Finishing the Pack - Alternative Armies EH03 Space Brains

October is a good time for horror themed projects. I painted up one of these figures last year for that very reason. Then I forgot about the rest of the pack until I was looking for a horror-themed painting project as this Halloween loomed closer. B-movie horror is still horror, so I finished the other four.

A brainy bunch. Last year's test model is in the middle.

Alternative Armies sells these floating, gun-toting brains in packs of five. They work as gray matter extracted from enormous, mutated, alien conquerors in a variety of scales. Their ability to fly could come from their cybernetic augmentations or be some psionic power from their vast, cold, and uncaring intellects. Their cybernetic enhancements otherwise seem to be limited to weapons and the sensors needed to navigate and find targets. Each figure in the pack is a distinct sculpt with its own configuration of cybernetics and arms.

Close up of the different robotic appendages.

I used the test model from last year as a guide. The improvised flight stands are the same. The paint job is almost the same – there were two exceptions because I couldn't resist tinkering. The squishy thinking bits got a layer of highlighting using a mix of white and the Reaper 09281 Brains Pink that I used as a base color in those areas. The cerebral areas also got additional coats of wash. It gives those areas a raw and bloody look. I kept the dark look of the cybernetics - they remind me of Borg implants and add to the menacing appearance.

Last image from some remote outpost or a bunch of cybernetically enhanced brains dropping an album?

Now I need to consider when these will hit the table. Five Parsecs From Home? Or do I send them after the crew of USS Phoenix in our Star Trek Adventures campaign first?

Reaper Bones 77037 Medusa or How a "Warm Up" Project Comes in Handy

I suspect that this miniature - packing a bow and quiver while featuring the lower body of a snake from the torso down - was inspired by the Medusa in Clash of the Titans (1981). This is the white plastic version. I received mine as a backer reward from the first Reaper Bones Kickstarter.

A quick miniature painting project is the best way for me to get back into crafting tabletop gaming stuff after a break. Using a Bones fantasy monster miniature is ideal. Bones miniatures tend to be inexpensive and getting paint on one knocks down the pile I still have from the Kickstarter. Since I'm coming back after a break, I'm more likely to make mistakes. I'd rather do that on a model that will only be on the table long enough for the player characters to remove it violently. Unfortunately, I ran into more problems than I could have anticipated and a "quick" project turned into a "longer than I thought it would take" project.

Planning and Preparation

Most of the Medusa miniatures I've seen online are a shade of green. I decided to be different and go for a brown color scheme.

I posted my usual approach to preparing a white plastic Bones miniature elsewhere on this blog. Short version: I clean the miniature thoroughly with warm soap and water. Then I glue it on a one inch steel fender washer. Finally, I hit it with a mix of FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium and either brown or black paint. This acts as a primer coat. For this project, I went with brown.


First Paint Pass

This was supposed to be the only paint pass, but things didn't go as planned.

Tail and Hair
FolkArt 231 Real Brown
FolkArt 479 Pure Black

The first coat was a mix of Real Brown with some Pure Black to darken it a shade or three. Real Brown was used over that as a highlight. This really brought out the scales on the tail and torso.

Skin
Reaper 09221 Olive Skin
Reaper 09041 Tanned Skin

Base coated with Olive Skin with Tanned Skin used over it as a highlight.

Bow and Quiver
Reaper 09041 Tanned Skin

The Tanned Skin color works as wood and worn leather as long as a wash is used over it.

Bracelets and Other Metallics
Citadel Colour Tin Bitz
Citadel Colour Shining Gold

I used this over the bracelets and pretended that the bare breasts were really sculpted bronze plates worn over the breasts. The dark brown metallic base color is a little too dark, but the brighter metallic brushed on as a highlight makes it look like its catching more light in some areas.

Wash Coat
FolkArt 231 Real Brown diluted with water

There were a few spots that needed some help after I was done painting. A wash sometimes works as a quick fix, but wasn't enough in this case.


The Problem

The issue I kept running into was the paint running off the raised areas and exposing the bare plastic underneath. Early production Bones miniatures used a white material that sometimes repels water and water-based paints when painted right out of the package. (More recent Bones miniatures use a grey plastic and may not have this issue.) A good cleaning and a coat of FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium usually solves the problem, but didn't seem to be as effective on this project. Looking back, using craft paints instead of higher density artist or miniature paints may have contributed to the difficulties I was having.


Second Paint Pass

My new plan was to hide all the mistakes and patchy spots of the first pass with another coat of wash. Then I could brush on highlights over the wash coat and nobody would know unless they read this blog post.

Wash Coat
FolkArt 231 Real Brown
FolkArt 479 Pure Black
Liquitex Matte Medium
Water

This is a much darker wash than the one I used at the end of the first pass. It also holds together better due to the Matte Medium keeping the pigments in suspension.

Tail & Hair Highlights
FolkArt 231 Real Brown

Skin Highlights
Reaper 09221 Olive Skin

Metallic Highlights
Citadel Colour Shining Gold

The wash caused the previously applied colors to blend together. Here I tried to make the raised areas stand out again.

Basing
Mix of sand, FolkArt 231 Real Brown, PVA glue, and water
FolkArt 420 Linen

My usual approach to texturing and coloring the base of miniature is covered in more detail elsewhere on this blog. Once the mix was dry, I brushed on the Linen to bring out the rough texture.


