You can get the zoggin' PDF from 'ere...http://www.darklinggames.com/eavyledd/eavyledd_02.pdf
 |
| OLD SKOOOLZZZ!!! |
More 'eaviness later folks.
Showing posts with label Tutorials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tutorials. Show all posts
Sunday, January 4, 2015
'EAVY LEDD issue 2: Stretching your kits
Labels:
Tutorials
Hmm, I have just scanned a 'eavy ledd from 1986.. and would ya beleive it, it shows you how to fatten out your GW kits using cheap materials. How did they know back then? A mystery wrapped in a conundrum wrapped in bacon.
You can get the zoggin' PDF from 'ere...http://www.darklinggames.com/eavyledd/eavyledd_02.pdf
More 'eaviness later folks.
You can get the zoggin' PDF from 'ere...http://www.darklinggames.com/eavyledd/eavyledd_02.pdf
More 'eaviness later folks.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Rogues need trading
Labels:
40k,
Rogue Trader,
Tutorials
Hi. Welcome back. So hows that itch going? You should probably see a doctor.
You know... switching to Renedra 25mm bases with 4mm magnets for my scifi figs has been one of the best decisions I have made since breakfast.
Renedra feel free to send me free stuff for endorsing you ;).
The speed I can base up figures has made a huge impact on my hobby mojo. Trays of minis which once languished in the 'too hard' basket, now stand based up and primed and excitingly ready for color.
With 25mm vs 30mm bases I lose stability, however it occurs to me I can snap my models onto decorated 30mm washers using the hefty magnets for some games if I desire. These bases allow for tighter storage- which is my biggest woe right now next to lack of energy from my recent illness.
Losing base decoration room actually means I don't spend any time worrying about it, and filling that empty space was eating a great deal of time. Sure my bases wont win any awards but they are fast, unobtrustive and keep the focus on the mini. I opted to give both my fantasy and scifi bases the same green-grey base coat, and vary the drybrush colors on that. Keeps it quick and effortless.
I figure all this lacklustre basing gets the figure game ready- I can back and tart up the bases when I am further along.
I like seeing GW minis on non GW sanctioned bases. Gives me a little tickle. Not sure why. But 25mm rounds are game legal... also amusing. I also like bubble tea. Also not sure why.
So now I have the excitement of knowing soon I will have heaps of rogue trader, street violence and 2000 ad figures to paint and play. I am most excited to finally have my RT mercs and adventurers, plus an unhealthy amount of iron claw space pirates out and based, and I found a few gene stealer cultists I forgot I had.
To paint this huge influx of figures I have returned to my trusty prepaint and tint technique, using four layers of overbrushing and dry brushing with a huge soft brush, which I will then glaze over with color at my leisure.
Painting on a preshaded model is much nicer and easier than facing a black surface, plus the tooth the dry brushing gives the surface a paper like quality that helps take the color layers.
Heres are some test figures (still have to finish the marines- the skin is flat color and the shading on the armor is a bit rough. Anyway. .. enjoy.
"You sure your readin' that right Orinocco? That's inside the room?"
Generation 2 SPESS marines hanging out with an Iron Claw pirate. A zoat passes by on the way to Iits painting apointment. mmmm... Oldspesshammer.
Start from black spray, apply these starting dark to light using ever softer, drier, drybrushing.
This makes me happy. I am happy now see?
Citadel rogue trader and 2000ad minis with cryomek and hasslefree mini.
Genestealer karyoke.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Repainting Dungeons and Dragons minis, The Guild and Windows.
Yay.
Installing my entire computer system again. As a digital artist who has been around the block a few times, that means a lot of software packages that all need nursing, registering and whatever... Point is it was a long hot day with boredom and task bars.
Fortunately for me a package of D&D plastics arrived for me to tinker with whilst watching endless spinning gifs telling me my pc maybe hasn't crashed just yet.
So the good news is you can easily take off the paint. Nail polish remover on a cotton bud and in a few minutes of gentle rubbing and voila. Bad news is that there really isnt that much detail underneath to clean the mank off of. Those figures may look like they are clogged up with paint... really they are just a bit smooth.
I was actually quite impressed with how some where painted- certainly good enough for playing Dnd- which is mostly in darkened living rooms with a map a few feet from you. I would certainly consider them as a gaming option- especially now they are going to be rereleased in non-random packs.
Personally I would love to see them release unpainted styrene versions- even if just available via mail order. But anyway- there you go.
I stripped down an Everfrost ranger, but it really wasnt worth the trouble IMHO. I think the stripper may have taken off a little detail, which was superficial at best. Spray primer and undercoat, and it was back to looking rubbery and gluggy.
So for test figure 2, I tried overpainting. Rather than use spray primer, I washed the figures in soapy water to clean off any grease, and using a big brush and Vallejo dark grey gently drybrushed the model. After this dried, the thin dusting of paint gave the next overbrush purchase- and voila, the model was nicely covered and ready to paint. I would recommend this method to undercoat- perhaps only stripping really gluggy trouble spots using gentle cotton wipes.
I grabbed a hook horror, Lightening Lizard, Digester and Giant Carrion Crawler too- and the bigger creatures are much better than the human sized figures- the horror itself is excellent. Grabbing plastic versions of really, really big nasties is a great solution- but I myself would run to Reaper for my player characters personally and Otherworld for all other monsters.
To get rid of the plasticy look on some of the monsters I first filled the gaps and then stippled Vallejo Plastic Putty using a pin and a sponge. This put some fine texture on the smooth surfaces. Green stuff sticks perfectly well, so details can be popped back on if you can be bothered. I think I will write off the everfrost ranger as a bad experiment- but I can see my Hook Horror appearing in many a Skulldred game.
That was my hobby time for today. Oh, and if you have not seen the delectable Felicia Day's hilarious websode series on MMOG addiction, you MUST watch the guild. Every bit as great as the original Red vs. Blue.
Linky: THE GUILD
Installing my entire computer system again. As a digital artist who has been around the block a few times, that means a lot of software packages that all need nursing, registering and whatever... Point is it was a long hot day with boredom and task bars.
Fortunately for me a package of D&D plastics arrived for me to tinker with whilst watching endless spinning gifs telling me my pc maybe hasn't crashed just yet.
So the good news is you can easily take off the paint. Nail polish remover on a cotton bud and in a few minutes of gentle rubbing and voila. Bad news is that there really isnt that much detail underneath to clean the mank off of. Those figures may look like they are clogged up with paint... really they are just a bit smooth.
