VSF Project Review

   I've decided after many years that I have simply too many ideas and not enough time. So I am evaluating all of my projects, and determining which ones I shall carry on with in an attempt to complete them and which shall be abandoned in the interest of achieving the previous goal.

   For status, I shall use 'planning' (want to buy minis), 'active' (not playable but I am currently working on it), 'inactive' (unplayable but on to-do list), 'dead' (can't play, not doing anything, don't plan on it), 'playable' (enough to play, still adding to it), and rarest of all, 'finished' (can play, no plans to add to it). Thus far, I have decided:

25/28mm

1. VSF Eureka Pond Wars: dead
2. VSF Lizardmen: inactive
3. VSF/Colonial British: playable
4. VSF German: marginally playable
5. VSF Automaton: finished (lacks one thing from Parroom Station to replace the dog-eaten one)
6. VSF Martian: marginally playable- awaiting Parroom Station's eventual release (I hope)
7. VSF Vardu: inactive
8. VSF French: inactive
9. VSF Russian: dead
10. VSF Japanese: dead
11. VSF Turkish: dead
12. VSF Parrotmen: inactive (possibly dead)
13. VSF Characters (HM Victoria I, others): playable
14. Skyrunners VSF Racing: dead
15. EOTD/IHMN Werewolves: finished
16. EOTD/IHMN Gentlemen: finished
17. EOTD/IHMN Police Constables: playable
18. IHMN Lord Curr's Company: playable
19. IHMN Servants of Ra: playable
20. IHMN Society of Thule: playable
21. IHMN Cowboys and Lawmen: finished
22. Terrain VSF: inactive

15mm

1. VSF/Colonial British: playable
2. VSF/Colonial French: playable
3. VSF Martians: playable
4. VSF Venusian Lizardmen: playable
5. VSF Automatons: finished
6. VSF/Colonial Germans: playable
7. VSF Monstrosities (Dr. Vardu): inactive
8. VSF Japanese: dead
9. VSF Texicans: inactive (maybe dead)
10. VSF Papal States: dead
11. VSF Terrain: inactive

Fleet Scale (smaller than 6mm)

1. Dystopian Wars (DW) Federated States: playable
2. DW Prussian: playable
3. DW Indian Raj: planning
4. Sky Galleons of Mars (SGOM) British: inactive
5. SGOM Martians: inactive
6. Aeronef Italians: dead
7. Terrain: inactive

6mm

1. VSF French: inactive
2. VSF German: inactive
3. VSF British: inactive
4. VSF Venusian Lizardmen: planning
5. VSF Martians: inactive
6. Terrain: inactive

   That's a grand total of 46 projects, including terrain in each scale. Of them, only four are 'finished.' And only about half of the rest are playable. I've definitely decided that eight are dead projects, as far as I am concerned. That means I have about 34 projects still on the boil, either playable or not.

   I'm mad. Bonkers. Crazy. Off the rocker.

Work in Progress, but no photos

   Due to the restrictions of the Lead Painters' League competition, I am not able to show the work currently in progress. However, I am working on several projects which are tied to Victorian Science Fiction right now, including some additions to Professor Maton's 28mm forces, and two factions for Empire of the Dead. I can't say more right now for fear that I would be disqualified from competition. Between the LPL and graduate school, there is little time left for other gaming pursuits. I have managed to get in another game of In Her Majesty's Name (Lizardmen vs. Lord Curr, and I won!), and I have received an interesting Adventuring Company to include in the next issue of The Aethergraph, which I still hope to release sometime in May. Probably about the middle of the month, once my school semester is done.

   I did spend some time cleaning up and reorganizing my Man Cave, after the memsahib threatened to let our cleaning lady loose to discard whatever she thought was trash. Naturally, I spent a few hours in panicked attack on the room. I found that I have literally hundreds of minis - possibly thousands, honestly - just sitting about, doing nothing. I know that shocks you. I shall soon get a list together of items that need a new home, many of them non-VSF.

   And, since I can't show you any photos of the minis I am working on, I thought I would share a few shots of the IHMN game Zach and I played the other day.

Battlefield layout. Central building is a spawning pool.

