"Larger Spaceship Models" Topic

I'd like to make a game using 1" starfighters like these

link

patrolling mining stations in asteroid fields, heavily trafficed near-planet areas, or perhaps being carried aboard freighters as a defence against raiders.

I'd envision a half dozen fighters or so, perhaps mercenary fighter jocks in a Crimson Skies-meets-space.

The game will be fighter-orientated so I only need 1-2 large freighters.

My problem is that I don't know of any decent LARGE model freighter spaceship kits, bar the odd Star Trek kit, that would look, if not in scale, at least not ridiculously small compared to a 1" starfighter.

This is the only sight I have found but it seems mostly Star Trek so far….

federationmodels.com

Try these:

Silent Death – 3/1 minis
Silent Death – Warhounds (some look very much like freighter and carrier.

Thanks for the suggestions. I had a bad experience with ICE which is why I didn't consider SD minis.

I'll keep my eye out on ebay for the warhouds, though they (warhounds) may be a little small still.

Will these do?

auction

Pedro, that's a great suggestion – that's exactly along the line of what I've been thinking (i.e. ships are more 'objectives' fighters fly around.)

Probably due to size, the postage to Oz is a bit steep. I've been laying low with my purchases since my blowout buying OOP Rackham metals… :-)

I'll check out more CORGI stuff..

If I has $170 USD to spare, this is an awesome piece of kit

nugax.com/Starships/RY.html

Imagine that floating in the centre of your gaming mat!

I also found some 1/700 Starblazers models which are an option
link
if a little too sleek (I am after more a freighter, than supercarriers….)

How bout a conversion/scratchbuild? There are a ton of plastic models of russian and US rockets and the US Space shuttle. In many instances you can get a really nice look just by using the model with a few added bits at a different scale than the kit actually is. The Starship modeller website also sells bits for scratchbuild like engine nozzles and scoops. Another possibility are some of the jars/bottles toiletries come in. I cant find the link but there is a fellow who built a bunch of ships using deodorant bottles. A decent plastic shape, some plastruct, and your imagination. Voila, a freighter.

Al

Have you considered doing a partial "side" of a ship that takes up one table edge?
Or modeling a table that is the surface of a ship?

What Allen said. Easy to kitbash models of real-world or "conceptual" spacecraft into something a bit more scifi looking. The International Space Station is a particularly good source of parts, and (last time I looked) has a (relatively) inexpensive snap-tite kit available that are good for bashing.

I'm with you on that, Allen.
You can even use 1:700 waterline ships to make some very beautiful starships.
Or papermodel building.

link

link

And you can re-size it the way you want.

There are dozens of good paper models that you can choose from.

My idea would be to grab the container off a plastic toy truck/semi, then add a couple of thruster nozzles made out of screw-top caps (raid the wife's make-up drawer), then add a dome on the other end as the cockpit/bridge – in space, no one can complain you are not aerodynamic.

Not a huge paper fan. I don't have a very big box of bitz (I need more model kits!) but some wonderful stuff is done by talented people:

artships.com

This has some interesting ones – toner cartidges, electric razers…

Frankly, I won't spend real money on models that are going to be used just once or twice (alright, who are we kidding here, we ALL do that sort of thing sometimes, but…).

You don't want something that is expensive, takes up a lot of storage space, and which will only be incidental to the game itself. Scratch-build from something cheap and 'disposable', so that after it has served its purpose you can just throw the main hull away, and just recycle the bits.

If you are going to spend money…you can get these for under $100 USD and they are finished:

link

They range about 12-14 inches long.

I have been thinking along the same sort of lines. Take a look at kids Toys on ebay and in the toy shops.
link

I am thinking of using the fleet scale fighters with in scale ships or getting hold of 1/3000th modern fighters converted to fit in with the larger starships like the Firestorm Armarda stuff.

Tony

Tony – I have actually been checking out the Magister 1:1200 modern jets for that very purpose. I've been looking for jets that are weird, rare and not very recognizable.

E.g. P-80s & Me. 262s have a 'Buck Rogers' look and F-102/F-104s look like a manned missile. Some, like Vampires and Venoms, look plain weird.

I've commented on another thread from my switch from GZG to Firestorm ships for anything involving fighters. GZG > Firestorm for massive fleet battles, but GZG frigates vs even fleetscale fighters look a little silly 'in-scale.'

For fighter-based games, rules tend to be either wildly abstract (BFG) or overly complicated (Silent Death). My current preference is Lightning Strike by DP9.

