My Favorite Stuff - 2020 (and 2019)

The end of any year is a time for looking back. The nature of 2020 makes it challenging to find the good among all the bad. Here are some things that I've found helpful in pursuing the hobbies that provided some respite from a hard year. This post is a sequel to a previous post back in 2018. I'm including a couple of things from 2019 since I forgot a follow up post last December. We'll see if I remember to post something like this in 2021. I hope that you find something new to try and find useful.

Some of my favorite things from 2019-2020.

2019

Every Tool's a Hammer by Adam Savage

Adam Savage is best known for his role in the long-running television show Mythbusters. However, he wouldn't gotten that role without a long career behind the scenes in prop making and special effects. He continues to produce videos and podcasts as a member of Tested, which I recommended previously. This is his first book - an effort to impart his experiences as a maker.

The book does present practical knowledge - tools, techniques, and materials. It's a fascinating read just for that, but it's not the thrust of the work.

The real value of the book is Adam Savage's descriptions of the mental processes of handling a project from idea to completion. Using lists, drawings, and mock-ups during planning. Working with deadlines. The value of cooperating and sharing knowledge with others. Maintaining a level of organization that promotes working efficiently.

I got the sense that Adam Savage was doing his best to impart his hard won experience. It would have been easy to just present his successes and triumphs, but he tells of lessons learned the hardest way - bitter and embarrassing failure. The book is the distillation of a lifelong career of making things, but I got the sense that there might be more to tell.


Small Scenes From a Big Galaxy by Vesa Lethimaki

Who knew that anyone could shoot stunning scenes of Star Wars Lego figures?

This is a coffee table book of Vesa Lethimaki's dynamic photos. Falling snow on Hoth. Flying sand on Tatooine. Mist. Fog. The illusion of moving action. I'd love to try my hand at something similar with tabletop gaming miniatures and terrain, but some of his techniques for snow seem a little messy. Of more immediate value are Vesa Lethimaki's comments on lighting and setting up shots on a small scale. Much of it is relatable to shooting miniatures.


2020

Fiskars Fingertip Detail Knife (Loop Design) 163050-1001

Three issues I've long had with craft knives are comfort, control, and setting one down. I always feel like I'm going to loose my grip on the handle or that the blade is going to go flying. And a craft knife isn't something that needs to take flight. Even worse, the pen-like design of many craft knives means that they tend to roll off a work surface if set aside for a moment. This unusual design took a little getting used to, but the grip quickly became comfortable with good control. It doesn't entirely replace the other craft knives I own - there are certain angles that it can't quite get into - but it is the first one I reach for these days.


TaoTronics Dimmable Touch Eye-Protection LED Desk Lamp TT-DL13

A birthday gift from my wife after I decided that I needed a desk lamp for detail work - things like assembling and painting terrain and miniatures. I've grabbed it off the desk a few times when I needed a strong light for photos.

The design is compact and folds out of the way when not in use. The brightness levels range from "dim, but better than what comes out of the overhead room lighting" to "high noon on a summer day" with five levels in between. I generally use the middle couple of the seven brightness settings. The color is also adjustable, ranging from a bluish-white and adding more red for a total of five settings. The USB power port doesn't see much use since it sits in the same area as my PC, but it might be handy if I ever set it up next to a comfortable chair as a proper reading lamp.


Canon EOS Rebel T7i

This was a gift I bought for myself. It is my first digital camera that isn't a point-and-shoot or built into a phone. I got it partly for shooting better photos for this blog, but mostly to do something about my long smoldering interest in photography. The Rebel T7i is a good camera to grow into - I started with the automatic settings and began experimenting with the manual settings as I've grown in confidence. It's been rewarding to build a new skill and learn about ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.


Gorilla Super Glue

So much in this hobby relies on bonding dissimilar materials together. I've developed some preferences:

Bonds quickly, but not instantly. This is a hobby I pursue in my free time. I need to squeeze in as much progress as I can in as little time as possible. Spending minutes holding pieces together as they bond doesn't help with that goal. On the other hand, I also need a little time to adjust the positioning of the parts if they are a little off.

Strong. The finished project has to stand up to regular handling during play, transport, storage, and accidents.

Reliable. Some adhesives work great, but on on specific materials or in certain conditions. I prefer something that works for a variety of projects.

