In The Future There Will Be Robots!

I just wanted to show off some of the toys we have amassed for our Mecha project for Station 42.  I've already shown one of the mechs with the Titania Planetary Guard update.  Here are some of the others.  Many if not all of these will make and appearance in our "Station 42 War" campaign.
We will still be using "No Limits" as our rules which will make it easy to create stats for these models but we will also be adding several house rules and some new equipment which I will publish as the project progresses.  Eventually I would like to pick up some nicer models but for now we are using these to kind of test out our rule ideas.

20 Angry Questions from The Angry Lurker!

 The Angry Lurker posted these 20 angry questions on his blog.  I decided they were so angry I would have to post some shots from my photography portfolio so as not to scare people off.

1.  Favorite Wargaming period and why?
Science fiction which should be pretty obvious from my blog here.  I like Science Fiction because I like space exploration and space ships and even though it sounds cheesy space really is the final frontier.

2.  Next period, money no object?
I would love to do a Viking Saga game with good ships and minis.  Really take the time to do them nicely.

3.  Favorite 5 films?  Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Serenity, The Lord or the Rings Trilogy, Empire Strikes Back.

4.  Favorite 5 TV series?
Firefly, Star Trek TOS, Eureka, Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica

 5.  Favorite Book and Author?
H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Stories

6.  Greatest General?
Sir James "The Black" Douglas or more properly "Good" Sir James Douglas.

7.  Favorite Wargame Rules?
I loves me some classic Battle Tech.

8.  Favorite Sport and Team?
SCA heavy combat.  Calontir.

 9.  If you had a use once only time machine when and where would you go?
The Future.

10.  Last Meal on Death Row?
Bacon and beer.

11.  Fantasy Relationship and why?
Rachel Weisz.  Lets not be stupid here.  She's hot and I love when British chicks say "knickers" like it's the naughtiest word in the English language.

12.  If your life were a movie who would play you?
Jack Black

 13.  Favorite Comic Super Hero?
Conan.  Because Fuck You that's why.

14.  Favorite Military Quote?
"He who does more is more worthy"  Geoffroi De Charny

15.  Historical destination to visit?
Rome.

16.  Biggest Wargame regret?
I wish I could get back some of the miniatures I have sold over the years.

17.  Favorite Fantasy Job?

Editorial Fashion Photographer.

18.  Favorite Song?  Top 5?

No Quarter by Led Zeppelin, Nothing Else Matters by Metallica,  Hold the Heathen Hammer High by Tyr, Cry of the Black Birds by Amon Amarath, Float by Flogging Molly 

19.  Favorite Wargaming Moment?

The "Station 42 War" home campaign my wife and I are playing.  The best combination we have had of finished terrain and minis.  Even though it's narrative we have tried to keep it realistic.    

20.  The miserable git question.  What upsets you?

Working a crappy night job that gets in the way of gaming, photography, and family.    

Hell Knights Regulars Rifle Squad

I just finished assembling a Hell Knights rifle squad.  This is the third squad I have put together with the pig Iron heads which I chose for this army.  These guys take quite a while to assemble because I have to shave off all the Imperial symbols and fit the heads.  I'd say they take almost an hour each.
This squad I am going to paint as a squad of "regulars".  The other rifle squad I have painted and the one I have base coated are veteran squads.  In order to tell the difference I am going to base these in olive green instead of dark brown and I don't think I will be doing these with a camouflage pattern.  Their web gear and other equipment will stay the same color as the other squads which should tie them in.
Eventually I want to have a whole platoon of three Regular squads and three Veteran squads.  I have enough models to do one more rifle squad so I will have two squads of each until I can afford to pick up a couple more squads and at GWs prices that may be a while.  

Titania Planetary Guard Update

I just wanted to post a pic of the Titania Planetary Guard army that we have been working on for the "Station 42 War".  I just finished up a Battle Mech and a tank for it and the command squad as well.  I think we are going to try and add one or two more tanks and some APCs or transport vehicles as well as some support artillery next.
This army is pretty cool for us in the fact that it cost us about $50.00.  