I was actually quite impressed with how some where painted- certainly good enough for playing Dnd- which is mostly in darkened living rooms with a map a few feet from you. I would certainly consider them as a gaming option- especially now they are going to be rereleased in non-random packs.
Personally I would love to see them release unpainted styrene versions- even if just available via mail order. But anyway- there you go.
I stripped down an Everfrost ranger, but it really wasnt worth the trouble IMHO. I think the stripper may have taken off a little detail, which was superficial at best. Spray primer and undercoat, and it was back to looking rubbery and gluggy.
So for test figure 2, I tried overpainting. Rather than use spray primer, I washed the figures in soapy water to clean off any grease, and using a big brush and Vallejo dark grey gently drybrushed the model. After this dried, the thin dusting of paint gave the next overbrush purchase- and voila, the model was nicely covered and ready to paint. I would recommend this method to undercoat- perhaps only stripping really gluggy trouble spots using gentle cotton wipes.
I grabbed a hook horror, Lightening Lizard, Digester and Giant Carrion Crawler too- and the bigger creatures are much better than the human sized figures- the horror itself is excellent. Grabbing plastic versions of really, really big nasties is a great solution- but I myself would run to Reaper for my player characters personally and Otherworld for all other monsters.
To get rid of the plasticy look on some of the monsters I first filled the gaps and then stippled Vallejo Plastic Putty using a pin and a sponge. This put some fine texture on the smooth surfaces. Green stuff sticks perfectly well, so details can be popped back on if you can be bothered. I think I will write off the everfrost ranger as a bad experiment- but I can see my Hook Horror appearing in many a Skulldred game.
That was my hobby time for today. Oh, and if you have not seen the delectable Felicia Day's hilarious websode series on MMOG addiction, you MUST watch the guild. Every bit as great as the original Red vs. Blue.
Linky: THE GUILD
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Sculpt-a-long
Labels:
Tutorials
Hello. Hows your day going? Mine was lousy. I want to send it back to the manufacturer for a full refund. Anyway...
You know that one figure that lingers around your collection... not worth ebaying, but not really good for parts. yeah, that one. For me it was this Nick Lund Grenadier orc... to be fair, he probably knocked this one out really quickly to meet a deadline... I have produced some stinkers in my time under that ticking clock. The studs are poked in with a tube, rather than raised, the weapons are little more than a square with the end cut off- nothing is finished or refined, the face has no character. Perfectly acceptable for a mass army, but nothing to put it into a hall of fame like Ugezod's shaman, for example.
Anyway, off days in sculpting aside, I found myself experimenting with magic sculpt / green stuff mixes, and rather than risk a commission, decided to try the sculpt-ability out in a fun little sculpt along.
So lets talk mixes. This is a 1:3 magic sculpt : green stuff mix. Make sure to mix the magic sculpt parts precisely 1:1 so that it sets, then mix it into the green stuff. Magic sculpt tears raggedly when you bend it, but has the benefit of setting shore D hard (most resins set shore D for example). Green stuff is shore A... rubbery. Mixing the two means rather than tear, the putty bends. The magic sculpt takes off a little of the stickiness of the green stuff, removes some of the memory and allows you to feather new pieces together without a noticeable seam. You can further improve the mix with a tiny amount of super sculpey- which has a waxy texture that makes green stuff spongier and less sticky.
Mix up your putty, set it aside and go wash your hands.
Start by shaving off the models face. The key word is shave... only take off thin slivers of metal at a time using as little pressure as possible. A rounded blade (see below) is best for shaving off metal, and it must be fresh and sharp- the blunter the blade, the more force you need to apply and therefore the more dangerous. Only work with a fresh, absolutely sharp blade! The usual disclaimers about being careful and cutting away from yourself and all the crap apply- look, if your too stupid to operate a scalpel you really should be in a different hobby. Go sue your parents for giving you bad safety training, not me.
Okay, so the trick when first sculpting is to mass in, then refine. In figure 1 I start with a blob, then use a little lube (I use KY, you can use vaseline, canola oil, spit, glycerine or whatever) applied with a finger onto the face. I first pat the ball into the rough shape of a head, impressing in the jaw line, forehead, cheeks and so forth until it roughly resembles what I am after.
Once that is complete, I start suggesting the details lightly- if you squint at the subject your trying to copy, you will see the bigger details first- this is what you want to get in next. The fine details sit ontop of that work, so don't worry about them yet.
For the mouth, I use the green stuff rubbery nature to best effect. You can sculpt things bigger and then push and stretch them into position. I started with making an open mouth, then press the lip up into position.
The eyes are really tricky to do and take practice, but don't loose hope. It took me ages to get eyes happening. For this guy I used a very simple technique. Very, very gently, poke in the silhouette of the eye opening so that it appears faintly- about the depth of the eyelid. Then stab a needle in either side, creating both the curvature of the eye, the tear duct and corner in one go. Again, this uses the rubbery nature of the green stuff to effect.
For the nose I stab in a pin just above the lip, and pull up gently for each nostril.
Figure 10 shows how the teeth are shaped on the base before being picked up and placed using the back of the sculpting tool. Don't roll it on your skin. Skin + epoxy = bad. The teeth are then poked into holes I widened with a pin, once inserted I pushed the lip back into place.
Well, why not give it a go... and why not post pics :) And why not send me money and miniatures. Why not indeed?
 |
| Grenadier Orc... not its finest figure. |
You know that one figure that lingers around your collection... not worth ebaying, but not really good for parts. yeah, that one. For me it was this Nick Lund Grenadier orc... to be fair, he probably knocked this one out really quickly to meet a deadline... I have produced some stinkers in my time under that ticking clock. The studs are poked in with a tube, rather than raised, the weapons are little more than a square with the end cut off- nothing is finished or refined, the face has no character. Perfectly acceptable for a mass army, but nothing to put it into a hall of fame like Ugezod's shaman, for example.
Anyway, off days in sculpting aside, I found myself experimenting with magic sculpt / green stuff mixes, and rather than risk a commission, decided to try the sculpt-ability out in a fun little sculpt along.
 |
| Grenadier Orc. Somewhat converted. |
So lets talk mixes. This is a 1:3 magic sculpt : green stuff mix. Make sure to mix the magic sculpt parts precisely 1:1 so that it sets, then mix it into the green stuff. Magic sculpt tears raggedly when you bend it, but has the benefit of setting shore D hard (most resins set shore D for example). Green stuff is shore A... rubbery. Mixing the two means rather than tear, the putty bends. The magic sculpt takes off a little of the stickiness of the green stuff, removes some of the memory and allows you to feather new pieces together without a noticeable seam. You can further improve the mix with a tiny amount of super sculpey- which has a waxy texture that makes green stuff spongier and less sticky.
