N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 4 - All aboard for Upper Carrom

Documenting my journey into model railways.

It's high time that this layout got a name and it seems appropriate to call it Upper Carrom as it is quite literally above the Carrom Table.

Of course it wouldn't be a real railway station if it didn't have a railway station sign.  There are plenty of places you can download but I wanted to model one myself and the technique I used to make my badges and the famous Okey Dokey sign is a great fit for what is a very simple design. 

Use The GIMP

I have been a GIMP user for many years ever since Photoshop 5 and it is an awesome free alternative.  Yes it has it's quirks but once you get used to them it's pretty much plain sailing and has everything I need in a bitmap image manipulator / Photo editor.

On a transparent layer floating above the white background layer, I added the station name using the text tool making sure that this was 100% black.

The basic name plaque lozenge shape is easy to create using the circle and rectangular select tools to create shapes on seperate layers filled with 100% opacity black.  These were then merged together to create a single "half" which could be duplicated and flipped and then merged to create the whole lozenge.

The middle lozenge was just a repeat of the steps above.  Do not merge the full width lozenges together at this stage.  You shouls have 4 layers (from top down) Text, text lozenge, middle lozenge and finally the white background.  Hide the text layer temporarily.

For each of the lozenges, select the black area and use the select > shrink command to reduce the selection to an appropriate size then fill this with white.  Merge Down the sign lozenge onto the middle lozenge to create a single lozenge layer 

Unhide the text layer.  You should now have a black and white railway sign.  Export this for Tinkercad as a png no larger than 1000px wide.

Finally select in the lozenge layer select everything outside the lozenge using the fuzzy select tool, invert the selection and create a new layer above the white background fill this with black.  Turn off the layers above and export to png.

In Convertio

Convertio.co is a fantastic free web based converter tool.  Just upload the two png files and convert these to SVG.

In Tinkercad

Import each of SVG files you have just created as "Art".  Modify the height of the text layer so that the text and the border of the sign protrude protrudes out of the background.

Export your model as an STL for 3D Printing.  Import this into your slicer (it will be big) and scale to your needs. 

Obligatory Running Video

The first running of the newest addition to the ready-to-run rolling stock collection, a cheap aliexpress Canadian Government grain wagon... it's on loan okay. 

N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 3 - Loops, Points and Elevation

Documenting my journey into model railways.

As I mentioned in the first episode of this series, my wishlist includes 3 loops of track which requires a significant number of points if one is to return a train to any one of the loops.

The largest radius I can realistically run on this board without the whole layout  turning into a helix is going to be 12".  I printed out some tracksetta style gauges to help me lay the random collection of secondhand flexitrack.  I also made a rudimentary  curve compass out of a strip of hardboard to help scribe the radii on the baseboard and also to cut sections of track bed which will be elevated.

Where we're going we don't need... plans

I am not following any plan with this layout.  It's a case of design on the fly based on what track I can scrounge together.  In fact the layout has changed and will continue to change based on the age old philosophy of do I really need 11 sets of points!!

At this very moment the plan looks something like this:

Notice the addition of the first scenic items in the form of the viaduct fascias.  All will b e revealed in the fullness of time or when the 3D Printer has finished printing them off.

3 Continuous Running Loops

What is the point of a coffee table layout if it doesn't have continuous running.  My 3 Loops are loosely defined as follows:

Loop 1 (Purple) - A 9" radius (1st radius?) with the smallest points I have turning this into an oval.  I could really do with replacing these points for a matched pair of 1st radius curved points so that I can properly form the fiddle yard.  At the moment I am not confident that the southern tank engine can make a tighter radius curve.  Fingers crossed I can get the little black shunter working as it has a set of tiny little wheels in an 0-6-0 configuration.  Being a diecast body it's got some weight to it unlike the Southern which is made of plastic. 

Loop 2 (Green) - A mix of radii from 10" to 12" and traverses the entire layout from the staging area at the bottom up the left side and into a tunnel which runs underneath the viaduct and then emerges on the right side of the layout.  This is essentially a branch line and will be running a mix of small 4 wheel coaches (when I buy or make them) and goods wagons.  This will be the preserve of the Southern Tank Engine unless something better comes along.

Loop 3 (Yellow) - The largest loop (but not by much) and is a squared off 12" radius circle.  It takes you all around the layout rising on the left to the viaduct and falling back down on the right to rejoin the staging area bottom left (blue).  I have tested the gradient with the only working loco I have and it can pull a full rake of 6 wagons weighed down with nuts and bolts.  This will be the main line and hopefully I will be able to run larger coaches and goods wagons with articulated bogies.

Power to the People

With all this going on and the potential of having 3 simultaneous running loops and accessories, I am going to need to get some more controllers and isolate each loop with those isolating fish plates all the cool kids use.  This of course is going to be a whole other ball game, but I am going to stay DC rather than go DCC as I just can't justify the complexity at this stage.  However, there is nothing to say I won't change my mind further down the line.

Talking about Tracks but specifically making a point about Points

There are a lot of joblot auctions on eBay for collections of track and it is somewhat daunting to a beginner to try to find exactly what you want to fit in a given space.  Flexitrack is your friend as you can essentially lay track from point to point.  Track is so goddam expensive and I'm trying to keep the cost to a minimum, I'm not a Rothschild you know (only when I'm Bunty), so I buy what looks right, even if in the end it might not be.  False economy I know.  Especially when you don't know that PIKO track is a completely different connection standard to PECO... fortunately this only cost me £10 to learn.