Fighters can:
1.Move, making a 90d turn at any point
2.Move half, making 2 90d turns or a single 180 turn at any point "Energy Turn"
3. Make a single 90d turn at the start of the move, then move double or triple speed "Overboost"

Additional modes are:
A. Take 'evasive action' forfeiting firing but making itselt almost impossible to hit
B. Attempt a 'Lock on' giving a bonus to hit, but making itself an easy target

A simple opposed roll to hit, then fighters are damaged, crippled or destroyed (3 different colours of counter can easily track this)

For scratching building large spaceships, a fair starting point are full hull ship (naval) models, especially subs. A few bulges can really disguise the main shape, and most have 'hull texture' that works well for space ships.

Soviet/Russian Typhoons are very good.

I found a started Titanic in a thrift store for less than $4US that will be inverted to become a 15mm armored 'nef in the skies of VSF Mars, or super ship in a Full Thrust game. I just can't make up my mind. ;->=

Doug

I have a 1/350th scale I400 subcarrier. I think I spent $40 USD on it. It's something like 16" long.

You can get a 1/350 scale Typhoon for about $25, and it's huge… 20+" long!

I've a couple/three such Typhoons; they were going to be troop carriers in a Space Marine (Epic 40K) game, but nothing came of that.

I still have the string of bead-sized plastic pumpkins that were going to be drop pods, though.

The thing about subs is they tend to be a bit skinny, so chopping the center out might give one the

ships are more 'objectives' fighters fly around'

feel 'eville' is seeking.

And mine cost a good deal less; thrift stores and cut out bins, my lot in life. ;->=

Doug

Empty deodorant containers are your FRIENDS:

link

Parts is parts, and empty household product containers make the best starships IMHO…

Leland R. Erickson

Show off… ;->=

Doug

I'm incorrigible…

Leland R. Erickson

"Empty deodorant containers are your FRIENDS"

It times like these I wished I had BO…

"It times like these I wished I had BO…"

I err on the side of caution both for professional reasons and so I can get really cool starship hulls to work with on a regular basis…

Leland R. Erickson

The Typhoon models with roughly the center 6" cut out would get the length:width ratio better, and there's nothing wrong with those models that a trip to the plastruct section of a hobbytown can't fix.

Unfortunately, I'm stinky, but also react to even the most 'hypoallergic' concoctions. However, plenty of other waste to take their place. A close look at the old Amt Star Trek SS Leif Ericson/Mystery ship will show an obvious shampoo bottle for the main hull.

frank.bol.ucla.edu/le.html

And, yes, I shower every day…

Anyway, everyone knows deodorant empties are for Rogue Trader skimmers.

Doug

"Anyway, everyone knows deodorant empties are for Rogue Trader skimmers. "

Except here in America where deodorant containers only had flat-topped caps when Rick Priestly's article first ran back in the Permian Epoch, so we Yanks had to make do with making anti-gravity *assault guns* or really nifty starships…

Leland R. Erickson

Must have been a few rounded beauties about; I've a friend's ancient skimmer that looks very similar to the RT image.

I won't go into what the green skins were bashing together at the time. ;->=

Doug

"Must have been a few rounded beauties about; I've a friend's ancient skimmer that looks very similar to the RT image. "

You just jogged my aging memory! There were; they were IIRC of the feminine variety, and yours truly didn't have a girlfriend at the time, so I had to improvise…

Leland R. Erickson

You're starting out in the right ime of year IMO.
Making them yourself is the only real option, but it isn't expensive, and it doesn't need to be hard.

Squirt guns.
Cut off the trigger, paint, and a lot of them are ready to go. Cheap and easy.

I have some not-super photos of the ones I made here:
link

Huge, and cheap. You should be able to get some cap ships for your game cheaply and easily.

I could get some better photos if you would like.

Nice! Very fun stuff! Back in the Jurassic Age I cut my teeth playing Star War 2250 A.D. which used 6-foot flight sticks and needed a large open floor space. The two 36-inch dowels that made up the vertical pole for the flight stand were marked off in one inch increments, with the game mechanics using a vector-based movements system in three dimensions.

Lots of fun playing such a game made all the better by really big, visually impressive ship models!

Leland R. Erickson

P.S. Interesting you chose Civil War names for your ships. The Federation battlecruiser from Star War 2250 A.D. was the "Stonewall Jackson" class…

"Making them yourself is the only real option, but it isn't expensive, and it doesn't need to be hard."

Reminds me of the VSF aeronef I saw recently made from a Nerf gun. Nerf 'nef. Damn, I didn't notice that before…

Of course, even cheaper and shoddier were the TP and paper towel roll cardboard cores I used long ago.

Trash plastic bottles are better. ;->=

That said, the squirt gun ships are awesome!

Doug