MacrossMartin | 20 Oct 2016 2:30 a.m. PST |
COMING SOON FROM STUDIO BERGSTROM! It is with real delight that I can now reveal that my line of Star Trek inspired miniatures will soon be available from Studio Bergstrom in the USA. Many of you may have seen my recent threads here on TMP in which I journal my experiments with digital sculpting. Well, 'Drew at Studio Bergstrom liked what he saw, and we've worked out a deal to unleash these beauties on the galaxy. Our plan is to release these in BOTH 1/3125 (Starline 2500) and 1/3788 (Starline 2400) scales. This line will primarily consist of re-imagined versions of classic FASA ship designs, such as the D-18, D-10 and Loknar classes you see here.
There will also be unique designs of my own devising, such as the hulking Ark Royal class SCS (shown below), and nimble Arrow class Reaction Ship.
The range will be supported by the first volume (!) of my Star Trek wargaming rules 'Klingons on the Starboard Bow!' which will be available as both a PDF download and a deluxe Hard-bound full-colour rulebook in mid 2017.
If you would like to be involved in the creation of Klingons on the Starboard Bow! (KotSB!), I am eager to hear from artists, fanfic writers, miniature painters and (most importantly) playtesters. BUT—! There is a condition: There's NO money involved in this. Not one red cent. In order to keep Paramount / CBS happy about my playing in their sandpit, I cannot make a penny from KotSB!, and neither can you. So, this call to join in goes out to everyone who shares my two loves of gaming in the Star Trek universe, and miniature starships. If you're interested in being a part of KotSB!'s journey, replies in posts below please, or email me at: martin.kotsb AT gmail DOT com studiobergstrom.com |
stumer | 20 Oct 2016 2:56 a.m. PST |
I'm just as excited to work on these fantastic models in order to bring them into eager gaming hands! |
Coyotepunc and Hatshepsuut | 20 Oct 2016 4:36 a.m. PST |
We are just dipping our toes into Star Trek ship gaming TMP link and we would love to playtest your rules. |
Gulik23 | 20 Oct 2016 6:31 a.m. PST |
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wminsing | 20 Oct 2016 7:40 a.m. PST |
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boy wundyr x | 20 Oct 2016 8:51 a.m. PST |
Very cool, I like re-imagined ST ships to use for late-movie and Enterprise B/C-era settings, where there's little to no canon, and these will fit in nicely. |
Eclipsing Binaries | 20 Oct 2016 10:55 a.m. PST |
I would offer some graphic design help but looks like you have nailed already. That cover design looks the business. Great news that you're making these available, I'll definitely grab a few when they go on sale. I'd also be interested in getting decals to fit the minis. Is that something you'd consider? Any other races getting ships? I'd love to see something Gorn, but much preferred the SFB style ships rather than the FASA ones. Or more TOS era Romulans. Colin |
TharkWarrior | 20 Oct 2016 12:15 p.m. PST |
Nice designs – except I'm weird and I play in 1/2500. But I'm keen to see your rules. I'm currently alternating between Cadet SFB and TALON. |
Sargonarhes | 20 Oct 2016 3:44 p.m. PST |
A Klingon D-10. But I don't think the D-11 had a forward pod like that. |
MacrossMartin | 20 Oct 2016 4:41 p.m. PST |
Thanks all for your comments so far! C&H – Thank you! The rules are still about a month away from playtest release, but I'll be sure to let you know. I'm planning to put together a fairly simple blog for the rules, and a Facebook page also, so there will be opportunities to share playtest battle reports, opinions, rants, etc. Boy Wundyr – I refer to that period of Trek history as 'Pre TNG' (for want of another name) and it is one of the eras I'm planning to cover in a rulebook of its own. If things go as I desire, there will be a total of five volumes in the KotSB! Series, covering these periods: Late Enterprise (Romulan War) Original Series (Four Years War to Enterprise Refit) 'Movie Era' (Up to Star Trek VI) Pre TNG (Cardassian War) TNG (Borg and Dominion conflicts) - but of course, it will