More Titania Planetary Guard Reinforcements

Hey I'm working on another tank for the Titania Planetary Guard and a new Battle Mech as well.  The Mech is a M.A.R.S. toy that I got at Walgreens.  It is about 7 inches tall and I got three different mechs for about $14.00.  They are a little on the chunky and static side but I like their styling.  I still have weathering, a wash, and final details to go on both of these.

General Drake and a Medic for the Titania Planetary Guard.

I've had a General Drake figure from Reaper Miniatures Chronoscope line ever since he came out.  He's a nice miniature but he's a bit on the tall side.  I think Reaper made him for ACOM which was suppose to be a 28mm game set in their CAV universe and I think they had planned to do all their models as 1/48th scale.  Anyhow I painted him up to be the leader of the renegade Titania Planetary Guard units for our Station 42 War campaign.
The "medic" is actually a pulp era "not" Laura Croft which I think I got off of Cool Mini or Not.  I don't really remember any other details about her.  She's a pretty nice mini but I have no idea who sculpted her.
I panted this pair up real quickly using the same technique we used for the rest of the army.  Nothing fancy but serviceable.   

Anti Grav AFV almost done!

 I'm just about done with this project!  All I have left is a to make an automated weapons mount for the spot where I removed the machine gun and I have one more hole to cover in the hull that I missed before I snapped these shots.  I should have it painted soon.

Battle at the Old Mining Town (a No Limits Station 42 War Game Report)

A "Hell Knights" APC engages Militia vehicles.

 Titania News Network:  Just a few short hours ago Titania militia forces and renegade Planetary Guard units came under attack from the Hell Knights mercenary company.  Our "Flyspy" news drones managed to record several images from the battle as it occurred.  

A civilian truck comes under mercenary fire.

 Titania forces were escorting a convoy of civilian vehicles out of Station 42 loaded with supplies for the resistance when they came under attack from Hell Knights, armor, infantry, and mech forces.  At least one mech scale "Battle Suit" was spotted among the mercenary forces.

Titania Militia units engage a mercenary APC.

 The conflict going on in the Station 42 region has been escalating for months.  The government of Titania acquired several hydroponics farms and mining claims in the region by use of eminent domain claiming that the land was going to be used for terra-forming facilities to provide planetary upgrades.   Instead building the facilities a  company known as Smith and Wilson Agricultural purchased the land.  The farmers and citizens of the region banded together and refused to leave.

The convoy moves into a gauntlet of deadly fire.

 Smith and Wilson Agriculture then hired to "Hell Knights" to enforce their claim to the properties.  So far the fighting has been mostly small in scale and limited to the region around Station 42.  Sympathy for the resistance groups has been wide spread across Titania.

Tanks from both sides trade fire.

 The battle that took place today was small in scale but brutal.  The Hell Knights have employed armored units and mechs before but never so many at one location.  They seemed determine to stop the Titania convoy.  The convoy was escorted by a Planetary Guard tank and several improvised armored cars as well as trained militia units and Planetary Guard fire teams.

Carson Boon is spotted fighting along side a unit of Planetary Guard.

Carson Boon and members of his militia were among the combatants.  Boon is believed to be the senior leader of militia units involved in the conflict.

Damaged and destroyed civilian and militia vehicles crash into abandoned buildings.

 As the battle raged many of the civilian vehicles were destroyed by the mercenary mechs and armored vehicles.  Mercenary snipers positioned on the large mesa and old silo also did considerable damage to the light vehicles.

A mercenary APC feels the sting of a Laser Canon.

 The Planetary Guard Tank put up as strong resistance taking out three armored personal carriers and damaging the mercenary hover tank.

Mercenary and Planetary guard tanks engaged at point blank range.

 For a good portion of the battle these two heavily armored vehicles traded fire.  Though the mercenary tank was heavily damaged it was not destroyed.

A mercenary mech scores a hit on the Planetary Guard tank.

 The mercenary mech was also badly damaged but not destroyed.  It was instrumental in destroying several civilian and militia vehicles.

Militia sniper "Redjack" lies motionless on the ground.

 The notorious militia sniper known as "Redjack" was noted among the militia casualties although his status is unknown at this time.  Evidence points to one of the Hell Knights snipers as the shooter.