Doesn't go bad in the bottle. Certain brands of cyanoacrylate have the nasty habit of solidifying between one use and the next if the seal isn't quite airtight.

This stuff meets all of those preferences. It works fast, but still gives me a little time for adjustments. The bonds are holding up, but the real test will come when we're all back to face-to-face gaming again. It's glued together everything I've tried it on to date. And the stuff remaining in the bottle is still fluid every time I've reached for it so far. That's a better showing than some super glues I've tried - some didn't even make it through a single project!

Note: This is NOT the polyurethane adhesive that Gorilla Glue Company is better known for. Gorilla Super Glue is a cyanoacrylate like most "super" glues.

Bombshell Miniatures Bug Spray

This is "Bug Spray" from Bombshell Miniatures, based on artwork by Matt Dixon. This 32mm scale miniature was introduced as part of Bombshell's "Babes" Kickstarter back in 2012. It is no longer available for purchase from Bombshell Miniatures.

"Bug Spray" going to work.

"Bug Spray" seems to draw from a variety of genre sources. Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley - particularly her depiction in Aliens - may have been the inspiration. The clothes would not be out of place on Tomb Raider's Lara Croft. And the purple hair (as seen on the original artwork) reminds me of Leela from Futurama.

Painting this figure is part of an ongoing effort to complete the out of production products in my collection. I also wanted a straightforward miniature painting project - no hydrophobic plastic to deal with or parts to assemble. This was also a chance to try out a couple of the Secret Weapon washes I picked up awhile back.

Skin
Reaper 09044 Tanned Skin. A clean, even layer was important to provide a foundation for the later wash layer.

Hair
My initial approach was a base layer of Reaper 09025 Burgundy Wine with Reaper 09024 Amethyst Purple applied as highlight. The results were disappointing. There was too much contrast between the two layers. I applied some watered down 09025 Burgundy Wine to better blend the two colors and darken the overall appearance of the hair. Next time I decide to try for purple hair, I might try reversing the initial process - using 09024 Amethyst Purple with some thinned down 09025 Burgundy Wine as a wash.

I'm not sure if the weapon is supposed to be a flame thrower, a plasma projector, or just a BFG.

Shorts
I went with a clean layer of Reaper 09158 Olive Drab and relying on the wash for shading and details.

Top
Reaper 09074 Palomino Gold with 09009 Lemon Yellow for highlighting. There was a strong contrast between the layers, but I knew that the wash I planned on applying later would bring it down.

Leather Accessories
The boots, gloves, and belt all got a clean coat of Reaper 09284 Lonestar Leather. It is a good color for relatively new leather. I would normally apply another color for a more weathered appearance, but I wanted to see what the wash layer would do.

Band Aid
Preserving this detail from the original artwork was a nice touch on Bombshell Miniature's part. Reaper 09233 Bright Skin is too pink to be useful as a skin tone, but works fine for a plastic adhesive bandage.

Weapon
I dipped into my last bottles of old Citadel Colour metallics for this part. Boltgun for the body. Tin Bitz for some of the details with Shining Gold as a highlight. Again, I was relying on the wash layer to bring things together.

Note the adhesive bandage on the right knee. A nice touch on the sculpt!

Weapon - Wash Layer
Secret Weapon W003 Armor Wash. The black-brown brings out the details and gives the weapon a used look.

Almost Everything Else - Wash Layer
Everything except the weapon, the hair, and the adhesive bandage got a layer of Secret Weapon W005 Flesh Wash. Secret Weapon calls it a "medium orange/brown tint" on their website. The tint turned out darker than I expected, but the dirty look fits the figure. The wash works well with the Reaper 09044 Tanned Skin to produce a sun-kissed tone. There is a shine that I initially found a little annoying, but I realized that it helps sell the idea of sweaty and exhausted woman who is having a bad day.

Reaper Bones 77310 Water Weird

This is a Reaper Bones Water Weird glued to a LED tea light. I wanted a straightforward project after the grind late last month of getting Kaladrax Reborn done by Halloween. I didn't quite achieve that goal, but close enough.

The yellow LED works better at simulating fire, but the effect isn't bad on the table.

This figure was introduced as part of the Reaper Miniatures Bones II: The Return of Mr Bones Kickstarter. I deliberately didn't get the core set for Reaper Miniatures Bones II. The amount of miniatures that showed up with the first one left me with little need for more. Instead, I picked out a few that looked interesting. That was the last Reaper Bones Kickstarter that I participated in. These days, I figure I'll pick up whatever Bones miniatures I want after they become available on the Reaper Miniatures website.

