Wargaming Table

After years of having terrain, but never really being able to play a game on a 4x6 foot table at home I decided to build one. I started of with one 4x8 foot sheet of 6mm MDF (this size comes in Imperial measurements at Bunnings), cut at the store into two 3x4 feet sheets and a 2x4 foot sheet (to use for BBDBA at a later date with a sheet of static grass glued to the top surface), along with some battens and four bolts with wings nuts (went with 3/16” for the most economical option).

Drilled four holes (including counter sinks), spaced so the battens would hold the two halves together and also act to stop the board sliding on the fold out table.

 Pretty happy with the result - cheap, sturdy, practical and easy to store.

Perry Miniatures' Farmhouse and Vegetable Garden

Finally finished the Perry Miniatures' farmhouse that I bought when it first came out. It’s such a lovely kit (only needing a little bit of filling between the chimney and the roof).

I used part of the fence that’s included to create a vegetable garden (cabbages from paper roses from Kaisercraft with some green ink to add depth). I'm currently building a pig pen and chicken coop to go with this, and will populate them with Eureka Miniatures’ farm animals.

I also finished two of 4Ground’s shotgun houses - but will take photos of everything in the sun as they are too big to photo under the desk lamp.

28mm Power Poles / Utility Poles Terrain

Since lock down started in mid-March I've had no time to paint or make terrain. That changed when I had Vietnamese takeaway and thought I could easily make some 28mm power poles / utility poles with them. I also remembered that I had saved some glass beads in the terrain bits collection that would be useful.

Each pole needed:

• 1 chopstick
• 1 matchstick (from craft store)
• Some plasticard / styrene / card (I used an old Ikea gift card)
• 4 glass beads (from craft store / old jewellery)
• 1 plastic tube (from a finished pet poop bag roll)
• Superglue
• 30mm round base
• Steel washers (for weight)

Relatively easy to put together, and I would recommend distressing each pole with a hobby knife to get it looking as non-uniform as possible.

One of the poles got a distribution transformer by adding a cylinder to the side (capping the tube at each end with a circle of plasticard). The bases had the steel washers glued to them, then covered in plaster (use whatever basing finish you prefer).

Painting-wise I first spray painted them black, then undercoated in raw umber, followed by a heavy light grey dry brush (as old timber is grey and not brown). The insulators were painted white and the distribution transformer gunmetal with a brown wash. I wanted these to suit any setting in the 20th and 21st century.

To make these six power poles I think it was two one hour sessions, one building, the other painting. Very easy and very quick to make. They were finished off with some static grass and tufts to add some much needed colour. I am very happy with how these turned out.

LAF Build Something Contest 2019 - Part 4 (Knees and Sushi Lids)

As stated, I've glued toilet tissue paper to the head (and tested it on a leg). Here's what it looks like.

I like the look it achieves, but I'll need to start gluing from the bottom body part and then move to the top to achieve the right look with the overlapping. I think (hoping?) it's going to paint up really well. The current plan is dark greys for the body, with the face and/or head like the cat mascot I posted previously. I still don't know if I should paint over the eyes or leave them (with a black Blade Runner style eyeliner).

I have also made the knee joints - they will be the only "internal" parts showing, as one leg has been ripped off and will also have the guitar string wires in a mess spilling out from both parts.

They were made by cutting up the tube you get with a roll of dog toilet bags, adding a circular cap to each end by gluing a larger rectangular plastic sheet and then trimming it to size. The final step was to use a simple hole punch to create the joint cap. This will be easier to see when painted (as the plastic is semi-clear).

Finally I'm needing help with the back outlet ports. They're just the lids from soy sauce fish shaped bottles you get with sushi takeaway (https://www.techly.com.au/2016/08/12/techly-explains-whats-deal-little-soy-sauce-fish-comes-takeaway-sushi/) that may or may not be available in your part of the world. I've never used them before, but while having some sushi the other day I realised the lids would be useful for this build. They will have guitar string wires attached to the end and I don't know if they should be lined up vertically or horizontally.

 

Which do you prefer?

LAF Build Something Contest 2019 - Part 3 (Repositioning)

Painting-wise I was going to go with black/dark grey colours and lots of rust, then covered with greenery. However, I am thinking of painting her like one of Stålenhag's more colourful things, like this mascot:



Last week I also repositioned her so the pose is way less sexual and look a lot more relaxed/sleeping. I then covered parts in Milliput to bulk out the shape and give it a more of an android form:

Looks wise I still want the peeling of "skin", as in the original artwork that inspired the build and this piece that is haunting:

To achieve this look I started covering parts in small (1-2cm²) pieces in toilet paper, and then squeezing supaglue over it. I've only done the head, but it has done wonders in giving a whole lot of rigidity to the soft plastic of the head (the rest of a Barbie is made of a lot harder plastic). I'll post pictures of this step in the next few days once I've done a little more (including the jaw/mouth).

LAF Build Something Contest 2019 - Part 2 (Cutting Up a Barbie)

Finally (some) progress! I got hold of a second-hand Barbie from a fellow wargamer (thanks James) to use as the basis of the deep sleeping robot.

