The Chances of Anything Coming from Mars...

Currently on a flying work trip through the UK, but I did get the chance to stop briefly in Woking for a homage to HG Wells. He lived in the town while writing War of the Worlds in 1895-97, using it as the setting for the initial part of the book.

The first alien cylinder lands in Horsell Common, assembling heat ray equipped machines where they impact in the sandpit

The 7 metre tall Tripod itself in the centre of town!

With a crashed cylinder and some of Mankind's bacterial allies in attendance

Nearby Wells Plaza has a nice statue of the author; 

Note the martian red weed at the base of the chair, date on the back of the chair from The Time Machine (when the Traveller meets with Eloy and Morlocks) and he is holding the Cavorite sphere spaceship from The First Men in the Moon.

"The Man from Maybury Hill"; 141 Maybury Road Woking, where HG Wells lived while writing the book

Just a nice spot to enjoy a coffee and consider invasion from another world (nice product placement there Games Workshop!)

"The chances of anything coming from Mars are a Million to One they said..."

Back to Mars!

Good God man - has it really been a year since a dispatch was last posted?  We were adrift in the Aether you know while dispatched on Her Majesty's service, but have now returned. Indeed a new VSF project beckons but I'll keep Mum for now as it develops - wouldn't want the Kaiser or the Tsar to get word of it.   But it does involve Mars, Airships and gashants with a few of those new fellows down at the club providing some inspiration and opposing forces...

In the meantime, some news regarding that mysterious and boreboding planet:

The Coming of the Martians

The Coming of the Martians is our full-cast faithful audio dramatisation of H. G. Wells’ original 1897 martian invasion story The War of the Worlds.

Since it was first novelised in 1898 there have been numerous adaptations in various media formats. However, none of these derivative works have been truly faithful to the original story or the tone that Wells established.

Our adaptation, presented as an audio drama in surround sound, retains the dark and often horrific nature of events and faithfully recreates scenes as closely as possible without the need to alter the original story. We retain the late 19th Century period and the southern England setting and give the story a fantastic cast of actors wonderfully directed in a production that sounds incredibly realistic!

https://www.sherwoodsoundstudios.com/the-war-of-the-worlds/

BBC is making a Victorian-era War of the Worlds TV series

Earlier today, the BBC announced a number of new shows, including a three-part series based on H.G. Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds. The show is scheduled to go into production next spring, and it appears that, unlike most modern adaptations, it will be set in the Victorian era.

The series will be written by screenwriter Peter Harness, who adapted Susanna Clarke’s Victorian-era fantasy novel Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell for the network, as well as a handful of Doctor Who episodes. The North-West Evening Mail has some additional details, quoting Mammoth Studios Managing Director of Productions Damien Timmer as saying that while the film has been adapted many times, “no one has ever attempted to follow Wells and locate the story in Dorking at the turn of the last century.” The project was first announced in 2015, and today’s confirmation of production comes only months after the book entered the public domain. 

The novel follows an unnamed narrator as he watches a series of shooting stars, which turn out to be vast metal cylinders containing Martian invaders. The aliens attack the assembled humans and begin a conquest of the planet, only to succumb to human diseases. 

The War of the Worlds is one of the more important works of science fiction out there, and its period setting is important to the original story, as it’s part of an entire movement of fiction dubbed “invasion literature,” in which England is gallantly defended against hostile outsiders. It will be interesting to see how and if the series addresses the politics of the novel’s era, and how they relate to the politics of England and Europe today.Since the novel’s release in 1898, there have been a number of film, television, and radio adaptations, but with only one exception, most productions updated the novel to contemporary times and settings. The 1953 film took place in Southern California, while the 2005 Steven Spielberg adaptation was set in New York. Even the famous 1938 radio play by Orson Welles shifted the location to the United States. Only a direct-to-video adaptation called H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds retained the period setting. 

https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/4/15551306/bbc-the-war-of-the-worlds-tv-series-peter-hartness

All Quiet at Fall-In

Saw these nice AQOTMF minis at Fall-In recently. Very shiny!  Loved the LED effects in particular.

The Anglo-Martian War of 1895

You may not have seen this upcoming release from Osprey. Looks like November will bring more WOTW goodness!

