On the workbench

I was gettin' kinda depressed that I'm about to get some time off (and away from the blog), and that the previous (photo-less) post might be the last for a week or so.
So here's another post with a couple small pics of what I have lined up. I have a few Reaper figures for Jeff, and, for War Rocket, I have these old Ork and Imperial fighters from Games Workshop. These ships are still available from GW's specialist store (under Epic), but they aren't cheap: around $20 for a group of 3 or 4. They are JUST a tad smaller than their War Rocket counterparts, but close enough. I will paint these up in some rough schemes to act as Class 1 pirate ships, for use in demoing the game. Rules-wise (until actual pirate stats come out), I'll use Imperial movement rules.

What to do now?

Dang, those rockets were such a blast to paint! I don't want to move on to anything else yet. I can come back to War Rocket easily enough, though.

I do have a bunch of Reaper figures to paint for Jeff (so I can earn a box set of Gamma World.) I'll probably start a few of those this week. But it's gonna be another busy week at work, followed by a little vacation- and I won't be painting during vacation; perhaps I'll use that time to add some fluff over at the 523rd's blog.
I'll try to finish )and post) at least one of the Reaper figures before I take off.

When I do come back to War Rocket, I want to paint up an Imperial fleet, but I also want to get a couple more Galacteer Class 2 ships. I want to model one as if it's landed. The other I will sacrifice as a crashed ship (for rescue scenario possibilities.)

The 523rd Survey Squadron: Sagan's Sideshow

Here it is! The full squadron, complete. The only thing left to do is paint the tiny pips at 60-degree intervals around the bases. These ships are incredibly easy, fast and fun to paint; it took me longer to prepare the bases and construct the ships than paint them. Rip, do you have anything to add?

"Dammit, I love this squadron! That's about all I have to say about that, though I am particular to your photo of the attack from head-on -- what I like to call Marduk View. So, boy, when you gonna find me some Imperial ships to launch torpedoes into?"

Hehe, as soon as I can, Rip. I'm waiting for the Class 3 and 4 ships to be released, so that the 523rd has something a bit more challenging to go up against. Note, the radar dish on the Class III was made from a piece of greenstuff that I rolled into a ball. I let it cure and then cut it in half. A piece of brass rod and done! With the other half I made the dish for Aunt Sally (the Class II with the large dish offset from center of the nose. You can see her fourth from left in the foreground of the third pic below.)

Here is the entire squadron in review flight. Note, while in review in front of fleet command, the squadron would not be carrying torpedo pods on the Class II ships. 

Here is the squadron in attack formation, what Capt. Sagan so lovingly calls, "Marduk view."

The core of the squadron, Class II "torpedo" boats.

Command Flight of the 523rd. Strongman is flanked by Fixer and Bagman, along with a contingent of fighters.

Another view of Strongman. Notice the transmitter on the top of the fuselage.

War Rocket: 523rd Squadron fighter escort

Here's the full compliment of the 523rd's fighter escort (along with the painted variants -- my first two prototypes and my two 75th Stellar Eagles variants.)

BLAST OFF!!!

Not really hobby-related, but it's still my art (specifically, something I doodled during a staff meeting); If I ever quit my job, this is how I'm going to do it:

War Rocket: New blog

I've started a new blog for my War Rocket squadron. It's mostly where I'll just store little bits of fan-fiction I write for fun. Give it a quick read if you like, but modelling and painting articles will remain here at Fun Painty Time.

The new blog can be found at: http://523rdsquadron.blogspot.com/

War Rocket: 523rd Squadron finished flight

I've finished painting my first group of the 523rd for playing War Rocket. I like this paint job better than the first version (seen in the back of the torpedo run photo.) This version of the paint job "kills the Naboo" yet allows me to keep the yellow-gray combination.