Final Paint Pass

The second pass fixed most of the areas where the paint ran off during the first pass. There were still a couple of raised areas were much of the paint flowed off, leaving them significantly brighter. Worse, the details on the miniature were getting lost. Using Real Brown as a highlight over a mix of Real Brown and Pure Black works under a bright lamp, but is too subtle a difference to notice in other lighting conditions. I needed one more pass to highlight the details further and cover up the last remaining spots.

Highlighting Layer
FolkArt 420 Linen
FolkArt 231 Real Brown

Straight Linen would be too bright on its own, so I added a touch of Real Brown to darken it slightly. I used this mix over all the non-metallic areas to bring out the raised details and highlight certain areas. It also served to cover up the remaining spots.

Wash Coat
FolkArt 231 Real Brown
Liquitex Matte Medium
Water

Even darkened down with a little Real Brown, the highlight mix was still a little too bright when I was finished with it. I brushed on Real Brown diluted with water and Matte Medium to blend the layers together.

Wrapping Up

I tend to be more prone to making mistakes after a break. This makes "warming up" with something like a Bones miniature worthwhile for me. The process of engaging with a project can come back to me while working on something that only has to be good enough.

As for the Medusa, this miniature will do fine when it goes on the tabletop. All it has to do is menace the player characters until it runs out of hit points.

Turning Star Trek Headcanons Into RPG Adventure Seeds

Our Star Trek Adventures campaign is lurching along. The biggest challenge to an in person RPG campaign is the same as it's always been - scheduling. However, there are positives to such delays for the gamemaster. There's time to give the next adventure another editing pass, review the rules, and actually read the supplemental materials. In addition to all that, I've been going over old notes for ideas.

Gamemaster life involves books and keeping notes.

These are some Star Trek headcanons I've come up with over the years. These may or may not appear in our campaign. Each entry contains a description and notes on how to use the idea in play. I hope that y'all find them to be handy and entertaining.


The Changing Face of the Borg

Many aspects of the Borg that came out of nowhere were in-setting retcons. After acquiring reliable time travel technology, the Borg Collective edited their own history to create an optimal outcome for themselves. Unfortunately, it was not a straightforward process. Unintended outcomes kept appearing and they eventually canceled further efforts. Examples of changes brought on by the Borg's interference in their own history include, but are not limited to:

• The Borg's original modus operandi was to conquer other cultures and force them to serve the Borg while assimilating their technology. This changed to assimilating individuals and converting them into drones.
• Going from a true collective consciousness to a hierarchical structure with Borg Queens acting as command nodes.
• Invading Fluidic Space suddenly seeming like a good idea.

The Borg Collective shelved the project after realizing that every attempt to improve their own history or correct prior attempts only made things worse. (This one predates season two of PIC.) The attempt to prevent the formation of the United Federation of Planets by disrupting First Contact and assimilating 21st century Earth was the last gasp of this plan.

The player characters come across a remnant of the Borg from before they changed their own history. This takes the form of a Borg sphere protected by technology that protects it from being overwritten by prior timeline edits. Unfortunately for them, the unobtainium that powers the technology is running out and the current version of the Borg is hunting them down to prevent further alterations to their own history. The Borg sphere is targeting Federation and Klingon time travel research projects to keep itself going while seeking out the one thing it can change to revert Borg history to its previous state.


How Not to Deal With Q

Starfleet Command's recommended approach for dealing with representatives of the Q Continium is based on the reports of Picard and Janeway. Keep Q talking, figure out what Q wants, satisfy those conditions if possible, and - most importantly - get Q off the ship. Sisko's gambit of physically assaulting Q after being provoked is discouraged as too risky, although it was well received by Picard and Janeway when they learned of it. Sisko's actions seemed to convince Q to leave Deep Space Nine alone, there's no way of knowing how Sisko's heritage as a Bajoran Prophet influenced matters.

The player characters receive a distress call from a nearby Starfleet ship or installation. Their commanding officer brashly decided to punch a visiting Q to be rid of them. Luckily, Q was more amused than offended, but the other crew still needs a third party to de-escalate and mediate the situation.


Allies, Enemies, and Allies Again

The brief conflict between the Federation and Klingon Empire just prior to the Dominion War was partly due to a new generation of Klingon warriors wanting to test themselves against a worthy opponent. Other factors include the influence of Founder agents, Gowron's ambitions, and a sense of betrayal on the part of the Klingons when their allies didn't join them in the campaign against the Cardassians. The Cardassian military fell too quickly, but Starfleet could always be counted on to recover from early setbacks and uncork a surprise or three. The resulting conflict was highly satisfying for the Klingon warrior caste, allowing them to seek glory on the same battlefields as their forefathers against an honorable foe. This allowed the Klingons to pivot from ally to enemy and back again quickly - it was never really personal for them.

The Starfleet player characters run into the same Klingon warship and crew before, during, and after the Federation-Klingon conflict. How they deal with whiplash of those specific Klingons being allies, enemies, and allies again depends on them, but the Klingons themselves seem to take it all in stride. A Klingon campaign can explore the situation from their point of view.

Familiar Ship Names

The naming conventions of Starfleet and the Klingon Defense Force differ in the practice of naming ships after prominent personnel.