War of the Worlds

THE ANGLO-MARTIAN WAR OF 1895

DARK OSPREY 9

• Author: Mike Brunton
• Illustrator: Alan Lathwell
• Short code: DARK 9
• Publication Date: 20 Nov 2015
• ISBN: 9781472811561
• Format: Paperback
• Number of Pages: 80

On one terrible night in August 1895, the world changed forever. Grey metal cylinders, launched from Mars and hurtled through space, came crashing down in southern England. The next 15 days were marked by courage and despair, hope and shock, defeat and fleeting victory as Queen Victoria's army struggled to contain the terrible alien threat. The war, man against machines from space, was fought without mercy on both sides. And the outcome would be decided by the smallest of things… 

This book covers the whole of the Anglo-Martian conflict, beginning with a look at the relative strengths and weakness of the two armies, both English and alien, and comparing the different strategies employed. It then takes a detailed look at the actual military struggle, covering all of the major engagements between the tripods and Victoria's army.

https://ospreypublishing.com/war-of-the-worlds-pb

The Heat Ray comes to life!

I was looking for this today and thought I had reposted it here - it certainly needs to be so here it is!
Courtesy of the TMP boards and the modelling brilliance of Scott Washburn.  Bravo Sir! Bravo!
Here is his post in toto:

From the first moment I saw the All Quiet on the Martian Front Tripods I thought they just cried out to have some lights in them. Well, I figured out a way to do it!

How? Well, first, let me tell you that I know as much about electricity as your average 4-year old, so my method had to be very simple! Step one was to find a self-contained power and light kit that would fit inside the head of a tripod. No way was I going to try and have a remote power supply or lights and then try to send wires or fiber optics through the narrow legs of a tripod! A very little searching on-line found exactly what I was looking for:

This beautiful little set includes a battery, battery-holder, switch and LED light for about 5 dollars. The provided light was a bit too small so I got a bigger one for another couple of bucks. It's all available from here:  link

Now, how to mount it? Well, the light itself is simple. Just drill a hole of the proper size through the nose of the tripod.

A little drilling, a little clean-up and it's ready.

I toyed with the idea of making another hole and poking the button of the switch through the body of the tripod, but I decided I would just leave the top of the head loose and access the button and the battery that way. The pegs in the top of the head fit very tightly into the holes in the lower part of the head. I wanted to loosen that up, but not too much. A little careful drilling did the trick.

After that, it was just a matter of hooking the wires of the LED up to the wires of the switch/battery and stuffing the whole thing into the head of the tripod with the light poking through the hole. Oh, I strongly recommend finishing all your painting before mounting the light!

And voila! 

I have no idea how long the batteries will last, but they are easily replaceable and cheap and I keep them turned off when not in use. Sadly the apparatus is too large to fit in the head of a scout tripod, but I've got a lead on a smaller one.

And no "Rudolph" jokes, please!

Great Martian War on Film!

WoW, this is fantastic!  Really inspirational for players of All Quiet on the Martian Front too.


Great martian war from PLAZMA on Vimeo.

Thanks to http://www.history.co.uk/shows/the-great-martian-war and "Steam fantasy"for sharing the love on FB

All Quiet on the Martian Front Playtest

Miles has posted some great pics and thoughts on a recent test game he played of this game.  I managed to resist the Kickstarter because nobody else around me was interested and its in a scale I don't usually use.  I'm now starting to really regret that decision.
http://lairoftheubergeek.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/all-quiet-on-martian-front-playtest.html

Tripods Ahoy!

Earlier this year there was a kickstarter for "All Quite on the Martian Front" which I missed while I was away.  In catching up on my aethernet news I saw these smashing pictographs from Historican 2013 in July of these wonderful models in action!

These pics are not mine, all credits to:
http://1000footgeneral.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/historicon-2013-thursday.html
http://www.wwpd.net/2013/07/lukes-historicon-picture-dump.html
http://agamemag.com/archives/6025

All Quiet on the Martian Front

Yes, another kickstarter, but one which VSF fans will enjoy - check it out!
http://www.martianfront.com/kickstarter

WOTW: The New Generation

A 're-imagined' version of the War of the Worlds Musical? By Liam Neeson?
http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/news/2011/Liam-Neeson-in-new-War-of-The-Worlds-16411.php

WOTW Artwork

Just one example of lonesome crow's excellent WOTW artwork here: http://lonesome--crow.deviantart.com/gallery/#

  

Artwork by Martyn and Roger Dean and Richard Clifton-Dey originally intended for Jeff Wayne’s 1977 War of the Worlds album, but never used

While this piece was used for a Signet paperback of the book...