It was a little difficult figuring out how to pull the yellow over the top of the fuselage on Hunchback (that's the Class 2 ship firing the red torpedo) with its characteristic sensor "hump," but none of the any other Class 2 ships should be too difficult to paint. In fact, none of this batch was too difficult. It took me almost exactly one listening of the Flash Gordon soundtrack to finish these (pre-primed.)
Rip, do you have anything to add?

"Damn fine ships, boy, DAMN fine ships! You folks might wonder why them torpedoes are two different colors. Well, we borrowed the red one from Ace McGuire's boys, and the other was from the 998th, but we had to give'em a quick paint job, to make'em look like sensor drones after Fleet sent a surprise inspector. I remember that day. I sure as hell am glad the Inspector didn't put his hands on the wet paint.
Another thing; them ships somewhat resemble birds of prey. Well, in the old days of the Galactic Protection Force, the 523rd was actually the 75th Star Eagles Squadron. When the Galacteers was founded, the 75th was reorganized into the 523rd. As the 75th, the gray on the ships was actually silver. Otherwise, the pattern has remained unchanged."

Interesting, Captain. Thanks for that little bit of history. In fact, I may paint up a couple of the Class 1 fighters using the old 75th's colors (simply changing the gray to silver.)

The last two ships are a couple support ships, a freighter and a tanker. The reighter is all Sculpey with a piece of brass rod for the gun. The tanker is made from random bits from the bits box. They're a little smaller than I would like them, but then again, it's a small squadron.

"Yes, they are small, but the freighter is certainly large enough to bring in a full compliment of torpedoes. Hmmm, I wonder if I can outfit that ugly beast to fire torpedoes on her own? That'd scare the willakers out of old Marduk, hehe."

UPDATE: I painted up a Class 1 ship as the 75th Star Eagles. I think it looks pretty slick. And it painted up scary-fast! About 10 minutes. I'll probably do one more like this. The remainder will be the yellow-gray combo.

War Rocket: Freakshow and Aunt Sally

"Rip here. I just wanted to fill ya in on a couple minor details before the fleet heads to the paint factory. These two Class 2 ships are Freakshow and Aunt Sally. Freakshow is so named because he has had his nose chopped down to make way for a radar dish. Aunt Sally is named for the old carnival game. In the game, a figure of an old woman was set up with a clay pipe protruding from her mouth. Rubes would take turns throwing a ball or stick to try to break the clay pipe. This Class 2 is so named because she has the large stellar survey system slung under her chin, reminiscent of the clay pipe of old. Incidentally, Aunt Sally flies paired up with me and Bearded Lady. Ok, it's been a long day and I hear a rum and Coke calling my name. It's saying, 'Rip, you old sonofabitch, partake of some Sailor Jerry!' Who am I to say no?"

War Rocket: Construction continues

"Rip Sagan, here. Construction on the squadron's new ships continues unabated. You can see here that the fellas couldn't even wait for a coat of paint before taking some of the ships out on a test flight. A minor operational note: All of my Class 2 ships have sideshow names (such as Bearded Lady, Aunt Sally and Freak Show), I've also named the fighters of each flight. We have the Elmers, Chumps, Rubes and Townies. I think you get the gist. Damn, I do miss a good county fair. Anyway, I'm gonna try to call the ships by their operational names from now on, so pay attention!"

Here you can also see some of the sensors and other additions *cough torpedoes* I have made in the back room of the factory. And I do apologize for the out of focused photographs here. No tripod and a damned eyepatch ( for which I have yet to talk to a Zenethian about) contribute to some damned crappy photography."

"Excuse me, Captain, but I can see the rods holding up your 'flying' ships."

"Everybody out! I'm about to give some damn flying lessons!!"

54mm Waiteri tribe: A few group shots

Here are just a few shots of my Waiteri tribe. Until I finish my mammoth, I'll have the tribe hunt some dinosaurs (yeah, I know, a few years off course -- welcome to the lost world). I definitely have enough dinosaurs to keep the tribe busy. I believe this triceratops is from Schliech. Hmmm, lost world? I'll see how the sculpting of my female rocketeer goes. If it goes well, perhaps I can sculpt a few Victorian hunters and a few bearers to discover my Waiteri?

