| Cacique Caribe | 16 Jun 2012 7:17 p.m. PST |
If someone were to sculpt them . . .
Dan |
| Rudysnelson | 16 Jun 2012 7:29 p.m. PST |
I would make small aliens 10 to 12mm. That is what I did with my Alien soldiers especially the Avians. |
| Cacique Caribe | 16 Jun 2012 7:30 p.m. PST |
How about these little orange fellas?
Dan |
BlackWidowPilot  | 16 Jun 2012 7:40 p.m. PST |
I sooo want some 15mm "Not-Groaci" figures! Especially some of their ground troops described in the Retief novels… Leland R. Erickson |
| Cacique Caribe | 16 Jun 2012 10:25 p.m. PST |
Are those the green ones or the orange ones? Dan |
| BlackWidowPilot | 16 Jun 2012 10:29 p.m. PST |
Green. The "Five-eyed Little Sticky Fingers" of more than one act of diplomatic skullduggery infamy. I am surprised that you haven't read any of these classics of sci-fi mischief by an author who was among other things a former Cold War era Air Force attache' (ie., probably an Air Force intel officer!). Laumer's prose lampooning diplomatic and bureaucratic tomfoolery and egregious use of official acronyms is IMHO not to be missed!
Leland R. Erickson
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| Gunner Dunbar | 16 Jun 2012 10:30 p.m. PST |
what is this Retief you talk of? |
| Angel Barracks | 16 Jun 2012 10:55 p.m. PST |
He is no Bill The Galactic Hero I know that much… |
| Lion in the Stars | 16 Jun 2012 11:21 p.m. PST |
From the Baen Free Library: link And sign me up for a pile of 15mm not-Groaci, too! |
| Chef Lackey Rich | 17 Jun 2012 3:56 a.m. PST |
The cover art is taking liberties there. Average Groaci should stand around 5' tall, they're smaller than humans but they aren't gremlins. On the plus side, the hip-cloaks look pretty good. |
| Cacique Caribe | 17 Jun 2012 7:32 a.m. PST |
Leland, I can't believe I had never heard of the series until now. It sounds like something I would have read and re-read, and that I should have a copy of each of them on my shelf. Which book should in the series should I start with? Thanks, Dan |
| Chef Lackey Rich | 17 Jun 2012 9:04 a.m. PST |
The series doesn't need to be read in any particular order, but you might be best off grabbing the 2002 Baen compilation edited by Eric Flint, simply titled Retief! – ISBN 0671318578 should find it. Pulls stories from many different earlier books and sorts them into some kind of vague chronological order. It's interesting to see how relations between Retief and Magnan change from story to story. And yes, Keith Laumer's work should be mandatory reads for scifi fans. Retief and the Bolo stuff are fairly well known, but there are many others, including the more than fairly ingenious Dinosaur Beach and my personal favorite, Plague of Demons. |
| Cacique Caribe | 17 Jun 2012 4:54 p.m. PST |
Awesome info. Thanks!!! Dan |
| BlackWidowPilot | 17 Jun 2012 9:28 p.m. PST |
Dan, Rich has it pegged, and that is indeed the beauty of the Retief and BOLO series; You enjoy 'em as you finds 'em!
Leland R. Erickson
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| BlackWidowPilot | 17 Jun 2012 9:30 p.m. PST |
The cover art is taking liberties there. Average Groaci should stand around 5' tall, they're smaller than humans but they aren't gremlins. On the plus side, the hip-cloaks look pretty good.
Actually, IIRC Retief was well over six feet tall himself, standing head and shoulders -literally- above most of his fellow Terrestrial diplomats while he was at it…
Leland R. Erickson
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TheBeast  | 18 Jun 2012 6:39 a.m. PST |
I can't believe I had never heard of the series until now. Sorry, Dan, but neither can I. ;->= I never looked at manta rays the same again… Even in my young days, I thought the plots and dialog felt a bit on the 'light opera' side of space opera, but that only made it more a fun romp. I love this line from his Wikipedia entry: In an interview with Paul Walker of Luna Monthly, Laumer states "I had no shortage of iniquitous memories of the Foreign Service." Actually, IIRC Retief was well over six feet tall himself, standing head and shoulders -literally- above most of his fellow Terrestrial diplomats while he was at it… But not waist above the Groaci… Dan, can't recall who published Retief before Baen, but if you go hunting used book stores, I'm sure there is cover and interior art that fit the size issues better. Stalk-eyed frogs, as I recall… Doug |