Mix up your putty, set it aside and go wash your hands.
 |
| Poke by poke putty poking |
 |
| Rounded sculpting blade- stolen from another website for illustration purposes, and you know, Winona Ryder style fun. |
Okay, so the trick when first sculpting is to mass in, then refine. In figure 1 I start with a blob, then use a little lube (I use KY, you can use vaseline, canola oil, spit, glycerine or whatever) applied with a finger onto the face. I first pat the ball into the rough shape of a head, impressing in the jaw line, forehead, cheeks and so forth until it roughly resembles what I am after.
Once that is complete, I start suggesting the details lightly- if you squint at the subject your trying to copy, you will see the bigger details first- this is what you want to get in next. The fine details sit ontop of that work, so don't worry about them yet.
For the mouth, I use the green stuff rubbery nature to best effect. You can sculpt things bigger and then push and stretch them into position. I started with making an open mouth, then press the lip up into position.
The eyes are really tricky to do and take practice, but don't loose hope. It took me ages to get eyes happening. For this guy I used a very simple technique. Very, very gently, poke in the silhouette of the eye opening so that it appears faintly- about the depth of the eyelid. Then stab a needle in either side, creating both the curvature of the eye, the tear duct and corner in one go. Again, this uses the rubbery nature of the green stuff to effect.
 |
| Easy eyes. Gently poke outline, then stab twice. |
For the nose I stab in a pin just above the lip, and pull up gently for each nostril.
Figure 10 shows how the teeth are shaped on the base before being picked up and placed using the back of the sculpting tool. Don't roll it on your skin. Skin + epoxy = bad. The teeth are then poked into holes I widened with a pin, once inserted I pushed the lip back into place.
Well, why not give it a go... and why not post pics :) And why not send me money and miniatures. Why not indeed?
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The Bigger they come...
Labels:
Chaos,
Pointless Rant,
Tutorials
I love the citadel giant. Its one of the best miniatures of all time, and a delightful model kit. Yes. Thats me... talking about a modern citadel product in good terms.
No, I am feeling quite well.
I also happen to think Jes Goodwin is hitting balls out of the park with his new look Cennobite/ Green goblin inspired Dark Eldaer... the most Rogue Trader looking things ever. Shame they are "finecast" aerobars.
On my unassembled modern model pile is a set of aquatic trolls, Dark Eldar Wyches (what a kit!) and a plague cart. I am soooo tempted to grab some more giant kits. Love, love, love.
Anyway, the problem with giants, as so finely demonstrated by all the undercoated but not painted giants at Cancon and MOAB, is that they scare the crap out of you. How do you even begin to paint something that big? That much detail?
My giant was assembled on my birthday, hours after I unwrapped it (bless my wife, having to go into a games workshop store and beat away the frothers and gawping depressed tweens ("look, a girl... in a game store... WHAT DO WE DO????"). Anyway, that giant, so hurriedly and lovingly assembled sat on my shelf ever since... grey and plastic and daunting.
The trick to painting your giant is to pick up a brush and put some paint on it. Before you know it, a few hours have passed and your done. Ignore White Dwarf... their tutorials always focus on perfecting and shading each part before moving onto the next... great for teaching- but not for marathon paint jobs, psychologically and practically. In the old days, the trick was to finish all your base colours first, then shade, then highlight. That way, your figure feels like its progressing, and if you accidentally slip when slapping on the base colors, you don't wreck a nicely finished section.
I would go further and say before detailing, whack on some varnish... that gives you a few seconds to wipe off mistakes. Plus, as the pictures in this blog attests, you can game with partially shaded models. Most of the figures in these photos are just colour glazed over a grey undercoat thats been drybrushed white and hit with badab black. Passable gaming in minutes! Sure, I then go over the top with more subtle glazes and highlights, often repainting whole areas... but its super thin, so no build up of paint.
Anyway, got the giant to a gaming standard... which means I have to fix up a lot of details, but pretty happy with the fact I got through him. It actually did not take much longer than doing a regular mini... you just need a bigger brush!
Now, I have that Tom Meier Forgotton realms beastie to tackle next on my 'big things that hang around my shelves for aaaaaaagggggeeesss.' Remember Dave, just pick up the brush and start....
No, I am feeling quite well.
I also happen to think Jes Goodwin is hitting balls out of the park with his new look Cennobite/ Green goblin inspired Dark Eldaer... the most Rogue Trader looking things ever. Shame they are "finecast" aerobars.
On my unassembled modern model pile is a set of aquatic trolls, Dark Eldar Wyches (what a kit!) and a plague cart. I am soooo tempted to grab some more giant kits. Love, love, love.
 |
| Citadel Giant and classic Elric (Jes Goodwin) |
My giant was assembled on my birthday, hours after I unwrapped it (bless my wife, having to go into a games workshop store and beat away the frothers and gawping depressed tweens ("look, a girl... in a game store... WHAT DO WE DO????"). Anyway, that giant, so hurriedly and lovingly assembled sat on my shelf ever since... grey and plastic and daunting.
 |
| Kaylee and Svala from Hasslefree (Kev White), Jes Goodwin Elric, Chaos Champion. Bob Naismith Chaos Champion conversion with head from modern Chaos Sorcerer |
I would go further and say before detailing, whack on some varnish... that gives you a few seconds to wipe off mistakes. Plus, as the pictures in this blog attests, you can game with partially shaded models. Most of the figures in these photos are just colour glazed over a grey undercoat thats been drybrushed white and hit with badab black. Passable gaming in minutes! Sure, I then go over the top with more subtle glazes and highlights, often repainting whole areas... but its super thin, so no build up of paint.
Anyway, got the giant to a gaming standard... which means I have to fix up a lot of details, but pretty happy with the fact I got through him. It actually did not take much longer than doing a regular mini... you just need a bigger brush!
