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Terran Strike Infantry Squad
Strike Infantryman painted by
Chris Yaro. Battle damage to suit added by Chris.
The elite attack force of the Federation of Humanoid Worlds, the Strike Infantry bring unparalleled power to the battlefield. Dropping in single-man pods to the surface of the attacked planet from starships, these troopers wear thousand-pound suits of powered armour which give them immense strength and enhanced senses. Extending the length of the man's arms and legs beyond the limit of the human body, the suit's extremities are perfectly controlled from within, allowing greater stride, reach and dexterity. Jet and rocket boosted, the suit permits the Marine to bounce along the surface of the planet at speeds which would be the envy of 21st century mechanized forces.
Once deployed, the STI stay in contact using suit-borne communications arrays. Once the target is identified, each Strike Infantryman has a virtual arsenal of weapons at his disposal, enough to take on the military of a small nation. Two long weapons provide devestating attack ability -- a rocket launcher with low-yield thermonuclear warheads for maximum devestation, and a flame thrower to spray gouts of advanced incendiary fluids distances which would astonish 21 century armies. On their rocket/jet booster packs they mount a rack firing high explosive bombs, and on each arm is mounted a potent secondary weapon -- a hand flamer on the left for "close encounters," and a laser cutter on the right to burn through the thickest walls and fortifications. The rocket launcher and the heavy flamer are both stowed on the Marine's rocket/jet booster pack when not in use, simply snapping back into place when released from the Marine's clawed hands.
Of all the foes faced by the STI, only two cause serious concern -- the teeming billions of Arachnian Warriors, and the hulking killing machines of the Garn Confederation. Strike Infantry have taken on both and prevailed, but both provide, in their own very different ways, ferocious and hard-fought battles. All others are crushed in a sobering demonstration of military asymmetry, usually causing only token damage to get the point across without undue destruction.
Although the inspiration for these models is no doubt obvious, they were created to provide gamers an elite power armoured force for any gaming needs. Aaron and I worked closely together in designing the suit to make sure that it was built around an actual human form, so that it looked plausible. The models come in a squad of five, two using the heavy flamer, two the nuclear rocket launcher, and a fifth sending flames to the foe with his hand flamer. As every STI trooper has all of these weapons, three loose flamers and three loose rocket launchers are provided to be attached to the weapon rack. The squad comes with five sets of legs as well in three different poses -- left foot forward, right foot forward, and abreast -- these are supplied with a good random mix (two of one type, two of a second, one of the third). Assembly is very easy, as the pieces have been kept to a minimum -- each model is made of a head, a torso with arms attached, a backpack, a weapon to be glued into the rack (two for the man using the hand flamer), and a set of legs. Best of all, all the torsos fit into all of the legs, so that there's a great variety of poses -- five different torsos and three different leg sets.
Sculpted by Aaron Brown of Black Crab Sculpting.
Photo of Unpainted STI Squad Showing Leg and Torso Variants (Five Random Leg Poses Provided)
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Garn Warriors
Garn Warriors painted by
Chris Yaro. Base detailing
not included.
Hulking aliens, evolved from a species similar to the great predatory dinosaurs of Earth's distant past, Garn Warriors are a dour and aggressive race. Their merchant-war vessels seek out alien civilizations far and wide, attacking, plundering and consuming those too weak to resist, trading with more powerful peoples. They are also willing to serve as mercenaries in any army for suitable compensation, on the sole condition that they will not fight against other Garn mercenaries, or the Garn Confederation. As free-will sentients they have more in common with the Federation of Humanoid Worlds than they do with the the Arachnians, but this does not make them exactly allies of the Federation, except when self-interest dictates, or the price is right. The exclusively, relentlessly carnivorous Garn consider the Arachnians as merely a good source of protein and roughage. Indeed, they will happily consume the flesh of any life form, their huge jaws crunching the thickest bones, ripping the toughest hides.
Garn come from a warm world and eschew clothing and body covering equipment. Having two hearts and an immense frame, not to mention their awesome jaws (the most powerful by far of any known sentients), they do not need much enhancement of their physical strength. For defense, to supplement their very thick, scaly hides they prefer advanced technology field defenses to cruder forms of protection such as body armour. The FFP-15 Force Field Projector/Artificial Environment Generator, worn on their back, grants the Garn protection equivalent to that of human power armour, and generates a sustainable environment immediately under the field which will sustain the warrior for days.
