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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnbearross/the-28mm-scorpionmech Story Eerie in the contrast of their lethal size and silent movement, ScorpionMechs are deployed on the orbital and planetside battlefield when no quarter is to be given to the enemy, and none expected. They're colony killers. You send them in when you want the enemy base and any feeble defenders protecting it razed to the ground. These scuttling terrors can chop enemy armors in half in close quarters or pound them to pieces from a distance. Using a variety of modular payloads, the ScorpionMech can tailor its weapons suite to the mission, whether it be cold, quiet up-close killing, napalm and gatling cascades at ballistic distances, or missiles beyond the horizon. (Pre-production 28mm ScorpionMech sample shown with additional Viper Suit weaponry. Waldo and PugBots shown for size ref) Though they usually make their way overland to the target, there are rumors of ScorpionMechs deploying from orbit with bolted-on belly packs containing fuel and maneuvering thrusters. The thought of an orbital insertion of these lethal machines is terrifying, but not beyond reason. There is even a confirmed case of a jetpack-equipped ScorpionMech being used to rip a pirate raider's ship to pieces during an attempted boarding action. Needless to say, scratch one pirate ship. Viper suit pilots may try and put a brave face on it, but when faced with a ScorpionMech, they know that the best place to be is somewhere else.

Finished up the companion to the "Stug" mech I posted earlier this year. This is the "Tiger" mech from West Wind Productions, although this build-out differs from what they currently offer on their website. Friend of mine picked it up in their kickstarter and asked me to paint it for him as he doesn't like doing vehicles. I drilled out the "turret" and the legs and epoxied magnets in so the turret can rotate. They're 1/4" so you can actually pick the thing up by the turret! Base coat and camo is Tamiya, details are in an assortment of manufacturers paints. Weathered with an oil pin wash and Secret Weapon pigments. Markings are from a 1/48 sheet of dry transfers from Archer.

28mm scale "Stug" mech I painted for a friend. I know he got it out of a Kickstarter, but otherwise no idea who makes it. He'll be finishing the base to match the rest of his army. Tried some different paints and techniques and pushed the 'weathering' further than I have before. All in all I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

