Blog - Iron Fleet - Kitt Miniatures

Battle Report 25th May 2018

Fleets:
Human Alliance (James): Destroyer (1) & Dreadnought (1)
Marak Republic (Chris): Destroyer (1) & Dreadnought (1)
Mission:
Fleet Engagement

Set up:



Turn 1:
Turn 1 consisted of just movement for both fleets. The humans moved forward cautiously whilst the Marak tried to out flank them.



Turn 2:
The Marak Dreadnought made a bold move to cut through the asteroid field and was able to miss hitting any asteroids, meaning no damage was done. The Marak Destroyer continued to out flank. Both Human ships continue to move forward cautiously. The Marak Dreadnought fired on the human dreadnought inflicting minor damage.



Turn 3:
Both dreadnoughts fire broadside at each other whilst passing. Human dreadnought suffers damage bringing its hull points down to half. Marak Dreadnought suffers major damage which brings it down to half hull points. The Human Dreadnought fires torpedoes at the Marak Destroyer, causing it to loose all of its hull points and destroying it.



Turn 4:
Marak Dreadnought launches torpedoes at both Human ships, damaging human dreadnought and destroys human destroyer. Human Dreadnought launches torpedoes at Marak dreadnought which then becomes and hulk and breaks up, which only leaves the Human Dreadnought left in the battle.



Time elapsed including set up: 1 hour 05 mins
Victor: Human Alliance

~ Victory class Heavy Dreadnought:



Designed to replace the Dreadnaught class using the latest technology and to correct perceived weaknesses in the Dreadnaught class in regards to having mixed weaponry and trading armour thickness with an increase in speed. Entering service only a few years before the war broke out, these now form the bulk of the heavy dreadnaughts deployed.

~ Dreadnought class Heavy Dreadnought:



The oldest of the heavy dreadnaughts currently in service with the alliance navy and designed in an era when laser technology was in its infancy (hence the reliance on MAC batteries), the remaining vessels in the fleet were in the process of being decommissioned when the war started. They were hurriedly put back into service after rapid refits. Though an older vessel then the victory class they still serve with distinction.

~ Vanguard class Dreadnought:



The newest class of dreadnaught to entre service they have seen extensive action in the war so far with them dominating several engagements and proving to be very capable vessels.

~ Colossus class Dreadnought:



One of the older classes of vessel currently in service, They have been extensively modernised to prevent them becoming obsolete. Whilst this has generally resulted in them becoming relegated to the reserve fleets, the vessels currently in service have proved themselves more than capable of taking on enemy dreadnaughts head on at close range.

~ Implacable class Fleet Carrier:



The largest fleet carriers to ever serve with the alliance navy and extremely effective carrier vessels, they form the back bone of several fleets though an attempt to form a large carrier strike group almost ended in disaster during one engagement. This has resulted in the remaining vessels in the class which are currently in service being used in a support role until the dockyards can make good on the losses.

~ Hawke class Battle Cruiser:



The sole class of battle cruiser in use until the Indomitable class enters service. It was not well received by the fleet as they were initially under armed when first built. This was rectified at the outbreak of the war and now the Hawke class are used for a variety of roles but quickly become noted as effective lone-wolf commerce raiders and support vessels.

~ Audacious class Heavy Cruiser:



Having only recently started to entre service and built to a similar design as the Minotaur class but using more modern ideas, the Audacious class is gaining a reputation as an effective fleet support vessel.

~ Minotaur class Heavy Cruiser:



Built to compliment the dreadnaughts and operate as a fleet support vessel, the minotaur class have proved effective vessels if somewhat cramped due to the configuration of weapons batteries and armour. Regardless of this, the class has been built in large numbers and seen extensive use in most of the fleets.

~ Astute class Medium Cruiser:



Originally designed as a through deck cruiser, the idea was later dropped in favour of developing the echo class escort cruiser. The design was modified however to turn it into a dedicated medium cruiser which has served with distinction in the fleet since the first of the class entered service.

~ Juno class Medium Cruiser:



One of the oldest class of vessels in the fleet, the design has been modernised in response to the requirement to increase the fleet size as the war has progressed, including replacing MAC batteries with Laser Cannon emplacements.

