Monday, March 30, 2009

Odyssey Slipways: Class 3 Star Wars Vessels

All the Odyssey Slipways are resin kits from Altoona, PA, USA. Chris the purveyor is available at OdysseySlipways@aol.com, and is a very nice fellow to chat with should you be crazy about model making!

I got mine from Starship Modeller, from whom I get excellent customer service and fast delivery: http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/

Resin Kits. These are softer than plastic, yet brittle enough to break. I strongly advise using care when making the models and playing with them on the table-top.

Flash/Mold Lines. All had flash and mold lines, some of which could be ignored and some of which couldn't. It especially likes to occur in the little nooks of the ventral fin, engine areas, etc. This I carefully removed with a new Exacto-Blade (careful b/c the model is fragile, and b/c the blade is sharp!) and a fine file. Most of the parts were not precise fits and needed some careful sanding and shaping.

NEBULON B [EF76 Escort Frigate].These three models are pictured in the top right of the photo above. This frigate appears in SW V: The Empire Strikes Back in a medical version, and Luke Skywalker receives his new hand there while the Millenium Falcon is docked there as Lando and Chewie plan to leave and save Han Solo. The ventral fin descending from the bow of the ship provides a frame upon which various systems are located, including pods for the bridge, sensory and weapons arrays. The large bulbous top are actually tanks for water, etc. The smaller section in the stern houses the engines.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/EF76_Nebulon-B_escort_frigate
In WoC SB: These ships would both come under the heading of the "Rebel Cruiser" 9/60. If you wanted to follow the B-2 entry in Wiki, you might alter the stats a bit.

NEBULON B-2. These two models are pictured in the top left corner of the photo. You get two ships for $12.50. These makes it a worse deal than the three for same price in the B version. They are identical in size, with the only difference is that the B-2 has the forward ventral fin split into two, an inverted V shape. This doesn't seem to justify the extra price. http://www.starshipmodeler.biz/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1112
These resin ships are nicely done, with plenty of details. They are pretty small, at only 3.5cm long, which makes them correct for thier 1/10,000 scale of approx 250-300m length. The details and history of this ship are found here:
But basically it is a variation on the Nebulon-B frigate. The bits did not fit together precisely, and I spent about an hour on each ship doing a little cutting and filing to get the bits to fit well. The weakest aspect of the kit is the spar that connects the fore and aft portions of the ship. It's a bit small (or the holes are a bit large) making for a loose fit. This made it very difficult to get the entire ship aligned 'straight'. I recommend green stuff to tighten the fit and pull it together. NOTE: The static discharge vanes are not pictured on the B-2 in Wiki, but could certainly be put on anyway. More importantly, Wiki shows that the engine section is inverted compared to the B! This is not shown correctly on the model's assembly diagram. I advise checking Wiki to get an 'historical' assembly correct.

Corellian Gunship [DP20 Frigate]. These small, simple models are about 1.5cm long, the correct size for a 150m vessel in 1/10,000. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/DP20_frigate
These are 1-piece and aside from the flash were easy to clean up. The four are pictured in the bottom left of the above photo.
In WoC SB: These ships according to Wiki were used as gun platforms, boasting 8 Turbolasers and 6 Laser Cannons with 120 Concussion Missiles in 4 launchers. This would put in somewhere in the performance range of a good Class 3 fighting vessel like Slave I 42/60, or Imperial Shuttle 39/60. If you wanted to follow the B-2 entry in Wiki, you might alter the stats a bit, removing "Bounty HUnter", "Proton Torpedoes" and Tractor Beams" from Slave I, or upgrading the Imperial Shuttle with Concussion Missiles and better blasters for around +2 pts. It's around the same size as the CR90.

Carrier Corvette [CR90 Corvette]. Same comments as the DP-20 above. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/CR90_corvette The four are pictured in the bottom row, second from left next to the DP20s. These are $10/4 and a good deal I think, same as the gunships above.
In WoC SB: You could arm this like a Tantive IV with Fighter 1 and a Tractor Beam.

NOTE: The Tantive IV CR90 Corvette from the opening sequence of SW I: A New Hope is made by OS. None were available when I ordered, they are titled "Blockade Runner" at the usual 4/$10 price as above. It is the same wiki entry, altho there is aone just for the Tantive IV, too.
Carrack Cruiser [Carrack Lt. Cruiser or Gunship]. These stubby models are one piece, and $10/2. They suffer from the usual mold lines and some flash, and have a hole in the tip that needs to be filled. They make a nice addition to the table and add a little variety. They are in scale at 3.5cm. They are pictured bottom row second from right. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Carrack-class_light_cruiser
In WoC SB: These would be about the same as the Rebel Cruiser 9/60.

Lancer Frigate. As the Carrack above, this is one piece with some flash issues. It also has a gap at the front tip, an air bubble perhaps. These are $10/3 and a reasonable price. They're pictured at the bottom left. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lancer_Frigate
In WoC SB: Their specialty was anti-fighter duty, and their stats might match the Rebel Transport 10/60.

Class 3 Ships Arrive in Fleetworks!

My fleetworks has several Class 3 [C3] ships that have arrived [note: all Star Wars references are in WoC "Starfleet Battles" terms unless stated otherwise - Class 1 is Star Destroyer II class, Class 2 is Star Destroyer I, C3 are all mid-range ships from the Millenium Falcon to the larger freighters, and C4 are starfighters like the X-wing].




The Millenium Falcon is approx 1.3x1.6 cm in size, and is 1:5000 scale. I obtained mine from Studio Bergstrom for the whopping price of $1.70! http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Meteor/4155/thumbs/orderform.html

It is nicely detailed white metal, very solid and durable. I would rate this ship as a 9/10, deducting '1' for the underside not being very detailed. This seems purposeful, not sloppy, as it's meant to be looked at from above. The sides are fully detailed, however. I STRONGLY recommend purchasing this piece for your SW fleet. At this price, anyone who wants to play more 'in scale' with their WoC fleets must have it!

Welcome to 3066, Admiral!

Fleet Admiral 3066 [FA3066]is the working title for a set of miniature rules for massed space combat. It will place the player in the Admiral's Chair, maneuvering squadrons of fighters and capital ships into fleet actions. While single ships will be represented, the idea is to keep the player in the Admiral's chair, not the captain's or pilot's.

FA3066 will accomodate any set of space ship combat rules. For instance, you could fight a battle using the Babylon 5 combat rules by Mongoose Publishing, "A Call To Arms" [ACTA] or use the Star Wars combat rules by Wizards of the Coast "Starfleet Battles" [SB]. Since I have both, and am a fan of both, I'll be using them as prototypes for FA3066, demonstrating how they can be respresented into the rules.

FA3066 will also have its own rules for space ship creation, fleet organization, and ship-to-ship combat. This will be a secondary priority, however.

This site will also feature occasional posts concerning the collection of my fleets, painting, reviews, etc.

If you are interested in being a playtester for these rules, please contact me.