Kickstarter and a New Version of a Thing I Already Own

I'm not as active on Kickstarter as I was years ago. That's a conscious decision. Backer rewards from various long-ago Kickstarters are still cluttering up the place. The Reaper Bones Kickstarters are the worst offenders. My unborn grandchildren might end up inheriting unpainted Bones miniatures at this rate. I have strong disincentives to not back any more Kickstarters unless what is on offer fulfills an existing need. However, I do still check out upcoming Kickstarters from time to time.

This box is taunting me.

That's how I found out about the latest Kickstarter from Bombshell Miniatures - the ISW-71B Scout Ship. Looks great. Scaled to 28-35mm. Might be a little too retro looking to fit seamlessly into every sci-fi setting with space travel, but it's still fairly versatile. Even the interior is modeled.

I would love to support Bombshell Miniatures by backing this Kickstarter. They have never failed to give me quality service in all of my previous dealings with them.

There's just two problems.

I already own the previous version of this product - the ISW-69F Scout Ship. I received it as a reward after backing that Kickstarter in 2013. Looks great. 1/48 scale. A little too retro looking to be a seamless fit for Star Trek or Star Wars, but that wouldn't stop me from putting it on the table. No interior modeling, but it was less than half the price of the new version.

The other problem is that the one I have isn't done.

The resin pieces for the main hull are cleaned up. There's a project folder on my PC with notes on the game plan for assembly and a couple of paint schemes (I need to either figure out how to mix "Electric Mucus" green or just resign myself to painting it silver or gray). I've been considering the pros and cons of mounting it on a base (and finding a base big enough) or letting it stand free on its landing struts (and risk messing up the struts down the line). My goal is to have assembly done when the weather settles down enough to make spray priming and painting practical - April or May.

I just need to finish the Scout Ship I already own. Getting another one doesn't fill a need. I don't even know what I'd do with another one.

Those add-ons for the new Kickstarter look nice, though. And the interior for the new version is sweet.

Wizkids Star Trek Deep Cuts Unpainted Miniatures Cardassian Galor Class

Once of the challenges of running Star Trek Adventures is how to represent the ships. My initial solution involved counters, hand-waving, and imagination. Not being content with that, I decided to use die cast models from Eaglemoss for the "hero" ships - the player character crewed ship and any vessels occupied by major non-player characters. That still left me with the issue of how to represent the other ship that tend to show up in a Star Trek roleplaying campaign - the one-offs, the bit players, and tin cans that show up to provide dramatic tension and the odd space battle.

Front three-quarters view of a ship design that takes more than its fair share of weapons fire in Star Trek.

I quickly ruled out more Eaglemoss models since I didn't want to throw that much money at the problem. Even the ones I own now were purchased on sale. Counters and imagination would be the most practical fix, but I wanted something with more aesthetic appeal.

The prepainted models from Star Trek Attack Wing by Wizkids look good, but the price is still a little too high for my needs. Then I found out about their Star Trek Deep Cuts Unpainted Ships. These are much lower in price, detailed, and even come pre-primed. I ordered a small selection and tucked them away as a rainy day project.

That day came in the form of a literal rainy day. It was too humid to spray prime or paint any new or ongoing projects. And I couldn't decide on a Reaper Bones miniature to paint – my usual go-to for a rainy day project. So I broke open the packaging on a Cardassian Galor Class and picked out some paints.

Rear three-quarters view. In setting, the ship design is modelled after the Cardassian Union's national emblem.

The Process:

I choose the Cardassian Galor Class over the other Deep Cuts models because it appeared to be a relatively quick and easy paint job. The Cardassians seem fond of browns, tans, and grays for their ships.

Primer
Deep Cuts miniatures come primed out of the package, so I could skip that step. The primer works well, holding on to the paint without beading.

Base Layer
I brushed on a couple of coats of Formula P3 Menoth White Base. The color is a little too light to match the reference images I found online. I was planning on using a wash, which would darken the base color.

Details
Certain areas on the Cardassian Galor Class glow red in the reference images I was using. These areas got picked out with Reaper 09279 Fresh Blood.

Wash Layers
A layer of Army Painter Warpaint Dark Tone Quickshade worked well to bring out the recessed details. I used a sponge to wipe off the excess since I didn't want to darken the whole figure. Next I brushed on a layer of Army Painter Warpaint Strong Tone Quickshade to add a little more brown to the base color.

Product packaging and size comparison between the Cardassian Galor Class and Klingon Bird-of-Prey.

Pros:

• Good level of detail for a miniature this size (~2 inches or ~5 centimeters long).
• The titular "Deep Cuts" takes washes well, making those details stand out.
• Inexpensive.