~ Archer class Light Cruiser:



Built in conjunction with and to complement the County class, the class has been required to operate in multiple roles within the fleet.

~ County class Light Cruiser:



Built in conjunction with and to complement the Archer class, it was designed to provide flexible fire power with the speed to act as escorts if required.

~ Echo Class Escort Carrier:



A recent addition to the fleet, the class was not well received due to perceived small star wing complement in regards to fleet support operations. This has resulted in the class becoming relegated to convoy escort duties and commerce raids in lone wolf operations. Their surprising effectiveness in these roles has resulted in modernisations and more of the class being constructed.

~ A class Destroyer:



One of the older class of escort, the A class have been modernised on numerous occasions before the war, which made them versatile if somewhat basic vessels to serve on.

~ B class Destroyer:



With the outbreak of war large numbers of destroyers were quickly needed to bulk the fleets. The basic design of the A class was re-designed using modern techniques and built to supplement the A class, with an aim to replace them as the war progressed.

~ C class Frigate:



A common class of frigate before the war, large numbers of these vessels were rapidly built to meet the requirements of the navy as the war progressed. Noted for being simple to build and repair, several of the original vessels of the class have also been converted into training vessels.

~ D class Frigate:



Also a common class, they were designed to be primarily torpedo ships. As a result whilst they proved versatile warships the crew tended to find them cramped, especially on long deployments.

~ E class Frigate:



A derivative of the C class, it was developed to fill a perceived capability gap in star craft and drone warfare with increased point defence batteries. Whilst designed as a support vessel and anti-star craft duties, the class proved adept at long range patrols and lone operations.

~ F class Corvette:



Built in limited numbers before the war to act as orbital defence of the colonies, large numbers were built at the start of the war to act as commerce raiders, armed patrols and fleet support vessels.

~ G class Corvette:




An evolution of the F class, built with more of a fleet support role in mind, with additional point defence batteries to counter increased threats of star craft and drone attack to capital vessels.

Kay has been hard at work testing out different paints on some of the models that didn't make the grade!



First up, we have acrylics. These were easy to put on, and have the benefit that the brushes can be cleaned easily with water afterwards. Once dry, you could see areas where the paint hadn't adhered properly and didn't create a professional look.



Next, we used a branded acrylic based paint, which once again was easy to put on, and has the benefit that the brushes can be cleaned easily with water afterwards. The black looked really good, whereas the white didn't adhere very well, but there were 2 factors that we believe influenced this:
1. There was a slight residue of water left on the brush
2. The white is notorious for being a difficult colour to work with within their range



Our final test was with enamel paints. We have used Humbrol, but there are different brands which all give the same results. This went on very well, and has given a really nice finish. The only downside is that the brushes have to be cleaned with brush cleaners.



The last part of the test was to give them a bit of a scratch and rough up, to see how the paint would last. As you can see from the pictures, the enamel came out the best, whereas the acrylics didn't fair so well.

Well the first set of models have been cast. So we thought we would show you how they are made:



1. Blocks of clay are formed into a rough shape and left to fully dry

2. These blocks of dried clay are then sanded down to form the ships shape and size and then spray painted black to stop moisture from entering during the casting process

3. The ships are then placed into containers and filled with liquid silicone. These take about 3-4 hours to fully set.

4. Once the silicone has set, the ship is taken out which then leaves a hollow piece of silicone.

5. Liquid resin is then poured into the silicone mould. This has to be a quick process as the resin starts to set in 3 1/2 minutes. The moulds are then tapped to release any air bubbles. After 45 minutes, the resin can be removed from the silicone mould. The mould can then be reused multiple times.

These will come unpainted for you to paint to your specifications. More on that in the next post.

Human Empire



Humanity has become united under a Meritocratic world government in order to establish themselves amid the stars. Whilst this road has not been easy and not all have chosen to share it, a grand alliance of all earths nations in the form of the Alliance has enabled humans to spread away from Earth and found colonies in the surrounding systems. This would not have been achieved nearly so fast had it not been for the discovery of a crashed alien probe on Europa during the early stages of the exploration of the solar system.

