Unofficial Archive of Dimensional Scale Artefacts

The Miniature Frontier Network archive seal: a graduated instrument dial encircling the initials MFN, established 1996

TheMiniatureFrontierNetwork

Preserving the models. Proving the anomalies.

ARCHIVE STATUS: ONLINE · SECTOR UPLINK: STABLE

FILE TYPE: TEXT/HTML ENCODING: ISO-8859-1 CLEARANCE: TIER ONE

NETWORK BULLETIN: MFN-072-019 "Nightjar" remains unaccounted for — filed under Recovered Machines and Transmissions.

Lost Squadrons

Fictional units of the seven sectors, and how to reproduce their markings.

The Broken Compass insignia: an eight-point compass rose missing its north-pointing arm, stencilled "CW-072"

The Broken Compass

No emblem in the archive is cross-referenced more often than the 402nd's missing-arm compass rose. It is the only insignia stamped on a still-disputed recovery, and the closest thing the network has to a flagship marking — reproduced in full below under the 402nd Composite Flight's own dossier.

Quick Reference

Five units have surviving records complete enough to publish here. Each entry below gives the unit's history and the practical notes an operative needs to reproduce its markings on a model.

Squadron quick reference
Unit Sector Colours
402nd Composite FlightCompressed Air Dimension Grey-blue, red trim
7th Mechanised VanguardMechanised Conflict Zone Olive drab, black anti-slip
Coastal Auxiliary FlotillaOceanic Micro-Realm Haze grey, red boot-stripe
Frontier Haulage CorpsCivilian Frontier / Giant World Safety yellow, white
Deep Space Reconnaissance CadreDeep Miniature Space Matte black, silver trim

Decal Placement Reference

A generic placement guide shared by all five units below — the callouts mark where each unit's markings are described as sitting, not a scheme for any one subject.

Aircraft / Airframe

Generic top-view aircraft silhouette with four numbered placement points: tail marking, nose emblem, mid-fuselage code, and wing root stripe
  1. 1. Tail marking (unit numeral, tail code)
  2. 2. Nose emblem
  3. 3. Mid-fuselage code
  4. 4. Wing root stripe

Ground Vehicle

Generic side-view tracked vehicle silhouette with four numbered placement points: turret marking, hull front emblem, hull side code, and lower hull stripe
  1. 1. Turret marking (unit numeral)
  2. 2. Hull front emblem
  3. 3. Hull side code
  4. 4. Lower hull stripe

Vessel

Generic side-view ship hull silhouette with four numbered placement points: stern marking, bow emblem, hull side code, and waterline boot-stripe
  1. 1. Stern marking (pennant number)
  2. 2. Bow emblem
  3. 3. Hull side code
  4. 4. Waterline boot-stripe
The Broken Compass insignia: an eight-point compass rose missing its north-pointing arm, stencilled "CW-072"

402nd Composite Flight — "the Compressed Wing"

PrimaryMatte grey-blue TrimRed
Emblem
The Broken Compass — a compass rose missing its north-pointing arm
Hull / tail codes
Tail code CW-072
Known airframes
Includes the aircraft catalogued as MFN-072-019, "Nightjar"

Formed to patrol the boundary of the Compressed Air Dimension, the 402nd lost contact with several aircraft over its short service life, including the one now held in the archive under dispute over whether it was ever fully recovered. The Broken Compass emblem is reported on every confirmed airframe from this unit and nowhere else with certainty — the Flotilla's stamped emblem below is a possible sixth sighting, not yet confirmed.

Reproducing the emblem. Hand-paint a standard eight-point compass rose, then simply omit the uppermost point rather than damaging it after the fact — the missing arm was never there on any confirmed airframe. Mix the grey-blue from equal parts of a standard aircraft grey and a light blue-grey primer.

The 7th Mechanised Vanguard emblem: an iron-grey shield with a single vertical bar and the turret numeral seven, stencilled "MV-035"

7th Mechanised Vanguard

PrimaryOlive drab DeckingBlack anti-slip
Emblem
An iron-grey shield with a single vertical bar
Hull / turret codes
Turret numeral 7; command vehicles additionally marked CV
Known vehicles
Includes MFN-035-004, "Iron Warden"

The Vanguard fought a long defensive campaign through the Mechanised Conflict Zone, and its surviving roster lists no unit numeral matching the archive's recovered command half-track — a discrepancy the cataloguing office has not resolved.

Reproducing the colours. Olive drab weathers well with a lightened dry-brush pass followed by a dark pin wash in the rivet seams; avoid over-lightening the anti-slip decking, which stays darker than the surrounding hull in every surviving photograph.

The Coastal Auxiliary Flotilla emblem: an anchor over a single wave line, stencilled "CF-700"

Coastal Auxiliary Flotilla

PrimaryHaze grey Boot-stripeRed
Emblem
An anchor over a single wave line
Hull codes
Standard pennant numbers, bow and stern
Known vessels
Includes MFN-700-002, "Longfathom"

A coastal escort group with an unremarkable service record, except for the faint compass-like stamp found near the bow of the Longfathom — a mark the Flotilla's own insignia files do not document, and which resembles the 402nd's Broken Compass closely enough to have been cross-referenced.

Reproducing the waterline. Mask the boot-stripe with low-tack tape before spraying the haze grey, and remove the tape while the paint is still slightly soft to avoid chipping the edge.

The Frontier Haulage Corps emblem: a stylised road curving toward a horizon line, stencilled "FH-024"

Frontier Haulage Corps

PrimarySafety yellow TrimWhite panels
Emblem
A stylised road curving toward a horizon line
Hull codes
Stencilled fleet numbers on cab doors
Known vehicles
Includes MFN-024-002, "Grey Post" and MFN-012-001, "Foreman"

A civilian transport division spanning both the Civilian Frontier and Giant World sectors, responsible for moving parts and supplies between recovery sites. Its vehicles are the least anomalous the archive holds, which is itself part of why the "Grey Post" van's unexplained interior detail stood out.

Reproducing the colours. Safety yellow covers poorly over dark primer; a white undercoat first keeps the final colour bright and even.

The Deep Space Reconnaissance Cadre emblem: a stylised eight-point star-burst, stencilled "DR-144"

Deep Space Reconnaissance Cadre

PrimaryMatte black TrimSilver
Emblem
A stylised star-burst, distinct from the Broken Compass
Hull codes
Alphanumeric survey codes along the hull spine
Known craft
Includes MFN-144-007, "Wanderer-Class" Courier

Tasked with charting the Deep Miniature Space sector, the Cadre lost several couriers to routes that were logged as flown but never logged as returned. The archive's own Wanderer-Class example remains incomplete, and the Cadre's operators consider it unfinished rather than lost.

Reproducing the colours. Matte black at this scale can flatten panel detail; a very light zenithal pre-shade before the black coat keeps the raised lines visible underneath.