The Wargaming World of Nozza

Captain Murray Burnham rose from his seat and stepped towards the wall display. For a moment, he simply surveyed the room, letting the silence settle. To his left sat his senior officers: Commander Starmer , his dependable First Officer, and Commander Sunak , the Vulcan Chief Science Officer whose expression remained, as ever, impossible to read. Across the briefing table sat their counterparts from the Klingon Defense Force. Captain Borath leaned forward with barely concealed impatience, while his First Officer, Z'Kai , watched the Starfleet officers with a warrior's suspicion. Beside them sat Science Officer Khrok , whose reputation for technical expertise was unusual among Klingons, but no less respected. The atmosphere was tense but professional. Federation and Klingon personnel working side by side was no longer unheard of, yet decades of rivalry ensured that trust remained a fragile thing. Burnham tapped a control panel and the image of a colossal structure appeared on ...

As recent blog posts will attest, I've spent a lot of my hobby time experimenting with FDM-printed miniatures using standard PLA filament. Most of my projects so far have involved resizing models from MakerWorld, but that raised an interesting question: how well would my printer handle figures originally designed for resin printing? Anyone researching FDM miniatures will quickly discover a hobby full of conflicting advice. Settings that produce excellent results for one person can fail completely for another. While FDM still can't quite match the ultra-fine detail of a good resin printer, the gap is far smaller than many people realise. For me, the lower costs, simpler workflow and lack of resin-related mess more than make up for the compromise. After plenty of trial and error, I invested in the Fat Dragon Games miniature printing profiles for my Bambu Lab A1 Mini. Combined with a low-temperature build plate, they transformed the experience, providing a solid foundation from wh...

The good news is that the work on the house is finally complete, which means my paints, brushes and other hobby supplies have emerged from their boxes. Normal service has resumed, and the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew have finally made it onto the painting table. One thing I've discovered is that painting makes a considerable difference to FDM miniatures. When they're bare PLA, it's very easy to concentrate on layer lines and printing imperfections. Once painted in the familiar Starfleet red, gold and blue, your eye starts seeing the characters rather than the printing process and at normal tabletop distances, I'm really pleased with how they look. Crusher & Picard I also still love the natural poses of these figures. They actually look like the crew of the Enterprise rather than an away team where everyone has drawn a phaser. Worf even manages to appear without the obligatory bat'leth! Troi & Riker Geordi La Forge presented one of the biggest challen...

A little while ago, I posted about my attempts to turn Drakonius’ excellent Star Trek: Voyager models into gaming-scale miniatures using my Bambu Lab A1 Mini. At the time they were still very much inhabitants of the grey plastic universe, but I’m pleased to say that has now changed. The crew of the USS Voyager are finally painted! As I mentioned in the original post, these models weren’t really designed with miniature gaming in mind. The originals are large display pieces, around 18 to 20 centimetres tall, so reducing them all the way down to roughly 28mm/32mm territory was always going to involve a few compromises. Despite that, I was really pleased with the prints. The natural poses survived the reduction particularly well, and there was still enough recognisable detail to make the individual members of the crew immediately identifiable. Of course, printing them was only half the challenge. The next job was getting some paint onto them. Painting FDM miniatures presents its own set o...

Continuing my journey into the world of FDM-printed miniatures, this time I've turned my attention to the bridge crew of Star Trek: Voyager , using the excellent models created by Drakonius and available on MakerWorld. Whenever officially licensed Star Trek miniatures are released, the focus almost invariably falls on The Original Series or The Next Generation. While those shows are undoubtedly popular, it often leaves the rest of the franchise somewhat overlooked. Even within the unofficial miniature community, characters from Voyager have traditionally been less common, perhaps due to concerns about attracting unwanted attention from Paramount's legal department. The original Drakonius models were designed primarily as display pieces, standing approximately 18 to 20 centimetres tall. As a result, they required significant downscaling to bring them into line with the miniature collections I already own. As with many of my previous projects, scaling presented an interesting ...

As several recent blog entries will testify, I've been spending quite a bit of time learning the art of printing miniatures on my Bambu Lab A1 Mini. Up until now, most of my experiments have involved models sourced from MakerWorld, which makes sense given that many of those designs have been specifically created, tested, and optimised for Bambu FDM printers. While that has been an excellent way to learn the basics, it only answers part of the question. The real challenge, and the next step in my 3D-printing education, is whether a standard FDM printer can successfully handle commercial STL files that were originally designed with resin printing in mind. Resin printers are, after all, the preferred choice for miniature enthusiasts. Their ability to reproduce incredibly fine details, sharp edges, and delicate features makes them ideal for character models. FDM printers have traditionally struggled in this area, particularly when it comes to faces, weapons, thin limbs, and other small...