Cons:

• Scale. Wizkids' decision not to scale their Star Trek Attack Wing ships with each other was made long ago - that ship has sailed, but that won't stop me from complaining about it as it disappears over the horizon. The Cardassian Galor Class looks like a single-seat fighter compared with the other Deep Cuts ships I own - the Klingon Bird-of-Prey and Jem'Hadar Attack Ship. It is also too small to be in scale with Eaglemoss models. That's not a deal breaker for me, but does make me wish for an alternative at a similar price.

Overall, this was a quick and fun painting project. My only reservation about this product is the scale. Otherwise, it promises to do the job I bought it to do.

Hasslefree Miniatures HFSF126 Ensign Shay

This is "Ensign Shay" - a member of a space exploration agency that sends women to explore unfamiliar planets in 1960s fashion for some reason. "Ensign Shay" is available individually or as part of the HFSFMP04 "Retro Sci-Fi Crew" set. The figures in the set appear to be a homage to a certain sci-fi franchise.

Retro fashion on a weird, unfamiliar planet.

"Ensign Shay" is the first Hasslefree Miniatures product I've put paint on. I wasn't sure about my ability to do justice to the level of detail on many of their sculpts. The additional practice I've been getting over the past several months gave me enough confidence to give it a shot. My new Winsor & Newton brush also helped.

Basing

The base is a commonly available round slotted base. I left a gap between the figure's feet and the surface of the base to leave room for the sand I use for texturing. That sand texturing was applied over PVA glue brushed on the base. I was experimenting with texturing the base before spraying on the primer as a way of simplifying the overall process. I'm not sure about the results.

Primer Layer

White auto body primer - I don't recall the brand.

Uniform

This took a few layers to get right. I started with a coat of Reaper 09003 Blood Red. Next was some slightly watered down Army Painter Warpaints Dark Tone Quickshade to bring out the recessed details. I used Reaper 09279 Fresh Blood to highlight the raised and upper areas.

Flesh and Hair

The first step was a coat of Formula P3 Menoth White Base. It works well as a underlayer for light colors. I used Reaper 09074 Palomino Gold for the hair and Reaper 09047 Fair Skin for the face, hands, and legs. The hair, face, and hands were finished with Army Painter Warpaints Soft Tone Quickshade. To simulate the appearance of dark stockings, I used Secret Weapon W001 Soft Body Black over the flesh tone.

Accessories

The boots, collar, hair band, and sidearm all got a coat of Reaper 09088 Stormy Grey. Next I used Army Painter Warpaints Dark Tone Quickshade to bring out the details and darken the color. I was concerned that just using black would obscure details like the zipper tabs on the back of the boots.

Finishing Touches

I used Citadel Colour Mithril Silver to pick out the earpiece.

Craft paints in a couple of earth tones were used on the sand texturing. That texturing came out a little muddy looking after painting. The layer of primer over it might be a factor.

The base edges were finished in black.

Looking for previously unencountered life and interstellar cultures.

I enjoyed painting this figure. It was challenging and I made a few mistakes, but I don't think I would have been able to do this good a job a year ago. The new brush helped - I've been frustrated with not being able to put the paint where I wanted it to go with some recent projects. The fine tip helps with controlling the application of paint on the figure.

Star Trek Adventures - Year by Year, Early 2372

This post continues a look at established canon for Star Trek Adventures mission ideas. The previous posts, covering 2371, can be found here and here. This post examines early 2372. An estimated date range is provided and a stardate is listed, if one is available. The main body of each entry is an overview of the event and the last part - in italics - are notes for the gamemaster. Mid- and late-2372 will be examined in follow up posts.


The Klingon Empire Invades the Cardassian Union, the Federation-Klingon Alliance Collapses

January 2372, stardate 49011.4 ("Way of the Warrior" - DS9).

The Klingon Empire invades the Cardassian Union using the possibility that Founders have infiltrated the Detapa Council as a pretext. The Federation Council condemns the invasion. In response, the Klingon Empire withdraws from the Khitomer Accords, dissolving both the Federation-Klingon alliance and the peace treaty between the two polities. All Federation citizens are expelled from the Klingon Empire. Chancellor Gowron cuts off diplomatic relations and recalls the Klingon Empire's ambassadors from the Federation.

