Coming soon: "Retro Raygun" tabletop mini game (Video)

I've long been a fan of Hydra Miniatures retro space figures--I've got several of their space ranger-y dudes. I even ordered a bunch of their War Rocket spaceships from the Source (say, that order never did come in...). That game has it's own rulebook for staging rocket-and-saucer style space battles a la Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers. They're a smaller shop, who's work cannot be celebrated enough.

Earlier this month, they've announced their next tabletop game--a set of rules to go along with their character miniatures line. Here's a video preview:



So it sounds like the game will be more of a goal-oriented adventures, not so much "this army vs. that army" which sounds like a lot more fun to me.

While I wish there was a separate blog post to link to, they've put up an update on their main webpage (so this will be outdated as soon as they put up a new one). But you should go there now while you can and see the book layouts they've posted, plus a bunch of new mini designs.

Here's a few of their current Retro Raygun figure offerings:

Good, old-fashioned space pulp fun! Check out their full range of Retro Raygun miniatures.

UPDATE: Retro Raygun: Action Adventure in the Atomic Age is now available! 

Galaxy Laser Team makes everything gonzo!

I've had several people ask me where I got the green figures that made an appearance at Saturday Night Space Opera last week. The answer is: The Internet!

Okay fine, it was Amazon. Seems like just about everyone remembers seeing those figures, but not recalling where. "When" is always "when I was a kid" which if you're like me, was in the 80s.

The line is called Galaxy Laser Team, though they also go went by "Star Patrol". Tim Mee Toys is the name of the company that's recently brought them back into production, and boy are they doing a stellar job!

The exact set we had on game night were these fellas, the jumbo set:

Back in the day, Processed Plastics was the manufacturer, but a few years ago they closed and sold off the molds (is my understanding anyway). Tim Mee has been reproducing the sets, including this jumbo set which was also produced years ago. If you're thinking that the sculpts look strangely like other popular scifi characters, you aren't wrong. GLT were expeditiously brought to market following that one 70s space opera with that big hairy dude and that short, boisterous robot.

Unfortunately, they're only able to recreate what was originally produced back then. The female space commander at the computer console and the cool "x-fighter" were never previously made as jumbo figures---so no current ones exist either.

I've inquired as to whether these will ever get made or if NEW figures could be designed and released in the same aesthetic as the originals (like say, a female figure with a ray gun, more spaceships, playsets, etc.). The response was along the lines of "we hope so," which I think translates into "we'd love to, but these have to sell well enough to allow us to do that."

So in hopes of someday seeing NEW Galaxy Laser Team members.....

WHERE TO BUY GALAXY LASER TEAM TOYS
You can find them on Amazon for a reasonable price, the regular figures come in packs of 50.

• Blue/Green set
• Red/Orange set
• Jumbo Green set (no female or x-fighter figures)

....and if you wanted to make your space adventures Gonzo-to-the-MAX, there's also these sets:


That's a lot of funky fantasy dudes in yoga pants!

• Cavemen (Prehistoric Warriors)
• Dinosaurs (These are not in scale with other figures, but make for good smaller monsters, pets, etc.)
• Legendary Battle (sort of fantasy meets superheroes)
• Frontiersmen (Daaaaavy, Davey Crocket, king of the wild frontier!)
• Cowboys and Indians (Self explanatory)
• Army Men (Light and dark green)
• Battle Mountain Playset (This thing is awesome! And it looks like it would work for a wide range of other minis)

BONUS: If you're REALLY inclined to ask for more far-out space and fantasy figures, go "Like" the GLT's Facebook page and tell them how awesome they are/send them a message!

I have several vintage figures from the Galaxy Laser Team, so it was inevitable that they'd find their way to guest appearances here on Exonauts. The Space Yeti inspired a whole alien race I wrote up for X-plorers. I've a fondness for the old-fashioned static-pose, plastic figures of my kidhood. I'm sure you'll see more them here in the future.


To be continued...
A few weeks ago, the jumbo figs were on sale and I acquired several extra sets to use as prizes for some future fun activity. Haven't decided yet if they'll be awarded at a forthcoming Saturday Night Space Opera or part of that world-building blogging event I'd still like to do. Stay tuned!

Tantive IV for X-Wing Miniatures game is drool bait

JUST LOOK AT THOSE BOOSTERS!

 

 

This, my fellow space hounds, is one fine looking miniature, from hometown game gurus, Fantasy Flight Games. I haven't even cracked open the X-Wing basic sets I picked up on clearance. It's just...so unfair. This baby will cost you a cool $89.95 at retail. I'm sure you could pick up cheaper, but why treat a refined lady like the Tantive like that?

Lookit all the goodies!

The Tantive has long been my favorite ship from the first Star Wars film. Yeah, the Falcon is the heart of the trilogy. Yes, X-Wings are awesome. But I'll take a Corellian Corvette over all of them, any day.

I've got several versions of it, including several Micro Machine renditions (Remember those? Perfect for gaming...) the hand-sized Action Fleet version and the big mama-jama--the electronic model from Hasbro. I've also got an unfinished Lego version I hope to tidy up one day when I finally clear a path to the work bench in the basement. I'm still holding out hope that Hasbro will make a BIG version in scale with the 3 3/4" basic figures. I have no idea where will put it. I suppose hanging it above our bed will likely annoy the missus. Pity.