The wreckage of several resistance and mercenary vehicles.

Most of the civilian and militia vehicles were destroyed by the end of the fighting.  It is estimated that the Titania forces lost close to 20 fighters and drivers while the mercenary casualties numbered at least 15 fighters and three armored personal carriers.  Only one civilian supply truck managed to pass through the mercenary gauntlet and it's location is unknown at this time.

At the end of the fighting the remaining mercenary forces withdrew from the area leaving the Titania forces to attempt to salvage their supplies and tend to their wounded.

This has been Alphonso Marks reporting for the Titania News Network.

Additional "Flyspy" coverage of the battle can be found in this gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43472766@N05/sets/72157630926721772/

Breaking News! Battle at the old mining town.

Titania News Network:  This just in.  Titania militia groups and renegade planetary guard units have come under attack at the old mining town.  Our "Flyspy" news drone captured this image of the intense fighting between Titania forces and the "Hell Knights" mercenary company.  It appears that the Titania forces have been ambushed while attempting to move a convoy of supplies and equipment out of Station 42.  We will bring you more on this story as it develops.

Anti Grav Assault AFV Work in Progress

A while back I made this post about a toy AFV I found at Dollar General.  It's a pretty big sucker especially with those wheels.  For the last couple days I've been working on futurising it.  I replaced the wheels with some odd looking pencil sharpeners that represent the anti grav drive.  I also replaced the gun with a scratch built laser canon made from the guts of a mechanical pencil and some wooden beads.  I also cut off all the gas cans and mufflers and other inconsistent bits. 

This is suppose to represent a super heavy AFV designed to transport heavily armored troops into the thick of a battle and then act as support for them.  It's basically the equivalent of a Land Raider for Warhammer 40k. 

I've still got some detailing to do to cover up the holes that resulted from removing the details.  I'm going to cover them up with tech bits but since I want to be able to make more of these I'm going to try and stick with easily acquired items.   

Scratch built APCs finished!

We finished up the three anti grav APCs.  I'm really happy with the results!  I thought I should show them with some troops. 

Three little AFVs

Well I have all three of my cardboard AFVs to the same stage of painting.  I also put a wash on them after I took this picture.  The wash got a little dark but I think I will be able to fix them.  I'm still really happy with them.  I should have them done completely tomorrow. 

Scratch built APC painting WIP

 Just a quick update.  I've got the base paint job done.  Now I just need to add battle damage and a wash then go back in and add the final details.

We have two more of these in the works at the moment and we plan to make a few more.  We even have a tank body we are working on as well as a staff car and a couple trucks.

Scratch built anti grav vehicle!

 We built the hulls for a few anti gravity vehicles a couple months ago for our Station 42 War campaign but we shelved them because we thought we might find a better alternative.  Unfortunately we did not find many alternatives that we felt we could afford.  In fact only a few companies make anti grav or hover AFVs in 28mm.  There are a hand full of hover or anti grav tanks but very few APCs and they are almost all quite expensive resin cast models.  To top that off most of those models that are out there are made by small companies in the U.K. and shipping is also quite high.

 My wife made the hulls and added the hatches and windows and plating then I added the details.  I'm calling it a Light Anti Grav Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle or "Lagarev" for short.  It's intended role is somewhere between that of a Humvee and an M113 APC.  It's a lightly armored multi role vehicle not intended for front line combat.  It is however very fast and can carry a variety of support weapons.

 Most Lagarevs are also drone rigged so they can be piloted remotely from a remote base well behind the front lines although the drone drivers and gunners are usually less effective than trained crew this feature allows the Lagarev to deploy troops then return for a pickup without the need for a crew.  It also makes it easier for comrades of wounded troops to provide medical assistance during evacuation rather than be concerned with vehicle operation.

 Here is a shot of the front of the vehicle.  I'm not totally satisfied with this angle.  It doesn't look very interesting but I may add some stowage when I finish painting the model.

 Here is a rear shot.  It's slightly better looking than the front.  I think I'm going to paint the zip tie strips I used for detailing up as light bars rather than adding traditional headlights.