Yeah, maybe next year. For this scale, I still have a mammoth, the aforementioned rocketeer, and a few more Conan characters to sculpt (plus Jeff's Conan figure!) Then I have War Rocket ... What? Right away, sir!... That was Captain Sagan; I have to get back to work on the rocket ships.

War Rocket: Tour of the factory floor

"Rip Sagan here. I'm yer tour guide, so stay close and listen the hell up: Here are all the ships of the 523rd squadron. That's 12 Comets, 8 Supernovas, and a Pulsar -- that's 21 ships fer those of ya who have a damn problem with math. The comets serve escort, while the larger craft have all been outfitted with the latest in high-falutin' sensory and data-gatherin' equipment; those are Command's words.

You'll notice a couple ships have been named. If the fleet is gonna insult us with a name like 'Sideshow,' I'm gonna sideshow up my squadron like it means nuttin'. Strong Man is our pulsar and command ship. He'll be fitted with either a large dish or sensor pod above the fuselage possibly between the wings. Bearded Lady is named after the large sensor pod under her chin. She is also my personal ship in the squadron."

"But Mr. Rip, shouldn't your ship be the Strong Guy?"

"Shut the hell up! Who's givin' the tour here?!"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry. Don't hurt me."

"Now, if you folks take a look at the cylinder under the wing of Bearded Lady; That pod contains one genuine space torpedo, guaranteed to be one hell of a pain in the ass for his grand, regal, imperial majesty, that nitwit Marduk.

You may have also noticed the torpedoes lined up on the floor. That, ladies and gentlemen is how many torps three cases of bourbon will get ya at Asteroid Base Theta. Lieutenant Drummond drives a high price, but he keeps his mouth shut, speakin' of which, none of you heard that."

"Captain, sir, am I to understand you plan to use these torpedoes against Marduk's forces? Is not your squadron a reconnaissance unit? I've seen the schematics and flight organizations for this kind of unit, and ..."

"Crap in a handbasket! I'm gettin' sick of people who think they know everything because they have the latest copy of Osprey's Elite Aviation Units or Jane's All the Galaxy's Fleet ships. The hell with it- everybody get the hell outta here. Tour's over!!"

On the table: War Rocket and Reaper

So my patron, Jeff, picked up a small load of Reaper figures for me to paint for his D&D table. This is great for me: I paint figures for Jeff, and he buys me stuff. With this batch, I'll be able to get Gamma World, a few more hobby supplies, and some more War Rocket ships. I've got 4-6 figures I'm going to start with, enough for Gamma World, but not too many that I can't also do my War Rocket stuff. I've also got a small bag of more Reaper from Jeff- around 10-15 figures(?) I haven't counted. If I can find a simple one, I may try some fast-painting techniques again.

As you can see on the table, I also have some War Rocket ships sitting around. I've been modifying them to fit my fictitious 523rd squadron. The squadron is a survey/scout/reconnaissance squadron, so I'm adding things such as sensor pods, antenna and (hopefully) radar dishes (I need to figure out how to make them that tiny). But the squadron is also know for fitting its ships with space torpedoes, so I've been adding a small torpedo under the wings of each Class II ship. My second order didn't beat Labor Day weekend, so I'll have to wait (until probably just Tuesday or Wednesday -- no biggie.) The second order essentially doubles what you see on the table, and adds a Class III ship.

I'll fill in on the details of the War Rocket ships conversion work once I get my second order and I start working in earnest. I may have Capt. Rip Sagan narrate those posts (much like the narration clouds in the War Rocket rule book.)

On a final note: I'm starting to varnish my Waiteri tribe. Once they are all varnished up and protected, I think I'll try to take a few group shots with them and post those here. Perhaps some more scenery pics such as those with the scouts a few weeks back.

