Plamo: The 30 Minute Missions Spinatio (Army Type)

It's been a while since I've done one of these, I know. My fixations switch every once in a while, usually once I burn myself out on something. That said, I've kept an eye on 30MM, so I was quite happy to see this in a local nerd shop for a reasonable price. As you may recall, I was rather impressed with the Spinatio last year, and while the frame has mainly been used for ninja-adjacent designs, this one is slightly more inline with the brand as a whole. The army type, as the name would imply, looks like something the army would use, presented in an assortment of greens and grey.

 

There's a few things I really like here. First off, I found the plastic to be very easy to prepare and clean. Part of that is probably my new nippers, but I was able to use my finger nails to address cutmarks, and that's a credit to the plastic. A nice spread of functional but not extravagant accessories are present; 5 hands, a gun, shield and machete. Enough to comfortably use the frame's exceptional mobility without feeling excessive, and largely all you'd want in a single kit for the price. Criticisms tend to fall into the nitpick category, such as there being only two hand guards, and matters of personal preference. One observation I would make is that is the basic model is somewhat skinny and given that Spinatio sets come with armour and unique accessories, there's less reason "to go naked" as it were as with say the Portanova. It's very hard to mind that given its merits though.

With the actual build being about as stress-free as a pleasantly warm bowl of porridge, I took a slightly different approach to finish it. While I panel-lined the area behind the visor, I otherwise opted for a drybrushing, ink wash, and light drybrushing method. Citadel's Leadbelcher was used for a weathering effect, before Agrax Earthshade was used for grime, followed by a bit more Leadbelcher for fresher wear. I also used a little Ghenna Gold on the rifle. The overall result is great, but I over-did it places, and had to go back to tidy up, picking out white specks that I assume was kitchen roll. The shield is something I'm quite proud of, though.

 

 

All in all? A nice model that suited the basic techniques I used.

Plamo: My Killa Kan Kitbash Kraze (Scratchbuild, Warhammer 40k)

While I have converted many an Ork vehicle over the decades, one area where I struggle is with their walkers. I've had difficulty in the area of crafting limbs, as these tend to both intricate and small. You can't just rip the legs off a robot toy usually, Orks go in for a lot of exposed pistons and claws. There is currently a Morkanaut kitbash sitting unfinished as I couldn't make it work. So, as I had a week off, and felt a change of pace was needed after several fun months of BattleTech, I decided to go small. I would rummage through my bitz box, frequent a few discount stores, and make a Killa Kan. What is a Killa Kan? Well, in the wargame Warhammer 40,000 there are a number of mini-mecha robot types, because its a sci-fi setting. Because 40k largely runs on GRIMDARK heavy metal excess, the original examples had their pilots permanently installed as part of the machine, although as the setting has expanded that's not universal. It's very true for Ork-made versions though, which can be viewed as parodies of Space Marine Dreadnoughts. Now consider the common Gretchin, or Grot, the perpetual victims and slave cast of the Orkoid species. They do all the boring jobs, get bullied relentlessly, and suffer indignities like being used for mine clearance or emergency rations. Such abused individuals eagerly jump at the chance to become a Killer Kan pilot, assuming they haven't seen ianother volunteer being nailed into place. Now encased in a big scrap metal body, they now seek to settle old scores, such as by dismembering their bully at the local pub, which is considered hilarious by the wider population. As a retail worker, I sympathise. In times of war, I.e most days, Killa Kanz form units of powerful-if-cowardly light walkers, bullying infantry, only for their nerve to break when they find themselves alone. 

