Drake's Branch Expansion (bodies and boxes)

[Elbows]

Disclaimer: My excessive amount of project threads has murdered by Photobucket account, so unfortunately I'll be posting a few pics and links to the blog.  Sorry for this in advance (I personally much prefer throwing hundreds of pictures into a thread!)

I'm starting a new thread since the old one has gone to poop with pictures all disorganized and gone...

With the revamp of Shoot N' Skedaddle underway I decided to upgrade the town a bit.  Adding a lot of "detritus" or bits and pieces, and some new structures.











To cover my bases...

+4Ground "building under construction" ---- first 4Ground building I don't like because they used super thin MDF and it was a b_tch to put together...it also still seems really frail so short of basing it, it'll probably break with use or even storage.

+Crappy picture of some street lamps (I have more on the way).  Cheap chinese lamps from ebay, cut some bits off...threw them on bases, painted em up and added junk along them.  Using a large base because I had some laying around and I can glue more crap with them.  Also makes them less likely to get knocked over during game play due to their height.

+"Rogan's Bar" repainted in a new colour scheme and built...easy enough building and I like the roof.

+Got bored waiting while stuff was being shipped so I did up some piles of logs/wood and put together some "Hiding" markers for fun using the technique from Mason's thread.

+Slapped together both Rorke's Drift set buildings, removed the thatch added some crap shingles...hate it, so these are not getting any more photos till I'm happy with them.

+Found some Pegasus Hobbies fences sitting in a box...cut them down, added basing material, primed/painted/based and boom...way better.

+The Hardware store and Land Offices added from the 4Ground line-up.

+(not pictured) an additional couple of sheds form the RD set.

+All of this stuff is mostly pictured on a lovely "Steppe" mat from Deep Cut Studios which is 6'x4' and has taken over as my brushy-desert map of choice.

[Heisler]

Very nice! I like the street lamps in particular. I have been toying with adding lighting to some of my buildings.

[Elbows]

Yeah, these lamps are actually light-able...well before I chopped off the wires.  I also have a bunch of small LEDs but I'd have to put a film over the windows for a proper effect.  Maybe some day.

[Ramirez Noname]

Yeap, sure is looking good. Nice extra details.

RMZ

[Elbows]

So, for the first time in gaming I decided to actually go an extra step and add some casualty counters/figures.  I picked up a number of Great Escape Games dead figures with my recent order for 4Ground stuff.

It's rare that I gripe about miniatures/gaming stuff...but these were absolutely horrible.  Three of the four packs were brittle, terrible flash, heaps of extra resin, cracked and crumbling.  I was missing a foot, and had a broken leg and arm.  Gobs of resin on some of the faces.  I made the immediate decision to mount them on 40mm bases and build up the surrounds with gravel/basing material to hide the majority of the junk.


This shows the stark difference between the fourth pack, which was darker, cleaner, and much more acceptable.  Overall the sculpts were pretty blase - including terrible foot placement and really awful brick/flattened hands.


This is a guy I didn't even bother finishing...


No interest in trimming all this for a single casualty figure...(all of this stuff also highlights why resin sucks when done improperly)


The fourth pack, despite lego hands, was okay...


The indian was nearly hollow...making him harder to glue down.


This guy had a broken leg I simply glued back into place...and his face was nonexistent, just a big dark hole.

Overall, the worst hobby product I've received in a few years time.  I won't be going for any more resin from this line.  Buyer beware, don't order these unless you can visually inspect them and see what the quality is like.  I'd recommend picking them up in a store where you can inspect them first.  But...life goes on.  I slapped them on a base, painted/based them and I won't be doing any more casualty figures.


The end product is passable, but only for casualties.




I also painted up these barricades from Ainsty.  I actually used a wood varnish on this stuff since it's much cheaper and I've heard good things about it (very much like dip).  I've got mixed feelings.  Definitely doesn't seep in, provide the coverage and it stayed tacky for days...until I just anti-shined it and called it done.

I also put together the 4Ground Undertaker's into a new Town Hall but it's already in a bin for storage so I'll break it out later for pictures.

[Za Zjurman]

I have the same casualties and they are crude to say the least (and badly cast). And they have HUGE hands. You did a great job on them.

cheers,

Za
 

[Treebeard]

Woh really bad quality. These hands ...

[Burnin Coal]

Considering what you received you did a great job on those casualty markers...and very effective brushwork on those Ainsty barricades as well

[Treebeard]

This one is probably from the latest Tarantino movie The hateful eight

[Elbows]

I forgot I have a box of GEG cavalry sitting in a box.  I'm going to go bust them open and make sure the guy who did those sculpts didn't do the casualties.  If so, I may have to sell them on.  But the cavalry look plenty good in pictures I've seen so I'm not too worried. Now that they're done and I won't have to do them again, it's not a big deal --- just wanted to keep other people form making the same mistake.

Today...I may start the Train Station..the only 4Ground building which has intimidated me to the point of not starting it.

[Mason]

Plenty of lovely new additions (apart from the dead fellas, which you did well to rescue!).
Good to see you back with this, mate.
 


I may have just been inspired to sort out some lamp posts.....I have some and will take a piccie later when we play I-Munda with the OW buildings, you can give me opinions then.
 

[dberna67]

Hi, which scale are the street lamps you bought?
Or how much are tall for 28mm?

Thank you
Davide

[Elbows]

This is the exact purchase here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-Model-Railway-LED-Lamppost-Lamps-Antique-Street-Lights-O-Scale-1-50-/151825608670?hash=item235982efde:g:yRsAAOSwWnFWAUT~

They state 1:50, and are about 4" tall or so.  I chopped bits off mine to make them a bit more simple.  They're obviously not great quality but they get the job done for street lamps.

[Elbows]

And a quick playtest from last-night...

http://myminiaturemischief.blogspot.com/

Pictures and some minor reporting, pics courtesy of Audrey.  May have some more from my other buddy if I can find his pics.