Now, I have that Tom Meier Forgotton realms beastie to tackle next on my 'big things that hang around my shelves for aaaaaaagggggeeesss.' Remember Dave, just pick up the brush and start....
 |
| Skulldred mayhem! Another Bob Naismith Chaos warrior needing to reload Grom from Groms goblins guards in backdrop, about to be lynched by a Perry Bros female chaos warrior Citadel Fantasy Specials Dead Adventurer in foreground |
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Quick tip: Brilliant budget shields
Labels:
Tutorials
I have been looking around at the selection of shields available on the net, and have not really been very excited by the options. Its on my list of Bederken must-do products (its a big list), but for now I have a bunch of minis needing something to cover up their ugly bumps. I mean the ones on their wrists. You know. Where the shields are supposed to go.
Got a great solution today. Thumb tacks plus copper washers. Allow me to illustrate.
A dab of superglue, a quick snip and I have a perfect greek style shield just begging to be painted with funky retro iconography. The nice thing about these is they automatically come complete with a pin to firmly attach them onto the shield boss. All I need to do is drill a small hole and I have the most firmly attached shield you could possibly wish for!
Oh, and of course I have the means to make hundreds for a few bucks.
This works really well for my Macdeath Skirmish project as these shields exactly match the artwork for the Knights of Harkness shields! Bingo.
Got a great solution today. Thumb tacks plus copper washers. Allow me to illustrate.
 |
| Shields. 5 bucks for frikkin hundreds |
Oh, and of course I have the means to make hundreds for a few bucks.
This works really well for my Macdeath Skirmish project as these shields exactly match the artwork for the Knights of Harkness shields! Bingo.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Tutorial: Making mini sculpting tools
Labels:
Tutorials
My heat shrink came in the mail today, so I finished upgrading my sculpting tools to the level of 'reet propa like'.
Here are some snapparoonies for you to glare at.
So here's what you need...
First cut the dowel into a comfortable size. Nick out a wedge where your thumb rests- this will help orient the tool in your hand- so you can 'feel' if your holding it in the right direction. I hold my pencils weird- crossing my index finger over the top- have done since a child. Weird, but comfortable for me. That means everyone will find my set of tools a bit strange to hold. Serves them right for nicking them in the first place.
Its also a good idea to whittle down the tips into a taper- the thickness of the dowel allows your hand to relax whilst holding the tool- but the thick end blocks viability somewhat.
Next drill a hold in each end to hold the paperclip. As I use paperclips to pin minis, I had the exact size of bit (#69). My tools are double tipped- saving digging around on the desk for the tool I want- if your prone to poking yourself in the eye, maybe go down the other route.
The paperclips are straightened, and I run a diamond file over the surface to be stuck to give the superglue a bit of purchase. Once fixed in the hole, I set to work on the tips.
You can hammer out the ends if you want a wide tool- but I prefer to use jumbo paper clips, as they are much sturdier. The galeforce 9 diamond files are excellent, and will make short work of the metal. Finally, polish up the surface with extremely fine wet and dry paper. Its important to get a totally smooth finish- any roughness at this stage will cause your tool to rip your putty.
The last step is to make the grips. This is done with heat shrink- available from electrician supplies. You need some a few mm wider than your dowel. Simply slip the heat shrink over the dowel and wave over a heat source, such as a gas stove to make the sleeve fit. A couple of layers will make a nice grip. I grabbed a mixed pack with six colors- and color coded all my tools.
Now the paperclip metal is quite strong and will last a while. You will have to keep sanding your tools to take off dried putty- so all tools will eventually wear out. No problems- ten minutes and a fresh paperclip and your back in action.
When leaving your tools for a while, wrap the tips in an oil rag to prevent rusting.
The next step is to find some clear rubber hosepipe from an aquarium supply that fits the ends. Cut this up to make protective sleeves for your tips- now your mobile baby!
I really love my new tools, and wish I had thought of doing this earlier. Thanks to Victoria Lamb for showing me the tools she got from Gencon!
Here are some snapparoonies for you to glare at.
 |
| Pokey things wot to poketh da putty wiv. |
So here's what you need...
 |
| Ingredients: Heat shrink, dowel, paperclips Tools: Saw, file, pin vice, superglue and sandpaper |
First cut the dowel into a comfortable size. Nick out a wedge where your thumb rests- this will help orient the tool in your hand- so you can 'feel' if your holding it in the right direction. I hold my pencils weird- crossing my index finger over the top- have done since a child. Weird, but comfortable for me. That means everyone will find my set of tools a bit strange to hold. Serves them right for nicking them in the first place.
Its also a good idea to whittle down the tips into a taper- the thickness of the dowel allows your hand to relax whilst holding the tool- but the thick end blocks viability somewhat.
Next drill a hold in each end to hold the paperclip. As I use paperclips to pin minis, I had the exact size of bit (#69). My tools are double tipped- saving digging around on the desk for the tool I want- if your prone to poking yourself in the eye, maybe go down the other route.
The paperclips are straightened, and I run a diamond file over the surface to be stuck to give the superglue a bit of purchase. Once fixed in the hole, I set to work on the tips.
You can hammer out the ends if you want a wide tool- but I prefer to use jumbo paper clips, as they are much sturdier. The galeforce 9 diamond files are excellent, and will make short work of the metal. Finally, polish up the surface with extremely fine wet and dry paper. Its important to get a totally smooth finish- any roughness at this stage will cause your tool to rip your putty.
The last step is to make the grips. This is done with heat shrink- available from electrician supplies. You need some a few mm wider than your dowel. Simply slip the heat shrink over the dowel and wave over a heat source, such as a gas stove to make the sleeve fit. A couple of layers will make a nice grip. I grabbed a mixed pack with six colors- and color coded all my tools.
Now the paperclip metal is quite strong and will last a while. You will have to keep sanding your tools to take off dried putty- so all tools will eventually wear out. No problems- ten minutes and a fresh paperclip and your back in action.
When leaving your tools for a while, wrap the tips in an oil rag to prevent rusting.
The next step is to find some clear rubber hosepipe from an aquarium supply that fits the ends. Cut this up to make protective sleeves for your tips- now your mobile baby!
I really love my new tools, and wish I had thought of doing this earlier. Thanks to Victoria Lamb for showing me the tools she got from Gencon!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Frugal fruits of the foamy forrest: Making foliage for a couple of bucks
You know those times when your standing in the hobby store and you have that tub of scenic material and you know you really, really need it for your project but you just can't shake that little voice in your head that says 'Well gee willikers Mister, that's just a load of shredded foam they painted green - and by-golly thats just some sawdust dyed yellow.' Yeah. My inner monologue sounds like a 1950's TV kid. Wanna make something of it?