About this project What Is This Kickstarter About? The initial Kickstarter goal is to fund the very first WHISPER mecha's masters and production molds. These are the WHISPERs currently available to pick for your rewards. SOKAR/BASTET - KNEELING - (Sokar head shown but also includes Bastet head option) SOKAR/BASTET - STANDING - (Bastet head shown but also includes Sokar head option) History of WHISPER Design Over the course of the last four months, the 3-D sculptors of Marchen Atelier - Heriberto and Gibran - and Tom Anders - of Impact! Miniatures - have collaborated with me in the creation of these miniatures. We've gone from a fantastic two-dimensional art piece done by John Yechan Seung. To a three-dimensional computer export model. Full resolution 3D sculpt by Marchen Atelier. To full three-dimensional miniatures created by Tom Anders through Impact! Miniatures' 3-D printing service after some advice on modifications to the design by Tom. One painted 3d print prototype by Todd Farnholtz next to various 6mm and 15mm miniatures, from Onslaught Miniatures, Khurasan Miniatures, White Dragon Miniatures, and The Ion Age. Now that we have our starting point, I need you, the potential Backers, supporters, and fans, to assist in the creation of the master prints, the production molds, and the base materials. The Master - These are the original masters that can be re-used to create the production molds. The Production Molds - The actual mold wheels that will create the miniatures. Casting Materials - WHISPER mecha will be made of spincast resin. Resin is heated and then injected into the molds, which are spun at a high velocity to fill the molds completely. After cooling, the molds can be separated, and the miniatures removed to begin the process of snipping, partial cleaning, and then bagging for shipping. PLEASE NOTE: All WHISPERs will be sent unpainted. Painted images are just to show you what a WHISPER could look like after being painted. What Is A WHISPER? A WHISPER is a mechanized humanoid war machine, approximately 8.5 meters tall, created initially to perform direct actions against hardened targets throughout the galaxy. Piloted by the most elite, the first generation of WHISPERs were created to allow Powers and Dominions to employ their elite special forces teams in fast raids and rapid deployment in response to imminent threats. The 27th-century version of the U.S. Navy SEAL, USAF JTAC, Delta Force, Russian Spetsnaz, and British S.A.S., WHISPER teams are never to be underestimated. Forty years after the first generation made planetfall on several rogue corporations seeking to commit a heinous terrorist incident on Earth and Mars, technology has advanced at an exponential rate. First- and second-generation WHISPERs are now commonly employed by lesser Powers, while the elite advance into combat in third- and fourth-generation machines. The Only Difference is the Head? With the initial two poses, yes. The Sokar is a beak-like head with a protective armor cover over its sensors, an imposing sight that I thought reflected a combat-worthy opponent. So, I went back to Egyptian times to find a name worthy of a bird that can pursue and destroy prey. High res close-up of the Sokar head in kneeling pose. The Bastet was initially remarked as "Samurai Pizza Cat", or a fox. I can't help but take my friends and supporters at their joke, so, the cat-like Bastet was a perfect name fit. 3d sculpt example of the Bastet head in kneeling pose. What's Beyond That? Stretch Goal #1 - Raptor - $4,500 USD A second-generation WHISPER, the Raptor was designed by the Symbiotic Cyber Consortium in its fledgling years on a limited budget and production capacity. Due to these limitations in technology, they could not install cutting-edge full armored cockpits with augmented reality and neural linkage. Instead, the Raptor had to supplement on high visibility cockpits with less armor, with augmented reality displays. The end result is a machine perfect for atmospheric combat, but incapable of traversing solar systems. Nevertheless, it is an affordable option for Powers on a budget. John Seung's initial concept art of the Raptor. The prototype 3d sculpt created by Marchen Atelier. Stretch Goal #2 - Optional Armaments for Sokar/Bastet - $5,200 USD One of the earliest requests was optional arms for the original WHISPER, to allow hobbyists and gamers alike to swap out arms. Most wargamers and hobbyists are familiar with drilling out a small portion of the arm holes and balls to affix magnets inside. With this Stretch Goal, anyone can purchase the optional arms as an add-on for $5 USD, though certain high-level pledges will receive one set for free. The optional weapons include one holding a Gauss cannon over the standing WHISPER's chest. The second is a missile launcher with arm blade. The other option is a pair of battle-damaged arms. High-res images of optional WHISPER arms. Stretch Goal #3 - Poseidon - $7,200 USD The Poseidon is a second-generation WHISPER designed by the Northern Martian Federation. On the shores of the Federation, the Poseidon acts as a distinct bodyguard, while on exo-planets that are primarily covered in water, it is one of the only WHISPERs that can operate beneath the waves. Thanks to the latest advancements in its hardened armor shell, the most recent versions of the Poseidon can reach depths up to 500 meters without loss of internal pressure. The Poseidon was created by Elartwyne Estole, another fantastic artist I discovered on DeviantArt. Elartwyne was kind enough to grant me the ability to license his own old mecha for WHISPER, and I've hired him on for future mecha sketches and layouts, as well as more detailed art, if we can get that far in the future. Sketch of the base Poseidon. Finalized 3d sculpt of the Poseidon by Marchen Atelier. Stretch Goal #4 - Tundra - $9,200 USD A first-generation WHISPER designed by PAC-NATO to usurp the original Mark II, the Tundra swiftly took off in popularity among other Dominions as a reliable unit. By the time of its fifteenth year in service, however, the Tundra was beginning to be outstripped by second-generation designs. With the Throne Confederacy's Sokar, the Tundra was thought to be an outdated model with no viable use left. However, several lesser Powers were able to modernize and upgrade the WHISPER's sensors and ballistic computers to level it out, and improvements in maintenance areas were made, making after action field repairs far easier. Thus, the Tundra remains on the field of combat as a WHISPER not to be discounted. Tundra sketch by Elartwyne. Finalized sculpt of Tundra with regular armament. Stretch Goal #5 - Poseidon Alternate Arms - $9,800 An alternate set of arms for the Poseidon, removing the Gauss cannon and torpedoes, replacing them with a pair of directed-energy weapons (DEWs, i.e. lasers) in the palms, with elongated claws for close quarters combat. With this Stretch Goal, anyone can purchase the optional arms as an add-on for $5 USD. 3d sculpt by Marchen Atelier. An example of the Poseidon Beta painted by Mastergunz. With More Stretch Goals to Come, Possibly? How Tall Are WHISPER Miniatures? The standing version of the Sokar and Bastet miniature is approximately 47 millimeters tall. I spent awhile going over scale options. Miniature wargames come in all shapes and sizes these days, but for this, I wanted them to be physically imposing enough that when you saw one on the table, you thought, "Okay, that looks like a nasty customer." On final thoughts, I decided to abstract the scale of the game, and simply place WHISPERs in the 10mm range (thus, a 10mm tall infantryman stands at about the height a real human being would to a 8.2-meter-tall WHISPER). However, if you're a wargamer, and you have 6mm, 10mm, or even 15mm miniature infantry, power armor, and tanks lying around, you are free to proxy these into WHISPER for your games. 28mm and 35mm scale wargames can even use the WHISPERs as heavy power armor (or in Infinity's case, mini TAGs) if they so wish. The Poseidon WHISPER, Sokar kneeling WHISPER, next to 6mm and 15mm miniature infantry and power armor troopers (note that Knight and Talos are 21mm models, good for heavy power armor). Another reason to go with the 10mm scale was that I had to consider terrain costs. The wargame I'm creating is intended to be played with heavy cover and concealment (think an urban battlefield, like Infinity, or MERCS). This is one of those things that can cost gamers an arm and a leg to purchase, or, if they're crafty, you can make your own. But time is also a factor there, and not everyone has the hours saved to create massive buildings. 10mm offers a wide variety of affordable but impressive options for terrain. Side by Side of Bastet and Sokar The Universe, and WHISPER Armament WHISPER takes place in the 27th century Anno Domini, and technology has allowed Mankind to spread to roughly 75 different planets (though more are possible, they are usually unchartered colonization and pirate bases, as well as terrorist outposts or "black sites" of the Dominions and Powers of the times). Some are terraformed, some are inhospitable but livable, and others are colonized mostly through Lagrange colonies, ala Mobile Suit Gundam. FTL travel is accomplished through hyperspace 'jumps', a capability provided through Tiggs-Dyson eventium generators as an energy source, and hyper-acceleration devices. Directed energy weapons (i.e. lasers), are the primary armament of almost every standard military force in the universe. They don't fire the intense cutting beams that are a trope of mecha action. Instead, they create a pulsed high-intensity 'blast' that vaporizes on impact. Another high-power weapon system is the Gauss cannon, which utilizes railgun principles to accelerate a metal sabot to a muzzle velocity exceeding Mach 7. How do you dodge something that travels at nearly the speed of light, or a projectile breaking the speed of sound 7 times over? You rely on a limited artificial intelligence matrix and threat-avoidance programming to recognize when a threat emerges, and utilize high-output vernier thrusters and jet packs to juke away from the threat. Plus, you shoot back. The Wargame? It's being worked on, but it is not the end goal of this Kickstarter. This Kickstarter will focus entirely on the initial WHISPER miniatures line. I've decided to emulate Infinity, Heavy Gear Blitz, and other various wargames and boardgames, in that I'll be focusing on releasing the rules in a free version that you do not have to pay to play. However, for those interested I'll be regularly sharing bits and pieces of the universe, and also sharing some of the basics in the Facebook Group for WHISPER: https://www.facebook.com/groups/174693989369987/

