Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: FramFramson on April 21, 2011, 06:08:22 AM
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Sadly, this is bereft of in-progress pictures, but I finally acquired a camera decent enough that I didn't have to be hopelessly ashamed of the way my terrain pictures came out.
This was a recently finished building. A small generic sort of workshop.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/22_Workshop_1.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/22_Workshop_1b.jpg)
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And this was a sawmill I recently assembled for a competition.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/21_Sawmill_1.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/21_Sawmill_1b.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/21_Sawmill_1c.jpg)
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Very nice! Somee very clever ideas in those builds. I particularly like the cellar doors.
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indeed, the cellar doors are a nice touch, but the detailing on that sawmill piece is stunning :o
kudos !
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Really lovely work...... That sawmill is a stunner. Are these gaming pieces that are actually played with?
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Gorgeous!
More please :D
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stunning work! i really like it!
is the roof of the 1st house from antenociti?
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Cracking stuff :-* :-* :-*
Love the details.
Are the building painted or just stained wood? The colour is very natural.
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Very nice!! There's loads of character in both of them.
By the way, I hope that saw mill won you the competition!
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Some really beautiful building. Thank you for sharing.
Tony
http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/
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Holy $hi+ those are fantastic. I can't believe the amount of detail in those. Where did all the hinge and handle bits come from?
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Oooooh now they're jaw-droppingly awesome :o
I would give my left leg to be able to build something that detailed, realistic and natural looking.
You, sir, are a genius!
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Questions questions! Let me see if I can answer them.
The sawmill did not win the competition, though it was enough for a good second place. Very stiff competition I must say and the winner was VERY well-deserved. I was terribly flattered to even place that high.
Some of my general techniques:
- These are actual game pieces. They will bear handling, though I doubt they'd survive a store environment or a horde of kids snotlings.
- I always stain wood with cheap craft acrylics and water rather than painting it. I usually use some mix of cerulean blue (the "warm" primary blue, rather than the "cool" primary blue), raw sienna (yellowy-brown), burnt sienna (reddish-brown) and black. The blue is mostly used in very small quantities to deaden the brown. By using these colours and varying the amount of water in the wash, I can get anything from a nice warm silver-grey (for older wooden buildings), to a rich (but not artificial) brown for newer buildings or even the yellow-brown of fresh lumber.
The only drawback to staining is that you must stain all wood before gluing it in place, otherwise the glue acts as a barrier to the wash and you get unsightly holes of unpainted wood. For areas that you only see one side of (like the walls), I can glue the wood on first and then wash the building all in one go. But for places where you see all side of the wood (like the open roof-truss area in the sawmill), I have to apply washes to each piece before gluing.
- The roof of the first house is done by hand. I get thin strips of basswood (1/32nd of an inch thick), in 1/4 and 3/16ths widths. I then cut lengths freely with scissors and carefully glue them on in rows from bottom to top. After the roof is dry, I apply a wash to the whole roof (I used to have a lot of bare spots, but I've gotten much better at not letting glue on the surface of the shingles). The little strips on the peaks were washed and added separately, since there was no way to prevent that glue from getting on the tops of the shingles.
- The hinges and handles are made from cardboard and wire. I glue on the cardboard and then drill holes for wire handles (for the hinges, I just glued a bit of wire in place). They're painted mostly black, with just a light touch of boltgun metal mixed in. I then do a very faint edge highlight with more boltgun metal. If I need rust, I add some burnt sienna.
Some answers to questions that weren't asked:
- For tool heads, I baked a little block of FIMO-alike and then carved axe-heads etc. out of it. It's flexible and smooth enough to make carving a snap, firm enough to retain its shape, and takes paint decently well.
- Ground is plaster wall compound, slightly diluted with water to improve flow. A brown wash is applied in two stages, light and then a thinner darker to deaden the colour and increase height variation.
- I cheated to make the saw blades! I had a real coping saw, with some spare blades. The saw was almost useless to me, so I just snapped off segments of blade to get what I wanted. It translated very well to this scale!
- The sawdust is real sawdust. I just ran a bit of basswood over a piece of sandpaper until I had a pile big enough to use for flocking.
Anything else you need to know, I'll be happy to share!
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Here's the one other piece I've done since I got the decent camera. This one did in fact win a competition, though there were very few entrants in it due to some rules confusion, so I can't take too much credit there.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Treb_Final_1.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Treb_Final_2.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Treb_Final_3.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Treb_Final_4.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Treb_Final_5.jpg)
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Here's the one other piece I've done since I got the decent camera. This one did in fact win a competition, though there were very few entrants in it due to some rules confusion, so I can't take too much credit there.
Come again ? please DO take the credit. that piece is outstanding. :o
BTW : Where did you get that oversized coin ? lol
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that trebuchet is outstanding, i totally LOVE it!
really "wow", it looks like you build trebuchets for job! :D
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Does it work???!!??? :o
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Sadly no! Didn't have much time, so I had to settle for making it look good, rather than being able to pelt things at people across the room.
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Very nice stuff. The trebuchet is particularly nice.
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Great work, the sawmill is my favourite.
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Okay, these buildings are not new, but I finally took some decent pictures of them.
The first is an old smithy, one of my oldest full-size buildings. I have some issues with it (the overall design is kind of awkward, I still have to put water effects in the trough, and the windows in the workshop need detailing, maybe some metal blinds pushed low...), but it's still fine.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Smithy01.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Smithy02.jpg)
This was my most ambitious project to date. A coaching inn suitable for town or country use. Took me forever to think of a name I liked.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Inn01.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Inn02.jpg)
And a cottage in the style of the inn
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Cottage01.jpg)
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Also re-shot pictures of some supply clusters I made for objectives, terrain blockers, and the like. There are three generic "supplies" piles, one chest, and three specific supply piles - technical items, foodstuffs, and tools. The generic supplies and the chest can supplement the other piles, so if the scenario calls for a large amount of, say, food, I can use the food pile and the three generics.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Supplies01.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Supplies02.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Supplies03.jpg)
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all those are very nice!
what material did you use for the metal parts?
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Most of the wrought iron (black fittings) was cardboard painted black with a touch of Boltgun Metal mixed in to give it a little metallic sheen, then the edges were highlighted with a bit more Boltgun Metal (or maybe a Boltgun/black mixture). Sometimes it was sprue plastic or styrene instead of cardboard.
The chains are little dingy brass bits I pick up from jewelry stores. The very bright brass fittings (on the technical gear supply pile) are real bits of brass tube/brass fittings that I got in a big mixed bag of leftover brass bits from a hobby store.
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very realistic look indeed! thanks for the infos! :P
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I am very impressed by your collection.Those little additional trinkets are great. Just the thing!
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Those buildings are sweet. :-*
Really nice collection you have there.
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Fram, quite impressive buildings. Have you got any WIP pics? I’m very interested to see anything of your building process.
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Another great addition to the collection!! I particularly like the object source lighting on the coals! Any blacksmith would be proud to work in that!!.........as long as he's 28mm tall!!