The 23rd-24th century Starfleet tended to avoid naming starships in honor of their own personnel. Many of the 23rd century officers who would merit such an honor were still alive well into the 24th century (Spock, McCoy). Even some of the ones who were presumed or declared dead had established a reputation for defying death and could turn up after a starship was named after them (Pike, Kirk). Starfleet Command decided that it would be best to avoid potentially embarrassing situations for all concerned. This decision was validated when USS Enterprise found Scott alive and well decades after he disappeared. This policy did not apply to non-Starfleet personnel, such the Excelsior-class starship USS Gorkon. This practice changed sometime prior to the 32nd century. The better part of a millennium seemed like enough time for the fate of even legendary figures to be firmly established.

Hopefully.

The Klingon Defense Force, on the other hand, had no reservations about honoring their own and other deemed worthy. IKS Koloth and IKS Kang were commissioned just prior to the Dominion War. IKS Kor entered service soon after the Dahar Master died in combat. And a lineage of warships was established to insure that the name IKS Rachel Garrett would inspire valor in the hearts of Klingon warriors.

IKS Rachel Garrett is traditionally assigned to the Romulan border. The warship bearing the name during the Cardassian invasion and Federation-Klingon conflict continued to patrol the Romulan border. All proposals to redeploy the warship to fight Starfleet were firmly quashed by the KDF's old guard. IKS Rachel Garrett was immediately reassigned to the Alliance Second Fleet at the beginning of the Dominion War, participating in Operation Return and the liberation of the Beta Zeta system.

Players may find it curious when they run into Klingon warships with non-Klingon names.


Why the Warp Five Speed Limit Went Away

By the late 24th century, higher speed warp travel had become commonplace enough for the "Warp Five Speed Limit" to have an adverse, but manageable, effect on Federation commerce. The real issue was finding a long term solution. Fortunately, someone else had found one.

Analysis of recovered Borg technology revealed many quirks that puzzled the Federation. Many Borg systems included features clearly intended to solve issues that the Federation wasn't aware of. In the aftermath of the Hekaras Corridor Incident, Starfleet engineers combed their records for anything that could lead to a solution. A team reviewing the data they had on Borg warp propulsion found subsystems that completely negated the damage that warp drives of that power would otherwise do to subspace. Without knowledge of the long term effects of warp drive on subspace, no one in the Federation had previously recognized what those subsystems were for. Reverse engineering the processes and developing modifications to existing warp drives took less than a year. Technical specifications on the modifications were provided to all Alpha and Beta Quadrant polities at the same time they were being pushed out to Starfleet.

Years later, analysis of captured Dominion warp drives revealed similar design details. The Dominion had discovered the issue at least a century prior. As the Founders had no interest in seeing their empire fall apart due to environmental issues, Vorta scientists were directed to find countermeasures. These became standard on all Jem'Hadar warships and other vessels operated by the Dominion and their vassals.

While there are similarities between the Borg subsystems and the Dominion countermeasures, they are not identical in design or operation. Starfleet Intelligence believes that the Borg didn't assimilate the technology in question from the Dominion, but from some undiscovered third party somewhere in the Delta Quadrant. Analysis of USS Voyager logs and interviews with the xB community within the Federation have yet to reveal any likely candidates.

This one simply explains why the "Warp Five Speed Limit" disappears after awhile on TNG, is never even mentioned on DS9 or VOY, and is a non-factor in Star Trek Adventures.


Klingons Also Go Boldly

The Klingon Defense Force and various Great Houses sponsor a surprising number of deep space exploration and scientific research missions. Outsiders assume that these mainly seek out new resources to exploit and worlds to conquer. While these are factors, the Klingons are primarily motivated by a combination of genuine curiosity and simple boredom.

This reinforces the notion that Klingons of all eras carry out exploration, although not to the same extent as Starfleet. Thus, Klingon warships in the TOS era could appear anywhere, not just in space contested between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Likewise, a Klingon warship could show up far from the Empire in other eras.


Well Played

The Tal Shiar figured out Sisko and Garak's conspiracy ("In The Pale Moonlight" DS9 6x19) fairly quickly, but said nothing to the rest of the Romulan government. Far from being outraged or offended, they were coldly impressed by Garak's craftsmanship - especially given how little he had to work with - and decided to coopt the plan. The evidence Garak planted was good enough to convince most of the Romulan government and the Tal Shiar quietly tied up any loose ends. Their motivation was simple - the Dominion was a clear and present danger to the Romulan Star Empire. Founders had infiltrated the Romulan government before and the result was a major blow to the Tal Shiar at the Omarion Nebula. The loss of a Senator and shuttle crew was regrettable, but a small price to pay for the security of the Romulan state.

Starfleet or Klingon Defense Force player characters find out about the conspiracy to mislead the Romulans. Do they make their findings known or suppress the information? Much to their surprise, the Tal Shiar appears to maintain their own cover up.


The Curious Lack of Klingon Time Travelers

Outside observers have long commented on the Klingon Empire's curious failure to weaponize time travel technology. Klingon involvement in the Temporal Cold War, their access to the time crystals of Boreth, and the development of related technology such as the chrono deflector all indicate that the Klingon Empire could have worked out a practical and reliable means of time travel at any point from the 23rd to the 25th centuries. Federation understanding of time travel was greatly enhanced after the Federation-Klingon alliance led to an exchange of data. Many believed that Klingon scientists just never quite made the final leap from theory to application.