As for equipment, Garn warriors employ a series of weapons to suit the galaxy of different foes they have met and overcome. A squad of five will commonly have three troopers armed with assault cannons, firing an armour-piercing 20mm round which detonates upon penetration; one trooper with a heavy weapon, either a flamethrower or plasmathrower; and a commander with an arm-mounted lasercutter which combines reverse forcefield technology with a short-range (roughly one meter) high intensity laserbeam to cut through the thickest steel with ease. The commander also has an arm-mounted rapidfire assaultgun firing a small caliber version of the assault cannon round, targeted via the laserscope permanently attached to the Garn commander's left eye. All Garn additionally carry a pair of plasma grenades for close encounters with superior foes, or for suicide, which the Garn consider the only honourable option when bested in battle.
Garn weapons all use advanced-technology rounds which do not require propellant and so do not have a recoil, making the weapons deadly accurate even when fired from the hip. It also allows unparalleled standardization, all types of ammo being carried in a single type of ammo drum, worn on the left hip of the Garn, the ammo fed into the weapon by means of an ammo tube. (All Garn are left handed and righthanded Garn infants are ritually fed to the mighty Drargs of the valleys.)
For communication the Garn have implanted into the scales of their lower left jaw a communication device allowing them to communicate with any member of their squad or with their merchant-warvessel.
The models representing Garn wartraders come with interchangeable features to allow mix and match assembly for maximum variety, so that many models may be completed before duplicates are required. Aaron has sculpted the models so that assembly is a snap. There are two different bodies, two different sets of basic arms, and two different heads. The ammo tube and ammo drum are separate pieces, as is the Force Field Projector (which can be left off if preferred).
The Garn are a salute to the ferocious reptilian alien warriors of many Sci-Fi stories, and are suitable for any sci-fi or pulp setting. The basic individual Garn models come with the assault cannon. A squad set is also available which includes four basic Garn, four assault cannon inserts, a flamethrower insert, a plasmathrower insert, and, for free, a commander, with his mighty laser cutter, arm-mounted assaultgun and special head including the periscope gunsight on his left eye.
Sculpted by Aaron Brown of Black Crab Sculpting.
Garn assembly hints
Image of assembled Garn commander (construction reference)
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| Code | Contents | Price (US$) | Order/Progress |
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| TTC-600 | 28mm Garn Body A Head A Arms A | $4.99 | |
| TTC-601 | 28mm Garn Body A Head A Arms B | $4.99 | |
| TTC-602 | 28mm Garn Body A Head B Arms A | $4.99 | |
| TTC-603 | 28mm Garn Body A Head B Arms B | $4.99 | |
| TTC-604 | 28mm Garn Body B Head A Arms A | $4.99 | |
| TTC-605 | 28mm Garn Body B Head B Arms A | $4.99 | |
| TTC-606 | 28mm Garn Body B Head B Arms B | $4.99 | |
| TTC-607 | 28mm Garn Body B Head A Arms B | $4.99 | |
| TTC-608 | 28mm Garn Heavy Weapon Warrior with all three weapons choices (laser cannon, missile launcher, plasma cannon) | $5.99 | |
| TTC-600S | 28mm Garn Unit Special Deal (2 x Body A 2 x Body B, 2 x Head A, 2 x Head B, 2 x Arms A, 2 x Arms B, 4 x assault cannon inserts, 1 x flamethrower insert, 1 x plasmathrower insert, 1 x Garn Commander) Image of unpainted Garn Commander
| $19.99 | |
| TTC-600SH | 28mm Garn Unit Special Deal adding one Garn Heavy Weapon Warrior (as TTC-600S, but adds the Heavy Weapon Warrior with all three weapons choices (laser cannon, missile launcher, plasma cannon) Image of Heavy Weapon Warrior
| $24.99 | |
Genocidal Overlord
Genocidal Overlord painted by
Chris Yaro. Base detailing
not included.
Ruling by decree is a snap when you are an interplanetary dictator with a penchant for genocide and an addiction to cigarettes. Oh, and when you have ten merchant-warvessels of brutal reptilian aliens on semi-permanent hire, and you know precisely how to keep them loyal to you.
Overlord Jellina Joel I oversees an empire of seven planetary systems from her palace built on an asteroid in the 368 Sumita System. From this palace (constructed of glossy black rock, with tasteful gold accents) her unreasonable decrees descend upon her hapless subjects, and should they disobey, something far worse descends on them -- carnivorous Garn mercenaries, in particular the exceptionally unpleasant Red Garn, who have free reign to steal anything they want, destroy anything too big to steal, and eat anyone who gets in the way (as well as anyone who doesn't). Unfortunately for these subjects, the Garn are also charged with conveying these same decrees, and, unaccountably, the messages sometimes fail to be delivered; the same cannot be said for the retaliation. “Pity,” Jellina is known to say with a shrug when advised of these fatal “errors.” Then, brightening up while lighting a cigarette, she adds philosophically, "Oh well, plenty more where they came from."
