Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: Michka on December 28, 2011, 06:35:47 PM
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I've been a fan of Blakes 7 for about 20 years. When Crooked Dice and CP Models started coming out with appropriate miniatures I was excited as hell. I had the Federation Troopers painted up for some time. All I've done this time was re-base them.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/Blakes7andSantaFrog017_crop.jpg)
After that I painted up the two Crooked Dice figures.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/Blakes7andSantaFrog029_crop.jpg)
and so now I have a nice little group of Federation baddies.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/Blakes7andSantaFrog033_crop.jpg)
Then I got it in my head that I wanted at least one hero character, so here's Avon.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/Blakes7andSantaFrog026_crop.jpg)
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/Blakes7andSantaFrog025_crop.jpg)
The base of this figure is a Crooked Dice Man of 3000. I trimmed off the lapels and slimmed down the collar a bit. Then I added a Man of 2000 head, which seemed to fit Avon's facial features a bit closer then the 3000 model. I added some GW liquid green stuff to his head till it looked somewhat like Avon's fourth season hair. Finally I used a Heavy Blaster pistol from a metal WOTC Star Wars Female Scoundrel miniature for his gun. The original figure is holding the gun in her left hand, which is why I have Avon using his off hand here. The last details were just painted on. I'm not pleased with the paint job I did on his eyes, but otherwise I'm rather happy with the whole thing. I'm hoping to put together a couple more members of our intrepid band, but it won't be any time soon.
Now if Crooked Dice were to make their own version of the rebels I'd be even happier.
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That's quite excellent. 8)
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Avon is particularly impressive. He really seems to have that mad, contemptuous look in his eye.
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Wowsers that a great conversion. You should post this over at the CD forums o_o
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that Avon guy is just brillant, really :o
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Cracking stuff. Federated Minions and Rebel freedom fighters planned for this year BTW.
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Great. I like the nice clean basing, too. :)
These are almost enough to help me get over the trauma I suffered in infant school when my parents wouldn't let me watch Blakes 7. Still haven't seen the first two series. It's been over 30 years, but I'm not bitter, honest! lol
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Lovely conversion :-* :-* :-*
And paint jobs.
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Kudos for Avon and those CP minis look much better properly painted than on their website.
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Cracking stuff. Federated Minions and Rebel freedom fighters planned for this year BTW.
This is the best news I've heard since you announced more Astronauts. I can hardly wait.
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YES!! 8)
That is just great; I love everything about them. Very inspiring indeed; you have just made me feel that yet another project is looming over the horizon... ::)
Me too have been a staunch fan of B7 for decades. I remember that, as a wee lad, I had nightmares for weeks from watching the scene where a mummified corpse form an old salvaged ship sat up, and strangled the pathologist examining him. Having bought the series on DVD a couple of years ago and rewatching that episode, I can't imagine how a slow moving guy covered in wet, grey toiletpaper can be scary in any way. But what a series it still is!
So what's next? A Liberator in 1/56? Come on; you know you want to... :D
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Nice work :).
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Fantastic.
That Avon is spot on, I reocognised him right away- hard to believe his is a convertion and not an original sculpt as the look is just right. well done.
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Avon is superb
need to pull my finger out and finish my Federation lot...
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Oh bloody hell, I've been trying to avoid this project while I finish the Quatermass stuff and this doesn't help! ;)
Great work Michka. How did you achieve the colour for the green band on the helmets, it's bang on?
I was going to buy some of the Fed Troopers from CP a while back just for the hell of it but wasn't sure about the poses of two of the figures (the one kneeling and the one dancing on the spot). Does anyone know if there are more due for release?
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Oh bloody hell, I've been trying to avoid this project while I finish the Quatermass stuff and this doesn't help! ;)
Great work Michka. How did you achieve the colour for the green band on the helmets, it's bang on?
I was going to buy some of the Fed Troopers from CP a while back just for the hell of it but wasn't sure about the poses of two of the figures (the one kneeling and the one dancing on the spot). Does anyone know if there are more due for release?
