Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => Workbench => It's Alive! => Topic started by: Daeothar on April 16, 2012, 10:57:33 PM
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Well, in the ongoing quest to bling out my roleplaying campaign, currently set in 1932, I've finally finished enough miniatures, to start posting them. I have 6 players in my group, and their characters are:
- A dandyish English squire, who has free reign on his father's estate, since the old man is off shooting big game in Africa. He's a former Air Force pilot.
- His Spanish noble friend, who is unsucessfully attempting to become a novelist. He ís rather knowledgeable in all matters occult though and is a decent fencer.
- The pudgy, sceptical village doctor, who finds everything 'preposterous', and would rather enjoy the comfortable country life, than go off adventuring.
- The Chinese chauffeur and allround handyman of the squire. They go way back, but he has a mottled past (at best). He's well versed in Kung Fu.
- An English reporter, originally at work taking pictures of tourist attractions, but now out to get that one scoop of a story, that would establish him as a serious crime reporter.
- An American ex-cop, now working as a private investigator. In England on some off the record job for the FBI, which has escalated into one big mess.
That's them, in no particular order. I've had to look hard to find just the right miniatures for each of them, but I finally managed to get the whole lot together. And then it took months for me to actually paint them, but I'm on a roll now. So, to keep the momentum, I'm posting the progress here, maybe feeling some peer pressure along the way to speed me along...
Here are the first four:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/PlayerCharacterPicture1.jpg)
Can you guess who's who?
Most of them have had some change to the sculpt to better match them with the character they're representing. The Squire for instance was a not-Clark Gable (I suppose). I removed his right hand, which held a gun, removed the gun, and reattached the hand at a different angle, and added a cigaret pipe.
The doctor just had his doctor's bag added to his right hand.
The Spanish Peacock is based on a Dr. Who mini, and I cut off his left arm, and resculpted it, including the hand, to rest on his sword cane. The cane is a bit of old Rhino antenna and the cut down handle of a Space Marine combat knife.
Finally, the American. He had the most work done to him. I cut off his right arm (which also had the hand in a coat pocket) and replaced it with the right arm of another trenchcoat detective miniature, I originally had bought, but which turned out to be 1) to small, and 2) fugly. But the arm was good, so sculpted that into the new figure. I also repaired the coat and added a coat pocket. But then, it turned out that this guy now was too tall. I'm not kidding; he originally was almost a head taller than the rest of my collection, and there's mostly Pulp and Copplestone in there! So I cut off his legs, shortened them and pinned them back. That did the trick, and he does no longer look like an ogre compared to his compatriots.
Remaining are the reporter and the not-oddjob, which I will hopefully be finishing this week.
Here is a picture of the bases I prepared beforehand, and onto which each character will be placed:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Bases1.jpg)
These were all made by hand with plasticard, slottabases (scribed with paving stones) and some ProCreate. They're not quite period, or even the correct area, but they colsely match Dutch streets and sidewalks, and since that's the baseline for all my players, they should work...
For the first group of opponents, I've gone for Bob Murch's awesome Cultists. Every game needs cultists after all. I'm in the proces of also batch painting the entire group of ten at once. So far so good.
But I've finished half of their bases, and the other half is undercoated. I've divided the bases in two groups of 5, to tell a story. I thought that by lining them up in a specific way, and supported by the right bases, these minis could tell a story of their own. In this case, half of the cultists are inside a mansion of sorts, whilst the other half has already descended into the mansion's dungeons. Hence the floorboards and carpets in the first half, and damp, course stones, complete with a narrow spiral staircase in the second. Again, there's only plasticard in there, some slottabases for the stairs, as well as some plastic tubing and some small bits off a blister package for the carpets:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Bases2.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Bases3.jpg)
As far as the bases are concerned, I'm most happy with the PC base with the storm drain, and the two cultist inside bases with the Persian carpets. And building the staircase was also pretty fun to do...
So; I'll sign off this first post with a gratuitous sepia'd picture of those fine first four fearless fighters for freedom (brough to you by the Alliteration Alliance :D ):
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/PlayerCharactersSepia.jpg)
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To be honest, I actually thought the Dr. Who was the Squire and the dapper fellow in evening dress was the Spaniard!
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Good realisation on the figures from the characters 8)
I also like the bases and sepia picture :)
Looking forward to another installment.
cheers
James
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Very nice, I especially like the cultist bases, with the carpet and other flooring effects!
Very atmospheric B&W photo, too.
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Great stuff all round.
Love the bases, especially the floor-boarded ones. How did you paint the wood?
Cheers!
Joe Thomlinson
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To be honest, I actually thought the Dr. Who was the Squire and the dapper fellow in evening dress was the Spaniard!
Same here actually. :-)
Grimm
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Lovely work.