I wanted to make something of it. I wanted to make my own. And golly gosh, gee... I did.
 |
| 50c of cheapass gamer |
Step 1: Rip up the foam into chunks. Pop it in the blender and give it a few whizzes to get it into inch sized bits.
Step 2: Take a screw lid pot, stuff in a little foam and add water. Squeeze and stir in enough cheap craft paints to make about twenty citadel pots worth up. Use the foam chunks to be your color guide- it will lighten up a tad, but not much. Alternatively buy a can of house paint from the store- you can get their little computer to match a sample you already have.
Step 3: Lay out a protective sheet of plastic in a warm, sunlit place. Put some newspaper down on top of that. Make sure there are no breezes or pets in your chosen location.
Step 4: Stir in the foam chunks a handful at a time using an old kitchen utensil that has holes in it (a strainer is ideal). Press the chunks against the sides to take out most of the paint without discoloring, then lift the batch onto the paper. You want the paint to thickly coat the foam, so that it hardens when it sets.
Step 5: Screw the paint lid down and store away for your next session. Clean your tools, then go off and do something less boring instead. Leave the foam for at least 24 hours to dry. You can try using a hair dryer to speed up the process, but only if you want green paint and tiny bits of foam everywhere in your house.
Step 6: The foam should be crunchy dry now. Grab that old grinder and pop the pieces back in for another whizz. Now its crunchy, the blades will make a much finer job of shredding it up. Make a few batches up of different sizes and mix them together for your final batch to add some natural variety.
Do not use the grinder for coffee now. Well, hell, I am not going to stop you... its a free world after all (and if not free, certainly a lot cheaper world with this technique). The coffee would taste like Starbucks if you did. Always switch off a grinder before poking around inside it, even with a utensil, and never blame wargaming bloggers for dismemberment.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Asgard, Hasslefree, Rarities and my new 30mm Ply Bases
Labels:
Asgard,
Converting,
Goblinoids,
Hasslefree,
Limited Editions,
Tutorials
I got a few hours to base up and partially paint Hasslefree minis Svala and dynamic kaylee-For one of my Skulldred demo game warbands (aka the orange team!). Kev White, as usual, rocks my socks with two awesome figures, understated details, fluid, dynamic and paintable as heckaroonie on a stick. Yep, well worth your cash - get em here.
I lightly converted Kaylee, shaving off her chaos symbol and replacing it with a grinning monster face, as well as adding extra fabric to her arms to give more space for her team colours. All this was done with greenstuff. I then decked out her base with mushrooms, creepers and leaves to make use of all the new space on my BRAND NEW BASES!!!!
So the story with my bases is that I really needed some extra room around my figures so they dont bump up against each other in gameplay. I also like decorating them, so having the extra room is great. I made a bunch of lipped deep dish bases, since I hate the way you cannot pick up lipped bases, but have had issues with leeching oils through the resin- clearly my resin is out of date :(
I decided to try out some laser cut 30mm ply discs and you know, I love them! I am sorely tempted to move my whole collection across to them now.
What can I say? Cheap, roomy, easy to pick up, easy to modify, light, have a little bounce to protect the figure, soak black paint up so they chip black, and look the business. At 30mm, they are the exact same footprint as Malifaux or Warmachine bases, but without the annoying lip. You know, I am totally sold on this. Very surprised, considering my experience with plywood bases for HotT has been less than spectacular.
The figures shown are all part way through painting, really needing neatening up and a bit more shading. The next ones are even more WIP...
So you can see the raw wooden bases onto which I have mounted some dead sexy rare citadel gems- including the 'other' black dwarf (see my earlier posts for the Jes Goodwin masterpiece from Asgard).
The only pain with the ply bases is that the laser scoring around the edge needs sanding off. I found if you use two grits- course to get the lines off and a really fine to polish it really shiney, it looks just like plastic once painted. Using a diluted chaos black wash allowed the paint to soak in- making the base absorb the paint deeply and so it chips to black- which will keep my collection looking a little less played with hopefully. The underside, being perfectly flat, also looks nice when you flip a model on its side too- no ugly slottabase grooves.
I do worry about acids from sap in the plywood leeching into the model and causing leadrot. A few really old models I have prised off wooden bases show damage where they contact the wood. I have kept a thin layer of epoxy around the figures to protect them, and sealed the surface with superglue here and there. That ought'a hold it.
I think its about time citadel allowed 30mm bases for 40k- the models have scale creep'ed to a point where they could really do with the extra stability and protection. Don't you agree?
 |
| Hasslefree Svala and Kaylee (converted) WIP paint jobs |
I lightly converted Kaylee, shaving off her chaos symbol and replacing it with a grinning monster face, as well as adding extra fabric to her arms to give more space for her team colours. All this was done with greenstuff. I then decked out her base with mushrooms, creepers and leaves to make use of all the new space on my BRAND NEW BASES!!!!
So the story with my bases is that I really needed some extra room around my figures so they dont bump up against each other in gameplay. I also like decorating them, so having the extra room is great. I made a bunch of lipped deep dish bases, since I hate the way you cannot pick up lipped bases, but have had issues with leeching oils through the resin- clearly my resin is out of date :(
I decided to try out some laser cut 30mm ply discs and you know, I love them! I am sorely tempted to move my whole collection across to them now.
What can I say? Cheap, roomy, easy to pick up, easy to modify, light, have a little bounce to protect the figure, soak black paint up so they chip black, and look the business. At 30mm, they are the exact same footprint as Malifaux or Warmachine bases, but without the annoying lip. You know, I am totally sold on this. Very surprised, considering my experience with plywood bases for HotT has been less than spectacular.
 | |
| Converted Hasslefree Kaylee framed with some Asgard gems- Lizard man and Poisonous Stalker Kaylee's shield sculpted by me. All Work in progress paint jobs. | . |
 |
| Kaylee vs. Lizardman wips - playin' Skulldred, naturally! The lizardmans pokerchip base gives me room to sculpt a torn apart adventurer using procreate. |
 |
| Citadel WF6 Aggressive Aardvark, LE-4 The Black Dwarf and DL2 Hobgoblin shaman Primed and ready to be drooled over. |
The only pain with the ply bases is that the laser scoring around the edge needs sanding off. I found if you use two grits- course to get the lines off and a really fine to polish it really shiney, it looks just like plastic once painted. Using a diluted chaos black wash allowed the paint to soak in- making the base absorb the paint deeply and so it chips to black- which will keep my collection looking a little less played with hopefully. The underside, being perfectly flat, also looks nice when you flip a model on its side too- no ugly slottabase grooves.
