X Wing Miniatures: Ghost pics from Last Game

My Ghost Cake Topper finally saw action as a Leebo/Chewie YT 2400 with an accompanying K Wing loaded with ordnance against a Decimator picket.

The info drop for FFG's actual Ghost looks like it is going to be really good and I am sure it will be a beast on the board. Still, this stand in looked cool right now and my son felt like it was a real Rebels game, which we both enjoyed. The YT is so damn fast I am not sure I will be able to see FFG's Ghost the same way again...

Star Wars X Wing: Ghost (Cake Topper)

A very eagle-eyed member of BGG found a thread about a cake topper of Hera's Ghost in roughly the same scale as Star Wars X Wing. So I found it on Amazon Prime and ordered it for my son Nate, who loves flying YT's and turrets. So yeah, he'll be happy with this until FFG admits they are releasing one since they are now affiliated with Disney.

Mind you, this is a US$10.00 cake topper and not a fine scale model. I have to resist going nuts with re-detailing this. It is a clam shell design and so not all North-South running detail line up. There is decent enough paneling and such that making this table-worthy is possible. The only thing I really did to the ship was to tap out the mounting screw and widen the hole for a sacrificial large ship peg once painting is done. I also added brass rod cannons because the molded one were brutal or non-existent.

 Up next: Primer, paint then gluing a peg.

Star Wars X Wing: Highjacked Decimator

Sometimes you paint the engine glow on a new ship just in time to see your 10 year old son get inspired by that, take your new ship, run it against you and proceed to destroy you with it.

Printed Star Fields for Star Wars X Wing

Just wanted to share some pics that I printed for Star Wars X Wing. I discovered a large-format printer in the basement at work, seemingly forgotten and certainly unknown to me. It had puppy eyes when I turned the light on in the room, I felt bad and so I gave it some images to spit out… good boy! Who’s a good boy? You are!

The following are 3'x3' or 4'x4'. While the price was right (free), durability may be an issue as the glossy finish will scuff. I am going to look to see what some cheap frames cost and may just make these into play areas under plexi that can hang on my wall when off duty. These are all images I pulled off the web from GIS.

My game group talked about board effects in play, given the setting. Turbo lasers and tractor beams may make sense here. I was slightly disappointed that the image was unavoidably pixelated at this size but it really doesn't diminish the fun of it at all.

This one doesn't photograph great but looks awesome in real life. The wide asteroid field goes well to compliment the close-in feeling of flying around in millions of miles of tumbling boulders. The orange area to the left is lens flare from sheen and not part of the image. The flash makes the ships pop more than what you see in real life too but you get the idea.

This is a Hubble photo... and a beautiful one at that. There is something about the starscape and nebula that is a refreshing change to Lucas blue and black of his backgrounds.

This one is 4'x4' and intended for the large ship expansions. Gonna definitely hang this one up on the wall when not playing on it.

Star Wars X Wing: YT Conversion/Repaint

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! I hope everybody who celebrates has been having a great time with family and friends over the holiday season. And to those who don't celebrate, I wish the same for you regardless.

Just wanted to share a YT transport conversion I did for my buddy Pete. He wanted to run a double YT list for some time and the thought of identical Falcons on the board was too much to bear.

There are many conversions out there like this that precedes mine and mine isn't amazingly different from them though I did re-use the off-cuts (out of laziness) to seal up the hull after I took off the cabin and gantry. I didn't see anybody else do that yet so that may be a way it is different.

The surprise in this project came from the build, which was more challenging, where I expected it to be the painting, which was easily straightforward and fast.

The assembly went down something like this: Remove the radar dish and top quad cannons, set them aside. Score the cabin section enough to push a blade in and carve it out with strong, straight cuts. I was going to try a Dremel cutting wheel but realized the plastic would just melt. Cut the cabin from the gantry. I was able to use a foam cutter for this step, just do it outside and upwind as you are burning plastic.

Remove the inner "mandibles" on the front of the YT. Save the bits, you'll use them to cover the hole in the hull.

Attach the trimmed cabin between the main "mandibles" of the YT, as above.

Pretty rough looking but caulk will smooth it all out.

Trim up those off-cuts from the mandibles to fit the hole in the hull. Cross-score the undersides and press-fit them almost flush into the blobs of greenstuff you put in the hull. Let it set up for a few minutes until it firms more and then press flush. Make your adjustments as it cures. After curing, gap fill. I used latex caulk.

Trim the quad cannons to fit the dish brackets you removed. Make kewl laser noises while you do so. Probably best to glue the gun in the cradle first then after that is dry, glue the cradle to the hull.

You could just stop right here and not bother to repaint.

I could've hid the the seams a bit better but paint will tidy that up.

I used green Army Painter primer on this and finished with a Sage Green, greys, a Tamiya smoke wash on some parts and GW purple. I added some ocher weathering using paint and flow enhancer. The exhaust is GW grey drybrushed on. I then outlined every damn detail on the ship with a Rapidograph pen, .005 nib with black ink. All told, about 10 hours work and it came out pretty dern cool, I think. Now I want to make one for myself... 

I wasn't done with the technical pen but wanted to see if the engine glow looked good before I finished the YT's ample aft. She's got it where it counts, kid.

