Pendraken Minis Review

With all of the discussion a while ago on the list about 'Pendraken Figures'
starship minis, a few of us list members decided to do something about it. We
contacted Pendraken and will soon have pictures on the web of all their minis
from both their 'Space Dreadnought 3000' line and their
 'Science Fiction' line of 10mm figures and 1/200 armor, mostly inspired

from the 'Alien' and 'Predator' movies.

I received the minis last week and the following is a quick review of their
'Space Dreadnought 3000' line. We will announce URL once everything is up and
ready.

Also Pendraken will soon be releasing a line of ships similar to those we see
on B5. More on this when we get further information.

Dean Gundberg (dean.gundberg@bcbsnd.com) Representing the 'M Collective'.
Other members: Jim Bell, Mike Miserendino and Matt Seidl
 ------------------------------------

'Space Dreadnought 3000' Minis Overall the minis are clean with little flash
but a few have some heavy

flash. The ships are mainly flat with no detail on their bottom side.

They have no panel line detail like the GZG minis but are smooth between
tubes, towers, spheres and other round thing details.

Ship size compares as follows to my GZG FSE ships. This does vary some

between fleets (I have length and width measurements of each ship for each
fleet if you want): Patrol = Large Corvette to Frigate sized Destroyer = DD to
CL Cruiser = CE Battlecruiser = CA Dreadnought = BC Super DN = BB Base Ships =
Battle DN to Super DN

Base Ships are just very large ships of the same style as the rest of the
fleet. They are the only minis that come in more than one piece. They

have a second piece that fits on top of the rear of the main hull to make the
ship even larger.

Pewter bases are included an consist of a 3mm diameter post about 36mm long
and a hex base with a raised flat name plate on one edge. 3 hex sizes were
found, small of 18mm are included with Patrol and DDs, medium of 24mm for
Cruisers to Super DNs, and large of 28mm for Base Ships. A

reinforced post is included for all base ships and some other larger ships.

The Fleets:

   Earth Empire - Nearly triangular but rear edge is not straight, it
angles back slightly to a point on the centerline giveing the ship a subtle
kite shape. Front point is not there, kind of like a Narn fighter with a
spinal weapon and hull on either side extending forward like fangs. Ships are
flat and smooth but there are areas where it looks like sections of the outer
hull are removed and tubes and such are visible.

   Talliscain - Almost kite shaped but rounded.  Upper surfaces not
smooth,
 but have a tiger-stripe like texture.  Middle area has towers for an
almost gothic feel. Each ship has a large tube on the spine and
tube-like
engines. The most (if only slightly) organic of their ships. No base ship for
this fleet.

   Kaylon - These are unique.  Lots of spheres as misc bits, engines are

spheres (one usually but 2 on largest ships). Each ship has panels on the
sides like a TIE fighter, roughly a stretched hex shape and they only take
 up maybe 1/3 of the ship if even that and does not increase in size
much beyond the cruiser. No Base ship for this fleet.

   Vargon - Klingon Bird of Prey-like but flat with a command boom and
pod. Larger crescent shaped wings swept forward with weapons pods on the ends
as far forward as the command pod.

   Quellaris Federation - Again Klingonish but more the D-7
Battlecruiser shape crossed with a Ferengi Marauder but with a much larger
command boom and pod. Lots of fwd pointed things on front of pod and ends of
wings.

Also has the open panel feature.

   Altarian - Aggressive looking almost like a hand with 4 or so fwd
swept wings with lots of weapons. Rear portion is shaped like an inverted
 chevron (\/).  They look something like an alien ship I saw on ST:
Voyager. Here is a quick try of an ascii picture, fwd is >:
 //------
 \ \======
 |} }=
 / /======
 \\------

   Merchants - 2 of each size with both having the same basic shape but
different detail bits on each.
 Small - Disk fwd, fwd swept wings which are then connected to the disk
by rods angling fwd.
 Medium - Larger main disk with small boom to pentagonish rear hull.
 Pincer-like wings swept forward from rear hull also 'holding' main
disk.
 Large - Small disk fwd then 2 sets of 2 disks follow like a drag racing

Christmas tree of lights. Fwd swept crescent of rear hull, ascii follows:
  / O O
 ===|=|=O
  \ O O