Some really nice touches to the rest as well. The sacks and the barrels of apples are very atmospheric! My phone screen is too small, is the inn called 'The Lovely Book'? Why that name?
Do you have any pictures of your complete set up, with all your buildings on at once? That must look quite impressive!
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Absolutely stunning model making. Loving all the detail.
Duncan
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Some gorgeous stuff there. I particularly like the sacks.
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Thanks for all the comments! :)
Fram, quite impressive buildings. Have you got any WIP pics? I’m very interested to see anything of your building process.
Apologies, but I don't have anything in the way of WIPs for these older ones. I'm trying to do a little more of that now.
I do have some for the workshop on the 1st page.
Another great addition to the collection!! I particularly like the object source lighting on the coals! Any blacksmith would be proud to work in that!!.........as long as he's 28mm tall!!
Some really nice touches to the rest as well. The sacks and the barrels of apples are very atmospheric! My phone screen is too small, is the inn called 'The Lovely Book'? Why that name?
Do you have any pictures of your complete set up, with all your buildings on at once? That must look quite impressive!
The name of the inn is "The Lively Boar". I needed a good sort of grandad-esque groaner of a pun, one which also couldn't be too indicative of one faction or place (since the terrain has to serve for many scenarios).
I need to finish my table boards before I do a group shot. I have two boards with grass mat laid down, but they're still all "Golf Green" flat. Need to vary them with some paint/extra flock, or even scrape some areas off.
If you folks want to know how anything in particular was made, don't hesitate to ask.
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Lovely craftsmanship. Well done sir.
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Here's the remaining stuff which I have pictures of. These are all old pictures of my first projects, so the quality is definitely not the best. But I love having my ego stroked, sooo... lol
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/02_Wood_wagon.jpg)
I've since added flock & shrubs to the bases of these two:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/04_Cottage_2.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/05_Outhouse.jpg)
This was supposed to be a small barn, but while it's fine for figures, it's a bit too small overall (the doors just accommodate a figure) and it's more like a large shed (of course many primitive barns were quite small). Eventually I'll want to make a larger barn with a stone foundation.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/07_Barn_1.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/07_Barn_1b.jpg)
Fences and fields. Probably going to re-do the fields someday since these ones warp terribly.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/08_Fences_n_Fields.jpg)
Next was a pair of watchtowers. I love the way they look, but oh god, I'm not making anything of such loose construction again.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/09_Watchtowers.jpg)
And an idea my wife had (those boxes are beehives):
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/10_Round_cottage.jpg)
A granary/warehouse/depot. Learned some hard lessons about gameplay accessibility with this one. o_o
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/11_Granary.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/11_Granary_b.jpg)
Everyone should have some good multipurpose shacks:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/14_Shacks_1.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/19_Coop.jpg)
A particularly tumbledown cottage and a well.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/15_Cottage_3__Well.jpg)
Some sort of religious shrine (you can see this is where I started to take better pictures, but my camera was still junk).
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/18_Shrine_1.jpg)
And for the sake of completeness, the wheatfields I already added elsewhere:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Wheat10.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Wheat11.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Wheat12.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Wheat13.jpg)
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WOAH.
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WOAH.
Seconded!
Like the scarecrow in the wheat field.. nice touch!
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There are just so many nice things in those pictures. It is hard to say which one I like the best :-* :-* :-*
One question - what material do you use for the brick work?
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For the stonework I use these big foam sheets made by Noch and cut them up very carefully. Then I use wall compound to fill the gaps and paint it as best I can to match. They really have a beautiful texture.
Real versatile fun stuff. My main gripe is that the smaller, rougher stuff (such as the stuff I used for the smithy) has now been discontinued, but I do have a small store of the stuff, and since it doesn't look good in large quantities (because stonework like that would not be stable for really tall walls - even that forge looks kind of awkward - and also because that texture pattern doesn't "repeat" well over large areas), I should be able to stretch it for many buildings yet, mostly poorer, rougher buildings shacks, cottages, barns, semi-permanent military buildings, by mostly using it for only foundations & chimneys.
The sheets with the larger, more regular stonework are still available, which is good, because that's what I would use for larger buildings where I want that stonework (proper town buildings etc.).
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Did you already say how you do the thatch? Did I miss it?
Anyway, it looks pretty convincing from a distance. Brillo pads?
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Did you already say how you do the thatch? Did I miss it?
Anyway, it looks pretty convincing from a distance. Brillo pads?
Glad you asked Peder I was wondering the same.
Duncan
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Yep! The thatch is in fact brillo-style pads cut to fit.
They're white, I then mix up some black paint in a thin dilution and soak the pad and squeeze it mostly out and leave them to dry, which cuts the glaring whiteness. Then I soak it again in a brownish mix that's less-diluted and leave that to dry again for the final colour. Play with it to see what colours you like and don't overdo the black.
Also, one side will tend to colour more evenly than another. When you do the black side, this will become apparent. Make sure this is the side you lay it on to dry and also the side to glue down (to hide it, obviously).
For the the ratty roof, I teased a lot of it to roughen it up. I also cut away a surface layer in some places to thin it and then I put cut bristles (which I use for straw or hay) in to make it look like the thatch was fraying. Sometimes I also add a touch of green paint or flock to add a mossy touch to the roof.
Any other questions, just let me know!
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Very, very nice.
You need a bigger table though. ;)
I'd love to see all of the pieces on a game-board. :-*
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No idea how I missed this thread from the first post - only just caught up today >:(
Can I say these are the best buildings I have seen - please post a 'step-by-step' for the next one!
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I really enjoyed seeing your terrain pieces and think they all look great. I'm planning on building some wooden shacks very soon and might use your illustrations as inspiration.
Once again than you for sharing.
Tony
http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/
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No idea how I missed this thread from the first post - only just caught up today >:(
Can I say these are the best buildings I have seen - please post a 'step-by-step' for the next one!
Ditto!
:o :o :o
These are all bloody fantastic!
:-* :-* :-*
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OMG!
Man you're sooooo talented.
Your buildings are pieces of beauty, and you should be VERY PROUD of them!
Thanks for sharing.
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A small update for Prof and some others, which I will separate into two posts.
First, I was able to find a few WIP pictures of two projects. First the religious shrine:
I actually carved the base out of MDF instead of making it out of foam. For some reason the foamcore I was working with scored really badly so in a huff I decided to just carve it into the MDF. This worked fine, but was a spectacularly labour-intensive bit of foolishness!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_02.jpg)
Then I put on dowel and fittings.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_03.jpg)
The fittings were brass bits from a cabinetry place. They had knobs with concave tops, which made beautiful braziers/basins. The little ourobouros figure is a Dreamblade mini.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_04.jpg)
After that, I painted and flocked it. My biggest regret is that the brass tops for the columns don't line up 100% with the dowel and (far more irritatingly) stick out much more than I'm comfortable with (because the brass discs have a larger diameter than the dowels).
What I'd like is a band of patterned material I could glue around the tops of the columns, just under the discs, something I could paint brass-y, which would make the columns look capped, rather than having those discs floating awkwardly on top.
Next up, I had some WIP pics for the workshop (see the 1st page).
