6mm Dr Who: Creepy Crawly progress.....

Thought I'd share the progress so far on the 'Green Death' and 'Them!' front, with some shots of how they are all shaping up; still some finishing off to do, but a lot of fun so far!

The plastic, or more accurately, rubbery ants can be seen in varying colours below:

After a quick wash with soapy water, the acrylic colours went on easily enough, but I soon learnt that any handling just as easily sloughed off the dried paint from the rubber surface - so some spray varnish definitely a must here - the larger ant, being a harder, more traditional plastic, was no problem.

I had originally intended a black paint scheme, but found that the large ant came out looking ironically a bit spider-like, so jazzed up the existing red colours with some more banded details on the legs and abdomen. The 'spideriness', however, of the smaller ones when left black with just the eye detailing, led me to try a couple of other colours - a sandy brown and a 'fire ant' red to match the larger one - not entirely sure which scheme I will go with for the balance of the rest - I quite like the exaggerated contrast of the eyes on the black ones, and the reds stand out well -perhaps different colours could denote differing types - soldiers, workers, female drones etc?

These are based on some rectangles of textured plasticard measuring 40x30mm, with the large 'Queen' on a 40x40mm - had to trim the ends of the large ant's legs to fit, but I didn't really want to make the base any bigger - don't think it loses anything in appearance, anyway....... and talking of basing, let's move on to those pesky maggots and the giant fly:

The fly in the original Dr Who episode had bright red eyes and some yellow markings on its back, but I just somehow wanted my irradiated mutant to live up to its name, so went with a wash of green on the wings and the body, with the corresponding eyes - for some reason, the plastic of the eyes wasn't too happy about being painted on, leaving a rather patchy finish, so will have to finesse this somewhat in the near future, and again protect it with some varnish.
The fly had a hole drilled into the bottom to accommodate the standard peg-topped flying stand, but this is looking a little dull, as well as flying a tad too high, I think, so this will also need some more attention.

The maggots themselves were of course in metal, so easy to paint, also with some exaggerated 'greening' to look the part - initially the heads matched the bodies, however at this scale they seemed a little bland that way, so I painted the heads black as a contrast, but again, I think they need something extra just to make them stand out......not quite sure yet what will do the trick.....

The maggots are placed on what is to become my new 6mm Sci-Fi basing standard (more on this in an upcoming post), namely a ubiquitous GW-style round plastic slotta base, mounted on a steel washer to enable magnetic storage.

This can be seen with the recently re-based Time Lord, Companion and Tardis as below:

The ant bases had to be a compromise, as they were too large to really fit more than one insect per slotta base, and I wanted a sort of 'horde' look to them, rather than just being singletons......

A similar treatment to the Doctor's base can be seen here, with the Alien Infestation Squad deployed to deal with some squirming, irradiated chemically enhanced nuisances of the maggot kind:

Finally of course, we have the villains of the piece, namely two intergalactic masterminds in the persons of Kang and Kodos:

These Monopoly pieces are beautifully modelled, even down to some drops of 'slather' falling from their mouths, and have turned out rather well, if I do say so myself....... although the bases still need some attention and tidying up - just was in a rush to show them off and couldn't wait to photograph them!

So, hopefully a suitably creepy, crawly and evil bunch on their way to completion, and if not all strictly 'canon' at least some interesting adversaries to pit against the Doctor and his chums.

6mm Sci-Fi: Some progress on Real Estate....

Happy New Year to All - and just to prove that I haven't completely disappeared from the Blogosphere, a short photo update on various buildings and scenic items that I managed to work on over the Christmas break.

These were in the main the excellent new 'Junkers' buildings and OKI walls from Angel Barracks, interspersed with some containers and bits an bobs from the Old Crow ranges, here illustrated with some characters from an Irregular Miniatures' Posh Pack:

Real Estate Agent 'Old Ben' shows local first-time buyer Luke around some entry-level properties.....

"What's that smell.....?"

"Ermm - these huts are in your price range, but were last inhabited by some Nerf Herders....."

"If you can qualify for finance from Imperial Mortgages, how about this new luxury large MHU from the OKI Corporation..... check out those solar panels...."

"Maybe this one is more your size.... it would make a good starter home....."

