Hopkirk's Crossing - Elk's Old West project - progress!

[Elk101]

Pushed in this direction by circumstances (Dr The Viking's 3 projects at a time limit and Mason's new old west town) I am taking my own old west town from the paper stage to the 'doing something' stage. I've only got a handful of buildings from my ACW project so I really need a few more to get my town going. However, I've been picking up textured wallpaper samples (it's not shoplifting as I asked if it was ok!) and I got some mdf boards and introduced the two. I went with double sided sticky tape as an experiment and it has stuck down quite nicely. I've done 1 600x600mm tile, 1 600x300mm tile and 2 300x300mm tiles before running out of samples. I want a maximum 1200x1200mm table (4'x4'). The somewhat dark photo below shows the texture. I didn't want anything too flat and I want to be able to mix browns and greens as I'm going for a South Dakota setting rather than a Mexican border type setting. This means I can use a lot of my existing green terrain tiles and my rivers and trees, etc. No cacti for me then.

The area (as yet unamed) consists of a main town next to a ford across the river called Hopkirk's Crossing. It was established by John D Hopkirk Senior who managed to convince the railroad to stop there and now it's an important location for local cattle ranchers and for the nearby silver mine (Salvation; I did make sure that there were silver mines locally!). Since Hopkirk Senior died his rotten no-good son JD Hopkirk tries to run the show as well as the local bordello and gambling house. The town is under the protection of Sherrif Wade Tilman, his brother and a few decent deputies. A smaller town, Hospitality, to the south is steadily growing under the influence of cattle baron Boss McQuarrie. The McQuarrie men often run foul of Tilman and Hopkirk's men. The McQuarrie ranch, Mr Randall's Ranch, Old Man Mortimer's Place, Ruin's Road and the local cemetery are a few other key places. Besides the law, Hopkirk's men and the local ranchers, there are a few outlaw gangs in the area, the silver miners (lead by a particularly religious individual) and some renegade Lakota Sioux.

I need a few more figures (I have some Artizan stuff) to make up the planned gangs and I have my eye on some Dixon civilians. I will use Fistful of Lead for the rules.

Cheers!

[d phipps]

Cool background! I'm looking forward to seeing this progress.



HAVE FUN

[Malamute]

Yep, looking froward to seeing the fruits of your labours.

[Eric the Shed]

Good luck with this...I do feel that this might have to be a side project

I have an adobe town, I have a few figures and I could use the rules from this boardgame

stilll have a copy in the shed

[Galloping Major]

Looks like a thread to watch 




www.gallopingmajorwargames.com

[Elk101]

Cheers guys! I warn you though, this will be the first glacier in the old west as I never get the time to do much hobby stuff (1:2 scale persons put a stop to that!). 

I need a few more mdf tiles cutting and I need to pick up some more 'samples'. I might just get a roll for future repairs, etc. but it's £8 a roll for the stuff I like.

I have googled some images of Lakota indians looking for individuals in western garb and it looks like I could use some of Artizan's apaches without too much difficulty (I think!).

This is intended to be one of my self contained projects that require no more than about 80 miniatures and with terrain tiles and buildings that I can use in other periods (mainly ACW but also Pulp Alley). This is going to be one of my three projects and I will (as per the Dr The Viking rules) not work on anything else (painting clubs excepted) until one is complete. I can't make up my mind what the other two should be. Maybe I should put another thread together to  make me do something!

[Constable Bertrand]

Rather than double sided tippy tape, have you considered spray adhesive? Its pretty easy and even, without having 'raised' areas.

Looking forward to more goodness Elk.

[Mason]

Well, that is certainly some thought-driven background there, mate.
You put me to shame.
I just decided to build/paint some stuff and take it from there.
You have thought it through first and made it all sound plausible.

Looking forward to seeing your progress on this.
 

[Za Zjurman]

Welcome on board. Be aware that Old West can be very addictive  .

Cheers,
Za

[Elk101]

Thanks guys. I quite enjoy the planning stage and creating the background, especially since I can do most of it on the train. I don't have much storage space so modularity and multiple usage are critical.

I used spray mount for most of my grass mat tiles but thought I'd give double sided sticky tape as an experiment. As the wallpaper is quite raised itself there isn't a problem with lumps where the tape is. Now I just need a suitable South Dakota set of colours for the boards.

[Elk101]

Courtesy of the Old West Painting Posse the first painted denizen of Hopkirk's Crossing, Herschel Kent, arrives.

He's actually a ranch hand from Elkridge Ranch run by Tom Randall, old friend of JB Hopkirk snr, but no friend of his son. The ranch is on the same side of the river as the town but further east.

There's another 17 cowpokes on the painting table with 30 newly arrived to clean up, base and undercoat.

[Elk101]

Upsheet Creek has a new stationmaster and Hopkirk's Crossing has a vacancy for one. Paul has found a great figure that you wouldn't necessarily think of for the role, but it works wonderfully well. I had been thinking of the Foundry stationmaster but Paul's choice got me thinking, could I use the lighthouse keeper figure I painted for the Pulp Painting Club? He could be just the part? What do you guys think?

[OSHIROmodels]

Works for me and I love the shirt on the first chap 

cheers

James

[Malamute]

Works for me and I love the shirt on the first chap 

cheers

James

Yep, seconded.

[Poiter50]

Yep, both are suitable but I think the fella with the lamp is right for OW.