I think that the Squire was originally a not-William Powell (in The Thin Man), by the way, rather than a not-Clark Gable. That means that the dog that comes in the same pack can do double duty as Asta or Snowy/Milou (there's a not-Tintin in the same pack). Curiously enough, I reworked the same figure into a Dr Who.
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Thanks for the reactions so far. Looking at the pics, I can see how the two noblemen look to be switched. However; the Spanish Don is a bit of the odd man out, writing mostly pulpish adventure stuff and got his masters degree in Occult Sciences. So he's a bit of an excentric, which I tried to catch with a more daring and colourful outfit, whereas the Esquire has had all the formal upbringing expected of a young man from an old family. He's a bit of a foppish dandy, but a sharp dresser. If there is one true swashbuckler in the group, it'd be him. And in bringing his character to life, a picture was put forward, which was later identified as one of a young Clark Gable. Hence the look.
And you are right Steve F; he comes from that pack you mentioned, but I didn't know the gentleman you mentioned, so I assumed it was old Clark...
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Small-HumphreyGerald_Doc_PearsonMD.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Small-PatrickBrennant.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Small-ProfDonDominicDeLaRossa.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Small-MortimerGrayEsq.jpg)
@ Wirelizard: I made and painted those the same way I did the floor of my observatory: plastic strips glued in place, then undercoated black. A basecoat of VGC Saddle Brown and Plague Brown (50/50) and then several thinned layers of Vallejo Sepia Shade wash. I let the wash dry till it was sticky, and then, with a brush, I streaked it out, along the floorboards. Doing this several times creates a nice woodgrainy look. To finish it off, I thinned some black into a very watery wash and traced the seams between the boards. Also, with the same thin wash, I picked out some random board pieces, to give them a slightly different colour.
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Very nice conversions and beautiful basing! :-*
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Very nice! Always looking to see what people are doing with ProCreate.
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Well, the campaign has gone its way further down the road to madness. So far, there have been several more car chases, but I've been putting off any confrontations that would require miniatures, as I'm not ready painting them. But my players are getting antsy; they've been collecting weapons along the way and are just itching to use them on the Bad Guys. So I need to give them a little battle before they omit the 'Bad' and start using them on just 'Guys' instead. ::)
So, I've decided to create a schedule for myself, so that (in theory at least) I should be able to finish everything I need within two weeks. I'm sure reality will slap me round the ears with my schedule within a week, but at least it's a start.
One of the strange twists the campaign has taken means that my players are now in the Scottish Highlands staking out a German secret base in a really remote area. The German camp is being broken up, but the going is slow, as one of their helicopters (yes indeed :D ) has engine problems. So there are about 15 Germans still up there. Most of them Fallschirmjäger, but also the crew of the FA-223 and maybe some SS bad guy(s), which I might add to the mix to emphasise the Bad Guy-ness of these particular Germans.
The base is basically a side quest, but has taken a life of its own. I hadn't planned on them actually going there, but I've now conveniently meshed their main goal of intercepting a German agent carrying stolen American plans for a Tesla Gun, with them running across the Germans doing something occult up there in the Highlands.
The German camp was an archeological dig, unearting something suitably ghastly and vaguely historical. I've gone the Arthurian route with that, although the Schwarze Sonne will not have unearted Excalibur. At any rate, the cult members, archeologists and most troops have already left. But ghosts have been haunting the camp for weeks and the remaining troops are anxious to leave and quite edgy. The players got a crude patrol map pointing out the sentry posts and approximate layout of the camp from a scared witless Fallschirmjäger deserter. he also had on him an envelope with some pictures. On one of the not printed shots, a ghost can be seen in the background.
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Filmstrip.jpg)
I printed that on clear acetate and cut out the negatives to go with the pictures. Together, they give a good impression of the camp, and also hint at the supernatural menace waiting up there. Man, I love photoshop... :D
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Negativ-10-Positiv-10.jpg)
So, in a spur of the moment idea, I decided to do up the ghosts. I had done the picture with some internet images, but I then realised I had some minis around that could work just right. Several years ago, I got some Rohirim footsloggers with a bunch of LotR magazines at a flea market. They're slightly smaller than the heroic 28mm scale I use for pretty much everything, so they were collecting dust.
And last evening, I retrieved them, cut off their faces or even their complete heads and substituted the originals with skulls from the bits box. Gotta love GW for being the number one supplier of angry looking skulls in the business... ;)
I then cut off the shields, which were too Celtic/Germanic, and replaced them with some oval ones and some kite shields. Only later did I realise that the kite shields were not consistent with the period I was going for (5th century AD), but hey; along the way, they probably upgraded, being the fashion conscious wraiths they are and all...
The paintjob was fast and furious; an undercoat/basecoat of sprayed on white (with manual corrections of course), and then several washes of a mix of light greens and blues. Then, in about five minutes, I also painted on some Romanesque designs on the shields in the same washed out hues.
