Sixth Interceptor

And, last but not least, is the final Interceptor of the batch, this one based on an Aston Martin One-77 frame.  While many of our scratchbuilt weapons are pretty simple, we spent some extra time for details on the Grenade Launcher and I think it turned out pretty well.

Machine Guns on the sides . . .

 . . . Spike Dropper on the tail . . .

. . . and the Grenade Launcher on the roof.

Fifth Interceptor

Continuing on, we have a very streamlined, almost James Bondish car, designed by my 9 year old (who loves the old Bond movies) . . .

Aston Martin with double MGs coming out the grill.

Smoke pipe out the back.

Fourth Interceptor

And another Interceptor, this one an Aston Martin convertible:

This bad boy has a missile pod on the "roof" and a chain gun on the side . . .

With a spike dropper on the back!

Now tell me this video isn't 100% Dark Future:

Thanks for stopping by!

Third Interceptor

Next up on the Interceptors is this green Lamborghini:

Auto cannon on the roof, with a Turret mount . . . 

Machine gun mounted on the side, with an oil slicker on the back.

Second Interceptor

Next up for the new Interceptor squad, below is a model based on the Hot Wheels Ryura LX body:

Turret mounted Heavy Laser on the roof.  Not exactly aerodynamic, is it?

Side mounted machine guns, smoke screen on back.

Here Come the Interceptors . . .

The local citizens are fed up with the Renegades wreaking havoc.  They've decided to take back their highways and byways.

Favors are called in.  Cash, drugs and gasoline exchange hands.  Arc wielders alight.  The Interceptors are coming.  And coming in hot:

My boys designed some new cars for Dark Future.  Here's the first of six:

Lamborghini with two side-mounted chain guns.  Have to say, I'm happy with the way the guns themselves turned out, but the boxy mounts leave a lot to be desired - especially on such a sleek vehicle.  Need to revisit the design at some point.

Smoker on the tail.

All the Interceptors are coming from the Hot Wheels Exotics 5-pack (on right) and the single pack on the top left:

The rest of the bunch will be coming in this week!

Why do GW's Space Marines look like Stormtroopers? When they could have looked like hounds?

Oldenhammer in Toronto had a great post I read over the weekend, discussing Star Wars and Rogue Trader, and the role Storm Troopers and Space Marines play, which got me thinking.  Go read his post first.  It's worth it.  I'll wait . . .

So, I was a huge Star Wars fan as a kid in mid-70's.  I was one of those kids who always rooted for the good guys, and Luke and Han were my heroes.  However, the design of the Stormtrooper always captured my imagination the most, and remains the first thing I think of when I hear the words "Star Wars."  I even dressed up as one for Halloween back in 1980 or so (my Mom, God bless her, sewed me a suit out of a bed sheet and decorated it with a Magic Marker).

This is not me dressed for Halloween.  And, since I don't have my vintage Action Figures close at hand, my boy's lego version will have to do as a point of reference.  

When I first saw GW's version of a Space Marine in the late 80's, I immediately thought the design very derivative (to put it kindly) of George Lucas's Stormtroopers:

Dark Future - Last Battle Report

Once more unto the breach, dear readers, once more;

Or close the wall up with our burning sleds.

Having reviewed the rules, and laid waste to two highways, the open road has led us to the final act.  I give you the third installment of our battlereports:

DEATHDRAG RACE 1994

First, let's look at the new entrants:

Here's my older son's Jeep.

Dark Future - Second, and Penultimate, Battle Report

Here we go, way too fast . . .

Having cut our teeth on our first Dark Future road battle, we decided to mix things up and have the Renegades and the Interceptor face off head-to-head.  Surely, this would result in a battle that would give the lightweight and mobile [ed. note: in theory; not reflected in actual gameplay] Renegades a leg up on the Interceptor, to even the karmic score . . .

My younger boy took the wheel of the Katana, and my older served as gang leader for the two battle hardened road warriors. 

Across the barren wasteland of a future America, the Renegades search for the Interceptor that killed their brothers in arms.  Finally, through the heat rising off the blacktop, they see the silhouette of their target, carrying its fleshy cargo: a corporate stooge, corpulent from a life of greed and opulence.  The Renegades speed up, unable to contain their lust for blood.  The Interceptor speeds up as well, hoping to pass by its attackers quickly.

