Kickstarter: Modular Landing Pads

 The Kickstarter campaign that I have been doing test-prints for launched a few hours ago:

There's a link in the picture above or just click here: linky-link 

Some of you may know Kathy Millatt from her YouTube channel or from her time as a judge on The Great Model Railway Challenge. She's also a SciFi geek and has recently started playing tabletop games (Star Wars Legion).

She's been working on the designs for these modular landing platforms over the past few months and, boy, are there a lot of options in the package.

I've spent the last two weeks (almost) test-printing the SciFi Ring from the Galactic Set:

The ring has two levels which can be used separately (the upper ring needs basing sections for that though), or together for a taller structure. There are 14* different lower sections and 12* different upper pieces. And that's just for one of the four landing pads in the Galactic Set and before any Stretch Goals are added.

In the photos above you can see what I have printed so far - 14 lower sections and 4 upper sections. You need 12 per level to make a basic ring - I'm printing extras to show off all the options, but that means making a sort of figure-of-eight shape.

There are three pledge levels:

Core Modular Set (allowing you to build landing pads in a range of sizes and shapes) - £32

Galactic Set (SciFi Ring, Desert Ring and a Sky City one either full or flat) - £32

All-In (both sets) - £50 (or £45 if you get in early)

Considering how much you get in each set, I'd say that it is incredibly good value. Of course, once you have the files you will need to print them...

* actually slightly more - for the lower ring there are two different tops for the towers and a variant of the buttress piece which requires supports for printing; for the upper ring there are two different tower tops.

Salute 2023 - The Loot

Yesterday saw me make my pilgrimage to the ExCel Centre in London for Salute 50. Unlike most years, I wasn't traveling from home, as I'd been down at my sister's in Sussex for a couple of nights. I had planned to catch the 0836 train and got there in plenty of time to buy my ticket, but that train was cancelled so I had to get the 0906. Oh well, at least I had time to buy a coffee at the station before boarding.

I eventually got to the venue just before 11am and aftr a few minutes negotiating my way through the crowd of runners pre0registerign for the London Marathon, I made it to the show entry hall just after 11am. There wasn't a queue by then, so I was able to walk straight in (after showing my ticket and getting the goodies-bag).

Another difference to previous years was that I didn't take my camera, so I wasn't taking photos of all the games which allowed me to just visit the ones that interested me (I'd marked up a copy of the show map from the list on the website). I did make a couple of small purchases whilst doing that, but most of my shopping came later on.

I didn't spend as much as normal, or as anticipated, as several items I had on my list weren't available at the show (note to self - pre-orders make good sense!)

At lunchtime I attended the "Bloggers, Vloggers and Podcasters" meet-up which was a good chance to chat with people I hadn't seen for ages and to meet a few people I've only ever chatted with online before. Disgracefully, Ray wasn't there - I'm told he was "under the thumb". *lol*

After that I spent about an hour doing the rest of my shopping before heading to The Fox for drinks with other CLWC members. Four pints of Guinness later, it was time to head home - I think I got in about 9pm - unpack my bags and take some photos of the loot. Apologies for any blurriness - I was slightly inebriated when I took them!

All The Loot:

TT Combat:

I bought this set thinking it would be using the same patterns as the walkways I painted last year. On opening it up for a look, I found that not to be the case.

Blotz:

SHQ:

A vehicle tray for 4l/9l Really Useful Boxes.

Oshiro Model Terrain:

Clear acrylic skirmish movement trays that will be handy for Judge Dredd mobs.

Pendraken/Minibits:

Of the five VMC paints, three were on my list as definitely needing to buy and the other two I know I'm gettign close to finishing; they didn't have the two others that I am almost out of though. I also bought a handful of the Express Color paints to try out. 

Great Escape Games & Too Fat Lardies:

OK, I succumbed to the temptation of a new ruleset...

"OK, great loot, but why haven't we seen you post anything for the last two weeks?"

Basically, I haven't really had anything to show. I did start painting the next set of Block Wars figures (all base coats done) then got busy with a couple of other things. The first of those is doing a load of test-prints for a Kickstarter someone is going to be launching this week (printing things, providing feedback, printing revised things, providing new feedback, rinse, repeat...). The secodn is that I got a bug in my brain about designing some 3D-printable terrain for Block Wars based on Peach Trees from the 2012 Dredd film - so far I've modeled the atrium walkway parapets (I think I've got them close to spot-on) and the next step will be to add the walkways to go behind them. Once those are done I can work on some modular apartments, shops, etc to complete the upper floor sets. Eventually, I will be modeling the ground floor entrance and mall, plus the Med Centre.

Finished: Riot Control Judges (and a couple of Lawmasters)

 

And that's the first three figures from Wave 1 of the Block Wars expansion done and dusted. As mentioned on Wednesday, I took the opportunity to also paint two Lawmaster bikes which had been sitting primed in the drawer for over a year.

Riot Control Judges

The Riot Control Division is made up of Judges who don't make the grade for Street Division, but have the necessary qualities and aptitude for dealing with the frequent riots and block wars that occur in Mega City One.

The one without a riot shield is armed with a riot foam dispenser - the foam hardens rapidly, trapping anybody caught in it allowing them to be cut free, arrested and sent to the Iso Cubes when the riot has been dealt with. The other two are in assault mode; one with a disrupter gun (which temporarily* disrupts the target's nervous system), the other with the ubiquitous Daystick.

I will admit to being a little confused as to why Warlord didn't sculpt them with Lawgiver pistols, which they should all have as back-up weapons.

*usually...

Lawmasters

Somewhat over a year ago I painted up the Cadet Judge and SJS Judge Gerhart models, including riding pose for the latter (I'd lost one of the arms for the riding pose Cadet, so it's still un-primed) but not the Lawmaster bikes from their packs. They had been primed, just not painted for some reason.

Cadet's Lawmaster

SJS Judge Gerhart's Lawmaster

I'm not happy with the headlights and tail lights on the Lawmasters - I might go back and repaint those at some point.

Wednesday Workbench 05 April 2023

 

Well, that is what I got primed a week or so ago. Most of the figures are "model railway people"; some I am leaving as greyscale to use as "average citizens" for Judge Dredd games, the rest will get painted up to bulk out the "Resident Mobs" for Block Wars games (at least until Warlord decide to t=do the obvious and release further Resident Mob packs - the two from the starter pack and the ten in their own pack just won't be enough for one player, let alone two). I also primed all the figures from the first wave of Block Wars.

"Average Citizens" - I need to get some 30mm round bases for the rest.

Wave 1 of Block Wars

Speaking of Block Wars, Warlord announced the Wave 2 releases for pre-order last week and I might have ordered them as a birthday present for myself...

I did make a start on painting the Wave 1 figures last Friday, doing the flesh on all of them. I then got distracted and didn't return to them until today. I decided to start off with the easy job - doing the Riot Judges and remembered that I still had two Lawmaster bikes that needed painting as well, so added them to the workbench:

I actually finished painting them all today, and I'll be varnishing them tomorrow. Then it's onto this bunch of nutters:

I'll probably do these in small groups over the next few days.