(On the fifth try…! Ye gods, the forum was recalcitrant today.)
Aotrs Shipyards is a webstore on Shapeways.com, a 3D print house which had production and shipping facilities located in the USA and the Netherlands. Aotrs Shipyards also takes direct printing commissions.
Aotrs Shipyards now has a Facebook page.
link
Releases will be made here; as we go, there will be a Facebook catalogue being built up by new releases.
The beta catalogue for directing printing is now downloadable by joining the Aotrs Shipyards Task Group here:
link
(There wasn't any other way of allowing a downloadable file without joining a group, I'm afraid!)
So onto to the release itself!
This month's scifi release is the Galactic Terrorist's support vehicles, the Rocket Boxer and Scud Mortar (at 144th). (Suitable for fantasy moderns or ultramoderns as well!)
Rocket Boxer
link
Aotrs Shipyards Price: £6.70 GBP
The Rocket Boxer provides GT forces with missile support. Like much of the GT's missile arsenal, it relies on large numbers semi-guided rocket warheads to compensate for the lack of advanced guidance systems. The Rocket Boxer base chassis that the missile module is emplaced on appears to be from several sources, most commonly the Boxer 7 through to the most modern Boxer 9 hulls; many of these appear to have been acquired from the open market or surplus, but almost half appear to be a GT-produced version of the Boxer 8E. The missile module itself appears to also be based on the Boxer 8E's modules, but entirely produced in-house by the GT.
The Rocket Boxer's four rocket pods each contain 40 missiles, giving it enough ammunition to function for an extended period of time. It has, however, no other weapons and only the most basic of ECM systems for self-protection, making it vulnerable to missile attack itself. On the other hand, without a direct feed to the rest of the vehicle to unsafely store excessive munitions and the use of a more typically inert0until-fired warhead and fuel, the Rocket Boxer is also less inclined to explode violently when struck like many of the other GT vehicles.
The GT use the Rocket Boxer as a fast attack vehicle – notably, less modern version of the chassis tend to stay as support for other units, while the more modern chassis – with correspondingly better engines – performing the flanking role.
Scud Mortar
link
Aotrs Shipyards Price: £9.00 GBP
The Scud Mortar is the GT's primary artillery and fire-support vehicle. The hull appears to be a GT-produced design based around the MAZ- series of hulls, but not, unlike many GT vehicles, a modification of any particular one.
The Scud Mortar is a twelve-barrel mortar system, with each mortar having four rounds. The payload in one of the shells is a cocktail of acids, metal-eating nanites and lethal biological agents capable of dissolving and chewing through metal, stone and organic materials with equal efficacy. Full human exposure results in the victim dissolving into a puddle in seconds, with all their gear; the less-fortunate can take several agonising minutes to die before a combination of the acids, poisons and nanites kills them. It even effectively damages shields, even while just running off after a splashing hit.
This "toxin" as it is typically referred to, can remain at full effect for ten to fifteen minutes before the potency reduces (and that is because some of the components actively dissolve each other). Complete immersion in liquid or sub-zero temperatures will wash off or freezes the toxin – though in the latter case, it can causes severe environmental damage to the body of water before is denatures completely. The toxin is also rather explosively inflammable, so while burning it off will clear a vehicle of it, the explosion can be almost as destructive.
The Scud Mortar is not designed to withstand fire, being resistant only to infantry weapons. A penetrating hit to the turret can be devastating, as it can not only set off the entire remaining store of shells, but scatter the blast all over the surrounding area, coating the vehicle's surroundings with toxin, frequently simultaneously setting it alight.
Photos of Replicator 2 versions.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
As I mentioned in the moderns release, I have some GLA infantry and their APC (a version of the Vodnik) prepared, but they are not very cost-effective at Shapeways, don't really work on the home printer. I have prepared a webstore at i.materialise store, but there minimum of a £25.00 GBP order means there is not a great deal of point making public until there's actually enough material in the store to make it worthwhile. As always, if anyone is interested, you can contact me.
Next month (all being well!), after their debut at Partizan on the 19th, the forth elenthnar power, the Xygritt Matriarchy starfleet will be rolling out, and following that, the next wave of Phystyulon starships, including support ships, fighters and carriers.