A simple paint-wash-drybrush treatment for the base, along with some static grass finished those off in no time as well. But they still looked pretty heavy and corporeal standing in the gravel like that, so I took some very small cotton wool pieces, and teased them on and around their feet, to make them look like rising up from the mist. I think it works. Let's see how the cotton wool holds up against the rigors of play though. Probably the to follow varnish spray will help strengthen the stuff somewhat.
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Ghosts1.jpg)
And then the reason for the ghosts and also the Germans to be where they are. I don't know what is/was buried there yet, but I put this picture in the aforementioned package, so it should be the focal point for the archeological dig site. And lo and behold, my old box of Hero Quest had just the piece to use; the tomb of some long dead hero.
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/5-KonigArtur.jpg)
I decided to let the Germans dub it King Arthur's tomb (it might actually turn out to be, or not...). I used a bit of cut-off 4mm MDF as the base, and bevelled the sides with a knife. I then sawed off the base of the sarcophagus (where the card base inserts), so I could glue it flush on the base. The cut-offs form the MDF cut-off were then used to integrate the tomb further into the terrain, simply glued into place with wood glue.
Then followed a basecoat of brown on the ground (the stone surface still held a matte coat of grey enamel from back in the day) and after that, I applied loads of static grass. I use a mix of short summer green, with about an equal measure of longer dried grass, as I've found that's the most realistic looking combination (just look at actual summer grass to see what I mean).
A wash of brown over the stone was next, followed by a dark grey wash, and then several drybrushes of tan, grey and some dark green. Also, some foam flock was applied, to match the mosses in the picture. Finally, some foam yellow flock was applied in spots to mimic summer flowers. left to do is applying a healthy dose of varnish for protection.
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Tombstone1.jpg)
Not bad for one evening's worth of work really. especially considering my track record when it comes to productivity... ::)
Let's hope I can keep up the momentum. This evening, I plan to tackle either one of the player characters, or the squad of Fallschirmjäger. Both of them are already well underway, so it is a matter of pushing through and finishing them... :)
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What a great idea and a good use of that old Heroquest tomb. Thanks for sharing. :-*
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:o
Those ghosts look great and the overgrown tomb looks just about perfect!
Lovely work, Daeothar, and for just a single, seriously productive.
:-*
I am really enjoying reading all the background for this campaign and I have to say that you are really spoiling your players with all the handouts etc...
Looking forward, very much, to the next installment.
(As I imagine your players are too!)
;D
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Lovely stuff. Those conversions are great and the bases are superb.
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Very interesting thread. I love the conversions you've made, and the effect of the ghosts rising from the mist looks very nice too.
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Very nice the tomb and the ghosts look great!
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Yep, the mist works. Its a really nice subtle touch.
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Some lovely stuff in this thread - great paint and conversions, and I love the photoshopped pics, especially the film strip! Top job.
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I think you have done a great job with the Ghosts and the Tomb. I enjoyed reading your update.
Tony
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Thanks so far guys; glad you like it. :)
Since so many seem to like the handouts I prepare for my players, I thought I'd show you the 'startup packs' for each of them, which I made at the very start of the campaign.
They had two purposes; to immerse the players into the setting (rural England, 1932) by presenting them with all matter of character specific documents, tickets, pictures, letters etc, and to give them a lot of clues concerning the mystery I had set up for them. A lot of research went into this, as I like to stay as close as possible to actual history. I know my players are Google and book savvy enough to find out about familiar facts. And this way, I can put them on the wrong track, by adding my own little twists here and there ;)
Things started out in a Miss Marple / James Herriot style setting (and pace), to evolve into something both swashbuckling and pulpy like Indiana Jones and/or darker and scarier like Cthulu and Weird World War stuff. So they originally started out as pretty straightforward ordinary humans, with some interesting specialities. The crazy psionics, jetpacks and world domination plans are still to follow. But in the very near future it appears...
So, the first pack is Don Dominic de la Rossa's. The Spanish expert on the occult, fencer and black sheep of the family, who aspires to become a novelist, but only manages to get published by pulpy magazines...
(http://www.fierylions.nl:/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/DeLaRosa02.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl:/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/DeLaRosa03safe.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl:/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/DeLaRosa04.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl:/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/DeLaRosa05.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl:/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/DeLaRosa06.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl:/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/DeLaRosa07.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl:/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/DeLaRosa01.jpg)
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Then we have his good friend, Mortimer Gray Esq. He's old money. To be precise; the money is his father's, but since the old man has left for Africa for an extender period to go big game hunting, Morty has had free reign of his father's estate Stenigot Hall and went a bit overboard in his spending spree. He 'imported' his trusty manservant all the way form India and bought himself a spanking new plane. He also does his heavy drinking in the BLack Horse, the local pub, which gets trashed regularly in drunken brawls, for which he usually covers the tabs...