depend on money, time, and the interest of people in the project. EB – I might be looking for some fellow designers to help out. If you're willing to have a go, let me know, and I'll keep it in mind. I've only just settled on a page layout I'm happy with, might need help with cards and chits yet. – Decals! That's a point! I might have to have words with my decal printer about that… – I can't and won't be making ANYTHING that is based off the designs created by ADB / TFG. It's one thing to resurrect old FASA designs, but SFB is an ongoing concern, and I have no doubt ADB would be most upset if I pinched their designs for my own. And to tell the truth, I really like the FASA Gorn designs!! ;) – Romulans are on my horizon, but mostly with an eye towards the Romulan War. Mind you, some Winged Defenders would be nice… Thark – I'd love to see some pics of your fleets! I'm eager to present all aspects and variations of Trek-themed space gaming in KotSB! . Sargonarhes – That's a D18 you see there, not a D11, but you are right, the command pod is supposed to be a more 'retro' design than the FASA one. There's more about that on this thread: TMP link - but there will also be an 'advanced' command pod for the D18, which is a bit more like the FASA one. |
TheWhiteDog | 20 Oct 2016 8:45 p.m. PST |
I'll be very interested to see the rules! Unfortunately I only do 1/7000 for ships, so those are out for me, though the designs look great. |
LoudNinjaGames | 21 Oct 2016 6:23 a.m. PST |
This is great news, though I must admit that I am a bit bummed to see they will not be available in the scale they were originally designed for. That is not a deal breaker, it just means that, for me, I will not be able to use them as the same ships in my existing FASA scale fleet. -Eli |
stumer | 21 Oct 2016 6:42 a.m. PST |
"This is great news, though I must admit that I am a bit bummed to see they will not be available in the scale they were originally designed for. That is not a deal breaker, it just means that, for me, I will not be able to use them as the same ships in my existing FASA scale fleet. -Eli" As I understand it, FASA used a 1:3900 scale for their ships, which is close enough to the 1:3788 scale for most folks. |
LoudNinjaGames | 21 Oct 2016 6:56 a.m. PST |
Stumer – While this is true, it is a big enough gap to make it obvious. I suppose this is where having them be cosmetically different will be nice as I can use them as other designs using similar design elements. -Eli |
Eclipsing Binaries | 21 Oct 2016 9:36 a.m. PST |
Mark, give me shout if there's anything I can help with. I think Eli can comment as I've done a few design jobs with him over the years. Totally understand your reasons for not reworking ADBs designs. To be honest, there are only a couple that I feel need redesigned anyway. How are you going to look at the Romulan War era? There isn't much in the way of Canon to work with. My favourite ship designs for this period are still the designs here, but again, it would involve using someone's design work… link Their TOS designs are great as well. |
Captain Gideon | 21 Oct 2016 9:49 a.m. PST |
Eclipsing Binaries just tried your link and it says this page can't be displayed. I tried 3 times and got the same thing so please check it. Michael |
emckinney | 21 Oct 2016 9:55 a.m. PST |
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LoudNinjaGames | 21 Oct 2016 10:19 a.m. PST |
Eclipsing Binaries did some good logo and banner work for me. I'd recommend working with him if you can. Linked worked fine for me. Those are great ship designs at that site. -Eli |
Eclipsing Binaries | 21 Oct 2016 10:55 a.m. PST |
Seemed to be broken for me as well for a short while. Back up now. |
boy wundyr x | 21 Oct 2016 12:08 p.m. PST |
There was a major DNS attack today that messed up things in eastern North America (at least) for a while, that may explain some wonkiness in site access. |
MacrossMartin | 21 Oct 2016 3:47 p.m. PST |
