Uncle Thulhu Finished!

   This handsome gentlebeing is known far and wide as Uncle Thulhu. His opera cape and top hat show he's a being of quality. Don't let the tentacles fool you.

A new Sergeant and some Vardu Minions

   I've been painting, a bit. I've also got a new camera, so I am working the kinks out of it still. But here are a few snaps of what I've been up to lately.

   First is another Empress British NCO. I love Empress's minis, and this guy has been sitting about waiting for his final touches for months. He's now ready to join the rest of the 30th Foot on Mars, defending the Empire for Her Majesty (God Bless Her).

   Also a Bull Snapper, a light warbeast from Hordes' Minions faction. He joins his larger cousin the Blackhide Wrassler as an experimental subject for Doctor Vardu. I made a puddle at his feet, just like the bigger one. Venus is a dreadfully swampy place, after all.

   Finally, there is a pair of Razor Boars, more Minions warbeasts. I have another pair of these that I will paint soon, giving me - er, Doctor Vardu, that is - four of the aggressive piggies.

Vardu's Greatest Triumph to Date

   One of the two major mad scientists which threaten the peace of the Solar System, Doctor Vardu twists the very threads of life itself to create warped monsters. He has a fascination with merging human characteristics with those of animals and even plants! In this instance, the base creature was a mighty Venusian Marsh Oak.

A crude intelligence simmers in the orange eyes of the mighty beast.

As you can clearly see, the Marsh Oak is host to a variety of

other plants and fungi.

[I added Meadow Flowers and Wilderness Tufts]

[Reaper Bones: "Spirit of the Forest"]

Interesting Spider Vehicle

  This is the Gustav Eiffel and Spider Construct from the Wild West Exodus game, available here. I am not sure what the scale is, however. If it were in 28mm, I would be sorely tempted to purchase one to serve as a focal point for Doktor Otto Maton's forces.

French Landship Completed!

   The French landship is completed, after receipt of replacement starboard drive units. Also, tricolors and a personalization icon have been added. The cock is the symbol of French athletics, in this case, the French National Rugby Football team (better known as Les Bleus). I think I will call this little scout ship Les Bleus.

The missing starboard drive unit, in place.

FFR Logo, rear of landship.

Oops! Blurry.

  A wall of paint bottles shields from view some of my Lead Painters' League entries still in process. No peeks! I will hint and say that there will be some VSF elements in my LPL entries. Big surprise.

New Issue of The Aethergraph!

   At long last, I have published the new issue of The Aethergraph. You can find a link to it on the left hand column, right at the top there, or simply click here. I would like to thank my contributors, and the gentlemen that offered me submissions that I didn't have room for this time around. I'm hopeful that, especially with more submissions, I can produce another issue this spring - perhaps in April or May.

   I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think, and if you are interested in helping to produce The Aethergraph, email me at aethergraph@gmail.com.

Clock-a-dile?

   Just a quick post tonight. I've been eaten up with grad school work the last week or so, and no time for much fun stuff. But I took a look around the internet tonight before i run off to bed and saw this. It is for Spartan Games's Dystopian Legions game. I still think the decision to make them in 32mm scale was a bad one - it puts them off my purchase list, for the most part. But the mechanical alligator here might be fun for any VSF game, and well, how big is a mechanical alligator, anyway? Scale neutral. You could even use it for 15mm or 6mm (!) games.

   Picture is from Spartan Games's website. You can order the fellow there. And he's on sale right now (1/3 off - not bad).

French: Steam Tank Development at Halt

French Engineers Stymied as Compagnie du Char Drops Ball

   Reliable sources in the French demesne report that the project to supply their armed forces with a small scouting landship (or steam tank) has come to a sudden halt. Apparently, the manufacturer supplied the government with two portside drive trains and no starboard!

From this angle, it seems okay...

An idea taken from another: smokestack supports.

Just some L-iron Plastruct, cut and painted to match.

Now we see the problem...

The logo for the French National Rugby team.

I am considering putting this on the tank, along with a tricolor.

[Editor's Note: I bought this tank back at Historicon, and just got around to putting it together. Lo and behold: two left tracks and no right one. I've contacted Ironclad Miniatures (the manufacturer) to correct it. I am sure they will - they have a good reputation and I've had one similar issue with them previously which they corrected immediately and with good spirit. On the other hand, I think it is going to look quite good when it is finished!]

The Verne Cannon

The Verne Cannon

   A massive cannon, able to launch a shell beyond the planetary atmosphere. The infernal device actually extends well below the ground, with only the final third of the great barrel protruding above the surface. Its range is literally planetary, able to reach any point on the surface of the Earth. The Verne Cannon, named for the visionary writer who first postulated it, acts as a deterrent to aggression against the French nation. One shell could devastate a vast area of an enemy nation - no one dares to risk it.

   In other news of France's military, work has begun on a small French landship, equivalent to a destroyer escort in naval terms, one supposes. More information and photostats will be provided as the work proceeds.