I seem to be missing the photo of the letter from the bank though. In which the manager, a friend of Lord Gray's, tells him he will have to contact his father about Morty's spending habits. But you get the picture... ;)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Gray01.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Gray02.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Gray03.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Gray04.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Gray05.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Gray06.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Gray07.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Gray08.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Gray09.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Gray10.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Gray11.jpg)
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Up next is the trusty manservant himself; Harold Victory. I believe I have expanded on his background before, but a more complete picture arises from these handouts, I'm sure:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Victory01.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Victory02.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Victory03.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Victory04.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Victory05.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Victory06.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Victory07.jpg)
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More clues about the ongoing campaign were added to the next contestant's envelope; Patrick Brennant. He's a recovering alcoholic and an ex-detective from the Chicago Police Department. He was earning his keep with some private investigating when the FBI, on the lookout for an expendable operative (to be plausibly denied if required), contacted him. And with the promise of re-instatement after a succesful job, was sent to recover the missing plans for an energy weapon. And that's where the fun (and games) began...
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Brennant01.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Brennant02.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Brennant03.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Brennant04.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Brennant05.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Brennant06.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Brennant07.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Brennant08.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Brennant09.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Brennant10.jpg)
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And some of the occurrences that were clues for the American P.I. to follow started to occur in the UK as well. The local doctor in Donington-on-Bain was confronted with (almost?) exactly the same murder in his sleepy little village. His name is Humpfrey Gerald Pearson M.D., and is not at all amused that his quiet village life is being upset by these ghastly events. In his words, it's all quite preposterous really...
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Pearson01.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Pearson02.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Pearson03.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Pearson04.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Pearson05.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Pearson06.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/Pearson07.jpg)
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Finally, we have the last, and often quiet, addition to the group; Edward Price-Carter. He's a reporter for National Geographic, doing the boring jobs, like photographing appealing vacation locations. Secretly though, he dreams of becoming a daring crime reporter and the chance for his big break comes when in a village near where he was working, a murder was committed. And a mysterious one at that! So he manages to get in on the action...
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/PriceCarter01.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/PriceCarter02.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/PriceCarter03.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/PriceCarter04.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Handouts/PriceCarter05.jpg)
As you have gathered by now, I'm a sucker for detail. It gets me great results but progress is often incredibly slow. I made all of the above from images gathered through endless internet searches, copious hours of Photoshopping, the acquisition of an actual typewriter (for only €5,- :) ), numerous kinds of paper and cutting instruments plus a very flexible printer. I had an absolute blast doing all this though.
It was a heap of work, but now, I can get away with the occasional handout, building on this basis. Of course, a lot of the miniatures I choose are also influenced by my work on this. Most notably the cars. And the player characters of course!
Well, after this little intermezzo, I will go back to the actual miniatures. Next update will sport the work of two evenings; half the squad of Fallschirmjäger, who are nearly finished, and their camp consisting tents, supplies, a campfire and part of the archaeological dig. That will most probably be this weekend though, as there are some social occasions in the way before then... ;)
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Wow, I'm... Lost for words! :o
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Absolutely incredible! :o
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Wow, I'm... Lost for words! :o
Me too!
This is the third time I have looked at this latest post already, and all I can add is: Ditto!
:o :o :o
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Quite, quite remarkable. Such ingenuity and effort, and such convincing results.
Bet your fingers ache after using a typewriter, though. I was shocked by how hard you had to hit the keys when I tried using one again a few years back (when once it seemed so normal),
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Good god man! This is patently insane!
EDIT: What really gets me is you open this page of the thread and scroll down
...and down
...and down
...and down
...and down
It just goes on forever!
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Simply astounding. I hope the players are worth it. ;)
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Your props are awesome!
You must have built up quite a varied collection of odd paper and such to pull everything off, but it looks like it was worth it!
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Simply astounding. I hope the players are worth it. ;)
Totally agree! Astounding stuff! :o :o
I especially love the Zeppelin ticket and the coffee stain on one of the letters. I wish we'd had the tickets for our own Zeppelin game at BLAM. ::)
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Fantastic work, the conception is great 8)
That will really make the game 'pop' as it were. I'm assuming you p,ay in the evenings by candlelight only :)
cheers
James
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A swastika on a 1932 Zeppelin ticket? :D
Otherwise really stunning work. :-*
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Cheers guys :)
Like I said; it was a lot of fun to do. And even though the pace has slowed alot since starting up, I still keep at it from time to time, to keep them interested. It is also a great way to provide clues, even though after allt his time, I still have to drag them by the ears to 'get' what's in there. You'd think they'd be going through the handouts with a fine comb and holding them up to the lights to check for watermarks, but no sir... ::)
A swastika on a 1932 Zeppelin ticket?
