Skags

Hello and Welcome back, 

Those of you familiar with the Borderlands Computer Game will have come across the Skags that are native to the world of Pandora. 

For those of you not familiar with the Flora and Forna of Pandora, the Skag is canine like alien creature with a three way hinged jaw. They are pack Hunters and are able to eat anything, vomiting up the things they can't digest. Skags are a constant threat to anyone wandering around Pandora on foot. 

These figures come from the Borderlands tabletop/ board game. They painted up really quickly using speed paints. It took The basing took longer than it did to paint them.

I am going to be using these Skags as a threat to the miners of Maddans world. They fit into the world's theme nicely.

Thanks for looking 

Take care out there.

Die Hard Miniatures George and Mildred

Hello and Welcome back,

Being a lawless world Bandits are a growing problem on Maddans World. They attack ore and supply convoys with ambushes or by simply chasing them down. 

Jetbikes give a great speed advantage for the bandits while avoiding the pitfalls of crossing the deserts. 

This figure is George and Mildred by Diehard Miniatures. I guess they took inspiration from a certain post apocalyptic movie for this pair. It was too cool a model to ignore. 

Thanks for looking,

Take care out there. 

Wasteland Wondering May 25

Hello and Welcome back,

Time for another Wasteland Wondering, it's been a while since we had one of these. In this chat I will be highlighting the direction my hobby is going in.

There are four or five new blog posts queued, which I hope to get posted up as soon as I have grabbed some pictures. I seem to be struggling to arrange getting pictures recently.

My Post Apocalyptic setting is slowing down. PA isn't grabbing me as much these days. I am working slowly to populate the Skrap Knights and Rustlords factions. 

The Rustlords

Maybe I need to find another name for these rambling posts, as they aren't just concentrated on Post Apocalyptic.

The Wild Galaxy setting is growing exponentially and I am finding it quite inspiring. I think there is such a wide scope for creativity it keeps me interested. I have had to start a spreadsheet to keep track of all the nonsense I create.

A friend recently asked me why I use Genetically Engineered Life Forms (GELFs) for my other Space races instead of rebranding them as aliens. It is in part, a carry over from the Mattblackgod’s world setting as I wanted to use 40k miniatures, as stableised mutations felt a bit of a stretch. The introduction of my Ork collection as combat GELFs felt fitting for the history of Mattblackgod’s world. It just felt natural to keep the GELFs in the wider Galactic setting.

ORCS GELFs terrorise a frontier world settlement 

I have no issue with aliens in Sci Fi, it's just that I want them to be very different to humans. In fact there are some intelligent aliens in my setting. Not to mention plenty of alien beasties. 

But I have other reasons for using GELFs. Firstly, I feel just going "Aliens" is too easy and is a stale go to for most SF settings. Secondly, the chances that another intelligent race out there, being a four limbed biped is extremely unlikely. I feel it is somewhat lazy and arrogant to think so. Thirdly, the GELFs and GELF wars are a satirical view of human nature and it's behaviour to anything "non human" or in many cases other Humans because they differ in some way and our reaction when things go wrong. Our history is littered with examples of such behaviour. I suppose in some ways it's my version of a far future Frankenstein cautionary tale. 

To be honest ever since seeing GELFs in the Red Dwarf TV show, I have liked them as a concept. Even the main character in the 2000AD Rogue Trooper which I read when I was knee high is a type of GELF, genetically bred to survive a toxic contaminated world and operate as an enhanced elite fighting force. 

I have been considering doing a GELF fluff post, but there is so much material built up over the years it will need several posts. Speaking of GELFs, I am planning a new GELF group to add soon. By soon, I mean in probably in next two years, given my work rate! 

The miners of Maddans Independent Mining Company 

The Maddans world setting is slowly growing. I am thinking of adding the only city called Hecksclutch to the world, situated next to the planets main space port as a centre point for conflict. This lawless frontier mining world is inspired by Logans world in the 40K Rogue Trader fluff mixed with Pandora from the Borderlands Computer game, with my own slice of creativity added to it. It was created as a vehicle to allow all my factions to be on world protecting their colonies while trying to extract as much wealth from the world, before a legal owner is found. I am still working on the Dusty Space Port buildings for this setting. I still have a pile of wonderful Fogou Models to finish or modify for this setting. 

Iron Ladies gangers attack Shorty of Loop's Heroes someplace deep in Wreckage Station.

Regular readers of this blog will have seen the introduction of Wreckage Station during my 5 Parsecs campaign. I have been expanding the background fluff for this setting. Terrain has been knocked together from various sets to game in this old moon sized space station. As luck would have it these models will also be useful for the Zone Raiders game set in the Matrioshka. 

