Hi-ho Listites!
Someone (who is what I'm trying to find out) makes a fighter base that is
about 1 cm x 1 cm lead, about a mm or two thick, and has a raised lip around
the edge. This makes an ideal resting space for a dice. A friend has some, but
he bought them at a con and doesn't know who makes them. He mounts fighters by
drilling a pin up through them and mounting a single fighter to the pin. Looks
good, makes a lot of fighter groups for minimal cost.
Any idea who might make these?
Tom
Try:
http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/NoFrames/SFS/Items/SFA-057.html
Larger than your friend's ones, but they might suit
Tony
> Thomas Barclay wrote:
> From: "Thomas Barclay" <kaladorn@fox.nstn.ca>
> Someone (who is what I'm trying to find out)
I've seen them, but I don't know who makes them.
In the latest GZG catalogue, Jon sells something similar. They are bigger,
though, and hexagonal. The picturs show three fighters mounted per stand. The
stands look big enough to hold two dice (one for number of fighters, one for
endurance). If he can't get the square ones, he might be interested in picking
up these. They sell for 75p each.
Didn't we use these things when were were mounting Battletech mechs? I think
FASA used to produce them separately in blister packs. Maybe some would still
be around?
> --- Allan Goodall <awg@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> From: David Griffin <carbon_dragon@yahoo.com>
> Didn't we use these things when were were mounting
Yeah, FASA used to sell them. Or, rather, the company that produced Battletech
minis (Ral Partha?) used to make them. I don't know if they are still around.
These from GZG look different, though. Less bulky, much cleaner...
I have my own technique for making fighter bases, so I haven't looked at
these.
> --- Allan Goodall <awg@sympatico.ca> wrote:
...
> I have my own technique for making fighter bases, so
What is it?
Mine is to glue a section of styrine pipe onto a penny off center and glue one
fighter to the top. Then there's room on the penny for a dice. The penny has
it's own lip.
> From: David Griffin <carbon_dragon@yahoo.com>
Mine is a modification of Dean Gundberg's. (Thanks, Dean!)
Materials:
fender washers wooden disks (from Michael's or other hobby stores) cigar box
nails
Dean showed me his bases at GenCon last year. He glues a wooden disk to a
fender washer, and then glues earring posts to the disk. The fighters are
mounted on the post.
I came up with my variation when I saw how much they wanted for earring posts!
I use cigar nails instead. These are small nails with reasonably flat heads. I
thought of gluing them on the top of the disk, but I thought they looked too
bulky. Instead, I came up with another idea.
I drill three small holes in the wooden disk, in a "v" pattern, just big
enough for the shaft of the nail. I then use a larger drill bit to "counter
sink" the hole on the bottom of the disk. I push the nail through the hole.
The nail head lies flush with the bottom of the disk.
Once all three nails are in place, I glue the disk (and the nails) to the
fender washer using Goop. I clamp them with wooden clothes pegs.
When dry, I seal the "seam" between the disk and the washer with white glue. I
lay a pair of pliers on top of the disk and snip off the end of the nails.
Each nail ends up the same height, with a small point on the end. I superglue
the fighters to the nails.
The whole process is fairly quick, and the result is great. The nails don't
bend (being steel) and they won't pop off the stand since they are sandwiched
between the wood disk and the washer. The washer is big enough to hold two
small dice for markers.
I used this also, but the natural ridge of the penny is not enough to keep the
dice on the penny. Many at the CanAm FT game can attest.
I am now looking at 4 remedies: 1) Cut and glue a cardboard rim around the
penny 2) Find a small ring, about the size of a middle ring of a click
ballpoint pen, just slightly larger than a die to glue on. 3) Find a ring
smaller than a penny, but large enough to slide over the fighter easily. Get 6
each of 2 colors (count and endurance) to fit over the fighter. Remove a ring
as endurance is burned and fighters lost. 4) 2 extra posts for beads. One
color bead is endurance, the other fighter count. I did one test, but it made
it ackward to grab the fighter (fighter was at the same height as the beads).
