Ikwen in Action

Designing the Ikwen, I have always had an image of their conflict in my mind, even if I have never quite assigned an enemy to them (this has become part of their appeal). In their back story they are an exploited indigenous people, rising up to fight for their home world. Part of exploring this back story has been trying to visualize what this world and their conflict might look like. To this end, I have been working with my concept artist, Todd Ulrich, to do some art that depicts their fight.

In the above picture we see several Ikwen moving through the rocky terrain of their home world. In the foreground three militia fighters move cautiously passed a long-downed flyer of alien origin. The foremost fighter packs with him a case containing extra ammunition. His companions can be see carrying Huli blades and assault rifles purchased from arms dealers, likely with valuable natural resources.

In the background, the other Ikwen are engaging an overhead enemy. The rocket launcher, hunkered down behind a half buried industrial rig is firing off his first rocket. After that, he can eject the spent canister from the disposable frame, dropping the second canister into place. ready to fire. 

I hope that you enjoy this art from Todd Ulrich. As the Ikwen miniatures progress, I hope to have some more art done. 

-Eli

Finished Battlesuit Concept

The concept art for the Chuhuac battlesuit is in. As you can see, it's every bit as pretty and sexy as the attack bike was. I think Jared captured the essence of this design really nicely and while I do have a few tweaks I'd like to make to it, this picture is a pretty much spot-on image of what I had in mind.

The final model will have two hard points on the back and I am hoping to make them available with a selection of weapons, allowing folks to outfit them for different roles. As the primary infantry support platform for the Chuhuac, I imagine these battlesuits will be feature prominently in Chuhuac armies.

-Eli

New Images of Chuhuac APC 3D Modelling

Hey all,

Sooooo, my 3D guy, the talented Andreas, got me some new images along with the print file for the Chuhuac APC (I need to name this thing). I am posting them here not only to show their relative scale, but also to show what they look like outside of the classic scifi white with red stripe color scheme.

Double Vision - Alien Design Discussion Results

While we're acing toward getting everything going for the Chuhuac we here at LNG continue to discuss the future and what sorts of weird and wild beasties we'd like to see. Sometimes this results in unplanned fun and when Mik threw out the following description...

"Slight, furry, with multiple eyes and bat ears. Long digits. Robes with tac gear"

...we both scribbled out our own interpretations of this alien and sent the image to one another via text message (we're in different states). The images below are what came of that.

Mik's Version

My Version

As you can see both designs have an uncanny resemblance. Two interpretations off the same vague text, doodled hundreds of miles apart with very striking similarities. Not that both have a similar, clunky weapon as well as the same segmented add-ons over the robes. There are differences as well, but it's pretty cool just the same.

Thanks for checking it out,

-Eli

Bike Design Update

There had been some feedback indicating that a smaller windscreen on the attack bike would be better for making it obvious that the bike was being piloted by an alien instead of a human. I took this to heart and present this new sketch showing how this might look.

A Question Grav Bikes

The above scribble demonstrates the current route I'm considering for the Chuhuac bikes. The design is an open-topped, but streamlined affair with the pilot protected behind an aerodynamic fairing. This produces a sleek design but doesn't leave much of the rider exposed.

Now, the issue is that a raptor is a long beasty and any bike design has to account of that neck and tail. I figure the raptors already use their tails for steering, so might have the tail part of the part of the bike work as the steering mechanism. This would leave the raptor's hands free to target and work with that part of his brain that is already keyed in to maneuvering.

It may not make for a wild rider waving guns around and looking about, but it will produce a unique sort of bike that looks different than most out there.

-Eli

Space Bunnies?

So, there was a joke made in my bio bit about space bunnies. While not on the top of my "to do" list I cannot let an idea pass without considering it. The quick doodle to the right was done minutes after reading the comments and then snapped by camera phone (I'm at the office). It's by not means what a final space bunny design would look like, but it does demonstrate a way to take the key features of "bunny" and working them into something alien.

I was thinking that an alien like this might not even be a true mammal. It would be some alien life form. The "ears" might not be part of its anatomy at all and could be simply sensory extension on the battle armor or even modified into some sort of thruster for a jump pack. Of course, it could also be armored housings for some sort of sensory organ attached to the back.

Enjoy!

-Eli

New Logos

Thanks to a fellow 15mm scifi gamer and blogger, Colin,  Loud Ninja Games now has a whole host of new logos for just about every occasion. Colin runs the Eclipsing Binaries blog that has featured some top notch 15mm scifi stuff.

I've decided to show a few of them below.

Thanks for the snappy work Colin,

-Eli

Thinking Chuhuac Power Armor

As the machine grinds away on bringing you the debut packs for the Chuhuac, my imagination continues to spin out of control on what things may join them on the battlefield in the future.

