FY! Tabletop Photography

Although it seems to had been short lived endeavor the FY! Tabletop Photography page is a Tumblr “dedicated to artistic photography of the tabletop gaming world”. Click on view archive for additional images. Interesting concept; it is too bad that this project did not continue.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

In preparation of my receiving my first The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic book from Amazon, I have been doing some research into this topic and have come up with the following resources that might be of some benefit.

• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Wiki
Summarizes the plots of the different volumes and offers information about a few other fine resources.

• Extraordinary Gentlemen’s Journal Blog
There is even an Extraordinary Gentlemen’s Journal Blog. This site offers so much in the way of information about Extraordinary Gentlemen miniatures and other topics, as well.

• The Chaos Manifesto
The Chaos Manifesto offers up descriptions of the Extraordinary Gentlemen mentioned in the same. Click on the links to access peripheral information on other miniatures.

Five HO Scale Horses Painted

I purchased these castings long ago so the manufacturer of these horses is a mystery to me. They are in 1/87-HO scale and cast in white metal. I was looking through an online catalog of Selley Finishing Touches’ detail parts the other day and noticed that they have a set of six horses available for sale. Three are grazing and three are standing. I have three grazing and two standing. Were my horse figures purchased from Selley? I did misplace one of the horses long ago? I suppose I will never really know where these figures originated, but they are now ready for that rural pasture scene.

Two New Titles have been added to my Reading List

I just purchased two hard copied books from my local library. They had been out on the cart in the libraries lobby waiting to be purchased. I found a hard copy of Twain’s “Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and a soft copy of “That Darn Cat”, by the Gordans. I have read the former a few times already; it is one of those books I like to read from time to time. The other I haven’t read, but did see the movie as a child by the same name which was produced by Walt Disney Movies. The film was produced in 1965 and starred Hayley Mills and Dean Jones.The story is a light-hearted movie about a cat who becomes a secret agent and blows the cover on a couple of bank robbers who are holding a bank tellers hostage.

The two volumes will be added to spring 2013 reading list.

Disney Pixar "Up" N-Gauge Miniature Carl’s House

Disney Pixar’s animated movie "Up" was the inspiration behind this n-gauge miniature. Carl's House was created from paper and according to the author took a few weekends to complete. It does amaze me the things you can create with paper. It is a shame that the template for this particular model is no longer available; however, there is a version of the model that comes with the balloons that can be downloaded here.

See the same model, but in 1/48 scale.

It doesn't look too good for the white player

Ictíneo a Victorian Era Submarine

Ictíneo (derived from the Greek words for fish and for ship) was launched in 1859 in Barcelona harbor by Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol. The submarine, was made of olive wood supported with oak rings and was sheathed in two-millimeter thick copper. The submarine measured 23 feet (7 meters) in length, and had enough space for the captain and a four man crew. The sub was powered by cranking.

Creative Pirates Cove Paper Project

I was going through my collection of Bookmarks the other day and came across a couple of links to the Pirates Cove(scroll down towards the bottom of the page) project. Everything you see here, in this fantastic miniature layout, with the exception of the track and wheels, is made of paper and Strathmore board.

Gnatterbox, a forum of Gn15 modelers, sponsored a competition for small layouts built primarily from paper. This layout, built by Chris Walas, won the competition. You can see the wealth of detail for yourself and we can assume that a lot of creative and skillful effort went into this project.
The diorama has so much detail, like a couple of huts, a train that is used to deliver supplies to the Nautilus, a trolley to bring people to the sub, an aeroplane, with what looks a like a bomb, several figures in various poses, and various other bits of scenery.

I have spent some time studying the images of this layout and still find something new each time that I study it. This layout is awe inspiring and makes me want to start my own paper project. I won’t be so foolish to assume that I have the necessary skills to complete something with the magnitude, but perhaps something less daunting like a small structure. I could bring all my knowledge that I have gained from my readings of the techniques that others have used. If the project doesn't go as planned I will have learned something and gained a bit of experience in the process.

Click here for other views of the layout and here to view some additional images of the project as it was being built, along with some commentary by the author.

Will Pegasus Models be Reissuing their Nautilus Submarine?

There still is no word about when Pegasus Hobbies is planning on re-releasing their Nautilus Submarine. The Nautilus Submarine was featured on page 3 of their 2011-12 catalog. The model is listed as being in 1/144 scale.

This particular model seems to be modeled after the Disney World’s Nautilus Submarine. I have long wanted to obtain a kit of Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” Nautilus.

As a boy I remember having read Verne’s novel and not too long afterward having the opportunity to ride in the Nautilus Submarine while visiting my father in Florida. I don’t know what I was expecting, but having read the book, I remember the attraction being a letdown.

Robot Skull Model

This paper model of a Robot Skull might a great accessory piece for a 15-28mm miniature SCI FI war game. Just download, print out on a color printer, cut-out, and assemble. There is a lot of detail printed on the model and the jaws actually move. It looks like the project could be completed in an hour or two.

Do you know of other paper models that might be used in miniature war-gaming? We would love here of them.

Blinded by Science Fictional Reality

“The early days of science fiction, much like all its later days, found its exponents bickering about what the genre was, what it should be, and what its relationship was-if indeed it had one-with the more established human pursuit of known as Science”. The article “Blinded by Science Fictional Reality” looks at three science fiction authors, their work, and their views on science as they saw it.

My First Set of Blasted Planets Miniatures

I have just completed my first set of HistroFigs miniatures. The three 25mm miniatures required very little attention. The castings were crisp and without any noticeable flash or parting lines. The three I chose to complete were from HistroFigs SCIFI Blasted Planet line: Agent Annya Nova, BP-001, and two Chickasaurus, BP-1700. The Chickasaurus are some sort of extraterrestrial creatures.





Since anything goes when dealing with SCIFI figures I had fun painting these miniatures, in that I didn’t have to worry too much about what a “real “ Chickasaurus looked like I could choose my colors according to my taste and whim.

My idea for a scene, using the three miniatures was having Annya facing off the Chickasaurus with her blow gun (blaster). You can get the basic idea from the image; however, I would like to add proper base materials and background image to complete the scene.

A Steampunk Submarine that is Created out of Paper

While browsing the Paper Model Forum I came across some images of a Steampunk submarine. The images are primarily of the submarine; however there is one image at the end of post of the model during the construction of a diorama that it was part of. The model that resembles the Nautilus is made from scrap cardboard and some #110 card.

The Nautilus, of course, was submarine written about in Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, and again, briefly in his Mysterious Island.

A Collection of Unpainted Figures

Here is a part of my collection of unpainted HO figures. As you can see there are a few that got a start.

To populate the whole layout properly, I will need so many more than I have here. However, by changing my focus a bit and working more wilderness scenes into my layout,I will not need quite as many human figures. I will need to add a few more animals though.

I will be posting a list of sources for these wildlife figures very soon.