By Clyde Jones

Alien invaders can be so rude. They drop in without an invitation and become rowdy and destructive. The Froggies were no exception.

They invaded Earth space with their advanced ‘Hop’ drive starships, and beam weapons and tried to take over. Unfortunately they were in the position of early English explorers of Africa - heavily armed but unprepared for ‘primitive’ weapons like curari tipped blow darts.

Their advanced technology was based on beam weapons, and shielding against them. Earth technology was still using ‘primitive’ kinetic kill weapons. And the Froggies anti-radiation ship armor was brittle. Bad for the Froggies, good for the Human types.

The ultimate ‘kinetic kill’ weapon turned out to be the lunar autonomous “MERO” systems - Mineral Extraction, Refinement, Orbit. Self contained mining and refining systems with rail gun launchers that could put 1000 ton loads of refined material into Earth orbit, from the Lunar surface. Combined with the drive system of Earth’s first interstellar exploration vehicle, two MERO systems with their material storage domes (the ROC and the “Hard Place”) - backed up with 30mm chain guns - became Earth's ‘ultimate weapon platform’. The mass of the refined minerals provided functional shielding for a crew, the interstellar drive provided plenty of maneuvering ability, and the rail guns (firing 3 ton projectiles fitted with minimal terminal guidance systems) were capable of delivering “Frog stompers” at fractional lightspeed. Heavier projectiles were used to finish off Froggie main ships.

The ship also carried auxiliary craft - two Venture Star shuttles as life boats, and at least one ‘worker bug’ equipped with manipulators and two 30mm chain gun pods.

The Model

The main hull sections are from Hubbell Space telescope kits. The ‘engines’ are from several ‘jet powered drag truck kits’. The terminal domes are from a ‘Y2K time capsule’. Much surface engreeblement is from Evergreen - U,I,H, and C channel sections, more from plastic beads. The two ‘emergency life boats’ are Hot Wheels, modified. The 'rail guns' are from Armageddon Space Stations. The ‘worker bug’ is pure scratchbuild with 31 or so parts.

There are 12 LEDs included - 4 for the ‘drive glow’, 4 gently illuminating the bussard collectors at the other end of the ‘engines’, and 4 ambers gently lighting up the space between the ‘refining’ modules and the ‘storage domes’.

The finish is ‘Graphite’ car body paint from rattle cans, with details painted in various pollyscale colors, and several colors of gel ink pens. A silver prismacolor pencil was used to accent the ribbing on the ‘rail guns’.

Image: Bow

Image: Stern

Image: Workbug