To make this work, the fighter must be taller than the stack of beads.
-----
Brian Bell
-----
> -----Original Message-----
This is all aiming in a fascinating direction. We all work better with
pictures and colors than dice, and this sort of system, properly refined has
the potential of making things much easier.
What about a post using maybe a dowel from a craft store. Then a metal band
around it with
1/6 of the side of the post exposed any one time
by a 1/6 sized slit cut in the metal band (perhaps
it's not quite big enough to fit around the dowl entire. I'm thinking the
things they put on pens to attach to the pin that clips the inkpen to your
pocket. You could paint the dowel in colors from
red - orange - yellow - green - blue - purple.
Purple - 6 CEF's, red - 1 CEF. Or you could just
put numbers or perhaps both (number written on the color). In user interface
theory, multiple cues reinforcing each other tends to make things more
resistant to error.
You could use just the number black on white for the number of fighters
represented by the counter. No dice at all. One dowel could make two posts,
all we need is a source for the metal rings that's fairly cheap. Paint or
magic markers could write the numbers on the posts or rub off lettering.
I wonder if your bead idea might be even easier though. Colored beads, if you
could find the right sizes and colors could mount on a simple pin or small
nail to convey the same information. It's harder to represent the number of
fighters this way though. Maybe a single long pin with multiple beads on it
that can be removed once fighters are destroyed?
--- "Bell, Brian K (Contractor)"
> <Brian.Bell@dscc.dla.mil> wrote:
***
What about a post using maybe a dowel from a craft store. Then a metal band
around it with
1/6 of the side of the post exposed any one time
by a 1/6 sized slit cut in the metal band (perhaps
it's not quite big enough to fit around the dowl entire. I'm thinking the
things they put on pens to attach to the pin that clips the inkpen to your
pocket. You could paint the dowel in colors from
red - orange - yellow - green - blue - purple.
Purple - 6 CEF's, red - 1 CEF.
***
Your mentioning pens made me think of the mechanism in most retractible
ballpoints. Each press causes a cam to swing on ratchet teeth. If you could
make each twist a number, six through one, each time you pressed a button,
you'd decrease either the number of fighters or steps of endurance.
Oi, me brain hurts!
The_Beast
-Douglas J. Evans, curmudgeon
One World, one Web, one Program - Microsoft promotional ad
Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuhrer - Adolf Hitler
> At 1:24 AM -0400 6/6/01, Thomas Barclay wrote:
I made mine. I just took some clay, a bit of plastic sheeting and a plastic
stick. Build up a lip around the clay for the die to sit in. Once the clay (or
spackle in this case dried) I coated it in super glue to create a good deep
hold and then cut a slot for the stick to hold to. The stick was effectively
spare sprue and since I cut it flat, it has lots of surface area for the
fighter to glue to. The sides of the clay "embankment" are angled for looks
and to provide a place for the group's number to go on.
In message <OF6BBB528B.24D10920-ON86256A63.005B7514@uneb.edu>
> devans@uneb.edu wrote:
[snip]
> Your mentioning pens made me think of the mechanism in most
Or something like a Mage-Knight Rebellion base - but it could only show
either 'number of fighters remaining' or 'number of CEF remaining'.
Hmm... _could_ do the following (need to check sizes) - glue B5W Fleet
Action fighter base (the new plastic ones) on top of top part of a MK-R
base. Print out replacement insert for MK-R base showing number of CEF
remaining (9 down to 0, to allow for long range fighters). Loose fit
B5W-FA fighters into the base, so they can be removed to represent
losses (or glue GZG fighters to lengths of plastic rodding of the appropriate
diameter).
I wonder if anyone gan get job lots of 'blank' MK-R bases? - otherwise
this is going to cost :-)
Or scratchbuild an equivalent construction :-)