However, when we get down to the tight transitions between the curves I think I might need to bite the bullet and buy specific radii turnouts.  Wouldn't it be awesome if each manufacturer published a set of photocopiable templates of their set track and turnouts so you could literally try before you buy.  If you know of any please do pop a comment in the section below.

Points Theory

Finally, there is some points theory to consider (which I am also slowly learning) behind designing a three loop continuous running layout.  I will cover this in a future episode as it is driving me insane trying to visualise what I need to buy compared to what I want for the layout and my available space.

Obligatory Running Video

N Gauge Model Railway - Episode 2 - MDF uh huh uh huh!!

Documenting my journey into model railways.

If you read episode 1 of my carrom table layout build then you will have heard me rant about how the "big box" DIY stores in the UK have fully transformed into soft furnishings stores.  

What you probably don't realise is the markup is significant.  Two pieces of 12mm MDF required to make just my baseboard would have cost in excess of £32 leaving me to buy extra wood for the side panels.  However, a whole sheet of MDF custom cut to my requirements by an oldfashioned builders merchant was £40 and left me with so much extra from the full sheet that I have MDF coming out of my ears. 

Building my N Gauge Layout Baseboard

With all my wood precut to approximately the right size it was a fairly easy task to trim the panels to final size and screw together.  The whole structure sits neatly on top of the carrom table and can be lifted off in case carrom needs to be played.  The carrom tabletop is hinged to allow access to the storage bin below and this can still be operated with the layout sitting on top although any loose items like rolling stock will need to be removed first.

What did the Romans ever do for us... The Viaduct

This week also saw the addition of the first scenic item to the layout in the form of a viaduct.  I purchased the single track viaduct model by Crafty 3D from Cults3D  and threw it on the printer.  

Whilst this is a scenic item, adding this to the layout early on is crucial as it dictates the height of the elevated Loop 3.  Working out the exact gradient of the incline from base to viaduct is going to be a process of trail and error, but I would like a train to be able to pass from Loop 1 to Loop 2 and ultimately to Loop 3 and back again.

I will not be printing these viaducts en masse as my viaduct is also a front for the Loop 2 tunnel.  I don't fancy carving a hole through 8 or 9 of these bad boys, to say nothing of the wasteful use of resin in printing something just to cut it out.  The future is here, there is a better way...

My solution is to make these into removable fascias, allowing me to extricate any trains which may have derailed inside.  The plan is to print out a series of these fronts which can be linked together to form a long fascia.  The fascia will be magnetized to stick to a solid shelf which will carry the Loop 2 track and allow wide access for said emergency train extraction.

This is a fairly trivial task to open the STL in Meshmixer and use a plane cut to remove all the unwanted model leaving you with just a thin fascia.  Taking this approach is doubly advantageous as it also allows me to spread these fascias around a curve.

Small Businesses

The viaduct model also comes with a selection of arch inserts ranging from shop fronts to a warehouse.  These will of course be magnetised to allow for easy swapability and add a bit of variety to the layout.  

The exact nature of these businesses remains to be seen and will be covered in a future episode.

Obligatory Running Trains Video

To ensure that I keep up the momentum it is important for me to keep a section of the layout in running order.  The layout is in my front room and so it is everpresent and what good is a model railway if you can't play with it.

N Gauge Model Railway - Carrom Table Layout - Episode 1

Documenting my journey into model railways.

Coffe Table Layout (or should I say Carrom Table)

Those who know me in meatspace are aware of my passion for Carrom, the tabletop shuffleboard game played in most parts of the indian subcontinent.  I purchased a table a few years ago and converted into a coffee table.

This is the perfect base for my N gauge Layout and measures 32" square to the outside edge.

Starting with a Starter Set

I was lucky to snipe a Graham Farish 370-025 Tank Loco Starter Set from ebay for less than £80.  This was an absolute bargain and in great condition.  The set includes 8 pieces of settrack scribing a circle with the smallest 9" radius curve.

Also in the set came a 0-6-0 Southern Tank loco, 2 wagons and a brake van.  The loco will definitely be getting a paint treatment as it looks really quite plasticky and I think with the application of some black panels and some pin striping it will look much less like a toy.

I did also have a small collection of 3 wagons and a Minitrix 2f 0-6-0 Dock Tank Locomotive 47160 which I found in a charity shop for £3.  I hope to get that loco working again as I seem to have blown it up!!.

Building a Box

All the best layouts are enclosed with beautifully painted backdrops and so I designed my enclosure to be tall on 3 sides with a lower front section enabling easy access to rail locos and rolling stock and to get unfettered views of the layout.   

The sides also pull double duty creating a well so that the layout can be removed easily when that all important game of Carrom needs playing.  My design should allow for everything trainset related to move with the layout and also provide easy access to the underside of the layout where the wiring channels will be.

I tried to get some MDF for this project from my local B&Q and Homebase stores.  However, they seem to have stopped selling DIY materials in real world sizes and now appear to only sell Christmas decorations and pillows.  The struggle is real people.

