boolean the components together, and add fine details to the surface later.

Your figures are very close to real life proportions when it comes to clothing and body proportions.

Thankyou. That's what I'm aiming for, something closer to being true 28mm scale than "heroic" scale (giant heads & hands etc).

It is not unsual for military boots to be oversized, but whatever You pasted on them CG wise is a bit too much, as are the weapons. The recent trend of making figures closer to real life proportions is good, but then You will have to make the other stuff smaller too.

There's been enough comment about the size of the boots that I'll be reducing them shortly and posting up modified copies for people to evaluate.
I stand by the rifles though. In real life the rifles would be 46 inches long, and a US army M16 rifle is 40 inches long - so oversized, but only by about 10%. By contrast a GW trooper's rifle would be 5-6 feet long in real life.
I did screw up with the size of the Chainscimitar and I'll be looking to fix or replace it.

If You want to  stay closer to the GW style

I don't really. I'm not out to ape GW, I'm out to make figures in my own more realistic style.

the modular design....
is very interesting, but I don't understand what You actually intend to do
will the designs be cast in resin or lead? in this case moulds will have to be very precise if You want to produce the figures as kits.

Yup, I'll be going to the best mouldmaker I know of to get them cast in metal.

Or will You offer the designs as 3D print on demand, which would be really innovative? I guess not, from what I read the margin is very small if you don't own a printer. So I guess what You want to raise the money for the moulds...

Nah, I don't own a printer so traditional casting is the way to go.

open hands is what people like, but it doesn't work with rifles - best here is the pistol grip concept, which is acheivable with 3D CG and slimmer weapons. For more modularity make the backpacks detachable, and vary the heads a bit.

I'll consider that, especially for officers and similar. For infantry it seems best to just get the rifle right. :-)

For the heads, currently I have 3 designs: Mouth closed, mouth slightly open, and yelling showing teeth. I plan to add two more soon.

And here comes the weird idea: vary the footwear, make some barefoot and sandals for conversion - the way the boot concept goes it would work, and it is realistic.

I did vary the banding on the boots a bit, but as uniform-wearing guys I didn't want too much individuality.

If You really want to avoid the Tallarn thing, desert warriors are not only "Lawrence of Arabia", "PLO"  and "Dune". The French had and have an African desert army with many different troop types that is mainly ignored in the english speaking world. You will find a lot of examples and ideas if You do a bit of research in that direction  
Good Luck with You business and keep us informed please  

Thankyou for your extensive advice, I'll keep people informed, and hopefully as the design gets refined more people will be interested in joining in. :-)

On thing I want to do once the basics (Riflemen, squad weapons, officers) are out of the way is Quadbike-riders. Quads could be used to lug heavy weapons, or act together as scout squads.

[former user]

one last remark
You will notice that "uniform" is the thing in peacetime, whereas war progressing means a lot more individuality, in every war.
You will find this in many campaign pictures.
And I think that is also what people are more interested in.....

[workerBee]

one last remark
You will notice that "uniform" is the thing in peacetime, whereas war progressing means a lot more individuality, in every war.
You will finf this in many campaign pictures.
And I think that is also what people are more interested in.....

Sigh, yeah, came back.  Curiosity got the better of me.

I could go for the more uniform route.  I would want something like this, (caveat not that it is on my high priority list,) for regulars in near/far future combat between regulars or with these as regulars versus irregulars.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Inso]

there are a lot of questions....
but first things first

GW-like? my ass!

It is holding an over large lasgun with the standard GW pattern, lasgun muzzle...

but that is obviously generic and not at all the reason he has given his desert troops, dressed in that particular fashion, that particular style of weapon.

It matters not to me because they aren't on my shopping list but as a small time operation, I would at least be a little bit tempted to steer clear of derivative GW miniatures... even if it is just to avoid losing everything I'd worked towards as a result of a C&D letter.

On a different note, the faces look good, the folds of the head gear look good, the weapons have good details but the legs and sleeves need more work (there doesn't appear to be very much drapery/folds in the cloth... assuming it is cloth), the boots are large but the feet don't appear to be long enough (that may be an optical illusion caused by the boots) and the pouches seem to be geometric shapes rather than pouches.

I assume these are first drafts of the renders and that the various 'unfinished' bits are still to be worked on. They are a good start but need a bit of refining... just my opinion and when all is said and done... I'm just another voice on the WWW.

I'd genuinely like you to succeed though, TMG but I would be concerned that there are certain details that are a bit too close to call.

[Troublemaker Games]

It is holding an over large lasgun with the standard GW pattern, lasgun muzzle...

GW "Lasguns" are a conventional rifle configuration, mine are "bullpup" (that means the magazine is behind the trigger instead of in front of it, which gives a longer barrel length on the same size of rifle). My magazines are curved rather than straight. Mine have two barrels which have interconnection bracers, and both barrels are comparatively thin. Both rifles have slanted tip sleeves, but mine finish flat before the end of the rifle instead of tapering to a point. The body shape and stock shape are entirely different. More cosmetically, my barrel tips feature iron sights, GW "lasguns" do not.

I went out of my way not to copy the GW "lasgun" as used by Cadians etc. to the extent that every major element is different and distinct.

I assume these are first drafts of the renders and that the various 'unfinished' bits are still to be worked on. They are a good start but need a bit of refining... just my opinion and when all is said and done... I'm just another voice on the WWW.

They will have more work on them done before the end date, yep.

I'd genuinely like you to succeed though, TMG but I would be concerned that there are certain details that are a bit too close to call.

Cheers, I will be looking to have more unique elements as we go along, and will be up-detailing the core bodies. Thanks for your feedback on areas that could use a little more detail or softening.

[manatic]

I stand by the rifles though. In real life the rifles would be 46 inches long, and a US army M16 rifle is 40 inches long - so oversized, but only by about 10%. By contrast a GW trooper's rifle would be 5-6 feet long in real life.

I don't think it's the length of the rifle that's the issue here, but rather the bulk. As your troopers are thinner, lankier types than GW's, the bulky weapon just looks massive if you for example compare the size of the muzzle with a trooper's head.