"Generic 28mm Plastic Powered Armour Suit!" Topic

Glenn,

*which* one specifically do you like? There's more than one on the L&UL forum you linked to…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Zephyr,

ergonomics? Count on it.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Hi Black Widow I put your blog in my browser.
Not sure about your Power Armour design although it is far better than many I have seen…trouble is this is such a personal thing everybody has their own idea..

I've always felt the MaK SF3D powered armor suits come closest to my image of Heinlein's powered armor suits.

James,

I've posted several concept sketches -and more will follow- of powered armour suits for people to discuss/debate/verbally abuse one another over on the Wargames Factory Liberty & Union League forums:

link

That first concept design was done working solely from memory of the written descriptions -mostly hints, really- found in Heinlein's novel STARSHIP TROOPERS. I kept the suit clean and devoid of any backpack arrangement for the jump jets and Y-rack simply for clarity sake to get the basic suit arrangement down. I went with a clean look as the fewer seams in a a suit of armour, the better the protection. Ergonomic issues also played a role in this initial take.

The designs that follow are based again on those written descriptions of actual suit ergonomics, as well as allowing for the fact that the writer was a young adult living in the late 1950s!

Do take a look on the WF Liberty & Union League forum and by all means chip in your two yuan's worth to this process!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Stinger Six,

I do tend to agree with you in principle: the old SF3D models had a very 50s feel to them. That said, they tended to lack the necessary armament and mandatory jump jets, and did not look frankly gorilla enough for my tastes!

Again, if you haven't joined the party on the WF Liberty & Union League forums on this topic, I urge you to do so!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Guys, just as a heads up, I will soon be releasing power armoured suit models in 28mm. They are huge, as is appropriate for suits called by some books "gorilla" suits. Though 28mm scale, they are over 40mm tall. It was very important to Aaron Brown and myself that the suit actually look like a man can fit in it, as many power armoured suits in 28mm scale do not look so, including by far the most popular 28mm power armoured men, , and you can see how the men fit in these suits. (The man's arms do not go all the way to the bottom of the armour suit, nor do his feet, as indeed they could not in a suit that is 10 feet tall.)

They come in two basic parts, upper and lower body. Lower body is three different sets of legs, in different poses. There are five different upper bodies two with heavy flamer, two with nuclear rocket launcher, one using its arm-mounted hand flamer to gout flame onto the enemy. The whole upper body is one part, so no annoying gluing of arms on and getting the weapons to fit right -- it's all one piece. The head and backpack are also separate, and head can be swivelled. You will be able to get an astonishing variety of pose variations with these. And the models will be heavy, as a thousand pound suit of armour should be!

The backpack has jet as well as rocket boosters so the troops can move by huge jumps from place to place, giving them a very high speed. It has a high-explosive bomb launcher built in, as well as a rack for the weapon(s) not then being used (heavy flamer and nuclear rocket launcher).

We will be releasing special variants as well for command armour and armour for recon. The basic suit will be out first, though.

These are with the mouldmakers and thus are coming soon. Of course, gamers should order or pre-order whatever they want! But when I think plastics, I think something that you need to field a lot of -- cheaply! Like French line, or zombies or space bugs. How many nuclear weapon armed, power armoured marines do you need on the table at one time? I think I would point my hard-earned toward something I'll need swarms of, but YMMV!

Aaron Brown is a FANTASTIC sculptor -- I would guess these will be VERY good!

Tony

Tony Reidy
Wargames Factory
wargamesfactory.com

Leland,
The post by Logain has the most interest to me of those posted, but I am still a bigger fan of the Neosapiens look in EXO Squad.

"How many nuclear weapon armed, power armoured marines do you need on the table at one time?"

ROFLMAO!!!! SUCH A QUESTION!!!!!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Trust Khurasan to set the bar higher for providing We The Gaming Public with quality eye candy; I've just primed my first Garn squad, and can't WAIT to tear into them with a paintbrush!

I expect these power suits will be simply first-class. I also expect my recent return to the status of starving student, will only exacerbate my sufferings looking at these new power suits from Khurasan…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

"But when I think plastics, I think something that you need to field a lot of -- cheaply!"

This raises an interesting point IMHO; that of cost to the *consumer.*

31 years ago, I discovered a hobby called *miniature wargaming.* Best of all, it was *science fiction* wargaming with miniatures that were within the reach of a high school student's budget. I was ecstatic to learn that not only could I buy these really cool things called miniatures, but I could play actual tactical war games with them, and my fellow high school students could do the same. Considering some of them were even less affluent than my middle class little self, it was easy even for them to join in with their own troops.