I need the following boards:

• 1 x 32"x 32" (813mm x 813mm) 
• 3 x 33" x at least 6" (813mm x 153mm)
• 1 x 33" x at least 3"(813mm x 76.5mm)

I am designing much of this layout using my go-to 3d modelling software sketchup free and hope that this will be of great assistance when planning out the placement of tracks.

Layout Wishlist

32" square is not exactly a huge space, but I would like to try to get

• 1 x central small 9" radius loop with some internal shunting space
  
• 1 x middle larger 12" radius mainline loop which perhaps goes into a tunnel at the rear of the layout.
  
• 1 x outer elevated loop which climbs on the left drops down on the right and reconnects with the mainline at the front of the layout.

The elevated loop ios going to be most challenging as there will need to be a removable section so that any loco's going through the tunnel can be retrieved if they derail.

Carrom Table Layout Running Video

 

Mega City Block Upgrade - Arduino Nano MAX7219 Display

A while ago I built a Mega City One Miniature Cary Case for my Judge Dredd miniatures and it was always my intention to have some sort of digital display which I could display random "in game" messages and to send instructions to the players such as ROLL FOR INITIATIVE.

The Components

Arduino Uno / Arduino Nano

I'd been itching to mess around with an Arduino microcontroller for years but never had the courage to just dive in.  However, there are so many people on ebay and Aliexpress selling ridiculously cheap arduino kits that there really is no barrier to entry. 

I plumped for an Arduino Uno Rev 3 Starter Kit which included a breadboard, jumpers and a whole pack of additional resistors and what nots.

The goal here is to make a small form factor self contained device so migrating from the large Uno dev board is essential.  I ordered a random Nano board from Aliexpress before realising that they come in 3 varieties with different board to PC connectors.  the cheap one I had picked came with an old style mini USB B connector and no lead.  Fortunately I had an lead from an old digital camera to use in the meantime, but I quickly ordered a bunch of nanos with USB C connectors for this and other projects I have in mind.  

MAX7219 8x32 Dot Matrix Display

The perfect lo-fi display for this project is a MAX7219 LED 8x32 dot matrix display.  It's small enough to work as a standalone unit and can take its power from the Arduino itself.  I bought one from AliExpress for only a couple of pounds. 

Wiring the MAX7219

I grabbed a bunch of dupont wires (these are the handy dandy push pin connectors which you get in your arduino kit.  I chopped one end off each wire and soldered them to the MAX7219 pins:

• VCC - Purple - 5v
• GND - White - GND
• DIN - Black - Digital Pin 11
• CS - Blue - Digital Pin 10
• CLK - Grey - Digital Pin 13
  

Wiring the Button

The button is wired into:

• VCC - Red - 5v
• OUT - Orange - Digital Pin 7
• GND - Yellow - GND
  

Entering the The Matrix Code

A bit of googling discovered the perfect code in the form of MAX7219 Message Selector on the Arduino Forums by user groundFungus.  Some tweaking later and I had a bunch of messages which I could toggle through with the addition of a button push on PIN7

// Program to demonstrate the MD_Parola library
// button select canned messages
// MD_MAX72XX library can be found at https://github.com/MajicDesigns/MD_MAX72XX
// by groundFungus AKA c. goulding

#include 
#include 
#include 

const byte  buttonPin = 7;    // the pin that the pushbutton is attached to

// Define the number of devices we have in the chain and the hardware interface
// NOTE: These pin numbers will probably not work with your hardware and may
// need to be adapted
#define HARDWARE_TYPE MD_MAX72XX::FC16_HW
#define MAX_DEVICES 4

// Scrolling parameters
#define SPACE_IN      A5
#define DIRECTION_SET 8 // change the effect
#define INVERT_SET    9 // change the invert

#define CLK_PIN   13
#define DATA_PIN  11
#define CS_PIN    10

MD_Parola P = MD_Parola(HARDWARE_TYPE, CS_PIN, MAX_DEVICES);

// individual messages in strings
const char msg_1[] = "<< WEATHER ALERT>> RAIN IN 10 MIN <> SECTOR 237 RIOT IN PROGRESS <> HOTTIE DAWGS ARE GOOD TO EAT <> BE GOOD CITIZENS LITTERING IS A CRIME>>  ";
const char msg_2[] = "<> ROLL FOR INITIATIVE>>";
const char msg_3[] = "<> GET UGLY GET OTTO SUMPS OIL OF UGLY TODAY!! >>";
const char msg_4[] = "<> HEAVY TRAFFIC ON THE BIG MEG CHOOSE ALTERNATE ROUTES >>";
const char msg_5[] = "<> THIS AREA IS IN LOCKDOWN >>";
const char msg_6[] = "<> CLEAN UP CREWS IN TRANSIT >>";

// an array of pointers to the strings
char *messages[] = {msg_1, msg_2, msg_3, msg_4, msg_5, msg_6};
byte messageNum = sizeof(messages) / sizeof(messages[0]);

int buttonPushCounter = 0;   // counter for the number of button presses
int buttonState = 0;         // current state of the button
int lastButtonState = 0;     // previous state of the button

void setup(void)
{
   Serial.begin(115200);
   Serial.println("\nParola pick a message program\n");
   P.begin();
   pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT_PULLUP);
}

void loop(void)
{
   if (P.displayAnimate())  // time to show next frame?
   {
      P.displayText(messages[buttonPushCounter], PA_CENTER, 50, 3000, PA_SCROLL_LEFT, PA_SCROLL_UP);
   }
   checkButton();
}

void checkButton()
{

   static unsigned long timer = 0;
   unsigned long interval = 25;
   if (millis() - timer >= interval)
   {
      timer = millis();
      buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);
      // compare the buttonState to its previous state
      if (buttonState != lastButtonState)
      {
         if (buttonState == LOW)
         {
            // if the current state is LOW then the button
            // went from off to on:
            buttonPushCounter++;  // add one to counter
            // if counter over number of messages, reset the counter to message 0
            if (buttonPushCounter >= messageNum)
            {
               buttonPushCounter = 0;
            }
            //Serial.println(buttonPushCounter);
         }
      }
      lastButtonState = buttonState;
   }
}

