"Mystical Mantis Men" Topic

Here's an almost complete sculpt of the first of a trio of mystical mantis men i am having sculpted. They do not use mechanical weaponry. In fact they are not overly fond of using weaponry at all, being spiritual and mystical. However, their home world was destroyed by the Genocidal Overlord, and their remnant population transferred to Sepulveda VII, my center stage planet for my 15mm sci fi range. Now they help the humans on Sepulveda VII fight Jellina and her rogue's gallery of alien thugs.

Instead of rifles they fire energy blasts from their forelimbs, in a manner highly reminiscent of the Vortigaunts from Half Life 2. In fact the mantis men are a bit of a tribute to those aliens, though obviously quite different in appearance.

I think the sculptor did a nifty job! There will be three of them, as they operate in triads primarily.

picture

Yup! That works for me!

Cheers
Mark

Oh…very nice. The plethora of new stuff from your company (and others)is making it really hard for me not to do something in 15mm scifi.

Ooooh yeah baby, that's the good stuff!

regards

jim

Very nice work.

Who is the sculptor?

Where was this guy when The Fly was rampaging?

Khurasan: "They do not use mechanical weaponry. In fact they are not overly fond of using weaponry at all, being spiritual and mystical . . . Instead of rifles they fire energy blasts from their forelimbs, in a manner highly reminiscent of the Vortigaunts from Half Life 2."

Sounds intriguing.

However, if they are destined to have separate arms, is there a chance that you could have a set of forearms with some sort of weaponry? If so, it would be a fantastic option for many of us, as long as the weaponry looks insectoid in nature (non-human-looking).

If they are one piece casts, then disregard the above.

CC

Really nice ! I'm with CC, though. Optional weapons would be a nice touch.

Paul

They're BUGS! BUGS I tell you! Big MUTANT BUGS! None of this mystical death rays coming out of their eyes malarky.

They are gonna slice and dice or die under a hail of gauss rifle bullets or in a ball of fire from a flamer!

Mark

It's the only way to be sure…

Ah good, I now have a Mr. Jinx mini- now I can game Starslip in 15mm! ;P

-Will

Mark's just mad that they're not wearing visors.

At the end of the day my background is just a suggestion. People can naturally use them for whatever they like! A swarm is not going to be made though, just three poses (at least for starters).

If they have weapons they'd need some form of hands as well. I guess i could get conversions done. One step at a time, have to get them finished first!

3 Models is fine Jon for a swarm! Especially when they look so good and arms can be bent etc.

I'd rather have 3 good variations than 20 so so.

For years QRF only had 3 large aliens or 2=3 smaller alien variations. Other manufacturers had less.

I'm happy with them as is but think you are missing a trick in not having a version with shorter arms carrying weapons like SPUGS or DREENOI.

Cheers
Mark

Khurasan: "If they have weapons they'd need some form of hands as well."

Not necessarily. The weapons could be sleeve-like, fitted to the forearms, and perhaps cone-shaped, with a firing apperture at the tip.

Example: TMP link

If they could not build the weapons themselves, the weapons could simply be an existing organic life form that, with some selective breeding, has been adapted to serve as a ready firing weapon for the mantis men.

Or, another possibility, would be that they have slave nations under them, to toil and produce such gear for them.

Just a thought.

Dan

I'll keep my mantis men away from the Garn. Garn eat bugs and can't differentiate between friendly and enemy bugs.

"They are gonna slice and dice or die under a hail of gauss rifle bullets or in a ball of fire from a flamer!"

Amen Mark!

Lol

Food for thought CC but i suspect those weapons might be mistaken for big claws on a 15mm model. I may just end up having them converted to have little pincer hands, then a crusty prickly bio-weapony rifle of some kind. One thing at a time though.

Hrothgar, Garn eat anything with a pulse!

Stop trying to take my money!
I get it, you exist to tempt me with hoards of adorable aliens I don't need (I already have a massive backlog of 15mm)

…you'll get your money you cuttlefarmer, we both know I've got no self control.

Although, the more nice stuff you come out with, the harder it's getting to justify buying a unit or two of of each of your 15mm figures (and the longer it will take until they're all available)

Very nice… but doesn't really look to be an intelligent species without tools/clothes/hat… something. Maybe it's the position of the arms… waving about in fear/threat.
I'd still want some… to back up my Ambulls in Rogue Trader games.

Independently targetting particle-beam phalanx. VWAP! Fry half a city with this puppy.We got tactical smart-missles,phased-plasma pulse-rifles,RPG's. We got sonic eeelectronic ballbreakers, we got nukes, we got knives…sharp sticks --

Ummm…think if thar's enuff bugs, they'll eat the garn ? <chuckle> As to hats and such, give them a red floppy hat and cloak--NO ONE expects the Mantis Inquisition ! !

I would suggest there're more ways to be sentient/intelligent than the human toolusing way.

I would agree. Also, sentience also has nothign to do with tech level. A creature can be sentient without having developed recognizable technology.

-Eli

Sure, this guy could be sentient… he just strikes me more as the rubber suited thingy who waddles out of Robot Monster's cave in scene 3 of Fleshpots Of Venus. Which might be a sentient critter but it doesn't matter because all he's gonna do is wave his pincers at the heroine until the hero fries him with a zap gun.
I think it's mostly the position of his arms…

Either way, it's a nice sculpt.

They do not use mechanical weaponry. In fact they are not overly fond of using weaponry at all, being spiritual and mystical

Ah, Jedi bugs ? I can see it now---one scout sez to the other "these aren't the bugs were looking fo..AAarrgghhh"

This sculpt is a very good thing. I was thinking about getting into 15mm. Wow this would help to push into a new scale.

he just strikes me more as the rubber suited thingy

Rubber suit? Wow, venusboys must be whisper-thin lads, bowl them over with a sneeze.

Wolfshanza, if you've played Half Life 2 the Vortigaunts in that game are the inspiration for these. I imagine them as offering some heavy fire support for the insurgents i'm going to have made, although the insurgents themselves will have captured missile launchers to supplement their captured pulse rifles.

If it's a guy in a rubber suit, then it must be Bolaji Badejo (Alien).

"Bolaji Badejo as The Alien, the titular antagonist of the film. A Nigerian design student, Badejo was discovered in a bar by a member of the casting team, who put him in touch with Ridley Scott. Scott believed that Badejo, at 7 ft 2 in (218 cm) and with a slender frame, could portray the Alien and look as if his arms and legs were too long to be real, creating the illusion that there could not possibly be a human being inside the costume."
link

CC

They are out!!!

TMP link

Get yours today.

Dan