This isn't the first time I've used a LED tea light to modify a transparent plastic miniature. I basically copied the process I used for the Large Fire Elemental. As with that previous project, I'm treating the LED tea light as a thick base for the miniature. I considered modifying the electronics to create a shorter base. Unfortunately, that would take the "straightforward" right out of this project. I also like the ease of replacing the battery by unscrewing the bottom.

Water Weird miniature on a conspicuously tall base.

LED Tea Light Base Cover

I removed the plastic flame and the cover from the LED tea light. The plastic flame went to its new home in my bits box. I spray painted the cover black to serve as the base for the miniature. Once the paint was dry, I glued on the Water Weird figure.

Water Weird Well
The well portion of the Water Weird figure got a black undercoat. This was the toughest part due to the LED. I fitted the LED back on after every layer of black paint to make sure that no light would show through the well. It ended up taking four layers of black paint. Only after that did I apply a layer of gray to simulate stone. The Water Weird itself went unpainted.

Basing
The top of the base was textured with a sand/glue/brown paint mix. Once it dried, I lightly brushed on a little sandy colored craft store paint. I brushed on a little of the same paint to highlight the well.

Testing
The final touch was screwing into the electronics and see how everything worked. No light was showing though the well portion of the miniature and the light could clearly be seen. The yellow flickering light produced by the LED works better a flame, but the effect still works.

Reaper Bones Kaladrax Reborn - Finale!

Finished!

And I made my Halloween deadline!

Barely.

At least I got done before kids started knocking on the door looking for candy.

It's been awhile since I selected this figure as a $10 add on to the first Reaper Bones Kickstarter. It was delivered with the rest of the backer rewards from that Kickstarter in 2013. I didn't take a brush to it until June of this year.

This project was a real learning experience. My first insight was to stop thinking of it as an enormous miniature and treat it like a terrain piece. It made it easier to divide the work into manageable portions. The layered approach I used for painting the skeleton is going to come in handy for old bones and possibly stone. This was my first attempt at painting a glow effect - something that I look forward to applying to certain future projects.

The plastic used for the tail's end piece is soft enough to flex under the paint, causing some cracking.

Periodically publishing Work In Progress posts helped me with organizing and planning this project. Links are below.

Part 1 - Discussion of the Kaladrax Reborn as a Reaper Miniatures product, the inspiration for the necrotic glow paint scheme, description of the techniques used for painting the base, and testing the paint scheme for the skeleton on two of the legs.

Part 2 - Progress on the other two legs and the tail, the fictional backstory that Reaper created for Kaladrax Reborn, and a few thoughts on how I might use a huge dracolich in a F20 campaign.

Part 3 - Progress on the main body, description of the techniques used for the glow effect, and a look at the brown undercoat used on the skeleton.

Part 4 - Base painting complete, assembly, and planning for the final polishing passes.

There's a face that no adventuring party wants to see.

There's always a little more that could be done with a project like this. A bit more wash. A touch more highlighting. Another polishing pass. But the question has to be asked: "Will the results make the additional effort worthwhile?" Sometimes it does. Other times, diminishing returns rears its ugly head. For Kaladrax Reborn, I've decided that good enough is good enough. It's time to put Kaladrax Reborn into the display case and move on to the next project.

Reaper Bones Kaladrax Reborn WIP Part 4

The Halloween deadline I set for this project is only a few days away at the time I'm typing this. Am I gonna make it? Dunno. But I at least have this beast painted and assembled.

I'm gonna need a bigger display case.

Kaladrax Reborn needs a couple more passes before I'm willing to call this project done.

The skeleton needs some touching up. I put a coat of brown wash on parts of the skull, spine, and tail. The wash brought out the details a little bit more, but those areas are now noticeably darker than the rest of the skeleton. The whole skeleton could also use some highlighting. So I'll be brushing on some more light color paint to achieve the look I want.

The glow effect needs work. The body and wings need more bright green and possibly yellow-green highlights to better convey that they are light sources. I might have gone overboard with the green reflections on the skeleton. They'll get toned down a little when I give the skeleton another pass. The green reflections on the base are looking good, though. They also had the effect of bringing down the shine.

Close up of the body. Note the reflected glow on the skeleton and base.