Of course, being an overlord means one gets a cut of the booty (other than what goes into the Garn larders), which is enough to keep her in black leather uniforms, gold epaulettes and Garn mercenaries indefinitely.
Now and then, a proper military challenge is made to her reign, and in these circumstances she will happily take the field in command of her Garn squadrons and whatever local forces can be terrified into joining the fight. She is definitely not to be underestimated as a tactician or as a duellist, being especially proficient with her favourite toy, an ancient, mint-condition .50 caliber automatic pistol from the distant past of some faraway solar system -- this despite having only one eye left, the other being covered by (what else) a black eye patch.
Chris has painted her in her special celebratory outfit, with unusual blue highlights. This she wears once a year to celebrate her victory over her brother, whom she deposed and had teleported into the void of space, and whose favourite colour was blue (she is not devoid of a sense of irony). Her usual costume has a grey hatband and gold epaulettes.
Beautifully sculpted by Aaron Brown of Black Crab, Jellina Jol I, genocidal overlord, is the first character model in our 28mm Sci Fi series. She was inspired by a lyric in an obscure song, Certain People I Could Name, by the band They Might be Giants. She is intended as a flamboyantly nefarious personality figure to hire and lead our stern Garn mercenaries, especially the renegade Red Garn who have been banished from the Confederation for violence too extreme even for the Garn. Of course, she should find a home causing mayhem in any other Sci Fi or pulp game as well. Her physical appearance, eye patch and all, was suggested by a certain flying ship captain in a certain movie set in an alternative-universe 1930s. Aaron has done a very good job capturing the Spartan but sensual appearance of this model's inspiration.
The Genocidal Overlord comes with two separate right hands -- one holding up a cigarette, the other her enormous Desert Eagle .50 caliber pistol. To conform with either of these hand options, two different holsters are also provided, one empty, the other with pistol.
The cigarette can either be painted as cast for extra solidity (as shown in the photo), or can be whittled down with a hobby knife for better scale thinness. Don't paint it as a cigar, as Jellina hates cigars and will send the Red Garn on a courtesy call to your system if you do.
Sculpted by Aaron Brown of Black Crab Sculpting.
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Arcahnian Alien Invertebrates
Arachnian painted by Chris Yaro. Photoshopped onto granite background.
Intelligent invertebrates? Yes, mister, billions of them! Vast swarms of these man-size creatures lurk under the ground on planets they infest, as they rapidly burrow deep underground. Most are workers, but a select handful, a mere few millions, are warriors, with a blast-gun implanted below their abdomen -- only the most seasoned professional soldier can tell a warrior hidden within the teeming billions of workers. Shooting is surprisingly accurate, aided by the eight eyes of the warrior that encircle the thorax. The gun only holds a few shots, but that's all it takes to kill even a power armoured enemy. (And usually the bug is killed before it can get off more than a few shots anyway!) Perhaps some form of intelligent arachnian lives deep under the earth, controlling the others? Or perhaps they function like ants, using pheromones to communicate and acting for the good of the swarm. No one can truly say.
Each Arachnian can be constructed as a harmless worker or deadly warrior. Models may be built with straight abdomens (shown) or curled, and either may attach the deadly blast gun, the straight abdomen hiding the weapon until that deadly moment of surprise fire, the curled one firing it over the back of the warrior, scorpion-like. Two sets of pedipalps will also be available, folded (shown) or extended. ALL of these piece options are included with EACH model!
Large packs of Arachnians are also be available to make huge swarms inexpensively. These will be perfect monsters for sci-fi bug hunts, fantasy or pulp lost world scenarios (with the guns left off, of course!), etc.
To save you the trouble, each limb piece is provided with a sturdy pin cast on, with some drilling (with a pin vise or similar) necessary to insert these long pins into the thorax for a good tough join. Long mould pins on the bottom of the thorax and abdomen can simply be snipped off during construction.
Thorax (front body part) is 15mm front to back. There is a small hidden platform on the bottom of the thorax to elevate the bug so that the weight of the model is not supported by the legs.
Sculpted by Aaron Brown of Black Crab Sculpting.
How to Build the Bugs
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