Eilif's Toybashing and More (12/17 Alpha Strike in 10mm)

[eilif]

Thanks for the kind words folks.  Glad you're enjoying this and finding it useful. On with the painting!

All assembled and with colors brushed on where necessary and two quick and heavy washes.  The wash mix is roughly half and half water and Pledge Future Floor Finish with brown paint added to taste.

The difference isn't as dramatic as it would be over brighter colors, but it definitely ups the level of grime and really makes the panels and recesses "pop".













The mounds of before and after junk got the same 2-wash treatment.


I'll try and apply the varnish and drybrush soon and should have the whole thing done and posted by this weekend.


A few notes on process and avoiding a common problem:
Future is cheap and dries very fast, which really speeds up the process of applying washes. I was able to do two heavy washes in one evening. Unfortunately it also dries with a slight sheen.  A final coat of Matte varnish at the end of the project makes this go away, but unfortunately a light drybrush ( I usually finish with a light tan drybrush) applied over a hard finish like Future (which is basically liquid Polyurethane I think)  sometimes disolves away a bit when you apply the brush-on matte varnish.

The solution therefore is to put on the matte varnish after the future finish (I'll do that next) and then put the drybrush on top of that.  The drybrush will adhere well to the matte surface and I probably won't bother applying any sealer/varnish on top of the drybrush.

[FramFramson]

Brilliant! What an idea!

[eilif]

And the Industrial Grinder is finished!
2 quick layers of Varnish last night, followed by a tan drybrush this morning and here's what we've got:







Here's the two different sets of input and output. Scrap metal Becomes Metal Shavings and Rock becomes gravel.










It's great to find a toy as nice as this one where even the grating inside the exhausts is included!




So that's it for now. One neat thing about this model is that -except for the gravel, rocks and soda cup plastic- every bit of this model came from the original toy.  As much as I love having a huge bits and scraps collection, a model like this is proof that as long as you have the tools for hacking something apart (again I recommend the Dremel 543 cutting/shaping wheel) and a bit of ingenuity, you can make great toybashed terrain without any bits box at all.

I probably won't have any terrain to show for a bit. I've got to assemble some marines for a buddy of mine and then I'll be off on vacation, but rest assured there are great things on the horizon for the month of August.  It looks like I might finally be able to set aside the time to build my Sci-Fi Train!

[eilif]

Last week I was in Portland visiting some friends.  One of the guys I spent some time with was Lead Adventure member PatrickWR who had been one of the founding members of my local club Chicago Skirmish Wargames.  We had a bit of a throwback game, playing "WarEngine" (one of the club's early favorites) on a variety of his urban terrain, much of which I had had built for him years ago.  I'm going to take 2 posts to show some of my work from a few years back, most of which never got properly documented.  Many of these are pieces that he started and didn't like which were then give to me for a complete transformation.

First off, here's a real wargaming classic, a piece of paper/card packaging transformed into a bunker.  When I received it, there were a couple of bits glued to it and a doorway, but I added the rest and painted it.  Not going to win any awards, but it's a nice old-school piece.



Though I've mostly moved away from making terrain from cardboard and foam packaging, it's still a great method for quickly making really affordable terrain.

Secondly, here's a whole batch of classic wargaming terrain tropes on one base.  A piece of PVC pipe, some bottle caps, a piece of cardboard tube and a small plastic jar.  
It's like a 1990's Terragenesis special!
Seriously though, PVC pipe -and some of the other elements shown here- can be a bit of a trap.   They are cheap and easy, but really have to be greebled properly in order to keep them from looking like what they originally were.  I think I added just enough detail work to achieved that with this piece.   A sort of vent/outflow/access-point for an underground installation.

Unfortunately The pics don't do justice to the damp, rusty slime in the bottom of the pipe.


Lastly, here's a couple of additional pics of a piece that I have shown before.  This started out as a couple of Halogen bulbs and the tall tank stuck on a desert base. I rebased it, added pipes, platoforms and the I-beam superstructure.   This is one of my favorite pieces and one that I often consider building a version of for myself.


It was great to see this and the other pieces getting some use on the gaming table.

Coming next time, a really impressive piece using the now-rare Pegasus Hobbies "Power Plant" set and alot of other bits.

[The_Beast]

Have you tried scoring panel lines into the pipe?

I've not worked with PVC, though I picked up some fittings when I noticed some on sale for better than 80% off. Not that I've messed with them yet, but they have interesting shapes.