 

The aim for this project was to spend as little money as possible, using my extensive/huge/stupidly-big/I-need-to-have-a-clear-out bitz box. I read around, did some image searches, and watched a few scratchbuilding youtube channels for inspiration. I eventually decided to use the guts of water pistols as useful pipes and pistons. This would allow for an early 3^rd edition style of leg, and parts of the arm as it would turn out. I also used cable ties for toes and additional detail. The main body was part of a PC internal cable, bulked up with off-brand lego. The main pre-existing bit was the claw, which was formed from ‘Orkanaut toes and mounts from the trukk kit. Otherwise, it was a mix of plasticard, tank sprue, cotton buds, stick-on gems, garden wire, and so on. Construction was relatively smooth, bar glue mishaps, and I had to abandon an idea for leg springs. Painting the thing was also a matter of experimentation. While the major metals followed the same method as the Junkernaught, I tried "stippling" the blue. This is a technique where you apply the paint not in strokes but in dots, poking at the surface with a thick brush. While you can be elegant with that, if you avoid the edges and don't try to be elegant, you get a textured/weathered look befitting a rust bucket. It's not a universal technique, but I like the results. I also made use of baking soda to make a mud effect on the base, by mixing it with a brown paint. This didn't come out quite as intended, as I needed to seal it with PVA glue, but it looks alright.

Of course, I couldn't just do one Killa Kan. I had a week off, and they come in groups, so I started on another. In addition to lessons learned, this one would benefit from my realisation as to how I could make pistons from beads and wire. I'd also found a suitably flexible wire by cannibalising some earbuds, so I could revisit the springy leg idea. To mix things up, I decided to change the proportions, to make this one stockier and less birthing hips. The main component here was a 3d printed materiel case, subsequently bulked up with gunpla bits. I admit the exhaust is ridiculously over-sized, but I didn't have the heart to remove it. Also admit that it's possibly too stocky, and the weapons aren't as scratchbuild as they could be, I was pacing myself. Overall? I'm quite pleased with it, both as an end result and as a learning experience. The arms are a delicate process that I couldn’t really rush, and I refined my basing method to include sand and PVA in with the baking soda. Baking soda was now being regularly used on the model itself too, assisting with the bonding of glue, and providing "happy accident" rust texture to things.

 

 

Kan 3 was about the point where I made a decision about the direction of the project. I'd been humming and harring about putting a force together for actual gaming, but I decided against it on the grounds I'd fall back into bad habits. So, I opted to scratchbuild a third ranged weapon type: the humble Big Shoota. This not something I usually need to build, TBH, it's a mundane weapon overshadowed by others, and you can but together one quite easily by extending the barrel of a regular Shoota with bits from another. I had not previously tried to make one from the inside of a pen and bits of plastic, and I'm happy to call it a success. Same with the claw arm, the basic idea is the same as Kan 1, but the claws are plasticard with bead pistons this time. For the main body, I revisited an old idea from the message boards, Kanz made from paint pots. It's something any miniature modeller has lying around, and its significantly less of a pain in the arse then dealing with big plastic tubes. This was dressed with a high ratio of GW bits, with the hatch area being something I was quite pleased with. Of course, I neglected to consider how these limbs and legs would go on the body, which prompted a hasty revision. The model was then painted in the same manner as the other two, although the base is a little different. This was a previously rejected experiment in basing, where I'd tried to exploit the interaction of super glue and baking soda to texture the base. I hacked away it so it was a touch more level, and then applied some home-made texture paint. You shouldn’t be able to tell the difference. I also refined my painting technique, and while I possibly went a bit nuts with the Typhus Corrosion, I got a better blue this time.

In conclusion: I'm very pleased with how this little holiday project turned out. I've managed to achieve a level of scratchbuilding I haven't reached before, and learned a new painting technique. I still don't think I'll play 40k proper, be it for price, bad habits, the number of Boyz I'd have to paint, the actual rules, pick a reason, but I'm still an ork at heart. It's been good to do this again.

Work-in-progress Pics

 

Plamo: The STK-3F Stalker (BattleTech, Catalyst Game Labs)

And for the final part of the Heavy Lance, we have this. First, there was the Trebuchet, the asymmetric baby of the group. Then there was the Zeus, an oddly buff generalist. This was followed by the Longbow, which is reasonably described as a missile rack on legs. And finally, we now have the Stalker, a mech that resembles nothing so much as a chicken walker's angry dad.

