March Mid-Month Progress Report

Overall, the report for VSF gaming is Very Good.

10x "Great Rail Wars" Steam turtles: DONE

Hydra Miniatures's Warbot: DONE

Wyrd Miniatures's Brass Arachnid: DONE

Metal GW Stegadon Crew: DONE

And the whole Stegadon, based and ready.

As for the rest of this month's projects, both the Praetorian Heavy Bolter (aka the McFadden patent Single Barrel 3 pdr. Pom Pom) and the Autocannon (aka the Greelie-Heeby Magazine 7 pdr. Artillery) are about 60% done. This includes a modification of one autocannon crewman to change a control box to a telescope. The guns themselves are painted and done. Just finishing up the crew.

The ten Empress British have been started, and most of the block painting is done on them. I really like these minis. Lots of character. I have decided they will be representatives of the Manchester Regiment, formerly the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot before amalgamation with the 93rd last year. Non-royal, English regiments have white facings, as will these. Single battalion regiment. I think First Company, yes? Anyway, the ten I put in my goal this month are about 25-30% done, I would say. Keep an eye out for a Reginald's on the 63rd once I get these painted.

Besides my goal projects, I am working on a variety of other things sort of part-time. This includes the officer for the Queen's Own Aeromobile Infantry, the "Skywalkers." Just barely started on him, though. I need to back off of them a bit, so I can get my Warhammer Fantasy stuff worked on. Tomorrow and the next day might be bad painting days, as I am supposed to get my wisdom teeth removed first thing tomorrow morning. Pharmaceutical rollercoaster. Next stop, la-la land.

Oh, and I have the cloths ready to dye for my small Car Wars arena and the big green fields of Earth mat. Maybe if I tie dye them while whacked out on pain meds they will look totally awesome! Or maybe not. I think I will wait on that...

Unobtainite At Last!

ORE FOUND IN CROWN COLONY

Viceroy Claims For Britain

As our more scientifically savvy readers can tell, the photostat above reveals the site of a massive source of unobtainite, the wondrous mineral that sunders the fetters of cruel gravity, binding all things to the planetary surface. Merely energize the smallest fragments of this fantastic substance with [CENSORED BY VICEROY'S OFFICE] of pure galvanic energy and soar into the heavens, shielded from - nay! repulsed by! - the gravitational force dragging us all to the core of the planet.

These crystals and the land surrounding them have been seized under law by the Viceroy himself. The discoverer of the deposit, Mister Clyde Abernathy, formerly of West Stoking, currently residing in Singh's Songhouse, Victoria Landing, has already filed suit to maintain his properly filed deed of claim on the property. The Viceroy's son-in-law and principle advisor on commercial legal affairs, speaking to our correspondent solely under the condition that his name would not be printed, revealed that the courts have already been influenced by the Viceroy, and the suit would be summarily dismissed.

Maton's Mechanical Monstrosity!

Herr Professor Doctor Otto Maton, the brilliant but utterly ruthless and maniacally despotic mechanical genius, has been at the drawing board again, developing a larger, more dangerous creature of unlimited power.


Here is the result: a massive mockery of Man in mechanical menace! Note the massive galvanic collector coils mounted on the giant's back. They supply power the matched pair of magnetic disruptor cannons which replace the infernal device's arms.

The photostat presented here was taken by Miss Eugenia P. Whistlebum during her brief but unwilling stay with the Belgian Madman. Miss Whistlebum smuggled the exposed photostatic plate out of the fiend's lair under her petticoat bustle when she was released following the undisclosed but reportedly very hefty ransom paid by her father, her fiancee and her future father-in-law.

[Editor's Notes: Back at it at last. I have some new terrain. The old handwavium crystals were made of pink foam cut with a hotwire, then painted. This unobtainite (blue, not handwavium green) is a resin product from Armorcast. Pyrite crystals, if I remember rightly. The new automaton is from Hydra, one of Matt's pulp sci-fi line Destroyer Robots, or Warbot Destroyer, or something like that. So far, it has been assembled and primed black. I hope to get a bit of painting time tomorrow night, so it may get brassy by then. The chest plates may get steel instead, to protect the delicate inner workings. Red eye? What do you think, HAL?]

Toys in Post, Warning of Heresy

Friends, I have what most of us would call good news, and what many might consider grave news.

