Plamo: The Inner Sphere Command Lance (BattleTech, Catalyst Game Labs)

A shop near me started stocking BattleTech. You know what that means? Impulse BattleMech purchases! I ended up with three, and put the choice to twitter and here we are. I decided to use the UrbanMech colour scheme as well, which kinda worked…. But I’m not totally happy with it. Otherwise, I don’t have a huge amount to say here, so I’m just going to give a brief description of each. Now in order of chonkitude...

The STG-3R Stinger is a light scout mech based off the VF1-A Valkyrie from Macross. In universe, its a competitor to the Wasp, which has similar inspiration out of universe, a factor that has prompted legal action both in and out of universe. Its a nice little mould this, the flat panel cockpit being no fuss.

So, the VLK-QA Valkyrie? Well, they were clearly reaching for names at this point. This is based on the VF1-J Valkyrie, basically the same mecha as above, just with a different head. The BattleTech interpretation however makes it bigger and adds a missile rack. It's still a relatively light mecha though, but it punches above its weight with a LRM10. I'm not found of the cockpit glass on this one though.

The MAD-3R Marauder is something a bit different. Macross had aliens too. They were called the Zentradi, were mecha-sized, and seemed to have a genetic predisposition towards otakudom. The Marauder is based of their Roiquonmi Glaug Battle Pod, which is probably their second most memorable design. This explains its size and odd proportions, there was originally a big dude in a rather cramped torso cockpit. Performance-wise, the Marauder is considered a design classic, and the model holds up to that legacy. My paint job? Not so much.

Going back to the human designs of Macross now, the ARC-2R is based off the Destroid Spartan. As an associate commented once, this is pretty far removed from the source, as they took a close combat design with a club, and repurposed it as a missile boat. It's basically a Catapult with arms, more actual missiles, and an overheating problem, but the model came out quite well.

To be honest, I don't think this is my best work. It's fine for tabletop, but I'm inclined to go back to my greens for the next BattleTech project.

Transformers: Legacy Burn Out Is Something That Exists

While Legacy promised a return of variety, its taken a bit of time to make good on that promise. Wave 1 had the look of business as usual, with a very high percentage of G1 characters, repacks, and toys that could have been in Kingdom. The Prime Universe toys, the main exceptions, screamed repaint fodder, and it would have been very easy to assume Hasbro would not go further. Happily, the balance is definitely shifting with wave 3 and what is known about Evolution next year. The first real evidence that Hasbro was serious came from the “Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection”, a sub-line of exclusive repaints that replaced Netflix Siege. This went hard on the whole alternate universe thing, visiting 6 different continuities immediately, whereas Legacy wouldn’t really begin to branch out until wave 2. This brings us to today’s subject: Burn Out, a massively obscure repaint of a rather obscure character that plays homage to something that was Transformers before Transformers was a thing. Burn Out is also notable for being, well, a girl. The Speedia stuff has a good gender balance, which does mean I have to talk about gender issues again, although I’ll try not to repeat myself. I picked this one up on sales on the last day of a vacation, with the hope of returning to work in a good mood. It worked.

The Diaclone Honda Turbo, and its variants, circa 1982/83

Now, I had to shelve my first draft of this post, as I was struggling for a focal point. I had skipped the original version of this toy, Skids, because I already had a toy of the character. Its kinda hard to avoid mentioning him, but also hard to talk about for any real length of time. He had a very limited fictional presence until the highly regarded More Than Meets The Eye comic series by James Roberts, and basically everything that happened there probably counts as a spoiler. There is something of a tradition of comics writers taking blank slates and making them desirable, its called the Furman Effect, although it seems that it didn’t stick. Legacy Skids, and for that matter the unexpected Masterpiece version, is very faithful the G1 iteration, which as mentioned didn’t get much to do. Burn Out has even fewer fictional appearances, and is very much in the exclusive/obscurity bracket. She’s a character with a distinctive paint job, but is so far from the mainstream that nobody would mind that she is an exclusive, unlike, say, half of Earthrise. Her singular claim fame is that she’s based off a colour variation from Takara’s Diaclone, one of the toylines that would provide raw material for Hasbro’s Transformers. Diaclone is kinda of a big thing in collectors circles, with a boutique modern reboot, but in the Transformers context its mainly a convenient source for repaint ideas. So, yeah. Burn Out is obviously part of the black repaint phenomenon, but given that she is referencing a rare variant from 1983, this is about as deep as cut as you can make. If you want actual legacy in Legacy, why not homage the gestation of Transformers brand, and something that was probably only one marketing decision from a western release?