The reality is more complicated. The Klingon Empire weaponized time travel repeatedly throughout its history. However, many of the results were so disastrous that those edits to the timeline were undone at the source by the Klingons themselves. Examples include:

• Shortly after the discovery of time crystals on Boreth, an out-of-favor house launched a systematic effort to edit the timeline and elevate their family to the eternal dynastic leadership of the Empire from the time of Kahless to the far future. The struggle to reverse the changes to the timeline was severe enough to erase the house from the historical record entirely. The transfer of political leadership of the Empire to the office of chancellor after the death of the last emperor in the mid-21st century is believed to be a side effect of this conflict. The Boreth Monastery was quickly established to prevent the time crystals from being misused in this manner again.
• Another series of edits resulted in the Klingon Empire conquering Earth during the post-atomic horror to prevent the formation of the Federation. Supporting their occupation force at the end of long lines of communication was costly for the Empire. Their poorly defended supply lines became too tempting a target for the likes of the Orion Syndicate and the Andorian Imperial Guard. Meanwhile, a resistance movement on Earth led by Lily Sloane received support from an unexpected source. Zefram Cochrane used data from reverse engineered Klingon systems to complete his own work on a prototype warp drive. His brief flight attracted the attention of Vulcan High Command, who were concerned about the Klingon Empire being on their doorstep. The Vulcans began giving Earth's resistance forces covert aid, adding to the costs of the Klingon occupation. Romulan attacks on the overextended Klingon Empire during the mid-22nd century was the final straw. This alternate Klingon Empire was in the process of collapsing when the changes were reversed.
• A botched attempt to alter the outcome of the First Federation-Klingon War also ended in disaster. Qo'noS was destroyed by a Starfleet special operation. The loss of their capital, their main source of dilithium on Praxis, and their primary ship production center stalled Klingon advances into the Federation. Starfleet used the pause to install Spore Drives on a limited number of starships, allowing them to strike any Klingon target at will. The result was a greatly extended conflict that devastated both sides. Probing attacks by the Romulan Star Empire beginning in 2266 revealed that both the Federation and Klingon Empire were too weakened to resist conquest. The Timekeepers of Boreth undid the changes with the blades of their bat'leths.

Records of these and dozens of other attempts by Klingons to edit the timeline were preserved on Boreth. The timeline edits that weren't utter catastrophes resulted in such minor changes that they were ineffective at achieving their goals. Given these results, the development of time travel technology in general was quietly discouraged by those Klingons in the know throughout the Empire's history. Any suggestion of weaponizing time travel was firmly suppressed. The destruction of time travel technology after the Temporal Wars was greeted with quiet relief by the Klingons.

The player characters could become involved with any of these or other efforts by rogue Klingons to edit history. The first hurdle is to convince the Timekeepers of Boreth not to resort to just taking bat'leths to everyone involved and calling it a day.


Ambassador Ralph Offenshouse ("The Neutral Zone" TNG 1x26)

Unsurprisingly, Ralph Offenhouse's career as a Federation diplomat tended towards dealing with civilizations still using market economies and engaging in capitalism.

His early negotiations with the Ferengi did require a period of adjustment. While the financial world that he made his fortune in was certainly ruthless, it wasn't as quite as openly exploitative and blatantly predatory as many Ferengi business practices. This tripped him up for awhile, but he still tended to outperform other Federation diplomats.

He also tended to be placed in the lead during negotiations with the Orion Free Traders.

A proposal to send Offenhouse into the Gamma Quadrant to supplement Ferengi efforts to establish trade through the Bajoran wormhole was shelved after the destruction of USS Odyssey. He had a small, but significant role during the Dominion War. He secured sources of badly needed materials for the Federation war effort on favorable terms. He also led efforts to buy up certain materials on the open market, denying them to the Dominion. Efforts to synthesize Ketacel White, in particular, suffered significantly as sources of the necessary supplies dried up over and over again.

Offenhouse benefited from the ability to scan a proposed agreement (what the Federation called a "treaty" and the Ferengi Alliance labeled a "contract") for the kinds of loopholes that other Federation diplomats and Starfleet officers tended to miss even after careful examination. He was only able to teach this skill to colleagues from worlds that joined the Federation recently enough to have lived experience outside of a near-post-scarcity civilization. However, Offenhouse did pass on his other skills and knowledge, finding that he enjoyed teaching, writing, and lecturing. His books and recorded talks on interstellar diplomacy and economics - many produced during his semi-retirement - were considered foundational long after his death.

Offenhouse is a financial expert - a rarity in the Federation. He can appear as an NPC during Federation negotiations with profit driven cultures such as the Ferengi or Orions. His expertise can also be critical in dealing with new Federation members with economies still based on capitalism and analyzing the financial records of suspicious individuals and organizations for evidence of criminal activity.

Lightyear Hyperspeed XL-07 Modest Modifications

A quick update on this project. September 2022 was not a good month for me. I couldn't cobble together any hobby time until last weekend.

Not as much of a conversion as I first planned, but sometimes less is more.

Finding parts to add a few more details proved more challenging than I counted on. The usual approach of digging around for model kit parts and searching the bits collection wasn't fruitful. Most of the things I found were just too big or looked out of place.

One thing that did work was a round plastic bushing. I used it to add detail to the blank area inside the thruster. This was the spot that was bothering me the most for some reason. The bushing will be nothing but a vague shape in the darkly painted interior when I'm done, but even that will give the impression of mechanical workings.

Rear view. Note the plastic bushing filling out the thruster and the MDF blocks on the sides.

