Starship Troopers: The Annual Read

"I always get the shakes before a jump . . ." thus starts one of the greatest military science fiction novels of all time, Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein. Even today, the book has stood the test of time, and was a big influence on my decision to be an Infantry officer.

When I attended the Command and General Staff College, I was pleasantly surprised to see the novel on the required reading list. Today, the novel is still on the reading list for the US Army, Navy and United States Marine Corps.

The overall theme of the book is that social responsibility requires individual ownership. Social responsibility is an act of self acceptance of that responsibility along with the concomitant commitment to the debts that are incurred. 

Juan Rico begins the novel with no thought of his personal responsibility or of any particular group's responsibility to self or others. This theme is obliquely addressed in the novel's opening: "We had all inspected our combat equipment (look, it's your own neck -- see?), the acting platoon sergeant had gone over us carefully after he mustered us, and now Jelly went over us again, his eyes missing nothing." "Now I was going to have a hole in my section and no way to fill it. That's not good; it means a man can run into something sticky, call for help and have nobody to help him." "I've heard tell that there used to be military outfits whose chaplains did not fight alongside the others, but I've never been able to see how that could work. I mean, how can a chaplain bless anything he's not willing to do himself? In any case, in the Mobile Infantry, everybody drops and everybody fights -- chaplain and cook and the Old Man's writer."

 The theme is repeated through flashbacks to High School and Officer Candidate School in a required class called History and Moral Philosophy. In this view, everything from the right to vote to the punishments for various crimes are depicted as part of a larger effort to recognize society's needs and improve society, as distinct from self-interest. The service Heinlein envisioned was an all-volunteer service, long before the US military had changed to an all-volunteer model. Other than the rights to vote and hold public office, there is no other restriction between service veterans and civilians.

 

In the course of both the "current" plot and flashbacks Rico learns to take responsibility for ever increasing groups: himself, his comrades, and eventually all of mankind (a shared responsibility), and accept that as the reason for remaining in the service. Further, Rico is seen to develop from a relatively powerless citizen, to a very dangerous fighter: "There are no dangerous weapons; there are only dangerous men. We're trying to teach you to be dangerous -- to the enemy. Dangerous even without a knife. Deadly as long as you still have one hand or one foot and are still alive."

I just finished my annual reading of the book . . . something I do annually!

Now for the Warning!!!

This is a poster for the movie directed by Paul Verhoeven who admitted he never finished reading the book.  Please don't watch it . . . you'll thank me later.  Not only does the movie miss most of the points of the book and, as a retired infantry officer (Regulars By God!), it's embarrassing to watch. 

Please don't get me started on how they portray Lieutenant Rasczak, the epitome of the servant leader in the novel that leads the Roughnecks.

One of the worst scenes in the book is when the platoon is defending an outpost and the bugs are coming. I can see the nuclear rockets strapped to the backs of the (so called) Mobile Infantry! So what do they do? Break out the SMALL ARMS (sigh). How about the scene when the platoon surround a bug in a circle, and then they all fire at the bug! In a circle? They would have hit each other. (Note: That's a safety violation) And please

Do not watch the movie!



The book sums it up nicely: "For the everlasting glory of the Infantry . . ."

Unmatched Cobble and Fog: Jekyll & Hyde

 

Two sides of the same man - the scheming of Doctor Jekyll and force of nature of Mr. Hyde. Who will be the author of your demise?

Jekyll and Hyde is the fourth and final "official" figure for Unmatched: Cobble and Fog. Having actually read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde I have frequently been disappointed with the portrayal, especially in the last 40 years of so, of Mr. Hyde in visual medium and with miniature manufacturers. He is usually portrayed as a version of the Incredible Hulk, which is not how he is described in the novella: 

“Well, it was this way,” returned Mr. Enfield: “I was coming home from some place at the end of the world, about three o’clock of a black winter morning, and my way lay through a part of town where there was literally nothing to be seen but lamps. Street after street, and all the folks asleep—street after street, all lighted up as if for a procession and all as empty as a church—till at last I got into that state of mind when a man listens and listens and begins to long for the sight of a policeman. All at once, I saw two figures: one a little man (italics mine) who was stumping along eastward at a good walk, and the other a girl of maybe eight or ten who was running as hard as she was able down a cross street. Well, sir, the two ran into one another naturally enough at the corner; and then came the horrible part of the thing; for the man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground. It sounds nothing to hear, but it was hellish to see. It wasn’t like a man; it was like some damned Juggernaut."

Richard Mansfield in the first stage version of the novella in 1887.

