Working a a large factory frame - Ctrl+C > Ctrl+V and slice the night away.

 I picked up the Large Hall Construction from Patrick Miniatures last week and I started printing. After finding out it really is a bit massive.....I started printing more. 

But with 1 intact, 1 damaged and 1 destroyed part for each part it started to get repetevive quick. So I started with just cutting the lengthway beams down the middle and adding a mirror copy of the sliced side to it. Nothing rocketsience. Then I raised the bar a bit and spliced the underside of the broken column onto the top of the damaged column, to get that fine quality Russian concrete work feel that makes you eat a OSHA book. And then repeated that for the side columns. 

They printed off fine, and I just got back from picking up some MDF sheets 40x23 so I can base it up 2 spars at a time, going from ok to knackered. The slots in between I'll use a marker mould to drill in holes for putty and magnets so I can click in the lengthway concrete beams. If I place down the full set you cover a space over a metre long and 40 cm wide.....a table all on its own tbh. 

It was meant for Stalker....but tbh, should work fine for Historical, Necromunda, other Post Apoc etc.

Twin stacks of Death

 Just a fun build with nothing but waste foam and cardvoard rolls. For the Ash Wastes, but should fit in other places. Just placcards, no graffiti, calling it done.

LOS blocker or Environmental Hazard point....who knows what these things belch, and when....

So, speaking of houses the other day.....

 We had a chat and build evening on monday (the 11th) and after getting out one of my older builds to do more work....I wasn't feeling it, grabbed a sheet of left over rock hard foamboard and went to toen. I've been working on it for a hour or so every day since.

Open

Open shop space, doorway to a flight of stairs leading up (and going nowhere) and a balcony fit for 40mm based figures if I want. Pipes from the popular Chinese ones every scratchbuilder and their mother seems to use. Space in the back is open so I can add a LED or 2 for nice pictures (not with this phone though....)

Windows, for people who want to see.

Lift off roof being dryfitted (it's a wee bit snug)

Edges trimmed with card. Roof will stay bare so I can fit other stuff or extentions on it.

It's meant to be used in Necromunda and This is not a Test as part shop, part LOS blocker, semi ruined and dilapidated. I made a lift off roof for it, one of the shops is open so I can put stuff in it (and use the other one to store bits and bobs when not in use). I'm heavily inspired by Magpie and Old Lead and his excellent Blog and for the love of everything that is holy, I want to finish this one dammit. 

The basics for the doors fitted

Not sure where I was going with the block extention, but I need to search my bits boxes for some more vents. And dump tons of crap etc.

On this end the roof sags down on the left.....we'll just blame soggy ground (Measure 3 times, cut once and still fuck up.....thats me!). Once painted up, no one cares.... Commercial sign will go up above the door.

The back alley where you wouldn't want to be found dead, but most likely will be. This needs more detailing.

Not sure yet about colors, I have grey, natural green, red and a nice bone color in tubes and pots to work with (I'm not insance enough to be painting this up with GW paint pots, thank you very much)

New stuff = Old stuff

 Grabbed some things out of the overflowing drawers. Some new, some very, very old.

• Recycled the never finished La Maisontaal tower by making a few cuts and cladding it with tin sheet so it can go, once finished, into my Post Apoc / Necro collection. Still contemplating if I should add a slightly bigger base to it.
• Based up the glass container from a bits lot I bought last year
• Based up a large Alien sack I bought way back, I think 2005ish? 
• Dusted off a parked bike for my Post Apoc collection I started a few years ago to see if I can finish it,
• Grabbed a box of bits to see if I can make a Space Station out of it as well, though atm I'm not feeling it.
• And one of those new Ork type small guys got converted into a Post APoc one with the addition of bolts and a proper VW hubcap shield

So that will be what I will be working on this week(s). ALso my 7mm dice arrived to start making bases for air wargaming.

 Though with not a lot of air in my lungs, it remains to be seen what I can do and when.

Rusty old hog

Finished the first of the GW 40K bike wrecks, only took like....forever. Wheels will get recycled some way, they live in my bits box now. No papers or anything, thought it was good enough and I want to clear the table. Goes straight into my Inq28, Necromunda and Post Apocalyptic pile.

