Full Thrust GZG

GZG NSL Fleet
Originally uploaded by inrepose
Next weekend I have a couple of gaming events coming up. First off I am joining a Full Thrust space ship combat game in Bognor Regis on Saturday, followed by a wargames convention in Tonbridge called Cavalier on the Sunday.

I used to attend Cavalier when the venue was a school, which was a few years ago and it is about time I gave it another visit in the new Angel centre venue. http://www.twws.org.uk/cavalier2011.htm

There are a some good traders attending including Black Hat who do the 18mm scale Martian Empires miniatures http://www.blackhat.co.uk/online_shop/index.php?cPath=107_110&osCsid=cd5f9d9dd7a2617c69ce026bb4c06922

For my Full Thrust game on Saturday I will be pulling out my old Full Thrust Federal Stats Europa (FSE) fleet and possibly dropping in a couple of my "With Hostile Intent" miniatures. My fleet is the earlier MKI Full Thrust from the 90's (and painted in the 90's) and I think the newer models which Jon at GZG re-sculpted are nicer than these ones.  I think I can now paint better than these early examples. I can't actually remember when I painted them but possibly 1997.

These are the core of my FSE star fleet:



This is my carrier.


My newer Ninja Magic "With Hostile Intent" Miniatures are now based on a combination of the Ground Zero Games large hex's and the Ninja Magic magnetic adapters.  In this photo you can also see a couple of Zandris IV models which are star ship models which look a little like the Homeworld computer game.

I have yet to create some Full Thrust statistics for these models and after a quick web search I have found some nice Adobe Illustrator icon / graphics templates for Full Thrust on the Spinward Stars website. Once I have them created I will share the details.



Example videos of how I painted these miniatures can be found on my youtube channel.

Full Thrust New Anglian vs Federal Stats Europa (British Vs French).

I had a fun game of Full Thrust from GZG at the local club on Friday.  I am still amazed at how satisfying it is to play Full Thrust, after many years my old fleet still feels fresh to play and involves some in depth tactical play. Sadly my great tactical ineptitude kicked in and I moved my missile firing vessels in far to closely which, presenting big easy targets for the NAC.  I had the FSE (Federal Stats Europa) fleet with some additional models from Zandris IV and Ninja Magic.  I simply did not have enough in FSE models to be able to match Steve's "New Anglian Confederation" (NAC) fleet so I had to drag out some additional models from my collection.  

For those interested, the game Gruntz was influenced by Full Thrust and the damage tracks and critical process was an inspiration for how I built the damage system in Gruntz. 

On my left flank I sent in a group of four Sub-Munition pack Hydra Class Destroyers which I had stated up as larger ships than the model would normally dictate. This was not really fair on Steve because he thought they were smaller vessels than I was representing with the small models. However I had limited models to use so they were the only thing close to size I could use.  It is worth discussing sizes with your opponent to avoid a surprise when a tiny approaching ship is actually supposed to be a carrier! 

Here is the Hydra class (represented by the small green group of 4 ships on the top left of the above photo).  Image from the http://fullthrust.star-ranger.com/FSEstats.htm web site where I pull most of my stats from for the game.  I drop them into a doc and print them. 

You can see the three submunition packs on the ship design (circle with black filled triangle on top). They are powerful one use only weapons, best used at a range of under 6" for the most devastating close range damage.  After using the one shot submunition packs,  the ships then fall back to using just beam weapons which are the circles with a two Class1 and one Class2 in the front arc only. Class1 beam weapons are the weakest with a range limit of 12". Class2 have 24" range. 

Early game my main FSE fleet splits. The moon and planet models provide a block to line of sight and I decide to split my forces. This is a mistake in the end round or two because I simply can't bring them to bear against the NAC fleet because they are too far from the main battle. 

Zandris IV models in the foreground. GZG FSE fleet (old style) in the background. 

Ninja Magic ships. This model in the foreground was my main flagship for my fleet. You can see the small fighter launch bay along the edge of the ship.  I used the following Littorio Class Battledreadnought statistic card to represent it. You can see the single triangle which represents one flight of onboard fighters which I can launch.  The image in the top centre are two missile launchers and the attached magazine of single use missiles.  The FSE fleet is very missile heavy, tending to be lighter armoured than the British New Anglian Confederation and better at longer range with missile launchers. Something I forgot for this game and got in too close! 