A problem I ran into during the push to finish this project is the flexibility of the plastic in certain areas. I know that the white Bones plastic is fairly soft, but the horns on the skull and the tip of the tail almost flop around. This causes the paint to crack and flake. Kaladrax Reborn might be a "look, but don't touch" display piece due to this issue. Fortunately, I don't need an enormous undead dragon that often in my fantasy dungeoncrawl campaigns!

I've come to realize that these Work In Progress posts have helped me with planning each stage of this project. Writing each post means that I can stop, review my progress, see where I am, and figure out where I need to go. I'm not sure if I would have maintained any momentum without them as a tool.

Hopefully, I'll have enough free time this week to make the final couple of passes before Halloween. I'm also optimistically clearing out space in my display cabinet for this beast. It's my only storage space that's big enough!

Really Neat Tricks: Weather in the Mouse Guard Role Playing Game

Let's take a look at the Mouse Guard RPG's seasonal weather system. This post leads a series presenting rules, design elements, lore, and concepts that I've found handy beyond the game that they first appeared in. In this case, it's a system that adds weather as an element to a fantasy campaign without needing a meteorology degree.

I'm not usually one for nostalgia, but I miss RPG boxed sets.

The system is built around the idea that weather is a significant obstacle in the Mouse Guard setting. This makes perfect sense in Mouse Guard - the player characters are literally mice. Small mammals would be effected by even minor weather changes.

Adapting the system to other fantasy games brings in an often ignored element. Seasonal weather can present both challenges and opportunities to an adventuring party - spring storms slow travel, supplies are easier to come by after harvest, winter tends to shut everything down as snow and ice block traffic, etc. I'm guilty of overlooking weather unless I want to add atmosphere to a roleplaying interaction or spice up a combat encounter. If nothing else, adding a mechanic for handling weather adds variety to a fantasy campaign.

Mouse Guard's system for modeling seasons and weather takes up a whole chapter, so this is a bare bones summary. The gamemaster determines how many game sessions each season of the year will last, ranging from one to three sessions. An alternate system triggers a seasonal change based on how many times the gamemaster bring weather into play. In either case, the change of the seasons is inevitable.

Each season is described in its own section - animal activity, the kinds of weather that can be expected, conditions in the wilderness, and the kinds of adventures and other activities that are available for the player characters to pursue. Mouse Guard is set in a temperate zone, so winters are long and the other seasons tend to be short. Spring is a busy time, but rain and mud can slow things down. Summer is unhurried, but productive. Fall is another busy time as the harvest is brought in and everyone prepares for the coming cold. Everyone hunkers down during winter - player characters in Mouse Guard use the time to rest, recover, practice, and engage in role playing.

The system can be modified for other climates or for changing conditions. The next campaign does not take place in a temperate zone? Alter the length of seasons and the types of weather generated. Is the big bad cult gathering strength, summoning dark powers in the north while weakening the deity of fertility? Gradually make the winter longer while shortening the other seasons through years of game time. Food gets more and more scarce. Trade is disrupted. Armies can't get around fast enough to respond to reports of a new threat from the north. It's up to a plucky band of adventurers to find the cause and fix the problem before the final winter comes.

Mouse Guard's seasonal weather system avoids a couple of problems I've seen in other weather generation mechanics. First, it does not require the record keeping of a detailed calendar. Creating a calendar for a fantasy world is a daunting task - how many days in the year, what to name the weekdays and months, how do the phases of the moon(s) line up, where do the holidays fall, etc. Keeping up with it is even more work. Mouse Guard sidesteps the issue by basing seasonal progression on the number of sessions played. Second, it does not try to be a weather simulator with tables for wind speed, air temperature, humidity, etc. Is the weather close enough to maintain verisimilitude and how does it effect play are my concerns as gamemaster. The precise air temperature and number of inches of snow matter less to me than is it cold enough and is the snow thick enough to make even Conan the Cimmerian reconsider his travel plans and settle by the fire for some mulled wine?

Reaper Chronoscope #50016 Rosie, Chronotechnician

This is an early figure in Reaper's Chronoscope line. The name is likely a reference to Rosie the Riveter - best known from the "We Can Do It" poster, but also featured in song, film, and a Norman Rockwell cover for the Saturday Evening Post. The headset gives Reaper's Rosie a slightly more hi-tech look than the World War II cultural icon. The heavy boots, tool belt, and goggles are timeless necessities of manufacturing work, though.