Today, September 8th, marks the 60th anniversary of the first broadcast of Star Trek . It therefore seemed only fitting that today's blog entry should be Star Trek themed. Ever since I bought my 3D printer, one of my hobby goals has been to crack the challenge of printing decent gaming miniatures using an FDM printer. While resin printers are generally considered the gold standard for miniature production, I've been determined to see just how far an FDM printer can be pushed with the right settings, profiles, and a healthy dose of patience. Fortunately, the Bambu Lab community is incredibly active, with users sharing a huge range of files and designs through MakerWorld. One creator I've been particularly impressed with is Drakonius , who has produced a growing collection of models based on the bridge crews of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager . The original models are designed primarily as display pieces and stand around 18 to 20 centimetres tall. That...

I know I post a lot about Star Wars and occasionally Doctor Who on this blog, but my first love has always been Star Trek in all its various forms. Because of that, I'm constantly on the lookout for Star Trek miniatures, and over the years I've accumulated a sizeable collection of bookmarked 3D-print files covering everything from Starfleet officers to obscure alien species from across the franchise. One of those species is the Kazon , a nomadic and often warlike people from the Delta Quadrant who featured prominently in the early seasons of Star Trek: Voyager . Following the collapse of their former rulers, the Trabe, the Kazon splintered into a number of rival sects, each competing for power, territory, and resources. Their attempts to acquire advanced technology frequently brought them into conflict with Captain Janeway and the crew of Voyager , making them one of the show's earliest recurring adversaries. Having recently picked up a Bambu FDM 3D printer, I decided it wa...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) is set on a space station located near the planet Bajor and the strategically vital Bajoran wormhole, which provides access to the distant Gamma Quadrant. The series begins shortly after the Cardassian occupation of Bajor ends, with Commander Benjamin Sisko assigned to take command of Deep Space Nine, the former Cardassian mining station. Throughout the series, DS9 becomes a hub of activity as it deals with threats from the Dominion, a powerful empire from the Gamma Quadrant, eventually leading to all out war between the Alpha Quadrant and the Dominion. Notable Starfleet crew members include Dr. Julian Bashir, the station’s chief medical officer; Jadzia Dax, a Trill science officer and Miles O'Brien, the Chief Engineer. Similar story to Voyager, there have never been any official or unofficial miniatures created based on the crew of DS9. Having looked at commissioning my own miniatures and been put off by the cost, I looked at adapting alternatives....

Star Trek: Voyager follows the adventures of the starship "USS Voyager" and its crew as they become stranded in the Delta Quadrant, 70,000 light-years from Earth, while pursuing a renegade Maquis ship. The series begins with Voyager, under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway, being transported to the far side of the galaxy by an alien entity known as the Caretaker. To prevent a powerful weapon from falling into the wrong hands, Janeway destroys the array that could return them home, stranding her crew and the Maquis together. The show focuses on their journey back to the Alpha Quadrant, which is estimated to take 75 years. The crew, composed of both Starfleet officers and Maquis rebels, must work together to survive the unknown dangers of the Delta Quadrant. They encounter new species, face various challenges, and adapt to life far from Federation space. Notable crew members include Chakotay, the Maquis leader and Voyager's first officer; Tuvok, the Vulcan security off...

Various wounded (or dead) Starfleet officers and crew. Also, there's a couple of figures where Klingons are assaulting some Starfleet crewmembers. Figures designed by RavenX and printed by The Lazy Gamer. Figures are wearing 'The Wrath of Khan' era uniforms.

Starfleet Security is the branch of the Federation Starfleet responsible for security aboard all Federation starships and at all Federation starbases and outposts. In addition, Starfleet Security is responsible for providing security at all Federation government facilities. Starfleet Security was also the armed special forces of the fleet.  Figures designed by RavenX and printed by The Lazy Gamer. Figures are wearing 'The Wrath of Khan' era uniforms.

I cannot remember where I picked up this vehicle. I suspect it was designed to be some type of sci-fi delivery van.  Anyway, it has been languishing in my 'to do' box for ages. Given it's crude casting and shape, I thought that looked Klingon in style. So using a Bird of Prey colour scheme (the green is darker in real life) as inspiration, I painted it up as a pseudo Klingon shuttle.