Author Topic: Silent Death: The Next Millennium Lots of New Pix on Facebook!New (Read 6471 times)

BlackWidowPilot · « **on:** 18 August 2015, 03:39:39 AM »

Silent Death: The Next Millennium now has it's own dedicated Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Silent-Death-The-Next-Millennium/861833757239194?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

….because Instagram wasn't enough already….

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
www.metal-express.net

Grimmnar · « **Reply #1 on:** 18 August 2015, 04:10:07 AM »

The Archdioses will have to find a new delegate for FB. :-(

Grimm

BlackWidowPilot · « **Reply #2 on:** 18 August 2015, 05:42:06 AM »

Quote from: Grimmnar on 18 August 2015, 04:10:07 AM

The Archdioses will have to find a new delegate for FB. :-(

Grimm

What, you got banned for buzzing Zuckerberg's mansion in your Dart?

Grimmnar · « **Reply #3 on:** 19 August 2015, 06:46:48 PM »

Nope, i dont do FB.
I just dont get all the excitement. I find forumsor BLOGs more useable.

Grimm

BlackWidowPilot · « **Reply #4 on:** 20 August 2015, 10:51:26 PM »

Quote from: Grimmnar on 19 August 2015, 06:46:48 PM

Nope, i dont do FB.
I just dont get all the excitement. I find forumsor BLOGs more useable.

Grimm

Me neither, but as Facebook is part of the internets lay of the land if you're trying to run a business, ya gots ta be there or be square...

BlackWidowPilot · « **Reply #5 on:** 22 August 2015, 07:19:42 AM »

Yup. New ones:

See the rest here: https://instagram.com/silent_death_watch_your_six/

And yes, those Yamato 2199 kits make great proxies for escort vessels in SD:TNM....

BlackWidowPilot · « **Reply #6 on:** 12 September 2015, 05:17:29 AM »

Weekly allotment of photos of painted ship minis for Silent Death now up on our Instagram feed: https://instagram.com/silent_death_watch_your_six/

Chek 'em out!

BlackWidowPilot · « **Reply #7 on:** 20 September 2015, 04:50:03 AM »

For your viewing pleasure:

https://www.facebook.com/Silent-Death-The-Next-Millennium-861833757239194/timeline/

Whew! And I'll be adding more whenever possible, oh yes I will! Mwahahahaaa!!!

von Lucky · « **Reply #8 on:** 20 September 2015, 08:15:42 AM »

Nice. I particularly like the WWII Japanese inspired scheme you used.

BlackWidowPilot · « **Reply #9 on:** 20 September 2015, 09:17:19 PM »

Quote from: von Lucky on 20 September 2015, 08:15:42 AM

Nice. I particularly like the WWII Japanese inspired scheme you used.

Glad ya like 'em! As Ive been obsessed with aviation history since childhood, Ive always had no shame to my game when it comes to stealing from naval or aircraft paint and marking schemes for sci-fi subjects, and SD:TNM just begs for that treatment....

In fact, I am planning a Colosian squadron based upon WW1 Jasta 18 colors and markings in the near future, just because I can...

von Lucky · « **Reply #10 on:** 21 September 2015, 10:20:04 AM »

Look forward to it. Dom's Decals sells that set if you're after decals.

BlackWidowPilot · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 September 2015, 10:27:20 AM »

Quote from: von Lucky on 21 September 2015, 10:20:04 AM

Look forward to it. Dom's Decals sells that set if you're after decals.

Oh, I know it well as I'm a shameless WoW enthusiast, and I have used some of them for sci-fi projects already, but thanks for the reminder!

trynda1701 · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 September 2015, 09:59:32 PM »

I have a question for BlackWidowPilot, if I may.

I've used quite a lot of Silent Death minis as starships in my FASA Starship Tactical Combat games over the years. My Klingon, Romulan and Orion fleets have benefited!

What I'd like to know is why were some designs renamed? I know certain designs got updated versions, like the old original metal Salamander, and the newer more flowing design in the plastic boxed set that came out, but why were certain designs renamed, and their original names used on new sculpted designs? I've always been curious since I realized that you can now get SD minis again.

Mark

BlackWidowPilot · « **Reply #13 on:** 24 September 2015, 01:35:20 AM »

Quote from: trynda1701 on 23 September 2015, 09:59:32 PM

I have a question for BlackWidowPilot, if I may.

I've used quite a lot of Silent Death minis as starships in my FASA Starship Tactical Combat games over the years. My Klingon, Romulan and Orion fleets have benefited!

What I'd like to know is why were some designs renamed? I know certain designs got updated versions, like the old original metal Salamander, and the newer more flowing design in the plastic boxed set that came out, but why were certain designs renamed, and their original names used on new sculpted designs? I've always been curious since I realized that you can now get SD minis again.

Mark

Mark,

when ICE switched the game over to the 2nd edition/Next Millennium rules, *all* of the original 1st edition ship minis were retired as the powers-that-were at the time wanted everything to be rendered in the more flowing design style. All the original ship minis were therefore consigned into limbo, as they were too "anime" for the liking of the powers-that-were.

As things moved into the late 1990s along came two upstart writers from Northern CA who submitted a manuscript for the Silent Death: Fighter Tactics Manual which the then-series editor decided simply had to be published, including the five new ship designs proposed as part of the book's contents. Alas, for various reasons ICE didn't have the financial resources to cover the sculpting costs, so yours truly was forced to go through the original 1st edition minis and give them new personae as FTM "new" ships. Thus the original Pharsii II became the Bat, the original Dart became the Stinger, the original Thunderbird became the Chupacabra, and so on.

As Sheldon Greaves and I continued to write for the series we found ourselves being forced back each time to a shrinking resource pool of 1st edition minis supplemented by the ship designs originally intended for The Prometheans supplement that ultimately went unfinished and unpublished for reasons still not entirely clear. From the later resource pool we were able to fill up the ranks of new ship designs for House Colos, Operation Drydock Vol. II, More than Valor, and by including a judiciously kitbashed master using a 1st and a Next Milennium edition Seraph and one (1) salvageable master for the Saladin-class light carrier the Q'Raj Void Protectorate.

So the long and the short of it is that an editorial decision made aeons ago for a stylistic change in the appearance of the ships away from the original anime-like design aesthetic to the more flowing style of the NM edition Core Ships and those that followed immediately thereafter is what is behind this mish-mash of styles and designs. Personally after the initial frustration wore off at not having my original designs fulfilled as originally promised in favor of recycling old minis, my inner military historian embraced the situation as it is akin to the variance in aircraft design during the World Wars, and it also underscores how different societies will attempt for various reasons to achieve solutions to their military problems using the same general technology yet end up with some very different results stylistically.

Besides, every miniatures gamer knows you never let a perfectly good starship mini go to waste, so feel free to share photos of your Star Trek conversions on our Metal Express Forum's painting section! We don't mind one whit if people adapt our minis to other game systems, as long as you're all having fun!

trynda1701 · « **Reply #14 on:** 24 September 2015, 10:44:59 PM »

Leland

Thanks for that comprehensive reply. I know you are involved with the history mentioned, so you obviously know the detail, but I hope you cut and paste that reply from somewhere!

Yep, I'd love to post pics if you wish. I loved the SD minis I got, and they are great for repurposing. I've also used certain Aerotech fighters for Romulans and Orions! I always rated the SD minis as just as great as the original FASA minis in quality.

Mark

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