Debugging the Code

Unfortunately this particular code only reads the button state at the end of each scroll.  This is where an interrupt is going to be necessary.  The arduino Uno and Nano boards that I have access to are only enabled for interrupts on digital pin 2s and 3 and will necessitate a bit of a rethink in the code 

MAX7219 Case - Thingiverse: Thing 6809712

No one wants to live in a run down cyberpunk world with exposed wires everywhere, so I needed a case for the display with enough depth to house the nano and the button which would switch modes.

I found a simple MAX7219 8x32 case on Thingiverse which I could easily embed magnets into to affix to the top or side of my Mega City Block Storage Case.  Sadly this did not fit my particular MAX7219 board as the pins came out sideways.  

This was easily fixed with a bit of modelling in Sketchup and if you need a case and have side exit pins feel free to download this from Thingiverse using the link above.

Jessie's Prints - Episode 48 - Judge Dredd Shuggy Table

This week, I are mostly been printing... A Shuggy Table!!

Shuggy Table - Thingiverse Thing:6804108

Those of you who aren't Judge Dredd fans (there can't be many of you), Shuggy is the futuristic equivalent of billiards (aka pool) which is a popular pastime among the permanently unemployed citizens of Mega City One.

15mm Shuggy Tables (5p coin for size comparison)

Tracing its origins back to the original 21st century ball and stick games, Shuggy is played on a table with 22 holes which are distributed around the surface atop small mounds.  The object of the game is to "pot" balls into the holes to score points.

A complete run down of the rules is provided by Judge Macus L Rowland in the Wally Squad briefing 041204-2103 also found on pages 50-51 of the Judge Dredd Companion.

This particular 22 hole variant of the game was scaled for use in the print-and-play boardgame Shuggy Hall Brawl published in Issue 11 of Warlock Magazine, but it can be easily scaled to suit the larger Judge Dredd Miniatures Game or the many variants of the Judge Dredd RPG

Jessie's Prints - Episode 47 - Nimbus the Goliath

This week, I are mostly been printing... A Nimbus!!

A birthday print for my clubmate Paul.  Sculpted using the heroforge app and then downloaded as an STL

The Heroforge Design

Paul got very creative using the heroforge and came up with this design.  The challenge for me was to try to print and then paint him without turning him another famous grey haired blue skinned chap... Papa Smurf.

It is also refreshing to have a render to paint from, relieving me from the complex task of designing a colour scheme.

Words of advice from a 3D Printing perspective

Whilst I love that heroforge exists there is a temptation for the wannabe designer to cram every facet of the mini with detail.  From a printer's perspective this is a bad thing.  Everything is possible when you have a $20,000 Selective Laser Sintering machine and you are making minis out of exotic materials like metal or resin powder.

However, when you are commissioning a print for an SLA printer you really need to consider how the model is going to be printed.  Typically this is going to be at 45 degrees on it's back as no one wants to be dealing with support material all over a character's face.

If you have sheathed swords or capes try to keep them close to the body so that they are supported rather than dangling in free space.  Don't go for the Michael Jackson pose where his cape is streaming out behind him in the wind as this will cause your printer do pull their hair out as they try to find somewhere to support the mini.  

Large volumes of cloth streaming out from behind a mini also mean that they have what I like to call a high "snapping moment" this is where there is a lot of resin supported only by one small section.  One false move or indelicate pick up and "click" there goes your cape leaving you to pray to the Glue Gods that it can be stuck back on again.

Merged Accessories and Paper Dolls

The other main gripe I have with Heroforge is that it is easy to model things that blend into one another.  For example, in the case of our boy Nimbus, his cape sprouts out of his pauldron and it is very difficult to tell where one piece starts and another ends.  

A real sculptor would understand that it would sit over top or underneath, a human form of collision detection, and appropriate sculpting would take place to remedy the situation.  Sadly this does not happen with Heroforge and there is no priority system in the software which detects these edge collisions and does something about it.  

It is effectively the digital version of the vintage Paper Doll toy.

Jessie's Prints - Episode 46 - Looot Insert Boxes

This week, I are mostly been printing... Looot Boxes!!

I am lucky to have a bevvy of machines to do my bidding and enable me to print in both style, Fused Desposition Modelling (FDM) and Stereolithography (SLA).  FDM is the perfect choice for projects like these boardgame organiser boxes.

Looot Insert - Thing 6661983    

This was a commissioned print for my colleague Stephen who is a mad keen boardgamer.  I used some Geetech Silk filament one of the cheapest I could get from Ali Express and I was blown away by the smooth texture.  

Definitely something I will look out for in the future.