Righty, that’s the context established, on with the show. Burn Out's vehicle form is a legally distinct copy of the Honda City Turbo. Its a vehicle type that isn't really seen in Transformers that much, unless realistic cars are the main thing that year. It is more blocky than big or speedy looking, but it is distinctive. I have read that this car is a big thing in japan which is probably half the reason Skids gets any attention at all. Nerds like myself may recognise it from the anime/manga You’re Under Arrest. As to how much this differs from Skids? More than is immediately obvious, but once you get past the black its a bit subtle. Burn Out retains the stripes, red plastics and translucent blue of Skids, which is faithful to the source, but possibly faithful to a fault. Less obvious are the grey wheels, gunmetal front bumper, clear sunroof, and tail-lights. All-in-all its a nice looking car, with plentiful 5mm ports for weapon storage. The basics are there, and in black, so that’s good. Of course, the vehicle mode also inherits the same problems of this mould, such as overuse of translucent plastic, clip-on wheels, the face visible from the underside. While Burn Out has seemingly has not suffered the issues with tolerances Skids did, and mine seems fine, a certain degree of care is recommended with regards to anything blue.

The transformation ticks all the boxes you'd expect it too, presenting a similarly pleasing robot form, but if you were paying attention to the first picture above, you may have clicked what is different. Yes, Burn Out has a mouthplate, whereas previous iterations have either used the Skids head, or a new feminine sculpt in the case of the Masterpiece. This brings us to the promised, if brief, discussion of gender issues. Burn Out is on the other end of the scale from Elita-1, and is a toy which makes no attempt to use gender coding at all. On the one hand, this totally sidesteps the design compromises that affected Elita-1 and others. Burn Out is not a shellformer with a mannequin body shape, and is instead a classical "door wings" carformer with merits that I will shortly get into. There is no requirement for a robot to fit gender norms in the first place, and if this means a better toy, maybe this is a justifiable route? I mean, I we’re getting a Gobots character this way too, and then there’s Override, whom probably needs her own article. People seem to like them a lot. On the other hand, if you told me this was gonna be Crosscut, until someone realised that they could save him for later and thus get more repeat sales on the mould, I'd believe you. I’m cynical like that, and a black paintjob is the sort of thing you get an intern to do. For its faults, the Elita-1 mould tried harder. That having been acknowledged, Burn Out’s status as a premium redeco is more evident in robot form. The shoulders that were neglected on Skids are picked out in red and blue, with the limbs having more grey and black. Burn Out lacks chromed thighs, but the there’s a smoother transition between chrome grill, gunmetal bumper and charcoal grey plastics. Its a good look, if understated still. She also benefits from an earnest attempt to improve on Skids’ characteristic weapons storage. The two silver ones can be either forearm via dedicated ports, combine into a bigger gun, and further combine with that blue axe thing for a bigger gun. I clearly wasn’t paying this energon weapon business due attention, because its working out pretty well here. Posability is similarly pleasing. Its a good toy.

My point? Only that Legacy Burn Out is something that exists. And exists in the shadow of rather obscure character in the first place, which I wasn’t rushing out to buy. I’ll admit to having been a little unimpressed by Transformers: Legacy at time of writing; I’ve liked what I’ve chosen to post about, but I haven’t brought much, and I have yet to find a must-have. Wave 3 and Evolution look like more my sort of thing. Burn Out however suggests maybe I should have taken a few chances.