This is my Shogun Bird of Prey, specifically purchased and painted for the Spaceship Superstar contest. It was a fun paint, but I'm glad its over, as his sword arm tends to fall off. If it does again, I'm repinning it. The theme, had I completed all of my entries for Spaceship Superstar, was to use various colors from one of my favorite 8-bit and 16-bit heroes, Mega Man and Mega Man X. I'll still do that, but much slower due to life beating me with a stick right now.

Painting In Memorium, Amalor Myrnnyx From my entry post for the submissions: Let me start out saying that the mech painted below couldn't touch one of Amalor's mech paint jobs. I learned a lot just from examining what he did. 60-Ton Dragon DRG-1N Mech Unlike the previous mechs I painted in the schema, the Dragon mech has lots of details with the armor "scales" so it was difficult to get paint coverage and maintain the details. When I first did the "dragon skull" the eyes at the left and the right were too small. You can see it in the preview image from the memorial post: So when I went to do the basing I added a larger section to the "eye" and that allowed me to break up the two large white plains a bit. I also used a micro pen to strengthen lines and details all over the mech. They are quite handy for doing details. You just have to remember they are ink instead of paint and they don't dry right away. I will sometimes use some acrylic sealer to expedite the process of drying the ink. I have the Micron 01 Assorted Colors Pens. Here's a group shot of the previously painted lance schema with the Dragon. It was taken before finishing touches were added to the Dragon. Comments and Criticism welcome. I know it's not nearly up to Amalor's level but it's in the spirit of my old lance and I did manage to get something quite similar.