Lizardmen Defensive Perimeter. The scenario required them to defend the pool.

Lord Curr's Incorrigibles arrive from the south.

Shield Gunners

   Blogging about 15mm shield gunner conversions the other day prompted me to get off my butt and finish up a few of the ones I already have in 25mm from RAFM. So, here are some pictures of the first. Four more are only waiting on their bases to be finished and a spray of clearcoat.

I am the very model of the Modern Major General...

   Thanks to Tango on The Miniatures Page, I have a new link to the archive that contains the classic Colonial / VSF wargames website: Major General Tremorden Rederring's Colonial Wargames Page. That site is very fondly recalled by many of us VSF nutters.

   In other news, I am painting some 28mm Prussian line infantry. Not done yet, but here's the in progress eye candy. Figures are Parroom Station.

Herr Leutnant

Gefreiter Schimdt

HMAS Dragonfly... almost there...

   Almost finished... so, a few more pictures.

View from portside. Notice porthole in lower deck.

View from aft. Propeller shaft and rope railings clearly visible.

Portside. Embarkation point.

Starboard view of deckhouse. Note white ensign and Nordenfelt gun.

Main deck gun. (Not permanently attached yet)

Doctor Vardu's assistant, finished. I like the sunflower apron.

15mm Peter Pig Heliograph team (part of it), nearing completion.

   I threw in a couple of other pictures of stuff I am working on while I was at it.

The People Have Spoken!

   And thus, the heretofore unnamed scout Aeronef shall henceforth be known in the RNAS rolls as...

HMAS DRAGONFLY

   Work is nearing completion on this project. I have installed the rope railing around the entire deck, attached the lower hull to the upper, and the tail section as well. The Nordenfelt has been mounted, the white ensign attached, and very little still waiting completion.

   What is left to do? I need to attach the scratchbuilt hatch onto the superstructure. I need to touch up some spots where handling has rubbed the paint thin. I need to attach the deck gun. I need to print a decal with the ship's name and attach it. The whole model needs to be clear-coated. Finally, I need to devise a flying stand of some sort. To the Dollar Store!

DRAGONFLY              Dragonfly                          (Stencil)

DRAGONFLY             Dragonfly                         (Algerian)

DRAGONFLY                          Dragonfly                             (Black Adder)

DRAGONFLY               Dragonfly                                    (Brush Script)

DRAGONFLY                   Dragonfly           (Copperplate Gothic)

DRAGONFLY           Dragonfly (Engravers)

DRAGONFLY              Dragonfly           (Lucida Calligraphy)

DRAGONFLY                  Dragonfly                    (Old English Text)

Scout Aeronef, Part I

   I recently obtained a 25mm scale Scout Aeronef, made by Ironclad Miniatures, from someone on TMP. The casting looks very nice, but has a few flaws. The worst of these was the portholes on one side of the lower hull were about half gone. I don't know if it was a casting problem, or if they were chipped at some point afterwards. Either way, they were not going to work. So, I got creative.

Stock, primed gray.

   Here is my 'creative' solution: I cut off all four of the lower hull portholes and replaced them with these plastic fittings. The fittings are from my wife's O2 tanks, and I have been saving them as I could for something just like this! However, these do not match the perfectly good portholes on the upper hull or superstructure. So I decided they would be gunports instead!

   The plan is to make a set of four revolving barrel cannons to protrude from the gunports. 3-pdr Hotchkiss Revolving Cannons for a broadside armament! Huzzah!

As you can see, it needs more rivets. And some replacement rivets.

Starting to paint the upper hull and deck. Not glued yet.

   I had to do a few other minor repairs to get started, but the project is on! I should finish in a few weeks, as I am easily distracted by other projects and a massive "Honey-Do" list from the memsahib. Silly me, I thought that I had the summer off from work, being a teacher and all!

   Oh, does anyone recognize that piece in the background? It is not going to be fitted to the scout aeronef - too heavy. But it will see use.

Railing poll for the Unnamed Aeronef

   Ladies and gents, as I am suffering from over-analysis of a minor detail, I turn to you for assistance. At the top of the journal, you should see a poll. Please choose which option you think might look best for the scout aeronef. A few pictures here should help with your visualizations.

