My Post-Apoc Figures and Terrain (Planet of the Apes added 3/27/24)

[CapnJim]

Those ruins look good, Mike.  They also look like they could collapse if hit with the right firepower....

[mikedemana]

Thanks, Jim! I like that "ready to fall down" look of a post-apoc cityscape.

Here are some more ruins from the same source as the last post (Rusty's "Jarl's Workshop" printing of 3-D buildings from WOWBuildings).



This two-story ruined home was a bear to paint, chiefly because of the brick and stone combination. I really like how it turned out, though -- particularly the two levels of fireplaces and the remnant second floor.



I think Capn Jim got his wish to take down what was left of this building -- which is not much! Fewer bricks to pick out, so it went faster. I also think it is a good to have a variety of states your buildings are in -- mostly together, half destroyed, remnants, and flattened (as in this case). Mixing it up looks good on the tabletop, which hopefully I can prove in my next scenario. It'll be another delve into a ruined urban area...



Not a whole lot left of this one for the Bucknuts to scavenge through. It has been down for awhile, as the foundations have filled in a bit with blowing dirt and vegetation covering the rubble. As you can imagine, this one went rather quickly. I do like putting the Woodland Scenics Blended Turf in there to give it a more flocked and less painted look.



Another shot of the two story building. The Bucknuts survivor gang are back to root through the ruins, not finding anything in the flattened buildings.



These concrete pillars are all that remains of a factory long since disappeared. They are from my favorite company for resin terrain, Acheson Creations. Sadly, the owner has stepped back and isn't actively creating more and marketing the company's products. Several other vendors are carrying their products, though, including the all-around nice guy and hobby supporter Kirk from Miniature Building Authority. Buy from him if you get a chance!



Some scatter terrain from Acheson Creations. The stacks of tires barrels, etc., are great to clutter up the areas of a ruined city street. Kirk and others who carry Acheson products will bring large plastic tubs of these pieces that you can dig through and find the treasures you need. Typically, these pieces cost $1 or $2, though you find an occasional more elaborate one for more. Most of my scatter terrain is from Acheson Creations.



The middle garbage bins are from Acheson, but the heaps of trash are resin pieces from Miniature Building Authority. You can go down a rabbit hole picking out details in a trash heap, or you can do it quick and dirty. I went somewhere in between. My Bass Reeves survivor gang shows that after the apocalypse, no one is above being called a "trash picker!"... 

There you go, another batch of post-apocalyptic buildings. I have more that I will be working on soon. Right now, I have a special centerpiece I am doing for the next post-apocalyptic scenario in my campaign. Once it's done, I'll put together either the 4 Ground, Father and Son Gaming, or one of the other MDF ruined buildings I have!

Mike Demana

[flatpack]

Mike,
This all looks great fun.
Nice ideas about the different factions.
Nice scenery. I like the idea of different heights in the game.
Great rule set to go with, FFOL. (Always a giggle).
Well done mate.
Keep it going.

[CapnJim]

That stuff looks good too, Mike!

[Mr. White]

I love those trash heaps! I need to find something similar in 1/72.

I'm also digging those tire and barrel stacks. Seamless integration between their basing and your table. Well done!

[Too Bo Coo]

Such a super project Mike!

[mikedemana]

Thanks, everyone! I'm working on a specialty terrain piece right now, and when that is done, it'll be on to another ruined building. I'm going to try to have one piece of terrain going simultaneously with a batch of miniatures. Let's see how that holds out as we get through January and into the rest of the year...! 

Mike Demana

[mikedemana]

...and here it is! I was wondering what my next scenario for my post-apocalyptic campaign should be. Someone on here suggested that I have my survivor crews racing into urban ruins hoping to be the first at the crash site of an aircraft they observed going down. I decided to use a helicopter because I could also use it in modern games, of course.