Meanwhile, some unusual activity is detected at the OKI Industrial Complex across town.... everything looks quiet, just the usual range of containers, gas and storage tanks protected by walled compounds:

Local Defence Force troops fan out and scope out some newly delivered hexagonal cargo pods:

Whilst another unit checks out the Radioactive Contaminants Storage Silos near a medium MHU:

Back on the other side of town, Old Ben has finally given up on Luke, who is now being shown some rickety old R2 units by the local Jawa salesman..... "These are the Droids you're looking for...."

An Imperial Speeder unit though, has just noticed the archaic weapon being wielded by Old Ben....."Excuse me Sir, do you have a permit for that thing.....?"

I really enjoyed fooling around with these items - the Junkers buildings in particular were an absolute pleasure to paint, whilst good dry-brush thrashings were liberally handed out to all and sundry to give a suitably gritty and grubby Sci-Futuristic look....

The Nuclear Silos I think are actually Missile Silos from the 15mm ranges once available from Old Crow; since Jez has gone on a work-realted sabbatical, the website shop is sort of defunct, but things can still be bought via a contact shown here:

http://www.oldcrowmodels.co.uk/

http://web.archive.org/web/20081017163825/http://www.oldcrowmodels.co.uk/ocproducts.htm

Some really great things to be found in terms of scenics and related items might still be available from the back catalogue if you ask nicely....

I rather lagged behind in what I wanted to achieve over the last twelve months, but hopefully 'Real Life' will be a little more indulgent in 2013 - here's to a Hobby-filled year for All!

6mm Sci-Fi: Review of items from Angel Barracks

Thought I'd do a 'first look' review of the new 6mm Sci-Fi items recently released by Angel Barracks, having today received a bulging Jiffy bag within three day of ordering - great service as usual!

http://angelbarracks.co.uk/

I had been looking forward to the release of the OKI walls set, as well as the new vehicles, at the same time as catching up by having a look at the excellent cargo containers that were available previously.

Michael at the Barracks has done a good job of describing and detailing his recent product developments in various places on the web, so much so that I feel even the most demanding gamer/collector will have been catered for - this is not the kind of manufacturer where you will have to struggle to find measurements, comparison shots or close-up photos of the products, as well as a straightforward  purchasing process  - and that is not even to mention both the quality and fresh designs of the minis themselves - truly a class act!

The items that I ordered were well protected when sent, and certainly did not disappoint in the flesh - no flash, casting irregularities or problems to speak of, and great proportions and clarity of sculpting all round.
The new OKI walls are in a smooth matt resin finish, and are particularly crisp - with a really close fit between all the component parts once you place them together. The containers are similarly well made, with doors at one end - the framework edging appearing smooth to contrast with the matt panels of the sides.
The vehicles, in this instance the Camel MPV and the MS1 Pathmaster, are absolutely lovely - great concepts and realisation, and I think extremely competitively priced given their quality.

We see below the two components of the Pathmaster, along with the weapon and sensor accessories, which slot cleanly and purposefully into place - the MLRS unit has an integral 'tilt' in the design, so that it looks ready to fire - a small detail, but an illustration of the thought that went into these - note also in the foreground the tow bar / umbilical link that comes with the vehicle components - this could easily get overlooked if you open the packet too enthusiastically!

This bar fits smoothly into two corresponding holes on the underside of the vehicles - like I said, a class act.

The weapon and sensor equipment is as well cast as the chassis themselves, and their mounting is straightforward - a recess on the Command Module, and with a small plate shim on the Pathmaster - all goes together smoothly, and of course means that you could vary the weapons fit as you might desire - plenty of space to put in your own ideas.

The Camel is of identical quality, detail being clean and finely cast - there is a space above the central portion that would allow the addition of more sensors or equipment, as well as the mounting spine of perhaps an antenna at the rear - a pin drill and some wire and it would be easy to personalise the vehicle.

Two in the pack also means excellent value, given how expensive Sci-Fi vehicles can be across the board.
Basing-wise, if that is a route you prefer, 50x20mm for the Camel and 70x20mmm for the Pathmaster would be quite adequate.

