| Allen57 | 15 Dec 2006 8:47 a.m. PST |
We have had this discussion before. I was going through my SF collection and have decided to trim it down because:
(A) I can never use all those races, and (B) 90% are bipedal types that look like men in rubber alien suits and seem to play that way on the table. Question: (1)Who makes Aliens that are not bipedal/humans in rubber suit types? (2) Why dont the manufacturers have something other than bipedal/human types? (3) How do we get someone to make aliens that are not the bipedal/human in rubber suit types? Al |
| Steve Flanagan | 15 Dec 2006 9:22 a.m. PST |
(1) Let's open with Peter Pig's Phugs, Alpha Forge's Hydrissians, Scotia/Grendel's Kryomek, and all the Bugs in Mongoose's Starship Troopers range. (2) Because they are heavily inspired by Hollywood. As are gamers. Most of the posts I see about what types of aliens people want are asking for (a) Gigeresque Aliens; (b) Greys or (c) Little Green Men. |
| nvdoyle | 15 Dec 2006 9:26 a.m. PST |
1) Running from memory here, apologies to amnufacturers if I've botched the info… (I'm doing 28mm as that's what I'm most familiar with) Reviresco and/or London War Room makes cephalopod-ish aliens. Someone also makes 'Cephaloids', which might be the same thing. Acheson Creations makes 'Reever Lice Warriors', which are pretty neat. Stan Johansen makes/made some crab-ish aliens with guns. RAFM made a Traveller 'Hiver' miniature at one point. SJG made an 'Uplifted Dolphin in Walker' as part of the Uplift miniatures set. It had a gun turret option. Shockforce Warehouse (an eBay seller) has Scaylene Troopers and Leaders, centauroid lizard types. Bronze Age Miniatures makes a cyborg elf-spider hybrid. 2) Good question. It might be that most sculptors learn how to sculpt the human body, and variations on that are easier than coming up with a whole new physiology, and making it look good. That said, the animal world is an enormous source of non-humanoid body shapes. How many of them lend themselves to tool-use is an issue, though. 3) Another good question. The most direct answer is 'commission some'. Other than that, it might be a combination of what the sculptor wants to do and customer feedback/pressure/money. |
| Steve Flanagan | 15 Dec 2006 9:32 a.m. PST |
Someone also makes 'Cephaloids', which might be the same thing. Black Hat. See also Parroom Station for others inspired by HG Wells' Martians. Various insect-like aliens: Spugs, some from Lancashire Games, and others from Irregular Miniatures. I see no reason not to use the various oddly-shaped critters from RAFM's Call of Cthulhu range as aliens. |
| Steve Flanagan | 15 Dec 2006 9:35 a.m. PST |
Possibly too obvious to mention: GW's Tyranids. |
Hundvig  | 15 Dec 2006 10:06 a.m. PST |
I was wondering when the Tyranids were going to be mentioned. Love 'em or hate 'em, they aren't humanoids. |
| jizbrand | 15 Dec 2006 11:16 a.m. PST |
Galacta 25 does cephalopods too. |
| Allen57 | 15 Dec 2006 10:34 p.m. PST |
The Tyranids are not humanoid but they are generally bipedal and qualify as the guy in the rubber suit type IMHO. Same for the non Helion versions of the Kryomeks, the Spugs, the Hydrissans and the Martians from London War Room and RAFM. Mephalians made by Alphaforge. They all seem to have two legs IIRC. The others you fellows list are analogs of earth type creatures: octopi; spiders; other terrestrial insects. I know I did not include that category in my initial post. Sorry. The only truely different aliens I see are the Scaylene and several 15mm miniatures from the Battlestations game. Wish some of the Battlestation minis were 25/30mm. It is also too bad that the Traveller Hiver is out of production. I know Im whining but I would like to see some more original Alien types. Anyone got ideas about alien typpes that could reasonably be sculpted and produced? |
| Cacique Caribe | 16 Dec 2006 2:40 a.m. PST |
Allen57, I will try to dig through some of my old sketches. I think I once came up with a drawing of an aquatic sentient life-form that was operating a liquid-filled space capsule of sorts. It was more eel-like in general appearance, but had a more developed head. Instead of fully-developed limbs, it had 10-12 very long, almost needle-like, protrusions with tiny polyps at the ends (like many sea anemones). I hope I didn't lose that one in the moves or my garage purges. CC |
| Sargonarhes | 16 Dec 2006 6:26 a.m. PST |
In other words you want to see more things like Star Frontier's Vrusk, Dralailite(sp?)and Sathar aliens. Which the minies for are long since OOP. Remember the Vrusk was a bug with 8 legs and 2 arms. The Sathar were worms with tenticle like arms and legs. |
| Cacique Caribe | 16 Dec 2006 10:10 a.m. PST |
|
| Cacique Caribe | 16 Dec 2006 7:59 p.m. PST |
|
| Cacique Caribe | 19 Oct 2010 9:44 a.m. PST |
What do you guys think about these Amphorans? TMP link Dan |
| Sargonarhes | 19 Oct 2010 6:42 p.m. PST |
An old resurrected thread. But I'll now present to you Critical Mass Games Astagar picture |
| Lampyridae | 20 Oct 2010 6:38 a.m. PST |
And of course GZG Ixx and the Arachnids from Khurasan 28mm. |
| (I make fun of others) | 20 Oct 2010 7:59 a.m. PST |
An old resurrected thread. Nothing new there. But I'll now present to you Critical Mass Games Astagar Men implausibly balanced on snakes tails. |
