Re: Post Apocalyptic Projects - Road Guards!

[Mr. Peabody]

I'll admit some of the Cars we have bought are small - even for 1/55. But having played with them, they work just fine as set-dec and intervening cover, especially with a bit of effort put into decorating their bases. Also, they take up no room to store.

When we start tooling about with some 1/48 kit-bash projects then we will have some issues, but that's only going to crop up if and when there are vehicle rules.

This is one project I refuse to get too fussed about. Focusing on playing the game and making stuff. In that order.

[Constable Bertrand]

Is it the "Deluxe" Cars toys that are the right scale, or the ones with no special markings on the package?

Almost all the ones for sale in my area are the regular packages, and they just don't seem to be large enough to be in scale.

It'd be super helpful to see one of the toys everyone is using for scenery still in the original packaging.

I don't have any photos of the packaging, but like Peabody I've used the standard ones alright. (Red packaging) But they are more 1/56 if anything.

I also have a tamiya 1:48 WWII US dodge deuce (4.5?) Ton truck whatchacallit. Chug displayed above is basically the same width as it! A little shorter than the deuce cab, but the same width none the less. Truck = truck. That's not bad.

Having started with strict 1:48 as a carefully chosen philosophy.. the availability of well priced civilian vehicles has pragmatically pushed me to this option. I've seen the expensive 1:43 models used well , but the dollar store "1:43 box scale" pull back cars are way too big! And I think look silly with 28mm figures, smaller hasslefree ones especially. Plus they take up more room.

My blog has a few cars pics if you want to have a look too. It may help make up your mind about sizing.

But some are too small. like the lowriders which have such a low roof the occupants must be decapitated! Or the 'Sally' Porsche figure. Pick and choose a little.

Cheers
Matt

[Mr. Peabody]

A very busy couple of weeks have flown by, but thanks to enthusiastic friends some serious energy has been focused on painting up a few Plasticville kits. These are still WIP, but close to being done.

This Supermarket was painted by my buddy Jordan. It's one of the first pieces of gaming terrain he has painted and he did a brilliant job.




Our group has been inspired by the many excellent threads here, but Rollawaythestone and DeltaDog really helped us get the job done with their tutorials and many great photos.

Plasticville Motel. All these buildings have removable roofs and will eventually feature some interior detail.




The Hospital still needs a lot of work. But its huge second floor offers some great potential.




The Switch Tower is my favourite. I swear a tower like this features in a few places on the Fallout 4 map.



The Diner. Everyone needs a diner...



TV Broadcast Centre. Need to get to work on the antenna that goes with this excellent little building.



Don't know what will happen with this cistern. Probably build a platform for it of some kind.


All these kits need a bit more love, some wilted looking growies and perhaps more dust. But they are already looking the part at 3'.

[gary42]

Phenomenal stuff!  Congrats on Jordan's first piece!

[Michi]

These dull colours and the weathering make them some of the best Plasticville renditions I´ve seen so far!

[TheCaptain]

Nice work. I really like the rust on the hospital.

[zizi666]

Great stuff !

The Switch Tower is my favourite. I swear a tower like this features in a few places on the Fallout 4 map.

Looks like Oberland station to me 

[Durutti]

Daft question time 

is it possible to remove the windscreens from those Disney car models?
I like the models, but really only want the body shells, to convert into Harpoon and plough truck models, and those dodgy eyes keep putting me off 

[Hupp n at em]

Man, that Plasticville stuff is beautiful.    Since you haven't put them on bases, did you put floors in the buildings?

[Mr. Peabody]

Thanks for the positive vibes fellas! 

Phenomenal stuff!  Congrats on Jordan's first piece!

I'll let him know. Got a game about to start this AM. 

These dull colours and the weathering make them some of the best Plasticville renditions I´ve seen so far!

Michi, you know railway toys as well as just about anyone so thank you amigo.

I really like the rust on the hospital.

Gotta give credit to 'Chuck' from the Skankgame pages for that. I did a poor job of copying his effective rusting. Love those Vallejo acrylic rust washes.

Since you haven't put them on bases, did you put floors in the buildings?