Roped Stantions. From Baron Von J.

Stantions available from Reviresco - with solid rails

  Any other thoughts, please feel free to comment!

A few newly finished figures

   I have finally finished Her Majesty (God Bless Her!), Victoria I, Empress of India, Queen of the United Kingdoms of Great Britain, etc., etc. The figure came from Eureka.

She is not amused.

   Next up is Khana Reeyah, the Exalted One. The figure is a Parroom Stations miniature that has been languishing in the bin for a few years, and on the table for a year or so. Finished him up finally. His white robes are a mark of his ritual purity. The blue and gold signify his royal status and House. The golden mask is worn at all times in public.

Khana Reeyah, the Exalted One

   Last, I finished the last touches on a unit of Aetherbattalion in 6mm. I used Baccus British colonials and paint converted them. I mean, really, in 6mm scale, can you tell the difference?

II. Battalion, AR. 1

Progress on the HMSW Gargantua

   Colonel O'Truth has been a very busy man, working on a second - and much larger - walker. The engine is complete now, and he's posted photos of his progress. You can see one here, but for the rest, you'll need to go to his blog

.

Current Progress

   Just a few quick photos of a few things that I finally got finished.

6mm Walkers

15mm Khurasan Reptilian Hunters

Bluestone Spear, a reptilian hunter

Charges to Glory, a reptilian hunter

   This is a head swap I have been working on. I have never done one before, so this is an interesting project. The head comes from Black Pyramid's Tea Wars line. I have about ten more, quite nice. The body is a Mordian. Much cheaper on eBay than Praetorians.

Painting Update, and an Error!

  I made a mistake oh those many years ago when I originally painted the French Legion Extraterrestriale. And it is a dumb one. The trousers should probably be madder red, not white. Which makes even more sense on Mars than it does on Earth. So I probably need to go back and fix that.

  Also, look here in the next day or so for photos of the new British tripod walker I finally finished. Finally is an exaggeration - I only got it earlier this month. For me, that's blazingly quick to get to something. I also have a unit of 15mm German line done, with an additional musician. I'm nearly done with the second unit (units of 10). They are easy paint jobs, but I haven't been concentrating my efforts very well.

Work in Progress

   Well, I have finally gotten back to the painting table, at least a bit. Most of what I have to show you today (tonight?) is not finished. Still needs shading, basing, and flat clearcoat, at least.

This is a 15mm Clockwork Trooper by Black Hat Miniatures. I call them Klanktruppen.

They're Prussian. Note the red collar and blue chestplate.

Here are my new 15mm Prussian infantry, also from Black Hat.

I'm pretty happy with them.

This figure is one of a 10-man unit of Martian Archers. From RAFM's Space 1889 Line.

They are done. Finally.

Prussian Line

6th East Prussian Regiment Nr. 43:

Deploying to Venus?

  Reports have been filtering in via aethrgraphic relay that a new regiment of German Imperial troops is mobilising for departure to the Venusstadt garrison. This regiment, the 6th East Prussian Regiment (Nr. 43) has for years been brigaded with the elite 1st Grenadier Regiment (Kronprinz). The increase in German presence on the Jungle Planet is worrying for Her Majesty's government. Sadly, the militaristic history of the German Empire leads many to believe the worst of them and their motives.

   To date, it is known for certain that the regiment has been practicing aethership loading andaether-transport drills. It is the sincere hope of this journal that the Hun is not thinking of reaching his dirty paws out to grab for territory rightly belonging to Her Britannic Majesty (God Bless Her!) on Venus or elsewhere in the System. Though surely he would receive a well-earned thrashing, the expenditure of gold and blood on such a venture would be unfortunate for the Empire.

[Editor's Note: Jingoistic as it may be, I do have some Prussians coming off the painting table soon. A good twenty of them hav ebeen started, and are nearing completion, but the hour got late last night ere I could complete the task. Perhaps tomorrow, as tonight I have other nefarious plans.]

