Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: Back On Board!

   The good Colonel is BACK!  By far the most outrageously visionary and grandest in scale of any Victorian Science Fiction model builder of which I am aware... after a long hiatus, he returns to the construction of his sextupedal masterpiece.



   You could say I am right chuffed about it.



Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: Back On Board!: Hi, All! Archibald Phunk enjoys a stroll on-deck, reassured by a sturdy new hand-rail. After something like a fourteen month break, I...

Primitive Fortifications on Venus

   This journal recently received photostatic evidence of a primitive fortification built somewhere in the jungles of Venus, the Veiled Planet of Mysteries. As our dear readers are no doubt aware, Venus is home to at least two indigenous intelligent lifeforms. Though both the lizardmen and the parrotfolk are savage tribalists, they display a degree of cunning that must be taken into account when venturing forth from the safe enclaves of human habitation.

   See below the apex of Venusian engineering...

The human figure in strange attire and armed with primitive weapons is unknown.

Perhaps he is a French agent, a coureur du bois or voyageur?

A lookout tower of some sort. Apparently, it is unfinished at this time.

[Editor's Notes: The fort has been sitting a long time, a gift from a fellow VSF enthusiast in the Houston area. I painted and flocked it, but Dan built it. I built the tower using leftovers from the fortress. It is almost done, needing only the base - an old CDR - to be flocked, and some sort of overhead covering to be done. Speaking of which, I am considering a roof over at least one of the two bastions in the fortress. What do you think?

  I plan to use these for games of In Her Majesty's Name and other VSF games. It could be a jungle on Earth as well as Venusian. My son said the fortress looked a little barren for a jungle, but I reminded him that one does not allow undergrowth or trees near one's fortification. A clear field of fire is a necessary asset in these cases.]

Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: The Walls Are Closing In...

Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: The Walls Are Closing In...

Terrain for Hippos

   I found out about this awesome terrain making blog via I See Lead People, my buddy Eli's excellent gaming blog - which you should be following if you are not already! They just had an entire month dedicated to Victorian Science Fiction terrain in January, and some of it is really great looking. You should run over and take a peek. Here's a link.

An example of one of their simple projects:

The posts are funny and informative. I give it two thumbs WAY WAY up!

A Death Ray to Be Proud Of...

   It just isn't fair.

 

   The raw talent and vision that Colonel O'Truth has for the creation of truly spectacular pseudo-Victorian creations is just not fair. As exhibit A, I present to you his newest little project: Professor Shandy Tanglefoot's Over-Compensatory Death-Ray of Doom. Which he threw together in three days. Three. Days.

 

 

 

 

Learn more about it here.

The Colonel's Been At it While I was Napping

  I can not fathom that anyone who reads this blog is unaware of the Colonel's awesome work in creating toys for a Victorian Science Fiction universe. Last semester, while I was up to my eyeballs in readings and papers, I missed out on several of his 'smaller' projects. Now that I have a moment, I feel obliged to share them, in case you have also been occupied. No pithy commentary, I will let their awesomeness speak for them. You can find a link to a post regarding each of the photos just beneath the picture.

  Thanks again, Colonel O'Truth, for all your amazing and inspiring work.

Mk. I Hydrothermicopter

Wutha F'kawe Dinosaur Cavalry

Lord Smudgington Smythely-Smythe and his Mk. III Magna-Lectric De-Fleshulising Porta-Cannon 

(aka "Ethel")

Her Royal Brittanic Majesty's Armoured Shock Troops

There, I think that has covered them all...

Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: I See Red, I See Red, I See Red...

Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: I See Red, I See Red, I See Red...: Hi, All! Looking rather fine... It's amazing how a coat of paint brings a model together. Just thought I'd jump on the old Portable D...

Bloody gorgeous, as always, Colonel!

Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: Suit You, Sir!

I guess today is "Link to other Blogs Day".  But if you don't already follow the Colonel's blog (and you should if you are a fan of all things VSF-y), you might miss his latest update on his current project. And that would be a shame.

Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: Suit You, Sir!: Hi, All! Bazalgette Light Armoured Perambulatory Contrivance - ready for battle! ... almost... I've been threatening to update my repor...

Have You Ever Noticed...

...that when you are away from your paints, minis, scalpels, bits, et cetera, you really, really get inspired to work on something? This is happening to me in a big way here in Minnesota. And blast it all, I have nothing to work with! And somehow, I don't think the memsahib is going to take it too kindly if I suggest a field trip to the arts and crafts and dollar stores to start a new kitbash.

But the Colonel and Dampfpanzerwagon's latest scratchbuilds have my juices flowing. I want to work on something!

AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!

At least I can get on eBay and look for bits...

The Colonel is at it Again! Again!

   If you aren't a follower of the Colonel O'Truth telephonic interweb journal (what some Philistines refer to as a 'blog', I believe), you bally well should be! The work this paragon of British Progress has done in the last year is astonishing, and will most assuredly be rightly remembered in due course, with appropriate honors. the newest device is a two-legged armoured perambulator, which you can see in progress by following the linkage below.

Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: Bazalgette Light Armoured Perambulatory Contrivanc...: Hi, All! Well, it's time for another bit of VSF nonsense. So without further ado, let me introduce: The Bazalgette Light Armoured Peram...

