What I've Been Modelling Lately

No, I haven't picked up the X-acto or the paint brush lately, but I have been putting together miniatures for use in a tabletop wargame. That game is Mobile Frame Zero. It's a game of mecha combat using miniatures and terrain made out of Lego. I'll go over the game itself some time after I've had a chance to play it, but for now I want to share some of the mecha I've put together.

The core frame is called a "chub" and was designed by a gentleman who goes by the name of [Soren]. I got a parts list as one of the updates from backing the Mobile Frame Zero Kickstarter and then ordered parts to build a few through Lego's Pick-a-Brick service. I understand that I could probably have gotten them cheaper and with a greater variety of colors through Brick Link, but I've ordered direct from Lego before, and so went with the service I know.

The accessories are largely my own designs, and have been put together with pieces from kits I've purchased.  Mostly those $5-$6 baggies you see at the checkout lines.

In the end, the model cost is comparable to or less than that of equivalently sized GW models if you only buy the pieces you need, and that's without factoring in the cost of paints and other hobby supplies. Since games are played with no more than eight frames per side, and can be taken apart and reassembled into different configurations with ease, the overall cost to play the game is significantly less. It's still a miniatures game though, so it will still cost more to get started than most board games. Of course, if you already have a good selection of Lego, that cost may be lessened considerably.

So, here's some of what I've done so far:

You can see a few more on my Flickr album, but these give a good impression of what I've been up to.