Rather than drop a massive peice of fluff for Wreckage Station, I am thinking of news bulletins dropped by the "Authorities". This way it slowly builds and adds colour to the setting. 

Readers of this Blog will recall me doing a review of the Skirm game by Bill Making Stuff. I have been slowly putting together factions and terrain for this game. Check out the Gutterlands or Bill's You Tube Channel. Both sites are cock full of ideas.*share links for Gutterlands and Bill Making Stuff YouTube channel* . I find the Gutterlands (or Tapu to give it, it's true name) setting quite intoxicating. Hobby wise it points to parts of the hobby I find really rewarding, kitbashing, trashbashing and converting models. At present I am working on the Skirm factions. 

Now as luck would have it, Wreckage Station orbits a dead world (called Skeletal worlds). A major battle during the GELF wars turned it into a dusty rock covered in skeletons, wrecks and ruins. I intended to develop it into a setting with crews from the orbital station making salvage ruins in the ruins. But I hadn't gotten around to any world building. So I began to mix inspiration from Bill's setting with my Wild Galaxy setting and Wreckage Station fluff. And so the lost world Corrosion was born. Some of the background for this world will be filtered through to this blog through the planned Wreckage Station News Bulletin. 

Some WIP conversions I am working on to make DEAP troops for the Skirm game.

I am looking forward to creating both colonists and terrain for Corrosion/Skirm/Gutterlands. There will be a lot of future conversion work.

My 5 parsecs from home campaign involving the crew of the Problem Child aka Loop's Heroes is still on hold. Hopefully I can begin organising games again soon. I am hoping to maybe include some future missions to the surface of Corrosion for the crew.

Anyway I have rambled on for long enough, thank you for reading. 

Take care out there.

Jetbike build

Hello and Welcome Back, 

Yet another jetbike speeds across the deserts of Maddan’s world. They are a popular mode of personal transport on the dust ball of a world. 

The sharp eyed amoung you will notice this bike isnt packing weapons and the rider only has a pistol. This bike is probably used around the bigger settlements on Maddan’s world, rather than convoy escort duties. 

I built this jetbike for a competition on the In Rust We Trust discord server. It's core is a pen top with (clean) medical tubing connectors to make the intake and thruster. A disposable razor cover makes up the avionics box under the engine. A tail wing off a cheap ww2 fighter plane kit makes up the tail fin. Plastic tubing makes up the tail frame.

Foam sheet makes up the engine cover and seat. The fuel tanks are half wooden balls and control blister is a bead. The screen is made from a toy plastic bullet. The rider came from a mantic corporation monowheel. 

The paint scheme was inspired by the paint schemes that featured on Japanese "Rice Burner" sports motorbikes back in the 80s and 90s. But I fancied a different set of colours to the Japanese flag.  

It was a fun build, looking back I should have made the bike a little longer. This bike looks like it can weave around the buildings of any settlement with ease. I really enjoy building jetbikes and speeders. There will be more turning up in the future. 

Thanks for looking, take care out there.

Introducing Maddans World

Hello and Welcome back,

In recent months I have been working on a background for my wild Galaxy setting that will allow my collection to get into trouble with each other. Introducing Maddans world.

Maddans world exists on the frontier of GELF space and has only been recently colonised.

A few standard Earth years ago an exploration probe from an vanished independent exploration company began transmitting information about the scanned world. The probe belonged to the Maddan Expedition which gave the world its name. As the Maddan Expedition vanished over 100 standard Earth years previously the world lies unclaimed. 

Tengun forces try to force independent miners out of a typical colony.

The data transmitted from the probe included information indicating that the world was rich in rare minerals, mainly Ultesium crystals which are used across human space in high energy batteries and the manufacture of high density pico electronics. Upon arrival on the world of the first colonists soon discovered that traces of the very rare Helostone gemstone were present sacttered across the surface (Helostones are very rare and created in the early stages of the birth of a certain type of star). These stones fetch a fortune on the market, with even small fragments allowing the seller to be able to retire in luxury. 

This information caused the galactic nations and corporations to scramble to get colonies to mine this exceptional world before a legal owner was found or came forward. Soon prospectors from all over human space arrived hoping to get rich quick. Meanwhile the space nations spent huge amounts of energy to try to find the descendants of the Maddan expedition in the hope they could convince them to sign it over to a particular nation or corporation. So far there has been no luck and Maddans world is pretty anarchic as a result.

Miner's firepower keep the Tengun forces back.