Well, as this is Pulp, I tend to muddy the timelines every now and then if it suits my needs (and throws off the players (even more)). For instance, I've got an FA-223 in the works for them to intercept. And it holds 10 passengers instead of 4. Like I said; artistic licence when it suits me... :D
And I'll immediately see to the symbol; totally slipped by me. :?
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Truly beautiful work.
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Fantastic stuff, I used to do similar things in my roleplaying days, not to that extent though!
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Thanks again for the great responses; yes, I probably am slightly mad, but my players like it, and I seem to have inspired the alternate DM to start using props and additional goodies in his campaign as well. Or, as he puts it, I raised the DM bar so high, he cannot lag behind. he curses me for the extra work, but the rewards are all the greater when the results are unleashed on the players :)
But enough of that; back to the minis!
I finished the first squad of opposition last night; 10 Fallschirmjäger, which I hope to deploy in many later settings as well. I will also expand on them, with another squad of 10 and their transports; two FA-223 Drache helicopters. Both way ahead of their real-world counterparts, but that's the beauty of pulp: one can do as one pleases! :D
The first Drache is in the works, and I hope to be able to finish it some time this week. More on that later, for now, here are the first 10 troopers:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/Fallschirmjager2.jpg)
More Fallschirmjäger blah blah and more detailed pictures can be found in the WWII section, as I posted the squad there (seemed more appropriate): http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=44650.0#new (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=44650.0#new)
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Great work!
Very impressive.
:-*
Those lovely roads of yours seem to make the perfect catwalk for your fellas to pose on.
;)
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Thanks :)
Yeah, those roads see more use as backdrop than they are used as gaming pieces, but no matter; either way they get exposure... ;)
I also have in the works a dedicated background for the purpose of taking pictures of my minis. It's a low relief warehouse/garage building, in paper!
There's this most excelent site which sells papercraft buildings for railroad layouts. Now, I've always found those paper buildings to look flat, cartoony and often downright ugly and unconvincing. But this guy has some top notch stuff! I think he uses photographic material to create his buildings, because they all look ace.
I had been ogling them for some time, but was stopped by my concerns regarding durability and flat surfaces. But the warehouse I mentioned is a free sample building, so I figured I'd try that first, before dishing out for regular building.
And I've not been disappointed! I had to upscale the PDFs to accomodate 28mm miniatures, but that proved to be easy enough. I took the PDF apart, so I could re-arrange the components over more sheets to cater for their larger size, but they scale up perfectly. He even has a bit of instruction to upscale his buildings (they come in O scale and N scale) to S scale. Next time, I'll scale up some more though, as this is ever so slightly on the small side for 28mm. Would work for 25mm though.
But I shouldn't rant on without any pics of course... ::) The building itself is pretty much finished, but the street in front (where the minis go) is still only undercoated for now. With a bit of luck, I will be able to put the finishing touches to it over the weekend. But I gave it away now, so I'll post some pictures of the building itself this evening. :)
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What an amazing thread!!! Your players are jolly lucky :)
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They sure are. Now to get them to appreciate the fact too... lol
In my earlier rambling, I mentioned a background building for when I take pictures of minis, so here are a couple of WIP shots. There's still lots to do, but I'm sure you can appreciate the fact that these paper buildings look pretty dang impressive:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Background/BackgroundbuildingWIP1.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Background/BackgroundbuildingWIP2.jpg)
This one obviously is for 20th century / modern minis, but I plan on making at least one more, with a more natural setting, which can accomodate more rural and 'in the shrubs' minis. Like mr. paratrooper up there, who now looks a bit lost, all alone in the big city... ::) And maybe one with a medieval/fantasy tone and a scifi/futuristic one.
For now though, just enjoy the first and only one in all its In-Progress splendor... :D
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An amazing attention to detail, incredible work.
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I agree with you.
That is a superb amount of realism for a paper building.
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That is very nice work, all around! What is the URL for the paper model supplier?
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That is very nice work, all around! What is the URL for the paper model supplier?
That's the free model from http://www.scalescenes.com/ (http://www.scalescenes.com/)
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Thanks!
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Well, normally, I'm not that good at blogging progress; I usually sit back and take time to shoot some pictures when I'm done. But for some reason, I was not really in the mood to do any hobby work last night, and whilst sitting there, looking at my workbench trying to decide whether or not I should call it a night and grab a book or just do some easy stuff, I decided to take some pictures with my phone before retiring with my copy of A Feast for Crows ;)
Basically, here's most of the WIP stuff I have lined up in this project (for now). There's more though, but all in due time... ;)
First, there are some shots of the interior of the first FA-223 Drache. In the real world, this first of operational helicopters had an effective payload of slightly over 1000 kgs and space for 5 passengers, but in my pulp setting, its engine has double the power, so it can lift double that weight and since my engine is also smaller, it now also has room for 10 passengers. And I can conveniently drop off a full squad with one helicopter... :D
This one (of two planned) has been converted to have an open door, meaning I had to model the entire cabin as well. I basically doubled the freight/passenger compartment, by adding more airframework and moving the rear wall further back. I also added folding seats along the sides for the passengers. I've seen versions out there with a wooden floor added, but frankly, I'd hate to loose the cool framework under some boring flat floor, so I'm still undecided whether or not to add a floor, just two lengthwise boards for the passengers to walk/stand on, or to just leave the bare framework. It's a toss up between cool and functional, but I'm leaning towards the rule of cool for now...