 

 

Plamo: The 30 Minutes Missions Gardonova (Brown)

Ah, there's nothing quite like a 30MM kit as a change of pace, is there? Having spent a lot of time before & during Orktober plotting & painting Orks, there's something to be said for quick build that rewards basic techniques. It's possibly an autistic trait at play, a clearly-defined task with elements of repetition and precision. With a 30MM kit you can be quite sure of a quality product with minimal stress. The Gardonova as an experience is very much that. It tweaks the formula a little bit, which merits discussion, but I had a good time. 

 

The Gardonova was released alongside the Revernova, and to my initial surprise, actually shares a high number of components with it. Granted, there’s a lot of overlap between 30MM kits due to the common joint runner and customisation being a stated feature, but I honestly didn’t realise until I was building it. The central body and major joints are the same, but the extremities are completely different. I’d compare the differences to be akin to a WW2 era tank destroyer conversion; the base vehicle is there, but the loss of the turret changes the profile rather dramatically. The Gardonova actually omits the head completely, shifts the main sensor to a chest piece, goes for stumpier legs, and the big, eff-off, claws. This gives it it a much more bestial appearance, if prompting some changes in articulation. It gets another double-jointed elbow and nice interlocking armour panels in each arm, but the added weight makes the shoulder joints a little prone to popping out. I also feel that the gun is a touch out of place, maybe that should have gone where the head used to be, maybe I’ll give it to another mecha, but there’s nowt wrong with it. The reason for the parts sharing is the “combination” feature, which is less Power Rangers and more like a formalised kitbash.The instructions spend a page highlighting what parts you can swap out, which has an appeal to it, but I think I’ll wait for a pair of kits with matched colours before trying it.

I applied some light weathering techniques, and I think it came out well. Since the grunt Spinatio and the like, I seem have nailed some effective and therapeutic methods for detailing, which this kit benefits from.

Like I said, a good time. My RPG group named him "Tickles".

Scratchbuild: Deff Dread Mrk2 "Spud"

All my scratch-building projects so far have been about learning new techniques or relearning old ones. That and the therapeutic aspect. It's often also about feeling I'm good at something, and achieving something. And being a tight-fisted miser. Modelling has the potential to be a hugely expensive hobby, but there comes a point where, if you're good enough, you can just buy the raw materials. Am I that good? I like to think I'm getting there. So, a brief break to build up a backlog of posts, I went back to my roots, and try another Ork walker. But better.

 

With this, I was mindful of a mistake I tend to make, overbuilding. My creations tend to be about 20% larger than stock, and while that's fine in context, going smaller is the path to more intricate works. I'd say this largely worked, although it kinda came out with the proportions of an angry potato. Hence the name “Spud”. The key component was a multi-limbed fidget toy, you know the one, whose joints were harvested and then built up with my usual materials. Wooden beads were of immense use in getting simple but consistent shapes, helping with arms & rokkits. I do recommend this approach as an alternative to a solely plastic build, although I would suggest you remember to pin things. The main body meanwhile was a deodorant top wrapped in EVA foam and scrap plastic, while water pistol innards returned, mainly for the generator. Wall filler paste for gap filling and basing. Hole punch rivets were also applied. 

 

The main thing I did different though was to copy a few ideas from one earthmanbrick, a fellow scratchbuilder with an informative YouTube channel. This gave rise to the buzzsaw arm, which I was rather happy with and the use of Das clay for armour plates and glyphs. I've been messing around with one and two-part moulds for a while, and built up a little box of crudely cast bits which I applied liberally here. Das Clay is an air-drying material which is quite cheap, but fairly narrow in application once dried. It's not as durable or crisp as milliput, which was also used in this project, but if you need to mass produce armour plates, and precision is not a concern, it's worth a go. Use milliput for two part moulds and fine detail instead. I've been toying with the idea of a scenery piece or Stompa based around Das Clay... maybe later. 

