And Still More Kitbashing Madness This Way Comes…
Yup. Couldn't help myself. Just had to get some things done, as I've been a baaad boy in not updating this column more regularly..
Grav heavy assault guns. I wanted a pair of anti-grav analogues to the WW2 German Brumbar or Russian ISU-152 heavy assault guns. The trouble was that the two bits I found suitable for the gun barrels were so hefty that if they were projectile weapons, there'd be little room for onboard ammunition! Since I don't buy into the "Games Sweatshop" school of sci-fi AFV design aesthetic of massive, cartoonish guns mounted on turrets too small to accommodate any recoil let alone room for both crew, breach block, and ammunition, the logical solution was that of a massive energy weapon system. So I figure these are 25 cm bore heavy powerguns ala Hammer's Slammers, bigger in caliber than the ferocious 20 cm main guns found on the Slammer's blower tanks.
The armored casemate fighting compartment is a plastic spoon with the handle cut away (eat at Dolce France, save the takeaway utensils). A Lego bit acted as the mounting plate for the gun barrel. Some half round decorator studs for scrapbooking from Michael's some self-adhesive gem cut round rhinestones from the same aisle. Roco Minitanks spare artillery ammunition stacks to make the heavy smoke grenade discharger system, and some round and square metal decorator studs for scrapbooking to make the crew access hatches. The vision blocks were very small self adhesive plastic rhinestones again from Michael's; these are extremely helpful in detailing your kit bashed creations, and they are coming in an increasing number of shapes and sizes.
The side armor plates are self-adhesive decorative plastic squares again intended for scrapbooking, picked up from the local Tuesday Morning outlet store for $1.99 for three (3) sets of three sizes, a real steal at that price point as if memory serves these normally retail at around $2.99 for a single sheet.
Speaking of plastic utensils, I was inspired by another denizen of TMP The Miniatures Page to combine two plastic spoons to make a light grav car body, only to take matters a bit further and wind up with a light armored anti grav scout vehicle analogous to the WW2 Daimler Dingo…
The next step will be decals, weathering, and a base to raise the 'lil fellow off the surface…
Next up, some oldies but goodies, the classic Crusher Joe anime tank Galleon repurposed with a fancy camouflage scheme as somewhat scale neutral medium to light AFVs:
Originally painted up to act as 1/72 scale light recon tanks for my Imperial Terran Marines brigade from the classic sci-fi war-game rules Starguard!, I not too long ago rediscovered these little gems and instantly recognized how handy they'd be for 15mm sci-fi as heavily armed MICVs or light tanks, so out of storage they came and now the pair reside in my Rapid Response Force case for short notice sci-fi ground combat games…
Advancing to contact… Hostiles to the front! Command, we have contact with hostiles! Enemy recon! Looks like a squad of skimmers…
Speaking of storage, yes, I found my Khurasan Miniatures Sea Wasp recon skimmers in all of their alien Pelagic Dominate glory…
Though the mighty Pelagics need to be careful, as there's something really big afoot in the Terran workshops of late…
Remember those plastic hairpin boxes I found at Daiso? Well, while they make for great grav assault gun hulls, they also make very nice super heavy tank turrets, and wedded to a 1/72 scale Panzerkampfwagen Maus chassis found for cheap at Tuesday Morning, some plastic rhinestones, a plastic sample spoon from Trader Joe's (waste not, want not)….
