"WIP: Meso-Nai armour..." Topic

…Khurasan 15mm: basic airbrushed base coat and panel lines enhanced. Very nice little vehicles these (APC update tomorrow) that imho would look good with any faction (alien or human) and the tank would make a good light tank with 25mm minis.

wOOt Way nice!

Sweet!

Nice one.

Very easy to convert to grav too.

-Eli

Now that is rather spiffy lookin'…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Hmmm, looks a bit like a crawler with the same aesthetics as Top Gun's grav armor. Might work together very nicely.

It can be grav also.

I need to get some of these for my alien forces.

Damn if that doesn't look very close to the Ravenstar Mercury.
Everyone is on a click of smooth turrets with domes all over. I'm loving it! I'll soon have an army of smooth hulled, oval turreted tanks!

For some reason it looks like someone inflated it.

"looks a bit like a crawler with the same aesthetics as Top Gun's grav armor"

You could always reason that the Meso-Nai are/were a client race of the one using Top Gun grav armor,

either that or they captured/studied Top Gun armor but were unable to replicate the grav drive

Looks pretty bland to me. It looks like it was made out of a deodorant stick like the tanks of yesteryear.

Tell you what, if you can reproduce this with recessed panel lines and so on, using deodorant containers, I'll hire you as a sculptor!

I like those , a lot .

This looks great… very high-tech/alienish without being too outlandish or weird.

Yes, it does evoke the old pitstick tanks of the past, but personally I think that's a good thing. Those things were cool and I built a ton of them in the day. It's like a brand spanking new sports car that pulls in design elements of classic body designs.

This tank is clean and neat like the aliens that crew it. I think Jon's done a great job on this one. He's even provided the option of grav drive because he knows there are folks out there who want a higher tech tank.

Thanks Jon

-Eli

I agree, it does look bland. But the paneling and the force it's meant accompany justifies it. Feels very very "Cartoony." Normally, an insult I guess but the Meso-Nai feel a bit cartoony in the good sense, like the classic super evil villain of the week. Any plans for an APC for them?

Thanks MrHarold, yes the challenge is to make something that says "tank" but also says "alien." As it was meant as an afv for an amphibious species who would probably be more comfortable in water than air, the design is evocative of submarines, and as they value defence over all else, it was important to reflect that in the design with a very tough appearance. So for instance the drive train is under the hull, rather than on the sides, to make it harder to immobilise, even though it makes the vehicle larger (this is actually a rather large vehicle).

It took a while to arrive at a design but I'm happy with the way it looks and the way it complements the Meso-Nai infantry forces.

There's an apc version too, with a taller hull and a small turret with an autogun and coax missile launcher.

some people just see the pics!"(APC update tomorrow)"

haven't painted the panel lines yet(tonight hopefully) but here's how the APC looks…

'Rockety'do-dahs are Drones

Tank reminds me a bit of a cross between a Maus and an E100. Hull and the rounded coverings for the wheels is E100ish, and turret placement looks like a Maus.

Of course the grav engines are pure Panther.

As it was meant as an afv for an amphibious species who would probably be more comfortable in water than air, the design is evocative of submarines

That actually makes a lot of sense, especially with the APC. These tanks looks like they'd be home on land or in and under the water.

To state simply,

These are nice tanks and I like them

-Eli

iTank and iFV LOL

Ah I think i need make a group of iMercs.

small update…APC has had the engraved panel lines painted and both have had a blue filter. Domes and lights have a base coat.

heres the tank with the grav drive

and the APC with tracks

…and a couple of pics for scale – with Fed troopers

and with Meso-Nai (unpainted)

iTank and iFV LOL

Meso-Nai -- tank different.

LOL!

Those tanks equal yum.

-Eli

Looking iGreat!

I like!

By the way, the drones can always be mounted on brass rod and used as fire support for the Meso-Nai infantry squad. The front of the drone is the part pointing to the rear of the vehicle in dwartist's images.

Can we order those drones separately?

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

"The front of the drone is the part pointing to the rear of the vehicle in dwartist's images."
OOPS!!

And so , the inevitable question , available soon ? These really are excellent models Jon , as you know I am a Grav man but the tracked are excellent as well . Steve .

No worries dwartist, I think that's the way the drones should mount on the vehicle, actually.

Yes Steve I have them in stock!

Interesting.

I thought the fins were at the rear of the drone as well.

Yes Steve I have them in stock!

Does that mean the tanks are in stock or just the Meso-Nai infantry? If tanks, where are they because I could not find them listed.

I'm wondering how they would look in colors to match my infantry. I think they would have a very Anime look in purple.

Link to my infantry pictures:
TMP link

Jeff

I have them in stock but have not released them yet. I actually have several things dwartist has painted that I have not released yet, which should I release next?

Nova Respublik Yastreb VTOL Gunship (Federal designation DOE)
Garn GAU (superheavy assault unit)
Ti Monhid Intruder transport-synth (starwhale)
Federal MUUL drones
And now the Meso-Nai Hellbender and Grampus

Thoughts?

By the way, can anyone gather why these aliens are called the Meso-Nai?

Waiting to be released are also the Neptune mecha/SPAR teams although I don't think it was Dwartist's paintwork .As this one has been waiting several months I personally would like this released but I would be quite happy with the Meso-Nai AFVs . Decisions eh , Jon ?
Steve .

Thoughts?

You want *my* thoughts, Jon?! Ye stars and little comets, dude, you KNOW what happened to the last person who tapped into my *thoughts*….

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

P.S. Release the DOE. IMMEDIATELY. Or I *will* make you tap into my *thoughts*… Mwahahahaahaa!!!!

By the way, can anyone gather why these aliens are called the Meso-Nai?

I'm going to take a stab and say it's referring to these fellows in some fashion:

Mesozoic salamander-like amphibians the size of a powerboat.. and you went and gave them powered armor and AFVs… Awwwww!!! Sooo CUTE!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Nope.

Well, I'll throw out a second wild guess that it's a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Giant Salamander character in the anime Pani Poni Dash:

link

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Release the SPAR mech!

For the love of god release the DOE already.

These are nearly finished now – added some subtle chipping/scratching (well I hope it's subtle!) and staining with oil paints. Also started the 'glow' of the grav drive…

Splendid work as usual! Really cracking stuff.

Awesome work, very nice indeed!

Little too good on the chipping – for a minute there I was wondering what the heck was producing such rough castings on such a simple shape. :)

Excellent.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net