Agis Page of miniature painting and gaming

Victorian Science Fiction

John Carter of Mars, Space 1889, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Lost World etc. etc. etc.

The term denotes works set in an era or world in the 19th century, and often set in Victorian era England - but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions.

Personally I got interested in the Martian adventures of John Carter or in the Space 1889 setting. I searched the net for suitable miniatures to play some games and was amazed that there are many suitable ones.

The miniatures to the left (posing as Dejah Thoris) and below are from Bronze Age minis and Parroom minis, while the scenery head is from Fantascene.

Burroughs description of Dejah Thoris: “And the sight which met my eyes was that of a slender, girlish figure, similar in every detail to the earthly women of my past life... Her face was oval and beautiful in the extreme, her every feature was finely chiseled and exquisite, her eyes large and lustrous and her head surmounted by a mass of coal black, waving hair, caught loosely into a strange yet becoming coiffure. Her skin was of a light reddish copper color, against which the crimson glow of her cheeks and the ruby of her beautifully molded lips shone with a strangely enhancing effect.
She was as destitute of clothes as the green Martians who accompanied her; indeed, save for her highly wrought ornaments she was entirely naked, nor could any apparel have enhanced the beauty of her perfect and symmetrical figure. “

John Carter on his faithful Thoat, Green Martian Tars Tarkas and Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium.

British Regulars (Suitable for Space 1889 or Parroom)

Parroom Station minis: The redoubtable soldiers of the British Empire are represented by men from the Punitive Expedition wearing Netherton Patent Breathing Devices and carrying the advanced Lee-Metford rifle. Of course, this equipment makes them suitable for portraying later period high-altitude aeroscaph marines as well - although you will want to paint them in blue jackets for that duty.

Excerpts from Parrooms background: “With an empire on Earth that stretches across the globe, Britain is reaching out to extend that empire to another world. Boasting the most advanced aeroscaphs and ethyr conveyors, awesome Battle Strider walking machines and heat projector cannons, as well as some of the most stalwart infantry Earth has fostered, Britain would seem, without question, to be the preeminent Great Power. And were her resources not so stretched, it might be so.

British forces rely on a core of Regular infantry, many veterans of Her Earthly colonial campaigns, bolstered by more numerous and less well equipped Territorial (sepoy) Infantry. She still maintains notable cavalry units, both Regular and Territorial (sepoy). Her artillery units are quite good. In the realm of Steam Technology Wonders, she relies heavily on Battle Striders (and their more lightly armed companions, the Scout Striders.) Home to the original Cavoritic engines, Britain is the world leader in aeroscaph technology and has Earth's largest and most advanced fleet. Certain Special Units are equipped with captured Cephalid Heat Projectors that have been adapted to teslonic energy sources. Such weapons are found in dedicated artillery units and occasionally on Battle Striders.”

Colonel Roundbothom and his 2 trusted Lieutenants

The colonel is a well known figure around Parroom Station and a regular at the Red Sands Club. He is an excellent raconteur and, by his own accounts, has served almost everywhere that the British army has seen action. He is as renowned for his military exploits (some call them blunders) as for his prodigious capacity for alcohol and fine food.

Some more fine Bronze Age miniatures: a “Mutant Ape” ( by sheer coincidence the mini is very suitable for a White Martian Ape. The White Ape of Mars is a huge, ferocious, semi-intelligent gorilla-like creatures whose middle limbs, like those of the Green Martians, can be used as either arms or legs.