A scaled down approach was in order for the rest. My collection of tiny bits isn't as extensive as the rest. I found most of what I needed in the leftovers from the various MDF terrain pieces I've built over the years. Some of the terrain had fine details that were exposed by pushing out the MDF left after laser cutting. Most are simple shapes that are handy for projects like the monowheel cycle I scratchbuilt earlier this year.

MDF and many plastics form a solid bond when joined with CA glue. I stacked the deck a little more in my favor by using some trusty Gorilla Super Glue.

She may not look like much now, but she's got it where it counts.

A couple of angled MDF parts form canard-like additions to the sides of the fuselage. These would be absurdly small on any other craft, even at this scale, but they don't look out of place compared to the size of the actual wings.

Two rectangular MDF parts hide some mold lines on the rear. They extend the existing shapes and should blend in after painting.

A pair of cylindrical MDF parts suggest sensors or the business ends of weapons protruding from the twin noses of the spacecraft. They give it a slightly more aggressive appearance than before.

Front view. Note the MDF "gun barrels" and canards.

I could add more details, but the work I've done fills in the blank areas and mold lines that I wanted to fix. I'll be spray priming it next. Painting may have to wait until I decide on a color scheme. Do I want a sporty civilian flyer, a rugged scout ship, or military light attack craft?

Lightyear Hyperspeed XL-07 Pre-Conversion

I'm planning on adding some details to this toy, slapping on some paint, and putting it on the tabletop as a 28mm scale sci-fi terrain piece. This post takes a look at the toy in its pristine state right out of the box. This is for the benefit of other folks contemplating similar projects by giving them a look at what they would be working with.

Front profile view before I start gluing stuff to it.

It Would Be Nice If I Was Being Paid For This, But No

The toy represents a spacecraft from the Disney Pixar movie Lightyear and was made by Mattel. It retails for $12.99 USD. I probably should have waited for a sale, but I couldn't tune out the little voice in my head telling me that what I really need right now is another project. This post isn't sponsored, by the way. Nobody at Disney, Pixar, or Mattel is that crazy.

On Appearance and Customization

There are other spacecraft toys in this line, so anyone thinking of picking one up will have a selection to choose from. I choose this one for a couple of reasons. First, the larger cockpit canopy compared with the others offers a little more wiggle room for scaling. Second, if I squint and tilt my head, this one kinda reminds me of the Earth Defense Directorate "Thunder" fighter from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century television series (1979-1981).

The general appearance of this toy is generic enough to fit into a variety of sci-fi settings. While it is part of a movie released by a major studio, it isn't as iconic or recognizable to sci-fi fans as a Star Wars TIE Fighter or Star Trek shuttlecraft. It wouldn't look out of place as a static terrain piece in any sci-fi setting with single-seat aircraft or spaceships. A fresh coat of paint will only help to conceal its toy store origins.

Landing gear close up.

There's a good amount of detail on this toy right out of the box. The solid shapes are broken up with panel lines and other mechanical looking details. The cockpit opens to reveal a detailed interior. There is also a set of retractable landing gear for the toy to sit on. Frankly, I wouldn't blame someone for just weathering one of these with a coat of dark wash and calling it a day.

Still, I just can't resist giving it another detail pass before reaching for the paint. The round exhaust nozzle looks good, but the interior isn't deep enough to convey that it's there to generate thrust. I'll likely end up gluing something in there to represent some kind of rocket plumbing. There's also a couple of spots where I could add gun barrels, sensor arrays, or other mechanical details to further customize it.

Close up of rear thrusters.

On Scaling

I shot a couple of photos for scale comparisons.

Rosie rarely gets to work on anything brand new.

One features my Reaper Miniatures Rosie (28mm scale) standing next to it. Sliding into the cockpit wouldn't be too tight a squeeze for her, but a model scaled for the heroic end of 28mm or 32mm might be a snug fit. On the other hand, a 15mm model might get lost in there.

15mm GZG, pilot figure that came with the toy, 28mm Reaper.

The other photo compares the pilot figure that comes with the toy with Rosie and a Light-Duty Vacc-Suit model from Ground Zero Games (15mm scale). The pilot figure slides nicely into the cockpit, so its safe to state that it's scaled with the toy. An eyeball comparison places the pilot figure somewhere around 25mm scale.

I'd say that the toy is close enough to work with most 28mm scale models with the understanding that this toy represents a small vehicle. Think of something like a Rebel Snowspeeder or an A-Wing from Star Wars - basically a cockpit bolted onto a propulsion system. It could be used as a larger spacecraft in 15mm scale if the canopy is painted opaque and kept closed to conceal the interior details.

Rear profile view as I think about a paint scheme.

Wrapping Up

$12.99 USD for a sci-fi terrain piece isn't bad, but I completely understand waiting for a sale or discount. A static spacecraft terrain piece is nice, but most tables don't need more than one or two. Unless someone decides to build a hangar bay diorama with a squadron of these, of course.

Now I just need to pick through my bits collection and figure out a paint scheme. Maybe red?

Outta Storage & Off the Workbench: Brutal Cities Eternity Lab Module C

I'm at the stage where I'm happy with how this looks, but kinda tempted to give it another weathering pass...