Moving on to the OKI walls - these are again going to have to attract some superlatives from me - these are not afterthoughts or contemporary ones scaled down, but rather freshly realised designs that are both simple and elegant - they ooze 'Futuristi-cality' (yes, it is a word, or at least it was since I made it up...), and have a lovely ergonomic curve to the outside face.
What is also impressive, and something that could have been overlooked by a weaker designer - is that the connecting 'corners' follow the same design and are beautifully and smoothly whole, ensuring that it all fits together nicely and in proportion.

I have to admit that I am sucker for a good cargo crate in a Sci-Fi setting, and any set-up that lacks them just doesn't look right to my eye - from Drop-ship pods via the cargo unit of a Space 1999 Eagle transporter, to well, anything painted Hazmat yellow with a radioactivity sign on it - it just has to feature - and these units are spot on.
The plain panel sides would allow for a number of different identities/employments through differing colour schemes, and perhaps the only complaint is that there isn't a half-sized version - just one 'cell' as it were - to add to the loveliness!

Finally an overall shot with a large MHU and some other bits inside to get an idea of the whole -  a ground footprint for the compound would be around 180mm wide by 130mm deep, with the wall heights easily encompassing vehicles and the housing units and containers, which by the way stand some 18mm high by 40mm in length.

As you might have guessed by reading the above, I don't really have anything negative to say about these, or indeed any of the existing range - my only concern would be to hope that we see more, more, and more of the same!

:-).

Plastic Fantastic 4: Sci-Fi Bio Domes

My recent dabblings in 6mm Sci-Fi, and the on-again/off-again 2/3mm Sci-Fi project has had me casting around for some ideas regarding scenery, and whilst as the regular reader might have noticed, Hobby activity has been a bit thin on the ground of late, I did manage to source these interesting candidates in Lego via Evilbay....

What could be more futuristic than Bio-Domes, from worlds-in-a-bottle archetypes a la Logan's Run, to the Agri-ships of Silent Running and Battlestar Galactica?

I think these particular examples relate to some sort of undersea diving toy, and most tellingly of course, the cockpit glass of a Lego T.I.E fighter, however when placed on a suitable base, could do duty as protection from the poisonous atmosphere of most Alien worlds.

They're not particularly large, but this example from the outbuildings pack available from Brigade Models looks pretty good ensconced in its 'bubble', I think:

Talking of worlds-in-a-bottle, how about this City base from Mighty Empires - this would certainly go well alongside the 2/3mm Sci-Fi stuff - adds a sort of super-villians lair look to the whole:

The smallest dome, seen here alongside the large MHU from Angel Barracks, with one of those ubiquitous plastic bottle caps for scale, is not going to fit much in the way of habitat, but would look pretty spiffing housing the mutant product of a deranged experiment in a laboratory complex, or maybe a single earth tree specimen the colonists couldn't part with when they travelled off-world:

Given the pocket-money prices these can be picked up for, (or free, of course, if you raid the kid's toy box...) they are never going to be big enough to contain full-on 6mm buildings, but they still scale well alongside some well-known characters from a certain Space Opera:

These are from Irregular Miniatures, and are among a few dozen cool minis I've been inspired into painting up recently, joined as you see below by my version of a unit of Decontamination Troops - Power Armour from Brigade Models, and the excellent Comms set from Michael at Angel Barracks:

Who of course are here to deal with any ugly and troublesome Alien Infestations that they come across - to whit the excellent Drill Worm Nests from Angel Barracks:

I'd like to see any parasitic Alien fauna, or even face-huggers take on these guys, in their hardened Hazmat suits.....

These bases still need finishing off, of course, when time permits, and I keep telling myself that this is all just a sideshow to all the rest of my projects, but I guess only time will tell.....

6mm Sci-Fi: New Buildings and other Cool Stuff.....

Now of course I am still loudly telling myself that there is no such project as 'taking the 6mm Sci-Fi plunge' anywhere in the near vicinity of the workbench; and therefore a purchase of some of the new and expanding ranges from Angel Barracks and Brigade Models was merely, ahem..... in the interests of research.....

