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2017/12/29 18:30:09
Subject: Re:Farewell to Empire-Big Stupid Christmas Project pg 10
LOL, Theo your mind is an amazing place, never change.-camkierhi 9/19/13
I cant believe theo is right.. damn. -comradepanda 9/26/13
None of the strange ideas we had about you involved your sexual orientation..........-Monkeytroll 12/10/13
I'd put you on ignore for that comment, if I could...Alpharius 2/11/14
2017/12/30 19:14:15
Subject: Re:Farewell to Empire-Big Stupid Christmas Project pg 10
First up the Nasty Nine and Sacrilegious Seventeen (still need ink)
Now joined by the Terrible Tenth!
And on the good guy side, more carriers inspired by Space Fleet concept art
Double hull Letoides Pattern Super Carrier (Letoides being the names of the twins Artemis and Apollo)
Double launch bay Minerva Pattern heavy carrier
Privateer of unknown origin and loyalty with a skull the approximate size of Brooklyn
This is not a Sisters of Battle carrier, taht would be silly because the Pax Imperialis requires that only the Imperial Navy (and the Marines, and the Inquisition) have access to warp capable warships. It is a floating convent where sisters may meditate on the greatness of the Emperor away from the distractions of the mundane world. Of course space is a dangerous place so it does have some minimal defensive armaments.
And finally the Dystopian Wars Japanese fleet is getting some love
The black hull is hide the rough green stuffing. Then some nice industrial gunmetal for the brutal engine. And then pink. For sakura. Just because.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/12/30 19:16:20
2018/01/01 10:53:06
Subject: Re:Farewell to Empire-Big Stupid Christmas Project pg 10
Great use of the DFC station bits. Did you have a stash of the plastic Space Fleet cruisers, or do you have an affordable source for them? I'd love to supplement my BFG fleets with some venerable cruisers if the option exists.
Automatically Appended Next Post: And the dystopian wars "spaceships" are brilliant. Were they ships or trains before conversion?
Maybe it's time I found a new use for the Thomas the Tank Engine My Busy Book minis...
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/01/02 05:07:24
And some more progress! Possible the last big progress for a while since the family comes back at the end of the week.
First off the (as of yet unpainted) battleship:
3x plastic Gothic hulls, a ton of Hawk space station parts and some Dark Angel icons for flair. Hopefully paint will hide the disparate bitz. Counts as an Emperor maybe? An Oberon?
And the whole Olympia Family, from the Hera class all the way down to the Nike
(for the record, L to R: Nike Class Torpedo Destroyer, Aurora Class Fast Cruiser, Artemis Class Light Carrier, Themis Class Escort Carrier, Athena Class Carrier, Minerva Class Heavy Carrier, Letodes Class Grand Cruiser and Hera Class supercarrier. Demeter Class Colonizer in the rear. Not pictured Hestia Class Provider, Persephone Agricultural Ship and Aphrodite Yacht). Note that rumors of the Rhea Class Dreadnought and Gaea Class Leviathan are MYTHS AND LEGENDS, they categorically DO NOT EXIST.
Anyway, now the whole fleet can come over to the Somniare Domus ("Dream House") class Fleet Base Kappa-45 for a tea party.
And with some of the defensive stations around it.
As always more to do... inking, touching up, figuring out how I'm going to store these... But still a very productive and fun holiday weekend.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Great use of the DFC station bits. Did you have a stash of the plastic Space Fleet cruisers, or do you have an affordable source for them? I'd love to supplement my BFG fleets with some venerable cruisers if the option exists.
Sadly all I can say is that I've been stalking ebay for a year and a half, spent too money and gotten luckier than I should have. I think I ended up with 20 of them
(If anyone is looking for plastic Eldar wraithships let me know)
But if you don't mind resin there may be something coming down the pike (whistles innocently).
Automatically Appended Next Post: And the dystopian wars "spaceships" are brilliant. Were they ships or trains before conversion?
Maybe it's time I found a new use for the Thomas the Tank Engine My Busy Book minis...