This is one of those inexpensive ($2.99 I believe) helicopters I picked up from the bin of die cast cars at Menards home improvement store in town. I used wire cutters to chop away the underside and part of one side. I wanted it to be laying unevenly partially on its side. I also wanted to place one of those flickering tea candles underneath it to give it a glow as if it is still smoldering. I ended up having to cut the top part of the tea candle off, as well. I snipped off two of the rotor blades and embedded them into the building walll, and bent the other two to give it a crashed look.



Once I had the helicopter looking the way I wanted, I sprayed it black with Krylon matte paint. I went over it with a 50/50 mix of black acrylic paint and water, then set it aside to work on its crash site. I decided to have it auto-rotated down into a building. I used a few pieces of stone and wooden post wall as the base of the structure. I added some larger resin bricks to extend the wall, and also filled in gaps and placed coarse ballast for effect as debris. All of this was painted black and then dry brushed medium and light gray.



The base itself was styrene plastic with a brick pattern from the local hobby store epoxied atop it. Once I was satisfied with the crash site, I placed the helicopter atop it, with the tail resting on the wall and propping the front section up with a resin stone piece. I used Tacky Glue to hold it in place, and so far it seems to be doing a good job. After I took these pictures, the flocked mat slid off the table dumping the helicopter onto the carpeted floor!  The only casualty was one of the rotor remnants embedded in the wall was loose. I re-glued it and breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, I felt like the little kid whose toy had just broken on first use! 



I used battling (pillow stuffing) for the smoke, and forced it down inside the helicopter body. I then pulled some of it out through the windows and side to look like smoke. Honestly, I don't think I did the greatest job on this part. I needed to probably twist it together more firmly so you don't see individual threads of batting. Or go back to using cotton ball material. 

Either way, I expect I will run the scenario using this in the next few weeks. So, look for more pictures of it in action soon!

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Nice job on that, Mike.  I'll have to look out for it during my next trip to Menards...

[mikedemana]

Nice job on that, Mike.  I'll have to look out for it during my next trip to Menards...

It was originally in all black with a police logo...

Mike Demana

[mikedemana]

And now for something a bit simpler. I picked up these three one story corner ruins from Diabolical Terrain (https://diabolicalterrain.com/) at our local HMGS convention, Advance the Colors 2023. I always try to support vendors at our shows and it often results in me buying stuff that won't see the tabletop for quite some time!! I honestly feel game shows rely on a 3-part collaboration between local gamer attendees, game masters, and vendors. If any one suffers, they all do. If they all thrive, the convention thrives!











For more details on how I painted each ruin, check out my Lead Legionaries blog: http://leadlegionaries.blogspot.com/2024/01/even-more-ruins-small-1-story-corner.html

Lots of base coat, wet brush, and then dry brushing going on. I did bases them up on L-shaped styrene plastic strips, which I then doctored up with bricks and gravel so the pieces blended in more. I'm fairly happy with how they turned out. They'll definitely show up in my next post-apocalyptic game, which will be another battle in urban ruins.

Thanks in advance for looking and any comments. Another 3-D printed ruin is in the flocking stages, so look for another update soon!

Mike Demana

[Pattus Magnus]

Those look quite good! I painted my first FDM print last fall and did some sanding on it. I’m not sure that it was necessary. Did you do anything other than prime and paint yours?

[CapnJim]

Those do indeed look good, Mike!

[LouieN]

Nice pieces

[mikedemana]

Did you do anything other than prime and paint yours?

I trimmed up with an Xacto knife to take off some of the stringy fibers, which I typically have to do with 3-D prints. Other than that, just spray prime and the 50/50 black acrylic paint and water I brush over it to make sure the black seeps into all the crevices.

Some 3-D prints seem to have ridges or print patterns, I've noticed. I could see sanding the more noticeable ones. It also might be an idea to NOT do a wash on these if you feel that will bring those out. In those cases, let your brushwork do the job! At least that's my take on it... 

Mike Demana