Captain Dick "Rip" Sagan

Captain "Rip" Sagan of the 523rd Squadron takes a break from work in the sensor room of the squadron's class III command ship.

(I was bored, had a few minutes, a camera, the Internet and Photoshop.)

Chronoscope figure (plus notes on other stuff)

So I was getting eager to get to War Rocket stuff, and wanted to get this figure finished. So I decided to try some fast-painting techniques: ink washes, simple brush strokes, three-color shading. The figure turned out ok; I wouldn't display him on the shelf as a regular piece, but he'll do great on the Doom board. It's not that the figure turned out all that bad, it's just that this is probably not a good sculpt to try to fast paint. The face was especially difficult to do because it is scrunched up, tiny and half buried in some of that shoulder armor.

If you want to give this figure a try (paint slow), this is Reaper Chronoscope figure No. 50112 Phat Clark gang boss.

So one project down and a other to go. I have another 54mm Conan figure sent to me by Jeff- THANKS, JEFF!!!! This is an actual Conan the Barbarian figure by Heritage from the early 1980s. I'm going to strip the paint, make a nice base, and try to take my time on this one when his time comes. I will keep his original sword; it's a little bent, but it's otherwise a solid blade for being lead. It's a nice little piece with a lot of great character. Don't worry, you'll all see it soon enough :)

Another 54mm sidenote: I almost forgot I had my female rocketeer. Hmm, I don't think I'm QUITE ready to finish her. Not that I lack drive, I just don't think I quite have the skill yet to do what I want to do with the figure.

That leaves me with War Rocket. And the final ships to complete my squadron are on their way! I'll have enough ships to model all 21 ships of the 523rd squadron -- that -- and I've figured out a solution to my 60-degree turning problem: I was looking for a simple solution that used the least resources to aid in the rotation of my brass-rod mounted ships.

I will use my lipped display bases, for a few reasons: The inset area will hold some greenstuff so that the brass rod has a little bit of material to grab when I glue it in; the bases have a slightly wider footprint and a lower center of gravity; and the bases come in different sizes to accommodate the different sizes of ships.

Next, I will simply (using geometry and sorcery) paint small pips at 60-degree intervals around the outside of the base- ta-da! That works, doesn't it? The nose of the ship will point between two pips. When the ships needs to rotate, the pips will provide a self-contained point of reference (I know, I know- so would a hex base- but I just don't like those hex bases for my ships, though I will probably use them for others things such as space torpedoes, satellites, hawkmen and such.) The pips will also aid in showing firing arcs.

Really, I wanted to use my display bases, and this provides what I think is the simplest (and cheapest) solution, and all it will take is a few dots of paint.

Small batch of Chronoscope figures

Here are three more figures from Reaper Chronoscope: 50022, Reggie Van Zandt space marine (with the chain gun); 50175: “Torch” McHugh, IMEF Flame Thrower; and 50132 Jessica Blaze smuggler.

Not much to discuss with these figures. I tried a similar camo pattern on the chain gunner here as I did my first intergalactic marine. The base color is a reddish brown (started with a dark brown base and added a couple drybrushed coats of reds.)

I enjoyed painting Torch McHugh and Jessica Blaze, trying out some brighter color combinations. I have one Chronoscope figure left yet to paint. Once he is finished, I hae a big batch of figures I need to varnish (including my 54mm Waiteri tribe!) The it's time to clear my table off, get some clean water for the brushes, dig out some files, pen vise and bases and get ready to put together my War Rocket squadron... and get Sculpey at Hobby Lobby! Must remind myself yet again.

Hmm, maybe I just need to set the mammoth aside, out of sight. In a few weeks, I'll spot it again and think, "Hey, THAT would be great to finish!" This tactic of self-baiting actually works for me. I started my Empire Galley one week, then set it aside. A few months later, I saw it, thought of the possibilities and launched into a blitz build-and-paint session with it. It took me a couple weeks of on-and-off work, but it turned out great.