I'm not sure if Mark is planning anymore, but we have three federated minions being sculpted by Ian Mountain for a March release.
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I'm not sure if Mark is planning anymore, but we have three federated minions being sculpted by Ian Mountain for a March release.
Great news Karl, that'll do me.
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How did you achieve the colour for the green band on the helmets, it's bang on?
The green is good old GW Scorpion Green over a darker green. It's not screen accurate, but it looks the part to me.
I'm not sure if Mark is planning anymore, but we have three federated minions being sculpted by Ian Mountain for a March release.
I can't wait. A couple of the poses from CP aren't perfect, but amidst a selection of seven poses they'll blend just fine.
Thanks to everyone for all the kind comments. I have a batch of Fed Pursuit ships and a Scorpio painted and waiting for photographs.
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This thread brings back memories of one of TV's best SF series.
Your Avon conversion is excellent - you have really captured the series 4 look!
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They look great
Yes I do have plans to do some more feds but might wait to see what Karl comes up with first so as not to replicate similar poses
I also thought about doing heavy weapons like a mortar plus crew or feds in winter gear
What do you guys think
Mark
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Heavy weapons Feds sound pretty good to me. What I'd like to see are some girl troopers. Maybe girls with big tooth shaped hats (Mutoids). How about a weapons sprue to go along with the helmet sprue. I love how nice your Fed gun sculpts are.
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Well, I'd been drawing up notes for a small Blakes 7 side-project when the December Crooked Dice newsletter arrived and encouraged me to wait to see what they came up with. The subject that stumped me was Mutoids - I couldn't think of any base minis. So there's a possibility.
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Mutoids & weapons sprues are both possibilities in the near future
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They look great
Yes I do have plans to do some more feds but might wait to see what Karl comes up with first so as not to replicate similar poses
I also thought about doing heavy weapons like a mortar plus crew or feds in winter gear
What do you guys think
Mark
Good news Mark. Heavy weapons are a good idea.
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Mutoids & weapons sprues are both possibilities in the near future
Great news :)
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I've finished a few more elements for this project. First off we have a few more Federation troopers. I now have eight of them on the larger bases. Still have four more to re-base.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/MOREBLAKES7PHOTOS003_crop.jpg)
Next up we have a group of three Federation Pursuit Ships. I ordered these from Admiral Duck Sauce's Shapeways store.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/MoreBlakes7photos008_crop.jpg)
Next we have the Scorpio, a Wanderer class planet hopper. This is also from Admiral Duck Sauce's site.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/MoreBlakes7photos016_crop.jpg)
And finally a group shot of all the ships.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/MoreBlakes7photos019_crop.jpg)
All of these shots would have turned out better if I'd waited for an overcast day, but I'm impatient.
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Very nice miniatures.
What material did you order the ships in?
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What material did you order the ships in?
White Strong and Flexible. At the price it would be affordable to have them printed with nicer material, but I've gotten used to the WSF.
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I always found Jenna and then Su-lin to be the most essential elements to the show.
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Yeah! New Blakes 7 stuff. :D We start off with the Liberator. This was from Admiral Duck Sauce. I got the 100mm version. It's a bit pricy, but it looks great when it's painted.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/Liberatorandsuch018_crop.jpg)
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/Liberatorandsuch017_crop.jpg)
Next we have a pair of ORACs. My buddy Mike made these for me in Shapeways. These haven't been listed yet. They come in a pair because if they were any smaller they'd get lost in the making. One has the actvation key and one doesn't. These were ordered in Frosted Ultra Detail.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/Liberatorandsuch021_crop.jpg)
Here's one with Avon, to show the size.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/Liberatorandsuch020_crop.jpg)
and finally I have a Sentry Robot from the episode 'Seek, Locate, Destroy'. This also comes from Mikes Shapeways store, Arctic Skunk, and these also haven't been listed yet. Here the sentry robot is being sneaked up on by Avon. Not the best sentry when you think about it.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/Liberatorandsuch034_crop.jpg)
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Nice models. This 3D printing lark is really coming along, isn't it?