For buildings, I usually start with a plan, which I lay out on the MDF. I cut around that shape to give me a bit of a surrounding lip to work with. Then I figured in advance where I'd want basement windows (this building was a bit different - it was the first time I was including such low windows), cut the parts from the Noch stone sheets I have and glued foundation in place with glue gun glue (I actually put a layer of craft sticks underneath, to save the bit of stone sheet where it will be covered by ground texture anyway, but that's because I'm a cheapass and these stone sheets are expensive... it's really not necessary).
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_07.jpg)
Added the first layers of wooden structure. These cover up the tops of the foundation.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_08.jpg)
Added the first floor in foamcore. Notice I painted the foamcore black. This is just in case any shows through my plank-clad exterior.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_09.jpg)
Some of the initial planking.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_11.jpg)
Another angle.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_12.jpg)
The underlying structure of the second floor is added and the building begins to take shape.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_13.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_14.jpg)
More planking and the first wash to weather the wood.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_15.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_16.jpg)
And I'm afraid that's it. I can't find any pictures from later. I may not have taken any actually.
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My current project is a collection of tall grass patches, such as can be used to simulate natural plains (like the midwest), or swampy areas (like the everglades).
My initial idea was teddy bear fur, based on Elladan's beautiful work. However I don't have an airbrush, so this got interesting...
First, I cut some pieces and glued them to the MDF.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_05.jpg)
Then I tried to dye the grass green by soaking everything in some watered down acrylic. This turned into an incredible mess. The MDF was soaked and ruined and I had to dye the grass over and over and comb out all the clumps where paint pooled before I got anything close to what I liked.
Eventually I cut new MDF pieces, re-glued the grass and then left the project aside for a LONG time.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP_10.jpg)
Went back a few weeks ago. First I built up a shore edge for the places where water does not touch tall grass with glue-gun glue. Then I did my usual wall compound + water coat, followed by light sanding job for ground texture.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP17.jpg)
Here's a close-up.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/WIP18.jpg)
Been a couple of weeks since that update - I have some trees that have gone unbased FOREVER and have decided I want to do their bases at the same time, but hopefully more progress will come soon.
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Amazing stuff,brilliant :-* :-* :-*
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that's very interesting! Those are the first "unpainted" buildings that i really like! Weathering the wood is nice, but usually doesn't give the same look of a wise paintjob. But in that case everything looks amazing! =)
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Wonderful builds everyone :-* :-*
cheers
James
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Very cool, :-*
Thanks a lot for posting the tutorial.
I'd still love to see all of your stuff on a board together.
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Hehe, thanks. Got to get more than a few other things done before I've got enough for a table shot.
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Finally building a bit of terrain again, though just a small one for now. I'm on more of a figure painting kick, but this will be a sort of combination of the two.
I while back I got one of the new GW elf figures. Problem is, the new high-elf sculpts are bloody giant! This fellow is just about 40mm! It drove me nuts too, because he was a perfect sculpt for what I needed (eventually I resorted to getting some early 2000's Phoenix Guardsmen and converting them to get the same kit in the right scale).
Anyway, I thought a slightly oversized figure would work great for a monument. And his dramatic pose really fit well too.
First, I based him using a cavalry base I cut down a bit:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Mon_WIP_01.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Mon_WIP_02.jpg)
Then I threw together some wooden trim (there's a dollhouse store in town that's great for stuff like this) and foam to make a base:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Mon_WIP_03.jpg)
Some plasticard would make the plaques. I kind of did a sloppy job on the bevelling, but I doubt it will be all that noticeable.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Mon_WIP_04.jpg)
And primed the whole thing.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Mon_WIP_05.jpg)
If I'm lucky, I'll paint it tomorrow. One thing I'm wondering about it that I want to make the bronze surfaces (the black-primed stuff) very green and weathered, but not TOTALLY green. I still want a few properly bronze highlights on the most exposed surfaces. Does anyone have any good examples of some not-quite-weathered-ALL-the-way bronze statues?
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That looks good Fram!! I'll need to
steal borrow that idea using the trim. ;)
I don't have an references of a statue for you, I don't know if this can help...
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=24709.225 (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=24709.225)
All that's done there is a GW hawk turquoise wash over a regular gold/bronze paint job, with some undiluted paint applied to the recesses to strengthen the colour.
BTW, did you ever get your wee house, from up the page, finished?
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Yeah, I'm torn between doing it your way versus doing the whole statue in green and then drybrushing bronze on the most exposed spots.
As for the "wee house" those were WIP photos for the first building in the thread (people wanted WIP pictures, so I dug out the ones I had) ;)
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We have some massive talents out there, if we all come togther we could rule the world..................or destroy it..........top top pieces here very inspiring
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great work here! :-*
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Egad! That certainly some nice stuff. I just wish I had an eye for terrain.
I can make it but it is a huge effort for me and it never looks quite the way I want it.
I envy you!!! :)
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As for the "wee house" those were WIP photos for the first building in the thread (people wanted WIP pictures, so I dug out the ones I had) ;)
Oops!! In my defense it has been a while. I've just had to take a look again at all your stuff. Amazing level of detail on everything! :o
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All done!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Monument_01.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Monument_02.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Monument_03.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y25/FramFramson/Monument_04.jpg)
I also added a little water-thinned wall compound into the craft paint I used on the base, to give it a little more stony texture.
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Lovely paint job.
Love the weathering :-* :-* :-*
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Cooool!
You HAVE TO tell us the recipe for such a wonderful bronze!
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The bronze I did in 5 steps
1 - Black primer
2 - A thin coat of Tin Bitz, Shining Gold at a roughly 2:1 ratio, with a tiny dab of Snot Green mixed in. Don't worry about every crack, just get in a heavy (but not thick) drybrush.
3 - A watered-down wash (1% milk consistency) of turquoise is very liberally applied and allowed to flow over and into everything (I don't actually have any Hawk Turquoise, so I think I mixed mostly Ice Blue, with some Enchanted Blue, and a dab again of Snot Green).
4 - Mix the same bronze from step 2, and drybrush it liberally. All edges and raised surfaces should show some metallic sheen.
5 - Paint in some weather dripped grime trails where rain would leave runnels. I used Devlan Mud and then some brown-black mix, but really you could probably dispense with the ink. For the flat plates, I just tried to make the bottom grimier than the top.
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Superb!
:-*
Great effect.
Thanks for the recipe.
:D
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Looks good 8)
Might I suggest a bit of a highlight on the stonework, it might just bring it out a bit more :)
cheers
James
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There's a little bit of a highlight, but I did keep it kind of muted (I tried a brighter highlight originally and didn't like it), It's a little brighter than it looks in the photos, though not by much.
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Thanks for unveiling your powerful secret, fram!
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That's great !! :o 8) 8)
Any closer to giving us a picture of your board with all this stuff on it?
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Man, I have so much work to do before I can even have a basic table it's redonkulous. o_o
At a minimum:
- 2-3 more "town" buildings.
