Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: Warren Abox on November 21, 2012, 05:35:48 PM
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So I'm making the leap to 15mm figures, and in honor of the occasion building a large rocket ship for the little dudes to fight over and in. Here it is in all its foam-corey glory:
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JUh4oEBx_x4/UKiA1-Awr4I/AAAAAAAABVU/9QASziGes_U/s320/GEDC2387.JPG)
Here you can see a 15mm figure standing on the small landing on the left for scale, along with some of the detail. The plan is to install ladders at the edges of each level leading down to the next (larger) level - except where that guy is standing. There will ladders to the small landings, and then stairs down to the next level.
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dSs8-nvgWic/UKiA4lU5-qI/AAAAAAAABVk/G3XLReFE-U4/s320/GEDC2390.JPG)
Top view shows the ship is divided into thirds, like so:
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--HkRMSq8JS4/UKiA2hh5X0I/AAAAAAAABVc/OafhdllxDF8/s1600/GEDC2389.JPG)
And here's the pattern for the walls of this beast:
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qjuvqkx78vY/UKh_QDX0SVI/AAAAAAAABVM/_N93fdG9o_s/s320/GEDC2385.JPG)
I'll post shots of the detailing process as it progresses. The hope is to get most of the basic wall and floor details done over Thanksgiving so that I can turn my attention to furnishings like planters, chairs, control consoles, and so on in the weeks to come.
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Wow! This looks cool, very impressive and a great idea. I'll be following this closely.
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Great idea
I look forward to following your progress
Thank you
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Love the general idea...not a fan of the pulpy shape...I assume this is for a retro-pulp 1970's sci-fi-ish game?
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This looks like its going to be fantastic! I feel myself being pulled into 15mm too.
Verry much looking forward to seeing this take shape.
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Love the general idea...not a fan of the pulpy shape...I assume this is for a retro-pulp 1970's sci-fi-ish game?
It didn't start out that way. The shape of the rocket is a result of a number of factors. I wanted to make sure the thing would fit into a 40-quart plastic tub, so knew that it couldn’t be more than 21” tall and about 15” wide. That meant tall with round floors to maximize the flat playing surface. The other issue at hand is literally hands – being able to reach the entire playing surface without banging things around. That’s why there is so much distance between the floors.
I also wanted to use ladders without individual hatches as much as possible, too. That means that the ladders drop off the edges of each floor, but that would lead to a ziggurat shape if done for each floor. Instead, I’ve got those two little landings to take figures down to the first floor, which is smaller than the one above, and that leads to the general spade shape of the ship.
The original plan was to make this a standard gritty, maybe gothic, maybe traveler-esque rocket, but after building the bare bones, I realized the same thing you did – this thing screams ‘pulp’. So now I’m looking at clean lines, soft colors, and figures that are more retro-sci-fi than current sci-fi.
Still haven’t decided whether to go 1950’s retro or 1970s retro. The derth of 1950s style in 15mm is making the decision easier, though. So far I haven’t had much luck finding starship crews in the pulpy Buck Rogers style. I’ll get back to you when I see what I can come up with.
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Roger that. Don't take that as any form of insult, just what I see when I look at it. Goons in hard hats with laser blasters and such. :D
Definitely keep us posted as you keep workin' on it.
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If you are going for the 1950s:
http://spaceshipaway.org.uk/
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I think there's a lot of potential in that concept. I've been thinking alot recently about making a vertical gaming board to utilise wall space, rather than table top space and I think you may just have added a little more to the idea.
Great concept, and will be looking forwards to seeing how it gets finished.
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Detailing is just about done at this point. Well, the surface detailing anyway. I've got to get the walls and floors detailed and painted first, then I can build, paint, and finally install furniture away from the walls. Any furniture installed at this point will just block my paintbrush and make it impossible to paint the inside of the furniture.
Example of the floor coping:
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OXRfqyDYV-I/ULWwLfvQdhI/AAAAAAAABcM/1E2ljBm0aEg/s1600/trim.jpg)
Ladders made from zip-ties. The space cow is standing in the med-lab. At this point
it has cabinets and not much else.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ev0-BnqQnks/ULWuJDryyII/AAAAAAAABb0/ikkl9dfSy1g/s320/GEDC2544.JPG)
The kitchen. Or is it a galley? Either way, don't serve steak while this guy is on board.
Might be a relative.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nPJ_5l6pnwg/ULWwKdhC-6I/AAAAAAAABcE/B7_hbztBZ4Y/s320/kitchen.jpg)
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Had to take a break from the big stuff this week and put together some small stuff. Don't know about you guys, but I need to actually complete some things once in a while in order to feel like I'm making progress. With that in mind, here is some furniture I whipped up this weekend while waiting for the base coat on the tower to dry:
Meditank:
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2sD6_Caz0fk/ULsSPm918mI/AAAAAAAABi0/EcMINttSBrk/s320/GEDC2646.JPG)
Greenhouse:
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5gx22Z06yyI/ULsTZcpixMI/AAAAAAAABjM/OFAAkYetbJ4/s320/GEDC2631.JPG)
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I really, really like this! Very imaginative, and very nicely detailed too - well done Sir! ;)
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It remind me a toy, in the star war range, sold in the 70's witch was the same in Death Star version...Do you see what I mean?...
http://www.toyark.com/star-wars-kenner-toltoys-death-star-playset-3403/
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I remember that toy. Hadn't thought about that in years. I really like the dome-style construction. If I make another one of these things, I'll have to remember that. I actually stole the idea from Jim Wallman's Starship Marines game (PDF Link to rules: http://www.theuniverse.org.uk/rules/sm/starshipmarine.pdf (http://www.theuniverse.org.uk/rules/sm/starshipmarine.pdf)). If you look near the end of the rulebook, there are a couple of shots of a tower that's at least 8-levels tall built similar to this one. He used printed floorplans on each level (the better to have lots of internal walls and cover), where mine has less walls and details, but is a full 3D gameboard.
