Human Operator Surrogates

And I finally managed to finish painting my squad of 10/12mm infantry.

These are Dream Pod 9 NuCoal models that I'm thinking of using as Human Operator Surrogates, an idea based off DARPAs Petman project.
  

Three Ape Suits WIP

Some progress to report in painting the Army Special Forces combat armour. I've managed to slap some paint on the three models I've made. All part and parcel of getting my painting mojo back, which goes hand-in-hand with my working on my writing.

My cunning plan is to get the two new models finished at the same time as I finish Espera's Ape suit, which I started some time ago. It helps motivate me to get half the Alpha detachment done together.
  

Newten Town WIP: Texture & Paint

After applying the filler and letting it dry overnight, which I showed in the previous post,  I then applied ground foam to the ground using diluted PVA glue, and again had to let everything dry out overnight.

Next I painted the roads with very dilute black, effectively a wash, and then I used a combination of dark earth, chestnut brown, and dark chocolate to paint the ground. Each was again diluted about 50:50 with water, and then I took these pictures before putting the boards away again to dry overnight.

My plan now is to block in the colours for the buildings.

So, with my first post of the year, let me finish by wishing everyone of my readers a prosperous new year.   

Newten Town Phase 3 WIP

To say it has been a while since I last touched these is an understatement. Checking back I see I started on these boards two years ago, put them to one side and forgot all about finishing them. Over the last few days I got them out and did a bit more work on four of the six boards I made up.

If you clicked on the link above you can see what a difference adding the filler has made. I bought brown wood filler as an experiment to see as and when the terrain takes a knock whether it helps with reducing white chips. 

I put two of the boards into storage because they were duplicates, and while in the greater scheme of things this probably doesn't matter, I don't feel any urgency to duplicate boards. This is very much me trying to get back into doing some hobby stuff, and anything that gets in the way is moved aside.

What I really want is enough town boards to fill my table and run a game of Heavy Gear. This may be a vain hope, but again I want to remove any excuses that might prevent me from playing a game or two. As they say, one lives in hope.

As a note. these are 10mm scale building from the now defunct Fieldworks range of resin buildings. However, in my considered opinion or perhaps experience, I find that they work with 15mm figures too.

So the next step is to add Woodland Scenic ground foam.

Merry Xmas 2018

 

Having done the food shopping and wrapped presents my plans, if they can be called such are to read and perhaps do some therapeutic model making. I might even get around to applying some paint to those that are assembled.

So now it is time for me to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas.

   

Ghost Dog Available in Paperback

 

 Forgive me splurging duplicate posts on both blogs, but see physical copies of my book is still a thing.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

A Hiatus

I'm currently not very well. When my rheumatoid arthritis nurse told me I was being too hard on myself I realised I was going around in circles beating myself up for not doing enough, when the truth be told if I were in a full-time job I'd be signed off sick.

So there will be a short hiatus while I let all the medication I'm taking do its job. In the meantime here's a shot of me shooting an arrow.

An observation from shooting longbow is that I learnt that "yards" back in the day when bows were a weapon of war, rather than a hobby a person can enjoy at ones leisure, was shorter than an imperial yard, which we all know is 36 inches. Cloth yards were shorter, 30 inches, and therefore when the range of a bow is listed as 240 yards the modern equivalent is 180 yards.

With my 32 pound bow I can shoot out to around 120 imperial yards, which is 140 cloth yards.

So now I'm wondering if all those ancient wargame rules took this change of measurement into account? And who says wargaming isn't a useful hobby, as clearly I've learnt something new.
   

Models for Three Covers

  

These are the model reference pictures I sent to the artist who drew my covers. Above is the model that he used for Bad Dog.

Above is the picture I sent for the cover of Strike Dog. And below is the picture I shot in response to seeing the cover for Ghost Dog.

  

My author page where you can buy my books

Ghost Dog – Out Now!

Story Summary

Newly promoted to the rank of Captain, Tachikoma will now lead another off-world mission. This time to retrieve advanced alien technology. 

The problem is that her team will have to travel to a planet where the pillars only open once every six months. The timing for their return is crucial to the success of the operation. 

Waiting for them is an unforeseen destiny. Can Tachikoma return all her people alive along with alien technology that will change the world? 

Cutting-edge scientific theories underpin the mystery that drive this thrilling military SF roller-coaster ride.

Testimonials for Bad Dog

“This story is great, with a very firm grasp of the Marine Corps lifestyle.”


– Sgt D. Barrow, USMC

"High concept, high calibre character-driven Mil-SF. Compulsively readable."

– Alex Stewart aka Sandy Mitchell author of the Ciaphas Cain series

More About The Author 

Buy This Book

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon DE
Amazon FR
Amazon AU    

The Badlands Assemble

The Badlands Assemble doesn't quite have the same ring to it as The Avengers Assemble, but I've had these sitting in a box ever since the original Heavy Gear KickStarter arrived, which was two years ago.

Doesn't time fly?

I've been feeling a bit out of sorts, because the side-effects of my medication is a bit rough, which is why I missed last weeks post. 

I felt I needed to do something to cheer me up that wouldn't get bogged down if fiddly details. So I got these models out of the box and cleaned them to get the grease off. I find windscreen wash, which has isopropyl alcohol and a wetting agent, is good for this. 

Anyway, this was about the limit of what I could manage.