Good question! The Japanese ships in DW were very much floating locomotives with their battleship being just two locomotives side by side. I'll have to think about some Thomas ships now that the girls are outgrowing theirs
This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2018/01/02 09:42:02
2018/01/04 05:49:04
Subject: Re:Farewell to Empire-Big Stupid Christmas Project pg 10
One cool thing about the Imperium is it is SO big there must be whole branches of it we never see or hear about. To whit...
Spoiler:
It was the Quarto Ianuarias when ships broke out of warp at the edge of the Dition System. Soon the broadcasts began.
++This is the IRS Ajudicator of the Imperial Revenue Seizure Fleet, accompanied by the IRS Accessor, IRS Auditor and IRS Appraiser. Your world has been selected for a full review of income, revenue and tithes. Lower your planetary defenses and surrender your balance books. Resistance is futile.++
The Planetary Defense Forces stood down immediately. While technically classed as a mobile administrative center an Accessor-Class' 'purely defensive' weapons gave it the firepower of a battleship.
Nontheless fear spread quickly and by the Sextus Ianuarias the streets were burning. It took six companies of elite Tributum Milite and three squads of the dread Tax Marines to fight their way through the rioting mobs to the Ministry of Treasure and began their review.
After six months Dition was found to be 6% in arrears over the previous four centuries. Banks, palaces, villas and museums were stripped of their assets and everything of value lifted to the waiting flotilla. Every third member of the ruling families and merchant clans were arrested and impressed into the Imperial Guard. And the IRS fleet departed leaving a shocked and frightened world behind.
2018/01/04 06:29:49
Subject: Farewell to Empire-Big Stupid Christmas Project pg 10
Bloody tax department gets its own navy now, it is one perverse and perverted place you live Kid! I really like that shot with all the stations, from the big beast down to the little platforms, its impressive how coherent it all looks. Whats next?
On parle toujours mal quand on n'a rien à dire.
2018/01/04 07:26:27
Subject: Re:Farewell to Empire-Big Stupid Christmas Project pg 10
"What the hell are those?" The watch officer asked gazing in disbelief at the jump point.
"Their codes check out sir, the Sakura Fleet, a Rogue Trader flotilla out of the Yamato Sector. Carrying a cargo of compact ground cars, and miniaturized vox casters. A long way from home." His ensign replied staring at the green and black cognator screen.
"But... but... where are the crenelations? Where are the steeples? The gargoyles? What kind of ship are those?"
"Roughly equal to a Tyrant class but made of stamped metal plating, standardized reactors and other shortcuts. Short on style but cheaper to build than anything we have."
"Bah, they'll never catch on."
After this weekend no more big projects for a while. I'm moving back to the US this summer and need to downsize. Hopefully I'll find the will to actually finish shading, inking and other touch ups. All the grunt work I keep putting off so I can start something new.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/01/04 08:03:52
2018/01/04 08:30:53
Subject: Farewell to Empire-Big Stupid Christmas Project pg 10
That is amazing stuff you've got there! The space station really works and personally I like the variety of ships - it is a big galaxy after all! By "Wraithships" do you mean these guys: - the ones with the sails? I'm certainly in the market, at least for trades.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Good choice for pirate crew too.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/01/04 18:01:50
2018/01/06 12:06:54
Subject: Re:Farewell to Empire-Big Stupid Christmas Project pg 10
The Olympia Family of ships, and elegant graceful design from before the dark times.
Chaos Escorts, many from the Drakon family, an unholy blend of mechanics and warp energies that cannot exist in normal space. For ages they were confined to systems around the Eye of Terror, the Maelstrom, the Nose of Horror or other warp storms but the dawn of the Dark Imperium has seen them roaming much farther into normal space.
I didn't want to just glue skulls to ships and call them chaos, since the skulls would have to be Gibraltar-sized. I also didn't want to paint ships black since they'd be lost against a space backdrop.
Ah well.
My Skobras. Turned out kinda cute.
My pride and joy, the Hera-Class Battleship.
The disparate parts worked well I think. If you didn't know to look for the 3 hulls you might not see them.
I have just enough bitz to do one more...
Anyway her antecent, the Letoides-Class supercarrier.
Based on Space Fleet concept art and named for the twins Artemis and Apollo.
Another concept art special, the Minerva class. Replacing a set of guns with a second set of launch bays.
