Plans for...umm..."Orbital Armored Troop Deployer Podules"?

[DB]

Hello Gin and Matt!

Just wondering if any of your new product plans included a...

y'know...

"Orbital Strike Container"

for...

y'know...

"Giving big armored dudes a ride to the surface"
As is featured in some of the more popular tabletop games. 

[ArmorcastMatt]

Hey DB,
Welcome to the forum. The new vehicle lines are all still in the drawing stages. Unfortunately Origins, GenCon and the Sci-Fi Noodle Shack model are eating up most of my time right now. We'll have a better grasp on what's happening with the line come September. But in short, let's just say.... it's possible.

[Cloves]

this request is sorta like the VTOL request in the other thread......seems like there is a need for an armored troop transport/drop ship type thing.

[Topkick]

There has been a need for them and many have been promised over the years. There have been rumors for years that this company or that one was going to release Drop Pods or a VTOL in either resin or plastic but few have been produced.. The ones that have been made were the wrong scale, too expensive or were too faction specific. Other thanForgeworld and DLD I don't know of anyone currently making Drop Pods or VTOL's in 28mm scale. I remember getting my hopes up when Mongoose talked about doing plastic Drop Ships and when DLD announced that they were finally clearing up their problems and werre going to start producing their Drop Ship agian but neither materialized.

I can state right now that if a decent looking VTOL or Drop Ship is produced that I will buy 3 of them.

[commandergabriel]

Drop ships are certainly becoming more popluar in my gaming group, yet no one has a good representation of them.  Most of them are bits glued to a soda bottle. 

I agree: I'd buy several as well!

[Rob_Jedi]

http://www.miniaturescenery.com/SeriesPage.asp?Code=BNK
MDF precut "troop landers"

Still I'd like to see some cool drop ships.

[Crushar]

Personally.....I am just happy to hear the Noodle Shack is under construction! I shall inform the group!!

As for the VTOL. Grendel maks a fine one...but it is just a hint to small!! I am sure that now that Shawn Lux is back into the fold good things are on the way....besdies, I LOVE the other Armorcast vehicles!!!

Now all I need is for my current game to get around to their vehicle rules. That's one of the reasons I loved VOR. They gave you rules to make your own vehicles!

[Topkick]

What's your game Crushar?

[Crushar]

Right now I am interested in Infinity. It's a good game with some nice figs!! Can't wait to see them up running along my tech canals!

[mike]

So I've started kicking around ideas to actually model up an "atmospheric troop insertion vehicle" or "A.T.I.V." for short. Yes I know kind of a silly name, but it shall suffice for now. After all there are only so many descriptions you can come up with for a "pod" that could be "dropped" from orbit. 

Anyway, I'm curious as to what folks want the eventual use of the A.T.I.V. to be? I mean is it simply going to be a cast set piece? Or was everyone envisioning something more along the lines of an actual vehicle that you could physically put all your models into during a game?

Secondly, is there a desire for several dedicated A.T.I.V.s say one for troops on 20mm-25mm bases, another for those on 40mm-45mm bases and yet another for large models? Or would one more universal A.T.I.V. be more appropriate, like something that could work for all three or at least 2 out of three?

Finally if you have any other suggestions please don't hesitate to give them. The more input I get the better a model it will be.

--Mike

[ArmorcastMatt]

I don't think I've formally introduced Mike to everyone. Mike is one of our Model builders and has some sweet stuff already finished and some fantastic plans for more resiny goodness. Mike, everyone. Everyone, Mike.

[Topkick]

I think the big question being asked by this thread was "Is the deployment system going to be an ATIV or a shuttle style craft?". Both designs have their strengths and weaknesses and both have their advocates on the forum. From Mike's post this decision may already have been made. I had hoped for a VTOL landing craft style but I will continue to hope that this project reappears on the horizon and address the design of the ATIV.

First off I have always thought that the large squad/platoon size drop pods are a poor concept. By putting a large group of men in these you risk the death of entire units thru either malfunction, deviation or enemy fire. I read a sci-fi novel where a shuttle style craft flew over the battlefield and deployed drop troops in individual pods. Each soldier was dropped in a tube designed to hold one trooper and his gear. I have always thought if you were going to use a drop pod as a CDS (Combat Deployment System) then individual pods would be the way to go. It might increase the chance of cohension problems but I think it would be balanced by the squad survivability factor. Three guys being out of cohesion is much better than an entire squad deviating off theboard.

As for the design -- I think a tube approximately 40mm across and approximately 50mm to 60mm tall with small retro rockets as a braking system and an etched hatch or door being integrated into the sculpt would look cool. Different sizes could be designed for different scales and for weapons teams and/or specialty weapons.

Looking at it from a marketing standpoint -- The ATIV's could be sold individually or in unit packs of say 10 pods in a box set. This would allow people to take different sized squads instead of being limited to the standard 10 man sized squads in the most popular game lines. They could also be incorporated into a later VTOL design by making an ATIV rack that could go into the cargo area of the VTOL.

I have every confidence that whatever design you decide to go with, I will be buying one or more of the finished product.

[mike]

Allow me to elaborate...

"Is the deployment system going to be an ATIV or a shuttle style craft?".

The current design I am working on is a straight up A.T.I.V. I'm also working on some design ideas for a more shuttlecraft style VTOL craft, but that is going to be a separate model entirely. Basically I'm starting with the less complex of the two so as not to get bogged down in projects. Rest assured though if armorcast is willing to produce it I'm willing to model it.

I read a sci-fi novel where a shuttle style craft flew over the battlefield and deployed drop troops in individual pods.

Now that there is a neat idea, indiviual self contained pods. Sort of reminds me of something more like a D-day style parachute drop. hhmmm...

They could also be incorporated into a later VTOL design by making an ATIV rack that could go into the cargo area of the VTOL.

You sir are a mind reader  that is basically what I was thinking about for in the design of the VTOL. Something akin to the landers in "space above and beyond" or "starship troopers" but not quite so cargo continer like.

For now though what would everyone think of a A.T.I.V. either squad sized or indiviual trooper sized, done in a true atmospheric drop style? Think something along the lines of the escape pod in the beginning of Star Wars. How does that strike everyones fancy?

--Mike

[Topkick]

Now that there is a neat idea, indiviual self contained pods. Sort of reminds me of something more like a D-day style parachute drop. hhmmm...
--Mike

Chalk it up to 3 yrs in the 18th Airborne Corps at Ft Bragg. 

I vote for either Individual (first choice) or 4 man fireteam size. The 4 man pod woud be for Legions of Steel/Planetstorm since I could put the Sgt in one and the Corporal in the other with thier teams and be rady to go when i hit the ground. I have always thought that more games should include the Corporal rank and the fireteam option.

[malfred]

Read Starship Troopers. They ARE in self-contained pods, and when they're
put in the shells they're in darkness. The protagonist talks about the shakes
he gets everytime they drop.