I do worry about acids from sap in the plywood leeching into the model and causing leadrot. A few really old models I have prised off wooden bases show damage where they contact the wood. I have kept a thin layer of epoxy around the figures to protect them, and sealed the surface with superglue here and there. That ought'a hold it.
I think its about time citadel allowed 30mm bases for 40k- the models have scale creep'ed to a point where they could really do with the extra stability and protection. Don't you agree?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Declutter your studio. Declutter your mind.
Labels:
Pointless Rant,
Tutorials
I have been trying to sculpt in a very cramped, very dusty room- and yesterday it suddenly got to me. I snapped. I had to do something, right then and there. A massive clean up started at 2pm and went through to the wee hours. However, unlike my previous attempts at cleaning (think Scott Pilgrim drying his hands), this was a controlled attack based on strategies garnered from a declutter your life book my wife bought to help dig herself out of our dining/library/sewing/piles of random crap room (easily confused with our bedroom/library/piles of random crap room).
The thing I wanted to share in this episode is a few tips on clutter and the psychological, nay, spiritual impact of filing away unpainted minis.
Triage
I first went through my shelves and picked out the unpainted and unstripped figures onto a tray. Anything still to be stripped of paint was taken out of the collection and put into a tray ready for the dettol jars. All unpainted minis where bagged by category and set aside.
Tip of doom 1:
I then created a filing cabinet (of sorts) for my Lead Pile.
I took two clear stackable storage tubs and divided them into two with foamcore. The tubs where then broken down with divider cards, and all my minis where bagged, tagged and entered into the correct slot. Look at all those little cards! Fiend Factory, Fantasy Adventurers, Lotr, Paranoia, Rogue Trader, Chaos, Things with Big Heads from Bob Olley, Jes Goodwin Ogres, AD&D - ahhh, the deep, strange enjoyment a mini collector you probably understand.
The good thing is now I can quickly flip to a section and check to see what I have already got- I have been plagued with doubles of late. Seriously, part of my brain says I do not own a female night horrors vampire. I just keep buying her!
Side note: Space farers- what's with the sudden ebay rush this week? Months go by, not a single one, then boom- the entire lot every way you like- painted, job lot and still in bag- your choice of these teeny, tiny little sci fi kitch range!
I store my minis in plastic baggies- NEVER store old figures in wooden or cardboard boxes- sometimes these have acids in them, over time these react with the lead in the figure and you got yourself a lead rot nightmare situation.
Tip of doom 2:
I then blue tacked my figures to black pieces of foamcore and board all cut to 3x6inches. This allowed me to pick up my whole display collection, dust it and move it from shelf to shelf in batches of 24. A large nylon painters brush for the figures, a damp cloth for the shelves. Again, no cleaning products- lead rot is such a curse!
Tip of doom 3:
Box of doom. When de-cluttering, and this tips a corker, rather than moving stuff around endlessly, just carry a box around with you. Anything that does not belong on the place your working on goes into the box. This stops you endlessly circling junk around. This is the best tip ever for me!
Tip 4:
Be merciless. Little bits you have been meaning to use for scenery, scraps of material, weird tools from gameforce you never actually use... paint pots with a little bit left- just a little.... screw all that its time to ditch them. You got minis to paint and need that mental energy.
The Dust settles on the aftermath...
The net result of this onslaught is two shelves of neat, painted minis and a floor I can actually see. That's the physical difference. The mental difference is suddenly I do not have a thousand unfinished projects glaring at me from every corner of my studio nibbling at my mind. What I now have is a neatly boxed collection, and a display of finished, and mostly finished figures. Clean. Zen. Achievable.
Tonight I am going to hoover the ever living crap out of the studio and finally transfer the remaining citadel paints into Reaper bottles and ditch the containers.
Once I have the LAM mutants finished its back to Kingsminis business as usual- pictures of old school figures tickled with a hairy stick!
Go on. You know its time to clean your studio.
The thing I wanted to share in this episode is a few tips on clutter and the psychological, nay, spiritual impact of filing away unpainted minis.
Triage
I first went through my shelves and picked out the unpainted and unstripped figures onto a tray. Anything still to be stripped of paint was taken out of the collection and put into a tray ready for the dettol jars. All unpainted minis where bagged by category and set aside.
Tip of doom 1:
I then created a filing cabinet (of sorts) for my Lead Pile.
I took two clear stackable storage tubs and divided them into two with foamcore. The tubs where then broken down with divider cards, and all my minis where bagged, tagged and entered into the correct slot. Look at all those little cards! Fiend Factory, Fantasy Adventurers, Lotr, Paranoia, Rogue Trader, Chaos, Things with Big Heads from Bob Olley, Jes Goodwin Ogres, AD&D - ahhh, the deep, strange enjoyment a mini collector you probably understand.
The good thing is now I can quickly flip to a section and check to see what I have already got- I have been plagued with doubles of late. Seriously, part of my brain says I do not own a female night horrors vampire. I just keep buying her!
Side note: Space farers- what's with the sudden ebay rush this week? Months go by, not a single one, then boom- the entire lot every way you like- painted, job lot and still in bag- your choice of these teeny, tiny little sci fi kitch range!
I store my minis in plastic baggies- NEVER store old figures in wooden or cardboard boxes- sometimes these have acids in them, over time these react with the lead in the figure and you got yourself a lead rot nightmare situation.
Tip of doom 2:
I then blue tacked my figures to black pieces of foamcore and board all cut to 3x6inches. This allowed me to pick up my whole display collection, dust it and move it from shelf to shelf in batches of 24. A large nylon painters brush for the figures, a damp cloth for the shelves. Again, no cleaning products- lead rot is such a curse!
Tip of doom 3:
Box of doom. When de-cluttering, and this tips a corker, rather than moving stuff around endlessly, just carry a box around with you. Anything that does not belong on the place your working on goes into the box. This stops you endlessly circling junk around. This is the best tip ever for me!
Tip 4:
Be merciless. Little bits you have been meaning to use for scenery, scraps of material, weird tools from gameforce you never actually use... paint pots with a little bit left- just a little.... screw all that its time to ditch them. You got minis to paint and need that mental energy.
The Dust settles on the aftermath...
The net result of this onslaught is two shelves of neat, painted minis and a floor I can actually see. That's the physical difference. The mental difference is suddenly I do not have a thousand unfinished projects glaring at me from every corner of my studio nibbling at my mind. What I now have is a neatly boxed collection, and a display of finished, and mostly finished figures. Clean. Zen. Achievable.
