Sasquatch. Bigger. Stompier.

<< The Mech >>

 

“Sasquatch N7”, a mech size 12 unit for the A.F.N. 

Height: 52mm. 

<< Prep & Painting >> 

Parts were washed, flash removed/mold lines filed down, then 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 then spackled with light-weight, dry joint compound, and filed smooth after drying.

After masking the joint areas with tape or poster tac, the various bits were primed white, then painted khaki grey for primary structures, sand for secondaries, German grey for weapons, red for the missiles, and black for sensor blister, inside the missile launchers, and trim – the traditional A.F.N. color scheme. Yep, going for that ‘80’s, old school anime look. The base was painted earth, with red for the front hex edge, and black for the back. The ID number on the back of the base was done with white. At this point, the tape and poster tac masking the joints were removed, the mech was assembled, and touch-up paint applied as needed.

Decided the decals (black stars and vehicle numbers from I-94 Enterprises) were going to be placed on the front shoulders and side of the calves, 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, dipped the entire miniature 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 >>

 
Centurion (24570), part of the CAV: Strike Operations range available from Reaper Miniatures.

What you get: four pieces of the torso, L/R arms, and legs variety. The waist and arms are pegged, but, other than swiveling the torso, you’re not going to get a dynamic pose. I drilled and pegged all the parts to strengthen joints for tabletop use. Just a straightforward build. 

A Reaper Miniatures product, and currently available 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 it’s not an issue for me. The sculpt is excellent; Reaper succeeds again.

 << Meka Tac – GSRE >>
 

 

Stat sheet for play on an open table with terrain. 

The weapon ranges are in inches. 

Designed to print on a 4” x 6”or a 3” x 5” index card.

The “Sasquatch” was a large attack/fire mecha. The enhanced engines helped it to move faster than many mechs its size, but still slower than most medium-sized mechs. The long-range weapons packed sufficient punch to inflict critical hits nearly 50% of the time, but ammunition was a real concern. The missile launchers would run dry after a few turns of use, so most pilots used them frugally to unleash waves of destruction upon their foes at just the right time – usually at half-range (a +1 to hit roll modifier). The rail cannons shared ammo carrier allowed on the fly selection of ammo types, and the 120 mech hits soaked up a lot of damage. All weapons could be loaded with other ammo types, but the A.F.N. (a.k.a. “Black Star” forces) preferred the AI loads which granted a +1 on to-hit rolls, and high explosive (HE) with an area effect of a 3” blast radius (3” AE) in the rail cannon shared ammo carrier should the enemy oblige to group tightly together. 

<< Links >> 

Reaper Miniatures 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 portion 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 Giant Stompy Robots Forum (a parallel development) 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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