One of the constant requests in 15mm science fiction is power armored troops for new armies. I imagine that the Chuhuac will be no different. Making power armor for something shaped like a semi-bipedal dinosaur presents a fair challenge and in considering how to go about it, I find myself with two particular things I'd like to accomplish -

1. Accommodate the dinosaur anatomy in a way that reinforces it and protects it, while allowing it to function in a manner that is consistent with its overall geometry.
2. Design a look that does not look like a robo raptor or a Zoid.

Below are some images of some of the ideas I have come up with. The idea if an enclosed clam shell arrangement that keeps the head and neck protected. The trooper inside would use micro-cameras and HUDs to operate without fear of a vulnerable neck to torso connection in a servo-assisted armor suit. The other notable feature is the simplified tail that remains flexible at the base so that it can operate as a rudder, allowing the raptor a very natural movement. I also thought that the new rigid tail could be a good place for the suit's heat exchange system.

As for the weapons configuration, I figured the use of hands might not be all that necessary for battlefield purposes, so I relegated the arms to small, anti-personnel weapon mounts. In fact, I've even considered these being just weapons mounts without the trooper's arms in them at all. Still, this might change because hands can still be useful.

Main armament currently takes the form of weapon pods on the back of the power armor. The primary weapons tech for the Chuhuac is energy/plasma based so ammo feeds need be nothing more than power lines in the housing. Missiles, plasma cannons, rapid-fire lasers, all manner of fun could be put back there, though I think any final designs will have smaller, sleeker weapon pods than these sketches show.

All of the pictures here are just really quick conceptual sketches and brainstorming on paper. Heck these are right off my camera phone because I did them at work. I hope you like this little insight into my creative process and would love to hear your thoughts on this direction with the Chuhuac power armor design.

Take care and have fun!

-Eli

Equipping The Chuhuac

As has been mentioned in prior posts, the Chuhuac are an advanced alien species. This technological sophistication reflects in their battle gear as well. Listed below are some of the concepts I had in mind when developing the look and personality of the Chuhuac...

BATTLE DRESS

The standard Chuhuac battle take the form of a tough body glove made of an ultra-strong, reactive nano-fiber. Not only does this provide insulation and protection from the elements, but it also contains sophisticated bio-monitors that constantly read body functions and vital signs. These systems are an extension of an auto-doctor system housed in the back plate of the armor. When medical issues are detected, the Chuhuac can receive basic first aid and some paramedic care without the need of a medical specialist.

The interlocking plates of the Chuhuac battle dress are designed to protect the aliens' spine and torso on the back while allowing maximum flexibility. The large plate on the shoulders contains not only the auto-doc systems mentioned above, but also a micro plasma generator with several universal power converter sockets. These sockets are used to power the various special weapons as well as other specialized and even mundane field equipment. Every Chuhuac soldier is equipped with such a power source, allowing any trooper to power weapons and contribute to the power supply of any encampment or special duties.

Both the body glove and armor plates utilize advanced materials that are light, resistant to extreme temperature, corrosive and fire resistant. The materials also have limited self-healing abilities, allowing them to close minor gaps and tears on their own. Application of special materials can accelerate this process, making the suit of armor a Chuhuac is issued likely to be the only one he'll ever need.

The final features of the basic battle dress are a comms system and built in holsters on the hip armor for additional plasma charges for their basic combat rifle. The comms system allows each trooper to access the greater command and control network. An antenna on the back provides both local communications and satellite uplink. Information from this tac-comms system is accessed through a monocle HUD attached to the impact-resistant headset system that also provides specialized optics.

WEAPONS

Chuhuac weapons technology is based around the use of charged plasma. They have learned to adapt the various characteristic of plasma to provide for a number of tactical roles on the battlefield. While heavier weapons utilize the power packs built into their battledress, smaller weapon tend to use self-contained, interchangeable power clips.

Infantry Plasma Rifle

The standard issue weapon for the Chuhuac forces is a compact plasma rifle. This weapon fires powerful bolts of plasma utilizing a select fire option to provide for single shot, controlled bursts or full automatic fire. The weapon even includes an overcharge mode that allows it to fire a powerful charge of plasma at a reduced range, functioning much like a grenade. The power clips for the weapon each carry enough of a charge to provide approximately 100 shots before reloading. This may be reduced due to insufficient maintenance, damage or over-use of the heavy fire mode.

Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW)

The Chuhuac refer to these weapons as "tactical support weapon". Effectively a higher-powered, higher rate of fire version of the Infantry Plasma Weapon with enhanced coolant systems and the capacity to draw power from the universal power port on the battle dress. These weapons fire as a staggering rate but can also be fired selectively, if need be. They do not have a heavy fire mode like the plasma rifles. Their primary purpose is to provide covering fire for advancing and maneuvering troopers. There are independent power packs available for this weapon as well, allowing them to be used by Chuhuac outside their battle dress or by non-Chuhuac soldiers.