Tonight I am going to hoover the ever living crap out of the studio and finally transfer the remaining citadel paints into Reaper bottles and ditch the containers.
Once I have the LAM mutants finished its back to Kingsminis business as usual- pictures of old school figures tickled with a hairy stick!
Go on. You know its time to clean your studio.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
15mm madness, Stick Putty, Kill Team Charlie Update
Labels:
15mm,
Dungeon,
PostApoc,
Rogue Trader,
Tutorials
So now a break from the normal, after another food allergy related fit of insomnia, I went to the light side of minis and attacked some 15mm scale figures I have had sitting around forever- and you know, darn it, I really, really love 15mm figures! When they are well sculpted, they are total gaming joy. Nil time commitment, no fussing over details and repainting, basing and converting takes minutes- you can pack your whole game in a lunch box!
At about 2 am, I decided sleep was not going to be an option, and decided to go play with the stick putty I got recently. Stick putty is a new product from procreate, and its supposed to glue together minis. I tried it on a Ral Partha Djinn, and it does work to this end quite well- about as strong as superglue. However I probably wont use it for this purpose much - its just begging for basing and armatures! Why? It has a 5 minute cure time. Yes! Five minutes from mix to a firm, but flexible set. And its utterly brilliant for filling and gripping minis to bases, and blocking out mini armatures. I will be buying lots of this stuff.
Once set, you can tear up any left overs it to get nice ruined concrete effects for bases- so there is no wastage.
Now if you think its going to replace your sculpting medium, think again- five minutes is just too short to do much work, so cut off small amounts (I use artists palette knife) and do it in stages. Now if you mount on washers, procreate stick putty is your beotch! It fills the hole and sticks the model onto the surface, and rounds the edges so your scatter does not show that little integral base give away that makes some armies look crappy.
Now the down sides. It smells awful for starters. Keep the clam shell it came in to save your nostrils. I am not allergic to epoxy putty usually- milliput, that little rascal has no perceivable effect on me- however this stuff is nasty. As part of the test, I used bare skin. My palms have been itching like mad all day. Short story- wear gloves.
I decided to base up my post apocalypse road outlaws, and if sleep denied me after that, paint them I managed to greyscale two packs, but only painted two- but it was delightful! Definitely going to build a post apocalypse game board when I have some time. By the way, if you want to be able to write little names on the side of a 15mm base, paint a white stripe, then using a 0.005 technical pen, etch in the negative space of the letters. Far easier than trying to paint the letter strokes.
I feel I am getting much better at 15mm- my first attempt was for a small Gauntlet style dungeon bash... I grabbed these minis from 15mm.com. They need some baddies to fight now- but I have yet to find anything that floats my boat- it may be time for Bederken to release some 15mm!
For my 15mm I decided to use non metallic metals and work up strong contrast, so they pop off the table.
If you have been wondering about my other projects, Kill Team Charlie has progressed a little since last I posted, though I just have not had the time to clear my sculpting desk to get the hyperbowl bases cast up- so its stalled until I finish the Lead Adventure Mutant Sculpts (which, btw, are soooo going to be part of this game set once I have finished).
Here are some work...
For those who missed earlier posts, these classic C100 space marines are mounted onto home made custom resin bases featuring a modular detail insert. The actual outer base forms a deep bowl for scenic features such as deep puddles, hatches etc- and the sides have been extended so you can easily pick up the model by the base. The bowl has been widened to fit a 10c coin, which is what I sculpt all my inserts on. The whole lot is cast in resin. I only have one polished and finished here, the others are pretty crude at this stage.
The Kill Team features mostly natural C100, and converted C100 models (20 odd at the moment), some early rogue trader era figures and a host of scratch built and converted figures from Reaper and Hasslefree- do check out the earlier posts!
I am also moving my Judge Dredd collection onto the same basing system- but thats way off in the future!
Hope you enjoy these!
At about 2 am, I decided sleep was not going to be an option, and decided to go play with the stick putty I got recently. Stick putty is a new product from procreate, and its supposed to glue together minis. I tried it on a Ral Partha Djinn, and it does work to this end quite well- about as strong as superglue. However I probably wont use it for this purpose much - its just begging for basing and armatures! Why? It has a 5 minute cure time. Yes! Five minutes from mix to a firm, but flexible set. And its utterly brilliant for filling and gripping minis to bases, and blocking out mini armatures. I will be buying lots of this stuff.
 |
| 5 minutes. 5 freaking minutes. Awesome. |
Once set, you can tear up any left overs it to get nice ruined concrete effects for bases- so there is no wastage.
Now if you think its going to replace your sculpting medium, think again- five minutes is just too short to do much work, so cut off small amounts (I use artists palette knife) and do it in stages. Now if you mount on washers, procreate stick putty is your beotch! It fills the hole and sticks the model onto the surface, and rounds the edges so your scatter does not show that little integral base give away that makes some armies look crappy.
Now the down sides. It smells awful for starters. Keep the clam shell it came in to save your nostrils. I am not allergic to epoxy putty usually- milliput, that little rascal has no perceivable effect on me- however this stuff is nasty. As part of the test, I used bare skin. My palms have been itching like mad all day. Short story- wear gloves.
I decided to base up my post apocalypse road outlaws, and if sleep denied me after that, paint them I managed to greyscale two packs, but only painted two- but it was delightful! Definitely going to build a post apocalypse game board when I have some time. By the way, if you want to be able to write little names on the side of a 15mm base, paint a white stripe, then using a 0.005 technical pen, etch in the negative space of the letters. Far easier than trying to paint the letter strokes.
 |
| Khurasan Road Outlaws (15mm scale) |
For my 15mm I decided to use non metallic metals and work up strong contrast, so they pop off the table.
 |
| 15mm.com dungeoneers. In... er... 15mm scale. Strangely. |
If you have been wondering about my other projects, Kill Team Charlie has progressed a little since last I posted, though I just have not had the time to clear my sculpting desk to get the hyperbowl bases cast up- so its stalled until I finish the Lead Adventure Mutant Sculpts (which, btw, are soooo going to be part of this game set once I have finished).
Here are some work...
 |
| Kill Team Charlie progress continues! C100 forever! |
The Kill Team features mostly natural C100, and converted C100 models (20 odd at the moment), some early rogue trader era figures and a host of scratch built and converted figures from Reaper and Hasslefree- do check out the earlier posts!
