Tuesday 12 November 2019

Doing It For The Kids

I've always wanted sci-fi civilians to use in my games, and even more niche, I wanted some sci-fi kids. When I was working on the third wave of Colony 87 miniatures, I had John Pickford sculpt me a pair of really cute little sci-fi kids. It's great to see these finally released through Crooked Dice.

I decided to paint up the pair and to add a third kid whilst I was about it!

L-R: Colony 87, converted Midlam Miniatures, Colony 87.




All three are dinky. The guy in the middle is the tallest at around 22mm to the top of his hat. Speaking of the one in the middle, he's converted from a Midlam Miniatures villager (Child with Hobby Horse), originally a Bob Olley sculpt for Metal Magic.

Midlam Miniatures Child with Hobby Horse.

The Midlam kid got given a radio controller made from the ever-useful RTB01 datapad accessory, with an aerial and controller added from lengths of a paperclip. I repositioned the left hand to hold it (later adding straps around his neck).


I added another RTB01 piece as a backpack, then added a few flat circles of greenstuff as badges. The remote controlled robot is of course an Epic one with a pin as the aerial.


Perhaps I'll have to think of a kid-friendly game to play with my actual kids using these models. It could be fun!

Life on the fringes of the galaxy might be hard, but kids will be kids!



22 comments:

  1. It's a wonderful little scene and honestly, I'd really like to play a game with kid characters !

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    1. Glad you like them! I reckon a kids game would be brilliant fun.

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  2. I love the kid with the Epic robot!

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    1. Thanks Ethan. I've had that idea running around my head for ages - nice to get it sorted :)

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  3. Great figures. I love the conversion.

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  4. Lovely additions. Miniature games often seem to forget about the younger members of civilisations that would be very prevalent in any settlement in one form or another, rinning for their lives or just huddled in a hole hoping the badguys will just pass by.
    Loving the conversion mate, so happy to see the Epic robot, still kicking myself for selling mine yonks ago.

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    1. You're absolutely right Dai, it's a glaring omission! Although there do seem to be more fantasy kids than sci-fi. Thanks :)

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  5. Won't somebody please think of the children? :D
    Lovely as usual. I totally agree, the sci-fi civilians was quite an empty niche for many years, and children was a niche within the niche. Glad we now have more options! The conversion is ace, as the whole paintjobs!

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    1. Thanks Suber! We live in amazing times really. There can't be many niches that remain untapped!!

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  6. That's a brilliant little conversion there Jon! In the setting of RT kids would surely be seeing these kinds of robots from time to time, either during military parades or most likely while they're being repressed by them. They'd be keen to have, or make, toys of them.

    That's yet another little bit of the story that got left out of the BBB (aka the big blue book), but is a boon for creative types to fill in. I really love it Jon! We'll done mate :)

    p.s. Midlam make some great minis don't they! I was fortunate enough to visit their store while I was over in the UK this time and grabbed a couple.

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    1. The back story is certainly intriguing, right? I think just like kids now, kids in the 41st Millennium would want toys of vehicles, spaceships and soldiers, so why not a robot :)

      Midlam is a great place - I also visited the shop recently and picked up the kid on my way back from Edinburgh.

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  7. Love the remote control robot idea!

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    1. Thanks Riot! I've seen some other fun things with Epic figures - Inquisitors playing chess for example.

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  8. I think reaper and hassle-free has some more kids. That might work well with these sprouts.

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    1. I had looked at the Hasslefree kids and they're definitely under consideration. I didn't know Reaper had some - thanks!

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  9. This is a great little trio of scamps. The toy robot is a really nice touch – it reminds me of the passage in Dan Abnett's Titanicus where he mentions the kids on the planet have clockwork tin toys of the Titans their planet is famous for they play with.

    Nice to had kids on the battlefield. I mean, er, maybe not there. You know what I mean.

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    1. Thanks Curis. I haven't read Titanicus so was oblivious, but that's a nice little bit of canon that supports the concept!

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  10. What wonderful little minis. Brilliantly painted too!

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    1. It's always nice to find room for some atypical figures that spread the understanding of a setting.

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