FFG has really outdone themselves with this one. Some excerpted game specs, from their website:

Designed for use in the game’s Cinematic Play and Epic Play formats, this eye-catching starship also comes with rules for using “energy” to power its shields, turbolasers, and unique abilities; a huge range ruler that allows the CR90 corvette to fire against enemies as distant as Range “5,” and all the tokens and templates you need to bring this starship to life on your tabletop. Furthermore, the expansion includes a set of six new missions for Cinematic Play that can be woven together to form a compelling campaign, and you’ll also find twenty-four upgrade cards, many of which can also be used in the game’s Standard Play format.

...and...

• The CR90‘s primary weapon and most of its offensive potential are associated with its fore section, which also happens to be able to perform the target lock action.
• The recover action associated with the CR90’s aft section allows you to spend all the ship’s stored energy to regain a number of shields equal to the energy spent, possibly taking your corvette from zero shields back to full.
• The CR90 is divided into two sections, fore and aft, and if you take the Reinforce action, you can reinforce one of those sections, adding an evade result to all defense results against attacks directed at that section until the end of the round.
• With its coordinate action, the fore section of the CR90 can grant a free action to any friendly ship within Range 1–2. However, if your CR90 happens to be Dodonna’s Pride, your coordinate action can be applied to two friendly ships within Range 1–2

The two section business is really interesting. I wonder if they'll do an Imperial ship as well. A Star Destroyer is likely too big an undertaking, but a capital ship broadsides battle would be magnificent. Still, this size is perfect for a TIE raid on an X-Wing escort. Seems like it would be a lot of fun. Or just staring at it. On my desk. For hours.

• Fantasy Flight Games: Rebel Blockade Runner
• Via Battlegrip.com

X-Wing on clearance!

Space gamers take note! Picked up a couple of these Star Wars X-Wing game sets from Fantasy Flight Games for half price at Target. (Get 'em while you can!)

For $20 you get three ships, game board pieces, dice, and more--which is pretty sweet when you consider expansion pack sets typically contain only one ship plus a few game pieces and run about $15 each.

Looking forward to breaking these out in 2014!

Fleischer Superman toons now online!

They've been in the public domain for years (and consequently in dozens of DVD compliations) but Warner Bros. has uploaded the classic Superman cartoons from Fleischer Studios.

In my totally unprofessional opinion, these are among the very best early animations of ol' Supes, bringing together the best of the early rotoscope animation style with the classic wonder of the Golden Age. There's no time-defying Kryptonian to wind back the clock by circling the Earth here--just a guy leaping tall buildings in a single bound (okay, he does fly a bit). Oh, and tearing the shiznit out of some robots!

I've stuck with a properly themed sci-fi episode, Mechanical Monsters, which later went on to inspire some even BIGGER automatons in movies like the Iron Giant and Sky Captain: World of Tomorrow.

Check out the full list of the Fleischer toons at Cartoon Brew.

Incidently, Hydra Miniatures has some excellent "warbots" that look like good stand-ins for Iron-Sky-Fleisher-bots!

VICTORY at my FLGS: Pulp sci-fi returns!

So about month or so ago I started pestering my friendly local game store, The Source: Comics and Games to pick up X-plorers. To be fair, it was seemingly pre-destined to arrive there since they were already receiving shipments from the same distributor that Brave Halfling (the publisher) uses.

So while the game was on it's way, they didn't really have any retro-lookin' pulpy, science fiction minis to go with it, save for--literally a handfull--of Reaper minis that look like everything else TOO MODERN.

So I bugged them and bugged them and bugged them and bugged them and bugged them and bugged them bugged them and bugged them and professed my undying love and fandom and bugged them and bugged them and bugged and bugged them and sent them flowers and bugged them and bugged them and bugged them and....sent an email to the owner....aaaaaand...

LO and behold they set up an account with Hydra Miniatures so ANYONE in the Twin Cities (ostensibly running a retro-flavored sci-fi campaign) can pick up some of these bad boys (and girls.... and robots....and aliens....):

I've LONG pined for these guys to be available from a local retailer. So this is a really a dream come true in a sense. 

Now that there's more than one flavor of sci-fi mini available locally (as opposed to the hordes of Reaper minis taking over the walls at every game store in the area) this points to a very real possibility of me organizing an X-plorers campaign at the Source, hopefully before the end of the year.

Heck, I might even pick up a copy of War Rocket, their sci-fi spaceship combat game to supe-up the starship battles in X-plorers (which are quite light, quick, and easy, but don't include rules for things like ramming enemies, like WR does). 

If you live in the area and want these babies, check out Hydra's site and then give the Source a call and order. It'd be GREAT if they saw the potential behind this kind of game and started stocking the shelves with them!

P.S. All copies of X-plorers had sold out last week when I was there, but I'm told more are on the way. If that $12.95 is burning a hole in your space suit, order one direct from Brave Halfling.

All images are from Hydra Miniatures website. Show them some love and buy thousands of dollars of tiny space fleets and space Valkyries and live long and prosper!

Thark Thursday: Bronze Age Miniatures

Thought it'd be nice to see some sculptural interpretations of our favorite four-armed friends. Lead sculptor David Soderquist at Bronze Age Miniatures has crafted some mightily impressive Barsoomians (or their nearest stand-ins as they're called "wasteland mutants" on the site). These are among, if not the, best Thark minis I've come across.

I own a few of these myself and they're just wonderful. They stand taller than normal minis being cast in 32mm scale--don't ask me if that's true to the source material, I'm not a good enough judge of that. But I can say that your average 25-28mm is going to look pretty shrimpy next to these dudes.

Following are some superbly painted figs that show off the detail and extraordinary musculature of the sculpts:

Love the hands on this guy 

He's got several mounted ones as well, including this sentry-like fellow 

This one's painted to be a Jeddak, who can only be Tars Tarkas