Doug

[eilif]

Have you tried scoring panel lines into the pipe?

I've not worked with PVC, though I picked up some fittings when I noticed some on sale for better than 80% off. Not that I've messed with them yet, but they have interesting shapes.

Doug

Scoring is a good idea.
However, If I work with PVC again, I'm more likely to glue panels of thin card to it.  Another good method is to wrap the pipe at intervals with strips of very thin plascard (plastic fast food cups are a good cheap source) with rivets embossed on it (I use a tiny paper punch that I've rounded off a bit). Breaks up the length a bit and adds some visual interest.

[Mason]

Wrapping masking tape around it would also be a quick and easy fix.
Just make sure the overlap/join is underneath where it cant be seen.
 

[PatrickWR]

Tremendous stuff. Glad we were able to get those terrain items out of storage for a game when you were in town!

[eilif]

Here's the other piece that I built a few years ago for PatrickWR that I got to play with on vacation.   It's mostly made of the Tehnolog/Pegasus "Power Plant" kit.

When I got it , it was unpainted and mostly unglued, though most of the elements (tanks, LEGO pieces for pipes, structure etc) were there.  I largely rebuilt/rearranged the structure and added a power block to the middle of the structure made from a McD's Transformers toy of some sort and alot of other bits.  Also arranged a few sets of pipes on the ground to provide more cover, but it was a pretty easy build.  The only design goals were to look cool and be able to accommodate squads (not just individual minis) of figures.
Here's the Power Block that ended up inside the structure.

The Transformers logo is still peeking out a bit...

Here's a pic of the structure assembled and painted, but nothing else has been added or painted.


Here's the final result.  My only wish now is that I'd either glued down squares of card or drawn on lines to make the appearance of concrete segments on the ground.  A small quibble though on what has turned out to be a very useful piece of terrain. 




The top and bottom levels provide good cover and both are big enough to fit a whole 10-man squad and there's enough cover and space for a smaller squad on the side between the tanks and the structure and a few other areas of cover as well.

[aliensurfer]

Top drawer, once again 

[Malebolgia]

Wowie! Your table will be so cool. It indeed has that nostalgic Terragenesis feel, but then at the next level (so not that cardbord & styrofoam look). Excellent

[eilif]

Thanks Aliensurfer,
Glad to see I'm keeping my standards up!

Malegola,
  Thanks! There is something fun and nostalgic about the old RT/Terragenesis methods.  I still get a warm fuzzy feeling when I crack open the RT rulebook and see the picture of the city made from butter tubs and cardboard.  Unfortunately it will be a while until I'm back in Portland to play on these again, but I'm pretty sure it will happen.

[eilif]

Haven't put up anything on the minis front in a while and I forgot to post these when I got them back from my buddy a few weeks ago. 



My buddy painted these up for me in exchange for me painting up a box full of Dungeon decor.  This is the latest installment in my necromunda project where each of my gaming buddies paints a gang for me and I make some scenery for them. He has a style that uses alot of bright colors and he definitely brought that to these guys.  Metallic yellows and blues abound and it's a really fun look.   Let's take a closer look...

Leader (has bolter on back), shotgunners and a close combat ganger.  Close combat gangers are hard to find in this range, so the figure on the right is a conversion.


Flamer (converted from autogun) and Sniper/Hunting rifle (converted from lasrifle)


3 Heavies. Stock except a new barrel on the middle figure. Allows it to be differentiated and used as an autoslugger.  I might use the guy on the right as a leader.


Juves.  Guy on right is converted with sword and a RT Ork bolter clip added to his pistol.  Given the dearth of CC guys, he may serve as a ganger also.


Autogunners.  All stock.


Lasgunners. Also stock.

How about a group shot?

And there you have it, one more gang for the collection!  I like the look of these guys and once again the Champ Industries plastic bases prove their worth and value.  I think these guys may also have use as cultists in games of "In The Emperor's Name".

As it happens my other buddy just gave me the Slick Delaque that he painted for me so I'll photograph them and have another gang to share shortly.

[The_Beast]

You know, lad, my last comment looked like I'd been following all along and was being very casual.

Can be just the tone you're left with when gobsmacked. And you

JUST
DON'T
QUIT.

 

Doug

[eilif]

You know, lad, my last comment looked like I'd been following all along and was being very casual.

Can be just the tone you're left with when gobsmacked. And you

JUST
DON'T
QUIT.

 

Doug

Thank you sir. 
I appreciate the encouragement and I shall endeavor to continue not quitting!