Full Thrust Tanker Convoy and Escorts

Today's gallery showcases a convoy of tanker starships and their escort vessels.

 

 

The merchant tankers are a fair cross-section of GZG's large range of civilian starship figs, some with minor customization produced by engine swaps and added cargo modules.

 

These heavy freighters are all fairly large ships, about the size of a battleship or battlecruiser miniature.

 

They generally come in four parts - the main hull, two symmetrical cargo bits, and a drive module.  The "modular freighter" kit's box and tank cargo modules (you can see one of the box version toward the rear of the ship in the lower left below) are also compatible with these sculpts.

 

The drives can be swapped around between these two different hull types easily and fit with some other sculpts as well, but the cargo pods are more specific to each hull.  You could fit them to something they're not meant for but it would require some actual conversion work.

 

The convoy escort is led by a UNSC Asteroid-class escort carrier, shown here with its small brood of fighters.

 

Like the freighters above, this ship comes in several modular parts - forward hull, aft hull (with the outriggers) and engine.

 

As far as I can tell, all the UNSC engine modules are cross compatible, and they appear to swap with the freighter engines as well.  So lots of potential variety there.

 

The escort is rounded out with a Shoya-class sensor picket for spotting pirate ambushes and a pair of Free Cal-Tex destroyers for some direct firepower.

 

I've always liked the Free Cal-Tex design aesthetic, and it's really a shame they've never gotten more sculpts.  I know they're a very minor power in the Tuffleyverse setting, but you'd think they could build something more than just a destroyer.  Well, there are fighters as well, but no carrier to haul them, so not as useful as they might be.

Full Thrust Convoy TQX-5551: Outbound for the Frontier at last

After a week of showcasing the ships in this convoy in smaller lots, we've finally got some big full-group shots.

 

 

Total of 30 ships plus a pair of small cutters which can be seen docked to two of the ships as well as being their own seperate models.

 

Fourteen civilian ships in a bunch of different styles, fourteen escort warships of varying sizes, a big UNSC science ship that kind of straddles the line between civilian and military, and a huge auxiliary warship built off a converted military fleet tender.

 

Most models are from Ground Zero Games' Full Thrust range, with a few Brigade Models and Silent Death minis mixed in.  Includes the following:

 

2 NAC Troutbridge frigates (GZG)

1 NAC Fort Carstairs auxiliary warship (converted GZG fleet tender)

2 New Israeli Tzayad destroyers (GZG)

2 ScanFed Hrafn frigates (GZG)

2 Free Cal-Tex Austin destroyers (GZG)

1 Japanese Soyokaze destroyer (GZG)

2 Japanese Ashigaru frigates (GZG)

1 Japanese Shoya sensor picket (GZG)

1 UNSC Mountain light cruiser (GZG)

2 UNSC Lake destroyer (GZG)

1 UNSC Deep Space Explorer (converted GZG Visionary explorer)

5 Tradewind and Tradewind 2 cargo ships (GZG, one of each variant)

1 Olympus passenger ship (GZG)

1 Kestrel free trader (GZG)

2 Luxury space yachts (GZG, one lightly converted)

1 Merino livestock transport (GZG)

1 Aquarius liquid transport (Brigade)

1 Solar Mariner far trader (Brigade)

1 Sentry guardship (Silent Death)

2 little cutters on separate flight bases (GZG 15mm Stargrunt figs) 

 

You can see more photos and a bunch of background stuff at the links below:

 

http://brokenstarsburningships.blogspot.com/2019/03/nac-fort-carstairs-class-auxiliary.html

 

http://brokenstarsburningships.blogspot.com/2019/03/full-thrust-civilian-starships-shamrock.html

 

http://brokenstarsburningships.blogspot.com/2019/03/full-thrust-unsc-deep-space-explorer.html

 

http://brokenstarsburningships.blogspot.com/2019/03/full-thrust-free-traders-convoy-escorts.html

 

http://brokenstarsburningships.blogspot.com/2019/03/full-thrust-free-traders-convoy-escorts.html

 

 

http://brokenstarsburningships.blogspot.com/2019/03/full-thrust-late-arrivals-heiress-and.html

Full Thrust Free Traders & Convoy Escorts

Looks like the rest of the convoy's finally arrived.  First up we've got a selection of civilian ships from Ground Zero Games and Brigade Models. 

 

 

Not all merchantmen are part of a larger corporate fleet, and there are many self-described "free traders" travelling the stars.

 

Too small to compete with the megacorporations of the Core Worlds, these entrepreneurs mostly ply their trade in the Outrim frontiers, an area of space that's become increasingly dangerous since the Xeno Wars began.

 

Even the most independent captains have been driven to joining up with convoys for safety in these troubling times, breaking off only for the final leg of their journey to whatever obscure colony world their route ends at.

 

These convoys are invariably escorted by ad-hoc mixes of small military ships from various navies. 

 

Seen here we have a pair of Free Cal-Tex Austin-class destroyers (front row left), two New Israeli Tzayad-class destroyers (front row right), a Japan Incorporated force composed of two Ashigaru-class patrol frigates and a Shoya-class sensor picket (center row), and two ScanFed Hrafn-class frigates..

 

Convoy escorts are generally fast, maneuverable ships with moderate armament rather than heavier fleet elements that would be more useful in front-line battlegroups.

 

Although better trained and more disciplined than any pirate group, multi-national convoys like this one often suffer from conflicting goals priorities which can leave them at a disadvantage against raiders from a proper military organization.

 

 

For this reason it's common to see a contingent of UNSC vessels placed in overall command of the convoy, as they're seen to be non-partisan by most parties.