Suggestions for Sci-Fi Miners?

[Hupp n at em]

Hello all,

I was going to throw together a small sci-fi mining crew for the frontier planet setting I am currently planning, and my first instinct was to use GW Catachans with some conversion work.  However, no sane person, much less a near-broke college student, wants to pay $30 for 10 measly plastic figures.   Any ideas for alternatives?

Thanks,
Jim

[Papa Spanky]

I sent you a PM, I might be able to help you out.

[stroblight]

I don't know if these fit the direction you're going for, but Old Glory has some models that might work:

http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/proddetail.asp?prod=SF-HE-15

Matakishi uses them here for colonists:

http://www.matakishi.com/colonists.htm

Also, I'm sure there are plenty of people with spare plastic Catachans if you don't want to pay retail if they better fit your image of sci-fi miners.

[bandit86]

his guy is kind of cool
http://www.recreationalconflict.com/
look under workforce heroes

[Dewbakuk]

I used GW Ash Waste Nomads but if you're put off by the prices of Catachans you really don't want to see what those go for these days  

[tnjrp]

Well, yes, that on the budget part is something of a limiting factor... There are plenty of post-Apoc stuff that I'd say would work splendidtly but none of them are credit card friendly.

How about EM-4 plastic gangers?
http://www.em4miniatures.com/acatalog/Science_Fiction.html

Finding suitable arms might be a problem but perhaps some of the separate arm kits listed might help there.

[Conquistador]

Hello all,

I was going to throw together a small sci-fi mining crew for the frontier planet setting I am currently planning, and my first instinct was to use GW Catachans with some conversion work.  However, no sane person, much less a near-broke college student, wants to pay $30 for 10 measly plastic figures.   Any ideas for alternatives?

Thanks,
Jim

Perhaps, if a hostile environment/Asteroid mining, space-suited figures (like the old Airfix (?) ones) with bits for tools?

Gracias,

Glenn

[tnjrp]

For space suited worker figs, I'd prolly go with Cobalt Mercenary assault troopers. They have separate arms so they are quite easy to convert into holding tools instead of weapons. The price may be an issue tho, they are £2 a pop + p&p.
http://www.blackhat.co.uk/online_shop/index.php?cPath=121_182_183&osCsid=3c4c5aacf3401e1d6734eb8862cde0c4

[v_lazy_dragon]

The alphaforge sci-fi line (now owned by Megaminis IIRC, the name of the range escapes...) had some salavge crew types with powertools and the like, as well as some dedicated cyborg astroid miners.

[zemjw]

Pig Iron have some that might work, again depending on the look you're going for - they'd suit "digging it out the ground" type miners, rather than space suited types.

Studio McVey's Sedition Wars range might be worth checking out, but they're not cheap.

Mantic's new corporation range might be worth a look, although they're more general infantry types.

And, curse you, you've now given me something else to think about buying 

[Steve F]

I suppose that it depends on what you want the miners to be doing, and where.

If they are hanging around a mining colony, perhaps Heresy's Sci-Fi inspectors or the Woodbine Design Co Colonists (available from Gripping Beast) might be of use.

[Smith]

Four A have some ship crew that might work:

http://www.fouraminiatures.com/page2.htm (scroll to near the bottom):

• Jim and the Fix-it crew
• Sanderson and Co.

[Hupp n at em]

And, curse you, you've now given me something else to think about buying  

  That seems to be the way this hobby works...believe me, I'm guilty of the same thing.  

Also, how do the EM-4 plastics match up with GW bits?  I have a fair amount of IG and other arms that could serve as replacements.

[James Holloway]

Also, how do the EM-4 plastics match up with GW bits?  I have a fair amount of IG and other arms that could serve as replacements.

The match isn't exact -- I have put GW arms on some em-4 figures and they look a little big, but not amazingly so. You can actually see some em4 guys with GW arms here and make up your own mind:

http://combatzonechronicles.net/cozo8/pads.htm

[supervike]

I'll second the suggestion of the old Star Mogul (now called Salvage Crew) minis.

Cheap, good sculpts, and exactly what you're looking for.

http://www.megaminis.com/