The River Is MINE!

Here is a little something i whipped up years ago that I just recently refurbished. I was a huge fan of a little computer game called Total Annihilation. I was inspired by the naval vessels in that game and just had to try to make a table-top version. I began picking out parts from my bits box and then went about fabricating a hull to accommodate the parts. The hull itself is made out of blue insulation styrofoam. I then glued all my bits in what i felt were appropriate places. All the turrets are traversable! The base is created with wood putty. After slapping on the filler putty like a layer of delicious peanut butter, I just pushed the ship into it to make the wake, adding a bit more putty to the rear.Then I added a coating of water effect gel to really make the water look wet. Some of you experienced modelers and mini gamers might recognize a few of the parts I used- there is quite a Frankenstein assortment on her!

This is the original gunboat. Like George Lucas, I felt I could improve it...

.....Unlike George Lucas, I DID improve it!

Some new paint, some little cosmetic changes, and a wet & wild water base!

How about some hull art?

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On escort duty making sure the party-goers reach the beach!

CMG War Walkers...With A Twist!

I got a set of these war walkers from Critical Mass Games ( http://www.criticalmassgames.com )a while back. Then I became bogged down with a wave of commission projects that put these guys on the back burner for a while. Well, I finally got them finished and put in front of the camera! I must say these are fantastic minis: awesome details and casting quality. They were a joy to work with! They are made for 15mm, but I am using them for 10mm- they make nice heavy mechs around the 60-70ton range. Of course, I had to alter the basic minis just a little bit....

This is the basic war walker that I started with. The pic is from the CMG website.

This is my assault version.

I added numerous heavy weapons- the arms, shoulders, and nose cannon are all bits from my spare parts box. I also added some little details like the "nostrils".

I also added an extra set of heat sinks to the left and right torso just beneath the overhang.

Heck, even the gun barrels are modifications of my modifications. I extended the arm guns using metal tubing bits and extended the nose cannon with a bit of plastic tubing and the muzzle brake from a 1:72 German STUG.

This is my anti-air variant. Those miniguns came with the mini. I added the radar dish, the nose cannon, and the missile pods.

The missile pods are made from the forearms of an old Front Mission mech with the missiles sculpted by me and exhaust vents on the rear.

The base is custom made by me out of Super Sculpey. The stones are cut from blue insulation styrofoam.

Here is my recon version. Note the target acquisition scope and the up-link array on the rear hull.

Now for the cool part.....

The arms deploy!

In case you are wondering...the arms came from a Gundam model.

Great for manipulating small objects like crunchies!

Arms have been stowed. The crunchies are safe.

Alright folks, hope you enjoy this little presentation as much as I enjoyed giving life to these minis!

Half Track...All Business.

The common theme here is...half tracks! I decided to give my little family of half tracks some time in the spotlight today. All of these are heavily modified Mech Warrior: Dark Age pieces. Some of them are fairly new, while a few are pretty old. Just click on the pics for a better view.

This is the anti-mech half track. This began life as a MW JES missile carrier. I tore of the missile racks and sculpted a flat bed where the gun would be housed. The gun itself is readily recognizable- a German 88 from the Flames Of War collection. I added the gun crew from miscellaneous MW infantry pieces and added a more sophisticated targeting array to the front of the gun shield. I replaced the front wheels with the wheels from the 88's gun carriage because they looked a bit more rugged. I sculpted the side stabilizer housings and then used a pair of braces from the 88. Finally, I added some stowage and a front winch that I picked out of my spare parts bin.

Here is an action shot of a troop transport and an artillery half track setting up shop along the shore of a shallow stream.

Once again, a JES missile carrier gave its life to become one of my most devious war machines: a mine layer! I sculpted the entire cargo body and just stuck it on the back of the now-bare chassis. Of course I then had to make a minefield for my busy little layer. If you look closely, you can see a few of the anti-mech mines in the freshly sowed field.

You can see part of another of my older half tracks guarding the busy little layer.

This track used to be a MW recovery vehicle. Once I removed the repair arms, I thought the empty bed looked like benches. Naturally, I inserted some seated infantry then added a small support cannon.

Same chassis as above, different purpose. This one is part of the artillery section. I sculpted a small housing to attach the actuators to. The actuators are ankle joints from a Gundam model, I think. The missile pod came from a 1:100 scale Macross tomahawk ( a warhammer to us Battletechies ). I sculpted a small body for the targeting array and sculpted some small cargo boxes for the stowage racks. Finally, I added an MG42 ( another FOW piece ) and a hatch to the top of the crew cabin.

Here is a family shot. Anybody notice the super-secret easter egg in the picture?

Here are some of my ECM/ recon elements. The little hover tank began life as a Star Wars battle droid backpack. The wheeled truck was an APC until i added the electronic gear to the hull. The massive half track is basically a MW mobile HQ. I upgraded the satellite dish, added the comm pod to the side, and the ECM dome to the rear of the hull.