After some time pulling all that hair out (I got a blister by using pliers!) and some chopping up of the limbs, I think I have a good basis for the model.

I cut out the mouth to see what it looks like - the rubber material is softer than I thought, but nothing that a bit of plasticard and Milliput won't give more rigidity. Yes, it looks creepy to me too.

During the week I plan to glue her together, and start adding bits of plastic and card (pistons, battery packs, etc) to transform her. I'll have to buy some Milliput as I haven't used any for years. I think I can make the deadline still.

LAF Build Something Contest 2019 - Part 1 (A Plan)

Every year or two, the Lead Adventure Forum runs a fun contest for members to scratch-build something within a time limit on a particular theme (e.g. "water") or restriction (e.g. on a CD).

This year the theme was vegetation, the full rules can be viewed here:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=114168.0

I knew immediately I would want to concentrate to the other definition of "vegetation" - the action or process of living or spending a period of time in a dull, inactive, unchallenging way. One of my slow-burn projects is set in Simon Stålenhag's world, so something that uses both definitions to reflect something like this:

...would be cool. I spent a few hours to think if it could be done within the confines of this contest.

I searched through Google Images for something that reflected what I was thinking - probably very similar to this pose:

Complete with the bottom half of the right leg missing (I know it's the angle in the above photo that's giving that perspective). The left arm might be resting on the knee. However, as the model needs to be self supporting (i.e. I don't want a wall or similar for it to lean against), so it probably needs both hands on the ground.

A lesson I learnt from last year was to think of the storage solution at this stage, so it wouldn't become easily damaged. I'll probably buy a cheap doll from the dollar store to give me the head (I'll sculpt the open jaw, teeth, etc) and help with the proportions of the torso and the limbs.

Plant wise on and around the base of the model I plan to use:

• Clumps of teddy bear fur
• Dried tea and leaves
• Sticks and twigs
• Dyed sawdust
• Static grass

I'll probably use some small tufts with flowers as I'll have a bit of space in the 25% commercial limit to make my creation not look like an arts and crafts project!

I also realise I have subconsciously been influenced by Nicklas P's thread from a few weeks ago on LAF:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=113797.0

Knights of Dice's 1889 Mignola Avenue Part 2

Work continues on 1889 Mignola Avenue. I dry brushed the "concrete" parts tones of grey:

I probably should have painted the access covers, etc at this point, but I was too impatient and wanted to glue this beauty together. I'm gushing, aren't I?

Painted the door blue as a point of difference on the model:

I also glued a sheet of clear plastic followed by a sheet of slightly textured black card for the backing of the windows and door:

I will just need to be careful I don't dirty them as I finish the rest of the build.

Next step involved gluing the inside strips of brick, ensuring they were glued the right way up:

I also used clothes pegs to ensure I got a clean fit:

The roof got a light black wash to bring back some definition:

And I glued on the side panels, ensuring just a thin layer of PVA:

Slowly getting there, but probably can finish it off in two sessions; one for the washes, one for the tufts of foliage, etc.

Knights of Dice's 1889 Mignola Avenue Part 1

Last week my FLGS, Mind Games, got a huge resupply of Knights of Dice MDF terrain kits:
https://www.knightsofdice.com/store/

I had painted a few Western pieces (from some other manufacturer) a few years ago and wasn't overly impressed at the time as they didn't paint well and looked too much like theatre sets (boxy and plain). Partly my fault I think, so I decided to give this MDF terrain thing a second chance.

So far I'm glad I did.

I bought the 1889 Mignola Ave set as I'm been thinking of creating some generic urban terrain that can be used for 1930s gangster, superheroes and zombie apocalypse games:
http://knightsofdice.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=51_52&products_id=42

Now that, minus the graffiti, is the look I want to achieve. I didn't buy the cable-runs upgrade pack (as seen on the roof space), as I just wanted to see what the Knights of Dice kits are like. This is what it looked like when I did a dry fit:

Pretty good detail, went well together as the PDF instructions are clear. At this stage I was already happy. But how to get that final look?

The Terrain Tutor and Viv (from Knights of Dice) own videos were instructive and easy to follow. I'm basically following a mixture of these two videos:

First stage was to glue the inner walls and roof together, the front elevation molding (see below) and the front steps together. I then spray painted all the components black (I used Fiddly Bits - it's cheap and works for me). Here you can see the front elevation molding:

I then brushed a raw umber craft paint (Kaiser colour) over the brick sections, followed by a bright red dry brush (an old tub of Citadel Blood Red):

This was then followed by a rough dry brush of Vallejo Stone Grey (70.884). I was experimenting on the section that I knew would be covered by the other components, mainly trying to get a range of colours and textures:

The next part was messy. Using simple chalk ($2 from the Reject Shop) I followed Viv's method:

After wiping it down, I repeat the steps two/three times in the section I missed. I skipped the dry brush stage and just sprayed matt varnish over all the surfaces once to lock the chalk in:

Things are starting to take shape, I painted the concrete sections with two/three thin coats of cool grey craft paint (Kaiser colour):

Next step will be a highlight dry brush on the concrete sections and then start to glue it all together with PVA before washes, dry brushing and tufts, etc to make it more cohesive.