"Sir! Lord Vader Demands an Update!"

And an update you shall all have, of works in progress and such, starting with a pair of ships I did up for my old friend Dr. Sheldon Greaves, two vessels I think of as Jake and Elwood due to their fetching "Blue Meanies" disruptive paint scheme (and their capacity for mayhem - stats for Silent Death: The Next Millennium to follow):

These are the classic Gamilas warships from Space battleship Yamato. These mini kits are available once again thanks to the reboot of the original series as Yamato 2199. Better still, HobbyLink Japan is running an across the board sale as of this writing, and these kits are running at $1.64 a pop, a dirt cheap way to build up your galaxy-conquering spacefaring armada. The sale runs through Midnight Monday. so hit yer hyperdrive and get over to http://www.hlj.com and build your fleet, as there's a whole bunch of different ships to choose from in this classic series!

Now, moving ever swiftly on to various works in progress:

Remember this Japanese Space Command SNLF flak tank? Well, he's now done (just have to add the base), and he's got company coming as the SNLF demibrigade project moves forward:

So Far there's a trio of MBTs including a command tank, and a heavy guided missile tank for some serious punch. APCs based on the same handy chassis will follow along, as will Rebel Minis Titan Marines serving as SNLF mechanized infantry.

Meanwhile, I scored a huge pile of over 90 figures and heavy weapons from Ground Zero Games via EBay, a lot that was a mix of UNSC light troopers, NAC Marines light infantry, and New Israeli troops in hard suits, enough for two full reinforced infantry platoons (NAC and NI) and an excuse to start a third group later on (UNSC), plus a half dozen space suited characters for a civvies starship crew as needed! So far, I just shot the NAC troops with their first coating of primer:

Speaking of human forces, my Khurasan Exterminators are progressing nicely, just a few dibs and dabs away from flocking the bases and a shot of Dullcote:

Further mischief is getting some proper two-hex flight stands under my Silent Death Warhound (escort vessel) proxies, starting with my signature kit bashed vessel, the 10,000 ton destroyer Jericho:

Litko makes a whole range of useful game aids, flight stands, and movement bases, and these two-hex bases are just the ticket for escort vessels in Silent Death: The Next Millennium, far better than the wonky two separate flight stand approach. Here's the Litko base under my own Garmilas warship model from Space Battleship Yamato:

Finally for this installment, I've begun some grav tanks for an old client of mine, who like "Kull" (aka Our Man in Genoa) succeeded in luring me out of my lair long enough to take up a commission for a brigade of advanced AFVs for my client's Hammer's Slammers armies. The first heavy tank hulls have thus been set down,  two apiece of basic MBTs and command MBTs. There's also a heavy multiple missile launcher system courtesy of our apartment complex's dumpster (man, I love old computers!), plus APCs and enough basic MBTs to equip three tank platoons:

Until next time, space possums! Keep yer sights clear, yer reactors spinning, and always watch yer six for the Drac diving out of the sun!

"Look out it's loose! It'll tear us all apart!"

Yup. Managed to wrangle some down time to clear my flayed brain cells and snap some photos of a few things finished or WIP:

A bit of Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader nostalgia inspired by the lines of this otherwise useless clothes brush passed on to me by my old friend Paul Ryan…

So it was useless for keeping one's clothing lint free, but it made a good anti-gravity Predator analogue...

Cheap, cheerful, and ever son handy are the original Space Battleship Yamato mini kits available once again from HobbyLink Japan...

At 180 yen a pop -less than $2.00 US!- these are a great way to build up a space fleet very fast and on a budget...

And they make perfect escort vessels for Silent Death: The Next Millennium (just add Litko double hex flight bases)…

More 15mm anti-gravity AFV madness, the first of a small brigade's worth of  AFVs and such for my Tomorrow's War Japanese Special Naval Landing Force...

You'll recall, my loyal minions, that the turret on this fetching AAA vehicle was a plastic *spork*... 

Combat Wombat turned brass gun barrels, some rhinestones… you know the drill by now!

DIY drones made by stacking plastic rhinestones, adding some plastic beads and a couple of nails for gun barrels...

A batch of three plus a one-off... 

A diecast toy tank from a candy tube, some added Lego bits and whatsits...

An old 1/87 scale plastic Soviet T-54 chassis, a Listerine breath strips container, a nail for the main gun... 

Rear via of this handy one-off tank completed with some left over Airfix decals for a 1/76 scale Matilda II infantry tank…

A light tank destroyer from a tooth cleaner container, plastic sample spoon, a few rhinestones, and a nail for the main gun...

A rear view of the latest 15mm anti-grav panzerknacker... 

The engine exhausts were made from Lego bits with a half round rhinestone glued into the opening...

Blue Moon/Old Glory 15mm Post Human Command squad; gotta get me a few more of these!

At last, a decent small group closeup of some of my Khurasan Miniatures Garn!

Oh, yeah, they're both done now… Mwahahahahahaaaa!!!

I kept the finish straightforward, the markings simple so as not to risk losing too much of the detail of the construction of these two monster battle tanks...

A stern view of one of these beasts...

Side view with main gun turret rotated to the left. The main armament is a 220mm high velocity advanced propellant projectile rifle, backed up by a 330mm fusion plasma shell bombard and a Mk. 100 Googlewatt multi-spectrum laser beam projector...

These beasts also sport two Terawatt multi-spectrum lasers in the hull sponsons, and two Gigawatt point defense lasers on the turret roof. A pair of 28mm Infinite Repeaters in a power driven armored cupola on the roof completes the weapons fit of these brutal machines.

A shot of the two brutes supported by Imperial Terran Marines (classic 15mm Laserburn figures)...

Another shot with some of the Imperial Terran Marines in support...

And a final group shot of one of the monster battle tanks with a classic RAFM Miniatures Heavy Gear mech and three of the Blue Moon/Old Glory 15mm Post Human Command troopers...

"Did you feel that? It's a displacement tremor…!"

Latest 15mm sci-fi madness on the workbench…

Disposable plastic appetizer plates, some self-adhesive metal studs for decorating scrapbooks, some plastic self-adhesive rhinestones...

Combat Wombat gun barrels made from turned brass….

And yes, the gun turret on this fetching anti grav flak tanks was a *spork*… 

…and now for something in the super heavy assault tank category, just this side of a baby BOLO...

So you start with a 1/72 scale Panzerkampfwagen Maus prototype on clearance sale…

Then you add a plastic hairpin box from Daiso...

Lots of plastic rhinestones, decorative tiles, beads...

…Lego bits, self-adhesive metal studs for scrapbooking, Combat Wombat gun barrels...

…more plastic rhinestones, more plastic tiles...

…a large steel washer where the original turret hole was located...

…magnetic strips on the underside of the new turret to mate with the steel washer and make the turret posable...

…Oh, and don't forget the plastic sample spoon… Holy, s**t!!! There's TWO OF 'EM!!!

And now they've got their primer coat…

Next installment: Two super heavy bad-assed monster tanks in 15mm finished and ready to crush my enemies, and see them driven before me, that I may hear the lamentation of their women! Bwaahahahahaahahahahaaaa!!!!!