Steve's New Anglian Confed (NAC) fleet. These are from the earlier sculpt range from GZG. 

I used the yellow counters to note when a ship had fired each round. 

You can see my Lego Planet in use next to a sphere. These stone spheres are from a crystal shop on the Isle of Wight. The polished stone looks very moon like and you will find many of these stone orbs available on new age crystal web sites or ebay. These ones only cost me about £3 each and make easy drop on terrain. 

My single fighter group is launched from my main dreadnought. Fighters can move 12" a turn in any direction. 

Close up on my older FSE fleet. 

FSE heavies again. These earlier models from GZG tend to be smaller than the more recent re-sculpts on the GZG site. I must admit the newer ships do look nicer and I need to start investing in some of the new models again. 

The Grunts Universe is Born

I could not think of a suitably dramatic title so I went with the above..  Strictly speaking it is also not the Grunt's Universe. It is the Milky Way, our Galaxy in 2212 and the most of the political and empirical divisions include factions from the various miniature companies that have granted permission.

However these are not official backgrounds for any miniature companies featured and are unofficial.

The background documentation, available in the Yahoo Group provides an introduction which covers the core factions and some commercial and covert Commonwealth organisations.   I am not trying to re-invent the wheel.. ahem Galaxy, so I will not be touching the canon factions and their locations across the various systems.   What I have done is found some interesting places for the various Khurasan factions and started to build a timeline of how the human Commonwealth has made contact with them.

The Grunts part of the background is still several pages long and provides detail on the technology, like planet based wormholes used for rail-links between systems and Mindwells which are advanced sentient computers linked by Mindhubs on the Neural Network.  It is all still work in progress, so as time progresses you will see more meat on the bones.

Below is a sample of the PDF star map, which shows all Stars in the Milky Way galaxy that could potentially support life. Full credit for the original Full Thrust / GZG starmap goes to Winchell Chung who created the model.

The small section of the Universe shown in the image below shows some of the Khurasan factions on the map with notable areas labelled as the Garn incursion and Vespulid home systems.

The full PDF map includes these details.  Unless you have an A0 or A1 printer at work this star map is going to be difficult to print, however you might get away with a reasonable looking hard copy if you shrink to fit on an A3 size.

Collaborative contribution to the Grunts setting is welcome so members of the Yahoo group are welcome to read, complain and suggest new ideas.  I have yet to finish the final few years before 2212, the current year in Grunts so ideas are welcome.

Ground Zero Games Stowage GZG for 15mm SCI-FI

In this video update I provide a detailed view of the full range of stowage in 15mm scale from GZG (Ground Zero Games). In addition to using them as stowage glued to the hull of a 15mm scale scif-fi tank or support vehicle they do have multiple scale uses. The small containers and stowage items are also perfect for basing or terrain materials in 6mm, 15mm and 28mm.  You could also even use these in super small scale like large containers on starships or towed transport for Full Thrust or other starship miniature games. 

So they are very much a nice multi-scale item and worth having a few types of them in the bits box. Here is a video overview.

Ninja Magic Space Ship Painting Tutorial

I have put together a step by step painting guide and tutorial for Ninja Magic Jun-ila starships including the Dalasin Class Interceptor Drone Carrier and smaller Huala Class Frigate. They are painted with Privateer Press paints. The guide applies to any small scale painting for games like Full Thrust or "With Hostile Intent" which is the Ninja Magic space combat game system.


I think the Ninja Magic ships have some fantastic levels of detail. They are created as 3d designs in CAD before they are printed using a 3d printer. The 3d models are then cleaned up before being made into moulds for casting in pewter. This results in very detailed clean looking model with almost zero flash and a level of detail which would be difficult to recreate with traditional model making.

Ninja Magic Space Jun-ila Ships

Here are a set of photos of my latest paint project.  I play the GZG (Ground Zero Games) full thrust space combat game and I intend to use the small scale space ships as part of a fleet in the game.

