Ginsu's Project Luna

[YPU]

Ooh, both those look well worth a worth a look! 

I must ask though, lunar mortars? With that low a gravity would the shells ever come back down during the fight?

[Jagannath]

One of my conundrums is the scale thing -- I'm mostly 28mm and some 6mm scifi (the old Renegade Legion game -- I have tons of it!), but I really like the 15mm Moongrunt stuff...but scale creep! Dang, I don't like having so many scales in my collection I guess.

C-in-C has a pretty decent 6mm collection that could work:

http://www.pfc-cinc.com/solar_empire_marines.html

http://www.pfc-cinc.com/page/page/312935.htm

How does the GZG stuff look -- any other 6mm product lines that could work?

For 6mm I've got some PacFed infantry from brigade that look like void suits, I just need to sculpt or find a way to convert backpacks onto them, which won't be a quick job!

[Dezmond]

I must ask though, lunar mortars? With that low a gravity would the shells ever come back down during the fight?

Just means you can use a much bigger warhead (or throw the bombs much further)



It looks like a US m244 mortar with a muzzle velocity of 240m/s would have a range of 37km on the moon (with a flight time of about three and a half minutes) (and the moon has an escape velocity of 2km/s odd so the bombs would come down)

[YPU]

I stand corrected.

I finally got round to reading trough ASAT orbital combat. It's an interesting game with a lot of good points, but some parts of it are a mess, especially order of declarations. The game says most things are resolved at the same time but doesn't offer any mechanics on how to resolve this. Basically, the whole order of operations is borked. It goes move, detect, attack, defend. But there are choices you make for your detect phase that effect the opponent's detection in the same turn.  I think the easiest thing would be to write down your actions for each phase and then declare them together, but the books never mentions this. There are also some options such as evasive manoeuvres which can be used at two separate moments in the turn making it even harder to figure out when to declare this...  I think I'm off to write a long question post on wargames vault because I do want to know how this game works.

Oh and finally not really a problem but more of a statement, the game doesn't have point values or any balancing mechanic like that. It's very much in the vein of more historic game systems where you simply play a scenario more then try to win a game. Nothing wrong with that, just FYI.

[Hobby Services]

Just means you can use a much bigger warhead (or throw the bombs much further)



It looks like a US m244 mortar with a muzzle velocity of 240m/s would have a range of 37km on the moon (with a flight time of about three and a half minutes) (and the moon has an escape velocity of 2km/s odd so the bombs would come down)

Yes, mortars should be excellent weapons in a lunar war.  Besides the low gravity being your friend in every way except perhaps flight time, the lack of atmosphere on many moons will simplify accurate targeting no end.  Don't have to allow for wind in a vacuum. 

[Mad Mecha Guy]

Spigot Mortars would be very useful on the Moon or Mars, nice bang for the weight.  The mortar might be more of a small low velocity rocket.

With cost of transporting the Ammo around the rounds are likely to be guided (using hypergolic reaction micro-thrusters)

Usable metal ore is likely to be found so could make casing on site.   If found organic material on planet/moon might be able to make the explosive component.

With the lack of atmosphere on moon & mars (1%) the round would either have to more fragmentation material or someway of increasing the blast effect.   The problem with hi-frag would be the shear distance the shrapnel would fly.

[YPU]

Spigot Mortars would be very useful on the Moon or Mars, nice bang for the weight.  The mortar might be more of a small low velocity rocket.

With cost of transporting the Ammo around the rounds are likely to be guided (using hypergolic reaction micro-thrusters)

I was thinking that as well, with that little gravity or drag to fight not making them guided would be a shame. So basically turning every mortar into a javelin with ridiculous range then.

An interesting argument with the concussion vs fragmentation. I wonder if some form of energy weapon that would be impractical on earth would become viable. The sci-fi in me says plasma.  But maybe we should be looking exactly the other direction. Super pressurised liquids might freeze their targets in place. I'm sure some parts of equipment wouldn't stand up to being flash frozen.

[Mad Mecha Guy]

An interesting argument with the concussion vs fragmentation. I wonder if some form of energy weapon that would be impractical on earth would become viable. The sci-fi in me says plasma.  But maybe we should be looking exactly the other direction. Super pressurised liquids might freeze their targets in place. I'm sure some parts of equipment wouldn't stand up to being flash frozen.

With the need for spacesuits & other equipment to survive the temperature difference between being in sunlight & darkness I don't think a cyro-bomb would do much  besides annoying them. 