War of the Worlds with LI

A TMP thread discusses the use of :LI to fight out WOTW scenarios:

Fires in the Night Sky or How I learned to stop worrying and love the Madhi

SitRep: The Madhi forces had been pushing hard along the Nile toward a small port of Abba-Dabba Do. An Anglo-Egyptian force has marched to protect this town from the advancing enemy. During the night before the battle, huge fires in the Madhi camp lit the night skys and the frenzied warchants of the fathful could be heard. The defenders of Abba-Dabba Do steeled themselves for the coming assault.

When the dawn broke, the defenders were in for a suprise….

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=166839

More pics here:

http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z320/Evad77/War%20of%20the%20Worlds/

Great job chaps!

Brigade releases Olympians

...just in time for Salute 09. Check them out here:

http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/Frames/SaluteReleases.html

WOTW - Radio broadcast

The original WOTW radio broadcast is now on YouTube with a CGI backdrop!



http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=aonl

Martians, cylinders and green flashes in the sky

Scientists are only now getting the evidence to prove what we already know...Mars is inhabited!!!

http://www.marsanomalyresearch.com/evidence-directories/3-civilization/civilization-directory.htm

And are these the holes that remain after theose terrible projectiles were fired with a green flash?

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070928.html

UUULLLLAAAAA!

Another metal cylinder from Mars?

Is the first sign of another Invasion force en-route to Earth?

Yes, another Green Flash! Just like last time...

Mon Sep 17, 11:23 PM -
Mystery illness strikes after meteorite hits Peruvian village

LIMA - Villagers in southern Peru were struck by a mysterious illness after a meteorite made a fiery crash to Earth in their area, regional authorities said Monday.

Around midday Saturday, villagers were startled by an explosion and a fireball that many were convinced was an airplane crashing near their remote village, located in the high Andes department of Puno in the Desaguadero region, near the border with Bolivia.

Residents complained of headaches and vomiting brought on by a "strange odor," local health department official Jorge Lopez told Peruvian radio RPP.

Seven policemen who went to check on the reports also became ill and had to be given oxygen before being hospitalized, Lopez said. Rescue teams and experts were dispatched to the scene, where the meteorite left a 100-foot-wide (30-meter-wide) and 20-foot-deep (six-meter-deep) crater, said local official Marco Limache.

"Boiling water started coming out of the crater and particles of rock and cinders were found nearby. Residents are very concerned," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070918/sc_afp/peruhealthoffbeat

HMS THUNDERCHILD in Action!

Remember the Jeff Wayne WOTW live show I mentioned a little while ago?

Well, its been released on DVD, and if you'd like a preview, here is my favourite scene on YouTube: the attack of the HMS THUNDERCHILD!

Tripods!

Luis, a stout chap I know from the Club, sent me this great news:
Detailed models of those confounded Martian Contraptions!



"Retrokit are primarily known for their armor and artillery models. This model of H.G. Wells (in)famous Martian Tripod is their first science fictional offering. It's based on the illustrations of Alvim Correa in a 1906 French edition of the novel, drawings that Wells said were very close to his own vision of the fighting machines."
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/was/jl_retrokit.htm

More can be seen at the manufacturer's site here: http://www.retrokit.net/79.html

Smashing!

2mm Martian Infantry

Germy has been busy indeed..! He has produced these cephalopodic nightmares which you may recall from that terrible summer. He says:

"Following the description HG Wells gives I think they came out rather well :)Obviously they will need to get themselves in a fighting machine quick since there combat ability as lumbering hulks was never described!

So next up had to be a martian spread to the four winds. I thought people could build little dioramas of a fallen tripod and dead martian."

I know I'll be making up a diorama just like that!

You can see more of Germy's WOTW studd at his miniGerm website here: http://www.minigerm.co.uk/workmarinf.html

Flying Martians observed!

That stout chap Germy has released his lastest pics of flying Martian contraptions!

With good luck, they will soon appear with Germy's other WOTW stuff at the Brigade Models website.

You can read more about it here:

http://www.minigerm.co.uk/workmartian.html