Transformers Rules creation

I decided to try and create my own simple set of rules to use with my Transformer creations. These will be based around using a D12. Hopefully these will be nice and simple so I can game with my little lad. However, the main emphasis will be trying to capture the feel of the early cartoon and it's characters. Xenos Rampant was just a bit too brutal for the setting. 

I'm planning on using a kind of attrition level game, where figures aren't removed, their units take damage until they finally retire.

This attrition idea better suits the character of the setting. Also each unit will have a couple of abilities they can perform in either attack or defense. They can only use these skills once per game, so they won't have a limitless supply. Examples of these skills might be a force field generator for defense. This allows three D12s to be rolled, a score of 5 will take away an enemy's hit. Another might be Cluster missiles that add two extra D12 to the attackers dice roll.

Very early days at the moment but I'm quite excited about having a go at it.

Now I have some energy back in my batteries for the genre I can get crafting again. 

This tiny bot above has wheels that are cut from a N scale car. Nothing says Autobot better than wheels sticking out somewhere.

These tiny tiny Bubblebee models are the perfect size for crafting cassette bots. These will be rejected from larger bots and can form a scouting screen. This screen will stop all enemy fire on the parent unit giving it cover to perform tasks unheeded.

The parent unit to these two is Sound wave. A rubber keyring was used as a start, but I had to create his iconic gun. In the toy, his gun is made from one of the batteries for his cassette player. So I had to find something that matched the size of his shoulder gun, which is the other battery. Luckily, I found a missile toy in my bit box that fitted the task. A bit of Lego was used to create the end piece.

I do love cutting up tiny bits of plasticard and creating new characters. The chest is made from a GW tank track link. These were perfect for the shape and adding some detail.

It's also great fun to create new characters, this tiny chap could be an Autobot Microbot, It all depends on the paint palette.

I can't wait to get some paint on these tiny terrors. 

It can be a bit disheartening to see 3D prints of all these characters in various poses. 3D printing is great, but if you haven't got a printer you have to get creative. The crafting of these childhood characters is as much fun as painting them I think. Yes, they are not as good as a tiny 3D print but I think they have more soul...if that makes sense.

 
           

"Ratbat eject!"

UPDATE: The micro bots have been painted now and await further orders.

Rumble, funny enough just a slight angle of the head gives him so much more character.

I managed to find a pack of three resin robots on eBay that make for good micro bots. They are also nice in the fact that they are not humanoid.

Frenzy and Rumble.

I've called this one Bolt Bug. I used a clear brush bristle to make it hover.

This little fella is called Blaze, must be some fire fighting expert.

Road Rat and Dino mite.

"When on Decepticon tuft you happen to tumble,

Lookout robot, cos here comes Rumble!"

The gang.

This little racer dude I called Sidekick.

Cybertron 28mm

I spotted this set of cheap prints off eBay and thought they would be good for the Cybertron project. They were about £21 for four buildings which I thought was quite reasonable. I was pleased to see they were bigger than I thought and will offer some good cover on the battlefield.

I didn't want to spend too long on them so the painting was quick and easy. I started by spraying the building in a purple undercoat. After this I drybrushed with various GW paints to create highlights. Finally a brown wash was put all over the models.

I later wiped off a lot of the wash with a damp cloth, this created some nice contrast in the hue of the models. This allowed some of the bright colours to shine through the wash and created a more interesting finished piece.

Finally, I used a silver Sharpie pen to create some worn metal edges on some of the corners. This just added a bit of contrast to the purple panelling.
 

These extra pieces certainly helps to set the mood for the Cybertron project. I will continue to keep an eye out for cheap terrain for the heavy metal war.

Update: After the success of these buildings I thought I'd order some similar designs.

These are much taller than the buildings and give off an excellent Cybertron vibe.  I did try to save money in buying hot wheels toy bases for scenery, but you can't beat these 3D prints.

They are a nice scale too with the figures.

Okay, so now they have some base paint on them, it's time for the wash. My plan is to let this dry then wipe it off with a damp cloth. It worked well for the houses so I thought I'd do it again on these bigger structures.

While the wash was out, this barn roof got a coat as well. It looked much better for it too.

Here we see the wash rubbed off slightly with a damp cloth creating a weathered look. The Matt varnish really changes the colours of the models. This is something I learnt from doing the houses earlier. Lots of different hues come through creating a more interesting colour scheme.