Contest Suggestion: Dollar Store Aliens

[gloriousbattle]

I'd like to suggest this one to the LAF membership, and, even if the membership does not take it up, I am intrigued by my own idea, and will start work on something soon.

The idea is to create an alien race suitable for wargames or rpgs.  They can be of any scale from 6mm to 54mm and beyond.  You could create a massive 6mm army, a 15 or 28mm platoon, a 54mm fireteam or even a lone hero, whatever.

Further, the term "Aliens" can be given its widest possible definition.  These could be Star Trek, Star Wars, Victorian SF, hard sf, science fantasy, or whatever you like.

But here's the trick.  Everything used to build them has to come from a dollar store / Big Lots / Family Dollar / Walmart or similar type operation.  No modifications with GW sprues or anything similar.

You can, of course, use paints, glue and similar stuff from your favorite gaming store, but nothing else.  

The idea is to create something new that any of the membership could replicate easily and cheaply.

We would expect at least a brief write-up on your aliens (their history, life cycle, technology level, style of warfare, government, etc.) but this could be no more than a couple of lines, if desired.  Again, the idea is to create something gameable, buildable and fun from cheap components.

Interested to find out who would enjoy such a contest.

[YPU]

Ooh, considering the creativeness on this forum this might spark some very interesting results!

[Bako]

I like this idea very much too!

[gloriousbattle]

Hopefully a few people will sign on, and we can do it.  If not, I have already made the trip to Walmart, and have my new aliens picked out!

[Red Orc]

I'm always up for saying I'll join in with things like this, and then I never do (as anyone who knows me from TerraGenesis will testify) so, yeah, I'll say I'm up for the challenge, though in the end nothing may come of it. If nothing else, it'll get me out of the house...

[Froggy the Great]

So, everything from a discount-type store:  Poundland or the American equivalents, Walmart, etc...

Superglue/paint/adhesives are fine for gamestore purchases, it was said - Would greenstuff be ok to use?  I'm assuming weapons would need to be made from non-gamestore parts of course.

I have ideas, yes I does.  If I'm lucky I'll even  be able to make them VSF, but I highly doubt that.

[Supercollider]

I'm currently busy building other stuff - but I'd be into this, I urgently need some cost effective Venusian/Martian fauna.

To echo a couple of questions - is green stuff/plasticard/wire (for armour/howdahs/tack and the like) OK to use?

Really interesting idea.

[gloriousbattle]

Greenstuff, wire and plasticard.

I was kinda hoping for something that would be put together from cheap components, and turned into an "Oh, wow!" rather than something that got sculpted.  Still, a small amount of wiring, gun mounts, etc., I suppose would be okay, as long as it didn't come to overpower the original dollar store pieces.

I guess I was looking for "hokey but nonetheless cool" though it needn't be that way.

***

Incidentally, I found some little spiders in clear, rubber balls, that will be the basis of mine.  I am thinking of developing something that might be a Doctor-Whoish monster, at least in style.  Maybe a bit like Arcturus from Curse of Peladon.

And, as Doctor Who always used the thrift stores to build their fx anyway, it will probably be quite appropriate.   

[gloriousbattle]

However, greenstuff should definitely be limited.

My original premise was that this could be something that any of the membership could easily duplicate from readily available junk.  The idea is that this is an exercise for the mind, rather than the sculpting knife. 

[Froggy the Great]

I'd definitely be up for a contest of this nature.

[Dr.Falkenhayn]

there is no Dollar/Cheap Store in Switzerland ( were all rich!) but i think i will find some suitables Stuff somewhere...

[starkadder]

What about my local feed and produce store? Could I use that? There are some amazing things available and it's much more fun than our local two-dollar stores

[gloriousbattle]

What about my local feed and produce store? Could I use that? There are some amazing things available and it's much more fun than our local two-dollar stores

You can DEFINITELY use the feed and produce store!

[Froggy the Great]

So, do we have a timetable for this then, and/or a minimum squad size?

[gloriousbattle]

So, do we have a timetable for this then, and/or a minimum squad size?

No minimum size.  A single alien that might be a force in Inquisitor, or a mass of minis for Dirtside are both fine.

As to a timetable, since we got some interest, I asked Prof Witchheimer if we could get some sort of sanction by LAF, so we'll wait and see.