Thanks for the encouragement guys.
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That looks great!
I really like your concept, and design. Reminds me a bit of the starship I used to play in at the park, though it had a slide from the top to the ground outside.
Might consider adding a fireman's pole, for emergency egress, if gravity is available.
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First paint on the walls. Those ladders were a pain in the neck to paint black. I really should have painted them first and then glued them in place. All part of the learning process.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Pct6AQeVlo/UMbfiatUu4I/AAAAAAAABnQ/5Ta_GwPbH5A/s1600/GEDC2707.JPG)
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Progress! Behold the awesome power of the engine room, complete with vents, tall glowy engine rods, and a toolbox. The black and silver train tracks are supposed to be the ladder between levels. They worked okay, I guess.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qPc9B7dLmOo/UNAhNe0Xu8I/AAAAAAAABrM/q8aKOVz76TU/s1600/GEDC2734.JPG)
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Again you impress me with your scratch building!
Novel design and idea!
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Lovely, keep it coming!
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Trying not to post every little detail of this project here (that's what the blog is for), but I'm way too proud of the telly in the rec room not to share it with all and sundry:
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQdt4Llb4H8/UNQO6Db8tjI/AAAAAAAABt0/usZ_u4ew2N4/s320/GEDC2758.JPG)
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Fantastic! :)
This is a very inspiring project.
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This is great project.
Love it!
:-*
Will be watching with interest and a grin at my face whilst doing so.
:D
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Will be watching with interest and a grin at my face whilst doing so.
Aww, you sweet talker, you. I'll bet you say that to all the girls. Wait'll you get a load of the rest of the rec room:
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JlqiwUKUftQ/UN_wSz8aOKI/AAAAAAAAB2k/AR7joAklemI/s320/GEDC2852.JPG)
They've even got an X-box:
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--23h0whImXA/UN_wOlnwy-I/AAAAAAAAB2c/YFeReQVRWSA/s320/GEDC2851.JPG)
Went ahead and installed the movable doors, too:
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BeCVuuZf8MQ/UNfs9rsVbCI/AAAAAAAABzs/NBhAHw72k0M/s320/GEDC2776.JPG)
And painted up the crew of the ship:
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Vxu_Rx15PQ/UNasgEKp0RI/AAAAAAAABx4/CE8NNOxaPVI/s400/GEDC2764.JPG)
Those are Laserburn Law Enforcement figures with head swaps from other figures over at 15mm.co.uk to make them look more Buck Rogers and less Judge Dredd. The colors match the ship, and the white should keep them more 30s-style than the grimdark 90s-style.
I'm finding the hardest thing about this project is settling on a name for the ship. I kinda have the ISS Major Tom stuck in my head, but for some reason can't quite pull the trigger and paint that on the ship.
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Awestruck!!
Easily worth following your blog mate. ;D
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Very interesting and very good, when I saw this, an old movie came to mind (It came from beyond space) though your ship is much bigger also (Destination Moon), wow! its dislodged all these old retro sci fi movies from deep in my memory... :)
Nice one thanks...
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Starting to close up those wide open spaces with more furniture now. Here's the completed cargo bay:
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K4GdYiTar3w/UOiC4z9ndrI/AAAAAAAAB7A/vMFju4uPoF8/s1600/GEDC2889.JPG)
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The medical bay is complete.
I added a scratchbuilt crash/surgical couch to the medtank shown earlier. This is just bits of matte board and cereal cardboard with a bit of balsa wood:
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zer0qTB-Mns/UOknwD5DXOI/AAAAAAAAB9w/TfaxhGv1lnQ/s320/med-bench2.jpg)
Here's the fully furnished medical bay:
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-caa8FnOmg14/UO0GiSGJ8LI/AAAAAAAACAY/Y8Binuxg4X4/s320/GEDC2914.JPG)
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Time to take a break from the rocket and freshen the pallatte with something different. This has been a 4-month project, so it's time to move on. I've got a lost of things to add to this before it's really done (like railing on that inner balcony, a proper vehicle bay, cannons on the small landings, etc...), but this looks sharp and it plays great. Until then, here's an update shot of the whole kit-n-kaboodle. For scale, that's a 5-gallon bucket serving as a launch pad.
That's the power core on bottom and kitchen just beneath the bridge deck:
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jb2GCrnTga0/UPJDsBYdpOI/AAAAAAAACBo/4SKJacLBi9s/s1600/GEDC2923.JPG)
From the bottom up this is the cargo bay, hydroponics, gym, and medical bay:
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WzEK5cq9Fac/UPJDsebP41I/AAAAAAAACBs/Z7bJNnkPlA0/s1600/GEDC2925.JPG)
The only furnished room on this side is the lounge just below the bridge:
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YPZD-yZVess/UPJDtNoYMYI/AAAAAAAACBw/JLKyVPseAm8/s1600/GEDC2922.JPG)
The bottom floor will wind up as the vehicle bay, and the hydroponics needs a lot more vegetation, but I don't know what to put in the other empty rooms. I'm also thinking about adding thrusters underneath the rocket to life it off the table a few inches. Give me a few months, and when inspiration strikes we'll revisit this project.