Insanely Cool Stuff from Germany

   I have been a  fan of the German company Tobsen77's stuff for a year or so now, but have never bought any. I thought I would show you what they have, because if you have not found it, you need to. This stuff is definitetly on the Christmas list for me.

Blimp (does not come with gunner)

   The blimp is a realtively new addition to the Tobsen line. I think it looks great, but would be really best for maybe use with 15mm, where it will seem that much larger and more impressive. You could probably fit multiple crew on it. Or maybe even in 6mm, you could have a large deck crew in the gondola. That might be awesome.

Monowheel (gunner and MG seperate, from Brigade Games, IIRC)

   I have long been a fan of this monowheel model, but never been quite sure how to deploy it. I am thinking it may need to be a development of Doctor Maton's mad genius. In that case, I can fit it with the Masked Minion gun team pictured below. A little adjustment of the gunner's legs and all should be well... I have also considered using a British crewman as suggested by Tobsen, or even a German one... not sure which to go.

Masked Minion MG Team (Parroom Station, for sale through Brigade Games)

The Bismatron, a colossus of the battlefield...

   Last for this post, but not least, is the new Bismatron (new to me, at least). It's huge and it has big guns and it wears a pickelhaube. The Kaiser needs one. Badly.

Tasser's Magneto-Galvanic Anti-Saurian Field

A single Anti-Saurian Field pylon

   A scientific marvel was unveiled today in London's Hyde Park: the Magneto-Galvanic Anti-Saurian Field. Using principles of aetheric science, and after twenty-seven failed designs, inventor David Tasser finally developed what could only be labeled as an invisible fence of immense strength and resilience. A series of pylons like that pictured above is attached to a galvanic power source. The radiation cones on either side of the pylon will project a weak field of magneto-galvanic (M-G) force. When properly polarized and aligned, these fields will interact in an anode to cathode manner, increasing the flow of M-G force to a useful strength. The more closely placed the pylons are, the stronger the flow and the stronger the field becomes.

   How strong? Well, the Hyde Park location was chosen for its proximity to the Royal Zoological Gardens. A triceratops was brought from the Zoo to the demonstration area, and shown a large pile of gunna fruit (its favorite delicacy from home), on the opposite side of the activated Anti-Saurian Field. Predictably, the triceratops immediately lunged for the gunna, but was stopped dead in its tracks when it encountered the field! Fat sparks of blue light leaped across the poor bewildered trike's beaky snout as it touched the field. Try as it might, the mighty beast could not push across the seemingly insubstantial barrier. The zookeepers led the poor lizard back to its cage, tossing gunna fruit into its gaping beak as they went to sooth the beast.

   Mister Tasser currently has but three pylons manufactured, just enough to demonstrate the Anti-Saurian Field's effectiveness. It is expected that Her Majesty's Government will soon order many to protect important areas on Venus from large saurians. In the coming months, we hope to report a satisfactory progress being made to provide Magneto-Galvanic Anti-Saurian Fields for the safety and security of the Venusian colonists.

Three pylons in Hyde Park

[Editor's Note: These are three of the Games Workshop force field pylons from the Battle for Macragge 40K starter set a few years back. I bought them in the flea market at Historicon, clipped of the Imperial Eagle, painted them up, and put them on washers for stability. I need more! If you have some that you would be willing to part with, please let me know. The settlers of Venus would be most appreciative.]

Royal Xenological Society, Issue #7

Twanax Thornmen

Hominid venusia twanaxis

   As if the Veiled Planet were not deadly enough, a new threat to human habitation of the Cytherian Sphere has been discovered recently. These imposing creatures are not purely animal, nor purely plant. Instead, they are a dreadful cross of the two: a plantimal!

Anatomy:

   The skin of a Twanax is covered in sharp thorns of a viridian color which blends well into the jungle background. Through their veins flows a clear sap, pumped by a four-chambered heart virtually identical to any Earthly mammal's. The eye and ear structures are also clearly predatory mammalian. The conformation of the endoskeleton is quite similar to a human skeleton. The "bones" are made of a substance similar to wood, as are the huge fang-like teeth and the long, sharp claws which tip each digit on the massive paw. Inside the woody skull a large brain structure is found, similar in many ways to that found in the higher primates.

Intelligence:

   Though not known to be a tool-using species, the Twanax is very clever, and has avoided several traps set to capture them. This indicates an advanced animal intelligence. At this time, no vocal sounds have been determined to have meaning and therefore communication. Further study will be necessary to determine if this species is truly sentient or merely a very clever animal/plant.

Range:

   Thus far, the only sightings have been in the regions around Venusstaadt. Noted biologist resident at Venusstaadt, Professor Vardu, has expressed a great deal of interest in further study of the creatures.

[Editor's Note: The Twanax are produced by Blue Moon Manufacturing as part of a line of 15mm scale sci-fi aliens. I think they are supposed to be furry critters like Wookies, but I thought they would look impressively thorny if painted as plants. Teh minis are scale neutral, and can be used for immense threats in 6mm, large fearsome opponents in 15mm, and average size foes in 25mm. Triple threat!  More minions for Professor Vardu... and more to come. Plus, I finally obtained the official 25mm Vardu figure, one of Foundry's Victorian Specials, Doctor Jekyll. He's holding up a flask... just perfect! You'll see more on him later.]

Aethergraph, Issue 2

...is in the works. I think it is going to be the "Aerial Issue."

   According to the recent poll, it looks like I'll be keeping the sepia tone. I may also do a black and white with color photos version, which is not that difficult to change over. No promises on that at this time.

   Keep an eye out for more info about the issue, and I still desperately need submissions. Even if they are not aerial in nature, I can use them for future issues. Send them along to me at aethergraph@gmail.com.

Tiny Prussians on the March

  A few units of the Kaiser's troops are on the march, training in the white ash wastes east of Kich Enn Cabni Trie on Mars. These photostats were taken at extreme distance from the troops, who all seem to have been marching through a rare oasis in the wastes as the image was made. The peaceful Martian merchant kite on which a purely coincidental amateur British photostatic hobbyist was traveling was forced away from the sneaking Huns by flying machines bearing the markings of the Imperial German Luftkorps.

1st Battalion, 14th Infantry (Pr.)

Guns 1 & 2, 3rd Feldartillerie Reg't., Battery A

An unidentified regiment of Uhlan lancers (Prussian)

Herr General Kleinemann, 1st Martian Armeekorps

   Naturally, His Excellency the Viceroy, the Royal Aeronaval Service and Her Majesty's Foreign Office are all concerned with the possible threats posed by this expansion of the Imperial German presence on Mars. be assured that strongly worded diplomatic messages have been forwarded to the proper German authorities and a strong tone of disapproval has been sent.

[Editor's Note: These are the first forces painted for a new rules set I have been helping to edit. More on that later, I promise! I decided on 6mm in order to do larger battles than I can do in 15 or 25mm, but with better detail than the Aeronef/Land Ironclads 2mm-ish (1/1200) scale. They are also the first forces painted from the 2010 Historicon Haul. Woohoo!]