Bases for your fleets

Bases
I have just purchased a pack of large flying bases from Games Workshop 
at 1.50 pounds for four. The bases are round, clear and 60mm (2.4") in 
diameter and strangely come with four posts, each of a different length.
For capital ships these are ideal. It would be simple to paint or mark 
the new 12 course points on them.

As suggested by someone on the list I now have four sizes of brass tube 
5/32. 1/8, 3/32 and 1/16" which will fit one inside another. My 
starships all have pins mounted in them that fit the 3/32" tubing. The 
smallest size fits the fighters and aircraft. Another innovation in the 
course of construction is a jig to hold the brass uprights vertical in 
the bases while the glue is setting. It is a simple wooden bridge with 
appropriately sized holes drilled in it to sit over the bases. Something

like the ASCII drawing below:

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With the largest 5/32 glued into the base by adding pieces I can either 
have a ship mounted about 1" of the base or aircraft miniatures at any 
height desired. They should also be perfect for 1/300 aircraft.
I was trying one out with 1 1/200th Catalina from Hallmark (Very nice) 
and with the 6cm base the base could be used to represent its search 
radius in a map based game!

The only problem is that even the micro pipe cutter I have cannot cut 
the smallest two brass tubes so they must be done the old fashioned way 
with a razor saw.

While on the topic of brass tubing a 1/300 H&R Karl with a long barrel 
from various sizes of brass tubing makes a wonderful super-heavy 
artillery piece for Dirtside. Incidentally I have unbuilt 1/72 kits of a

Karl and a 28cm K-5e Leopold that would make wonderful centre pieces for

a Stargrunt game. "You must disable the mass drivers for our troops to 
land safely."

Fighters
At least two British companies, Hallmark and Model Figures & Hobbies 
make 1/1200 (well 1/1200 and 1/1250) scale aircraft. Hallmark is mainly 
WW I with some WW I and interwar designs while MF&H have a more 
extensive range, including the Convair B-36,  Boeing 747 and a Blimp, 
the latter two are the dearest in the range at 40p each; the cheapest is

a KA-25 Hormone at 5p and most fighters are 10p.

Though obviously intended mostly for naval wargamng they have an obvious

potential for space warfare, A Delta Dart would make a useful fighter 
and an SR-71 a very scary one.( I wonder if they could be persuaded to 
make a space shuttle?)

I am afraid I have no knowledge about US suppliers but someone is bound 
to.

Now I really regret junking my old Airfix 1/600th ship models. The 
turrets, aircraft and other bits would have been wonderful. The Sea 
Vixens (?) from the Victorious would have made useful fighters, in fact 
with the tailbooms amputated that might have made useable B5 Raiders.

Michael Blair

Nothing concentrates the mind like a carrier battle group sitting off 
your coast.

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