'Martin' EB, not 'Mark'. :) But very sincere thanks for your offer. Expect me to come knocking once I've got the style guide bedded down. I know of Masao Okazaki's work, in fact his Starfleet Museum is a major inspiration. He's also the designer of the very nice Archer class, which is a semi-canonical scout ship that appears in the Vanguard series of novels. I wouldn't mind working with him to turn his designs into miniatures, but, by his own admission, his designs and site deliberately ignore 'Enterprise'; I'd rather have a shot at bringing that canon material into the context of the Romulan War, and seeing what comes out. Also, although the sheer volume of creative background and fiction Okazaki has poured into his site is worthy of a standing ovation, I dislike his portrayal of the Romulan War; it's far too one sided to make for a dramatic narrative, let alone a good wargame setting. (Note my thoughts on the war here: TMP link ) But, if there was a mad clamouring for a range of Starfleet Museum miniatures, I'd be happy to prod 'Drew into making them… :D |
trynda1701 | 21 Oct 2016 5:50 p.m. PST |
@LoudNinjaGames Here's a comparison shot of mine between an ADB Starline mini (l) and a FASA mini (r)… ADB SL2200? Constitution Class and FASA Constitution Class
Here you can see how close the two minis are in scale. As we have said before, the ADB mini is 1/3788 scale, and the FASA one is 1/3900 scale. The details might be done slightly differently, but I feel you can mix and match these no problem. |
LoudNinjaGames | 22 Oct 2016 6:34 a.m. PST |
Those particular ships do look pretty close. I'll just have to buy and see. Any minor differences can also be mitigated by the cosmetic differences – variant design, another design altogether, etc. -Eli |
wminsing | 23 Oct 2016 1:11 a.m. PST |
Any other races getting ships? I'd love to see something Gorn, but much preferred the SFB style ships rather than the FASA ones. Or more TOS era Romulans. I actually think a fleet based on the Gorn ship we see in Remastered Arena episode would be VERY interesting. -Will |
stumer | 23 Oct 2016 7:02 a.m. PST |
I haven't seen the episode, but a google search brought up a lot of different styles of ships, some that look a lot like Orions. Which ones would you like to see produced? link |
MacrossMartin | 23 Oct 2016 7:10 a.m. PST |
The remastered 'canon' Gorn vessel is interesting, but I never felt it looked like something a race of bipedal crocodiles would produce. But, there's some forms that could be extrapolated into a fleet. Personally, I prefer the hulking, slab-sided FASA designs, but that's just me. A note on sizes – I'll see about producing some scale comparison charts so people can see the differences between the old FASA miniatures and what we are releasing. Stay tuned. |
LoudNinjaGames | 23 Oct 2016 11:01 a.m. PST |
That is a good call on the scale comparison. -Eli |
Eclipsing Binaries | 24 Oct 2016 3:29 a.m. PST |
Sorry Martin, typed that on my Kindle and it was doing predictive text and changed lots of words, so that must be why you became Mark. I didn't notice. Sorry. Colin |
MacrossMartin | 24 Oct 2016 5:13 a.m. PST |
Thanks, Eli! Scale charts are now up. No worries, Kolinn. ;) Actually, if you don't mind Colin, I might use that in one of the histories I'm writing for KotSB! Klingon Squadron Commander Kolinn the Uneclipsed! :D |
wminsing | 24 Oct 2016 6:44 a.m. PST |
The 'Remastered Edition' Gorn ship is this one: link It's an interesting looking design, though I think Martin is right that it doesn't scream 'Gorn'. But then a big hulking race that produces slender and agile looking ships might make an interesting change of pace. I do find it interesting that there's so many different interpretations of the Gorn out there; with no canon design until recently people went in all sorts of interesting directions. -Will |
SITZKRIEG | 24 Oct 2016 6:56 a.m. PST |
