| Allen57 | 27 Mar 2013 8:52 a.m. PST |
I read Heinlein's book a long time ago and just found a new copy. IIRC the bugs were spiderlike and of two types, workers and warriors. The only thing to differentiate them was that the warriors shot at you. Searching other threads on TMP seems to confirm this. The only weapon I recall for the bugs was some type of beam weapon which IIRC fried the trooper inside his suit. Was there any close combat in the book or was it all ranged fire? OK, on this premise I want to do SST the novel in 6mm. Plan to use Brigade power armor for troopers and AoG GROPOS for skinnies. What do I use for bugs? They must be spiderlike and reasonably close in size to the MI (maybe 10mm long?) They don't have to be armed as I can add that. I do not want GZGs 6mm bugs as they are too much like the movie and Mongoose game. Thanks, Al |
| Cherno | 27 Mar 2013 9:03 a.m. PST |
Pendraken has some Not-ST bugs in their 10mm SciFi range which might fit the bill. |
| haywire | 27 Mar 2013 9:06 a.m. PST |
Most of the battles were glossed over with "and that's when we lost Dizzie" The book really did not illustrate combat so much other than the first battle with the skinnies and the last battle with the psychic. |
| Pictors Studio | 27 Mar 2013 9:50 a.m. PST |
The Pendraken bugs don't have guns. The closest thing I've found would be GW tyranids in 6mm. The gaunts aren't spider looking enough but have guns. In 15mm the Ixx from GZG are the closest thing I've ever encountered to what the bugs in the book might look like. |
| Logain | 27 Mar 2013 11:13 a.m. PST |
I agree with Pictors. In 6mm try the new minis by Onslaught Miniatures. They should have armed and unarmed bugs for you, not a prefect match to the book though. If you go with 15mm, the GZG Ixx are the closest out there now, but Khurasan should be releasing some soon that should be very true to the book. |
| Ghostrunner | 27 Mar 2013 12:53 p.m. PST |
Ironically (considering how the bugs are protrayed in the SST movies, and Xenomorphs are portrayed in Aliens), the bugs in the novel are WEAKEST in close combat against MI. Which of course makes perfect sense – the MI's are in power armor that can bend steel while the bugs are not the over-the-top metal-ripping demonic horrors you would see in WH40K. Just saying that the bug models wouldn't have to be particulary physically intimidating against your Earth infantry – they relied on numbers, surprise, and pretty effective beam weapons to carry battles. |
| Zephyr1 | 27 Mar 2013 8:00 p.m. PST |
For bug weapons, I'd just glue a short piece of wire to the belly for the beamer. Then you can hide them in the swarm of harmless ones (like in the book.) |
 optional field  | 27 Mar 2013 8:04 p.m. PST |
Are there any pictures of the bugs from the books? There are lots of bug-ish minis out there, and having a good idea of what the originals look like would help to narrow it down. |
| Allen57 | 27 Mar 2013 8:20 p.m. PST |
@optional field, That is the problem with gaming the book. There is no really good description of the MI, Skinnies, or bugs. An MI suit is described as looking like a gorilla whatever that means, Skinnies re just that, tall thin humanoids, and bugs are described as spiderlike but unlike the bugs in the movie they are an intelligent race fighting with beam weapons. Someone said they were not much larger than an MI but I do not recall that as part of the books description. The GW Tyranids and Onslaught aliens really don't have spiderlike look to me so I have to look elsewhere. Of course the problem with using spiders is they look too much like spiders as opposed to spider like but alien. Anyone got a picture of the Pendraken bugs? I can add weapons if they look right. |
| Wolfprophet | 27 Mar 2013 10:14 p.m. PST |
Are there any pictures of the bugs from the books? There are lots of bug-ish minis out there, and having a good idea of what the originals look like would help to narrow it down. They're described as a "madman's nightmare vision of a daddy long legs" or something to that effect as I recall. It's been a year since I last read the book though and I haven't gotten my copy back from my friend after two months. He's a slow reader and had two novels ahead of it, so I don't expect it back for some time. I do recall them being stated as being man-sized (So probably smaller actually than the suits…) and the Brain bug captured in Operation Royal was described as "A grub the size of a German shepherd." So, these bugs aren't really all that big, or imposing. It's just their numbers and weapons that were frightening. |
Leon Pendraken  | 28 Mar 2013 1:57 a.m. PST |
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| Dynaman8789 | 28 Mar 2013 5:30 a.m. PST |
That is a nice stand-in for a movie bug, but the poster wants bugs as described in the novel. |
| TNE2300 | 28 Mar 2013 8:31 a.m. PST |
khurasan miniatures has the
"Arcahnian Alien Invertebrates" link might be a bit bigger than you prefer
part of the 28mm line
the thorax is 15mm front to back |
| retzlaffmd | 28 Mar 2013 1:06 p.m. PST |
The movie bugs wern't bad, IMO, but needed tech weapons. As for MI, I've always imagined GW space marine armor without all the gothic decorations, and NO SKULLS!!! Skinnies, from the vague descriptions in the book, are fairly similar to the animated series, w/o armor or clothing, really. The newest ST movie has a really good power armor design, though it still has problems being believable as useable armor… |
updates a squad to the new edition of the rules.