USS Defiant intervenes by evacuating the Detapa Council to Deep Space Nine. In route, Starfleet medical personnel verify that no Detapa Council members have been replaced by Founders. Chancellor Gowron approaches Deep Space Nine with a fleet of roughly fifty warships, including the Klingon flagship IKS Negh'Var, and demands the surrender of the Detapa Council. Captain Benjamin Sisko refuses. The resulting battle is indecisive. Several Klingon warships are destroyed, more are damaged, and losses to the warriors sent to board the starbase are heavy. Deep Space Nine is damaged and several Starfleet and Bajoran Militia personnel are killed during the boarding action. Chancellor Gowron chooses to cut his losses and withdraw.

Relations between the Federation and Klingon Empire change from a political and military alliance to a low-level conflict virtually overnight. Both Starfleet and the Klingon Defense Force scramble to redeploy their ships and reactivate defenses neglected for decades along now-hostile borders. Open warfare won't break out until late in the year, but tensions are high. The player characters could be assigned to restore old defenses, patrol the borders, or reassure nervous third parties once again caught between two hostile superpowers. Enterprising gamemasters could borrow adventure ideas from the 23rd century Federation-Klingon cold war and update them for a new generation.


A Rogue Jem'Hadar Unit Captures USS Rubicon

January-February 2372, stardate 49066.5 ("Hippocratic Oath" - DS9).

USS Rubicon, a runabout assigned to Deep Space Nine, completes a bio-survey of Merik III. On its way back to the Bajoran wormhole, the runabout is brought down on Bopak III by a subspace magneton pulse. The crew - Doctor Julian Bashir and Chief Miles O'Brien - are captured by a group of rogue Jem'Hadar. The Jem'Hadar's commander - Goran'Agar - explains that he is not dependent on ketracel-white and wants the same for this soldiers. Doctor Bashir's research on the matter is ultimately unsuccessful and Goran'Agar allows USS Rubicon to leave the planet.

Deep Space Nine - and, by extension, Starfleet - continues exploration of the Gamma Quadrant despite the threat posed by the Dominion and the breakdown of relations with the Klingon Empire.

Starfleet obtains more information about the Jem'Hadar, their place within the Dominion, and ketracel-white. Meaning that the player characters can now act on that knowledge.

Figuring out how Goran'Agar can survive without an external supply of ketacel-white might be a valuable way to turn the Jem'Hadar against the Dominion. This information would be of interest to the various dirty tricks squads of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. It also makes Goran'Agar a priority target for the Dominion. A clandestine mission into the Gamma Quadrant is possible, but runs into the problem of finding a rogue Jem'Hadar who can shroud himself to avoid detection.


Artificial Wormhole Experiment Conducted Aboard USS Defiant

February 2372, stardate 49195.5 ("Rejoined" - DS9)

A Trill science team conducts an experiment to create an artificial wormhole aboard USS Defiant. Initial results are promising, but the wormhole collapses when a probe attempts transit. Further efforts are called off due to damage to USS Defiant.

The Federation ultimately fails to find a viable warp drive replacement for FTL travel - not for a lack of trying. The player characters could be involved with an artificial wormhole project building on this experimentation. It could even lead to the Pathfinder Project's success in creating short-lived micro-wormholes for FTL communications with USS Voyager starting in 2376.


Federation-Karemma Trade Negotiations Attacked by the Dominion

February-March 2372, stardate 49263.5 ("Starship Down" - DS9).

Negotiations between representatives of the United Federation of Planets, the Ferengi Alliance, and the Karemma Commerce Ministry are disrupted by a Jem'Hadar attack on the host starship, USS Defiant. The Jem'Hadar force is destroyed and the Karemma Commerce Ministry's concerns about continued trade with the Federation are addressed.

Trade between the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants continues even in the face of opposition from the Dominion. In this case, the Ferengi were used as intermediaries to avoid provoking the Dominion by directly involving the Federation. The player characters could become involved with ongoing trade efforts. This involvement could range from protecting trade routes from Dominion attack to making sure the Ferengi aren't cooking the books - again.


The First Ferengi Enters Starfleet Academy

February-March 2372, no stardate given ("Little Green Men" - DS9).

Nog, a long time resident of Terok Nor/Deep Space Nine, reports to Starfleet Academy after applying the previous year with the sponsorship of Captain Benjamin Sisko. In the next few years, Nog will progress rapidly through Academy training and his early career would be fast tracked due to Starfleet's pressing need for officers during the Dominion War. Much later, an Eisenberg-class starship would be named in honor of the first Ferengi to serve in Starfleet.

How a non-Federation citizen joins Starfleet is established - they need a "Command-level officer" to sponsor them. Exactly what that means is unclear. Is it "an officer in the Command Division" or "an officer responsible for an independent command" like a starship or station? In any event, a sponsoring officer would explain who a non-Federation citizen got into Starfleet and could be an important part of a player character's background.