Really Retro Lunar (Related Reading & New Landers Approach)

[HerbertTarkel]

I was a HUGE DBA fan back in the day. I sold off all of my armies, though. Props to you for continuing to paint them.

Oh, and love the lander, too. Great stuff!!

Mike Demana

Me too! Fanaticus forum was my jam. Still have some of my armies in photo anyway on there!

Anyway, the retro moon stuff is so hard to resist. !

[Cat]

I was a HUGE DBA fan back in the day. I sold off all of my armies, though. Props to you for continuing to paint them.

And I was the one who bought your Vikings!
: 3
 
We still do 2.2+ at least once a month.

[mikedemana]

Good God - I completely forgot that! 

I was actually not aware that we'd met in person... 

Mike Demana

[Cat]

Good God - I completely forgot that! 

I was actually not aware that we'd met in person... 

Don't think we've met live, unless it was at an HMGS-E con long ago when the DBA ghetto was still running strong.  You had posted the armies for sale on your blog.
 
Indeed, we all still mourn the loss of the olde Fanaticus Forum.
x_X

[Cat]

It's been a chill and windy week here in New England, but today was downright balmy — 54º and not much wind blowing.  So a good day to spray paint outdoors.
 
I had picked up a pair of 30" x 46" slate gray rugs to use for game mats.  Sprayed with Krylon Stone Texture paints, using a black & light grays can low from one side, and white and grays can low from the other.  Doesn't look like the directional difference will matter much in the rug pilings, but I'll use the same technique on scatter craters and rock formations later.
 
The Black Site bases are 32mm.  I'm using larger figures on larger bases (4cm clay poker chips), and making my own measuring sticks (increasing from 1" to 3cm units).  So the 30' mats will work nicely.  The extra width will be handy for multi-player games.
 
The rugs came folded in quarters.  I had unfolded them and rolled them up last week when I got them home.  Creases are still there, and obviously picked up paint patterns.  That will be handy for any scenarios that call for quartering the board zones.
=^,^=
 

[Cat]

Fresh off the friend's printer, a Vostok 3KA capsule to use as a crashed terrain/objective.  Printed at 185% to bring the crew descent module up to 66mm diameter and 1/35 scale.
 
The later Voskhod capsule is nearly identical except for the cylindrical equipment module added to the top.  With the top of the descent module plowed into the moondirt, this model will do nicely for a Voskhod without needing any kitbashing. 
: 3
 
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/vostok-3ka-youri-gagarine

[carlos marighela]

I like that! Clever idea and quite fascinating all these lunar modules.

[Cat]

It's certainly quite fun digging back into the space joy of the 1960s!
 
Historically, the Voskhod was not a lunar module, but it works fine for a lunar fly-by in retro-SF of the future as envisioned from 1963. 

Voskhod 2 was used for the first EVA by Alexei Leonov in 1965.  Proposals for a Soyuz lander were drafted as early as 1963, but no one outside of a a very tight security circle was aware of that.  Soyuz 1 launched in 1967, alas with the first in-flight fatality of Vladimir Komarov.
 
If anyone had included a Soyuz looking lander in speculative fiction created in 1963, the KGB would have to kill them!

[Cat]

Back in January, I had set this project aside for a bit to focus on other projects that were definitely slated for upcoming events.  Also at the time, I pre-ordered the Lunar RS3 expansion for somewhat bigger battles.  RS3 is due to ship anytime now, so I've begun turning my thoughts back to the future.

Began with some reading to get back in the swing.  Definitely recommend these books:

Finally read the alternative history novel Hot Moon by Alan Smale, 2022 that I had picked up last year.  Quite fun, very well written.  The final draft had been sent out to his agent and beta readers right around when the first trailer of For All Mankind dropped.  The two stories share some significant political back-story points (Russia gets to the moon first, Nixon pulls out of Vietnam early to shift resources and priority to the space race, Russia puts a woman on the moon, so the US has to get over itself and allow female astronauts early on too), but then they develop as very different stories.  Hot Moon is focused entirely on action and drama in space, any earthly details only filter up as the astro- and cosmonauts glean info on the go.  Starts off right when the shooting begins in 1979.