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/WIPDracheInterior1.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/WIPDracheInterior2.jpg)
The whole thing has been basecoated dark gray and had a light inkwash applied. It still needs some darker shading, highlighting and detailing of course. Also, the cockpit instruments have not been attached yet.
A helicopter is only useful if there is someone flying it of course. So I decided it needed a pilot, as the Huma kit did not have one. Thing is though, that 1/48 sitting/steering Luftwaffe pilots are hard to find on their own, and when I did find one, in 1/48 and metal, it cost so much I could buy an entire squad of Artizan troops with money to spare instead of one of those. So I decided to convert one myself. I had some German vehicle crew lying around, and one of those was volunteered to fly my contraption.
And since I had already prepared and converted the crew on foot (with the pilot wearing a leather jacket and an officer cap), he had to resemble his flootslogging counterpart. So I cut off the cap from an available german officer and used it to replace the sitting figure's field cap. And since the crew figures all look like stunted dwarfs (well, their legs at least), I also used jackboots (off the officer who already donated his head to the pilot on foot) to lengthen his legs to more human proportions. I still need to sculpt his jacket and repair his legs, but you can get the idea already:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/WIPSeatedPilot.jpg)
And here is the crew, out for a stroll. The crew chief is from the Artizan Pulp line, and I believe he actually is a German U-boat crewman. But the uniform is close enough, and the MG34 he's toting, I imagine to be mounted in the door opening, Huey-style, when airborne.
The pilot is also an Artizan Pulp figure, but originally had a head in a leather flight cap, with a very smug face and a huge 'stache. All way too British and WW1 looking, so I cut off the head and replaced it with the head of yet another Artizan Pulp mini, this one a German officer firing an MP40. He has just the right snarl, and with a holstered Lüger added to his hip, the pose is actually enhanced. I really like this conversion:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/WIPDracheCrewonFoot.jpg)
Then the camp itself.
I wanted it to match the pictures I prepared, so off to find the correct equipment. And I knew just where to look too, and got myself a set of Renedra mixed tents. One sprue has two large tents, two small and two round ones, plus a campfire and two stretchers/benches too. I opted not to use the round ones, but the square tents were just perfect. I will be buying more of these in the future!
The set has one closed tent of each type and one opened. Now, I'd hate to have an open tent just sitting like that on the grass, so I based the open ones, added a ground tarp and some bedrolls and packs. I also lengthened the tent pegs with a bit of plastic profile (giving them all a hooked appearance) and of course some tent poles. I'm still looking for the length of very thin spring steel I have lying around somewhere, as I thought it'd be just perfect to make tent lines with them. I want to attach them just to the tent, and their springiness would ensure the lines always touch the ground, even on uneven terrain. Add some more pegs to the free ends, and it all looks just right.
But I can't find the spring, so that might have to be foregone for now... ::)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/WIPTents.jpg)
And here are the interiors of the two open tents. Hopefully the pics are clear enough, as my phone was in the way of the light and it does not have a flash.
The large one:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/WIPLargeTent.jpg)
And the smaller one:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/WIPSmallTent.jpg)
And just assembled, but still needing to be based, the campfire and the two folding benches to sit on and sing marching songs and roast chestnuts, during those long and cold Highland evenings:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/WIPCampFire.jpg)
Of course a base of operations far away from any support needs supplies. So I've assembled several supply caches to go with the camp. First up is an ammo dump. A resin stack of crates, some plastic crates added, with some ammo boxes and assorted ammo and a sniper rifle. The open crate has some straw in it, and there will be grenades added in there later on.
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/WIPAmmoDump.jpg)
I also had a fuel dump ready, which is already undercoated too, but for some reason, it escaped my photo mania, so I still owe you that picture. It's basically a bunch of drums under a tarp (partially thrown back) and several jerrycans (they're not called that for nothing you know ;) ).