Despatch from the Colonel: The Generation Game

   If you are a faithful reader of this journal, you should already know about the amazing work carried on by Colonel O'Truth. Though an Irishman rather than Scot (by his name), the good colonel has managed some amazing engineering successes, with his HMLS Gargantua, his smaller walker, and the new Faraday Galvanic Field Gun. If you do not already, you should certainly begin follwoing this enterprising madman's technical journals. A linkage can be found below, to the details for the power generating wagon for the Faraday Gun.

   Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: The Generation Game: Hi, All! Big Mike takes it all in his stride... I've been slogging away at the generator for the Faraday Galvanic Field Gun for the las...

Procuring Equipment for Vessels

  While waiting in queue at the Government office in charge of registration of vehicle operators for my nephew's, I took the opportunity to peruse the telephonic differencing network via my mobile aetheric communications device. At a favorite location of mine, I noticed a posting regarding a new manufacturer of weapons and equipment for Her Majesty's naval and aeronaval forces: Grand Manner.

   They have on offer a variety of pieces, and they look quite well made. These include:

• 3pdr (37mm) Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon on Naval Mount (WWI-28-38)
• 6 pdr (47mm) Hotchkiss QF Gun on Naval Mount (WWI-28-39)
• Gardner Gun on Pedestal (WWI-28-41)
• Controls (SM31) suitable for large vessels
• Ventilator Funnels, Cleats, and Life Bouys (SM30)
• and more...

   Grand Manner also apparently has a shipyard I was unaware of, and are creating several ships (look in their network catalog in the "Sudan" section). They look quite nice, if pricey. If they come pre-painted and assembled, they seem like good value for the money.

The Entire Gun Collection (to Date)

Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: Rivets and bolts can drive you nuts!

   In case you don't already follow this gentleman's efforts in walker construction, you should jump over to Colonel O'Truth's electrostatic journal and catch up on the developpment of HMSW Gargantua. This, my friends, is the standard to which we should all aspire.

Colonel O'Truth's Miniature Issues: Rivets and bolts can drive you nuts!: "Hi, All. So here I am again, after another fortnight of tiny rivets and glue fumes... HMSW Gargantua is really taking shape now, alt..."

Report: Historicon 2011, Day 3

   I know it has been a few days, but I am just now fully recovered from my relaxing stay in lovely Pennsylvania. Not that I saw a whole lot of it, because I spent most of the time indoors.  But you don't want to hear about all that - you want to know about the games!

Beautiful terrain from Miniature Building Authority.

  So by now it is Saturday, the last real day of games for Historicon. I have a game at 0900, a WWII game using a rules system new to me called NUTS! It's from Two Hour Wargames. The scenario was pretty simple: D-Day, American Airborne forces approach a village held by the Wehrmacht. Wehrmacht must hold village. Didn't enjoy the game. One of the main opponents was a 'psychic.' Always knew what my troops were doing even if there was no way for the troops to have such information. I didn't like the rules either. One of my troops dropped a hand grenade into a room full of Amis, rolled the best result possible, and the result was that two of the GIs charged up the stairs and killed not one but three Germans at the top. One of the Germans was my second best guy, and a 'Hero', unloaded his SMG at the GIs, while waiting at the top for them to approach, and missed totally. An unbalanced scenario maybe, and a bad opponent for sure, but any result that leaves a group of people in an enclosed area in which a grenade has gone off totally unharmed - not stunned, not anything? Needs work.

Amis appear in the woods and ambush a Wehrmacht patrol

  My next game wasn't to be until 1900, so I thought I'd hit the vendor's area and Wally's Basement (the flea market). the boys, on the other hand, were headed to their game at 1300; a game of Car Wars. I've been playing the game off and on since about 1983. Even been planning on getting a Matchbox scale game set up. So the boys take off; about 1305, I get a call from Greyson and they need another player since there's only the two of them there to play. Had a pretty good time. Killed Greyson's car, got rear-ended by a ramplate but survived (barely!), got revenge on the rammer by virtually eliminating him. Time was just about up so we called it, and I won (only 'kill').

My car. Twin MGs and a bumper trigger.

Dane in red, Greyson in green, myself in the rear.

   My last game was one of the ones I most anticipated since registering: a G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T. fleet battle. Simple scenario was that a new German aircraft carrier was damaged by a storm, and the British are trying to capture it while the Germans seek to prevent that.

Patrol boat HMS Courageous (fore) and cruiser HMS Essex

   I liked the game. It was very similar to Battles by G.A.S.L.I.G.H.T., and so it was familiar, with a few changes which had to be made in order to accomodate the third dimension. It seemed impossible to get to the carrier (the Valkyrie) before she made it off the table, and it proved so. Highlights of the game include the performance of HMS Cossack, one of my patrol boats absorbing fire from two German patrol boats and a German cruiser. After several turns, she was a wreck, and had three commanding officers killed aboard her. Finally, she settled to the surface, with no guns, no engine, and no officers left! Things looked very bad for the British side until the battleship finally got within range. Three German capital ships were crippled or destroyed, and three escorts, to the loss of three escorts on the British side. The Valkyrie did manage to escape, however.

The Valkyrie.

  The Valkyrie is a total scratch-built job, except for the mast and the flight stand. Absolutely beautiful piece of work. I especially like the raised hangar on the flight deck.