Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: oldskoolrebel on January 29, 2012, 06:00:34 PM
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Recently I traded some items for a box load of Hirst Arts Egyptian tomb pieces. I went for the egyptian stuff because it has potential use in pulp as well as D&D.
After speaking to AndyM about hirst arts stuff, I came to the conclusion that if assembled the way they recommend on the website it could become boring quickly. They have a solution on the Hirst Arts forum, which has been tried with the fieldstone and gothic molds. I decided to try it with the egyptian stuff and here is the result
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/9/2367_29_01_12_4_19_40_0.JPG)
At first people may wonder what possible use a collection of 'bits' is. But that 'set' allows me to make set ups like this
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/9/2367_29_01_12_4_19_40_1.JPG)
First off, the sandy board is textured and uneven... so it's not and idea base for this. I'm considering investing in a sheet of felt for the table and but some felt on the bottom of the pieces. Hopefully this should minimize any movement.
I think some of the joins are made even move obvious because the model is unpainted. Hopefully a few licks of paint should improve the whole look for the dungeon. I also still need to patch some poor joins on the wallswith a little bit offiller/pva. Not really a huge issue.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/9/2367_29_01_12_4_19_40_2.JPG)
^Please excuse the chipped figures!
I'll need to build some more sections. I totally misjudged the number of corners that I need, so I'll cast some copies. I'm also going to cast some straight wall sections and floor tiles .
I've still to paint it. I'm not a fan of the antiquing method shown on the Hirst Arts website. I think I'll go for a more gentle sand colour. I've also seen some very effective dungeons with contrasting floors/walls. Any suggestions would be great.
Cheers
Andy
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Looking good :-* :-* :-*
You have been busy.
Do you have the moulds or just the cast pieces?
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Looking good :-* :-* :-*
You have been busy.
Do you have the moulds or just the cast pieces?
Sadly only the cast pieces; I'll probably cast from some of the finished pieces. Although I'm very tempted to buy the moulds now.
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Any suggestions would be great.
As I know you're aware, I've cast more than a little of this :)
Do you use sketchup at all? The Egyptian sets are all up on there although you have to make sure the different ones are in scale with each other. It's very useful for working out how many corners/floors/straights etc you might need for any given setup.
I'd suggest mounting it on something with a little depth rather than just felt, even if that's just foamcore. At some point you are going to want to do floor sections with pools/crevases/trapdoors etc in and it's a lot easier to make it look good when you can actually sink it, even if only a little. Save yourself some hassle later and plan from the start :)
For smoothing out the gaming surface, rather than cutting felt to size and gluing it to the pieces, just buy a longer length of felt and double it over on the board. It'll smooth everything out better as it will have movement without being glued to the pieces and will save you hours of irritation.
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I'd also make your walls 4 blocks high. I did mine 3 high and ended up gluing blocks behind all the assorted pillars ec that stand higher than that to stregthen it. It looks fine but it'd look better just done as a full layer. Eventually I'll redo mine and make the walls 4 high, the pillars integral to the cast, and mount it on foam so I can put in pits and water.
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SWEET! can not wait to see the paint job! THANX for sharing!
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Yeah, please keep us posted! ;D
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And me! looks like you are going to do what keeps getting bumped down my list.
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The modular approach is very effective. I'm going with the Hirst Arts "standard" way purely because my rooms are sort of bespoke, but as a modular dungeon I really like it. Looking forwrd to seeing the project develop.
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Well! I think I might hire Mr Dewbakuk as my personal 'keeper-on-task'! Its actually pretty useful since I'm terrible for keeping up to date with projects!
I've painted a test piece, I started with a base of fired earth's Raw earth. I use this for all my bases. I then used stone colours on the walls. On the floor I used more sand/yellow colours but I don't think that they've come out particularly well. I may well try this again.
What do you all think of it?
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/9/2367_02_02_12_8_46_54_0.JPG)
I'd also make your walls 4 blocks high. I did mine 3 high and ended up gluing blocks behind all the assorted pillars ec that stand higher than that to stregthen it. It looks fine but it'd look better just done as a full layer. Eventually I'll redo mine and make the walls 4 high, the pillars integral to the cast, and mount it on foam so I can put in pits and water.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/9/2367_02_02_12_8_46_54_1.JPG)
Good point about the 4 blocks, but I'm worried about building the walls too high and it affecting play-ability. I'll consider it though. Not used sketch up... I'll maybe try it.
Also I've based the pieces on 5mm foamboard. what a think?
