"Hover Troops" Topic

abdul66lw was kind enough to post this picture in another discussion TMP link

I ran with that and came up with this

Any thoughts?

Did you draw that?

Very nice, when do you send it to the 3d printer?

What, no drummer?

Steve,

There has been some call for such troops, but with a less fanciful method of hovering.

I think you might want to go with something along the lines of a rocket or grav belt or some sort pack or other built-in.

-Eli

I don't think the shoulder boards are the right colour for 2000 era French hover troops.

I would think aerial troopers would want something like a hang-glider, ie flying prone to present a smaller target.

Well I have actually tried the individual floats to walk on water and if I was not able to do a full splits maneuver then I would have been in some serious pain afterwards…the slightest move either way will split your legs apart.

The two piece is not a good idea, at least in any practical terms.

I have looked at this very issue of hover pad troops…

the solution that I came up with is to use Tau drones

Either flip the dome over and use the flat(er) underside…or…leave the dome right side up and make a small partial rail with an operator pad.

:)

Mister Miracle had such disks years ago. :-)

Indeed, but he was the greatest escape artist to have ever lived…special reflexes, muscle structure, and the writer's wrote it in that he would not have the embarrassing midair splits :)

The discs are just one part of the bigger picture here. What about the idea of hover troops in general? I am intrigued by the challenge of how to make them but would they make a viable force or would they be better served as a specialist squad to a larger, non-hover army?

Just brainstorming here, people.

And for the record, there is no way in hell I will go this direction…

Mister Miracle, the cast of Reboot, Termight Terminators from 2000 AD's Nemesis the Warlock, and I'm sure there are more…

Obviously, it's a neat SF way to travel.

I would say that hover/jump troops are great done up as special units of an assault nature.

-eli

I would rather jump/jet packs.

Hoverboards figured in the original Rogue Trader rules. Then you have Sky Surfers from Judge Dredd. And, of course, the Silver Surfer was the grandpappy of them all.

Also, the infantry in Hammer's Slammers Regiment are all mounted on individual skimmers. They look something like a hover snowmobile; GZG makes some nice 15mm models of the Slammer's infantry.

I could definitely go for jump or jet pack troopers in 15mm. Something like the original Epic Imperial Guard jump asssault troops would be perfect:

Note the utter lack of skulls or chainswords…

Chris K.

Battletech Jump Trooper

Funny how those jump packs were later retconned as Space Marine heat exchangers.

Here's another idea

I like that direction, though perhaps with smaller thrusters.

If your tech level requires thrusters that big to get a guy airborn, you are likely still using propellor or vectored thrust craft. Seems a trooper like that would have to stay airborn to fight or ditch the pack when he landed to fight.

-Eli

There ya go!

Aren't we heading in the direction of Rocketeer? Look good though.

This is turning out to look a lot like a 30mm concept I've been working on called "Sky Rangers", so Rocketeer is pretty close I guess.

Mad Robot – that second jump pack is perfect. I'd order 25-30 of those the month they were released.

Chris K.

that second jump pack is perfect

Cool, maybe we have something then. Not sure how fast they'll happen yet but I'll put it in the queue.

So do we want an entire force of these or should they stay as a specialized unit?

I would go with a specialized force, but that is my two cents worth.

Start with a special operations approach equip them with vehicle breaking weapons – rockets, grenade, and their rifle.

If they take off, then you might consider either expanding that force into a regular army or doing a variant uniform with the same rockety stuff for the regular grunt force.

-eli

I quite liked the martian banshees both old and new versions from the Warzone (target/excelsior games) The Imperial Rams aircav were a bit much :)

Can you throw on some shoulder and elbow pads, similar to what is protecting the knees?

I like where Eli is going with the use of these guys. I see them as elite commandos, jumping out of a dropship (or from off-table) for high-risk/high-payoff operations. They could drop straight into cover to set up crossfires, or drop behind enemy vehicles/bunkers to destroy them.