Rosie and her attitude adjustment tool.

The paint scheme is inspired by Rosie the Riveter's denim overalls and a character from the video game Starscape (Moonpod, 2003). Jenna Johnson ("JJ") served as Deputy Engineer on the exploration ship serving as a home base in the game. JJ favored red overalls and pink hair. I knew that the hair would work fine, but I didn't want that much red on the figure. The red was restricted to the figure's shirt. I considered painting the overalls a military color like olive drab or khaki before deciding on denim. I might revisit the idea later when I paint the Bones version of this figure.

Denim

With a bottle of Reaper #09285 Denim Blue on hand, choosing a base color for the overalls was pretty straightforward. The color is a good match for new denim. I used Reaper #09057 as a highlight and to add a little wear to the overalls.

Leather

Reaper #09284 provides a rich brown good for somewhat distressed leather. I brushed on Reaper #09110 Oiled Leather to further simulate the look of worn leather on the boots, gloves, and tool belt.

Skin

I decided to experiment with using Formula P3 Menoth White Base with Army Painter Warpaints Soft Tone Quickshade for the bare skin. The result is serviceable and I might choose it for painting a squad or army in a hurry. I just need to find something better for single miniatures.

Details

The hair is Reaper #09183 Cloud Pink with a layer of still viable Citadel Baal Red Wash. The shirt is Reaper #09004 Fire Red. The scarf is painted with Reaper #09011 Leaf Green to stand out from the warm colors around it.

Wash

I switched between Army Painter Warpaints Quickshades between different areas of the figure. A layer of Dark Tone brought out the details on the denim and headset. Strong Tone added to the dirty and used appearance of the leather.

The asymmetry of this specific base is a good fit for this figure.

Base

The base is from a batch I ordered from Champ Industries several years ago. There is a good variety of base designs in the batch I received and all fit the generic sci-fi appearance I tend to favor. The Champ Industries website is still up. I'll have to see if they are still taking orders when my supply eventually runs low.

Closing Notes

The photos from the last couple of posts were taken with my new camera. For this post, I started experimenting with the aperture and ISO settings rather than simply using the automatic or close up modes. The majority of the photos ended up getting deleted, but I learned quite a bit from the process.

This figure has been in my collection for longer than most. I made the purchase when I was getting back into tabletop gaming - roughly the same time that I started this blog. Maybe it's a sign that I'm making progress on my pile of unfinished projects?

Reaper Bones #77041 Harpy

This is another one from Reaper's first Kickstarter - Reaper Miniatures Bones: An Evolution Of Gaming Miniatures. The rewards from that Kickstarter alone amount to a couple hundred figures. I don't expect to be done anytime soon.

Feathers and bat wings? Well, she's a fantasy monster. Forget about biological plausibility, I guess.

One goal I set out for the Reaper Bones Harpy was to experiment with some of the washes I've purchased over the last couple of years. My older stock of washes are either used up or are drying up in their containers. Trying out the newer stuff lets me cycle it in and get used to how it works.

Washer Base

I borrowed a trick from Chris Palmer's All Bones About It and glued the figure to a one inch steel washer. Reaper Bones miniatures are light enough that they tend to fall over easily with the extra weight on the bottom. I spray primed the washer before gluing it to the figure.

Primer/Base Color Coat

FolkArt Tile and Glass Medium mixed with Formula P3 Menoth White Base. A post on Reaper Miniature's forums recommends preparing Bones miniatures with FolkArt Tile and Glass Medium. Formula P3 Menoth White Base works well as an undercoat for lighter colors like white and flesh tones. I tried laying on washes directly over this coat, but the results were so disappointing that I abandoned that approach. Fortunately, mistakes like that can simply be painted over.

Flesh Tones

A coat of Reaper #09047 Fair Skin went over the previous layers. I tried a layer of Secret Weapon W005 Flesh Wash to bring out the details, but I didn't like how it turned out. It might work better applied over a white coat.

I next applied a layer of Army Painter Warpaints Soft Tone Quickshade. This is the wash sold in dropper bottles, not the dip sold in cans. Many of the washes I've used work by darkening the overall color of the surface and bring out details by flowing into recesses. Army Painter Warpaints Quickshade doesn't coat the way that I'm used to - it flows off raised areas more easily. The result is less of a change to the overall color of the surface it is applied to and more pooling in the recesses. I'm pleased with how it worked on this figure, but I may try diluting it next time to reduce the contrast between the raised and recessed areas.