- Finally finish repainting the trunks on and basing my trees
- Resurface my "putting green" play-board
- Finish my tall grass patches
Which of course doesn't even come close to the number of things I would LIKE to have. But finishing the above would at least give me the minimum. The main problem is that some of that stuff is going to be incredibly tedious. But it must be done!
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Very nice verdigris.
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What a great thread. Like the Midsummer Murders of high-end terrain builders. I'm not sure what I mean by that. My favourite is your 'Tumbledown cottage'. I'm re-invigorated.
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Damn. Amazing work.
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LIVE! LIVE, MY CREATION! LIVE!
(http://www.head-fi.org/content/type/61/id/164455/width/425/height/232)
I have been working on greenery, vegetation stands, and such.
So going back a page or two, you might want to consult this post for the last known condition of my swampland/heavy grasslands: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=28517.msg441815#msg441815
Been working on those as well as smaller pieces.
First, I cut out some smaller bases out of 3mm MDF in interesting shapes to use as small vegetation stands, trimming the edges down with my knife.
(http://i.imgur.com/E77WA8f.jpg)
At this point I epoxied on a couple of interesting stumps to build around on a couple (I already have a couple dozen proper trees... not bothering with pictures, because all I did was base them since they were premade). Then wall compound splodged on for the ground.
(http://i.imgur.com/FhFrNbT.jpg)
Haha, I'm an idiot. I wanted rocks too! I got out my dremel and ground out holes which would accommodate each rock, which I should have done before applying wall compound (after this I filled in the cut sections around each rock with more wall compound).
They say you can't use rocks as rocks for miniatures, that you have to paint them. Not true! But you have to select them very carefully in order to find ones with a good effect. What you want, ideally:
- Some broken-up shapes and some rounding/weathering - nothing too sharp and nothing too smooth.
- A good variation in colour
- Some changes in tone and contrast, especially a nice speckled surface
Season to taste. When in doubt, simply place a mini next to the rock and see if it looks good to you! In addition to the grey-brown ones I used here, I have some lovely reddish gravel that will hopefully find a use later on.
(http://i.imgur.com/giLaJnd.jpg)
Painted ground, using an acrylic wash. My first go didn't match my terrain mat - it had too much contrast and was too saturated in colour and slightly too yellow. I solved this by applying a second, thinner wash that was duller, redder and whiter (this is after that second wash).
(http://i.imgur.com/xQxj70T.jpg)
My old swamp stands get the same treatment!
(http://i.imgur.com/vEzJRvH.jpg)
Three of the swamp stands have water features. I decided to paint these with a very gradual succession of greenish-greyish washes made with a blend of colours which darken towards the middle of the water. Here I am halfway through one of the washes (they're shiny because they're still wet. The ground texture I applied way back when actually works very well for helping me paint these washes in a way that will look good as water.
(http://i.imgur.com/znSAMEi.jpg)
Here I also glued a sprinkling flock to the green doughnut band, which will hopefully look good under the clear gel I'm going to cover this thing in.
(http://i.imgur.com/jrRq36b.jpg)
A close up. Note that I also painted the "rocks" (small lumps of plaster used as water-washed stones in the pond) and stuffed flock around the very edge of the pond to help blend the grass further into the base.
(http://i.imgur.com/zvnqHlX.jpg)
And that's all for now. My tub of self-levelling acrylic clear gel is several years old, so I poured some out into an old lid to test it and make sure it's still alright. In the meantime I will probably flock the ground on all these bits and maybe start in on the vegetation clumps on the smaller stands.
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Looking great!
You ever have any issues with the 3mm MDF warping?
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Sometimes a little. I try not to get it too wet and it's generally fine.
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Amazing builds Fram, I've just discovered this little gem of a thread. What a almanac of ideas and tips.
Thanks!
Matt.
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Whoa, blast from the past :D
They look great mate 8) 8)
I hope the gel is ok, it'd be a shame if it wasn't :?
cheers
James
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Oh no worries. If it's bad, I'll just go and buy a new tub. This is why we do test patches!
So far it looks like the surface will dry a little unevenly, but the end effect might actually work well. That might also be because I mixed in a little water (you can thin this gel with water; it's acrylic and says as much). I will also probably do the final in multiple thinner coats. I will probably need to add a gloss varnish too and that's much more fluid. The gel is supposed to be a gloss, but it's not quite as wet and glossy as I'd like, but that actually gives me a bit more flexibility even though it adds a small extra step.
The most annoying problem will be waiting days and days for the stuff to dry!
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Very inspirational stuff here :) many thanks for sharing photo's :)
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The most annoying problem will be waiting days and days for the stuff to dry!
Well, seeing how it took two years to update the thread I don't see that as a problem ;D ;)
cheers
James
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lol
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Having a spot of bother with my water pours.
The first layer was self-levelling clear gel (and that turned into something of a bigger disaster which I will go into later, but it did dry transparent eventually, so not all was lost). The issue I'm trying to fix is surface pockmarks caused by bubbles. I can live with a few subsurface bubbles, no big deal, but the pitted surface is irritating. I tried smoothing it with a much thinner pour of my gloss varnish (which is normally fine on figures), but that had bubbles too! I tried tapping the boards to try and force out some bubbles, but I'd have to be doing that constantly for hours to have much luck there. I also tried a trick where you lightly mist isopropyl alcohol on the surface to break surface tension and while it does work, it doesn't deal with the lower bubbles that rise up slowly over time.
I'm going to try a third time, with a much thinner coat that has a good deal of flow improver added in the hopes that that will give me a bubble-free layer, but does anyone have any other ideas to consider?
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Hover over it while it cures with a pin?
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Tried that too. I'd think I'd got 'em all, only to come back later and see more. In any case, the later ones don't fill in anyway, because the stuff is half-dry at that point. So popping the later ones doesn't help at all. And for popping surface bubbles the alcohol works much better (it works by breaking the surface tension and then it evaporates).
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Bloody hell, using self-levelling clear gel is not something I would ever recommend for anyone else. At first, the bubbles were my only problem. Then in a later pour - no more than 1-2mm deep - I had massive separation cracks appear. I thought maybe the stuff had gone off by virtue of being too old, but I bought a new bottle and damned if it didn't do it again! Temperature's fine, humidity's fine, I poured carefully, god knows what it is but this stuff seems incredibly fickle and unforgiving. But it didn't even do it consistently again - one pour it did and another it didn't. Right now my water features are ruined, but I may save them yet with a little careful pouring and some luck since I still have a little bit of depth left to play with (not much though...).
For the life of me I can't understand it - surely this wouldn't even sell at all if the it did this to every artist who tried to coat a canvas. I have no idea what I'm doing that's so so wrong.
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:-[
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It might be a bad batch from the manufacturer that has been contaminated somehow :?
You could always contact them and complain and get yourself a new one. That might do the trick.
cheers
James
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A few of the water scenic materials I have used go soft again when heated, would you be able to go over it with a hair dryer to re melt it and see if that works or to help remove it maybe?
Or would the heat distort your scenery too much?
Its an odd idea I know but I'm going from what I have read/seen and even tried once, but the material I used was the woodland scenics easy pour water.
