scifiskunkwerks.blogspot.com

I have about a dozen different mecha* that are ready to go into production. All of them are of the many-multi-part, fully pose-able variety. Six are currently with various mold-makers and resin-casters. As you noted, complex resin kits encounter certain difficulties when casting. I’m hoping to debut many of these at WonderFest (Kentucky, July 28-29) or sooner.

Back on the AV:T ships, the Wasp is just about ready for prototyping. I should be able to post new CAD renders on the SFSW blog in a day or three.

*Though not on the SFSW website, many of these are viewable at two of the bigger fan Battletech sites. Look for user Justicar. I’d rather not say more than that right now.

Thanks for the interest.

BTW, when will the ‘mech be back in stock :-)

It’s a similar situation here. The game is designed for, and plays wonderfully, with the tilt blocks and box minis that come in the basic boxset. Some people may decide they just prefer pushing metal around the table and will get the gaming miniatures, even if that’s an after-market cost.

Then there’s me, and I know I’m not alone. I realize not everyone else does, but I really like the look of these ships. I also like the existing pewter minis, but it’s like asking if I prefer Fleet Action or Full Size for my Babylon 5 ships. FA is more portable, costs less, easier for large games, etc., but the larger FS ships just allow for a whole new level of detail to be added. Same thing here: I thought there were a lot of cool things I could do with a larger scale. And if I’m doing the classic one-on-one starship duel then I want some big, beautiful models on the table.

They’ll have enough detail to be display models, but they’ll also work fine for gaming. Hope my long-winded answer helps.

Thanks for clearing that up.

First, any pricing info currently up isn’t exactly binding.

That said, comparing my efforts here to traditional pewter gaming figures is entirely inaccurate. These are multi-part resin model kits, suitable for display on your desk. The kits are currently slated to include photo-etched parts, brass foil and decals.

Yes, they’ll work fine as gaming models.

Other things to consider are all related to economics. This market is a niche within a niche within a niche (resin -> hard sci-fi -> starships). Volume is low enough that economy of scale doesn’t even begin to surface, yet the start-up costs are the same. They’re made by hand in the U.S., not overseas by the lowest bidder (and if I had the resources and sales potentials I would go that route as well). They’re also tactical level, not fleet level, which further decreases potential sales.

IIRC, the only kit that will feature multiple ships will be the DiGleria, which comes with a pair of Yorks. Yes, I anticipate the price of that kit coming down. The pre-orders page at Ad Astra is specifically and only for the smaller metal gaming miniatures.

The only thing that I will ask is that judgment is reserved until the finished product is ready. As for when that will be… I hope to grow the Wasp and Rafik prototypes within the next two weeks.

The pre-order page at Ad Astra Games
http://adastragames.com/WordPress2/?p=10

shows three of each vessel.

The Skunkwerks site also mentions that the prices are estimates only.

So while I may covet the ships of NinjaMagic, SkunkWerks, etc - at this point in my “miniature game lifecycle” I’m all about bang-for-the-buck and the utility I get out of something for my dollar.

Sad really.

Ninja Magic had the same issues. More parts means a higher end cost for the figure.

Not that I’m bashing the quality of sculpts or anything. I feel NinjaMagic has some of the best looking ships out there, and judging by the quality of that mecha on SkunkWerks site I’m sure their ships will be top notch. But whew - that’s a lot of cash!