As a final touch, I used a Silver Metallic Sharpie over certain bits to represent the minimal armor worn in those areas in the fantasy genre.

I like how the sculptor captured the figure in the middle of a banking turn.

Feathers

I'm not sure why this figure is sculpted with bat wings and feathers, but harpies are fantasy creatures and I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it. The base color is Reaper #09017 True Blue. I lightly brushed on Reaper #09288 LED Blue over the True Blue, being careful to allow the True Blue to show through in the recesses. This gives the feathers some depth under the brighter color.

Legs and Wings

I used Reaper #09088 Stormy Grey as a base color and a lighter grey for highlighting. A layer of Army Painter Warpaints Dark Tone Quickshade brought out the details. I considered yellow, orange, or tan as more realistic for bird legs, but I felt that the brighter colors might stand out too much from the rest of the figure.

Hair

Reaper #09070 Mahogany Brown is a good color for reddish-brown hair. I applied Army Painter Warpaints Strong Tone Quickshade over it. I considered making the hair the same color as the feathers, but I wanted more variation for the top of the figure.

Cloth

I wanted a relatively bright color to make this detail stand out. Reaper #09004 Fire Red tuned out to be just a little too bright. A layer of Army Painter Warpaints Soft Tone Quickshade brought down the color just enough.

There's always that one mold line that only shows up after painting and photographing.

Basing

Some glue and sand provides texture and a couple of earth tones simulate dry soil.

Closing Notes

I noticed an odd smell when I was using the Army Painter Warpaints Quickshades. It's not an issue that is unique to Army Painter products - some other washes produce a similar odor. Maybe it has something to do with the specific pigments or medium used?

The paint job on this figure turned out darker than I expected, but I'm happy with it. The harpy is a monster - something that will only be on the tabletop as long as the players permit it to be there. Heroes, boss monsters, and other significant figures need to "pop" on the table, but monsters can be subdued in appearance.

The "Makuda" Class Klingon Battle Cruiser Background

Awhile back, Michael Okuda shared a tale from his time working on Star Trek: The Next Generation to the Facebook page that he shares with his wife. The post includes a single photo of his suggestion for what would become the K'Vort-class. The photo shows a kitbashed model using what appears to be a K't'inga model kit as its base. He reinforced the model with a brass rod, installed lights, and attached various greebles. Rick Sternbach added weathering and battle scars. Unfortunately, the model was not used and the ILM's Bird-of-Prey became the (much larger) K'Vort.

I'm thinking about using the design whenever our Star Trek Adventures campaign starts back up. The Klingon fleet, even in the 24th century, could use a little more variety. I wrote up a quick history of the class and gave it a name inspired by its creator. Stat-wise, I'm planning on just using the K'Vort from the book.

The Makuda-class battle cruiser was originally conceived as a response to Starfleet's Excelsior-class starship. The design is a modified K't'inga-class with enhanced systems and a reinforced hull. The Klingon Defense Force ultimately rejected the design. Although the Makuda would have set new standards for battle cruiser performance, it was far more expensive than simply keeping the K't'inga-class in service. Upgrading existing K't'inga-class battle cruisers to the Makuda-class design was considered, but the estimated cost was comparable to new construction due to the additional hull bracing and upgraded structural integrity fields needed to support the improved systems and performance.

The Makuda-class design was revisited on three occasions.

The first was in response to Starfleet's introduction of the Ambassador-class starship. To save time, a new team took the existing Makuda-class design study and updated it with the technologies that had been developed in the interim. The design was well-regarded, but lost to the K'Vort-class - an uprated and expanded Bird-of-Prey design based on the B'Rel-class. Again, the deciding factor was cost. The K'Vort could be more economically produced in the numbers the Klingon Defense Force needed to protect the Empire. On the other hand, a few Houses took a liking to the design, preferring "proper battle cruisers" to "overgrown scout ships" and it entered limited production to replace older battle cruisers. Most were never deployed outside Klingon space, but a few saw action against the expanding Cardassian Union.