Ill try find the tutorial I saw for this and post it...
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That is astounding stuff. I wish my terrain looked even a quarter as good!
Thanks Scurv. I say the same about some other people on here! lol
A few of the water scenic materials I have used go soft again when heated, would you be able to go over it with a hair dryer to re melt it and see if that works or to help remove it maybe?
Or would the heat distort your scenery too much?
Its an odd idea I know but I'm going from what I have read/seen and even tried once, but the material I used was the woodland scenics easy pour water.
Ill try find the tutorial I saw for this and post it...
I'm using a water-based acrylic gel because I had some already and it's cheaper than the water elements resin. I'd heard about all sorts of nightmares with that stuff and thought I would avoid it! Ha!
But no, I can't re-heat the stuff.
It might be a bad batch from the manufacturer that has been contaminated somehow :?
You could always contact them and complain and get yourself a new one. That might do the trick.
cheers
James
I don't think so, it's two batches bought several years apart. I thought maybe the one I was using was too old, but the new one did the same. I suspect that the problem is the material doesn't take kindly to drying at any real thickness with irregular depths. If I'm filling cracks, I have to fill the cracks, then redo the surface once it's all more-or-less flat again. It could also have some sort of problem when drying over a layer of gloss varnish.
Basically what happened was:
- Initial pour, about 2mm. Fine but trouble with bubbling and I warped my boards somewhat because the layers of paint as a bed evidently weren't enough of a waterproofing.
- Tried to resolve bubbling issues with a layer of gloss varnish which always goes fine over minis, but now THAT bubbled.
- Second layer of gloss varnish. Slightly better but still significant bubbling. I also noticed that the gloss varnish is actually picking up fingerprints long after drying and don't know why.
- Tried another go with the gel on one of my three ponds, this time maybe 1 mm, slightly diluted with water to get a better pour (it says right on the tub you can dilute with water). Less bubbling but disastrous, horrendous cracking.
- Buy new tub, started another even thinner pour on the first ruined pond, focusing on filling in the cracks. It's better, but not fixed. Might need another one or two thin, crack-filling pours to bring up to level, hoping I can salvage it. Also did a thin, 1mm pour on a second pond at the same time, since that seemed to be working, only to have the new pour in the second pond crack horrendously too.
In between, I've also tested preparations by doing pours into jar lids and such. The tests of course always work fine, although they'd had bubbling too.
All of this while waiting several days for various pours to dry. I have one pond that still under double varnish without a new pour of gel, but it has a fair bit of bubbling. I'm wondering whether to just try brushing on a really thin coat of gel to see if that staves off cracking. On the plus side the new bottle seems less pernicious about bubbling, but maybe that's a function of thinner pours.
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Fram,
This is another thread that I have missed and then needed to read from the beginning. Very nice work sir.
Snitchy sends.
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Thank you sir. :D
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Ouch man, that sucks on the gel. My tip: use Envirotex Lite. IMO the best water product there is. It dries clear, rock hard and looks terrific when set. The main thing to watch out for is you're using two exact equal parts of resin and hardener. If this is off, the resin may not set properly. But with all of my projects I never had this problem.
You can also tint it with inks and paints if you want. Just make sure you add a tiny amount, so the water does not go opaque or gets tinted too much.
And evade Woodland Scenics Realistic Water like the plague. It is the worst hobby product ai have bought in 20 years. What a bottle of gunk. It never dries hard, shrinks for about 80% and looks silly when set. Urgh...
Water effects on the other hand is great stuff! Really nice to add some waves or a waterfall.
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I ought to be able to save these, albeit with some wailing and gnashing of teeth while I wait for endless slow coats and pours to dry. I can tint these too if I want, but this has been so much trouble I haven't bothered. Just getting it clear with a decent surface will be enough for me this time.
Envirotex has been recommended by several people, so that's in the running if I decide to just go with proper hobby resin next time.
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Another vote for envirotex lite. One tip is to texture the top with 2 part epoxy resin.
http://www.hirstarts.com/tips17/tips17.html#water (http://www.hirstarts.com/tips17/tips17.html#water)
This is a good primer for the effects. You can also use the 2 part epoxy to add texture to plastic sheeting and fishing line to do waterfall effects by bulking up the plastic. It is worth every penny. One hint if you do it is to use it is if you have an area that does not cure completely. Use the two part epoxy resin as a sealer by covering that surface and then texturing normally using the tutorial.
Snitchy sends.
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You can also use Woodland Scenics Water Effects (NOT REALISTIC WATER!) for the waves and texture. Works really well and dries totally clear.
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Further testing seems to confirm that at least part of the problem is pouring acrylic clear gel over acrylic gloss varnish. I now have three ponds in three states. One on a destruction pour (first pour over the gloss, which I know now will crack), one on the first repair pour (major crack filling), and one on a second repair pour (possibly resulting in a finished surface, though it might take one more afterwards).
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Image heavy post here, including a fair number of WIPs.
Flocked everything. This was a mix of regular flocks, plus some ground herbs (mostly marjoram and parsley).
(http://i.imgur.com/fWwhMXV.jpg)
Same for the grasslands.
(http://i.imgur.com/25BqE3F.jpg)
This was the first water pour.
(http://i.imgur.com/jjutrfR.jpg)
Looks good, but horrible bubble problems (hard to see in the photo).
(http://i.imgur.com/Ri9vs29.jpg)
I didn't take any pictures of the later disaster water pours, but I did take a few of my near-disastrous attempts to fix severe warping in the large pond. The base cracked, but luckily the clear gel held the top together. I had to glue the cracks from below. Things got sloppy.
(http://i.imgur.com/FP68cDa.jpg)
One end stayed stubbornly high, so I had to add a filler bridge out of cardboard sanded to fit.
(http://i.imgur.com/5tu1shg.jpg)
On the top, new filler added.
(http://i.imgur.com/w2LFdH6.jpg)
After that it was days and days days of corrective water pours. In the meantime, I worked on finishing the smaller stands or bracken and shrubs for cover. I pretty much grabbed every scenery element I had. Woodland Scenics and MBS clump foliage, Bachmann saplings/branches, Noch & Silflor tufts and flowers.
(http://i.imgur.com/preORjq.jpg)
Problem! My cover stands were alright but looked wrong on the table. I realized that I just didn't have enough small bits to break things up, so I decided to make some more. A friend of mine with lots of woodworking experience actually helped me by cutting these out of MDF - I was just going to borrow his drill press to cut discs, but we wound up using a lathe (!). It seemed like an elaborate process (mounting a woodblock to the late, then crewing bits of MDF into the block, then carving them out carefully with a chisel) but was actually easier than it would have been because we cut and bevelled them all at the same time.
(http://i.imgur.com/TR1B9yI.jpg)
The wall compound I'm used to buying has been changed to a smoother formula, so I tried adding sand to bring texture back in. This worked pretty well.
(http://i.imgur.com/eFjcdmC.jpg)
Finally, after the water had been more or less rescued, the grasslands were detailed too, mostly with tufts. Some finished shots!