Big buildings like the Hospital get a second floor... You can just see it through the big centre window. The floor has been painted the same German green-brown as the bottom edges of these buildings.


Other buildings get interior walls, but no floors. We didn't want to fiddle with removable roofs and 2nd floors, so this is a compromise. The choice of colour helps tie things together when the roof is off. It's a bit of misdirection really, but it works. The 'bottom' of anything is always the same colour as the mat.

Looks like Oberland station to me 

Hell yes! I love how you can get this exact same switch tower in just about any scale at railway shows... Now it spans our gaming worlds too.

Is it possible to remove the windscreens from those Disney car models?

There is so much variety in manufacturers of these cheap diecasts that yes, with some of them you can pull the windows, but you are left with zero interior. However with the majority of them you are stuck with a window that needs painting.

[Constable Bertrand]

Wow those buildings look really good. The hospital has a little too much rust drip on white for my liking, part of the issue is the white walls, the other is that there is no fade or pooling to the rust wash.

The posters are propper top shelf stuff! Looks like it's been through the apocalypse, and matches the game art perfectly!

Daft question time 

is it possible to remove the windscreens from those Disney car models?
I like the models, but really only want the body shells, to convert into Harpoon and plough truck models, and those dodgy eyes keep putting me off 

Yes and no. As Peabody has already stated, there is no interior.

Allow me to elaborate. Most have a plastic removable windows inner that pops out from inside the diecast roof. Revealing the chassis if you pay attention. If that is a non issue for you then all good, I've done that for a few abandoned cars.

However each car is different. Some eyes are painted on the plastic Windows and can be repainted easily. Some eyes are moulded on the plastic Windows and can be easily removed. But some front Windows/eyes are moulded on the diecast car! That is a bit more tricky, but a dremmel and GS can fix that or armoured plating over the whole mess too

Isn't PA a fun genre, anything goes modelling wise.

Cheers
Matt

[Durutti]

Not worried about interiors, as i will scratch build my own, really after some more choice in 1/48th/1/50th scale, the models will end up getting hacked about.
I have not problems taking diecasts apart, I've hacked a few of them, drilling out the rivets is so much fun 
Good to hear that the eyes can be removed, I shall have to pick up a couple, and have a mess about with them
Thanks for the replies gents 

Forgot to say, the models and painting are just superb, really love what you have done with the vehicles, and those plasticville buildings

[Mr. Peabody]

The hospital has a little too much rust drip on white for my liking, part of the issue is the white walls, the other is that there is no fade or pooling to the rust wash.

Yeah, the white is a bit of a pain without a complete repaint, which was something I wanted to try to avoid. As an experiment I started out with a coat of matte varnish over the white plastic to see if that would provide enough tooth for washes and effects, it almost worked. 

I don't mind the abundant rust, it looks good on the table, but you are right that more fading would have been nice.

Forgot to say, the models and painting are just superb, really love what you have done with the vehicles, and those plasticville buildings

You are very kind, both of you!

[Mr. Peabody]

I had been wanting to incorporate something along the lines of Khurasan's wonderful 15mm Mojave Pilgrim into our setting. A beast so menacing that maybe you just want to give it some personal space while it does its thing...

Then I found this little guy at a local Sunday flea-market.


He had lost his wings, and had settled to the bottom of a $1 toy bin.


There was some fun symmetry to patching up a model of this type of Dragon.


I Dremelled out the wing-nubs and filled them with Green Stuff then used a GS press-mould to copy and stamp the skin texture.

Here is his original 'Happy Meal Form'. The wings are a bit disappointing to be honest. Not surprised they were discarded.



Toxic, Radioactive and Otherwise Deadly Clouds are some of the more interesting features of the TNT setting.

We have been experimenting with clouds as flying objects, mounting them on flight-stands.


So far this has worked quite well. A cloud can be set on a tall or short stand as needed to clear terrain. Ultimately it's still a bit unwieldy, but no more so than templates and with a bit of work the effect is pretty spiffy.

[Hupp n at em]

Wow, really like the cloud idea. Consider it stolen.