Anyhow, this is part of the same modular line of sci-fi office buildings as Module A from awhile back. Both modules were assembled and spray painted at the same time and using the same methods and materials. Life decided to get in the way of my hobby after I completed Module A and the accessories that came with both kits - the doors and air conditioner unit. Module C sat in storage until I got back to it. I decided on a simpler approach for a cleaner appearance and in the name of Getting It Done.

Sarah keeps watch while Rosie figures out what's wrong with the air conditioner.

Spray Coats
See Brutal Cities Eternity Lab Module A post.

Highlighting
Khaki areas: FolkArt 420 Linen diluted with water.
Blue areas: FolkArt 520 Dark Hydrangea diluted with water.

Diluting the craft paints allowed me to build up subtle gradations in the corners and other areas that would be more exposed to light.

First Wash
Mix of Liquitex Soft Body Payne's Gray, Liquitex Matte Medium, and water.

My goal was to augment the shading effect already in place from spraying the base coats in a zenithal pattern. This wash was applied over the entire surface and was allowed to pool in the recesses while the excess was wiped away.

Side view with A/C unit on top.

Second Wash
FolkArt 479 Pure Black diluted with water.

The shadows didn't quite look dark enough after the first wash coat. I brushed this darker mix into the areas between the Khaki and Blue areas and other recesses such as those on the ladder.

Lights
FolkArt 520 Dark Hydrangea
FolkArt 480 Titanium White

Here I reproduced the techniques used on Module A. The Dark Hydrangea got stippled on and around the light. I mixed some Titanium White in the Dark Hydrangea and stippled it on a slightly smaller area within the first one. More Titanium White was added in each following layer until I was working with an almost pure Titanium White.

Module A stacked on Module C and accessories (doors and A/C unit).

This project illustrates the benefit of a more streamlined approach and the issue of putting a project on hold. I was able to get Module C to a tabletop ready standard with less work than Module A, even through this is a larger piece. On the other hand, the two pieces don't quite match due to the different techniques used. Any more Eternity Lab Module kits I purchase from Brutal Cities will likely get the simplified and faster approach I used from Module C. This leaves Module A as the odd one out, but I'm okay with that.

Still thinking about one more weathering pass...

The post on Module A has my thoughts on the build, product quality, etc. Long story short - Ryan at Brutal Cities makes good stuff. Sturdy, well thought out, and can fit a variety of settings from modern to cyberpunk to space opera. The cost of shipping from Australia is higher than I'd like, but I can't fault Brutal Cities for the realities of the international shipping. I'll just resort to my usual remedy of waiting for a sale to offset such costs.

Back In the Saddle - Star Trek Adventures

Let me tell you about the RPG campaign I'm running!

It's been awhile since I've run any kind of tabletop game for a group. The last one was canceled in 2020 and starting a new one didn't happen for a variety of reasons. Remote gaming didn't appeal to my group, but we did keep in touch over Discord. A number of folks in our group were holding down medical or public-facing service jobs, so in person gaming kept getting pushed back.

That all changed recently when we decided to get the band back together.

Last minute cramming before Session Zero!

Early Discussion

The idea of returning to in person gaming came up over Discord and shifted over to picking out a game. The field got narrowed down to Star Trek Adventures, 13th Age, and Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of. The majority of the players are involved with an ongoing Dungeons & Dragons 5e campaign, so any form of F20 seemed redundant to them. Conan was ruled out since I didn't have a firm idea for a campaign other that a series of "throw stuff at the players and see what they like" adventures. With everybody being a Star Trek fan, the emergence of a variety of new content for that franchise coming out over the past few years, and my ability to come up with adventure ideas, Star Trek Adventures seemed like the best bet.

Now, I know what you might be thinking: "Star Trek Adventures? That's Undiscovered Country for the Over the Hill Gaming Blog!" That's a fair point. After all, I've only written about a couple of dozen posts concerning the game. I'm clearly not primed to run the game, but I'll just have to do my best and muddle through it somehow.


Session Zero (And Change)

The next step was getting together - in person - for Session Zero. The actual Session Zero got cut short due to scheduling issues. So we actually had Session Zero and Session Zero and Change. I usually run Session Zeroes with two major topics in mind - campaign discussion and character generation. Star Trek Adventures adds a third - starship generation.


Campaign Discussion

The first Star Trek Adventures campaign I ran for this group was strongly influenced by DS9. It was placed along the Cardassian border. The Bajorans, Cardassians, Maquis, and Dominion all featured regularly. The themes revolved around the kinds of conflicts and dilemmas depicted on DS9. It all worked well overall, but the darker tone and untangling complex issues fatigued the players. A change was in order.

The next one was a soft reboot of the first. Certain plotlines and characters carried over, but the campaign was set on another starship with a mostly newly introduced crew. The location was moved away from the Cardassian border. The themes and tone was shifted over to exploration and frontier diplomacy. Unfortunately, that campaign was canceled shortly after it started due to the situation in 2020.

We briefly talked about alternatives to the standard Star Trek Adventures set up of the player characters being a Starfleet bridge crew. Star Trek Adventures does support other campaign concepts such as running a stationary installation. The Klingon Empire Core Book presents the nuts and bolts of running a Klingon campaign. However, this would be our first time back out in awhile, so we decided on the well-worn path of flying Federation colors.

This campaign is a fresh start - a hard reboot with no connections to our earlier Star Trek Adventures campaigns. We're starting over in the default year of 2371, a period with plenty of opportunities. Things are kicking off in the Beta Quadrant - the familiar realms of Klingons, Romulans, and Orions. The initial themes are exploration and diplomacy, but things are expected to change as the timeline moves forward.