(http://i.imgur.com/qoe9F8A.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/FjDwYAW.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/uwlRJSf.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/dC7cDw7.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/lmhIOBs.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Ph5Y3YC.jpg)
Obligatory bad photoshop job
(http://i.imgur.com/n2KIIcG.jpg)
Is that all? Nope. I've also been working on a small shelter made out of wreckage. I want the shelter to be multi-purpose, with bits that look like they might have com from an aircraft or ship or who knows what. The idea I had was to simply build up a collection of parts that looked like they could be from "something" and then build it out however it works of these pre-made bits (I do have a general idea of look and layout planned). First, a base.
(http://i.imgur.com/BnWDM9O.jpg)
Wood will be wood, plasticard for metal bits. Here you can see some sort of structural member as well as some hull plates (some damaged).
(http://i.imgur.com/To8z4fE.jpg)
I knew I wanted a hatchway door with a broken window. Here's the start.
(http://i.imgur.com/DnUdavV.jpg)
The two halves of the door complete, as well as some other bits.
(http://i.imgur.com/vWy2O90.jpg)
Some wooden bits, this is after they've received a light wash of ochre to scale them better. Very light since this is still supposed to be newer wood, recently rescued from wherever. I'll have some more weathered wood too. Might drybrush some charring on some parts.
(http://i.imgur.com/thPk6Se.jpg)
That's as far as I am with the shelter for now. But there's still one more thing. I needed an injured or sick man so I put one together out of bits and putty. The bedroll is a pressmold copy of a roll (sleeping bag?) I had from a military bits kit (so no, I didn't sculpt it).
(http://i.imgur.com/XevSn87.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/IBZcEFT.jpg)
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Interesting stuff 8) 8)
cheers
James
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Fram those scenic heathland shots look great! It sucks that the water effects are a nightmare - I think you've done a great job on them by the way.
I like the sleeping guy too! I may borrow that idea.
Cheers
Matt.
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Nice work Fram :-*
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Thanks gents :D
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Great rescue on the water Fram and the grasslands look great :-*
LB
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Beautiful stuff.
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Nice work Fram!!! 8) 8) 8)
Your wee scratch built bits of wreckage look cracking so far!
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The scenics have come out great!
:-* :-*
You obviously have far more patience than I do.
:D
The shelter is coming along nicely too.
8)
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Great rescue on the water Fram and the grasslands look great :-*
LB
It's funny, I almost feel like the grasslands are the real rescue, since they've been sitting for so many years!
Beautiful stuff.
Thanks! :D
Nice work Fram!!! 8) 8) 8)
Your wee scratch built bits of wreckage look cracking so far!
Thanks Andy! I'm just building pieces for my Lego set here... ;D
The scenics have come out great!
:-* :-*
You obviously have far more patience than I do.
:D
The shelter is coming along nicely too.
8)
Haha, not half so much patience as I used to... I thought that was supposed to go the other way as one ages! lol
In general, I think I would be okay with using the clear gel again, now that I'm a bit more familiar with how it works. My biggest mistake was pouring it over the clear gloss, which was a problem for some reason, even though both were acrylics. However for anything of any real size, resin water is probably better.
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Haha, not half so much patience as I used to... I thought that was supposed to go the other way as one ages! lol
Actually from personal experience it's just the opposite. "Isn't that EVER going to #@$!!* dry!?" Has become my most used phrase. I thinks a matter of the amount of available time left before The Big One that cuts into the patience thing.
Well I've finally stumbled on your inspiration hide away, SO now you are going to have to deal with the occasional comment from moi....GREAT STUFF! I think I like your collection of shacks the BEST, but it's all VERY WELL DONE!
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Actually from personal experience it's just the opposite. "Isn't that EVER going to #@$!!* dry!?" Has become my most used phrase. I thinks a matter of the amount of available time left before The Big One that cuts into the patience thing.
Well I've finally stumbled on your inspiration hide away, SO now you are going to have to deal with the occasional comment from moi....GREAT STUFF! I think I like your collection of shacks the BEST, but it's all VERY WELL DONE!
Haha, I assure you I'm not trying to hide my threads... how else am I supposed to get my ego stroked? lol lol lol
I agree the patience might be tied to seeing how much time one has left. On the quick drying, I suggest investing in a cheap hair dryer! lol
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I agree the patience might be tied to seeing how much time one has left. On the quick drying, I suggest investing in a cheap hair dryer! lol
Now that you mention it, I picked up a heat gun quite awhile ago. I cant' remember exactly why I got it, but it was inexpensive & it can reach temperatures of several hundred degrees Fahrenheit. If I timed it wrong...or right if doing something like Space Nazis aka Marines, I would never have to wait for that piece to dry ever after. Who said miniatures weren't an exciting pass time?
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That's why I bought a cheap junky one - it's hard to overdo it with that! lol
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Further progress on my pile of junk ::)
I wanted some larger bits, so I put together this bit of hull/fuselage/whatever from plasticard and wire
(http://i.imgur.com/NyVBVYE.jpg)
Bits and bobs coming along here...
(http://i.imgur.com/9zHLzwK.jpg)
Have I ever mentioned the utterly insane way I build crates? First you cut a small foam chunk and glue the main planks on to it
(http://i.imgur.com/dzwt0p1.jpg)
Then you do a nice wash for the colour, in this case a more weathered grey. However, since glue blocks the wash, I have to pre-cut all the bits where glue might show. This is insanity and idiotic! But I like the way it looks... lol
(http://i.imgur.com/cDAmkAR.jpg)
I also decided I wanted to have a table out front that is cobbled together from a "real" tabletop or countertop rescued from the wreck, placed on a crate. Here's an in-progress shot. After this I stained the tabletop portion a cherry brown (using inks - I didn't have any real stain on hand), and then adding a gloss coat to simulate varnish.
(http://i.imgur.com/9CNZojv.jpg)
Here's where we're at now. I'd say that's more than enough to start putting something together.
(http://i.imgur.com/zlPgGM7.jpg)
Detail of the hatchway door, front and back.
(http://i.imgur.com/mgopZil.jpg)
I'm having quite a bit of fun with this so far.
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They look great mate 8) 8)
cheers
James
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Tops!! :-* :-* :-*
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Great stuff you have on this thread Fram. :-* :-*
Lots of ideas and well done scenario pieces as well as a very good painting.
Keep it coming.
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GREAT LOOKING Thingies! It's details like these creations that make finished pieces special & give them those interesting little discoveries that reward return visits. VERY WELL DONE!
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Thanks all. Hopefully I will have something more complete to show soon. I'm also going to incorporate tarps/sheets as well as fallen/repurposed logs, but I didn't have to prebuild those!
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Some lovely details :-* :-* :-*
Have you said what it is all for?
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Yes, I'm trying to make a shelter assembled from bits of "indeterminate origin" (i.e. they could be from a ship, an aircraft, who knows).
The first use in a game will actually be by the survivors of an airship crash, but I hate building scenery that can only be used for one thing and once only, so I am trying to keep it flexible!