The Arbites also get a ship, Themis-Class after the goddess of justice. I forget what she counts as.
Automatically Appended Next Post: One of the first, if not the first miniatures space ship game was called Starfleet Wars (one word short of a trademark suit!) from the late 70s to early 80s. Now produced by Monday Knight productions as Galactic Knights.
Some of the ships in that line were close to the aesthic of the Space Fleet line so they've been adopted into the Olympian family. In keeping with my naming regime they also get Greek goddess names (while the bulkier flying cathedral types got the male god names)
The Aphrodite Class Pleasure Yacht
Spoiler:
The shuttle deposited Inquisitor Danil Ardor aboard the waiting yacht. He shook his head. A pleasure yacht! The very idea of such a thing! At almost a mile across it carried over 20,000 servants and crew to care for a few hundred honored guests aboard. He bowed to young woman waiting in the hanger.
"My name is Veri, welcome board the Angel of Beauty honored Inquisitor. I will be happy to guide you to your quarters."
The Persephone Class Agricultural Ship
Spoiler:
"And so..." Veri concluded, "-shuttles from the Persephone arrive daily with freshly-grown food and freshly-slaughtered meat."
"No reconstituted food?" Ardor asked with a smile. He could get to like this investigation.
"Not for the likes of us, no."
"Sounds wonderful. Fresh food, tour the stars, your every wish catered to. You're very lucky."
The woman looked at him and blinked several times. She tried to regain composure but it was too late. He'd noticed.
"No?" He asked.
She led him down the corridor several meters from the cleaning crew and wandering servo skull.
"You-you do realize we're prisoners here yes? All of us, prisoners in a gilded cage."
The Hestia Class Starhome
Spoiler:
"I come from a merchant clan in the Odation systems. I'm the third daughter, fifth child overall. Not in line to inherit or run anything. So they sent me on this 'tour' of the sector. We flit from uninhabited system to uninhabited system supposedly seeing the wonders of space and studying art and philosophy. In reality we're warehoused. One day my family will need me marry and cement an alliance, until that day I will sit here waiting. Along with 400 other surplus nobles and scions."
Ardor nodded. Why hadn't he seen this! No one had the money or resources to travel for pleasure! Of course there was another motive.
"And if anyone complains too loudly-" she pointed out an armorglass porthole at the grim grey vessel taking up station alongside. "-the Sisters of Battle are here to correct our transgressions."
And the Demeter Colonizer, a battleship-sized vessel capable of ocean-landings and carrying enough materials to start a self suffiient colony on any green-field world and even some brown-field worlds.
Spoiler:
"So that was the plan m'lord. Hijack the Demeter and flee outside the borders of the Imperium. Find some lost world and build a new life for the passengers away from the Inquisition and the Ecclesiacticy."
"I see." Inquisitor Lord Kuroda paged through the data plates, frowning at the burning ships. "The sisters were..."
"A tad overzealous sir."
"And the losses?"
"All hands sir."
"Anyone important?"
"No sir. No one of consequence."
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/01/06 12:59:13
2018/01/07 06:19:41
Subject: Re:Farewell to Empire-2017 wrap up photos pg 11
And finally, the big stupid project in all its glory.
First off an old project I never took a painted photo of, Star Post Letham
Spoiler:
Typical of the Star Posts found throughout the sector, Star Post Letham sits at a warp point outside the Carib System. The greatest expense for Licensed Traders is always the days or weeks ships must spend traveling from warp points to the inner worlds, then the time waiting to unload and load cargo before moving on to their next destination. Star Posts like Letham solve that. Assembled at the edge of systems they allow merchant ships to dock, transfer cargo and move on without the wasted weeks moving insystem and back out. Smaller, cheaper system ships then fly a constant circuit between the Post and the inner worlds, freeing up the warp-capable ships. A small navy presence and the Post's defensive arms add to the system's defense.
Then the biggie, Fleet Base Kappa-45, seen here with a small moon in the foreground.
