Sunday, November 17, 2019

Digitally Colored Version of the Kauth ATV

I finally finished my first version of the Kauth ATV tracked vehicle. Thanks to the image wizardry of Rubén Andrés Martínez A., I had a clean copy of the Dennis Kauth ATV to work from. I went with a basic olive color scheme and tried to keep it from looking overly militaristic since I see this as more of an exploration vehicle along the lines of the Star Frontiers Explorer vehicles.
There are no instructions for these models but Rubén's built versions should give you a good idea of how to build them.
Several of the symbols that I used are from Ron Cobb's Standard Semiotic Symbols from the film Alien. I used the Scotch and Soda icons from this post.



My coloring on this model is not perfect but I think it should go together fairly easily. If you find anything truly catastrophic please let me know but otherwise I'm considering this first version as done.

I'm also posting the cleaned up versions that 
Rubén sent me so that others can have a go at creating their own color schemes. I'd really like to see what you come up with so if you create a new color scheme, please leave a comment with a link to where I can see it.


Thanks to Steven Hildebrand and Rubén Andrés Martínez A. for the imaging help and as always, thanks to Dennis for designing such a cool set of vehicles. I hope he approves of our efforts.

NOTE: Be sure to right click and save the linked image and not just the thumbnail. These should be 8.5"x11" at 300dpi.


















Sunday, November 3, 2019

Built Version of the Kauth Card Models


Brilliant news! Ruben Andres Martinez on the Paper Modelers Forum has built all of the various vehicles contained in the booklet of models created by Dennis Kauth. There are several models included such as a small fighter-craft and a large tracked explorer. Go over to the Paper Modelers Forum and check out all of Ruben Andres's build notes and more pictures. (You might need to join to see all of the images. But it's a cool forum. :) )

You can find the original post about Dennis's models and scans HERE.

At some point I will be digitally coloring these and having fully built models makes it a much easier task.

Thank you Mr. Martinez!

The little robo-tankette fits into the tracked explorer.

The little additions like this full cockpit are a great touch. 



Friday, October 11, 2019

Kauth ATV Card Model

I was given a copy of this model that was designed by model-maker Dennis Kauth. Unfortunately Dennis died several years ago so I never got the chance to find out if this was designed for a particular game etc. The people who gave it to me were friends of Dennis's and wanted it to be scanned and distributed to other gamers who might enjoy it. I've never seen a finished version of it and would love to have someone take on the project of building it.

NOTE: There is a screen tone over the entire image that makes it appear gray. I've tried to remove this using Photoshop without success. At some point I'd like to color this but it will take a significant amount of time that I'm currently not willing to invest.

MORE NEWS! 
I heard from the friend of mine and Dennis's who first gave me the booklet and he confirmed that they were originally designed for TSR's Buck Rogers role playing game. They were never finalized and put into production, probably due to the shake-ups happening at TSR at the time.

And on the Star Frontiers: Alive and Well group on Facebook, Matthew Teets shared this Star Frontiers Skimmer that he purchased years ago. It's obviously designed by Dennis Kauth as well. (A couple of images have been added to the bottom of this post.)












Monday, August 26, 2019

Nameless Design Miniatures Kickstarter



After far too long I've finally decided to cast the Great Race of Yith and Elder Things minis I've sculpted. And I'm also adding a Shoggoth! That Glows in The Dark!

Check it out HERE

Monday, July 1, 2019

Trash Bash 2019 Contest Rules



Trash Bash 2019 Contest Rules:
What is This?
In the spirit of Rick Priestley’s classic grav-attack build, this contest challenges converters, hobbyists, and scratchbuilders to create a model using random bits of stuff and a lot of creativity. Many of the skills of being a strong miniature hobbyist will be needed to do well in this contest, not only construction and painting but also photography, concept creation,miniature painting, and terrain set-up.
What to Enter:

Contestants will construct and paint a vehicle or structure inspired by the word DEFENDER. Concepts do not have to be military in nature and can embody any ideas that the entrant sees as viable.

The required bit is a chip/crisp container (Pringles or similar.). This should be a container meant to be discarded after chips are eaten and not a container meant to be used over and over. If this type of container is not available where you live, you may substitute a similar replacement.

Each entry must contain at least one chip/crisp container as part of the construction. All other parts can be from any model kits, toys, throw-away plastic items etc or scratchbuilt from other materials. Judges will be looking for clever repurposing of items and skill in making them unrecognizable on the final model.
Other materials such as plasticard, putty, wire, etc are acceptable but fully covered over and sculpted entries will not score well.

Any scales supported by existing miniature or model ranges are acceptable. This will be necessary for the final picture of your entry unless you wish to sculpt your own figures as well. 

Contest Requirements:
A 200 word or less description of your model should be included with each entry. Explain what type of vehicle or building you have constructed, where it is usually found, what its capabilities are, etc. The scale of your model should be given in this description.

A total of five images must be submitted to be eligible for judging:
  • 3 pictures of the final painted vehicle or building on a neutral background showing the three views that best show the construction and finishing of the entry.


  • 1 picture of the unpainted vehicle or building along with a list of what materials were used in the construction. If you don’t remember what a particular bit is don’t put it on the list.


  • 1 picture of the final painted vehicle or building set in an environment along with painted miniatures or models of the humans or other creatures associated with your model. This will be a showpiece image and a great chance to really sell your concept. Use of terrain and foliage is expected for this final shot.

No retouching or special effects other than basic photo correction will be allowed on submitted images. Any images showing added effects will be disqualified.
Good, clear photography is expected and will be considered in final judgement. Images should be high quality jpegs no larger than 1 MB per image.

Each image should be titled as follows: your_name1.jpeg, your_name2.jpeg, etc.

EXAMPLE: brian_roe1.jpeg, brian_roe2.jpeg, etc


Please include 200 word description and parts list with the same email.

Limit one entry per person.

Only entries that have not appeared elsewhere will be accepted.

Please wait to post "work in progress" articles until after the winners have been announced.
Our panel of judges will choose a first place, second place, and third place winner. All decisions of the judges are absolutely final.
How to Enter:
Send all required images and text to Brian Roe at hellbox45@hotmail.com no later than August 1, 2019



For more information visit the Trash Bash Bits Facebook Group.
Judges to be announced soon!



Prizes will be given out for First, Second, and Third Places.

Prizes will be supplied by Trash Bash BitsDragon Forge DesignRBJ Game CompanyBlood And Skulls Industry,  The Forge of Ice, and Ramshackle Games.









Make sure to check these folks out and thank them for their support by ordering lots of cool stuff from them!
This contest is put forth in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect. Any entries that contain offensive material will not be considered for entry. Be cool and creative but don’t build anything you wouldn’t show your mom. Any entry can be refused for any reason especially for not adhering to the basic spirit of fair play.

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Special Armored Battalion Dorvack Booklet

Below are scans of a small booklet produced by Gunze Sangyo to promote their line of Special Armored Battalion Dorvack models. I've always really liked the design of the Dorvack powered armor suits and it's easy to see the cross pollination between Dorvack, Starship Troopers, and Maschinen Kreiger.