Star Wars X Wing: 100 pt B Wings vs Vader/TIE Elite

My buddy Finn and I got in a 100 point game this afternoon, me rolling a Ten Numb and Dagger Squadron list vs his Darth Vader and three TIE pilots list (army lists are below, following pics). In the end the TIE swarm prevailed. Though the Dagger Squadron pilot almost vaporized Vader with a brace of Advanced Proton Torps early game, the TIE's simply out flew the B Wings and chipped away with their Primary weapons; the Rebels just didn't have enough in their gun sights often enough to make a difference. Ten Numb died with a full magazine of Advanced Proton torps, having only shot a few times with his primary weapons to garner the lock-on with the Fire Control system. The Dagger pilot hit with his Heavy Laser Cannon too, but not hard enough. For all of the flying I did, I couldn't line up shots on the nimble TIE's. Even with Finn forgetting actions and abilities, just basic shots on target took down shields and inflicted crits. I should have remembered to pull a few 2 Kiogran turns since the Fire Control systems kept the lock-ons running as my targets blew past me. Next time! My camera flatlined towards the end so I only caught part of the action but you'll get the idea...

Game Start

B Wing Deployment

Imperial Deployment

Turn 1 Movements

Turn 3, lines collide as Vader emerges from the group, straight at Ten Numb, who along with Dagger pilot, calibrate their Fire Control Systems to track the elusive TIE Advanced...

The dogfight in earnest

Dagger pilot cuts hard to find Vader and opens up with Heavy Laser Cannon, hitting hard but Vader evades most damage.

Vader's Kiogran sends him straight past an incredulous Dagger pilot

Dagger pilot's bid on for Vader's head failed as Ten Numb banks right into the Imperials, warming up the Advanced Torpedoes but his mark was outside his arc...

Next turn, Ten bites it as two TIE's blaze into his ship, riding hard inside, inflicting a critical hull (counts as 2) and a weapon malfunction, enough for the scratch. After that I conceded, Dagger pilot only had a few hull left and not one damned TIE was splashed. So, good learning and practice for me and good win for Finn.


Rebels 100 points

Ten Numb

8 3 1 3 6

Unique

When attacking, 1 of your results cannot be cancelled by defense dice.

Ten Numb/B-Wing (31)

Fire-Control System (2)

– After you perform an attack, you may acquire a target lock on the defender.

Autoblaster (5)

– Attack: Attack 1 ship. Your results cannot be cancelled by defense dice. The defender may cancel results before results. Attack value: 3. Range 1.

Advanced Proton Torpedoes (6)

– Attack [Target Lock]: Spend your target lock and discard this card to attack. You may change up to 3 of your blank results to results. Attack value: 5. Range: 1.

Advanced Proton Torpedoes (6)

– Attack [Target Lock]: Spend your target lock and discard this card to attack. You may change up to 3 of your blank results to results. Attack value: 5. Range: 1.

Marksmanship (3)

– Action: When attacking this round, you may change one of your results to a result and all your other results to results.

Shield Upgrade (4)

– Increase your shield value by 1.

43 points

 

Dagger Squadron Pilot

4 3 1 3 6

Dagger Squadron Pilot/B-Wing (24)

Fire-Control System (2)

– After you perform an attack, you may acquire a target lock on the defender.

Heavy Laser Cannon (7)

– Attack: Attack 1 ship. Immediately after rolling your attack dice, you must change all your results to results. Attack value: 4. Range: 2-3.

Advanced Proton Torpedoes (6)

– Attack [Target Lock]: Spend your target lock and discard this card to attack. You may change up to 3 of your blank results to results. Attack value: 5. Range: 1.

Shield Upgrade (4)

– Increase your shield value by 1.

 

Imperial 100 points

Darth Vader 9 2 3 3 3 Unique During your "Perform Action" step, you may perform 2 actions. Darth Vader/TIE Advanced (29) Concussion Missiles (4) – Attack [Target Lock]: Spend your Target Lock and discard this card to perform this attack. You may change 1 of your blank results to a result. Attack value: 4. Range: 2-3. Swarm Tactics (2) – At the start of the combat phase, choose 1 friendly ship at Range 1. Until the end of this phase, treat the chosen ship as if its pilot skill were equal to your pilot skill. Shield Upgrade (4) – Increase your shield value by 1.

21 points   Howlrunner 8 2 3 3 0 Unique When another friendly ship at Range 1 is attacking with its primary weapon, it may reroll 1 attack die. Howlrunner/TIE Fighter (18) Push the Limit (3) – Once per round, after you perform an action, you may perform 1 free action shown in your action bar. Then receive 1 stress token.

21 points   Mauler Mithel 7 2 3 3 0 Unique When attacking at Range 1, roll 1 additional attack die. Mauler Mithel/TIE Fighter (17) Expose (4) – Action: Until the end of the round, increase your primary weapon value by 1 and decrease your agility value by 1.

19 points   Winged Gundark 5 2 3 3 0 Unique When attacking at Range 1, you may change 1 of your results to a result. Winged Gundark/TIE Fighter (15) Engine Upgrade (4) – Your action bar gains the action icon.