And finally, what secret base in the Highlands is complete without a planning table? Two tresles with a table top, a portable radio leaning against it and a crate underneath. The top will be filled with maps, pictures, coffee mugs and a side arm or two, but first, it needs to be painted as is:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/WIPHQ.jpg)
I will also make an awning of camo netting, freestanding, so it can be placed over one or two of the supply bases. But that's just in the planning phase. Also only planned for now, is an archaeological dig, to go with the tomb and pictures. basically just a shallow square pit, with some digging and measuring instruments. And maybe some stuff poking out of the ground of course :D
That's it for now, and then I have not even mentioned the Highland Rifles infantry, the DeHaviland Walrus plane, several PCs and NPCs and a fleet of about 20 cars that need finishing. So many minis, so little time... lol
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Added, as I forgot to post it, the aforementioned fuel dump :D :
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Fallschirmjager/WIPFuelDump.jpg)
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Great stuff!
Although it as all great, and the attention to detail is up to your usual standard, I love the work on the helicopter and the conversion work on the crew most of all.
:-*
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Beautiful work all around, and so much creativity and an incredible eye for detail!
:-* :o :-*
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Fantastic! I have no words... :-* :-* :-* :-*
You did an incredible job!
I wish I could play your adventure, it mast be fantastic! :D :D
Go on, and post more pictures and comments, so we can follow the story! :D
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Beautiful work :-* :-* :-* I am lost for words,just lovely :-* :-* :-*
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Well, about time I put some pictures where my posts are. I have not updated this venerable thread since 2012, and also not since I took the opportunity to revisit this project in the treadomancy sticky.
Which does not mean I've been inactive since then. On the contrary; I've been faithfully dabbling away ever since I signed up.
I've built a number of pieces of thematic scatter terrain, which were still in dire need of finishing. Some, if most have already been shown in this thread back when, so instead of my usual blabbering, I will just post the pictures instead :D
First up; the ammo dump:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp13.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp12.jpg)
Then the fuel dump:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp11.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp10.jpg)
Followed by a nice cozy campfire:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp06.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp05.jpg)
And then the HQ planning table. The keen observer might even spot that the pictures on the table are the very same ones I handed out to the players. Yes; I'm still mad that way... ::)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp09.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp08.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp07.jpg)
Then it's on to the tents. They were basically finished already, but the ones with an interior still needed some basing, so...
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp01.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp02.jpg)
And to complement the tomb stone I had already finished, here's the archeological dig I mentioned back in the day. Here I could go to town a bit, as I originally studied Archeology back in uni, and I was able to put in all the tools of the trade, I used to be so familiar with:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp03.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp04.jpg)
And to conclude the camp site for now, here are some WIP Fallschirmjäger equipment cannisters. The only thing still required is the paintjob and some static grass:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Camp14.jpg)
Then it's on to the characters, be they player or not.
I've decided to rebase my player characters, to match the other minis in this project. Whilst I'm really satisfied with the bases as they are, they stand out too much against the rest of the bases, so I redid the concept of the paved streets on some metal washers. This has the added benefit of the minis being more stable as well.
They're all finished and undercoated, and I've already put down the basecoat for the paving bricks:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-PC01.jpg)
Also, I was still missing two of the player characters, which have now been finished and are waiting for their bases. It's the obnoxiously versatile human swiss-armyknife, Chinese manservant Harold Victory, and roving reporter, looking for his break into criminal investigation, Edward Price-Carter:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-PC02.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-PC03.jpg)
Then it's on to the first NPC, the player group's Scottish guide up in the highlands (his name eludes me for now; I really need to dig out my campaign notes). I had already started him a couple of years ago, but never finished him. Looking back, I'm not at all convinced by his tartan, and I'm strongly leaning towards redoing it; it's way too messy to my liking now...
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-NPC01.jpg)
And of course the bad guys. I already have the cannonfodder in the shape of a squad of Fallschirmjäger, but they need to be lead, so here are some nefarious characters doing just that. An SS officer overseeing the archeological dig, and the instigator of the entire caper, the killer of Dr. Jenkins and a lot of others, the mysterious Mr. ... (I really, really, need those notes lol ):
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-NPC02.jpg)
Then there are the crew of the Drache helicopter. Even after all this time, I'm still really happy with the conversion of the pilot. They're obviously still very much WIP:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-NPC05.jpg) Crew
The biggest challenge I'm up against though, is the finishing of the helicopter. I've decided I really only need the one for now, so I'll be holding on the other kit. You never know when you'll be needing two after all ;)
This is the right hand side rotor strut. A pretty complicated piece, made up of both plastic and resin components. And since this will be a gaming piece, it also needs to be able to withstand the rigors of tabletop combat. So I pinned it in every join. There are also pins sticking out of the fuselage already, to fit into the framework. It'll be quite sturdy when finished. the left one is still to be assembled though:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Drache01.jpg)
Then there's the interior of the craft, which had to be built first. It's now finished, and I've even fitted the pilot in there already. He only received a basic paintjob, as he'll be encased in a huge helicopter anyhow.