Oh, and 2 aluminium canisters, like the ones I keep hoarding in Fallout 4. From TT Combat I believe. To be put inside scenery at a later date.

50 cent challenge - strange steel towers - FINISHED!

Right, that is it, they are done. Added a bit of pigment to the base, and some papers, but now it is over, time to go forward. This particular 50 cent challenge is finished.

50 cent challenge - strange steel towers

I picked up a lot box at the Goodwill store this week, containing finger skateboard scenery, Matchbox copy cars, Matchbox scenic stuff, some Playmobil mand a set of girder ish towers. 36 items in all for 7 euros, so that falls nicely into the 50m cents challenge catagory.

There are no markings on them, but I suspect they are for supporting a Matchbox playset bit of track? I really don't know. It had some sort of pin system on the underside and on the top. I cut those off and filed it smooth.

(28mm figure for scale reference)

In my mind, I can see these work as some sort of equipment rigs, floodlight towers, VSF moorings for airships, or relay towers for a (sci-fi) airfield. Anything goes really. I've decided to paint these up in a weathered beat up style, so they fit a backwater, abandonded or post apoc area (which covers 100% of my gaming needs). I'm also leaving off anything scale realated. Right, added a triangle base so I can shove them together as a single unit, or keep them seperate. Epoxied a lot of fishing lead to the base for stability. Added sand. Delved into the bits box and grabbed some 1/24 truck kit coils, pinned and glued those to the top, and another greebly on top to cap that. Sanded the sides smooth to remove the tiny mould line.

I thought it needed more so grabbed my spool of 1.5mm soldering wire and added a thick electrical cable from the base to the top, and tacked it in place.

Added another greebly on top, did a little clean up and everything is setting and drying now. Will give a good alcohol rub down in the evening before basecoating it, as for the first time in a long time, I feel like painting again :)

Jumping from branch to branch

Finished building 2 metres of Spanish Riders

Now to do some paint tests on the wood and metal spare bits to see which works best, but that is for next week.

Spent some time on my new iron horse I picked up today second hand. Busted tail light, busted saddle and a loose steeringwheel. Put on a new saddle and taillight, oiled everything, tightend all the screws. Will give it a good cleaning with the girls on sunday, then hunt for a backseat so I can take the girls for a ride with Kim on her bike. Will ask my dad to give it a proper look to see if I missed anything though. And no, there is nothing wrong with my old bike, but that is a male model (so the high bar) and I've been feeling increased pain lately in my right leg and hip from lifting my leg over the bike to hop on, as well as extra strain on my damaged knee and spine. No need to all of that with this "mommy bike" (it's a "daddy bike" now.)

Just need to find a way to keep the crate in place I've always had on my steering wheel as the extra stowage space is very welcome. And to clean and sell my old bike to break even as much as possible to make up for the purchase of this bike.

And yes, I call it a bike. Not a bicycle.....

And jumping onto the next branch, todays mistery find at the goodwill store was this funnel device......I have no idea what it is or what it did other then funneling something, but it has now become a industial rock grinder for Necroumda, This is not a Test Industrial area, and as a turnning point for Gaslands. It is big and non descript enough for all of that.

I cut off the prongs from the underside, gave it a new base and I will paint it all rusted up, and when done, glue some granite chips in the inside.

Final branch of the day is that I received my Lancer Miniatures order, but I want to discuss some parts of it with them before I do a review. The overall quality is very good, with only 1 minor issue and 1 issue of me not agreeing with the sculpting quality of a set I've ordered. But fast reply, fast turn around and fast delivery will make me come back soon.

Meanwhile, I grabbed a PSC Carrier from the attic to convert with a 25mm French Cannon for the DAK, and I'm looking at the box with spare aircraft wheels that could come in handy for one of these....

Yeah, I know, scatter brain.

Now I'm off to bed, cause tomorrow I'm going to Militracks in Overloon.
Militracks 2017

Figz 2016 - a really short review

A week before Figz I got a cold. On Friday and Saturday I was in bed with a fever. I came this close to cancelling my "Working with foamboard" workshop and going to Figz at all. But I went anyway (after taking a ton of painkillers - I'll be reporting to the doctors office first thing on monday).