The sequel, Radiant Sky just arrived.  Third and final book is due out this year.

Also just finished the graphic novel Ministry of Space written by Warren Ellis, 2009.  Great story, great illustrations.  Britain scoops up the Nazi rocket scientists before the US can get them and creates a 'black channel' funding for a space program.  They get to the moon and claim it first in 1953, and get to continue on being all imperialist.

In an actual history vein, currently well into Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration by Brian Harvey, 2007.  Includes lots of details and unfolding of events that have come to light which paint a rather different story than known before.  Clearly written, and good use of bullet points throughout to help keep track of technical developments and summaries.

On the modelling side, at the end of August I had started prep work on the 3D prints for my big Gemini Lander and crashed Vostok/Voskhod capsule.  but then in another recent thread here, discussion came around on the mortality span of PLA prints.  Digging some more on the internets and the horror is coming to light that they typically start to decompose in 7–8 years, maybe last up to 15 if painted and storage conditions are ideal.

I failed my Morale check (and/or passed my Wisdom check) and opted to shift to good old styrene models with the help of EBay.

The capsule of my big 3D Gemini Lander is pretty close to the size of the old Revell 1/24 model, and I had picked up some secondary market decals for that which fit nicely on the size of my print.  Have just ordered the Revell one, and will figure out how to add my own cargo/passenger stage and landing gear for a less decomposing model.

Also picked up a 1/24 Revell Vostok.  Had only printed out the 3D capsule at 1/35 for a scenario objective.  With the 1/24 one, I'll likely convert it into a big lander too.  May still use the 3D one as a [mortality fated] objective.

Eyeing a Hasegawa 1/48 Voyager Probe as conversion fodder to make a communications relay station or some such McGuffin as a scenario objective.

[Rick]

I noticed kits or diecast versions of some of the mars or lunar probes in 1/30 or 1/32 or 1/35 scales which might be quite useful. I think Del Prado did a couple of diecasts.

[Cat]

I've only come across very expensive diecasts of modern Chinese satellites in those scales.  There are nice, and merely rather pricey, resin kits out of Russia; but not in circulation these days outside of Russia.

Looking deeper into the Hasegawa Voyager, looks to be a lovely kit; but lots of tiny fragile parts, so probably not the best fodder for gaming terrain.

[Rick]

Del Prado spirit mars rover 1/35 scale, around €8.
Have to admit, after that it does start to get thin. I noticed on the scalemates site they mention a few of the kits you referenced, among a few others - also that the 1/72 Airfix astronaut set was, in fact, reissued by a Spanish company called Bum.
Aside from that, I'm running out of ideas, although I do have to credit you with getting me watching 'For All Mankind' series 1 (series 2 ordered) - great stuff, can't think what kind of a person would fall asleep watching it, I certainly couldn't! 

[Cat]

Red Iron Models has quite the catalog, at merely rather pricey levels.  Between the war and everything else, not in circulation now.  So quite marked safe from being tempted into buying:
https://redironmodels.com/kosmos
 
Yeah, the series really nails the cliffhanger endings!  I've only watched the first two seasons here.  By the third, they're farther in the future and out on Mars.  My plan had been to wait for the end of Season Five, then buy a collected set of bootlegs from EBay since Apple doesn't want to sell them.  But S5 has been delayed, maybe out the end of this year.  Also still waiting for the spin-off Star City which may be out next year.

[Rick]

I'm watching on dvd so I think I may run into a problem after season 2 but, hey, that's what the Expanse is there for, right? 

And why aren't there more sci-fi rpg's and wargames just set in the solar system? Why does almost every sci-fi system feel they HAVE to go 'space opera' and do massive star maps! 

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

Even the Expanse has its interstellar gates.  It’s really the best way to have freshness and aliens…as the idea of Venusian invasion forces and 4 armed or tentacled martians were fairly exhausted by the 1960s. UFO did a good job, but even then, i expect had the show clicked on, it would have had for SHADOW to take the offensive to the aliens at some point.