Now we have since those heady days so long ago materials and production costs rise like an FTL-capable starship, with even plastics being beyond the budgets of IMHO one too many would-be young gamers. Frankly, from where I'm sitting, this hobby we all love and adore has become something of a rich man's game, and I personally don't like that one little bit.

So now along comes Wargames Factory, offering something that has the potential of bringing all sorts of new blood into our hobby. I for one like the idea of being able to show this hobby of ours off to a broader audience, without the price tag attached that would make a Range Rover look like it came from Wal-Mart's post Christmas clearance sale!

Khurasan, make no mistake: I LIKE what you do a helluvalot! Your Garn are imaginative and darkly whimsical to say the least, your historicals are superb, so much so I curse the day I stopped playing 15mm anciencts, and your character figures are irresistible to say the least! I have no doubt that this power suit of yours will be Da Bomb (in more ways than one! Heh!). I also have no doubt that your character figures will continue to be a source of endless creativity and amusement – and I sincerely hope, success.

i also think your new power suit will sell perfectly well whether or not my proposed project takes off or not, simply because sci-fi powered armour suits are not Middle Guard French Napoleonics. Personal tastes will have much more to do with sales IMHO in things sci-fi, than with things historical. While time will indeed tell, IMHO the universe is big enough for your powered armour suits and mine (if they ever happen!), simply beacuse this side of the hobby is more about imagination than historical accuracy and how tall a Grenadier Guard's bearskin hat should be for the 1809 Campaign in Portugal!

BTW, I for one am an inveterate kitbasher, and like I warned in our earlier PM exchanges, your metal models will not be safe from the content of my plastic sprues attaching themselves to their metal hides, all the better to wreck the joint! This has the added risk of being infectious, triggering other equally deranged individuals in our community from doing the same to your hapless products.

Good luck and good hunting! I for one suspect that you'll have little trouble selling your creations, simply because they are your creations, and not the product of a protracted friendly squabble that is my own mad proposal on the Liberty & Union League!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Excuse me for butting in but if you need cheap 28mm plastics in power armour have you seen these?

link

I rather like them but use superglue to fit them together.

Mr. Blobby,

originally marketed as "Space Rangers" IIRC. I've seen 'em, great stff in their day. However, what I'm proposing is going to be a modular kit with far more variety of weaponry than those nice old relics offered, and with a higher degree of poses possible with a multi-part figure.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

I know the figures Mr Blobby mentioned, I have a few of them. I thought they were a great alternative to GW stuuf. They are still only 50p a figure (about 50 cents US now-a-days). they are still good if you just want simple figures to get onto the table quickly. However i look forward to your offerings with great interest.

"I know the figures Mr Blobby mentioned, I have a few of them. I thought they were a great alternative to GW stuuf. They are still only 50p a figure (about 50 cents US now-a-days). they are still good if you just want simple figures to get onto the table quickly. However i look forward to your offerings with great interest."

Matt001,

don't get me wrong; I have quite a few of them as well. My only gripe is that IMHO the Space Rangers are showing their age a bit, plus the officer with the "power sword," pistol, and *no helmet* is pure space fantasy. What I'm trying to achieve is something more a tad more plausible, if only in the realm of sci-fi, hence my obsession with *ergonomics* and above all, ordinance load… Mwahahaahahaaaaa!!!!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Well, we're at the 20% mark so far:

link

Maybe this thing will get off the ground after all…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Latest concept sketch:

link

Not even my graduate studies will stay me from my appointed madness….

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

and then came this:
link
link

LOL!! Getta job!

My powered armour suit laughs at your walking target proposal, taking aim with a nuclear-tipped smart missile! *evil grin"

Actually, Uesugi-sama, you beat me to the proposal for a larger, one-man tank, and it too will IMHO be a load of fun to work with… just let's not skimp on the armament package, neh?

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Oh, I like the new images Leland! That's what I imaged when I first read SST.

Mutant,

glad you likee – *and* get the idea of where I'm trying to go with this..

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Updated concept sketches posted:

link

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Personally, I think that if the Mongoose "Grizzly" and "Cougar" suits (or something very similar) were available in plastic, along with a few accessory sprues, most of us would be very happy.

"Personally, I think that if the Mongoose "Grizzly" and "Cougar" suits (or something very similar) were available in plastic, along with a few accessory sprues, most of us would be very happy."

Joedog.

I agree with you that those two designs are some beauties indeed. However, Mongoose and Sony hold those IPs, so don't hold yer breath.

That said, the Wargames Factory Liberty & Union League may very well lead to something similar in general concept, between my own modest proposal and the larger one-man walking disaster floated by another mad genius like myself.

BTW, I am always open to creative input on the WF/L&UL forums on this project, so by all means feel free to join up and toss in your two cent's worth!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

The dream lives on…