Dark Future - First Battle Report!

Now then, having provided an overview of the Dark Future Tournament rules, onto our very first battle report for . . . .

Dark Future!

Hey, that was fun. One more time . . .

Dark Future!

All right, I'm over it.  Our first game, I played two renegades and my older boy took the wheel of a the Katan . . . er, I mean, "Interceptor."

18 point interceptor with a roof mount heavy laser turret and oil slicker in the rear.  Hmm, that didn't sound right.  Anyway, you'll see I made up small oil markers, four with oil and four blanks, as required by the rules.  Funny little mechanic, as neither you nor your opponent know whether they're about to run over an oil slick, or just a mirage.  Being as the top speed of each car is "6", a die works perfectly for tracking speed - unless you stop or reverse, that is.

Dark Future - Tourney Rules Overview

So, after putting together quite a band of Renegade Hot Wheels, and one Mitsui Katana 2034 from the (completely different from Dark Future and not all the basis from which Dark Future was copied) Car Wars universe, we finally got down to throwing some dice on the open roads of the far-future of  . . . 1995.  TBW now brings you . . .

Dark Future!

To keep things simple, we used the short-form Tournament rules.  These rules are very streamlined  (though a few things, like U-Turns, needed a reference to the main rules).  While I'm sure they lack the full rules' mechanics that may provide a rich tapestry of strategic decisions, the tourney rules work very, very well for engaging youngsters in a quick game of Hot Wheels destruction.  We played three games in an afternoon, and each game ended in the sort of death-race hilarity I've not seen since the Wacky Races were still culturally relevant.

If you're not familiar with the Tournament rules, they're basically as follows:

Dark Future/Car Wars - Second Special Guest Post

[As a follow up to my younger boy's post, now it's my 12 year old's chance to share his contribution to the growing Renegade band!  TBW featured his Jeep in a prior post, along with the last two new cars, and here's the finished work.]

I came up with the idea of putting spikes on the wheels to add damage when sideswiping other cars.  I put two machine guns on the doors of the Jeep.  Then I added a bright light on the back to blind other drivers.

Now you will see how I painted it.  : )

So, first, I came up with the idea of green hot rod flames.

I found a picture of hot rod flames on the internet.  I then drew it on a piece of paper.  

I cut it out, and placed it on the hood of the car.

Dark Futures/Car Wars - Special Guest Post

This is a special guest post, showing off a Hot Wheel conversion designed and painted by my 9 yr. old boy.  Hey kid, take it away!


Hi!  I have a muscle car that shoots out of the front obviously and knives.  It also has an oil slick thing.  I painted it maroon and gold because it looked cool.

My Dad taught me how to do the weathering by dry brushing.   This gave it a muddy, rustic look.

Dark Futures/Car Wars - Killer Kart Redux

Finished painting up another killer kart to add to my growing band:

Front facing machine gun.

Roof mounted rocket launcher/

Dark Future/Car Wars - Reinforcements!!!

A whopping $3.00 bought a whole new set of cars for my growing fleet of Interceptors, Renegades and cannon fodder for Amateur night at the Autoduel track:

Left to Right:  1970 Chevy Chevelle (all Nascar style'd up); Corkscrew Dune Buggy; Jeep Scrambler.  I love the old Jeeps, and miss my 1983 AMC Full Size Jeep Wagoneer, so this brought back some good memories.

My boys also wanted to get into the act, so my 12 year old claimed "dibs" on the Jeep and my 9 year old latched onto the classic Chevy.  After drilling out the rivets that hold them together and designing up the weapons, here's what we wound up with:

The jeep has spiked wheels, double machine guns and a rear facing spotlight (to blind any trailing drivers!).

Dark Futures/Car Wars - Scratch Built Weapons

Here's a few shots of a rocket launcher I made:

Cut off a rectangular rod and drilled ten holes in.  Took a few tries to get the holes even.  Then, I inserted some round toothpicks. Once they were all glued in, I trimmed off the back end of the toothpicks and filed the back flat.