Ideally, I'd run a unit of 6-8 jump commandos. Two would equipped with heavy weapons, the remainder with rifles. Each would have a shaped/demo charge strapped to their belt.

A mix of male and female figures would really help this range stand apart.

Chris K.

The original floatdisc idea still has merit. Maybe those could be an advanced alien counterpart to the human jump troopers?

Chris K.

For aliens of that sort I'd go with a a single discs. The dual discs is decidedly pulpy. If you want pulpy, then go for it.

I would second male & female mix.

-Eli

This is where it'll stay for now. I think I can put together a female easily enough.

Full face, throat, and other soft tissue covered…hit a big bug at X speed could cause serious issues with the flight controls ggagagaakk aagaaak aahagaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa SPLAT

I think that, if one has solved the gravity problem, the problem of keeping the platforms in enough proximity to one another is easily solved.

Ken

P.S. That said I prefer the second jump jetpack to the other options.

Agree with face protection. Especially if you consider their possible role as drop troops.

Maybe even a more high concept, aerodynamic armor instead of the infantry style armor. These guys are clay pigeons, let's give them some survivability.

-Eli

OK, I have an idea where to take this, I'll work on something and post it tomorrow. If the armor becomes more aerodynamic and enclosed in the helmet, it might be a little difficult to properly convey a female variant.

Not sayin' it can't be done, just sayin' it won't be as obvious.

@Ken Sharp: Yeah I originally envisioned these guys as a rapid recon/strike force. Something that could float across the table with some good speed and capture a strategic point while waiting for something more substantial to arrive. It's evolved over the course of today, that's for sure.

I remember a Jonny Quest episode where the bad guys flew , hover platfoms like chariots .

Subtle is good – no need for exaggerated female bodies here. The difference between the male and female MOSPEADA/Robotech Cyclone armors is a good example (other than the pointy female shoulders). Just a smaller overall figure and a little more room in the breastplate:

And the shoulderpads on that most recent rendering are much improved. Maybe a bit more angular like the kneepads, but they're just fine as they are now.

Chris K.

Chris you're spot on. Like I said the differences will be subtle but noticeable.

Looking at the picture with the individual float disks on the feet, all I could think was dislocated knees and hips.

GravBelts, Jetpacks make more sense visually, biomechanically.

The rifles also make me itch, the weapon in the Float Disks picture or the pistols in the GW picture feel more plausible in that in free flight mode maneuverability is going to more important.

The only alternative would be a smaller weapon, possibly powered by a power pack on the belt. These are commandos, jumping into enemy territory. They need to have something more than 2 pistols I think.

I like the rifle, the pose is pretty dynamic. Instead of a smaller weapon, maybe just shorten the barrel.

Yeah, the pistols aren't going to cut it in those roles. If you're worried about maneuverability of the rifle, what about a bullpup rifle – maybe a futuristic version of the FN P90 or Beretta CX4? Though I like the current version as-is.

Chris K.

Yeah that last one is the go, I would buy those in a second.

Mabe something with a folding stock that won't get in the way of centering the weapon. If you look at this picture

On burst with recoil is going to spin this poor chap around. It's all about biomechanics, flying in this maner is pretty much the same as being in zero-G

Stipulating that the weapon is effectively recoilless works as well.

Yes, but there is a higher law than physics, The Rule of Cool, and this guy's pose runs on pure cool fuel.

But who knows? It could be a non-ballistic weapon and as you've said it'd be a mute point.

And as I said in a earlier post I prefer the gun in this picture

Or something like this

But to be honest in 15mm the exact details aren't really worth quibbling about. Size and stance are more important.

Though IMHO Smg-ish weapons and Large Pistols tend to be cooler than rifles. Considering that most miniature combat is in relatively close quarters.

Gauss weapons are an alternative, no recoil, but I don't know if the power would be there for these butt-kickers.

Gauss does have some recoil but you can always fling explosive anti-tank munitions. Or high tech multi-purpose rounds that have a selective operation mode.

-Eli