For the most part this expansion has been peaceful, however contact with the Marak has changed this and resulted in the first major interstellar war for control of the remaining areas of the now defunct Chumesian Empire.


The Marak Republic



The Marak are an old, long established republic which has been slowly expanding from their homeworld of Tursk for 100’s of years. Whilst they do have a democratic core to their species the military have a large say in how things are run, with military service almost seen as a right of passage for many young Marakians.

Whilst the Marak themselves are not overtly hostile or xenophobic they do have a strong sense of pride when it comes to their own species which has unfortunately bread a sense of superiority towards other species. This belief led directly to the first major interstellar war for control of the remaining areas of the now defunct Chumesian Empire, as they believed humanity to be little more then upstarts who had occupied Chumesian territory, space long held to be Marakian by right.

Chumesian Empire



The Ancient alien race which has become known as the Chumesian Empire is somewhat of a mystery to both the Alliance and the Marak. According to artefacts and historical documents recovered from dig sites as the Alliance expanded, the Chumesians were an advanced race which established a large and stable empire. However they appear to have suddenly disappeared 1000’s of years ago under mysterious circumstances.

They have left behind very little other then abandoned, ruined colonies, caches of technology and the occasional abandoned installation and drifting, badly damaged vessel, all of which are being fought over by the Alliance and Marak. There is no sign of any catastrophe, war or grand exodus to explain their disappearance. Its as if they simply vanished, leaving no tombs or monuments.

The Dren



The Dren have a well established if small empire to the Galactic East of Alliance territory which was established millennium. It was initially established as a theocracy, with two main factions emerging, the two main religious parties handling governance whilst the military handled security. However 200 years before contact was established with either the Marak or humanity civil war broke out between the two religious factions, with the military shattering and declaring allegiance for one religious party or the other.

After centuries of civil war the Dren empire collapsed completely, with their space breaking up into enclaves controlled by the two separate religious factions (called the de’lath and drek), from where a peace treaty was eventually signed. Both the Marak and Alliance have both made contact with the Dren and peace treaties signed with the more tolerable of the two (the de’lath).

Wraiths



The alien vessels which have become known as wraiths to the Alliance navy are a complete mystery. The do not appear to belong to any known alien race and do not favour one side or the other in the war (Wraith vessels have been observed to both ignore vessels from both sides and attack both with equal fury), instead carrying on slowly travailing through space until they encounter a planet or installation, in which case they have been known to scan these for a short while before leaving again whilst in other cases ignoring the planet or installation altogether as they pass through a system.

The vessels themselves are larger then any vessel yet encountered by either side in the war and posses technology and weapons that are extremely advanced and powerful, even out gunning Alliance heavy dreadnoughts. Whilst they usually travel slowly through space and do not appear to show an interest in anything around them unless they pause to scan a planet or installation, if has been noted on numerous occasions that if a vessel approaches too closely to them the Wraith will suddenly transform from a slow moving, defenceless vessel to a extremely manoeuvrable, fast, powerful warship. It is unclear why this happens but is assumed to be as a result of the Wraith possible considering the short distance between vessels as a threat. In addition no successful contact has ever been achieved with a Wraith vessel, no access doors have even been discovered on the hull (bringing into question how the crew enter/leave their vessels) and Wraith ships have only ever been observed/encountered on their own, never in groups.

Welcome to the universe!

A little update on the progress of Iron Fleet.

~ Chris has been busy (and messy!) creating the silicone moulds ready for the resin to be poured into to make the model ships. This morning he has also poured the resin into his test mould to check it all works ok. Results should be seen by this afternoon.



~ The printers are busy printing the rule & mission books, counters and terrain templates, so we should be getting those back over the next couple of days. We have already received the vessel cards back, each vessel card is unique to the individual ships & race (blue = human/purple=marak). More accessories for the game have also been delivered.



~ Kay has been busy creating artwork and some scenery for promotional use.



~ We are so close to having the starter set ready to post out, so over the next couple of days we will be releasing information on how you can pre order! And if you are very lucky, there might even be a little added surprise for those of you who do pre order!