 

OMG Another 5 Starblazer Comics

 

Yet more issues from my growing Starblazer collection

Starblazer #209 - The Ring of Gofannon - Through a nightmare of sorcery, Goll and his servant, Cutter follow the ancient maps of Gofannon in search of the legendary Ring.  Goll the warrior has to pit his fighting skills against all manner of unworldly creatures to merely survive and discover the truth.

Like every fantasy epic the ring of Gofannon is an archetypal quest to retrieve a magic ring and defeat a great evil descending upon the land.

Goll and Cutter must one by one overcome the trials and obstacles in their journey to find the legendary ring.  However, like every good Starblazer story there lies a twist in the tale, something unexpected which turns the story on its head.

The art for this story is great, simple when it needs to be and detailed when it needs to evoke a dense and rich background.  Very enjoyable and full of great one shot ideas for my own fantasy RPG stories. 

The cover art for this issue is a little bit uninspired.  However, this is what a fantasy story would look like if Sylvester Stallone was cast in the title role.

Starblazer #210 - Dragon Slayer - In a land overrun by evil, only one young boy had the courage and faith to seek out the warrior who could free the country from its sorcerous shadows - Dragon Slayer.., and he was 200 years old.

Another fantasy story, we must have hit the Conan the Barbarian vein in these recent issues.  The evil sorceror Drax has risen up and despite his magic waning he has enslaved the last of the Dragons Gorath to be his ultimate weapon and rule Pira IV unchallenged.

One brave villager and his son go against the wishes of the rest and vow to track down the legendary Dragonslayer who can free them from this cruel fate.  Sadly the villager is trapped by Drax and his son Bix must find the dragonslayer alone.

As ever we expect the Starblazer plot twist at the third act and this story doesn't dissapoint.  The final confrontation between Drax and the young lad Bix is a desperate but rewarding one.  The character of Bix is a shameless attempt at inserting the typical young reader into the story and it is very effective.  

I particularly liked the addition of the 6 legged scorpion tailed one eyed mini beholder creature which I will endeavour to write up a stat block for Savage Worlds and I will now forever call it a QERK!

Starblazer #211 - The Dream Machine - Kayn's the name, and finding people is my game.  Actually, I'm a private investigator, but I spent most of my trime trying to find enough creds to pay the rent.  Then one day I got a request for help... from a guy who'd been dead five years!

Kayn is back in another mystery chase murder story.  Futuristic Moscow is such an off choice for a setting.  I guess it's so that you can get away with simple brutalist architecture and a unbendening robotic state aparatus.  

Needles to say our hero Kayn is completely oblivious to the machinations of the secretive villain in this story.  He learns everything piece by piece at the same time as you read every frame.

Definitely a comic of its time with a run of the mill Starblazer storyline which is not all bad but very average. 

Starblazer #212 - Rogue Cop - Renko was a patrolman in a society diseased by corruption.  When this corruption touched him, he turned rogue to bring the offenders to justice.  But society doesn't like rogue cops and Renko was hounded to the edge of oblivion.

I was expecting a Robocop knock off but what I got was an interstellar crime wave and a man rescued from the brink of death by Space Brocolli!!

This is quite a fun little story, a classic tale of copy who goes rogue to bring down the big crime boss.  With no backup his luck runs out and he is stranded in the void with no hope so he decides to end it all by setting his ship to self destruct... as you do.

Saved by the benevolent space brocolli the Shreel, they turn him into a cyborg monster sending Renko into a depressive tailspin.  Howver, vengeance is a powerful emotion and Renko uses it to gain control of his new robotic body and take the fight to Hengis Furgaar to destroy his criminal emire once and for all.

Starblazer #213 - Skarr The Soldier - Stranded in Samek, many thousands of miles from his home, Skarr, the soldier of fortune, had to fight for a foreign ruler and an alien cause - or be executed!

This is a fairly stock story of a man caught between two factions waging a war at all costs.  There is not much exposition only action and it really does seem like an exercise in getting as many wild character illustrations on a page as possible.

This a treat from the fine pen of  Enrique Alcatena with an epic cover from the legend Ian Kennedy.

The character art is wild from the weird almost Napoleonic uniforms of the Margolian army to the down right bizarre mix of kimono clad Tarcils and the mask wearing denizens of Hetamec.  

This is my first Skarr story and I am encouraged to find the others.  

Whilst the plot does not offer much for the Roleplayer or DM, the artwork is a smorgasbord of inspiration.

Essential Starblazer Links

The Starblazer Checklist is a fantastic resource if you are collecting or want to know who wrote and illustrated each issue.

Many thanks to the chaps who run the Starblazer Covers archive, this is immensely useful resource when looking at ebay joblot listings.

Retro Sanctuary has a great article covering his top 20 Starblazer Issues which is worth a look and I'm looking forward to reading and reviewing some of these classics in the very near future.

 

Mega City Block Upgrade - The Okey Dokey Chef

Once you start pimping out your Mega City One Block Storage Case it's hard to know when to stop...

The Okey Dokey Chef Animated Sign

I wanted my sign to be an advertising hoarding and one of the most famous signs in Mega City One is the Okey Dokey Chef as featured in the Supersurf 7 race story Midnight Surfer (progs 424-429).  I was also inspired by the famous Vegas Vic neon sign whose arm waving welcomed gamblers from all around the globe since 1951.