Character Generation

Most of both Session Zeroes were spent on discussing character ideas, making choices along the lifepath system, and filling out the details of each player character's background. I prefer to have all of players handling character generation as a group activity. It's handy to have a group to bounce ideas off of and brainstorm with when a player gets stuck when coming up with a character concept or element of their back story. It also helps to insure that everybody - gamemaster included - is on the same page.

In Star Trek Adventures, I start things off by listing the senior officer positions on a whiteboard. The players divide them off however they want. I also reminded them that Supporting Characters exist as an option to cover any gaps or for a player to use when their character isn't in a scene. Once things got rolling, I took a backseat - answering questions and helping when requested, but otherwise letting the players work at their own pace.


The NPC Captain

None of the players really wanted the role of the captain. I'd rather not force a role on somebody - myself included - and diminish their enjoyment of the game. I had a couple of issues with the idea of a NPC captain, but agreed after ways around the issues were found.

Making the authority figure a NPC potentially takes decision making away from the players. With a NPC calling the shots, they may end up dragging the player characters through the story as spectators. The most direct way of avoiding this is a passive captain, but that doesn't make much sense for an experienced professional in a leadership position. Our solution involves stopping the game during key decision points to allow the players to discuss what direction to take things. When play resumes, the NPC captain then proceeds as if they made a decision that matches what the players decided on.

Most iterations of Star Trek have the commanding officer as the series lead. Authority figures tend to pull focus. It's one thing to have various NPCs pop up and depart as we move through an adventure. Even NPCs who show up regularly don't present a problem. It's another matter entirely to have a NPC with authority over the player characters show up in almost every scene. It's just too easy for such a NPC to overshadow the player characters in the context of Star Trek. If aliens call the ship, they're going to want to talk to the captain. That can easily cut the players out of participating in the conversation, making them passive observers. Most players show up to play the game, not watch it unfold. Fortunately, Star Trek canon provides a partial solution - the captain doesn't go on Away Missions. I'll be designing the adventures to take place off the ship as much as possible.


The Cool Starship

We turned to one of the few canon starships that's a blank slate outside of its only on screen appearance - USS Phoenix (NCC-65420). The ship disappears from canon after showing up in "The Wounded" (TNG 4x12). Not even the comics, novels, video games, and other beta canon revisits the ship. This is unusual since Star Trek writers regularly reuse ship names to tie the story they are telling to earlier episodes. For example, USS Cairo is introduced in "Chain of Command, Part I" (TNG 6x10). It is stated to still be in the area and responding to the current crisis in the following episode "Chain of Command, Part II" (TNG 6x11). Much later, USS Cairo is believed to be destroyed in "The Pale Moonlight" (DS9 6x19).

USS Phoenix played a part in both of the previous campaigns. One of the player characters in the former campaign was an officer aboard USS Phoenix during the events of "The Wounded" and had a black mark of their record as a result. The ship was to be featured in the latter one, but didn't get far due to that campaign's cancellation.

For the purposes of this campaign, USS Phoenix was moved away from the Cardassian border after the arrest of Captain Benjamin Maxwell. The ship was repaired while the senior officers were investigated for their roles in the incident. USS Phoenix was eventually reassigned to the Beta Quadrant and served under a different captain for a couple of years and was pulled in for a refit. The newly refitted starship is now ready for duty under a new captain and crew.


With Session Zero (and a half) done, we're ready to get started. I'm in the process of putting together my ideas into something halfway coherent. The first adventure will likely start in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I hope that this post has been entertaining and offered some handy ideas and insights.

Trash Bash Sci-Fi Fuel Drum

This was a quick and dirty proof of concept I threw together over a hot summer afternoon. The goal was to see what else I could do with a couple of plastic soda bottle caps other than make another wheel for a sci-fi vehicle. It could be almost any kind of sci-fi widget, but I'm going to develop it as a sci-fi fuel drum for 28mm tabletop gaming. The execution needs more refinement before I crank out a bunch for scatter terrain.

One thing I can't complain about is the cost of the parts.

Parts List

• Plastic soda bottle caps x 2
• Coffee bag valve x 1
• Plastic beads x 3

Preparation

The soda bottle caps and coffee bag valve got a good scrubbing with warm soap and water. Then I sanded down the edges and tops of the soda bottle caps. The edges were pretty rough and I wanted to improve how well they fit together. On the other hand, the tops were too smooth and I was concerned about how well glue, primer, and paint would bond to the surface.

Assembly

Pretty straightforward. I formed the main body by gluing the pair of soda bottle caps together. The coffee bag valve and beads were glued on what I arbitrarily decided was the top.

Spray Priming

Krylon Fusion All-In-One Matte Black

Coated all surfaces, including the underside.


Spray Painting

Krylon ColorMaster Paint + Primer Metallic Aluminum

A single coat. Since this was a proof of concept, I didn't feel the need to go further with the paint job. Later iterations will get a coat of wash and some details painted with a brush.

Moving Forward

It's good enough for a proof of concept, but there are some issues that I'll need to fix in the next iteration. I didn't notice the lettering on the coffee bag valve until after spraying on the metallic coat. That will have to get removed next time. I might play around with the number of beads and find something else to add as a detail. Reducing the number of beads from three to two would match the number of openings on a real world fuel drum. Adding an angular bit would contrast with all the curves everywhere else. Finally, I'd like to try another color for the base coat.