Woo! Finally done! I've been working on One Shot here for a few months. Overall I'm fairly pleased, but there was a lot that I just said "heck with it" in the name of finishing the model. Unfortunately, Jessi (the driver)'s pose (and where the pin ended up) kind of hides her, even though she's probably the best painted part of the whole thing. The gun is stolen from a Dust Tactics model because I thought she needed an upgrade if she was going to compete with the likes of Kasaro-To (the only other Relic I have assembled and painted). I used a lot of airbrushing and edge highlighting in neutral greys on the relic to match the rest of my Black Diamond force. Jessi is more colorful, because when you bring your own walking artillery piece to the fight against the end of the universe you can wear whatever you want. In this case, it's a bomber jacker, goggles, short shorts and pink leggings under armored boots. Because anime. Also pictured is Fritz, her cypher. The pictures suffer from glossiness - I didn't want to risk the fuzziness seen on some other models I've painted recently and the weather was nice enough for spray sealer.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alphamecha/alpha-mecha-the-intense-game-of-giant-mecha-combat This was launched earlier today. I asked what the scale was and he told me 28mm and the Mecha are about 2 inches tall. That seemed kind of small for 28mm scale, unless they are more like power armor.

Here's an individual WIP of an idea I had, upon realizing I had excess Blasters for my Mechadrome mechs. The original Superfortress looks gnarly but is heavily outfitted for anti-vehicle firepower. Most 28mm combat is more about infantry, or at most, many infantry and a handful of vehicles. I recalled having another, and set about making an anti-infantry version that visually blended the Mechadrome and original LOS aesthetics; as a bonus this leaves me with a BFG laser to stick on, say, a Rhino, in order to have an in-theme IFV/APC. I stuck the legs on with huge amounts of automotive epoxy putty and some superglue; the bottom detailing is hollow, which you really never see on the table, and the legs fit up into the body cavity. (Huge amounts = two small blobs). Then I Devcon'd his feet to this Basix MDF base, just to be sure. Here he is near a fully assembled, based, shaded, but incompletely painted twin. As you can see, I have, with a combo of big pins, Devcon, and aforementioned putty, plus some superglue to make sure the putty grabbed, mounted one of the BFGs in place of the disposable 2-shot missile pack of the standard variant. (Like the standard variant, I have lost this guy's chin gun.)

Here's a quick and slightly nasty photo of some sweet sweet resin mecha. The Big guy there has some fairly bad blemishes on his left leg, but the rest was beautiful. All the weapons are modular and available individually, so might be worth a look for conversions, find 'em at Gangfight Games.

I started by giving him a base coat of MSP Clockwork Brass, then used various washes and inks I had to give him different colors in random patterns. I had to go back with a light coat of brass to get some of the shine back. I used Tamiya Clears to make the "eyes" really pop out. I also added Metallic Medium (metallic white, basically) to the brass as highlights on some of the edges of the metal. The base is mostly pumice paste, with some Army Painter grass clumps, flock and cork "rocks" to give it some texture. I used more inks and washes to color the pumice, then lightly drybrushed brighter colors over them to give it a little bit more texture. I did the same with the grass clumps - the matte medium from the inks & washes stage gave it some extra strength so that the drybrush stage worked even better. Then I put a heavy coat of gloss sealer over the whole thing (including the base) to help give the impression that it's underwater. I went fast on this guy because I was just having fun (as opposed to trying to make him look really nice), but even so he probably clocked in at 6-8 hours. I should really start timing myself so I know how long these things take.

Continuing my weekend of “paint multi-legged mechs,†I started on the Salvage Mech Construct from DeepWars. I decided I would try to emulate Antimatter’s painting style (without spending too much time on it). I airbrushed him with brass, then started playing with inks and washes. I only have a couple of inks, and they did seem to work better for this purpose. I had to go back over the washes with thinned brass to keep things shiny. He’s pretty close to finished actually. I need to touch up a few spots, maybe incorporate some feedback if I get any (especially appreciated if AntiMatter sees this), then work on his base. Paints used. You can also see the start of his base.