Author Topic: Californium Drone (TL 13) (Read 7949 times)

Dr. YoKai · « **on:** November 05, 2025, 06:51:14 AM »

The inspiration for this comes from a short data entry in a timeline of military technology from the Science Fiction role playing game, Traveller. Managed to find the relevant quote pretty easily:

Quote

LBB:4 Mercenary
"Tech level 11: All combat vehicles are now grav powered. The grav tank generally utilizes the more compact plasma A gun and/or tac missile racks. Very heavy grav tanks mount the plasma B gun. Light grav sleds are used for scouting, generally mounting tac missiles and autocannons.
Close support sleds mount VRF gauss guns and tac missiles. All vehicles have pronounced free-flight capability.

Tech level 12: All vehicles have sufficient free-flight performance that ground combat vehicles effectively no longer exist, having merged with aircraft. The primary weapon of the heavy gunships include plasma B guns, VRF gauss guns, and tac missiles. VRF gauss guns are also widely mounted on personnel carriers, as are plasma A guns.

Tech level 13: The first damper fields allow protracted storage and transportation of elements with short half-lives. The first major use of the damper field militarily is to enable the manufacture, storage, and transportation of 2 cm californium rounds, fired from auto-cannon mounts in remotely piloted drones. Each round is hollow and collapses on impact, the collapsed round having sufficient mass to go critical, thus causing a small nuclear explosion. More conventional gunships mount plasma C guns or fusion X guns along with missiles.

Tech level 14: More sophisticated damper fields render the californium drones obsolete.
Gunships now carry fusion Y guns or rapid pulse X guns.

From here: https://www.travellerrpg.com/threads/grav-tanks.7348/

Started with this pile of parts-

DSCF1250 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

Got this done over the last two days-

DSCF1251 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

DSCF1252 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

This is 1/35 scale.

Buzzbomb · « **Reply #1 on:** November 05, 2025, 07:31:28 AM »

This looks exciting already

Kerick · « **Reply #2 on:** November 05, 2025, 09:03:34 AM »

Very different! I’ll be watching.

apophenia · « **Reply #3 on:** November 05, 2025, 09:34:22 AM »

Quote from: Buzzbomb on November 05, 2025, 07:31:28 AM

This looks exciting already

It does indeed

And those californium rounds are at that intersection between intriguing and creepy

Frank3k · « **Reply #4 on:** November 05, 2025, 10:32:00 AM »

This does look good! Why even fire the Californium? Just sprinkle it on the ground and let the ridiculous amount of neutrons it emits do the job.

Dr. YoKai · « **Reply #5 on:** November 05, 2025, 10:41:36 PM »

Quote from: Frank3k on November 05, 2025, 10:32:00 AM

This does look good! Why even fire the Californium? Just sprinkle it on the ground and let the ridiculous amount of neutrons it emits do the job.

Like a lot of things, it is the sheer goofiness of the concept that appeals to me. A 20mm Davy Crockett? What's not to love?

This is actually a very old concept on my bench. Back in the 1980s, a company called Gamescience released a series of Star Trek ship in
styrene plastic. I had several, including the 'Dreadnought', which had a slightly thicker saucer section. I used that to create a earlier, smaller
version of this build with a turret fashioned from a spare aircraft wheel and some landing gear bits. I know it is still lurking in storage someplace in
the shop...

apophenia · « **Reply #6 on:** November 06, 2025, 07:11:05 AM »

Quote from: Dr. YoKai on November 05, 2025, 10:41:36 PM

... A 20mm Davy Crockett? What's not to love? ...

Dr. YoKai · « **Reply #7 on:** November 28, 2025, 04:52:38 AM »

Getting closer, but the weather and the holidays have slowed things down a bit. Still first primer is on, and if I can get one more warmish day, I should be able to finsh...as soon as I can settle on a paint scheme.

DSCF1267 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

DSCF1266 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

I know it is not Thanksgiving for a lot of the folks on here, But I am mighty thankful for all my friends at BTS.

Old Wombat · « **Reply #8 on:** November 28, 2025, 05:22:37 PM »

That's coming along nicely, Doc!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Buzzbomb · « **Reply #9 on:** November 28, 2025, 05:46:11 PM »

That is so right to my eye..

And a happy Thanksgiving to you too

Frank3k · « **Reply #10 on:** November 29, 2025, 01:37:27 AM »

Looks great! The two little vents on the lower right look like googly eyes!

Claymore · « **Reply #11 on:** November 29, 2025, 01:38:02 AM »

Love it!

Dr. YoKai · « **Reply #12 on:** January 03, 2026, 02:06:57 AM »

I haven't been completely idle, but the weather hasn't been good. Too cold, even with the small space heater running, but there were a couple of days just warm enough to get some primer on.

DSCF1274 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr
and the masks I used for a simple 'dazzle' pattern paint scheme. That's done, but I haven't taken pictures yet.

DSCF1278 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

Happy New Year, friends and colleagues!

Frank3k · « **Reply #13 on:** January 03, 2026, 05:05:44 AM »

A primer coat always brings things together! Did you cut the pattern on an old phone/tablet?

Dr. YoKai · « **Reply #14 on:** January 04, 2026, 12:26:49 AM »

Yes, it's an old Kindle, or another one of those ebook readers that came into vogue awhile back. It was actually given to me by a fellow commuter when I was still riding the train to work in Austin about seven or eight years ago. I used it for about two weeks when it suddenly glitched while charging, and a trip to B&N discovered that they (1) didn't replace batteries and (2) couldn't repair them and would I like to buy a replacement? So I've used it as a handy cutting surface ever since...

Kerick · « **Reply #15 on:** January 04, 2026, 04:34:50 AM »

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xq92oz

arkon · « **Reply #16 on:** January 04, 2026, 08:24:09 AM »

gives WH40K tau drone vibes.
super cool
.

Dr. YoKai · « **Reply #17 on:** January 12, 2026, 12:11:44 AM »

Just about there. The attempt a dazzle could be better, but I'm not going to get enough of a break in the weather to do much more than this.
It does blend in fairly well with the rest of the workbench...

DSCF1279 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

Old Wombat · « **Reply #18 on:** January 12, 2026, 12:56:44 AM »

Frank3k · « **Reply #19 on:** January 12, 2026, 04:03:16 AM »

The splinter pattern looks very good (and effective)

Buzzbomb · « **Reply #20 on:** January 12, 2026, 05:51:45 AM »

What model ?

I reckon it works pretty well as well.

Dr. YoKai · « **Reply #21 on:** February 06, 2026, 07:15:38 AM »

Regrettably, due to weather and some other issues, I was unable to finish on time. If I could get this thread moved to the Science Fiction builds section, I'd appreciate it.

Motleysprue · « **Reply #22 on:** February 13, 2026, 11:09:54 PM »

Love the dazzle pattern. Has a bit of a Simon Stalenhag Electric State/Tales from the Loop vibe.

Dr. YoKai · « **Reply #23 on:** March 17, 2026, 04:51:41 AM »

And finished. It's been a Winter...

DSCF1308 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr
Some kill markings on the fin. There's a few stencils scattered about as well.

DSCF1310 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

DSCF1311 by VileDr.Yo, on Flickr

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #24 on:** March 17, 2026, 07:55:05 AM »


Upgrades and Life Extensions GB

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Author Topic: Californium Drone (TL 13) (Read 7949 times)