HMS Aphid Aerial Gunboat

(I apologize in advance if you get this image twice. I’m still learning the ropes what gets forwarded where when I post something here)

I made this model while doing pre-production design for Space:1889. GDW handled visual aspects for the game series in the same way a movie would be designed out before any film rolled.

Why the model? I knew the ship would appear quite often and I wanted convenient, consistent reference. It began as a simple I-board mock-up hovering between 1:54 and 1:72 scale-wise and painted overall primer grey to aid photography…but when I saw how good it turned out I finished it off, giving it a full-color paint job, adding Ral Partha miniatures for crew and using period-correct ship fixtures purchased from Flying Dromedary Inc.

I was very selective about showing it for the first couple of years as it was part of the whole Space:1889 design package for which I had been paid a retainer – I was a little concerned that I’d have to give it to them. Luckily Frank was feeling gracious the day I asked about it and “gave” it to me.

Many fan-built ships differ slightly because the first published drawings of the Aphid show differences from mid-point aft to the propeller. I found that as I was making the model some aspects of my first design looked fine from just one angle – but appeared pretty clunk when viewed in the round.

General Grievous, Move Over.

Doing any kind of licensed material for Lucasfilm has usually been a nice experience. Not too much micromanagement. Pay not overly great but on time. They even sometimes work your creations into the SW canon, unlike another certain space-opera property.

The only problem I’ve ever had with them can be summed up in three words:

1.Work
2.For
3.Hire

They own everything you do for them under contract…which is why I flinch whenever I see General Grievous on his wheel-bike. This sketch here predates the general’s ride by a number of years–I did it in February of 1995 for the West End Games Star Wars Game journal–can’t remember the title of magazine or Peter’s (the editor) last name. Since every licensed publication passes through Skywalker Ranch at one time or another you have to wonder if one of the production designers was having a brain-fart creative walk one day when SHA-ZAM he came across my design.