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If it proves to be too 'rigid', I'll store it on my table. :D
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That's the worst pick up line I've ever heard.
lol
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Progress! I'd say the building stage is about half done or maybe a bit more.
(http://i.imgur.com/YK7XJgg.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/psjYfga.jpg)
Hopefully the next update will be the completed version.
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Triple cool!
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Yes, but will it fly?
8)
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Dunno, but I have one in my backyard.
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Dunno, but I have one in my backyard.
lol lol lol
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Oh that's a good start Fram! Looks ramshackle, but considered - a top shelf shanty.
Cheers
Matt.
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Not sure how I've missed this thread before now, but wow! There's some real craftsmanship and a good eye for detail in all these terrain pieces - very nicely done sir! :-*
I also liked the look of some of the Clix figures you've included for scale too - are they repaints, customs, or...?
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Many thanks folks!
Not sure how I've missed this thread before now, but wow! There's some real craftsmanship and a good eye for detail in all these terrain pieces - very nicely done sir! :-*
I also liked the look of some of the Clix figures you've included for scale too - are they repaints, customs, or...?
Most of my clix which I have posted here are custom swaps (real clix dial with a replacement mini), though a couple are repaints. My clix figures can be seen in my thread in the fantasy section: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=41081.0
Though this shelter is for pulp games. :)
My pulp figures are here: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=63559.msg802205#msg802205
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Looks like something from borderlands. Very cool indeed, a joy to see new things here so often :)
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There are lots of possibilities with this one. It has/is developing a pleasant Post Apocalypse chic that would work well with any "after the disaster" game. Survivors of a ship wreck marooned on a desert isle...why do they always describe lush tropical islands as "desert isles"?...would fit nicely as well. The Junk Lady from Labyrinth would love it here. It could be the model for my governments answer to homelessness also. The possibilities are there; AND it is also UBERCOOL & WONDERFULLY crafted...GREAT WORK!
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Looks like something from borderlands. Very cool indeed, a joy to see new things here so often :)
I was looking at it and was thinking, it'd work well for traditional post-apoc games. Of course I would actually hate to build an entire town out of small fiddly bits like this! But on the other hand if it was an entire town, I could use larger building pieces (building parts, the traditional corrugated sheet metal, ruins of actual wrecked buildings, etc.) so maybe that wouldn't be as bad as all that.
There are lots of possibilities with this one. It has/is developing a pleasant Post Apocalypse chic that would work well with any "after the disaster" game. Survivors of a ship wreck marooned on a desert isle...why do they always describe lush tropical islands as "desert isles"?...would fit nicely as well. The Junk Lady from Labyrinth would love it here. It could be the model for my governments answer to homelessness also. The possibilities are there; AND it is also UBERCOOL & WONDERFULLY crafted...GREAT WORK!
Well, for my upcoming game, I can assure you this won't be a pleasant location - the shack's first appearance will be way out in Siberia!
'Course that doesn't mean it can't show up again on some sort of Gilligan's Island later on. :D
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Work continued. Here's a WIP of when I laid the roof supports in place.
(http://i.imgur.com/Ik8WSQI.jpg)
You'll note I added some ropes. I have a pretty simple technique for rope. I take string and stretch it out, then I wash it with a little diluted brown paint and PVA, which prevents it from unravelling. Sometimes I wind it double to create a coarser, more "nautical" type of rope (see left-hand image).
(http://i.imgur.com/V1gV4hn.jpg)
I knew I wanted some of the roof tarps to be grommeted. But how to do grommets? I tried little wire loops as small as I could make them but they were still far too large (4mm outer diameter). Then I found these! I had no idea how I would paint them, until my wife suggested sticking them to a bit of tape. That worked... not great. But it was just enough to let me paint them and I was okay with that.
(http://i.imgur.com/35ZejH6.jpg)
And the finished product, with all the little stupid fiddly details I felt like making or adding (the coleman lamp is made from wire, styrene rod, and a bead). Behold madness!
(http://i.imgur.com/X0CvvJn.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/kOPcVtT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/i7in4VV.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/z7WeupP.jpg)
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That turned out EVEN BETTER than I had imagined it would...keep in mind how over active my imagination can be. WONDERFULLY WELL DONE!
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If you call madness to this i dont mind to be mad like you.
Brilliant. :-* :-* :-*
Well done.
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Oh, that is perfect. 8) :D
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Many thanks lads!
This was something of a fun piece, where I experimented with a couple of new ideas (ink stains on wood instead of paint washes, more experiments with salt & hairspray, etc.). I do find ink gives a better showing of the wood's natural grain and it also is more forgiving for going over areas that may have had a dot of glue touch them. Of course ink is much more expensive than craft paint washes.
Though for really old, grey wood, I think a muddy wash of craft paint is still better, because the craft paint stays much more matte and the wood looks drier and more worn. But for furniture and newer wood, I am definitely liking the inks better.
I don't think I've fully got the salt and hairspray technique down, but I'm getting a little better at it anyway.
I also tried new metallics here (Vallejo Liquid Gold seems to be the tops) and I really have to tank LAF for all the advice and recommendations. And I am surprisingly happy with GW's new Typhus corrosion, which I bought a while ago to try. It's an ugly nasty paint, but sometimes that's perfect.
That turned out EVEN BETTER than I had imagined it would...keep in mind how over active my imagination can be. WONDERFULLY WELL DONE!
It turned out better than I thought myself!
If you call madness to this i dont mind to be mad like you.
Brilliant. :-* :-* :-*
Well done.
Just don't ask about the side effects... ;D
Oh, that is perfect. 8) :D
A long way off perfect for me, but I appreciate the spirit of such a compliment! :D
you should be doing miniature film sets fram. Next level stuff all the way.
Just so long as they don't mind their film set taking a decade to complete lol
That sir is one nice bit of imaginative modelling, artfully produced, and immaculately finished. Mrs Fram has bred a talented son.
Well at least it wasn't a total wash then. lol
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That is really spectacular Fram. Truly a work of art.
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That's a stunning little build mate :-* :-* :-*
cheers
James
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Bloody marvelous build !
:-* :-* :-*
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Very nice build. Love the hanging lamp. Lots of detail around each side.
Snitchy sends.
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Thanks fellows. All comments very much appreciated!
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Wow!! The result is outstanding! The details blend in a very evocative scenery, and each of them is painted with the proper cure!!
My only complain, as you surely know, is about the roundish base below... but that's just a matter of style choices, i suppose! ;)
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It's coolness is exponential! You must have made it for a specific use though... lets have it!
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That really is rather special.
A great result!
:-* :-*
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Oh Fram thats tasty! :-* :-*
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That looks fantastic! 8)
Also, it reminds me of the Tomb Raider 2013 game a little (which is certainly meant as a compliment!).
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Exciting thread about some marvelous work!
:-*
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So many comments! It does the ole ego good. ;D
Thanks all around!
it reminds me of the Tomb Raider 2013 game a little (which is certainly meant as a compliment!).
That was a great game I quite enjoyed (sequel coming!). I know what you mean about the collected debris there.