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What material is the sentry bot made of? Seems like it has a rought texture, is it from the paint layer or by the model itself?
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What material is the sentry bot made of? Seems like it has a rought texture, is it from the paint layer or by the model itself?
Michka works nights, and since he hasn't responded yet I assume that he's already turned in for the day; so I'll take the liberty of responding for him.
He ordered the Sentry Robot in the basic White, Strong and Flexible material, which accounts for the rough texture of the piece. We have found that the material looks fine at table top distances but the texture does show up in close up pictures. You can have the WSF material polished (it is slightly more expensive and takes about a week longer), but thinner parts - like Sentry Robot arms - don't always survive the polishing process. Frosted Detail and Frosted Ultra Detail provide better surface texture, but are significantly more expensive, and also take a week longer to produce. Michka ordered Orac in Frosted Ultra Detail for two reasons: first, he needed the material to be at least semi-transparent to remain true to the character; and second, the size of the internal bits required fine detail that is only available in FUD (the minimum wall thickness with FUD is 0.2mm - and the rods inside Orac are all 0.2mm in diameter).
If I were ordering parts to serve as mold masters, I would definitely use FD or FUD. Otherwise, we tend to use WSF, sometimes getting it polished.
Mike
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Is nylon a viable alternative? I may be wrong, but I think I saw a custom BattleMech miniature a few days ago made from nylon on shapeways, it had very smooth surfaces.
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Thanks, Mike, that's really useful info.
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Is nylon a viable alternative? I may be wrong, but I think I saw a custom BattleMech miniature a few days ago made from nylon on shapeways, it had very smooth surfaces.
Shapeways' white, strong and flexible is nylon. I have noticed that some runs are rougher than others, so I surmise that operator experience and machine settings influence the outcome. The surface of the basic material is always at least somewhat rough, though. If the surface of the battlemech was smooth, it was probably polished.
There are a number of other materials available, but I've found the four I listed above being the most useful for gaming miniatures. WSF has a minimum wall thickness of 0.7mm and can support detail down to 0.3mm to 0.5mm. FD and FUD are even better than that with minimum wall thicknesses of 0.5mm and 0.3mm respectively, but the other materials offered need thicker walls and have less detail (I should note that I make everything hollow, if possible, to hold down costs). Smaller pieces like the Sentry Robot have prices comparable to white metal figures, but costs go up quickly with volume and you eventually hit a point where it is more cost effective to make a mold and cast them in metal. If you're like Michka and I, though, and only need a handful of figures for an oddball project (okay, okay - several oddball projects), this 3D printing thing is really useful.
Thanks, Mike, that's really useful info.
You're welcome.
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By the way, just browsed the BGG forums and read that http://moddler.com/ offers better resolution that ShapeWays. Might be worth checking out.
Original thread is here: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/744299/custom-game-piece-design
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Back from the dead. I don't know if I'm supposed to start a new thread for a progress report or not, so I apologize if this is bad forum etiquette. Last night I finally finished the three Crooked Dice not-Federation Troopers. Here they are.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/CrookedDiceFeds003.jpg)
Here is a shot of the new guys next to the older CP Models Fed Troopers
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/CrookedDiceFeds006_crop.jpg)
and finally I put a base on the Sentry Robot this morning, so he got into the shot too.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/CrookedDiceFeds009_crop.jpg)
As you might notice I'm using different bases then the originals. I wanted to see how these would look so I'm giving it a try. Unfortunately I think I like the new bases more, so I may be re-basing the whole project. Not a big deal, as I tend to re-base stuff a lot lately.
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I don't mate, earlier bases much better sorry. Look half finished without a black edge.
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I like the final look of the wide bases too, but they are a screaming pain to make and they're too large to use with terrain. I shot the first photos from the side to show scale comparison. Here's a shot from above that shows more of the surface detail.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/topviewFeds001_crop.jpg)
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Great thread, can't believe I've missed it all this time!
I love the Servalan mini, brilliant painting. Avon is incredible, as is Orac. I like the new bases, esp from a playability point of view. The most 'Blake's 7' basing scheme I can think of would be to use those transparent acrylic ones.