He wold make an excellent starting point to learn about how to control low voltage RC servos with Arduino.

The Chef

I found a nice piece of clipart online which had the vibe I was going for and imported this into GIMP for editing.  

I cut out the "Chef's Kiss" hand using the lasso tool and moved this over into  a seperate file.  This is going to be the sweeping hand which we will animate later using a servo.

I added a speech bubble with some appropriate text coming out of the side of the chef's head. 

Preparing for Tinkercad

I have learned that Tinkercad is a pretty simplistic modelling tool and it does not particular like creating complex curved or polygonal shapes.  The easiest way to solve this conundrum is to simply create a solid black mask version of your line drawn artwork.  This can be used as a background and because both shapes are exactly the same image size, they will register perfectly together when you import them into Tinkercad.

When I was happy with both files, I and exported them (and their solid black mask counterparts) as a PNG then converted into an SVG using convertio.com.  Each line drawn SVG is imported into Tinkercad for extrusion into a 3D object using the same technique I used to create my badges and Index Card RPG Card Back Stamps. I use an extrusion height of 30mm.

The black mask variant is then imported and the combined shapes exported as a single STL.  This gives me an STL file for the chef and a file for the arm which can be printed on the Anycubic Photon M5.

The Electronics

The core of this project is an Arduino nano.  These little boards are stupidly cheap and really easy to start your coding adventure.  Seriously, if an idiot like me can do it then anyone can.

The bit doing all of the moving is a 9g 5v 180 degree hobby servo which I bought in a twinpack from Ali Express for £1.79.

This was superglued across the gap between the Speech bubble and the chef's arm.

The Wiring and Code

I used the excellent How to Control Servo Motors tutorial on the makerguides website.  The servo has 3 wires Red (5v Power) goes to the 5v pin,  Brown (Ground) goes to the GND pin and the Yellow (Signal) goes to Pin 9.

The code example given is perfect for my purposes, but I did need to customise the start and end positions for the hand as it does not need to run the full 180 that the servo is capable of.  I also added a 500 millisecond delay at the end of each travel.

#include 

Servo myServo;  // Create a Servo object

void setup() {
  myServo.attach(9);  // Attach the servo to pin D9
}

void loop() {
  // Move from 30 to 135 degrees
  for (int pos = 30; pos <= 135; pos += 1) {
    myServo.write(pos);  // Tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
    delay(45);           // Wait 15 milliseconds for the servo to reach the position
  }
  delay (500);
  // Move from 135 to 30 degrees
  for (int pos = 135; pos >= 30; pos -= 1) {
    myServo.write(pos);  // Tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
    delay(45);           // Wait 15 milliseconds for the servo to reach the position
  }
   delay (500);
}

Troubleshooting

In my naievete I thought that the Arduino nano would be able to power this whole project.  However, the little servo apparently draws too much power to run continuously causing the nano to reset itself and creates some erattic animation.

I tried to mitigate this by adding increasing the dealy to 45 thereby slowing down the move, but sadly this was not enough.  It would have been nice to know all this from the start as an alternative board such as an ESP32.  

Anyway that is another story.  In the meantime check out the final result

Download the Files

I have also uploaded the Okey Dokey Sign STL files to Thingiverse if you should want to make your own version of this iconic comic book sign.

Let me know if you found this useful or if you have made your own animated signs for your own games

Boardgame Rescue: Waage Mut

One of the joys of being a boardgame collector is finding one of those long out of print games that only about 20 people admit to owning on BGG.

Waage Mut - Schmidt Spiele (1982)

I picked this up on one of my regular thrift shop trips for the princely sum of £2.  Clearly this was some sort of manual dexterity / balancing game which is usually enough to make me run for the hills, "I'm looking at you Bausack!!"

However, the cover photo featuring a five armed plastic balancing spider intrigued me so it came home.

Google lens translates the box cover as - "LIBRA COURAGE - Anyone who doesn't weigh things up and bets wrong. blurs the victory".

An Incomplete Game

The risk of buying any game in a charity shop is that it comes with missing pieces.  For a common game such as cluedo or monopoly this presents no problem as the pieces are readily available.  However, the older and rarer a game gets the more difficult it becomes to acquire replacement parts.

This is where the 3D printer shines and so I quickly knocked up a replacement blue pawn in Sketchup

If you are missing a pawn you can download a free STL file from:

1. Thingiverse - Thing 6773663
   
2. Cults 3D - Waage Mut Replacement Pawn
   
3. Printables - Waage Mut Replacement Pawn
   

Of course having the abilitle to churn out replacement pieces means it is a trivial exercise to print out a whole 5th player set of pawns.

The Rules (English Translation) 

Sadly the game does not come with rules in English and so Google Lens came to the rescue.  I will be giving this to me my German friend Jonas who can do a proper translation.

LIBRA COURAGE

For 2 to 4 players ages 4 and up, fun for the whole family.

 

The weights must be cleverly distributed in order to achieve as many points as possible without the star. to cause it to tip over. Who doesn't weigh up and. If you put it wrong, you lose your victory.

Preparation:

 

The arms are attached to the center piece and the resulting star is inserted into the stand. Each arm has 6 holes marked 1 (center of star) to 6 (outermost edge).

Gameplay:

Each player receives 6 weights of one color (if there are only 2 players, each player receives 12 weights).