As it is, I spent most of my time at the table for the demonstration feeling rather unwell, but making the best of it. In the end, a little over half a dozen people actually spent time with me, asking questions about how to approach this and that kind of scenery, but no one took my offer to have a go at foamboard modelling themselves, sadly, so I had brought quite a few extra bits for nothing. Such is life. I did spend some time however trying out a new cutting method from my regular one, by leaving 5mm openings in the foamboard before glueing the wallsections together so you would have a seamless cut, but I either cut too deep or made the gap too narrow so it ripped when folded over. Since I find just wallpapering a bit of paper over the seam to be just as quick if not quicker I don't see any ups to the method and I will not be trying it again.

What did I make? Well, I had a go at my idea of a (very basic) Necromundan Waste Air Processing unit....though if it spews noxious fumes or actually sends out fresh recycled air is a good questions. Just one A4 sheet of foamboard, a vent from the DIY I had lying around for ages, and some cardboard.

Nothing fancy, just a concrete colum (well, preformed slabs really with a bolted steel shell) and a good LOS blocker in the Underhive. Also a logical exit point for a gang that has Vents added to their territory. I will add bolts to the cardboard, cut out a proper cardboard door and glue that in place, and coat the doorway bunker so it looks more like poured concrete. I'll leave it pretty featureless otherwise. Top will stay bare and flat so I can lay plankways from there to other levels and back again. Still plenty of work to do.

I took 2 short breaks to have a stoll around. The area was split down the middle (entree), to the right were the displays by various painters (and me), to the left were the traders and display games. Modern War, Post Apocalyptisch, WW2, there was something for everyone to look at. All the way in the back was a workshop for making your own trees, very nice. Sadly, no pics from me.

In my first round I traded with people who wanted stuff from me (some books and all of my 28mm Germans), in the second round I visited the 2nd hand kit trader stand who is always good for some nice buys. I picked up the following:

A Roden Pakwagen. Some don't like Roden but I never had much of a problem with them, I have loads in my to be built collection, and this one was missing.

I picked up this one to do as a wreck. But I just realised practically all of it is made out of wood! Still, a wreck is planned and so shall it be.

Whenever I can I pick up this box. This contains a complete latewar Panther G plus optional steel wheels and a Panther F turret. The Panther F turrets I have been collecting for Panzer IV Neu conversions ever since I bought one off Piers now.....8-10 years ago.

For future NATO goes Hot games. Goes well with 1/600 aircraft. Can be buillt waterlined with no effort at all.

For future NATO goes Hot games. Goes well with 1/600 aircraft. Can be buillt waterlined with no effort at all.

Normally I would not buy so many kits in one go, but he had a big pile of them marked "5 euro each"  The Roden or the Hasegawa kit alone go for almost 20 euros in the local hobby shops here, the 1:1250 ships seemed more practical then the 1:600 English cruisers and Destroyers he had laying around and a wreck-base for a fiver is a good wreck if you ask me. I also picked up these:

I picked these up from Wendy's Miniatures. Quite expensive, the small left cabinet is 1 euro, the right cabinet is 3,50 euro. They are made for 28mm scale. I will sand flat the backs and make a few greenstuff copies of them to put inside my ruins, be it the TNT ones or the Mordheim ones, they seem to fit both..

 Sadly, I was not able to put more work in La Maisontaal during the day. It was nice to see so many familiar faces again and the output was pretty good for this small but free show on what was a very hot an sunny day (by Dutch standards, 28 degrees Celcius).

And now I'm really knackered. Goodbye.

Edit: I tried to go to sleep. But a friend wanted my take on Tau, as he wants to restart/do over his Tau, so he asked me to draw my Tau as how I want to/will paint them. Pretty simple (even if it took me 15 minutes).

Why yes, that is the Eastern Empire version of the Tau focussed on City Fight. Don't change a winning idea. As I never plan to go beyond a small Kill Team all of the heavy equipment is not of my concern and lots of little conversions are. Must get back to these chaps soon.