I am also moving my Judge Dredd collection onto the same basing system- but thats way off in the future!
Hope you enjoy these!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Unkillable cheap scenery
So, dear reader, I am a gamer cursed with no suppliers of that dense pink foam everyone uses to make scenery. Being Australia, the land of the robber barons, it would probably cost a fair packet to0. But I no longer care- I have found a technique to make UNKILLABLE scenery from recycled expanded polystyrene. Free from any household buying a plasma screen in your neighbourhood.
The problem with styrene is that it has no strength. Apply any weight to it and it will snap. Drop a metal mini on it, and it will dent. That, and it looks like crap when you paint it. It does. Stop doing it. Thats an order.
To fix the first problem, I turn my styrene into super sized, super cheap foamcore by sandwiching it between two sheets of paper using PVA glue and pressing it under heavy books overnight. This distributes the energy across the whole surface and makes it really hard to snap. To make larger pieces of scenery, I first sculpt them using a foam wirecutter (a must have tool) and assemble them using cocktail sticks to pin the layers together. Once I am happy with the cut, I mark the edges with a pen so I can align them again, take them apart and sandwich them individually. Finally I reassemble with PVA glue and wooden skewers to add strength.
To fix the problem of denting and overall look crapness, I use the holy grail of mini scenery making.
Pollyfilla Woodflex. Oh yeah.
Now woodflex is not as cheap as whacking sand into PVA glue, but the results are so, so much better.
Woodflex does not crack or flake, is slightly rubbery and has a perfect texture for stone, mud and rock straight out of the tub. Not having sand glued to the surface means its less likely to sandpaper off your paint job too. It forms a rubbery skin over the surface that will distribute any force across the whole model- so no dents or snapping!
I thin mine down using demineralised water. I use a palette knife to smear mine on. Leave it ten minutes, then shape it. Leave it over night to dry.
If you want to get some brickwork effects I suggest a two step approach. Do a base coat and use a damp sponge to stipple down the surfae, let that dry overnight to form a tough skin. Applying a second thick coat, give it fifteen minutes to dry then score in the brickwork or cracks. Use the sponge again to tamp down the scratchy lines and give a natural effect. The stairs in the next picture are unpainted, but you can see its a great look.
The polyflex gives a great rocky look, and forms a skin that protects the polystyrene. Its a really cost effective way to make unkillable gaming scenery. More pics of my finished gaming tables later on! With luck I may have a Skulldred table at CANCON or MOAB with some pretty scenery.
Hope that helps... comments as usual below.
The problem with styrene is that it has no strength. Apply any weight to it and it will snap. Drop a metal mini on it, and it will dent. That, and it looks like crap when you paint it. It does. Stop doing it. Thats an order.
To fix the first problem, I turn my styrene into super sized, super cheap foamcore by sandwiching it between two sheets of paper using PVA glue and pressing it under heavy books overnight. This distributes the energy across the whole surface and makes it really hard to snap. To make larger pieces of scenery, I first sculpt them using a foam wirecutter (a must have tool) and assemble them using cocktail sticks to pin the layers together. Once I am happy with the cut, I mark the edges with a pen so I can align them again, take them apart and sandwich them individually. Finally I reassemble with PVA glue and wooden skewers to add strength.
To fix the problem of denting and overall look crapness, I use the holy grail of mini scenery making.
Pollyfilla Woodflex. Oh yeah.
 |
| King's Un-killable combo. |
Now woodflex is not as cheap as whacking sand into PVA glue, but the results are so, so much better.
Woodflex does not crack or flake, is slightly rubbery and has a perfect texture for stone, mud and rock straight out of the tub. Not having sand glued to the surface means its less likely to sandpaper off your paint job too. It forms a rubbery skin over the surface that will distribute any force across the whole model- so no dents or snapping!
I thin mine down using demineralised water. I use a palette knife to smear mine on. Leave it ten minutes, then shape it. Leave it over night to dry.
If you want to get some brickwork effects I suggest a two step approach. Do a base coat and use a damp sponge to stipple down the surfae, let that dry overnight to form a tough skin. Applying a second thick coat, give it fifteen minutes to dry then score in the brickwork or cracks. Use the sponge again to tamp down the scratchy lines and give a natural effect. The stairs in the next picture are unpainted, but you can see its a great look.
 |
| Citadel 1980's Runequest duck. Converted Reaper 'Callie' female rogue and Converted Citadel 1980's AD&D Female Thief |
Hope that helps... comments as usual below.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Polish my knob(blar)
Actually its a lizardman, but I love a pun.
Here is a wonderful old Lizardman model I picked up from Ebay. Blackened with age, its ideal to show off just how good blu-tac is for cleaning tarnish. I set aside a chunk of tac that I only use for cleaning minis- because you dont want this crap on your wallpaper. Its not effortless, but the results are great.
 |
| Blu-tac to the rescue |
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Cheap dry erase Gaming Board
Labels:
Tutorials
One of the D&D dungeon boards I tried recently was a home cooked dry erase board and my prototype works really well.
I made mine out of 3mm thick MDF because its sturdy enough to take a knocking from players, deep enough to get your fingers under and has the benefit of being able to be lifted and moved with the miniatures still on it. Great for when you walk off the end of one board, and need to place another tile.
Basically grab some 3mm thick MDF and cut it into exact square pieces- small enough to fit in your gaming bag or minis case. You want this to measure a multiple of your game grid- so something like 10"x10" if your doing D&D scale- or if you use modern lipped 'warmachine' bases- go with a 3cm grid (30x30cm). I prefer 3 cm myself as it gives minis with outstretched swords a little room. Less scratching.
The next step is really what sets the board apart- besides the price. Grab some cheap craft acrylic paints and paint it up to look all dungeon-ey, grassy or ye olde parchment-y. Whatever. If your crap at painting, you can spray glue a print out of a textured surface instead. After you draw your grid on with something like a Sharpie (though I suggest painting on soft grey lines instead so you can see the dry erase lines clearly)- simply laminate the surface using a roll of sticky book cover laminate. This takes a little practice to get right- but a few air bubbles won't be a problem.
Because the grid is under the laminate, the lines will never rub off. You also don't have to worry about scoring grid lines- which I can tell you now is a real bitch of a job.
Once I am finished my reversible game board will have cost no more than 20 bucks Australian to make. For that I got 9 10 x 10 grid double sided dry erase boards. