Making Windows for Marx Future Cars

Marx Cars of The Future are toys that seem as cool today as they did when they were first made in the space-age crazy 1950s. With styling that expanded on the big and burly cars of that era they seem plausible and completely ridiculous at the same time.

Originally cast with wheels on the bottom that don't seem designed to actually roll these cars make great stand ins for hover cars. Just snap the wheels out and they already seem to float on a cushion of air. Artist Ryan Howe used them for inspiration in our comic Yva Starling: Troubleshooter. I'm also planning to use them in my games of the Judge Dredd Miniature Game as Mega-City One transports.

There are reproductions of these that seem to be pretty cheap and available. Many war game hobbyists use them for games set in an alternate history sci-fi setting were design style never really changed much from the 1950s. They look great in this setting but would certainly be improved by the addition of windshields and side windows.

So I broke out another relic from the past, my trusty Mattel Vac-U-Form machine. This little tank has been around longer than I have and still works consistently and well. And for smaller vacuformed parts it can't be beat. It uses pre-drilled plastic sheets which are luckily still pretty easy to find. And in addition to the heat plate that softens the plastic I also use a heat gun to warm the plastic sheet more thoroughly. The sheet is clamped between two holding racks while it heats. This keeps the sheet taut and even. Then the soft plastic sheet is dropped over the form and the air vacuumed out. This draws the soft plastic over the form and cools it to set the shape.

I've made windows for the two closed cabin cars and I'm pretty happy with how they've turned out. Installing them into the cars can be a bit of a pain but just takes a few tricks. After trimming the windows out of the plastic sheet use either hot glue or green stuff putty to attach it to the roof. These are designed to fit very snugly to the roof of the car to pull the windows tightly into place. I used hot glue for mine and found that letting the glue set for  about 20 seconds before placing the windows helps the plastic keep its shape and fit more snugly. The part needs to be held in place until the glue cools.

Please contact me at hellbox45@hotmail.com if you're interested in picking some of these up.

Elder Thing Disruptor Weapon.

"The Old Ones had used curious weapons of molecular and atomic disturbances against the rebel entities, and in the end had achieved a complete victory." ~H.P.L.

Just a few quick pictures of the Elder Thing with disruptor weapon. I wanted the design of their weapons to be very Baroque and semi-organic without being bio-mechanical. These weapons can be fired in various ways. A lower setting produces uncomfortable heat and blistering, this is the setting most often used to control wayward shoggoths. By increasing the power of the weapon the Elder Things can cause biological material to boil or burn. And at its highest setting it will rip apart molecular bonds with highly explosive results. 

The only disadvantage to using these weapons is that the range and power must be set before firing and so fast moving targets often avoid the worst effects. It is noted in At The Mountains of Madness that the Spawn of Cthulhu and the Mi-Go seem to be able to avoid some of the disruptor's effect by nature of their odd physical reality, although this might only be revisionist history on the part of the Elder Things to explain defeats in battle by these foes.

The Elder Things will also be getting a large scale cannon weapon and close combat troops. The Elder Things miniatures are available here:

http://roebeast.blogspot.com/2012/05/elder-thing-miniatures-assembly.html

Great Race of Yith Preview Miniature.

"They seemed to be enormous, iridescent cones, about ten feet high and ten feet wide at the base, and made up of some ridgy, scaly, semi-elastic matter. From their apexes projected four flexible, cylindrical members, each a foot thick, and of a ridgy substance like that of the cones themselves. 

These members were sometimes contracted almost to nothing, and sometimes extended to any distance up to about ten feet. Terminating two of them were enormous claws or nippers. At the end of a third were four red, trumpet-like appendages. The fourth terminated in an irregular yellowish globe some two feet in diameter and having three great dark eyes ranged along its central circumference.

Surmounting this head were four slender grey stalks bearing flowerlike appendages, whilst from its nether side dangled eight greenish antennae or tentacles. The great base of the central cone was fringed with a rubbery, grey substance which moved the whole entity through expansion and contraction."~ H.P. Lovecraft, The Shadow Out of Time.

The next miniatures that will be released for Eldritch Empires are The Great Race of Yith. These cone shaped creatures use complex hypnosis to force their own minds into other creatures during various epochs in order to gain knowledge and to extend the lifespan of their race. During the time of Eldritch Empires they are inhabiting the bodies of a species native to earth but one that is destined to be destroyed by the mysterious and terrifying polypous beings that haunt them.  

The two clawed tentacles are cast separately allowing for a variety of poses.

The Great Race of Yith are one of my favorite of Lovecraft's Elder Races. Their desire for knowledge and almost magical levels of science make them incredibly interesting. Lovecraft drops tantalizing hints throughout TSOOT about the world that they inhabit in these cone shaped forms even describing various types of transport vehicles and discussing their ways of war. 

"Warfare, largely civil for the last few millennia though sometimes waged against reptilian or octopodic invaders, or against the winged, star-headed Old Ones who centered in the antarctic, was infrequent though infinitely devastating."~ H.P.L.

Although they are extremely tough-bodied even the Makers fear the rending claws of the Great Race.

He mentions their favored weapon as being "camera-like weapons which produced tremendous electrical effects" and although he suggests that these are primarily to deal with the polyps it is not too far of a stretch to imagine them using against their other foes as well.

Lovecraft's biological design of the Yithians is as bizarre as the Elder Things in its seemingly odd combination of parts. Yet when looking at creatures found during the Cambrian Explosion, especially those discovered in the Burgess Shale, it is easy to see how someone with a scientific imagination like Lovecraft could let his mind run riot. Take a look at this brilliant program by David Attenborough to see what I mean:

These will be available soon from Nameless Design Miniatures. Price and shipping still to be determined.

Elder Thing Miniatures Assembly Instructions

Today marks the release of the first miniatures in the Eldritch Empires line, The Elder Things or as they're known in Eldritch Empires: The Makers. These star-headed fellows are pretty much responsible for all native life on Earth, including the abhorrent Shoggoths, and have had aeons of warfare with the other various races that have colonized the planet.

Each miniature consists of eight pieces, 1 head, 1 torso, 1 tentacle base, and 5 arms. 

The arms are cast to a sprue. Make sure when you cut them off that you leave the bit of mounting peg that is attached to each arm.

Sockets should be drilled into the torso for the arm pegs. First file the mounting point flat and then to drill a hole that allows the arm peg to fit snugly.

If you want to pose the arms this needs to be done before they are glued in to the torso. Use a pair of pliers that have a flat jaw surface. It is best to hold a small bit of the arm in the pliers and then press down on the larger bit to bend it. 

If you decide to bend the bottom part make sure you're not bending the mounting peg since this can easily snap off. 

When you assemble the miniature you can pair up two arms to give the effect that the Maker is using its arms in tandem.

Finally just glue the torso to the base and the head on top. You can tell the top of the torso by the small, slit-like gills around the neck. And there you go! Your own Elder Thing ready to brew up some shoggothy goodness.

The next parts I'll be releasing for the Makers will be blasters of some sort. These will plug into the existing torsos to make tactical troopers. These will be followed by swords and shields for The Sensei, the Maker masters of close combat.

These miniatures are currently not for sale but will be again in 2017.

First Miniatures for Eldritch Empires

"Objects are eight feet long all over. Six-foot, five-ridged barrel torso three and five-tenths feet central diameter, one foot end diameters. Dark gray, flexible, and infinitely tough. Seven-foot membranous wings of same color, found folded, spread out of furrows between ridges. Wing framework tubular or glandular, of lighter gray, with orifices at wing tips. Spread wings have serrated edge. Around equator, one at central apex of each of the five vertical, stave-like ridges are five systems of light gray flexible arms or tentacles found tightly folded to torso but expansible to maximum length of over three feet. Like arms of primitive crinoid. Single stalks three inches diameter branch after six inches into five substalks, each of which branches after eight inches into small, tapering tentacles or tendrils, giving each stalk a total of twenty-five tentacles.”

"At top of torso blunt, bulbous neck of lighter gray, with gill-like suggestions, holds yellowish five-pointed starfish-shaped apparent head covered with three-inch wiry cilia of various prismatic colors. Head thick and puffy, about two feet point to point, with three-inch flexible yellowish tubes projecting from each point. Slit in exact center of top probably breathing aperture. At end of each tube is spherical expansion where yellowish membrane rolls back on handling to reveal glassy, red-irised globe, evidently an eye. Five slightly longer reddish tubes start from inner angles of starfish-shaped head and end in saclike swellings of same color which, upon pressure, open to bell-shaped orifices two inches maximum diameter and lined with sharp, white tooth like projections - probably mouths. All these tubes, cilia, and points of starfish head, found folded tightly down; tubes and points clinging to bulbous neck and torso. Flexibility surprising despite vast toughness.”

"At bottom of torso, rough but dissimilarly functioning counterparts of head arrangements exist. Bulbous light-gray pseudo-neck, without gill suggestions, holds greenish five-pointed starfish arrangement. Tough, muscular arms four feet long and tapering from seven inches diameter at base to about two and five-tenths at point. To each point is attached small end of a greenish five-veined membranous triangle eight inches long and six wide at farther end. This is the paddle, fin, or pseudofoot which has made prints in rocks from a thousand million to fifty or sixty million years old. From inner angles of starfish-arrangement project two-foot reddish tubes tapering from three inches diameter at base to one at tip. Orifices at tips. All these parts infinitely tough and leathery, but extremely flexible. Four-foot arms with paddles undoubtedly used for locomotion of some sort, marine or otherwise. When moved, display suggestions of exaggerated muscularity. As found, all these projections tightly folded over pseudoneck and end of torso, corresponding to projections at other end.” ~H.P. Lovecraft, At The Mountains of Madness.

Two Maker scouts make their way through a primordial jungle.

Here are the first miniatures for my upcoming tabletop wargame Eldritch Empires. This game will focus on great battles that take place in the early history of the planet we now call Earth. Throughout the stories of H.P. Lovecraft he describes conflicts between many of the major races that colonized earth. Since it is highly likely that The Elder Things were the first creatures on Earth and created all of its native life I decided to start with them.

This description of The Elder Things gives a very clear picture of the absolutely alien physiology that Lovecraft imagined these creatures to possess. Although they are highly intelligent and wise creatures they possess no visual cues that would endear them to even the most open minded human. Often in science fiction aliens are of the "prosthetic forehead" type, basically humans with some slight cosmetic difference. Lovecraft's aliens are wholly unlike us in any way and more than likely find us to be just as unsettling and ugly. 

In the world of Eldritch Empires these creatures would certainly not call themselves "Elder Things". Instead they prefer a simpler and more elegant title. Amongst themselves they are simply called Makers.

The Eldritch Empires miniatures will be sculpted in 15mm scale to allow them be used with ranges from other manufacturers. Makers are upwards of 8-9 feet tall so the miniatures are 22mm or so.

Following this first release will be Maker Troopers with Orgone Blasters, Heavy Weapons Teams, and The Sensei, who are masters of bladed weapons. The Maker army will focus on  technical prowess, intelligent tactics, and the Maker's legendary toughness.

Trash Bash 2012 Final Results.

Another great Trash Bash has now come to a close and as always I'd like to thank the sponsors, entrants, and supporters for helping to make this such a fun and exciting endeavor. And without further ado, the winners of Trash Bash 2012!

First Place: Diego Diz~ Landing Module

Judges praised the high level of finish on Diego's piece as well as his excellent job of hiding what his model is actually made of. In the words of one judge it "really is built of trash and the great thing is you can't tell!". The backdrop and staging of the final photo helped to solidify Diego's lead in the standings. A common opinion of our judges was that this model "just looked right.".

http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=39188.0

Second Place: Andy M~ Spy-DAR

Andy's piece is an impressive project that is truly ambitious and fun. "very pulpy, very 70's BBC - excellent!" and "One question: Where can I get one?" were some of the comments from our judges. Again the high level of finish and overall cohesiveness of vision came together to make this one inspiring model.

http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=38015.0

Third Place: Ruben DeJong~ Rupelmundus's Observatory

Besides the obvious amount of work put into Ruben's entry this fantasy observatory charmed judges with it's well realized interior, detailed concept, and fun back story. Judges thought it would look great on a tabletop or as part of a larger town set-up. 

Honorable Mentions:

It was exceedingly difficult to choose only three winners for this contest so I'd like to also recognize the other contestants and their entries. Everyone single one is inspirational in its use of trash bashing techniques and overall creativity. (The following are listed in no particular order.)

Tony Harwood~ The French Imperial Aeronef Le Louis Daguerre

Great concept and setting combined with outstanding conversion and finish.

http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/2012/03/trash-bash-2012-results.html

Leland Erikson~  M29A4E8 "Yorkshire Terrier"

Fun, well realized gaming piece. Judges marveled at clever usage of components like plastic jewels for armor plates.

James Holloway~ Syldurian Launch Observation Platform

Well realized diorama with a cool back story and cohesive finish.

William Burke~ The Rodent One

Adorable characters and fun paint-job that truly suited the subject.
http://bandit86.blogspot.com/2012/03/trash-bash-entry.html

Larry Hammer~ Sd.Kfz G0-41 “Gopher”

Great use of twisty candy container for drill bit and overall cohesive design.

Duke Dreal~ Observation Starships

Multiple ships that each have their own charm and inspiring use of parts.

Thanks to everyone involved with Trash Bash 2012 and keep checking Roebeast's Magical House of Sunshine for even more miniature modeling mayhem!

Fantasy Modeling #5

It's been a long while since I've posted a new issue of Fantasy Modeling but here it is! This is issue features some great stuff including a brilliant article by Rick Overton about kitbashing Victorian Spaceships that was truly steampunk way before there was such a word. This whole issue is a treasure trove of hobby goodness. Check it out!

Fantasy Modeling Volume 5, 1981

Contents:

5 Editorial
6 Victorian Spaceships by Rick Overton
10 Dungeon Diorama by Philip O. Stearns
14 Model Kits That Almost Were by Andrew P. Yanchus
18 A Spaceship For The King by David Douglass Merriman III
22 Computer Gaming by Mike Kilbert
26 Adventures in Gaming
27 Reader's Photo Page
28 Spaceship Photography by Jack Gurner
34 New Technologies in Rockets by Michael A. Banks
38 Super Detailing Spaceships by Jeff Pollizzotto
42 The Competitive Edge by Philip O. Stearns
44 Book Reviews
46 Letters
48 Collectables
50 Odds and Ends by Andrew P. Yanchus


Fantasy Modeling #5 -