July 14, 2025

I began the week painting more figures for my Aliens’ terraforming space station collection.  I did three of the power loader suits.  One came with no driver.  Two came with a Ripley-style figure.  I only had one with her at the controls so I struggled to cut off the head of one of the Ripley figures and replaced it with a Star Wars figure because I plan to use these with my Star Wars and other space collections as well.  Modifying that figure was hell because it was impossible to cut Ripley’s head off and add a different head without breaking all the tiny cords and other connections.  Once the head exchange had taken place, I spent a lot of time putting the loader back together again… not perfect but it will do.

I also discovered that I had one more Colonial Marine that had escaped my attention, so I gave it a paint job.

I couldn’t resist doing another Aliens’ APC because I really wanted to do one with its main gun in travel position at the rear on the slide.   The toy came apart easily (four screws) and, once inside, both gun positions (top and nose) were held in place by two more screws (one each).  I removed the main gun position and carved a hole in the gun slide at the rear and then put the main gun in its travel position.  Once that was done, I gave it a new paint job.  The figure is a 32mm Colonial Marine by Flukez.  All that remains is to give it a Krylon Matte spray finish to protect the paint.

On June 23, 2021, I ordered a Firefly/Serenity from 3designprintingUK.  I had been searching for one that would be somewhat compatible with my 28mm figures, but finding one in that size range at a price I was willing to pay wasn’t easy.   The one I found was 20” long and 12 ½” wide.  The hull came in 4 sections.  There were no instructions or guide points to help me bring the sections together neatly, and doing that was challenging because the size and weight of each section made it difficult to see how evenly each part was matching up with its partner section.  It also did not come with landing gear (I knew that when I ordered it) so I had to find compatible landing gear off a broken toy.  Fortunately I pulled that off rather successfully.  It took a few hours to put it all together, but I’m very happy with the way it turned out.  Painting still remains to be done.  The figure is a 28mm Star Wars figure provided for scale.

A couple months ago I picked up the Kenner Dash Rendar’s Outrider. I got it at Savers thrift store for $4. It was missing the side gun and the pilot’s cabin which based on what I have seen on eBay is pretty common with these toys. A few weeks later I bought a large RO-4LO Astromech Droid at Savers for $3. It was in pretty good condition, but what attracted me to it was the top of the droid which I saw as a possible replacement for the Outrider’s missing pilot’s cabin. I finally got around to bringing the two things together. With the rebuild completed I gave it a new paint job. I will be using it as a YT-2400 light freighter. I still need to build a loading ramp out of Evergreen plastic.

While working on the Outrider, I got the urge to paint a YT-1300 light freighter.  At first glance the YT-1300 screams Millennium Falcon, but the Millennium Falcon is really a modified version of the YT-1300.  I found a chunky Hasbro version of the Millennium Falcon at the swap meet.  It was $8 and missing its weapons but it had its loading ramp, landing gear, and pilot’s compartment (often missing from these toys), so it offered itself as the perfect YT-1300 light freighter.  I decided to give it some color and as it turned out, I’m glad I did.

I closed out the week with a Disneyland popcorn bucket Mouse droid I found at Savers thrift store for $1.89. It was missing its strap which I didn’t want anyway.  I removed the lower portion that held the wheels and gave it a new paint job.  My plan is to use it as a piece of terrain for my terraforming space station.

July 6, 2025

I began the week building a removable awning for my Colonial Marine’s medical APC.  I just used Milliput, Evergreen Plastic, and some odds and ends.

Throughout the week I have been painting 32mm figures (mostly Colonial Marines) for my terraforming space station collection.

Over the years I have been picking up stadium-style lighting whenever I see it at the swap meet.  I decided that they would be great as exterior light for my terraforming compound so I based them and painted them up.  I added some metal washers to the bases to provide added stability.

I found a couple more pieces that I will use as part of the terrain sitting around the outside of my terraforming space station. The tug (circled) is by Matchbox. I don't know what it was supposed to be. I found it at the swap meet for a dollar. I've done some small modification, but mostly painting. The trailer with the large drums is also a swap meet find for a couple dollars. I have no idea who made it; it just looked like the drums would be great for waste removal. The figure is 32mm.

I'm almost done with the figures I'll be using with my Aliens-style terraforming space station. The figures are 32mm. The xenomorphs are yet to be done. Thus far I have completed the science team, the company reps, and the Colonial Marines.  The uniforms for the Colonial Marines used Vallejo Model Colors: Luft Grey for armor, US Olive Drab and Khaki for the pants, US Olive Drab for the helmets, and US Brown Drab for the belts, pouches, and strapping.