Good news first: I have gotten more toys in via the post office! Received today were:

• 15mm Japanese, painted (16 cavalry, 2 guns, 4 crew, and 17 infantry). Rebase these fellas and find them some command, and we're ready for Japanese Imperial troops on Mars.
• Hydra Miniatures' Warbot Destroyer.
• Miniaturicum Paint Rack (via Hydra)
• Picquet Main Rules, 2 ed.

The grave news is that my sons have expressed a desire to play (shudder!) Warhammer Fantasy Battle! Not surprising, as it does tend to appeal to younger players more than historicals do. So, I've been buying more GW stuff. Empire and Lizardmen mostly, as we have a friend with Orks and Gobbos, Dark Elves, and Chaos Beastmen. Luckily, I have some old Empire stuff (a cannon and a war wagon) and a goodly number of skinks and saurus, plus a stegadon. Plus, both are available rather cheap right now.

I will be starting a new blog either tonight or tomorrow to highlight our adventures together. Probably less a journal and more a 'normal' blog, out of character and such. Help me out with a name for it?

Vardu Plans

The following is a quote lifted from copy text Matt Beauchamp of Hydra Miniatures' blog. It was posted two years ago...

Xenophobic and defensive in nature, the humanoid plant race of the Vardu rarely travel far from their native rainforests. The Vardu are not one species of plant-being, rather they are a variety of different species linked by collective intelligence of their surroundings. Silent yet ferocious when provoked, the Vardu use dried organic weapons from the forest - large seedpods on rigid stems become clubs, enormous dried leaves become blades. The humanoid Vardu warriors tower over most enemies on the battlefield. Their gnarled bodies are a mass of tendrils formed into strong sinews. A thick wooden hide usually protects their central bodies and their limbs and body often sprout incredible sharp thorns. Their blossom-like "heads" contain all of their sensory and sexual organs and are often opened dramatically in battle to enhance their awareness, aid in comunication, and frighten invaders. the Vardu reproduce by budding, and small sproutlings emerge from the leaf-like structures that project from their backs. These sproutlings finally drop to the ground and gain mobility, easily swarming invaders. The exotic Vardu elders are rather exotic and are easily identified by an abundance of brilliantly colored, feather-like petals sprouting from their heads and backs. Covered in sharp spines and rough barky armor, the Vardu blood thorns are the most dangerous close combat warriors of the forest. Breeds of smaller, muscular, carnivorous quadrupeds known as maw hunters serve as the "hunting dogs" of the Vardu. their strong limbs allow them to overrun their enemies and their gaping maws can make short work of their prey. Ambling quietly along the forest floor, the sporers are bloated multi-limbed fungi with massively oversized heads. A distinctive whoosh sound can be heard as the plant-thing launches a powdery cloud of spoors, choking all non-plant creatures in the vicinity. These floating clouds of spoors are also used to cloud enemies vision, thus allowing the Vardu warriors to advance undetected.

So far, only the Vardu sprouts have been released. I own twenty, for use on Venus in both 15mm and 25mm scale, although they are technically supposed to be 25mm miniatures. I love the scale-neutrality of the sprout figures, which stand between 20 and 24mm tall. As Matt himself says, "They'd be perfect for pulp/VSF games..."

Why do I bother to post about this? I am hoping to drive more business Matt's way so that he'll produce more figures. You should definitely check out his Retro Raygun stuff too, for retro-looking robots that make for great VSF automatons (see them elsewhere on this blog!).

And for the record, I have no financial interest of any sort in Hydra Miniatures, nor have I ever met Matt personally. Just a very happy customer who is looking forward to more products from a talented sculptor.

Menaces to Humanity!

Menaces Foul, both Mineral and Vegetable!

Friends, it's a dark time indeed. Humanity is threatened by automatons built by a mad genius and alien lifeforms on the Veiled Planet of Venus.

Below is a photostat depicting two of Doctor Maton's so-called 'clockwork soldiers' [clockwork soldiers by Parroom Station]. Armed with heavy automatic rifles, they can mow down entire platoons of good stout British infantry. Be very wary of these walking artillery pieces!

[Editor's Note: I'll use with both 25 and 15mm VSF, and they follow my GASLIGHT automaton rules (which I will post a little later). For 25, the guns are Light Machineguns. For 15mm, Heavy Machinegun. Bayonets are mostly aesthetic. These are Maton's main artillery pieces.]