Spoiler:
The sprawling Kappa-45 base (over 15 miles across) serves as home base for sub-sector fleet and can accommodate dozens of transports and system ships at any time. Vast stores of munitions, fuel, parts and personnel allow it to restock cruisers within hours. Its own armament and network of defensive stations make it almost immune to attack, without event taking into account the flotillas of warships cycling through the station at any time.
Spoiler:
Vessels from the Navy, Chartist Traders and other more obscure branches of the Imperium make regular calls.
Spoiler:
Smaller stations orbit Kappa-45 providing additional defense and surge capacity for refitting ships.
Spoiler:
The Kappa-45 system has no habitable worlds or other features that might interest Xenos or other parties. The handful of gas giants provide amble supplies of Mononuclaic and Duonuclaic gas to fuel plasma reactors, the asteroids and dwarf planets provide ore that is processes in-system for repairs. In essence there is no reason for any one to travel there except on fleet business. Even if the rest of the sector were to fall, Kappa-45 could keep dozens of cruisers in fighting condition.
Also finished was a Firestorm Armada station. GORGEOUS MODEL but also an INCREDIBLE PAIN. It was a mixed media of resin, metal and ####ing plexiglass! Interesting idea but a pain to work with, I ended up snapping one of the arms, have to paint up the battle damage... Also should have left off the arms till I was done painting.
Spoiler:
Rarely seen is the Whitestone Fortress, more than twice the size of the other stations it is rumored to be warp-capable and has been sighted in a dozen places across the sector.
I love, LOVE the art deco look and how it looks like Jack Kirby's Asgard or Supertown from the New Gods. Counts as Ramilles or dormant Blackstone.
And one more project for later. The Ark Mechanicus MDCCI-Delta under the command of Archmagos Patrik, seen with the Mechanicus Light Cruiser MDCCI-Alpha under the command of Archmagos Villheim.
2018/01/11 17:07:21
Subject: Re:Farewell to Empire-2017 wrap up photos pg 11
kestral wrote: What a fleet! I particularly approve that you included an Agricultural ship. Go Star Frontiers, eh?
It was more driven by the naming regime, once I ran low on warrior goddess types I had plenty of agricultural and hearth goddesses to use.
One thing I kind of like about BFG is the agnostic view on non-military ships. A transport can be anything from an ore barge, to a pilgrim ship, to the governor's yacht without affecting costs or profile so there's room for all kinds of ships. It's only when they're warships that you have to care about points.
2018/01/12 04:17:17
Subject: Farewell to Empire-2017 wrap up photos pg 11
Jenkins: You don't have jurisdiction here!
Smith Jamison: We aren't here, which means when we open up on you and shred your bodies with automatic fire then this will never have happened.
About the Clans: "Those brief outbursts of sense can't hold back the wave of sibko bred, over hormoned sociopaths that they crank out though."
2018/01/31 07:09:19
Subject: Farewell to Empire-2017 wrap up photos pg 11
Convoy Q44FS departing Way Stations 17 and 20. Destination Yong's World. 7 transports of various classes including one Q Ship, the SS Azi's Surprise.
Way Stations (these courtesy of Ravenstar Studios) are commonly placed at the edge of star systems near warp points allowing traders to quickly dock, drop off their cargoes, take on new loads and leave the system without tedious days and weeks and traveling insystem and then back out.
These transports (Firestorm Armada) have a great space train look engines at the front pulling 3 cargo pods.
These from a Russian ebay seller are fantastic, great casts and great look. The heavy transport carries vital loads of Recaf and Soder for the thirsty populace of the rimward hive worlds.
The transports take BFG gun ports making this a dead easy conversion for a Q-Ship.
"Ma'am approaching vessel, big one, heavily armed. Should I bring the weapons online?" "Has it send a clearance code?" "We're getting a hail, the ISS Equinox. It's an older code, ma'am, but it checks out." The captain's eyes rolled back in her head as she shifted through thousands of implanted records. "Equinox, wasn't she reported missing?" "It's been a decade since our last Jayne's update. Perhaps she was recovered?" "Perhaps..."
"...nonetheless I can't help but feel a tinge of foreboding."
Convoy Q44FS lost with all hands.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/02/26 06:42:25
2018/02/25 17:59:33
Subject: Farewell to Empire-2017 wrap up photos pg 11
