Takara 1/48 Fattys

 

I managed to score four Takara Fattys off eBay via a dealer in Japan. These are Takara 1/48th scale Arctic Gear mecha from VOTOMS. Not as popular as the ScopeDogs, and other mecha that the hero drives, because these are what the mooks ride around in at the service of the bad guys.

But I rather like the esthetic of the Fattys.

So much so that I named the Chinese mecha in Bad Dog as FATS-Cs: for Flying All Terrain Suits-Chinese. Not their Chinese designation, which was Fireflies, but what the American forces called them.

So, super excited to get my hands on these.

As an unexpected bonus, I received three with shoulder mounted multiple missile rack, and one with a smaller number of larger missiles. I'll designated the small pack as ATGMs and the others as generic rockets. So now I have enough 1/48th come 28mm scale mecha for a small skirmish style game. 

In addition, when the Bad Dog rules come out, I will be able to feature pictures of these and my RAFM and DP9 Gears., showing differing sized mecha models. that the game can be played with. That has got to be good? Amirite? ;-)

Okay, that's all for now. Catch you on the bounce.

Acquisitions of a VOTOMS Kind

Arctic Gear 1/48th scale toys.

It is no secret that I like the anime show Armored Trooper VOTOMS. It has become my favorite source for mecha inspiration. So much so that I wrote three novels that feature mecha inspired by the franchise. I also own  a bunch of Takara 1/144th scale VOTOMS, a 1/35th model, and an enormous 1/12th toy Scopedog in my collection.

While I had a plan to play wargames with the 1/144th models, the availability of more models, especially the enemy Fattys proved a stumbling block.

That led me to discovering Dream Pod 9s Heavy Gear range, and I got a bunch of models from them, but the choices available for 12mm infantry doesn't allow for what I consider a satisfactory representation of the power armor suits.

Three partially assembled Scopedogs.

 

The Arctic Gear range are nice models, but generally very pricey. However, I've been lucky and managed to score a Reeman squad box set, at a bargain price. So now I can make a squad of four Scopedogs.

As you can see they're partially assembled, but there's a big pile of parts to be added to complete them.

That's a lot of parts.

By comparison the Burglary Dog variant I featured before that provides alternative variant parts for the legs, and needs more assembling to ready it for the tabletop.

Quite an array of alternative parts.

 And just for completeness, here's the above models extra parts.

The provision of details parts is wonderful.

When I'll get around to assembling these beauties is moot. Currently I'm deep into my RAFM conversions, which has turned into a sorry tale of missteps that have led to a shed ton of extra work. But I'll write about that more next time.

Until then, remain well, stay safe, and catch you all on the bounce.

Takara 1/48th Burglary Dog

I scooped this Takara 1/48th Scale Burglary Dog ATM-09-DD off eBay this week. I've wanted one of these toys for a long while, but all the ones I'd seen for sale have been offered at a breath taking price.

So this particular version often goes for staggering sums of money, but I was very lucky, and acquired this one at a bargain price. Colour me very pleased.

As you can see, some assembly required, but this is simple enough: on par with IKEA furniture. Still it came as a bit of a shock, as I was expecting an assembled toy to play with.

Dream Pod 9 drew inspiration from the anime Armored Trooper VOTOMS show. A rough comparison reveals this model is about twice the height of the RAFM Heavy Gear models I've been converting.

When I've assembled this model, I'll take a picture with my RAFM conversions, so everyone can a better idea of how big these are. If they weren't so damn expensive they would make good mecha for 28mm wargames.

Hope to catch you all on the bounce.