 

A weight is alternately inserted into each hole. If the weight causes the star to tip over, it is removed from the game and may no longer be used.

 

Weights can also be "caught" by placing your own on them. This is an advantage, especially with weights with high points (in holes 5 or 6).

 

The game round ends when all players have set their weights. Each game consists of as many rounds as there are players, so that everyone has the advantage of placing the last weight.

Evaluation:

Each weight is evaluated based on the score of the respective hole. If several weights are stuck in a hole (they have been “caught”), all points are added together and they are credited to the player with the highest weight. 

 

Whoever was able to collect the most points won.

More Photos

 

A Potential Roleplaying Puzzle?

Imagine a scenario where each player enters a large chamber at a different arm of the balancing beam.  Looking down they see only darkness.  Their goal is on the center pedestal, they must combine their movement to ensure that the beam stays balanced and they can get to the center.

 

When they fall do they fall to their deaths or just disappear into the darkness?

To add some peril have some wandering creatures like spiders move onto each of the arms.

Courtisans - A Medieval Take on Happy Families

My work colleague Stephen (Tik Tok Games) returned from UK Games Expo with this exquisitely produced card game.  I loved it so much I immediately bought it.

Courtisans by Catchup Games (distributed by Hacehette)

A new arrival on the board game scene are Hachette Board Games UK a new division of the all dominating French publishing giant Hahcette.  They have collaborated with a number of smaller games designers to distribute their games just in time for Christmas.

One such title is Courtisans by Catchup Games, a simple card collecting in the style of Happy Families except that in addition to keeping and giving away cards you get to try to influence who is in or out of favour at the Queens banquet.

 

High Production Quality  

As soon as you open the box your eye will be drawn to the tapestry play mat.  Something I've never seen in a game and it is so "on theme" I'm tempted to try something similar for my 2nd favourite card game Citadels.

The playing cards are similarly gorgeous.  It is not often that you see tarot sized cards in a boardgame and this again harks back to medieval times when this was the standard size for all cards.  Printed with a gold spot colour these are beautifully illustrated and the necessary symbols discrete yet clear.

Fast Game Play

The objective is simple, collect as many cards of families who are Esteemed, avoid collecting cards of families who are Fallen from Grace and play cards at the Queens table to influence who is Esteemed and who is Fallen from Grace.  Whichever side of the table has the most cards (Esteemed on top, Fallen below) determines which families in everyone's tableau score positive or negative points.

Every turn you keep a card, give one away to another player and add one to the table.  It is that simple.  However, there are four special card types (for each family) which if you draw them can be played and mix things up.  These are:

• Assassin - denoted by the dagger symbol can be used to kill any card from any family whether they are played in your or another players tableau or at the queens table.
  
  
• Guard - denoted by the shield, the guard cannot be killed by an assassin.
  
  
• Noble  - denoted by the Crown X2 means that they are worth two points instead of one.
  
  
• Spy - denoted by the mask symbol is played face down and only revealed at the end of the game.  They can count towards your positive or negative points or can add to the esteemed or fallen from grace scores at the queens table.

Finally a range of secret mission cards can tip the balance in the end game should you be able to satisfy the win condition.

In Conclusion

Courtesans is a great little 5 player game which is quick to play and can easily fill that dead time whilst you are waiting for players to turn up to your RPG game.  I personally love the intrigue element and there are lots of tactics you can deploy to try to seal your victory at a cost to other players.

Mystery Dice Goblin - 7pc D&D Dice Sets

"You can never have enough dice" and when Mystery Dice Goblin reached out and asked me to review their dice bags I jumped at the chance.

Retailing at a very reasonable £4.50 per set with free shipping these blind bags are an excellent choice for birthdays or to give as Xmas Gifts.  Lets open those sealed bags and see what we got.

Set 1 - Green / White Marble

This is a pretty solid starter set, although my particular preference is for solid or gem dice they certainly stand out in a crowded dice bag.  The consistency of the marbling is 50/50 as some dice seemed to get much more of the green juice on one side than others.  The choice of gold number ink is great on the heavy green sides but leans to illegibility in places just purely due to the randomness of the marbling.

Set 2 - Red Arcane 

This set appears to be slightly larger than the other two and they are quite pretty.  A good choice if you are playing a horror inspired RPG like Ravenloft or Call of Cthulhu.  The numbers are well positioned and sufficiently unobscured by the "runes" which feature on every side.

Gold and red are a classic combo and lead to highly legible dice.

Set 3 - Blue and Gold Sparkly Dice

Finally we get to my favourite set which are a blue gem style dice with yellow gold sparkles.  These pop right out of the box and I really like the "blackletter" style numbers inked in white.  Highly legible from every angle these will certainly get some table time in my next game.

Bonus Gift - D&D Enamel Mystery Pin - £5.50

Whilst the Mystery Goblin's are clearly cornering the market with blind bag random number generators, it's not their only offering.  They treated me to one of their enamel pins in the shape of the D&D Logo.

Measuring 30mm across it is tastefully decorated in Red and Blank enamel.  The reverse has a single pin and clasp.  I am pleased to report that the clasp is high quality with some sort of ruberised inside and so it should not fall off easily.  Cheaper versions always seem to fail spectacularly so it's really good to see that some time and effort when into the choice of clasp here.