[Editor's Note: This is a Games Workshop Epic 40K "Goliath" Megacannon. I am never going to stat it up, because I only plan on using it as an objective or bit of terrain rather than an actual unit. Why? Because it doesn't work. The French constructed an elaborate ruse to convince the other nations that this cannon devastated a remote island in the Pacific when test fired. They are hoping the bluff will hold out for a decade or so until it can be made operational. Regarding the landship, I have started painting an Ironclad Steam 1 steamtank to act as a French scouting tank. More on that later.]

Clockwork Goblin Products

   I found these sort of randomly, while reading Eli Arndt's I See Lead People blog. I thought they looked interesting. Photos are from the Clockwork Goblin webstore.

15mm US "Grizzly" Walker

I'd remove the Ma Deuce for VSF, and add a boiler and smokestack to the back.

Maybe shorten the gun barrel a bit.

15mm US "Hyena" Light Jump Walker

Might re-work the right hand into a gripper of some sort.

This says 'Armoured Combat Aethersuit' to me.

15mm German "Thor" Mechpanzer

Again, needs a bit of Victorian and steam-y flair, but I like the six legs.

15mm German "Spinne" Light Mechpanzer

I really like this one for an Imperial German Scout.

3 for 13 GBP, too...

28mm British Automated Infantry

I'd go with the water-cooled MG for VSF.

Reminds me a bit of the Parroom Station Clockwork Soldier.

Like the labels say...

The RPG armed one reminds me of the upgraded Ogryn from the Imperial Guard.

And last, a concept sketch I think is interesting...

"Shreckwulfen 1"

Popular Mechanicks, Issue #8

Otto Maton's "BS" Alloy

   If you've been reading our paper for some time now, you may be familiar with the diabolical maechanickal works of Herr Doktor Professor Otto Maton, the Belgian Mad Scientist on Mars. His fiendish creations have often graced these pages, and wreaked havoc upon the peaceful peoples of the Crown Colony of Mars. For some reason, Herr Doktor has a particular dislike of the British. It probably has something to do with the fact that a British aethership disabled his vessel on approach to Mars, and trapped him there.

   However, if you have seen Maton's handiwork, you must have noticed the preponderance of brass used in their manufacture. This may lead one to ask oneself "Why brass, for God's sake? It's either too soft or too brittle, depending on the zinc content! And heavy? Not half!" The problem with your complaint is one of perception. While Maton's brass may seem to be perfectly ordinary alpha-beta brass (consisting of more than 35% zinc), it is not. In fact, Professor Maton has created a special alloy of brass which, though it requires hot working, is equal to fine steel in strength, and immune to rusting. He calls the alloy Brassified Steel, or "BS."

Maton's Foundry, in an Undisclosed Location

   BS is not a perfect metal for all applications. Its manufacture is a closely guarded secret of Maton's. After all. It is known to contain traces of certain rare elements not found in common brass including cerium (Ce), aluminum (Al), gadolinium (Gd), and handwavium (Hw). While it possesses impressive qualities, the expense of its manufacture limits its use. Plus, no one knows how to get these elements to alloy other than Maton himself, and perhaps one or two of his most trusted lieutenants.

   And an older photostat, from an after action report, for those of you newer to this journal. In it you can see a trio of Doctor Maton's flying automatons attacking a Martian Death Ray cavalry officer. In the background, far below, a column of another sort of automaton is marching across the red sands. Notice the outer shells of BS on both models. Like all of Maton's mechanickal devices, these are powered by handwavium reactors. The flying "hovertons" also utilize unobtainite crystals to repulse gravity.

[Editor's Note: It's been a while since I posted an article feature, and this is one I have considered more than once. Why do I use so much brass? Really, it's because it just looks warm and Victorian to me. Popular Mechanicks is one way of explaining away all of the Weird Science that goes on in my VSF universe with pseudo-scientific terminology. The real reason for any of the VSF silliness that I indulge in is much simpler: I like it. Now, back to studying Charlemagne. ZZZzzz...]

The Huns Field a Tank!

   Although British science and engineering admit no peers, it seems that the German Empire has finally fielded their first armoured vehicle. A crude design, naturally, but it might frighten the natives, or perhaps an unsteady Frenchman. Reportedly rather uncomfortable inside (hot and noisy), it does sport a rather effective Krupps gun and thick riveted plates of armour. I am certain that Her Majesty's valiant Tommies have nothing to fear, however.

The Imperial Ritterkreuz Emblazoned!

A Long-Barreled Cannon for High Velocity Shot.

[Editor's Note: This is an Ironclad Steam Tank, although I forget exactly which of their models it is off the top of my head. Perhaps Steam 7? I purchased it at Historicon over the summer, and just got around to painting it up. I think the green looks rather nice. I considered some splinter camouflage, but decided against it (obviously). Some projects finally moving ahead!]

Galvanic Ray Cannon Fielded!

   The Galvanic Ray Cannon uses electrical power provided by an easily swapped miniaturised and self-contained voltaic pile. Each voltaic cartridge holds enough power to fire the cannon once. When fired, an intense beam of superheated light energy bursts forth, striking at great distances with uncanny accuracy.