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Great stuff! Our second Future Freedom Fighter is nearly finished too...
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I can't wait till the Future Freedom Fighters arrive. Can you give us a hint as to who the second one is? Or should I say is-not? I saw the green for Roger Thomas sometime ago.
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Basing be damned, those are stunning! :-*
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Good grief it's been over a year since I added anything to this thread. I finally got some of the Crooked Dice Freedom Fighters painted. Just the first two, Gan and Blake. There are two more on the painting table now. Anyway, here's goes...
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/BlakeandGan2006_crop_zps30a82dec.jpg)
Figuring out which costumes these are takes some time. Figuring out what colors to use on the costumes is becoming a project in and of itself. The next two will be Jenna and Vila. Jenna is pretty simple. Vila may drive me to drink.
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Great work!
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Cool! 8)
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Great stuff indeed! :-*
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Lovely Jubbily ;)
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Thank you everyone. Especially Brummie Thug. I had to look up what that meant.
I just finished Jenna a couple minutes ago. I'll take some photos tomorrow.
Next up, Vila. He just might be the end of me.
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Nice work! Just ordered a bunch of Blake figures because they are on sale… At the rate I've been painting lately, I suspect I'll get to them some time in 2024…
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I finished the base on Jenna yesterday, and couldn't wait till I finished Vila.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/Blakes7Jenna004_crop_zps024130f5.jpg)
Painting the color 'petal' things around her neck was a pain. I must have gone through three different versions of those colors before I found the right combination. I originally painted her belt in all the same colors, as seen in the costume. It was a bit too much, so the belt is same color as the other two gun belts. I'm convince the sculptor chose the most difficult costumes to paint for each character. Then again, why am I complaining. I never believed anyone would make not-Blake's 7 characters. Anyway, I'm pretty happy with how she turned out.
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Looking good!
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Cracking stuff Michka. I'll be checking in on this thread regularly from now on, to make sure there aren't any more long delays between your posts :)
Lovely painting too, especially your retro Liberators :D
Jenna is especially well done, and I'm glad I didn't see yours until after I'd finished mine - otherwise I might have just plonked her in the bin - I found her a real struggle to get finished because of all those petals and yours are terrific. :-*
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Your painting style looks great with these minis, good job.
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Thank you Giger. I do love how these figures turn out. They just take so much time that it's easy to walk away from them.
Thank you BlaxKleric. I really do need to get back to this project. I seem to remember painting Vila too. I don't think I've posted pictures of him though, so either he's not done or I didn't take the picture yet. I been working so much on my fantasy project for the past year that I've pushed all my science fiction stuff to the backburner. I'll do better this year.
Hey, I just made a resolution.
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Superb job on Jenna. Chop Chop where are the rest then!!
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I swear I don't plan to take this long between Blakes 7 posts.
Anyway, Here are some more Federation troops. These are the Federation Commander, two Mutoids and a Sentry Robot. All of these are Crooked Dice figures. (Or at least they used to be. I have no idea who sells that anymore.)
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/IMG_8794_zpsts44yxhr.jpg)
And here are some standard Federation Troopers that I've changed the bases on. (Because what would a Michka project be without a re-basing halfway through it.) The two in front are from Crooked Dice. The three in back are CP Models Fed Troopers.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/IMG_8798_zpsn66eypn4.jpg)
That's it for today. I just finished Avon an hour ago. And I just realized I never did show off Vila. Let's see if I can post those in less then a year this time. Fingers crossed.
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As an old Blake's 7 fan from way back I really like what you're doing here - lovely work!
One day I'll pick myself up some of these miniatures....
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I don't think they ever showed more than one or two 'seasons' of that show on Danish TV, but I remember it well!
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Hoorah. I'm actually posting something new to this thread in less then a year. Here are Avon and Villa, from the first two seasons.
(http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x480/Michka5000/IMG_8805_zpsh7xrnua1.jpg)
Now we'll see if I can post something else before the year is up.