Maelstrom.

<< The Mech >>

 

“Maelstrom 521”, a mech size 12 unit for the O.A.S.F.
Tiamat (24500), by Reaper Miniatures.
Height: 52mm.

  
<< Prep >>

• Parts washed.
• Flash removed/mold lines filed down.
• Joints were drilled and pinned for final assembly after the majority of painting was completed.
• Mounted the legs on a 29mm hex cut from 1/8” MDF.
• The top of the base was spackled with light-weight, dry joint compound, and filed smooth after drying.

<< Painting >>

• Masked the joint areas with tape or poster tac.
• Everything primed grey.
• Neutral grey – primary structures.
• Sky grey – secondary structures.
• Red - front hex edge of base.
• Black - back hex edge of base and sensor blister.
• Earth – rest of base.
• White – ID number on back hex edge of base.

Once most of the painting was finished, the tape and poster tac masking the joints were removed, the mech was assembled, and touch-up paint applied as needed. 

Decided the decals (white stars and vehicle numbers from I-94 Enterprises) were going to be placed on the top of the torso and the front of the legs, so some clear enamel was painted on those spots. This gave a good base for the decals to set against. Think of it as a surface being primed before painting. After the enamel dried, the water-slide decals were carefully cut, soaked in water, and then applied. Another layer of clear enamel was painted over the decals once they were dry to lock them in. 

After everything was dry, the entire miniature was dipped in 1:12 minwax ebony to clear polyurethane mix. Once dry, clumps of green and olive foliage were glued with PVA (white glue) directly to the base, then a mix of fine flock to cover the rest of it – made sure to have kept the edges of the base clear. A couple light sprays of clear matt sealer took the edge off the dip’s gloss and sealed in the flocking.

<< De-blistering >>

 
Tiamat (24500), part of the CAV: Strike Operations range available from Reaper Miniatures. 

What you get: 2 pieces – legs and torso. The waist is pegged, but protrusions from both the torso and the legs limits options for rotation. Both parts were drilled and pinned together to strengthen the model's joint for tabletop use.

Originally by Talon Games, now produced by Reaper Miniatures, and currently being released as part of Reaper’s 3^rd edition CAV: Strike Operations. The miniatures are scaled for 10mm, not the more common 6mm/1:300/1:285, but works fine for a top end of the scale large mech.

<< Meka Tac – GSRE >>

Stat sheet for play on an open table with terrain.
The weapon ranges are in inches.
Designed to print on 4” x 6” or 3” x 5” index card. 

The “Maelstrom” was a large siege/fire mecha that was more often defending O.A.S.F. (a.k.a. “White Star” forces) installations than out in the field. It could rain death and destruction upon its foes – for about three turns of continuous fire. Admittedly, the possible 68d10 of damage over those three turns was impressive, especially considering its mix of artificial intelligence (AI) +1 bonus to the attack roll (+1 TH) and high explosive (HE) with an area effect of a 3” blast radius (3” AE) missiles, with ranges starting at 36”. The 12 separate missile launchers allowed pilots to laugh at weapon hit criticals, and the 120 mech hits aided survivability. Like the Python, once the ordinance was expended, it might as well have called it a day and walked off the field for a cold one - though not very quickly with its meager 6 move points.

<< Links >> 

ReaperMiniatures Robot Supply Depot – Mecha figures.

I-94 Enterprises – Decals.

The current version of Meka Tac – Giant Stompy Robots Edition game is available IN THE DOWNLOADS SECTION, of the GIANT STOMPY ROBOTS section of rivetsandsteam.com as well as PDFs of all the cards and counters, quick reference sheets (QRS) and other resources. And, yes, it’s FREE!
 

A portion of the Giant Stompy Robots Forum has been set aside for discussing Meka Tac! Please stop by and post your questions, after action reports, and photos of your games!

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