[Editor's Note: This is a project that has been languishing for literally years in my 'to-do' pile. Glad to have it finally done and it looks rather good, I think. The gun itself is obviously an older GW metal lascannon, and the trails are from the same gun. The wheels I replaced with a pair generously donated to me by Nic Robson of Eureka Minaitures, down in Australia. Nic's a great guy - missed him at Historicon this year, and I hear he's likely to skip in future so that he can attend Salute in Old Blighty. Their gain, our loss. Maybe I can talk the memsahib into letting me go to Salute...]

Doctor Vardu's Mutant Simian Bodyguard

Ape-X, Doctor Vardu's Mutant Simian Bodyguard

   The devious Doctor Vardu, the master of the manipulation of the threads of life, has created a new mutant animal monstrosity. This zoomorph blends Mountain Gorilla with a touch of Humanity, and is fitted with a mindcontrol cap to ensure that his rage is vented only upon those the bad doctor designates. The mad scientist has been assisted it seems by Professor Otto Maton, as well, by the looks of that grafted miniature Gatling gun and the steam-powered gauntlet on Ape-X's left hand.

He's a silverback!

[Editor's Note: Not quite done with this one, but wanted to get some pictures posted anyway. He's a Chronoscope line Ape-X from Reaper's Bones product. First of the Bones plastics that I have painted, and it was very easy. No primer, just a good wash with warm soap and water and straight to paint.]

Steam Armoured Dwarves?

   I happened on these whilst researching items of critical importance on the interconnected differencing engine. Produced in Poland (Grand Duchy, I think), by a company known as Scibor. Some sort of short but powerful man, heavily whiskered, and wearing an ornate suit of what appears to be steam-powered armour.

From the Horizon: Harold's Patent Aetheric Interface Assault Craft!

   Mr. Harold has designed a new type of aetheric craft. Intended to rapidly introduce troops from an aethership orbiting the planet, these Aetheric Interface Craft (known to Tommy Atkins as a 'drop pod') can carry an entire squad of Her Majesty's Loyal Servants in splendid comfort [not really-Ed.] and complete safety [hardly!-Ed.]. Her Majesty's Royal Navy has ordered the construction of hundreds of these disposable units for the Aethermarines, Skywalkers, and even a Naval Brigade Artillery Group. They can also be utilised for the resupply of troops in distant areas!

   To date, attempts to use the Harold Patent Interface Craft to land cavalry have been a dismal failure. The horses, you see.

Seems to have lost its parachute somewhere...

[Editor's Notes: Okay, these are really cool, and pretty inexpensive. You can find out more about them here. And here. I am going to add a parachute draped over the side, and paint them in a lovely Victorian scheme. 15mm, and quite good, really.]

Interesting New Steampunk/Horror Game on the Horizon

   Ghost Train Games is creating a game based on an Alternate Civil War, with steampunk-y (Sorry, OFM - I know you hate the term) gadgets and a mystical powers and supernatural vibe as well. Below is a sample of a WIP green for their upcoming line of miniatures - 28mm, in case you wondered. It's called an "Improved Mechanical Locomotive Steam-Engine."

The South Shall Rise...

   And, a member of the Franklin Experimental Brigade, armed with a "Coil Cannon."

Damnyankee Gadgets...

[Editor's Notes: As usual, these images are not my own, but were obtained from the website of Ghost Train Games. I mean no challenge to their intellectual property, I just think they look cool and should be shared with a wider Victorian Science Fiction audience. Thanks to Tango001 of TMP for putting me onto these.]

New German Terror Weapon!

Das Hellanzekanonen-88

   The above pictured weapon was seen by our intrepid reporters and loyal agents of the Crown as it was displayed for the German Imperial General Staff. Developed by the nefarious KFG (Kaiserlich Forshcungsanstalt fur Geheimewaffen (KFG), or Imperial Research Institute for Secret Weapons), this device focuses an intense beam of energy at a vast range. Thankfully, its destructive powers are limited to a direct line of sight! It is powered by an interchangeable galvanic storage unit mounted at the rear. A trained crew is supposedly able to exchange a depleted unit for a charged one in a matter of moments, at roughly the same speed as the loading of a conventional breechloading cannon.

 

   One can only hope that this new and dangerous development does not presage an aggressive move on the part of the German Empire.

 

[Editor's Notes: Obviously, this is an old GW lascannon. The big difference is the wheels. I got these from Nic at Eureka Miniatures (Thanks, Nic!) about two years ago. Or was it three? Any rate, I finally got around to painting it and putting it all together. I think it came out splendidly. The name, by the way, is supposed to mean "The Bright Lance Cannon, Model 1888). Now, if I could only find the crew for it, I had them here somewhere...]

Paul´s Bods: Medieval Bombard (working scale model)

This is an idea. I love it. I was thinking it would work for my Martians, with their primitive artillery. Watch the video.

Paul´s Bods: Medieval Bombard (working scale model): I had the Zvezda bombard set but the Barrel I´d sent to Simon ( Je Lay Emprins ). His blog is full of Medieval  Burgundian loveliness...we...

An Interesting Airship Model

http://www.shapeways.com/model/298649/airship-frigate.html?li=productBox-search

   I particularly like the twin ducted fans on it, and the heavy broadside armament. Possible for Dystopian Wars, or just 6mm VSF in general.