Roswell '98: 1/72 Post Apoc (Trees Update)

[Wildman II]

"Perfection is the enemy of good enough." It is always the enemy of finishing anything in my case. We are always our own worst critics with our own projects.
I'll join the chorus and say they look good to me. And they are table ready.
A big plus in my book.

[Mr. White]

Thanks for the encouragement, all. I pushed through and did the last of my current buildings.



This larger piece turned out a little better after some lessons learned on those other buildings. Mainly…don’t add a graffiti transfer over paper… for now anyway. Ha! As my post apocalyptic setting takes place in New Mexico, I thought it would make sense to go with a regional gas station, so Allsup’s it is.



Here we can see how much cleaner graffiti transfer is on just a wall. So much nicer. The front gas pump section can be removed as can all three roofs. I think for my purposes though it’ll all stay together.



I always wanted to do a run on a wall of promotional album posters like one would see back in the day, and here I went with a 1998 release that kinda has an alien invasion theme… More Trouble Than They’re Worth by Sloppy Seconds. Sadly the junk rock kings, Sloppy Seconds, weren’t popular enough to warrant this sort of extensive marketing, but hey, it’s my fantasy world. 😉

I think I’m going to take a break on buildings for a bit and see if I can find some decently scaled road pieces. I’ve also got some ideas for some other scatter terrain but that might wait until later into 2025. I’ve got a few other projects to tie a bow on for the Better Off Lead event I’m going to run for some buddies in November. I hope to post some pics from that event later this year.

So, what do you think. This building turned out better than the others?

[syrinx0]

Looks wonderful to me!  The decals and posters add a lot of character - not knowing who the band is on the poster makes it even better. 

[Pattus Magnus]

Yeah, I have to agree, it looks excellent! I’ve never seen that gas retail chain, but the model definitely looks good in those colours. I like that it’s highly playable terrain, too.

[mikedemana]

Definitely! Looks great!! I like my roofs to come off. I tend not to put furniture inside, but like being able to put them inside during the game rather than piling them on roofs.

I made my own road sections out of cork squares you can buy at craft stores.
https://leadlegionaries.blogspot.com/2023/04/new-road-sections-more-vehicles-for.html



CapnJim's are commercially bought, and so both styles works and look good. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. 

Mike Demana

[Mr. White]

Thanks, all. I am pleased how this gas station turned out. I've painted up the inside, but it's pretty bare atm. I might dress the interior up a little more later, but for my immediate needs we just need it looking good on the outside.

That's a great looking road, Mike! I've just ordered a little O Scale road for trains, if it doesn't turn out I might have to go down your route. Thanks for sharing the link!

[Mr. White]

I was looking for a set of bare trees for 28mm models for a medieval project I want to work on later and came across a set from Mantic called “Gothic Grounds”. The set includes four trees and a pair of stumps. In hand, they appeared a bit too small for what I wanted for 28mm, but as seen in the picture above, they look just about right for 1/72. So….more terrain for my post apocalyptic table!



Above, I have a 28mm model on the right from Grey For Now Games for Test of Honour, a model I use for Ronin. To my eye, these trees look a little too small for his scale, but again the 1/72 Copplestone model from Northstar looks just right.



With my table set in the badlands of New Mexico around Roswell, I don’t plan on having a forest of these trees, but two or three spread out on the table will look quite natural for the area.

Anyway, these trees were a happy little accident that adds just a bit more flair to my Roswell’98 games. Now I just gotta get back on the search for 28mm suitable bare trees…

[Kourtchatovium104]

These trees fit perfectly well with your 1/72 minis. I think that they can be used for 28mm too by mixing them with taller ones to add variety. 

[mikedemana]

I have the same set! I like them a lot, and you did a good job with the sparse or dead grass on the bases. For my post-apoc forest, I used these and added in a couple bigger bare trees that a friend 3-D printed for me. If you're interested, I can send you his info.

Looks great!

Mike Demana

[Grimmnar]

[quote Now I just gotta get back on the search for 28mm suitable bare trees…[/quote]

What about3d printed trees to size what you want?

Grimm

[Mr. White]

Thanks for the 3d print offer, fellas. I might take you up on that, but I'm going to look for a hobby manufacturer first. I'm a little old school and like to support hobby businesses when I can with 3d prints being a last resort.

I do have one of these trees left over, so if I can find a few others I can add this one in. I think Monster Fight Club sells some bare trees that are a little larger then these and might work for my needs.

[mikedemana]

Here's a pic of the ones a friend printed. Actually, I won them in his Saga tournament. He had flocked his, but I liked how they matched with the smaller "Gothic" trees I'd bought from Mantic, too.



Monster Fight Club has nice terrain, too. I love their chain link fence set...

Mike Demana

[Pattus Magnus]

Just curious, since I haven’t traveled anywhere near Roswell (or anywhere else in the US SW), how big is normal for trees in that region? I have the image that they would mostly be stunted, tough things, so maybe the Mantic trees would be big enough anyway?

On the other hand, if it’s like drier places in western Canada, the trees out on the plains are stunted, when they occur naturally at all, EXCEPT along streams and rivers, there some get quite large. It might still be worth getting some large ones if that’s true near Roswell.

(On the southern Alberta and Saskatchewan prairies, trees around farms, towns, and along irrigation canals are often full sized, but they’re planted and rely on being irrigated. In the drier areas, seeing trees on the horizon is a giveaway that something is built there, either a farm or a town, depending on the size of the clump.)

[Smokeyrone]

Really nice work

[Mr. White]

Just curious, since I haven’t traveled anywhere near Roswell (or anywhere else in the US SW), how big is normal for trees in that region? I have the image that they would mostly be stunted, tough things, so maybe the Mantic trees would be big enough anyway?

On the other hand, if it’s like drier places in western Canada, the trees out on the plains are stunted, when they occur naturally at all, EXCEPT along streams and rivers, there some get quite large. It might still be worth getting some large ones if that’s true near Roswell.

(On the southern Alberta and Saskatchewan prairies, trees around farms, towns, and along irrigation canals are often full sized, but they’re planted and rely on being irrigated. In the drier areas, seeing trees on the horizon is a giveaway that something is built there, either a farm or a town, depending on the size of the clump.)

Oh, these Mantic trees are _perfect_ for my Roswell project. I'm thinking like the occasional pinyon pine in the desert.


The larger trees I'm looking for, similar to Mike's, are for a medieval project in ~28mm (not 1/72) I plan to work on next year with Baron's WAr and Oathmark models where I want a little forest similar to Wistman's Wood (https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=146101.0)

@mikedemana, those trees look great together. Though a bit tough to store!
I've also got my eye on the oop citadel forest, but it's pretty $$$ atm