It's actually quite a glow-up from the original art, which had more of a "phallic symbol on legs" thing going on. Its still easy to make jokes, TBH. It's not an especially sleek or elegant, but it gets the job done. As a machine, the Stalker feels a lot like something that grew out of game mechanics rather than in-universe logic. I. E it exists because someone thought it presented an interesting gameplay experience rather than something an actual military might order. Its characterised by having a selection of powerful but progressively shorter ranged guns, with the intent of firing each in sequence as the mech closes. Its very slow, but it's equally as durable, making it something akin to a self-propelled gun or siege weapon. That's the basic definition of an assault mech of course, although they usually have more going visually than the Stalker does with its "weaponised acorn" vibe, and these usually have more weapons coverage too. That said, you have to respect the minimalist brutalism of the thing. It's daft until you have one shooting at you, I imagine. The design has a few stripped down variants, which operate oddly in game terms, as the thing tended to wear its frame out as it aged.

I think we're entering comedy territory again.

I painted it my standard style, and like the Longbow, attempted to pick out the missiles. This was slightly more difficult as the LRMs are flat, but it came out table-worthy. I was also pleased with the glow effect on the tiny cockpit area. Its a very recessed area, so I’m glad its noticeable from at least some angles.

Up next: a change of pace.

 

Plamo: The LGB-0W Longbow (BattleTech, Catalyst Game Labs)

 Aye-up, its Unseen o’clock.

 

Like the Crusader, the Longbow has its origins as a design from Super Dimension Fortress Macross, a series known for both its influence on the genre and its courtroom appearances. FASA licenced multiple mecha from the show for BattleTech, which they would later regret, and in the Longbow's case things seem more convoluted than usual. It's associated with the Destroid Phalanx, a support mecha from the show, which to the best of my recollection never did anything of note outside of crowd scenes. Destroids in general weren't cutting edge, and played defence. The Phalanx was notable for being something built on the titular Macross itself as a unit made from spares, which were hurriedly applied to a simple body structure. The Phalanx was a stopgap at best, but that's not same as saying its bad. No. When you are 40% missiles by volume, and your job is air defence, you are probably on the right track. The mech it inspired in BattleTech is a slightly more professional product but still follows the same orky brute force approach to its single purpose. While classed as an Assault Mech, the Longbow handles the task of fire support by lobbing a total of fifty missiles at the target. From behind a nearby and obscuring hill, usually, so you might not realise until its too late.

I suppose this a good place to talk about how BattleTech handles missiles? It's a mechanically interesting thing, and my comments on painting are going to be a bit brief, so it will help pad the word count. Missiles make use of the Cluster Hits table, which serves to dictate how many missiles in a volley connect on a successful hit. While other weapon types use this chart, and there's a lot of missile related stuff, we're limiting ourselves to the Longbow's LRM20s and LRM5s. In the case of long range missiles, the stated number gives its maximum, so this usually an overstatement of their lethality. The chart usually averages to about half that, although the spread of numbers gets more granular the more missiles you have. The final factor is that LRMs bunches these hits into groups of 5, each potentially hitting a different location. This explains the LRM5s to some extent, as you get a single grouping for low heat, while the 20s get several groupings for more heat. The fact you have 4 distinct systems also helps with their minimum range and other modifiers. Its about having options. 

 

I think this may be the best BattleMech I’ve painted. Its not got an especially sophisticated colour scheme and I wasn’t trying anything new this time, but the design of the model worked well for me. While some clean up was needed, the model lent itself to drybrushing, and the ever-so-delicate matter of picking out every individual missile. Its something that takes time and a fine brush, but the results speak for themselves, if hard to photograph. The cockpit glass was also a highlight, although its worth me pointing out there seems to be conflicting art as to what area is the cockpit, and I followed the Sarna entry. I even figured out how to get a better finish on the black bits of the base too. Good times, although I would advise against dropping it like I did... The missile pods are glued on.

Up next: something less subtle.