Therefore I am justifying this latest diversion by sharing some broad 'compare and contrast' type photos of some of the newly available items alongside some other neat looking things.
In the photo at the head of this post, we can see the AB Large MHU with Solar Panels alongside a range of 6mm infantry; from left to right, an Irregular Miniatures' strip of NSF11, then a single NSF9 followed by an old Marine sculpt from Scotia Micro Models, then a pair of Germy's 6mm soldiers available from Brigade, and finally a pair of DRM's Pax Arcadia Light Infantrymen.

As you will note, the MHU sculpt is wonderfully smooth and crisp, and scales perfectly alongside the various 6mm types; below a smorgasbord of items that in no way form the basis of an entirely new project....honestly.....

Next up the representative infantrymen in front of two of Brigade Models' new Sci-Fi Desert structures; at left, the largest block from the Outbuildings pack, and on the right, the excellent Research Lab:

The Brigade items have a somewhat porous-looking surface, and are softer all round than the Angel Barracks ones, but I think are just right for their desert context; they'll certainly be perfect for a good dry-brush thrashing for an authentic windblown, end-of-the-galaxy look, whilst the latter are more corporate-looking and polished:

Michael at Angel Barracks has certainly hit the ground running in developing his FUBAR-related range, and no more so than in the flora and fauna that he has been exploring, including the amazingly alien Drill-Worm Nests - mounds of putrescent, pustulent alien weirdness:

Seen here alongside the aforementioned Brigade outbuildings, you'll see that these are moulded in a softer material, almost plaster-like, but this has not softened the detail, which is well sculpted and obvious:

Moving on now to another scenery type from the Barracks, below we have the new sandbag emplacement, inhabited left to right by DRM, Brigade, Scotia and the Irregular troops:

Closely followed by the same manning the amazingly well defined improvised barricade:

These are some really classy pieces with great detailing; anything from tires and boxes of various sizes to bits of furniture and all sorts of other detritus are clearly visible:

Finally an entry or two from Old Crow's range of 6mm Sci-Fi scenics - the grey building at right is actually a corridor section for a larger structure, but in 6mm looks quite good in its own right whilst the pile of cylinders and the free-standing containers are spot-on..... rumour has it that the Old Crow website should be up and running again soon - fingers crossed!

Not that I'm looking to acquire any more stock for a project that doesn't exist...... maybe I should be calling it 'Area 51'...... official deniability and all that..... or is it just self -delusion?  ;-)

Plastic Fantastic 3: Star Wars Completed

A quick photo update on the plastic Star Wars items; given that I haven't done much Hobby-wise recently, I at least managed to complete these in a Hoth-style swirl of snow and ice....

I used some medium Renaissance Ink flocking gel, painted silver grey, given a white dry-brush thrashing, a spot of ink for a wash and then some more white over that - I went a bit over the top with the flocking gel material, I think, so much so that we are verging on Christmas ornament territory rather than the ice-encrusted surface of Hoth....

The AT-STs are mounted on UK two pence coins - I left the edges plain, bearing in mind that these are not part of a formal project, I don't mind the slightly 'ornamental' look.

The Snowspeeders are mounted on the ubiquitous plastic flight stands, here liberally daubed with the gel:

Hmmm - puts me in mind of a certain coconut confectionery:

http://blog.omakasebox.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Snowballs.jpg

:-)

Red Flight heads home for a spot of tea:

Plastic Fantastic Part 2: Star Wars W.I.P

Unusually fast turn around on these fantastic plastic minis - mainly because I couldn't resist having a go to see how they would turn out - have to say, in spite of my rather rushed paint jobs, the detail on these is very crisp, the Snowspeeders in particular being really well defined. They are still a work-in-progress, but the photos should give some idea of how good they are....

I found out that they are from amongst the playing pieces that come with the Star Wars Risk:

http://boardgamegeek.com/image/159625/risk-star-wars-original-trilogy-edition

There are also some larger scale figures, including a rather good Rancor, as well as some nifty-looking mini Death Stars - looks as if I might be trawling Ebay again some time soon!

You'll notice that I haven't yet decided on a basing scheme for the AT-STs - obviously torn between the earth of Endor or the classic Hoth ice and snow - given that these don't actually yet fit into any existing 6mm armies project, I guess I could do either - certainly the 'speeders are not exactly canon - I just went a bit wild with the orange!

Hope to have these finished soon, and then it's back to more mainstream, metallic minis - I promise!