From ChrisW - Lady Sarah's yacht, Mars, VSF glory (633.5 points)

Last week I decided I would try and do two posts one early with stuff that I assumed that I would complete quickly and a second post for tough deadline stuff. 

That did not work out.

I was only able to get enough stuff finished for one post. It was my inability to remain focused on the tasks that I had assigned myself and to stay focused on one project at a time that caused me to end up with only one post last week. I found that I frittered away too much time contemplating rather than doing. As an example, the battle board that I built for last weeks post sat untouched for days before I suddenly leapt into action 1 day before the deadline. It always amazes me what I can get done in a very short time when inspiration grips me and when a deadline looms over me. 

So now I am going to try this again. There were a few items that I almost finished last week, some items that had been completed but did not fit in with Earth and one piece of scenery that has been in the 'contemplative' stage for far to long.

So the hope is that this will be ready at a more reasonable time for Tamsin to review, while post number two is an aspirational post with items that may take me down to the wire on Tuesday. I really want to get that second big project done but it will not be easy. Worst case scenario it gets posted the following Tuesday. Actually worst case is that I never finish but lets not think that way.

So this post contains item(s) for Mars that just could not be done in time for last week. This is the 16th planet that I have visited on this wild journey through the cosmos.

UPDATE

Well no surprise not going to be two posts this week, barely able to get the one post done. Those almost done figures had to be restarted as they just were not jelling. In the end I figured I would just be happy getting what ever I get done, done.

From Earth we take yet another ride on Sarah's yacht  courtesy of any of the 22 figures that comprise the hussar unit or the 4 artillery crew.

 

 Dismounted Hussars [22 figures]

These figures are some OOP Hinterland dismounted hussars miniatures. These troops are seeing service on Mars as part of a Totenkoph contingent. This is my second unit of blond soldiers for this challenge. The figures are really delicate and finely sculpted and in better hands they look quite beautiful. In my hands they hopefully look passable. 

Artillery support [3.5 figures plus gun]

Heavy support hussars [2 figures]

 

The High Martians [60 figures]

These are old RAFM figures [still in production] that have a certain charm to them. They come in both flying and grounded versions. In the game they are typically yellow hued, but for some reason that was just not working for me. Not so much an ascetics issue so much as I was just unable to get them to look right. I have other Martian troops that I painted in yellow shades, but it just did not work out for these guys. The missus suggested green as in little green men from Mars, I went with a blue/green that in the end wound up being more blue than green. On the plus side they are painted and they do stand out!

I must sadly add that although the figures have wings, they do not so much fly as plummet. While transporting them from the painting table to the photo booth a few tried to take flight. They wound up kipping on the floor as it were. Just one of those weeks. I also spilled a bottle of primer on the floor and last night, maybe around 1:30 AM I apparently tipped over a bottle of crazy glue. The curse of it is that I often have trouble getting the glue out when I want/need to, but if you tip it over and let it sit untouched...I now have a plastic gorilla attached to my gaming table, possibly a gaming mat too.😒 

I am productive in spite of myself.

33 grounded troops

27 airborne

The Kraag 

 

The big item this week is a High Martian Kraag. It is something that I have wanted to build since the release of Space 1889 roughly 30+ years ago, I just never had the motivation to do it. So most of the components were cut and stored years ago, they have been through a couple of moves and amazingly never been destroyed or repurposed, but also never been worked on. 

For some reason my VSF stuff made it to the front of the pile during this challenge and so this Kraag managed to get pulled out. Now, it has just been sitting on a table throughout this challenge, untouched once again, but with the planet Mars just sitting there in the inner ring and my new found compulsion to get stuff done this time this Kraag will get built.

WIP photo

 

This past week has seen me having several Roy Neary moments, not throwing trees and soil through windows but certainly fixating on buttes, hauling out paints and rocks and spray cans etc. My wife caught me staring off into the distance in deep contemplation more than once. At one point at the dinner table she feared that I was having a seizure my gaze was fixed, one hand twitched (plotting how best to build this thing) and to all intense and purposes I was unresponsive. She was finally able to break through my deep thoughts and while I was having a revelation, the interruption caused me to loose that train of thought...😒

So this started off as one big solid mountain, but somewhere along the way I decided it might be 'fun' to hollow out some of the mountain to provide some variety of use. So out came the fancy Proxxon hot wire cutter and three sections were hollowed out. There was no planning beyond maxing out the interior space. The bottom section was just randomly cut out in an attempt to create some prison cells while the other areas were to be large rooms that might get sectioned off with drop on walls.

Top section

Middle section

Base section

The top section provided a challenge as it was irregularly shaped and the hollowing out left me with some bad gaps. Originally it was to be the throne room, but it was kind of small. So the next section down was made bigger by adding another piece of 2" thick styrofoam then cutting out the centre. It is of a fair size and will hopefully be useful in actual gaming situations.

The plateau on top  is relatively flat as buttes tend to be, but the reasoning was not for authenticity, but because I plan to have some drop on scenery like mortars, artillery and/or defense nets. I figure at least 3 guns should be able to fit on top.
 

 The exterior was carved in an attempt to provide level surfaces to facilitate the placement of figures, but to still look more or less like a natural mountain. The whole of the exterior was brush painted with reddish brown paint mixed with white glue to provide a base colour and some protection. Actual rocks were then glued in place as was gravel, then the mountain was sprayed and dry brushed. The plants are from the dollar store, the natural green colour covered with red oxide spray paint then additional colours lightly sprayed as a highlight.

Action shots!

The Points

•  20 points for the planet Mars 
•  20 points for Sarah's Yacht
  
•  410 points for 82 x 28mm Prussian hussars & High Martians
  
•  27.5 points for field gun and 4 crew [one is lying down]
  
•  10 points for 2 heavy hussar support
• 146 (more or less} points for High Martian Kraag

Math for Kraag points

• Lower layer 14" x 12" x 4" [672 sq in] 62 points
  
• Middle layer 10" x 10" x 4" [400 sq in] 37 points
  
• Top layer 8" x 8" x 8" [512 sq in] 47 points
  

633.5 Total points

OH GREAT ONE with this post I have now completed 6 planets on the outer rim, 5 on the middle ring and 5 on the inner circle. I think I am ready for my centre challenge!

 

   Squirrel points [10]

  Previous weeks

1. Super heroes
2. Epic 40K
   
3. Sci-Fi Robots 28mm
   
4. Dystopian wars
   
5. Dr Who                                                                                                                                            
6. Pulp
7. All Quiet on the Martian Front  
8. Back of Beyond  
9. Post apocalypse                                                                                                                            New this week
10. VSF 

 Alphabet challenge 

Kaboom! And so another ChrisW-shaped points-bomb drops onto a planet. That's a great selection of figures, but the high point has to be that Kraag!

I'll have a think on what your task should be* for the Challenge XII Hub and do a post later on.

Tamsin

* some of you may realise, having seen the list of draft posts that the thinking may already have been done!