The modular approach is very effective. I'm going with the Hirst Arts "standard" way purely because my rooms are sort of bespoke, but as a modular dungeon I really like it. Looking forwrd to seeing the project develop.
In terms of modular Ithink this is the way to go. I can still assemble certain rooms (like the large fountain etc) and mix and match!
Thank you all for the interest. Hopefully more to follow!
Cheers
Andy
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A friendly nudge is all it takes :)
I did my walls three high for exactly the same reason and it works fine, but you'll have to be careful with the pillars etc that stick up higher, particularly the thin statues, they'll break very easily. As a point of scale, the cave complex you played on at Blam is more akin to 4 blocks high so that should give you an idea of playability.
The 5mm foamboard should be fine, the rest of the tile will give you rigidity when you want to dig into it a little or add water effect.
It might be the photo but I can barely tell the difference between the wall and floor colours. I wouldn't drybrush the floor too much though as it's lots of fairly flat surfaces. I found it took washes better than drybrush.
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A friendly nudge is all it takes :)
I did my walls three high for exactly the same reason and it works fine, but you'll have to be careful with the pillars etc that stick up higher, particularly the thin statues, they'll break very easily. As a point of scale, the cave complex you played on at Blam is more akin to 4 blocks high so that should give you an idea of playability.
The 5mm foamboard should be fine, the rest of the tile will give you rigidity when you want to dig into it a little or add water effect.
It might be the photo but I can barely tell the difference between the wall and floor colours. I wouldn't drybrush the floor too much though as it's lots of fairly flat surfaces. I found it took washes better than drybrush.
Thank you for the friendly nudge!
There is a slight difference between the floor and the walls. But it's only slight. I think that i'd like a marked difference. The dungeons i've seen before with a contasting floor have all looked really good- it's pretty effective. I think I'll try the base paint colour, followed by very light highlights of two 'yellowier' colours. I'll post the pictures when I'm finished. Alternatively washes does sound like a good idea.
Your cavern worked well, the only issue is that when used in D&D games, the players will be sitting; I'm not sure if 4 blocks would obscure their view. I'll maybe try it. But your points about the statues, I totally take on board.
Cheers
Andy
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Well, for a D&D game, you could always remove one wall when in that room, the modular nature makes that easy. I've seen a game played in a dungeon where only one side of the corridors/rooms etc had walls. Worked rather well. Not sure I could do it when building as I'd feel the urge to build the rest :)
Contrasting floors definately works and in hindsight I'd have done that for the caves. I was going for a 'realistic' colour though so did walls and floor the same, although the walls were shaded a bit more. When I have space I'd like to go back and alter the floor a little.
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Looking good :-* :-* :-*
I like the paint colours as is.
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Well, for a D&D game, you could always remove one wall when in that room, the modular nature makes that easy. I've seen a game played in a dungeon where only one side of the corridors/rooms etc had walls. Worked rather well. Not sure I could do it when building as I'd feel the urge to build the rest :)
Contrasting floors definately works and in hindsight I'd have done that for the caves. I was going for a 'realistic' colour though so did walls and floor the same, although the walls were shaded a bit more. When I have space I'd like to go back and alter the floor a little.
Interesting. You are right of course, the modular nature of the design allows this. It's certainly not going to be difficult to add to the height of the walls, even after its been painted.
On reflection I'm happy with the colour of the walls. I think it works. When I get home tonight, I'll try another two colour schemes for the floors and see what works.
Looking good :-* :-* :-*
I like the paint colours as is.
Thank you. I'd love to play on a fully painted dungeon with fully painted miniatures. I think I would really compliment our style of gaming.
Next week the plan is mold making. I've got some vinamold, a colleague is bringing his hot plate into work, and will hopefully diffuse some of his extensive mold making knowledge. After that all i need to do is decided what plaster to use. Any suggestions? Or suppliers?
Some of the dungeon pieces need detailing. Any ideas for 'egyptian' theme paint schemes? I've got some pale green/blue, perhaps some red aswell? I think the plain sections of wall would work for any dungeon. But there is a definite egyptian feel the the 'feature walls'.
Cheers
Andy
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I've got some vinamold, a colleague is bringing his hot plate into work, and will hopefully diffuse some of his extensive mold making knowledge.
Gah, horrible stuff, I've got a couple of different types. That said, if your colleague has a decent hotplate and knows how to control the temp properly then that solves the majority of it's problems. One word of advice, vinamold is fairly soft and liquid plaster is quite heavy, you might want to have a 'mold box' around the outside when casting, to prevent your casts bulging at the sides. Alternatively just have a decent thickness of mold around the edge.
decide what plaster to use. Any suggestions? Or suppliers?