Congrats to MacrossMartin on getting the ships made! Can I put in a request for the Chandley class to be reimagined next? :) Just as a recommendation, I'd take the word Klingon out of the title of the series. Paramount/CBS are on red alert at the moment since they're in the discovery phase of their Axanar lawsuit and things that they may have tolerated as free fan productions for decades may get dinged now so as not to give the Axanar lawyers more fuel for their defense. I'd recommend maybe "K't'inga" instead or the completely neutral "battlecruiser". Also, is the phrase "on the starboard bow" or "off the starboard bow"? I've heard the latter more often but I never served in the navy (whether space or wet!) so don't know personally with an certainty. |
LoudNinjaGames | 24 Oct 2016 11:42 a.m. PST |
I for one, would love to see MacrossMartin throw his obvious skill at creating a couple of new Klingon designs as well. Remastering old designs is a cool idea, but dude, you have skills, let them run free. -Eli |
Eclipsing Binaries | 24 Oct 2016 12:27 p.m. PST |
I second Eli's suggestion. Let's see one of your own designs. And I think it should be "off" the starboard bow. |
MacrossMartin | 24 Oct 2016 5:02 p.m. PST |
"Klingons ON the Starboard Bow!" was named for the line from The Firm's one-hit-wonder "Star Trekkin' ". I penned the 'first edition' of KotSB! back in my teens, and that song was in the charts at the time. As for going all nautical… 'On' the starboard bow is just as legitimate as 'off'. A wind is more commonly referred to as being 'on' a sailing point, but an object or another ship can be either 'on' or 'off'. I guess it's a binary thing. :) As for the use of 'Klingon' – you may be right, Sitz, but damn the legal torpedoes! If I must change it, then I will. But even if I wind up quietly producing a mere handful of print-on-demand copies for myself and friends, this book WILL see the light of day. I am aware and not unsympathetic to Paramount / CBS's desire to protect their IP; they paid for it! People's mortgages and groceries depend on it. I sincerely hope that what I'm doing will help encourage people to support and enjoy official Star Trek productions and merchandise. KotSB! will include thoughts and info about using official, licensed Trek models and miniatures, in many scales, not just my own efforts. As for me, well, I'm doing this as an exercise in sheer egotism. Not one slip of gold-pressed latinum for me. So, when people sweet-talk me to do more of my 'own thing', obviously that's just the ego-massaging I'm here for! :D Of course, you HAVE seen one of my own designs – the Ark Royal class. I hope I will be able to show off the little Arrow class soon, but I am at a bit of a creative loss regarding anything Klingon. I might have a go, if I can identify a particular gap in the ranges of Klingon miniatures out there. The Starline 2400 / 2500 already offer plenty of Klingon medium and light cruiser types. Their C8 dreadnaught is a fine miniature, although it's a three-nacelled job. And, their little frigates cover the smaller end of the spectrum for TOS era Klingons. So, the question is – what doesn't exist in the already available ranges of Klingon ships? Do Klingons have fleet carriers? Maybe a TOS Klingon Bird of Prey? Answers on a postcard, please. :) |
jimklein1966 | 25 Oct 2016 7:32 a.m. PST |
Andrew, Count me in ! Cant wait to see the minis too ! |
LoudNinjaGames | 25 Oct 2016 8:27 a.m. PST |
I'm looking forward to these. I can always use new ships for my fleets. -Eli |
Eclipsing Binaries | 25 Oct 2016 8:39 a.m. PST |
"Do Klingons have fleet carriers?"…. hey, this is your Trek. If you want Klingons to have fleet carriers, then who are we to argue? I'd like to see sensible transports for both Feds and Klingons, not just fleet designs transferred to civilian uses… ie why would a Fed fleet tug pulling a cargo pod be a saucer shape, suggesting lots of crew accommodation and little engineering space? Makes little sense. Surely an engine with a bridge would be better. And the Klingon designs have the same issues, looking like cruisers with cargo pods slung under their wings. So I'd like to see your take on those. I have the same problem with the Fed destroyers that are saucers with a nacelle. I get the single engine idea, but I'd rather see something a little sleeker, with a smaller primary hull that's less of a target? Edit: TOS era Miranda? Just thoughts, And PS… liking the illustrations for the fighters. Colin |