Even More Accessories Online

As I mentioned earlier, where Mystery Dice Goblin excels is in their wide range of gift sets perfect for every occasion and every gamer.  My particular favourite is the Party Box of Holding which if I were 40 years younger would have been the perfect Xmas gift from one of my aunt's.  

Chock full of dice, stickers, pins, item cards and a fresh character sheet, who wouldn't want one of those in your stocking.  Heck, I should start dropping hints now as Secret Santa is fast approaching approaching.

Judge Anderson 1/24th Scale Resin Kit

A recent haul from Aliexpress included this fantastic resin kit of Psi Judge Anderson for the princely sum of £8.46 including shipping

Psi Judge Anderson 1:24 scale Resin Kit

Meet the Parts

Another multipart kit depicting Judge Cassandra Anderson doing some psi stuff next to the grave of Sidney De'ath the most powerful of the Dark Judges.  No assembly instructions which is not  big deal as the kit goes together really easily.  However, I have no idea where Death's skeletal hand is supposed to be mounted.

This appears to be based on this Psi Judge Anderson STL on Maco 3D.  I should probably buy that as well and print it out on my new larger 3D Printer.  Although this is a great alternative if you don't have access to a 3D Printer. 

Assembly

The parts were really clean and went together easily with no need to fill except for the join between the two halves of the base. 

Painting

I wanted to go for a comic book colour scheme although the black uniform was going to need a little bit of thought.  After priming and zenithal I airbrushed on the green accents and added a dark wash.  

I think painting this assembled was a big mistake as it would have been so much easier painting individual parts with no risk of overspray.  

I promise that the next model I build will be hot-glued together for the priming and zenithal stage and then disassembled before painting.  I also made the mistake of glueing in Judge Death's claw before glueing Anderson to the base.  This led to him losing one of his fingers... oh well.

The uniform was brush painted in some very thin coats of black and then dry brushed with a very dark blueblack mix to give it a volumetric effect.

Blocking in the Colours

The shoulder pads and badge were painted in a fiery orange with highlights in a yellow orange mix.  Orange and yellow are such lousy colours to paint and Iin hindsight I should have painted a white base coat to allow them to pop.  I chose to wash them in zealot yellow speedpaint which gave them a glossy look.  Don't panic... this will be fixed in the final step.

Face and eyes were painted in my usual skin tone set, at this size it is pointless trying pinkle.

On the hair I tried a mousy blonde base and washed with zealot yellow and then progressively lighter highlights whihc kind of worked/

Black accents were added to the gun, belt pouches and gloves and she was done.

The magic final step is to airbrush a coat of artist matt varnish which removes all signs of glossiness.

 

RIP Steve "Stig" Tasso

This week I learned that my old Hobbits Hole clubmate Stig had passed away after a long illness.

Stephen "Stig" Tasso

I had known stig for over 20 years and we were regular clubmates at an earlier incarnation of the Roleplaying Games club, Hobbits Hole, which I co-founded many years ago.

 

We shared many Friday nights together and had many adventures over the years.  My fondest memories of Steve are always filled with his good natured humour and his boundless creativity.

As an early player in my Lands of Dual Castles & Crusades campaign, I will be forever grateful for his creative input and it is entirely thanks to him that my world has a fully explored species of lizard kin known as the Salamankari.

Stig always embraced the weird and outlandish game ideas I dreamed up and basically ran with it.  Being not that much older than myself we shared many similar interests in music and pop-culture including a love of the classic 1980s comic exploits of Judge Dredd and punk rock.

Steve was always a kind soul and I will miss his no nonsense approach to life.  Steve was definitively a "no fucks to give" type of guy.

Long may your star shine bright and I hope to see you again in the heavenly mosh pit.

The Masks of Nyarlathotep - Bunty Rothschild

At my regular friday club Dragons Keep UK we are 10 weeks into a year long Call of Cthulu and I have only just gotten round to printing and painting my character mini...

Bunty Rothschild - Heiress and Supernatural Investigator

Bunty's Story

Her early life in the Hamptons was idylic, being the daughter of the extended Rothschild family the world was her oyster as long as that meant marrying into one of the other rich families that Daddy knew.

Whe she was 16 she was packed off to Paris to study at the famous Sorbonne finishing schools.  However, far from the withering gaze of her father she developed a rebellious streak that even the legendary Madame Guillaume couldn't tame out of her.  

With the outbreak of war she and her American classmates were shipped back to the USA like refugees. Her father being far too busy with the business of supporting the war effort left her to live in the family's 5th Avenue apartment overlooking Central Park.

Of course Bunty was soon getting up to mischief and found herself fronting various high society illicit parties on behalf of the Italian Gandolfini Syndicate.  Her taste for risk and danger often saw her accompanying the boys on a rum run and her skills with the Chicago Typewriter made her invaluable to Don Luigi.

Unfortunately, her success came to an abrupt end when the syndicate fell under the beady eyes of Izzy and Moe, who operated the New York office of the famous untouchables.  She was lifted by the cops in a sting operation and only managed to avoid incarceration due the sworn testimony of her Uncle and New York State Supreme Court Judge.

Tired of his wayward daughter's antics, her father gabe her an ultimatum.  Either she married into one of the respectable wealthy society families or she got herself a job.

Whilst Bunty ruminated on the two equally unnatractive options facing her, fate had other plans.  A chance reading of the New York Tribune classifieds saw her embark on a steamship to Lima, Peru.