Trash Bash Monowheel Cycle FINISHED

Here's a monocycle model I cobbled together from reclaimed materials. It started off as an experiment with making a wheel with a pair of plastic soda bottle caps and grew from there. When I last posted about this project, all I had left to do was put it on a base and paint it up. Finding my way forward took awhile.

Rosie inspecting some Atmospheric Water Condensers during her frontier days.

Basing

I started by attaching the model to a round plastic base with Gorilla Super Glue. This bond was only intended to hold everything together long enough to apply texturing mix to the base. The mix of sand, PVA glue, paint, and water that I favor sets like concrete once dry. The combination of Gorilla Super Glue and texturing mix produces a strong and durable bond.


Spray Re priming/Base Coats

Krylon Fusion All-In-One Matte Coffee Bean Paint + Primer
Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Khaki

At least one more coat of spray primer proved necessary when I ran into problems painting the wheel black. The Tamiya Surface Primer didn't seem to bond properly to the plastic soda bottle cap. The Krylon Coffee Bean covered well and provided a flat, dark brown base coat. I followed up with Khaki sprayed in a zenithal pattern.

A little dirty and dusty, but still purrs like a kitten.

Painting

Wheel

FolkArt 479 Pure Black

A couple of coats over the entire wheel surface to represent rubber or some sci-fi substitute.


Body

FolkArt 437 Lipstick Red
FolkArt 932 Calico Red

I considered yellow or orange for the body, but went with red for the speed boost. Lipstick Red works as a dark base color and Calico Red as a highlight color.


Clean Up

FolkArt 231 Real Brown

I changed my mind about where some of the red went and gave those areas a coat of Real Brown. The dark brown produced a good undercoat for the metallic and cloth areas.


Metallic Areas

Citadel Colour Boltgun Metal
Citadel Colour Mithril Silver

I don't know how, but these old bottles are still going strong. The Boltgun Metal coated the areas representing bare metal parts with Mithril Silver lightly brushed over as a highlight.


Cloth

FolkArt 420 Linen

Linen seemed like a good choice for the sandbag seat cushions and the bags in the stowage area.

The only thing kept clean on this ride is the holographic projector for the HUD.

Weathering

FolkArt 479 Pure Black (diluted with water)
FolkArt 231 Real Brown (diluted with water)
FolkArt 420 Linen

The monocycle is supposed to be made of salvaged parts – much like the actual model - and used in the wastelands of some frontier world. A showroom new appearance didn't seem like the right move. The diluted Pure Black and Real Brown were each applied as wash coats. A heavy brushing of Linen produced a dusty appearance. If I do another project like this, I might use a Silver Sharpie to add some chipped paint and other details before applying the washes and drybrushing.


Base Clean Up

FolkArt 231 Real Brown
FolkArt 420 Linen

I needed to cover up some of the red paint that ended up on the base. This step also ties the ground colors to the weathering colors.

Wire

Adding a wire to connect a couple of the parts together was always part of the plan. Unfortunately, I forgot about it until everything was painted, but before I started weathering the model. Fortunately, the wire color works with the rest of the model and the wash coats help to tie it in.

Heads Up Display

The final step was to attach one of the Warsenal Fluorescent Scifi Screens I purchased way back in 2020 to the part representing a holographic projector.

Rosie: "Now where did I pack that screwdriver?"

Fictional Background

Let's wrap up with another Kessler's Catalog entry. I often think of how elements of a model would fit into a fictional setting while working on it. Writing these thoughts up into a backstory gets them out of my head.

This monowheel vehicle is representative of those used in remote regions of thinly settled worlds throughout the frontier sectors. Such vehicles serve a variety of operators such as couriers, surveyors, salvagers, and scouts. Packs of similar vehicles see use in conflict zones as raiders.

The chassis is built on the remains of a planetary survey probe. The wheel was salvaged from the landing gear of a heavy interplanetary transport. The other components originated from sources to varied to be listed here. Reliability is surprisingly high, but some maintenance tasks are described as "a bit tricky" by our technical staff. Performance is good, but handling "takes some getting used to" according to our test drivers.

The wheel is a plastic drum with a synthetic rubber coating and a metallic core. It is electromagnetically suspended and rotated when the vehicle is in operation. Stability and control are provided by a variety of counter gravity and mass manipulation systems. While these systems reduce the effective mass of the vehicle while operating, true flight is not possible due to their limited output.

Energy storage is provided by a series of repurposed power packs distributed throughout the vehicle. These packs are tied into a single system and can be replenished at any standard recharging station. The large solar energy collection arrays standard for planetary survey missions are missing - likely removed and repurposed long ago.

Auxiliary power is supplied by an internal combustion engine designed for planetary exploration and colonial applications. The engine can burn a variety of hydrocarbon fuels, but is most efficient when using high octane synthetic gasoline or alcohol. There is evidence of another auxiliary power system based on a nuclear generator, but most of the components are absent.

- Kessler's Upcycling Sales Catalog

D&D Beholder Miniature Rebasing

I was reminded of a problem with this Beholder miniature after using it on the thumbnail for the "The AD&D Monster Manual (1979) A - Z: Episode 3: "B - Baboon to Beholder"" video. Basically, the material used for the base is too soft for the job.

Replacing the base was a quick and fun project. This video provides an overview of the process.