Squat Guilder Expedition

Hi!

I thought it was high time I actually added some pictures of miniatures to the blog so last night I finished off painting my Squat Guild transport!

Squat Guilders investigate an abandoned industrial facility in the badlands of Farpoint

Inspired by Chico's excellent work I used a matchbox vehicle that I too got from Poundland a few months back and after removing the tiny wheels under the tracks, primed it black and went to work on it.

I have to admit its turned out rather well with the traditional Squat livery of green and yellow but with a decidedly battered and worn finish to make it look like it had actually been used in a frontier world rather than having just rolled out of the dealership.

Looks wise, its surprisingly reminiscent of the new Imperial Taurox kit but without looking top heavy and I do like the heavy duty styling which makes me think of it being something manufactured by Stunties for heavy duty work.

The only downside is the doors are quite high off the ground and it would be a bit difficult for a squat to clamber into. Maybe they just have concealed steps that retract once the vehicle is in motion. Clever lot those Squats!

Having painted up this one, I am on the lookout for a few more as they make ideal civilian transports for backward planets and with the minimum conversion could easily be turned into military tech with a turret. I can imagine the Squats selling them wholesale too!

I do have a second, smaller vehicle for my Guilders but it needs a fair amount of converting before it's ready so may have to make do with just the one for the moment. I do have a couple more Squat infantry to paint as well which should round out the crew nicely though which should keep me entertained for the next few days.

Having finished this vehicle, I am now sorely tempted to look for a small cargo lander for the Guild so I can field it as scenery or objectives in a game (I am strongly resisting the urge to build a land train though as down that route, madness lies!)

In other, exciting news, I finally have access to a decent sized table for my mancave (our old dining table has been purloined by me!) and now I have a good 4'x2.5' surface and I am planning on getting a board to put on it to give me at least a 4'x3' or 4'x4' gaming table! 

Excitingly this will be my first gaming board since 2008 but worryingly I took stock of my scenic madness and discovered that while its perfect for small skirmishes on a 2'x2' or 2'x3' board, its rather scarce for anything more substantial so I've begun building some more structures for it and hope to rummage out my hot wire cutter and polystyrene stash so I can carve some dunes, mesas, hills and hoodoos to liven things up a bit. 

This process has got me thinking about the various planets that are contained within the Farpoint Sector and I am hoping to create scenery for desert worlds, Industrial zones, jungles, frozen iceworlds and even the odd space station! These are probably going to be long term projects but it has got me inspired to get on with it.

Hopefully my next post will include some new shanties and large industrial equipment too!

All the best!