A proposal to expand production of the Makuda-class was put forth after the reemergence of the Romulan Star Empire along with their fleets of impressive D'deridex-class warbirds. However, the Vor'cha-class battle cruiser was entering service to glowing reports from their first crews as they shattered performance records. Another factor was the latest refit for the K't'inga-class - one that would enable the venerable battle cruisers to serve in the brief Federation-Klingon conflict just prior to the Dominion War. With brand new battle cruisers joining the fleets and plenty of freshly refitted older ones around, the Klingon Defense Force rejected the proposal and even orders from the Houses began to dry up.

The desperate early days of the Dominion War was the third and final time production of the Makuda-class for the Klingon Defense Force was seriously considered. It was pointed out that there were some slipways too small to build a Vor'cha, but not suitable for a K'Vort or B'Rel either. Most of these slipways originally built D-7 battle cruisers and had been retooled for civilian production as the Empire tried to restore its economy after Praxis. It had always been possible to use them to produce Makuda-class battle cruisers, but the direct cost of retooling and the indirect cost to the Empire's economy was always deemed to be too high. Questions of cost disappeared as the Dominion proved to be an existential threat to the Federation-Klingon Alliance.

The Makuda-class plans were once again updated, but there were limits to what could be done with the aging design and progress was slow. Only one slipway was retooled and limited production began by the time the Romulans entered the Dominion War. With the tide turning, the Klingon Defense Force halted plans to expand production further. The single slipway continued to produce Makuda-class battle cruisers - at a rate just enough to replace losses - until the end of the war. The slipways that were to be used to build Makuda-class battle cruisers were instead retooled to produce troop transports to ferry Klingon warriors to take planets in Cardassian space instead.

Homicidal Warbot Trash Bash WIP

I was going to spend my free time this weekend on Kaladrax Reborn, but I got distracted by a shiny new idea. It occurred to me that certain bits from my collection of random junk could be assembled into a sci-fi defensive emplacement or robotic weapon system. I did put some paint on Kaladrax, but that was in between prepping and assembling this brand new project.

Someday I'll figure out how to make a plan and stick with it.

This figure is built around the plastic spigot of a liquid laundry detergent container. I noticed that the spigot appears vaguely like part of a turret awhile back, but I wasn't sure how to complete that look. Everything started to come together while I was rummaging through my bits bin for something else. The "barrel" - actually the hub of the feed roller for a printer - fit snugly into the spigot. An old pull tab fit around the barrel, evoking some kind of barrel shroud or sensor system. The big discovery was that the orange base part - originally a screw-on cap for a bottle of something or other - fit nicely under the "turret" piece. The rest of the parts were selected to add details to suggest various functions - communications, venting heat/fumes, etc. I have multiples of all the parts, giving me the luxury to experiment.

Initial bunch of parts used for this project.

Next came the test fit. On a practical level, this step confirmed that the parts could actually be assembled into a completed figure. Parts on builds like this often need a little "convincing" to fit. Test fitting also gave me a better idea of what the assembled figure would look like on the tabletop. I used a little mounting putty to hold everything together during this step.

Initial test fit. Some of the parts moved around for the final assembly and the side parts haven't been added yet.

The test fit revealed no assembly problems, but another issue appeared. The long barrel unbalanced the figure. It tended to fall over even when resting on a table or desk and was almost hopeless on terrain or felt. Possible solutions included weights, adding more parts, and gluing the figure to a wide base. I decided to plow ahead while I mulled it over.

Preparing the parts involved an abrasive sheet and a little elbow grease. Many plastics tend to be too smooth for glue and paint to "grab" - resulting in weak bonds. Roughing up the parts produces more surface area and allow glue and paint to bond properly. All parts were then washed with soap and water. No telling where these things have been.

Close up of newest bits.

While waiting for everything to dry, I found a couple more parts that fit on the sides of the figure. I have no recollection of what these parts are, but they are visually interesting and I have plenty of them. These parts counterbalance the barrel and the "legs" stabilize the figure. I'm still planning on putting this figure on a base, but I feel better knowing that it will rest on a flat surface on its own. The latest parts were prepared using the same techniques as the rest.

Rear view with various parts added to provide detail.

Assembly was straightforward. Test fitting provided good practice. All parts were bonded using cyanoacrylate glue.

The assembled figure looks like a cross between an astromech droid and a Dalek. I'm thinking less "static defensive emplacement" and more "homicidal warbot" for the future of this project. For now, I'm setting it aside for a few days. I don't want to get a bright idea on some new part to glue on after I've already primed and started painting it.