Maddans world is a largely arid world with the polar regions becoming semi arid towards the small polar caps. There are a few small salt water seas and fresh water lakes allowing some plant life to cling on in the harsh conditions. The wildlife is dangerous and numerous. The main wildlife hazards are the Greater and lesser sand worms, a couple of species of Ambull and the Sandtreader (a large reptile that can be tamed as a beast of burden). 

Near the ice caps there are swathes of strange alien forests which provide the world's oxygen. In these forests there are the strange Maddan pod trees. These trees sprout large fruit that can explode lauching spores causing anyone nearby to enter a hallucingenic psychotic rage. The Maddan pod trees are valued by narcotics dealers and make the illegal drug Pong from it. There is a secondary trade from Maddans world in Pong and the Galactic powers raid and destroy any Pong production facilities on world. 

Due to the scramble to grab land, the world is largely Anarchic with no official government. Around 350 self governing and independent colonies currently exist on world exploiting the natural resources. The Ultesium crystals are not as abundant as first indicated but there is still a decent wealth to be mined. The few Helostones discovered so far appear to be scattered over the surface of the world and they strangely appear to be cut and polished. This has lead to many wild stories of where they came from including some theory’s that they were planted as bait, or that they are cursed.

There is some speculation that the missing Maddan expedition lies wrecked someplace on the world and the Helostones presence are the cause of why the expedition was lost. There is a theory that the probe was launched from the wreckage by a fault. Unfortunately the probe was destroyed when a Tengun battle cruiser, upon arrival in orbit did the space travel equivalent of a hand brake turn smashing the probe to tiny pieces. 

Currently the galactic powers watch each other waiting for someone to blink. They cant claim the world and can’t drive the independent colonies out, then claiming them without attracting the attention of the other power’s colonies. Going head to head could spark another costly galactic war. This has lead to the use of Mercenaries by the Galactic powers to drive out colonists and seize mined Ultesium ore while maintaining deniablity. 

Tensions are mounting between the colonies. The remoteness of the colonies from each other means that that they are largely independent. Several colonies have been lost leading to the galactic powers and independent colonies are pointing fingers at each other. Some detailed investigations have shown Sandworms, Ambull or other Maddans world wildlife have caused some of the lost colonies. There is some evidence that some of the destroyed colonies point to Bandit or GELF raids (most likely ORCS or Fae GELFs). Some colonies are now reporting trouble with Verman subterranean raiders. It is not known how or when the Vermen arrived or if they have always been on the world.

The colonies are village or small town sized, usually placed close to a mine. They are usually built from mud buildings or what materials the colonists brought with them with a ramshackle wall around the town. Recycled old star ship hulls also common sites in some colonies. Some richer colonies belonging to the Galactic Powers have pre fabs or imported stone and other materials. 

Unlike other worlds not all colonies have space ports, this is largely due to the land being too soft to land ships on large parts of the planet. This means that the crystals and supplies have to be hauled across the desert world to the nearest space port, which access to usually comes at a premium cost. The richer colonies use grav trains to haul their ore and supplies. Many of Independents make use of land trains or vehicle convoys with the poorer colonies making use of Sandtreader lizard trains. This has lead to convoys being lost to bandits (possibly covert raids by opponents) and Greater Sand Worm attacks.

I need to draw up a map when I have trashed out the various colony details. It might be fun to add some GELF colonies too, although Orks would operate more like off world raiders. Vermen are subterranean raiders living in or under colonies. 

Thanks for reading

Take care out there

Maddans World Independent Mining Crew

 Hello and Welcome Back,

Time for a visit to Maddans world in my Wild Galaxy setting (world background fluff to follow).

Maddans Independent Mininig was set up by a gang of miners from across human space who arrived at Maddans world hoping to make it rich before the world was claimed.

MIM is lead by Big Albert (the bald bearded guy in the centre) a miner from the Brittannia systems.

The gang. The Miners are armed with old autoguns and whatever protection they have managed to cobble together.

These figures are a limited run of the RT666 set of Space Pirates by Mark Elster, which I picked up from Facebook. I liked them as they have a old 40K Rogue Trader charm to them. I chose a yellow theme to tie them together and fitting for a mining crew.

This crew got a 40K Ridgerunner as a convoy guide (Maddans world is largely desert and convoys get regularly attacked by Bandits, offworld raiders or the local wildlife). I got this model as a birthday gift from my wife (I told you she was a keeper!). It assembled easily which feels unusual for recent GW 40K kits and I think it is a kit that could be a good donor for conversions.

I sprayed it yellow with Army Painter rattle cans. The stripe and striped top hatch was done with masking tape and sponging (taking a little inspiration from the Mad Max Pursuit cars). Lots of weathering was added using grey and brown paints stippled around the edges of the vehicle.

Thank you for looking, take care out there.