This is Herr Professor's newest creation of destruction, and one of his deadliest. [Hydra Miniature's hoverbot from their Retro Raygun line] These fiendish devices, so-called 'hoverbots', zoom through the skies over a battlefield, swooping down on their unsuspecting victims and cutting them to ribbons with large, powerful, razor sharp shears.

[Editor's Note: Also useful for both 25 and 15mm scales. I love scale neutral minis. These will follow the automaton rules as well, and move at a very fast rate. No guns, but a nasty pair of metal shears. Finally, they will have a limited duration - randomly determined after they are deployed. Probably d3+2 turns. This represents the batteries on which they depend for power to the unobtainite allowing their flight and the fans which propel them (see the louvered vents on the back?) running down rather rapidly.]

Our final photostatic foe is a rear view of the strangest lifeform found on any planet so far: the Plantmen of Venus [Hydra Miniatures' Vardu sprout, from their Primal Dawn line]! The twisted vines of its limbs possess immense strength, and the fibrous stalk of its torso lacks vital organs, making the creature phenomenally tough. The flower-like head opens up to release a cloud of soporific spores. Even the stoutest of chaps can find himself suddenly weary and sluggish when caught in a blast of this perfidious pollen! Venus is truly a planet of hidden perils, waiting to ensanre and feast upon the unwary.

[Editor's Notes: These guys are too neat. Again, 25/15 scale neutral. About 18mm tall to the top of the flower, though they are supposed to be relatively immature plants in 28mm if I get the idea right. Matt at Hydra told me he plans more variants of the Vardu: a big warrior, a dog-like one, and more. I'll probably pick up some of them when they are released. The basic GASLIGHT rules on these are they either get a save or a wound score, and they Shoot a short range cone of spores, about 4". If you get hit, the figure takes a Morale test. Fail and you go to sleep (out of battle). Also considering a rule where they can set up in whatever patch of wooded or marsh terrain they like, but must choose before the game begins.]

As always, good reader, this journal shall keep you informed of any additional information or threats we uncover that could affect you or the Empire. Stay alert! Stay informed! Stay safe!

[Editor's Note: Sorry about the crappy pictures, but I was hurrying to get them posted this weekend. More pictures, with appropriate scenery, etc., will be taken at a later date. I got all ten of the hoverbots done. I am about 30% on the 20 Vardu - they're pretty easy as well. need to update the Pledge, too. This will help that backsliding on the 25mm, I think!]

Hydra Miniatures is Awesome. [ooc]

Okay, I am obviously very happy with Hydra Miniatures (http://www.hydraminiatures.com/), right?

I ordered a batch of minis on Friday, paid on Saturday, and received today. So far, so good, but about what you would expect.

Matt, the fella running the joint, bent over backwards to help me out. I needed 20 Vardu sprouts (http://shop.hydraminiatures.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_30&products_id=39), but they came in packs of 8. I asked Matt if he could package up twenty and charge me the difference for more than 2 packs. He did, no problem. Then I asked him to help me out with some of the minibots (http://shop.hydraminiatures.com/product_info.php?cPath=2_31&products_id=65), as I wanted 10, and again, they were in a pack of 8. Again, no problem. Finally, I ordered two packs of the hoverbots (5 each) (http://shop.hydraminiatures.com/product_info.php?cPath=2_31&products_id=33) and needed no additional help with those.

Matt figured out the per mini cost and just emailed me telling me my total, which I then Paypal-ed to him. Easy transaction.

And I really like the minis. the Vardu sprouts are just about the same height as a 15mm German Aetherbattalion trooper, and the minibot and the hoverbot scale up well against them too.

Left to right: Minibot, 15mm German (OG), Hoverbot, German, Vardu sprout

About the only thing I have found to complain about - and its not much of a complaint! - is that it took me about a minute to clean some flash off of the hoverbot using my craft knife. The minibot took less time than that, and I've done nothing to the Vardu sprout.

Last but not least, I think they also all scale well against 25mm VSF figures, though obviously as smaller than man-sized. Scale neutrality is a big plus in my book, as you get twice the bang for your buck.

All in all, I am very happy with my purchase. Matt hinted to me about some future Vardu products that I am waiting for in eager anticipation. I have my Plantmen of Venus! And Doktor Maton's mechanical horde keeps growing!

All for now. I have painting to do! I'll try to get some shots up this weekend, but no promises.

-J