Heavy Plasma Gun

Instead of missiles and rockets, the Chuhuac continue to utilize their plasma technology to fulfill the role of heavy squad support. The heavy plasma gun take a similar system as the tactical support weapon but refocuses and calibrates the output into a dedicated heavy fire mode. The result is a weapon that is quite capable of defeating power armor, light vehicles and hardened structures. Like the tactical support weapon, the heavy plasma is also able to use independent power packs.

Body Modifications

Though a natural weapon, Chuhuac soldiers undergo bio-mechanical and bio-chemical therapy to enhance their natural anatomy. Mainly this consists of immune boosters, adaptive digestive enzymes and nano-tech toxin screens. One additional element to these sophisticated medical procedures is the introduction of bio-carbon fibers to the their bone structure. These enhance their frames, making them less vulnerable to fractures and debilitating injuries that would hamper their fleet-footed battle strategies. So enhanced, the Chuhuac needn't worry as much about an occasional careless misstep crippling them. These same carbon fiber deposits are used to enhance the strength and cutting characteristics of their natural toe claws, a hold over from their predatory ancestors. These modified claws can cut through hardened materials and slice effortlessly through flesh.

Creating the Chuhuac - Part One

Chuhuac Motion Studies
Art: Chris Miller

Though, like the Loud Ninja himself, the Chuhuac seem to have come out of nowhere, they did not. Rather, the Chuhuac are the culmination of years of dreaming and frustration, having languished as mere imagination for almost a decade.

Having been, like so many others, a huge dinosaur freak when I was a kid, I have always liked the thought of dinosaur or reptile-themed aliens. When I first started to get into 15mm science fiction miniatures, some fifteen or so years ago, I was always struck by the lack of any really dinosaur-like aliens. There were a few lizard men out there and some that came close, but none that had the look of what I had in my mind's eye. I figured that such a creature as a Velociraptor with a gun must be a very singular fantasy and kept it kicking around in the back of my head.

Early Concept Layout.
Note: Early mid-tech assault rifle style gun, hip armor and incorrect number of fingers on hands.
Art: Chris Miller

It was at a science fiction convention that I saw that my idea was not without merit when I view the cover of the science fiction novel "Dinosaur Wars" by Thomas P. Hopp, a local author, that depicted an alien much like the one I was envisioning. Thinking that perhaps the collective consciousness may have swung my way, I started courting various miniatures companies in and attempt to generate interest while I plied a few forums looking for others who might be interested in these same aliens. Though there was some interest, nobody seemed to leap at the idea. either they didn't get it or they kept thinking of something like the Sleestaks from "Land of the Lost" or that weird "what-if" evolved dinosaur man that circulated around the various paleo and science mags ages ago.

Later Concept Work
Note: Changes to SAW making it look more like a hi-tech energy weapon. also note more pronounced plumage , nasal and brow ridges marking an Alpha Leader type.
Art: Chris Miller

So the idea was shelved for some more years until the last year or so when i started dabbling in sculpting. My early successes as an amateur sculptor and the responses I got from others emboldened me to the idea and I tried to make one myself. I was not up to the task and so I decided to make a go of having them produced for sale. I would have my space raptors and I'd be able to share them with others. This is really what Loud Ninja Games is all about - sharing ideas with other gamers in a tangible and tactile way.

So, I set out to make it happen. I started by trying to hammer out the concept and the basics of the designs, myself. Though I'm a passable artist and can pull off some illustrating and a good solid sketch, it took the skills of a professional artist like Chris Miller, who I know through my association with the Minions of The Monster Master podcast crew. In only a few short weeks, Chris had the concept hammered out and forged into a solid, visually stunning image. My sleek, fast, cunning, hi-tech dino aliens had stepped into the light.

All the time Chris was drawing and sketching, I was considering who to tap to make them go 3D. The first and best guy for the job in my mind was Pedro Navarro who had done such a great job bringing the Harook from Mad Robot Miniatures to life. In my short time with Mad Robot Miniatures I had chatted with Pedro and received a few sculpting pointers and so I just had to see if he could do the Chuhuac. He could. I was happy.

-Eli

Dinos in Spaaaaaaace...

Concept Art: Chris Miller
Concept: Eli Arndt

I am excited to show off a first glimpse at Loud Ninja Game's first product, the Chuhuac, a 15mm scale alien species for miniatures wargaming.

The Chuhuac are a species of aliens that bear a striking resemblance to earthly dinosaurs, more specifically the Dromaeosauridae family that includes such famous dinosaurs as Velociraptor and Deinonychus. An advanced species these aliens fight with lightning fast tactics promoting speed, hit and run, and maneuver over pitched battles.

Pictured above is the Chuhuac style sheet illustrated by the talented Chris Miller aka Biscuit Minions of the Monster Master podcast. It depicts the basic body design, as well as the head and tail variations for the Alpha Leader type and the various weapons that will be included in the first release. The miniatures will be sculpted by Mr. Bug Man, Pedro Navarro, himself.

I hope you enjoyed the advanced look at these upcoming miniatures.

Enjoy,

-Eli