My only complain, as you surely know, is about the roundish base below... but that's just a matter of style choices, i suppose! ;)
Yes, you know I like to base my buildings. BUT... I did take some of your advice. You'll notice the base is much tighter for this; I didn't make such a huge lip as I normally do. I've also been thinking of going back to drastically cut down some of my old building bases, but for now it's new projects to keep up momentum.
Also, I'm not sure I could have built this particular building without a base to work up from! lol
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Yes, you know I like to base my buildings. BUT... I did take some of your advice. You'll notice the base is much tighter for this; I didn't make such a huge lip as I normally do. I've also been thinking of going back to drastically cut down some of my old building bases, but for now it's new projects to keep up momentum.
Also, I'm not sure I could have built this particular building without a base to work up from! lol
For that there's PVA on plasticard: holds up decently but it can be easily snapped off at the end! :D
Anyways, i acknoledge it's an improvement :)
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lol >:D lol
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I'm impressed. When will you be building the actual island? :)
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I'm impressed. When will you be building the actual island? :)
lol
The shelter's first appearance will be in the swamps of Siberia! A little far from islands unless we're talking a hummock of solid ground in the middle of a bog!
Maybe someday I'll be doing some sunny island stuff though. I'm sure I can't have all my games in dismal climes!
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Today's exercise in lunacy consists of making a classic early crystal set radio receiver.
First, I wanted the main tuning dial. I took a small eyelet I had and filed it down a little.
(http://i.imgur.com/6OtHi5R.jpg)
Then I glued a finishing nail in the hole. Voila - one oversized dial.
(http://i.imgur.com/Sm8aVit.jpg)
I wanted one of those silly old hexagonal antennas. I formed plasticard around a fat nut and then glued another finishing nail which had had the head snipped off to the bottom. This stage involved several false starts, much broken plasticard and an immense amount of cursing.
I then painted it brass/gold and wrapped it in thin green wire. This also involved immense amounts of cursing. I sort of screwed that up, because the glue wasn't dry, so there are some ugly spots on the antenna. Blah. Too late. Not going to make ANOTHER one.
(http://i.imgur.com/sPBhUyX.jpg)
The speaker was made by jamming some foam into a slightly larger eyelet.
(http://i.imgur.com/LLNKdJB.jpg)
Here is the completed plasticard face (the speaker is not here glued in yet, it's just sitting loose for the photo). The smaller knobs are just other finishing nail heads.
(http://i.imgur.com/Iae6beH.jpg)
Painted, with tiny markings dabbed on.
(http://i.imgur.com/zdgQttC.jpg)
Building the case. Almost done!
(http://i.imgur.com/MS07aeJ.jpg)
Finished:
(http://i.imgur.com/6thYsAX.jpg)
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The wood stain and the dial markings look the business Fram! 8)
Cheers
Matt.
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Quite mad.
But brilliant, nonetheless.
8) :) 8)
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Cracking :D
cheers
James
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Just scanned through all 11 pages - stunning terrain sir. :D
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Now that is COOL! I can remember listening to Brooklyn Dodgers games on a radio not too dissimilar to your model when I was a boy a long time ago. Not only is this a FINE model, it brings back some fine memories as well. VERY WELL DONE!
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Whoo! That's sweet. 8)
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Say pal, yer a real fart smeller....er, smart feller! lol
Awesome as usuall!
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Thanks gents. It was a fun sort of experiment. This model is sort of aging even by the era I'm gaming (30's), being more WWI-era technology. But I figured it makes good practice for designing more "contemporary" electro-mechanical stuff.
It's a little too big (even given the fact that non-military radios of that era would have been monsters almost that size), but I was working around the size of the eyelet I chose for the speaker (wish I could have found one the same size with just a little thinner rim). Probably would have been more accurate if the cabinet had been about 2-3 mm shorter, but that's such a small difference for something like this so who cares?
Just scanned through all 11 pages - stunning terrain sir. :D
Ha! Hopefully the effort was worthwhile. I'm trying to add more how-tos and WIP shots.
Now that is COOL! I can remember listening to Brooklyn Dodgers games on a radio not too dissimilar to your model when I was a boy a long time ago. Not only is this a FINE model, it brings back some fine memories as well. VERY WELL DONE!
Haha, that's great! Perhaps the radio will have some more lighthearted appearances in games too.
Say pal, yer a real fart smeller....er, smart feller! lol
Awesome as usuall!
Well, I did have bacon and brussels sprouts for dinner the other day...
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Lovely stuff. I don't think it's too big given it'd have massive valves in it, and the bigger the set the better the signal.
(http://www.antiqueradio.com/images/May06-RadioXXXVII-DeLoria.jpg)
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Excellent work!
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Wicked cool.
I really like the foam in the speaker trick.
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Hehe thanks folks. Might have another silly little thing like this in the next couple days.
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Okay, it was two weeks instead of a couple of days since I decided to paint luggage in between.
So Thomarillion came out with a gramophone a little while and it looked great so I thought "Do you challenge me to a duel, sir?" lol
Here we go...
First, I grabbed two key bits. A strip of trim from a dollhouse shop (this I already had), and a "gnome hat" bead from a local bead store. I was just looking for a cone shape, so this was an amazing find!
(http://i.imgur.com/gX2sJBz.jpg)
Putty in the holes of the bead, plus the body takes shape. I used a hole punch on styrene to get my record.
(http://i.imgur.com/LVpDYkM.jpg)
Actually, once I stained the body, I saw it was really off square and looked terrible, so I had to junk it and start again, this time being as careful with the angle cuts as possible. This time it turned out well enough. I grabbed the thinnest wire I had and drilled two centre holes to set up the turntable.
(http://i.imgur.com/6tAZvm8.jpg)
Here things are taking shape. I used putty on wire to make some of the forms I needed. Also, you can see the painted and mounted record here.
(http://i.imgur.com/TcXwNxN.jpg)
All done!
(http://i.imgur.com/hW0JbQ9.jpg)
Time to play some tunes! I'm sure I have some Christmas music around here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPheJbpbSfI
...wait a minute, hold on, that's not The Notorious B.I.N.G. at all. Who's been messing with my records?
Half a mo'...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJhYrC8Rq8w
Right, that'll do.
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That is a cool little period piece. You just may be even crazier than moi. VERY WELL DONE!
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Excellent job sir!! 8)
And a merry Christmas to you sir.
Cheers
Matt
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That gramophone is a hit! :-*
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That is absolutely wonderful, Matt.
All of your 'flavour' builds bring a smile to my face and this is no exception.
Genius!
:-* 8) :-*
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Lovely work. The little things make a huge difference on the table.
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Brilliant work on the gramophone, simply brilliant. Maximum kudos sir. :)
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The things in this thread!!! :o
I wish I had just half your eye for possibilities.
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:-* :-* :-*
Marvellous.
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Fantastic little piece mate :-* :-*
cheers
James
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Thanks all - and Merry Christmas.
You just may be even crazier than moi. VERY WELL DONE!
While I find my self asking "Why on earth am I building this?!" often enough, I think I have a lot of sanity to lose before I catch up to you! Hm. I better get to work then... lol