Painting Drought and other Thoughts

I am in a serious painting drought, although I have gotten some figures painted for me. I think that when I get back from Historicon, I will be re-energized and get some solid painting done. But it has been almost six weeks since I held a brush with intent to paint. Sad, really.

Also, I am looking into some 6mm figures as well. Gonna check them out at Historicon. Probably buy a few strips, kick the tires, that sort of thing. Why? It has to do with Secret Project X. Which I think I am going to spill the beans on in a bit. When its done. Hopefully by month's end. There is stuff going on. Really. Just not out in the open. Frustrating, innit?

Starting work on Aethergraph issue 2. I have a couple of submissions, but would love more. Look for stuff from Hive Queen and Country, and hopefully a few other rule sets and settings as well. Still, send more submissions to me at aethergraph@gmail.com!

It Only Looks Quiet...

You see, ladies and gents, things around here only look quiet. In reality, I've been a very busy boy the last few weeks. I am working with an author as editor on a new set of Victorian Science Fiction rules. I won't announce anything here just yet, but the editing is nearly complete on the core rules for the game. I am hoping that something will be finished by the end of this week.

I'm not getting paid for this in anything but rules and credit, but who knows? It may lead to some paying gigs as an editor in the future!

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...

February Goal Update

February is a short month, so not much time to get projects finished. With that in mind... I need to hurry up!

Finish current vessels for Republic of Venice's Aeronef fleet (4)

0% progress.

Finish ten Hydra Miniatures Vardu sprout warriors

0% progress.

January leftover: 40 15mm Zulus

90% Received from painter. Need to base and clearcoat.

January leftover: 10 Feral Martians

90% done. Just need to base and clearcoat.

Repaint on old edition of GW Skink Stegadon for Venus

20%(?) done. Body has a basecoat on it. Need work on scales, spikes, howdah and crew.

Ten 28mm Copplestone German Marines as Atherbattalion

About 50% done. Most base color on, but still need shading and details, plus base and clearcoat.

Armorcast Gothic Laboratory Power Generator

About 50%. Trying to get a cool glowing look out of the gratings.

Gah! Doesn't look all that good. I think I have been too distracted by Valentine's Day, the Olympics, and other projects not on the official project list. For instance, hunting down GW minis on eBay, painting a couple of cowboys for next weekend's convention, the new unobtainite terrain (although that only took about thirty minutes of work), and a few other things I have been kicking around.

January Wrap-up

This was originally scheduled to be done on Sunday night, but life got in the way. I had already scheduled my February goals post for the 1st, so that made it on time. Must take advantage of the opportunity to pre-schedule more often.

• Finish the aeronef fleet for the Papal States

Essentially completed. Two ships only need to be clear-sprayed. Cold weather this weekend prevented spraying outside in the garage.

• Paint ten 25mm feral Martians (RAFM High Martians)

50% completed. One prototype only needs basework and clearcoating. 9 other models are in base colors, but need shading, basework, etc.

• Paint forty 15mm Zulus

Cheated. Sent them to be painted. Expect to receive this month.

• Finish twenty 15mm German Luftschiffetruppen

Completed. In the display case. Put a fork in it. Done.

So, it looks like I got about half done. Maybe more, if you take out the Zulus. Mark up one 'miss' for the year. This sets me back a good ways on my February goals as well. Wish me luck... I'm gonna need it!

Weekend Progress

Actually got a bit of brush time in this past weekend.


The Papal States vessels of the Italian Confederation Combined Aeronavy are almost done, even with the changes I made to the paint scheme. All that is left is one cruiser that needs a bit of detailing and a dig battleship that needs touchup. Then all eight vessels are off to be clearcoated.


Also got a good deal of work done on the 15mm Luftschiffetruppen. All that is left is basing on a few (six or so) and then clearcoating. Mark this unit down as 90% complete. Pictures later this week.


I am also in the process of rebasing many of my Mars-based units to a standard style. I did both Sentinels and several other figures (15 in all).


So, with only one weekend left in the month, I am skeptical about meeting my monthly goal. The Zulus are taken care of, though not finished yet. The Nefs are going pretty well, and the Luftschiffetruppen. But I got to get on those ferals!


Oh well. Must sleep now.