The frag problem could be reduced by using a air-bursting directional shrapnel blast (a bit like narrow angle claymore bomb) & the rear casing of bomb made of thick non-frag material (carbon nanotube version of fibre-glass), rear of casing would be strong enough to promote more of blast forward.  For best effect the bomb would need to be guided.

[Hobby Services]

Another option might be a sort of paint round.  If you can come up with a chemical that bonds to the materials suit visors and camera lenses are made of, you could easily achieve "soft kills" by blinding your targets.  Not like you can just take your helmet off to clear your vision, after all.

Lunar combat might very well be a "Gentleman's War" where feuding spacers seek to minimize casualties due to small, highly-trained, hard-to-replace populations, fragile life support systmes, and a desire to preserve infrastructure wherever possible.  Of course that falls apart as soon as someone starts playing nasty, but that might not happen.  If the Lunar troops are up there long enough to start seeing themselves as locals that have more in common with each other than with Earther populations and politicians, you could easily see them refusing to slaughter one another.

[Ginsu]

Quick update; got both orders in the mail today, and they look great! I will prep them for review soon so sit tight!

[YPU]

the russians mounted a 20 something mm autocannon on one of their space stations and test fired it.

Recoil must have been interesting with something like that. I would have expected space to be full of gyrojects and Recoilless rifles. But then again you really should just mount a autocannon to a space station and fire it, just to see how it works in practise. 

[Ginsu]

Project Luna Review:
Habitation Sphere (Source: Brigade Models)


Hello, welcome to my review of the first Moonbase structure from Brigade Models; the Habitation Sphere. As follows are raw images of the item and all contents.
The Habitation Sphere is an imposing structure that is about 4 & 1/2 inches tall as it is wide.


(Habitation Sphere Contents: 1 Base Structure, Sphere Side A & B, six Sphere side panels.)

Note that while there are six side panels, you only have the option to exclude one panel, as five are required to complete the sphere.
The base structure is a solid piece, and has fine detail as shown in the below image.


(Habitation Base Structure)

I've noticed that some clean up will be required around the door, however the detail is superb.



Regarding clean up, the under parts of the Sphere will also need to be cleaned up as there are mold lines that prevent the Sphere from fitting together correctly, however this should be a straight forward task as the area the molds are located pose no risk of damaging details or sensitive areas. Below is an image of the Sphere parts on top of the structure.



Despite the clean up required to complete this piece, I have to credit Brigade Models for the design and the detail included. There were no damages to detail or any surface issues. This is a solid looking piece that will add value to your board/table set up.

On a personal note, I am very pleased.

I hope you enjoyed that raw review, you may notice the metal pieces in the background of the shots, those are my GZG Moongrunt miniatures. I will review them soon.
Thank you for stopping by.

[Steve F]

Thanks, Ginsu

The Habitation Sphere is an imposing structure that is about 4 & 1/2 inches tall as it is wide.

So, with a different substructure, might the bucky ball work as a smaller sphere with 28mm figures, do you think?

[Ginsu]

Thanks, Ginsu

So, with a different substructure, might the bucky ball work as a smaller sphere with 28mm figures, do you think?

You're welcome.

The only scale defining piece is the panel with the hatch on it. (Ref to the first image with the panels; Top row, far left).
If you exclude that piece and use the other five panels instead, then this building is suitable for 28mm, even 6mm for those on the other end of the spectrum.

what is the citadel thing you are doing the work on?

Hello Scurv, that's the Citidal Paint Station with a matching Citidal cutting mat, here is an image of it:

[DELTADOG]

That Sphere looks like a Soccercup sry^^

For the Moonscape there are Old School Techniques better then printing I guess.

In this way the Old boys have did their Moonscape long before 3D print:

1. Make a wooden frame of your desired size.
2. Fill in DRY Plasterpowder in the frame and even it.
3. Take a larger Brush or better a Flower-Waterspraybottle and a Pipette.
4. Drop with the Pipette from different Heigth Waterdrops in the dry powder to form the larger crater.
5. Spray with the Flowerwaterbottle above it with different Nozzlesettings to create the smaller rough Surface.
6. Bring a Plasticfoile over the Frame without touching it. With smaller Plates use a Cardbox.
7. Put a transportable Heating plate, or Campingcooker aside it with a Pot of water under the Dome with the Plate.-> Alternative: Take you plate go in the next Steambath and wait several hours^^
8. Have an eye on it. tound about 20 min-30min let the water cook aside the Plate to steam the Dome.
9. Remove the Heatingplate and let to Steam another hour under the Dome.
10. Remove anything and let it dry without moving it.

Cheers Delta