They are from Ninja Magic in the US and are from the Alien race "Jun-ila".  The Jun-ila build space ships on-planet rather than in orbit so the ships are designed like rockets which can launch into space by burning into orbit.

The smaller Huala class ships are single piece models and the larger carrier model, the Dalasin Class Drone carrier is a single hull with 4 engines/exhausts to glue onto to back. They are highly detailed being  designed in 3d before printing direct into 3d print. The results are very fine details that you have to be near these models to appreciate.  It was certainly fun painting them and if you are patient and careful with your paint the details will show through nicely.

I painted them with Privateer Press p3 paints and my youtube tutorial (see earlier article : http://rottenlead.blogspot.com/2010/03/ninja-magic-space-ship-painting.html ) Is a simple guide with tips on how to use the wet pallet and P3 mixing medium that Privateer press provide.  It is a liquid pigment paint so it thins very well and great for work at this small scale.

In the photo below you can see them compared to the size of the Zandris IV miniature line.

Gruntz 15mm and GZG booth at Salute 2014

A busy day at Salute for Gruntz.  A couple of fun games played and here are details of the GZG stand including the 15mm SCI-FI items and miniatures for Full Thrust.

Sunday Airbrushing

This weekend I have been on hold waiting for the proof read feedback to come through for the draft version of the 1.1 Gruntz rules. Some of it has already come in but I can't start the edits until I have a couple more proofs back or I will miss duplicate typos etc.

So for the first time for about 4 Months I found the time to do some model construction and airbrushing.  I focused on a couple of models that I have had in the queue for a while and got the GZG Mantis unmanned robotic missile attack VTOL put together and the pop up ground emplacement turret from Xmarx. Both of these models play a part in the latest update to Gruntz. The VTOL is part of a new classification of Air Attack Vehicles which is in addition to the standard Air Support Vehicles which are built for troop support and transport. The Air Attack vehicles can carry main weapons which makes them more effective at dealing with vehicle targets.  

The new Xmarx turret also fits into the revised artillery classifications which includes fixed mount weapons and unlimbered field artillery.   The rules allow for the hardened emplacement to pop up by taking 1 action, so they have a higher Soak statistic whilst the emplacement is in closed position which makes them a great base defense.   This was a model I discussed with Xmarx and thought it would be a great feature in a 15mm game.  Xmarx are now also working through the design for a resin bunker which will fit into the Grunts rules. Both of these resin buildings from Xmarx are inspired by strategy computer games which make use of automated turrets and bunkers to support vehicles and other units. 

The VTOL from GZG is a multipart metal kit consisting of a long central bar with fittings like the front cockpit type sections, engine, fins, undercarriage, missile pods and jet thrusters. The various pieces slot on very easily and glue tightly with no pinning needed.  The ball turret style front weapon has two options, a laser/plasma or RAC type.   I already have two of the Roach variant of this VTOL which has a large container beneath to transport troops and I wanted to add this version which has the AI / UAV cockpit section, so rather than glass it has some digital gubbins and sensors added to the front.  

AV-12/U "Mantis UAV" VTOL Gunship unmanned variant (remote or AI-controlled) 


With these VTOL's you can place the undercarriage and wheels in a stowed or down position and I went for the stowed option to represent this model is in flight. One of my exisitng Roach models is on the ground but I wanted to go for an inflight option for this Mantis variant, so it can be seen to be threatening with the missile pods.   With some effort with magnets you could probably create all the variants of the VTOL (Mantis and Roach varients) in a kit form and just click them onto the core structure "rod" which runs like a backbone through the model. Considering the low cost of 15mm and the fiddly nature of magnetising the model it is probably worth just buying the other options and painting them up.

To prep the model I used a sharp scalpel blade and various grades of Tamiya sandpaper. I did not exhaustively track down every mould line and spent most of prep time tidying up the worst of any miscast  sections. It did have some junk in the VTOL blades and exhausts that needed a little TLC to get shifted by using a pin vice to drill out the worst flash.   Overall it was very clean and tidy and easy to put together.  It spent one night in a clear vinegar bath which then stripped any release agent and cleaned off any grease from my hands which tend to get hot when hand sanding and cutting the components.   The fins at the back also needed their slots to be sanded out a bit so they could easily be glued on.