Based in Soho in London's West End, Dr Jekyll is a "large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty with something of a slyish cast", who sometimes feels he is battling between the good and evil within himself, leading to the struggle between his dual personalities of Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. He has spent a great part of his life trying to repress evil urges that were not fitting for a man of his stature. He creates a serum, or potion, in an attempt to separate this hidden evil from his personality. In doing so, Jekyll transformed into the smaller, younger, cruel, remorseless, and evil Hyde. Jekyll has many friends and an amiable personality, but as Hyde, he becomes mysterious and violent. As time goes by, Hyde grows in power. After taking the potion repeatedly, he no longer relies upon it to unleash his inner demon, i.e., his alter ego. Eventually, Hyde grows so strong that Jekyll becomes reliant on the potion to remain conscious throughout the book.

Oh well. The figure is done well as it depicts the moment of transformation. To accentuate this, I decided to pull an "Incredible Hulk" and paint the Hyde side green. Guilty as charged!

A nicely sculpted 28mm hard plastic figure.

Unmatched Cobble and Fog: The Invisible Man

What a great figure!

BWAH HAH HAH! Just kidding. Here is the actual figure (and how did I miss filing down the flash on his hat?)

How can you defend what you cannot see? A glint of metal amidst the gloom - but it's too late. A surprise attack before he slips away again into the rolling fog.

I love what the team that produces "Unmatched" have done with the Invisible Man. Instead of the usual wrapped bandages or the plastic see-through figure, they have sculpted a figure that looks like he is ready for action as the . . . well, the Invisible Man.

I decided to try a different, lighter color scheme for this figure. In the game "Unmatched: Cobble and Fog", the Invisible Man can deploy fog tokens on the movement spaces. To match the tokens, I went with greys and white - and I think I pulled off a unique figure (I'm not too humble).

Planning his next move.

As always, the figures from the "Unmatched" series are 28mm hard plastic.

Unmatched Battle of Legends, Volume 1: Alice

Big Trouble in a Small Package. Anyone up for a game of chess?

She's been through the Looking Glass and came back with a vorpal blade and the Jabberwock in tow. Catch her at the wrong size and it'll be checkmate for you . . .

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

      And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

      The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

      The frumious Bandersnatch!”

Catch her at the wrong size and it'll be checkmate for you . . .

Okay - here's the deal: Alice is undefeated in our games. She is sneaky, can change size, has the Jobberwock as her personal pet and uses neat gimmicks from the Lewis Carrol books. I think it's time for her to face the characters from "Unmatched: Cobble and Fog" or fight bad guy monsters and Martian Invaders from "Unmatched: Tales to Amaze".

Alice's cards.

My only complaint is the figure which had so much potential (this is the personal preference portion which represents what I want in a figure). The game designers went with a school girl, Anime look with the butch haircut (Brrrr . . . shudder) instead of a more Victorian look. I would have prefer the hair style from the cover art. I love the vorpal blade, love the clock, and love the potions; but, the anime feel ruins it for me. I personally would have liked her in an older looking Victorian, adventurers outfit and longer hair. My opinion.

To make Alice to look like she is standing on a stone floor, I used my handy dandy hobbly knife to make the lines and then used Citadel Contrast Space Wolf Grey to get the effect.

I always enjoy looking at my photos when I start posting them on the blog and as usual, Alice needs a little touch up here and there. Having said that, a versatile 28mm hard plastic figure for many games and if you play "Unmatched" do not, I repeat, DO NOT, underestimate this character.

Unmatched Cobble and Fog: Mr. Sherlock Holmes

 

"Kali!"

Holmes chuckles. "Kali my deductive ass. Prepare for the ole' one-two punch."

Okay. The greatest detective of all time probably would not have said that! But I love that the hard plastic, 28mm figure of Sherlock Holmes from Unmatched: Cobble and Fog has him in a boxing stance. He was after all a great pugilist!

Another great feature is that he is molded as I imagine from his description in the stories and novels: Tall, thin and angular. Plus he has his pipe! Though to be fair, in the stories he usually smoked cigarettes.

A good comparison of the thin, taller Holmes to a 28mm figure from Pulp Figures.

I now have two Holmes figures; one from Wargames Foundry with pistol and the above. Talk about flexibility for gaming!

Unmatched Cobble and Fog: Dracula

There is a new player in the game and now acts on a long contemplated plan for world domination, and infiltrates London to begin his reign of terror . . .

