Some time ago I mentioned this project - in fact I think it may have been my first look at my non-40k projects. With the license to produce Babylon 5 miniatures expiring at the end of June (although the producers can still sell remaining stock afterwards), I am putting almost all of my available funds into collecting all the ships I will ever need for the Babylon 5: A Call To Arms game. This means collecting sizeable fleets of Earth, Minbari, Narn, Centauri, ISA, Vorlon, Shadow and League of Non-Aligned Worlds ships, with a few Raiders, Civilians and such thrown in for good measure.
I got off to a good start. My Earth fleet was already a good size, and a number of ebay auctions and Warseer trades netted me a powerful Minbari fleet. However, ultimately I would have to go to Ironwind Metals and pay full retail for some ships.
Now, if I had $10, I could buy a single Minbari Tinashi War Frigate:
(for an idea of scale, it is mounted on a small GW flying base, the sort you'd find on a Tau Gun Drone)
Or, I could buy three Fleet Action scale Tinashi War Frigates!
It didn't take long to dawn on me that doing so would allow me to complete my collection for about a third of the price. Or as I prefer to look at it, I can afford to buy more ships!
Some ships are even better for this. For example, I can get four Narn Heavy Cruisers in Fleet Action scale for the price of one in full scale, and the detail on them is actually more accurate to the on-screen ships:
The Centauri Primus is another I can get four times as many of:
So I can have more ships, they're easier to store, and I don't have to worry so much about the plastic stems snapping due to weight. I'm saving my metal flight stands because there are a couple of large miniatures in the range, such as the Babylon 5 station and the Vorlon Planet Killer.
I took the opportunity to test both remaining sources for these minis, Ironwind Metals and the Agents of Gaming site (the original manufacturers who went under, but still have some stock left). From Ironwind I bought two each of the Primus and the Narn Cruiser, and from AOG I bought some civilians. First up is the freighter (one of four in a pack, with rear cargo pods added by myself):
And then the tanker (of which I have six):
I'm feeling incredibly optimistic about this project now. I'm in the process of selling off my large scale fleets for considerable amounts, and pouring those funds back into Fleet Action ships. This week my Narn and Centauri will be getting a considerable boost, and my Earth fleet will also be started. I think my next set of purchases will be Vorlons and Shadows. These two are ancient and powerful races with a relatively small selection of ships, so won't take as much money to complete as the rest. They're also some of the most amazing looking ships in the game.
I'm also looking into making some cool conversions now that I have a bit more freedom. First in mind is creating Babylon 4 from a Babylon 5 mini. After that I'd like to make a Shadow Planet Killer and Earth Force One. There are also some things I will need to scratch build since they don't appear in the Fleet Action range, such as the Victory-class Destroyer and the Raiders capital ships. More scratch builds will be needed for scenarios and campaigns such as Civilian Liners, space stations, defence satellites and the First Ones. All are made much easier and more affordable thanks to Fleet Action scale.
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