I used the amazing Gorilla Super glue which is thick and contains a resin which makes the join extra tough and avoids the usual superglue crust which can make the join weak.

I used a metal disc base and then glued on the heavy metal "Hex base" from GZG. You can't see the GZG hex base because it is underneath the gel and sand I added to disguise it.  The metal rod is also GZG and comes as part of the large metal flight base.  However on the top I added a Ninja magic magnetic connector. The magnetic connector allows me to pop the VTOL off the base for transport and was strong enough to keep the heavy metal VTOL in place for movement.  I normally use the magnetic connectors on my Full Thrust fleets so I can quickly pack them for transport and change the fleet on the bases.

The Xmarx pop-up ground turret comes as a resin multi-part kit with 3 different turret options. A small missile, large missile and cannon option.  It also has a set of bay doors which slide along rails (which are nicely detailed).  It would be best integrated into a terrain base with extra details but I decided to paint it independently so I can drop it onto any type of terrain.  The doors could also be magnetised to show them open or closed, however I left them lose for ease of airbrushing and you can quickly pop them on as closed bay doors when the model is in use on the table. The detail is really fine.


















If you are interested in how I bolt the Ninja Magic Magnetic connectors onto the GZG hex bases you can see a full video showing these components on youtube here:




Primer coat was Tamiya light grey spray primer. This is my go to primer, especially for airbrushing because it has a very fine eggshell type finish, rather than the more powdery matte coat you might get with traditional miniature model primer. This has become a personal preference after years of trying different brands and has worked when I use it on miniatures for painting or airbrushing.  

You can see the roach variant here with the troop transport.

My base colour is a black from Lifecolor. I used the Tire black for the base colour, with a highlight of Vulcanized rubber mixed with a little white to lighten the tone. You can't really see the highlights in the photos but I was intending to aim for a very subtle colour because I wanted a stealth black look to the final model.

With airbrushing you will find that the base coat is ultra smooth.  You don't get lost (as I did) when painting vehicles where you find yourself looking at an inconsistent coat.  It is very hard to finish a large vehicle with a single base coast using a hand brush and the airbrush makes this vital stage much easier.  There is nothing better than having your base colour super smooth and consistent.

You can see here how small these models are with the gas mask in the frame. The Deck Tan colour from Tamiya was used for the base colour of the gun emplacement, with the same Tire black mix from Lifecolor used on the emplacement sliding roof and weapon.  Note to self to make sure you don't leave any Lifecolor paint in the airbrush when adding Tamiya paint. The Tamiya made the Life Color paint curdle and block the airbrush which stopped the flow and required a cleaning break. 

For my airbrushing I use an Awata HPC-Plus airbrush which has a 0.3mm nozzle. They are often used by modellers in the military modelling hobby and can get right down to a very fine and subtle line if you learn to use the fine control.  In this instance I used it with the lifecolor paints which I thinned with a few drops of Vallejo thinners.  The thinners keep the paint flowing well in the airbrush cup, reducing blockages. 

You need a lot of cocktail sticks and cheap pipettes to hand when airbrushing to allow you to easily drop and move thinners, paints and cleaners around. Without pipettes and spare empty pots it becomes a logistics nightmare!

Ready for Airbrushing. Sundstrom mask on and extractor behind me. My airbrush is resting in a desk mount. 

I also use a Sundstrom mask respirator. It has a great filter to keep out the particles of paint and bad stuff.  You can use a lighter mask and goggles but I react badly to acrylic paints and found myself suffering cold like symptons, red face and sore eyes with a standard dust type mask and full goggles. You can always find good quality used Sundstrom masks on Ebay but you might need to purchase a new filter for it.  It got pretty bad so an upgrade to a Sundstrom helped.  My extractor sucks the worst of the paint fumes out of the house but I still reacted badly to the paints before I purchased the respirator. 

Vallejo Thinners.

Iwata HPC-Plus Airbrush.

The next phase for this mini project is weathering and details on both models.  I will try and achieve a stealth look to the VTOL and will weather up the weapons base with scratches and rust water/rust damage.