 

Painting continued in my usual style, stippling, drybrushing, homemade texture paint, and discovering which bits hasn't quite stuck. Working the metal revealed just how zoggin many rivets I'd created, and I decided keep the exhausts the same gunmetal as the body. I also went for a brighter blue, and slightly more in the way of orange rust. The rokkits were something of a problem, colour-wise, but no harm done.

I’m quite happy with it turned out. I’m proud of how it turned out. Shame I had such a hard time photographing it.

 

Work in Progress Pics 

 

 

Plamo: The UM-R60 UrbanMech (BattleTech)

 

While I have been very heavily into Orks and Orktober recently, I do try and vary things. Catalyst Game Labs recently put out a lot of new stock, some of which will hopefully be posted soon. Today’s subject was completed in and around Orktober stuff, but was pushed back due to the time of year. Orktober means Orks first, although I can honestly see them fielding something like the UrbanMech, so maybe it counts.

So when I write one if these, I like to waffle a bit on the context. This is because BattleTech is still very new to me, and the actual painting of them doesn't help with the word count. With the UrbanMech, it's less about the fiction so much as the fandom. As mechs go, the "Urbie" is a beloved mascot and a meme. It has a plush toy, a wave of blind boxes, a pack of 12, and a famous (life size?) inflatable. People love this thing, often wildly out of proportion to its actual battlefield performance. Its like the Ball, or the Gretchin slaves that Orks abuse. Its not something that is good by the conventional metrics, but it is quite adorable, and has a very specific niche that can surprise people. It's a dedicated ambusher, for, as the name implies, city fighting. Not a fair fight. Of course, I got myself two.

As the UrbanMech's natural habitat is the city, I decided to try urban camo of greys and black. This went disastrously wrong with the first attempt, as I made the mistake of trying Contrast Paints again, but I was pleased to see the Astrogranite Detritus technical paint worked well for a city-styled base. The first Urbie went in the dettol, and the second benefited from the experience. Here I did a Vallejo Dark Grey drybrush over a black undercoat, before picking out panels in Light Grey and Gunmetal, before eventually doing my usual cockpit glass method of Iyanden Yellow over Wraithbone, with ‘Ard Coat for shine. I call this "Urban Camo- Anime", its got the right colours, but it's still somewhat stylised to look cool. I once it was stripped, I tried something more intricate for the other Urbie. Here I tried the "blu tack" camo technique to randomise this grey a bit. Turns out that's not ideal at this scale, but it looks a lot better than my first try. 

 

Overall, this was a learning experience with a few bumps in the road. I now know a few things that don't work, but some things that do. One happy thought though is that I seem to have chanced upon a good dark grey for "special forces", which I want to use on future mechs. 

 

The first attempt

 

Blog: Status Update November 2021

I feel OK. It feels maybe a bit strange to write that down, but it is a positive thing. My daily life hasn't really changed that much, but I'm more inclined to be kind to myself, and not look for magic bullet solutions. I've rediscovered old joys, and find myself with supportive friends. I drive now, it took a while, but I got used to it both as a freedom and a responsibility. Work is at least tolerable, and I've had job interviews for the first time in years. I've had some holiday time of late, that probably helped. Maybe, I'm getting good at this life thing, you know?

What does this mean for the blog? Well, probably not much. I find myself writing more because I enjoy it than out of routine, or the need for escapism. That's an improvement over where things where last year. The problem might be one of overproduction instead. As one of the maybe three people whom reads these, you may have noticed additional posts of a Monday, and the combination of Orktober with vacations has left me running more than six weeks ahead. This will likely work to my advantage however, as the festive period does tend to tire me out, so I'm confident there's a buffer. With that in mind, here's what to expect from me as we enter 2023.

The return of BattleTech

30 Minutes Missions also return

More Orky stuff

A 08th Ms Team retrospective.

Various Transformers that exist

As Christmas falls on a Sunday, no posts that week

Tl;dr: in a good mood, still posting, Xmas break.