Since this is the "Year of Travel" I have rapidly become of a fan of the Unmatched series of games - a great system and great figures. One of the sets I purchased is Unmatched: Cobble and Fog which includes Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, The Invisible Man, and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. The figures are 28mm and are compatible with most major manufacturers. 

First up: Count Vlad Dracula (interestingly enough, though he has alias', the vampire's first name is never mentioned in the novel Dracula).

Dracula with his wolf buddies. GW Fenris Wolves from Warhammer 40K.

I made the base, which is hard plastic like the figure, by CAREFULLY(!) cutting lines in the base with my hobby knife and then painting it with Citadel Contrast Space Wolves Gray. I wished for other figures I would have thought of that sooner. I then put some static grass on the base with watered down white glue.

"He must indeed have been that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turk, over the great river on the very frontier of Turkey-land. If it be so, then was he no common man: for in that time, and for centuries after, he was spoken of as the cleverest and the most cunning, as well as the bravest of the sons of the land beyond the forest." - Abraham Van Helsing

"How ironic. A man, a mere mortal man, dressed as a bat to challenge me!"

"You come to our world . . ."

In the novel Dracula, our dear vampire is not killed with a stake through the heart (yep, I reread this great classic of Gothic fiction). Mina Harkness's narrative describes his decapitation by Harker's kukri (another reason to like Ghurkas) while Morris simultaneously pierces his heart with a Bowie knife (Murrica!) (Mina Harker's Journal, 6 November, Dracula Chapter 27). His body then turns into dust, but not before Mina sees an expression of peace on his face.

"*Sigh*. I might as well fight the werewolf too."

Ghosts of Christmas Past

 Front L to R: Scrooge, The Ghost of Christmas Past, and the Ghost of Christmas Future. In the back is the Ghost of Christmas Present.

The big downer 3 years ago for me was that my NUMBER ONE Toy Soldier fan, my Mom, passed away. The same woman that said I could not purchase anymore toy soldiers when I was eleven, was the one that encouraged me the most in my hobby (critical thinking, leadership, manual dexterity, staying out of fights with my brothers, etc.). What was equally disheartening, was, since I was in a high risk job (I have since retired), I could not be there. Fortunately my brothers were able to be there when she passed away and be their for my Dad.

A recent photo of my mom; or as the grandchildren referred to her: Gramzilla!

 At Christmas time I would paint miniatures or tree decorations or pewter for her as her gift. She asked me, when I saw her in February before she died, that she wanted me to share some of her favorites on my blog. So that is what I am doing.

The Ghost of Christmas Past. I took some liberties with the painting as opposed to the description by Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol.  

 

My mom started out her professional career as a Physical Education Teacher (I wonder why all of her boys ran, wrestled, played baseball, etc.?) and then moved on to English Literature. I never knew anyone who knew so much about Dickens, Sherlock Holmes, and with the exception of Daughter-in-Law #1 (The Doctor), Shakespeare.

 

Scrooge then made bold to inquire what business brought it there. “Your welfare!” said the ghost. Scrooge expressed himself much obliged, but could not help thinking that a night of unbroken rest would have been more conducive to that end. The Spirit must have heard him thinking, for it said immediately: “Your reclamation, then. Take heed!” 

It was clothed in one simple deep green robe, or mantle, bordered with white fur. This garment hung so loosely upon the figure that its capacious breast was bare, as if disdaining to be warded or concealed by any artifice…. Its dark brown curls were long and free; free as its genial face, its sparkling eye, its open hand, its cheery voice, its unconstrained demeanor, and its joyful air.… “You have never seen the like of me before?” exclaimed the Spirit.

 

The Spirit pointed from the grave to him, and back again. “No, Spirit! Oh, no, no!” The finger was still there. “Spirit!” he cried, tight clutching at his robe, “hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse! Why show me this, if I am past all hope!” For the first time the hand appeared to shake.

If you never have read A Christmas Carol, please do. I recently re-read it for this posting and it is a beautiful story of redemption and sacrifice. Plus that Mr. Dickens could write!

This just shows that what the enemy meant for evil, God can turn it around for good! If He did it before, He can do it again.

If we look at what is happening around us with this pandemic and wars and rumors of war it has done nothing but spread fear, anxiety, restlessness, and hopelessness. Though it may look like darkness is all around, Christ's light will shine brighter in this time. We have the victory in Jesus' name. We can call upon the name of the Lord for healing. We can plea the blood of Jesus over our families, friends, our nation and the nations around the world affected by this virus. For there is power in the blood of Jesus; there is power in His name. I believe it, do you?

 

Next: More figures!