Monday 25 July 2016

7TV2e Cameraman and TV

A slight change of pace here. I wanted to show you a couple of 7TV2e figures that go together very well - the TV set and the TV cameraman.
The television set comes with the boxed starter set for 7TV2e by Crooked Dice Games. Its purpose is to represent a Maguffin, an objective of some considerable value that may be found during the course of a game. Full rules for using the Maguffin can be found on page 18 of the Producer's Guide. The Maguffin counts as a normal objective token apart from the following -
  1. The player whose side gains it can add one random gadget from the unused cards to their gadget pool.
  2. The Maguffin is worth 1d6 Victory Points at the end of the game.
For those who like narrative play a list of items that the Maguffin could be are listed by genre in this section of the Producer's Guide. Of course, the TV set also makes a nice furniture item to add to a building's interior.
The TV Cameraman is a Neutral Extra usable in any genre and with a Rating of just 1. Among his abilities, he cannot be the subject of any strikes for any reason and he cannot gain any statuses and counts as passing any Spirit tests. In addition, his owner may select one friendly model within 6" of the cameraman and activate him for free providing he has not already activated this turn. He's a useful character to have although he is very slow with a Move of 2". The figure comes in three parts - separate arms and body, whilst the camera is a two-piece casting - camera and stand. The figure is supplied with a 40mm diameter base, which I discarded and replaced with a 25mm by 50mm rounded corners cavalry base made of MDF. This is a much better base, in my opinion. For the figures. I simply copied the colour schemes of the camera and cameraman from the Crooked Dice games website. For an interesting alternative colour scheme do check out this version by Colgar 6 - http://colgar6.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/7tv-cameraman.html
He went for more muted, natural colours, which I really like. The cameraman is a great figure and I hope that Crooked Dice games produce more TV crew members to use. There is a quite a list they could choose from.
The TV Cameraman with his Camera costs £5.00 from the CDG webstore (you can find the link for him  here)and you can get the TV set Maguffin for £10.00 if you order the 7TV2e plastic counters set. It is not available separately.

18 comments:

  1. Nice work on them both and a good reminder to paint my own!

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  2. Lovely work on the orange paint scheme Bryan. it really works well :-)

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    1. It is bright, Simon, but I think it works well.

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    2. It works very well Bryan, and is very fitting for bright lights of 7TV2.

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    3. Too true, Simon. Lights, camera, action!

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  3. Though not a colour I would have thought to use, the orange does work well, reminds me that as a child I had a Dinky toy of a cameraman (and camera of course) mounted on top of a camper van as an outside broadcast unit. Whatever happened to that....

    Cheers Roger.

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    1. It's not a colour I would have thought of either, Roger, but when I saw it on the CDG website, I just thought it worked really well. I remember that Dinky toy you mentioned but I never owned one. I did however, have the Subbuteo TV crew. Followers of a certain age will surely remember them.

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  4. Great work, Bryan! I remember seeing one on Colgar's blog, and for some strange reason, I can completely understand why one would want a miniature like this!

    What's next - a director or perhaps a sound assistant?

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    1. Yes, Colgar reviewed the cameraman a few weeks ago and I have left a link to his post. I, too, would like to see this range added to. A director and a sound assistant are both obvious choices.

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  5. An excellent Version of the cameraman an Camera. The Orange does remind me of the era that 7T strives to emulate. I would have gone for more muted colours, but the orange works well.

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    1. I totally agree with you, Clint. I almost did go for a more muted colour scheme, but in the end I liked the orange used on the CDG webstore so much that I just stuck with it.

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  6. This is very nice, want one now!

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    1. I'm not surprised, Andy. It's a lovely set and so usable.

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    1. Thanks, Steve. It is rather unusual but very much a must have set.

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  8. Interesting model and I like the fact that it does have an in-game use, rather than just scenery. Like the colours too, although Colgar's are more 'realistic'. Of course, I then went off to see if I could find any additional crew for you. Appears West Wind do a pack of doorgunners and journalists in their 'Nam range, which does have a sound man and portable camera operator, so possibly better suited to 'On Location' shooting, especially since the sound man's wearing shorts! However, appear to be dressed for the era and I'm sure the shorts could be converted to trousers fairly easily. Alternatively, the Louis Ghostbuster from Crooked dice could be painted up as a technician, as his equipment does have that 70's vibe.

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    1. Thanks, Jez. I like your ideas for potential TV crew members. One of the best sets I found was this one by Casting Room Miniatures - http://www.castingroomminiatures.com/collections/street-fighters/products/street-fighters-tv-crew
      They are just perfect! A director, a reporter, a cameraman, a sound engineer and a gofer. I'm definitely placing an order for them.

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