 Here is a shot of the anti grav drive made mostly from disposable razors and zip tie bits.  There is also a piece of plastic canvas between the drives to add some more detail to the bottom of the model.  I figure if I need to flip them on their side to show they are wrecked I don't want just a plan underside.

Here is a shot of the weapon mount with a different weapon.  I have several of these that I got from a set of cheap toy robots.  They are intended to be shoulder mounted on the robots but I like the look of them as automated weapons.

I've considered going in and trying to clean these up with some putty but they kind of are what they are and I need to have the three we have started done by Sunday for a game so it's unlikely I'll do any more detail work.

I'll be painting these in my Hell Knights cammo pattern with markings.  I'm hoping that will make them look a bit nicer.  All in all though I'm pretty happy with the results especially since these are made from scrap cardboard and junk.  They probably cost less than a dollar in materials.

2nd Battle of Bunker 1138

 With the ammo recovered by the crew of the "Maxed Out" the Titania Planetary Guard and the local militia units decided it was time to re-take Bunker 1138.  The Hell Knights have been using the bunker as a Forward Operating Base since they took control of it early in the conflict.  The Hell Knights were outnumbered two to one but they had superior skill and equipment.

 The first shots exchanged were between the snipers.  The Hell Knights sniper wounded Redjack from Boon's Militia but Redjack and the other militia snipers returned fire and took the merc out.

 The Pleasant Valley Neighborhood Watch moved into cover behind some discarded barrels on the left flank of the Titania forces but many were gunned down by the Armored Assault squad in the bunker.  The heavy blasters of the mercenaries were more than a match for light militia troops.

A militia technical moves in to support the Titania forces.  These lightly armored but heavily armed vehicles have proven quite dangerous in previous battles.

 More technicals come into play providing cover for Dutton's gang. as they advance into cover near the center of the Titania Forces line.

 On the left flank of the mercenary line the Hell Knights Scouts trade fire with Titania Planetary Guard units.  Both sides take heavy casualties.

 On the mercenaries right flank another technical arrives and cuts the other Hell Knights scout squad to ribbons which causes the survivors to break and run.

 A Titania Planetary Guard tank enters the field on the Titania forces right flank.  Armed with a laser cannon and a scatter laser it is well equipped to handle heavy and light threats.

 One of the technicals is taken out of action by the mercenary "Marksman" battle suit but it take some damage in the exchange.

 Dutton's Gang doesn't find any more protection from the chemical barrels than the Pleasant Valley crew did.  The Hell Knights veteran rifle squads prove their marksmanship.

 Two other technicals are taken down by the battle suit and armored assault squad.  The open ground in front of the bunker is proving to be a nasty kill zone.

 The Planetary Guard Tank moves in and starts trading shots with the veteran rifle squad.  The tank takes some damage from the battle suit but continues to advance knocking down a tent in the middle of the field.

 One squad of veteran riflemen are taken down through the combined fire of the tank and the Planetary Guard troops on the opposite ridge.

 Dutton's Gang retreats from it's position in the center of the Titania line after suffering heavy casualties.

 Bodies begin to pile up in a crater on the Titania forces left flank.  The rest of the Pleasant Valley Neighborhood Watch lie dead or wounded along with several Planetary Guards.

 The Tank and the Battle Suit continue to exchange fire.  Both are damaged but not taken out of action.

 Carson Boon is shot down near the wreckage of one of the militia technicals.  His force field fails to protect him against the heavy blasters of the Armored Assault Squad.

Though they had inflicted serious casualties on the Titania forces the Hell Knights commander could see that it was unlikely that he or his men would survive.  The mercenary contacted the Planetary Guard commander and offered terms.  The Mercenaries offered to withdraw with their wounded if the Titania forces would halt their assault.  The Planetary Guard commander agreed to the terms.

Notes:  We played this battle out over a month ago.  Since then we have also played another Episode of "Maxed Out" that I need to put up.  I'm not entirely sure if I got all the details correct but this is basically how things turned out.  I believe we gave the Titania forces a point advantage because they were assaulting a fortified position.  I think the next battle will be a straight up fight.