Best place I've found, good prices and reasonable shipping charges. I've found cheaper product but the shipping can be horrendous. Overall this place works out best and has a good range of casting plasters.
http://www.specialplasters.co.uk/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=5
Crystacal R is a good plaster and very strong while still being workable should you want to shave/cut it after casting. Crystacast is very hard and strong but more difficult to sand down once set.
How old is the dungeon? Fresh colours and lived in or old, buried and faded?
Oh and if there are any odd blocks you need for builds, just let me know, I've got plenty of spares.
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I use Herculite II but mix in 100:50 not 100:42, get it from here:
http://www.tomps.com/shop/herculite-plaster-p-137.html (http://www.tomps.com/shop/herculite-plaster-p-137.html)
best results use a surficant and a wobbly table :)
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I've ordered from Tomps before, no issues, but their shipping charge is twice as much as SP. £12.45 + vat vs £6.50 + vat. Herculite II is a good plaster, it's the stuff Woodlands Scenics sells, but it's only a couple of pounds cheaper than the Crysta ones and not as strong.
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Thanks for the info; I'll see how the vinamold will go.
ok, so some more paint schemes.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/9/2367_04_02_12_6_29_19_0.JPG)
^the left most floor features the original colour scheme.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/9/2367_04_02_12_6_29_19_1.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/9/2367_04_02_12_6_29_19_2.JPG)
A light dry brush of naples yellow, gives a nice yellowish colour while remaining very light.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/9/2367_04_02_12_6_29_19_3.JPG)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/9/2367_04_02_12_6_29_19_4.JPG)
a dry brush of sienna followed by naples yellow. Much darker than the other floors; but my current favourite.
So let me know what you think before I start to paint everything!
Cheers
Andy
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I think it'll work. It looks a bit odd on a small piece like that but I think it'll be fine across the whole thing. I would suggest a try doing the pillars in the same scheme as the floor, it'll tie the walls to the floor more while also letting the pillars stand out. Colours added to the pillars wouldn't look out of place on either scheme so that shouldn't be an issue.
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I think it'll work. It looks a bit odd on a small piece like that but I think it'll be fine across the whole thing. I would suggest a try doing the pillars in the same scheme as the floor, it'll tie the walls to the floor more while also letting the pillars stand out. Colours added to the pillars wouldn't look out of place on either scheme so that shouldn't be an issue.
Thank you.
I'll probably spend today painting the remaining pieces with watered down PVA glue.
Once painting is finished I'm planning on sealing them.Have you had any experience of this? I don't know whither to go for watered down pva or matt spray varnish.
Cheers
Andy
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I've not tried to be honest although I always intended to use a matt spray, never got around to it.
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Ok, all the pieces have now coated with watered down pva. A surprisingly long job; monotonous... very monotonous. Thankfully I had some dvds to watch.
So the job for tomorrow... apply the first coat of paint; to everything!
Cheers
Andy
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Why the pva before painting?
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To seal the plaster, so it doesn't soak up as much paint and also to (theoretically) give some extra protection.
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What kind of paint are you using? If it's acrylic then I wouldn't bother as the plastic will prevent it from being soaked in, I used watered down acrylic paint and never noticed an issue with it soaking the paint up. As you're going to put a seal on after painting to protect it I doubt it'll improve the protection by any appreciable level either.
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To make the base use the plaster that the pieces are cast in, you can create virtually any type of surface that way, you can pour it directly onto MDF, altho it can cause warpage, (so i use 1ft square sections half inch thick). or you can make sections by pouring it onto plastic sheets (such as A4 paper holders) and then glue it to the board. As it is drying you can manipulate it just like molding clay,I have made rivers, muddy roads, hills, bomb craters lave pools to list a few this way.
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Small update, managed to basecoat the entire dungeon. I'm going through the Raw earth testers quite quickly. I think I'm going to get a large pot next time I head down to BnQ!
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/9/2367_14_02_12_10_28_54.JPG)
Hopefully at some point this week I'll be moldmaking. I've got the hot plate from my colleague- I'm looking forward to some fun with vinamold ;D
I'm working all weekend; tis lovely weather to camp don't you agree? I'll try and drybrush over the next could of days
Cheers
Andy
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You are getting there.
Keep up the good work.
Its lovely weather for camping, stop moaning :D