I could only fit the pedals once the pilot was in, and I then discovered that the original ones were too far out and small. So I quickly made some out of plasticard. Those still need to be painted. There will also no cable boom coming from the instruments; I constantly have to remind myself that this is a gaming piece, and not a display model... ::)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Drache02.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Drache03.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Drache04.jpg)
And finally a shot of the fuselage parts. Nothing special to see yet, although the cockpit canopy, which is made up of two parts, has been assembled and the insides of the frames have been painted. The assembly actually required some green stuff, as the fit is horrendous. I also dry fitted the canopy to the fuselage, and the fit is even more problematic there. We'll have to wait and see how this turns out:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/ReviveWIP-Drache05.jpg)
As a parting gift (for now), I could not help myself, and I just had to create a small scene with the finished pieces, to get a sneak peak at the end result. The terrain is one half of the dedicated playing surface I created for this scenario.
It's two plates of insulation foam, with hills made of the same foam and wall filler. This was then covered with teddy fur, and the clearing in the middle (front on the picture, as there's only one of the two plates used here) was covered with sand. Green paint was watered down and used to paint the (originally light brown) fur, which I had already given a messy haircut. Sadly, a lot of the fur still stuck together, so I might have to thoroughly comb it to get rid of all the clumps.
lol Anywho; enjoy the shots:
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Revive-Scene1.jpg)
(http://www.fierylions.nl/Pictures/ForumPictures/Pulp/Revive-Scene2.jpg)
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Cracking update 8) 8) 8)
All kinds of win.
I really like the street bases and the game shots :)
cheers
James
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So much nice stuff to look at, so many things to like :)
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:o :o :o
Absolutely stunning, mate.
My post of the week (and some!).
:-* :-* :-*
Make sure that you take a good long look at all the little details on the scenery pieces, there is so much in there: Stains on the tarps, all the little tools, the mug, the maps complete with coffee rings.
Wonderful.
Just wonderful
8) 8) 8)
Then there are the figures....really looking forward to seeing thm all finished.
Oh, and the bases....
Enough!
Just droll, chaps.
Drool....
:-* 8) :-*
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Great stuff all round, but my god that plaid on Carter-Price!
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What they all said, but I have fallen in love with the 'Time Team' Dig, I will be attempting my own (for a Pulp Alley plot point).
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:o
Another super cool thread resurrected!
Glad to be on board for this journey :)
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As has been said, what an update D!! :o :o :o :o :o
Wonderful! !
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Very impressive thread. Great modelling 8)
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Love the dig site... Consider many of those details adaptable to pulp as well as Cthulhu.
Now, off to search for suitably hideous and malformed bones....those poor archeologists have no idea what they're in for.
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Great stuff all around!
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What a marvelous thread! I'm so pleased you resurrected it.
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Have to go along with the sentiments expressed by others here, this thread is fantastic, can't believe I somehow missed it! How did the assembly of the FA 223 turn out in the end (I ask because I've got one still to be finished & would love to know where you placed the pins to attach the rotor assemblies)?
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Well, this is a bit embarrassing; I have to admit that summer and other shiny stuff happened between this thread's resurrection and your post... ::)
I tend to accumulate projects on my desk until I can't take it anymore (read: run out of space to put stuff, mostly) and I put everything back in storage, clean the desk and start anew.
And I fear that during one of those clean-ups, the Drache got relegated back to storage duty...
But rest assured; I do plan on finishing it eventually.
As for your question; I have pinned the rotor outriggers into the fuselage, by very carefully drilling into the ends of the struts, whilst the pins were inserted from the inside of the fuselage. I used actual clothes pins, as the flattened metal heads act as a perfect stop inside against pulling the pins out.
The depth of the holes on the struts give the superglue enough purchase to avoid pulling it out there. The resulting construction is quite sturdy.
For the rotors, I plan on creating two sets; one with the original blades, slightly bent down, to represent the rotors in rest. For that set, I plan on using the original bits of the kit, but maybe will forego the most fiddly lasercut metal stuff, as those might not survive the rigors of the tabletop.
The other set, I plan to base on a disk of clear material, to represent the rotors spinning. For that set, I plan on scratch building most visible bits, but they can be a bit more 'streamlined' as most bits will simply be 'spinning' too fast to make out anyway.
Both sets I plan to attach to the outriggers with rare earth magnets, so I can switch them out, even during game play (heroes have to get to the artifacts before the baddies can airlift them out. Helo starts out sitting there, but as the game progresses, the pilots start the engines, etc. 'get to da choppa!' lol ).
The magnetic rotors will also help in storage, as the whole thing is quite cumbersome to begin with...
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Thanks for the tip, I look forward to seeing your completed model. I'd planned to magnetise the rotor hubs (as they're a decently sized bits of resin) for storage, but I may, with your permission, steal the idea of having some clear disks for 'in flight'!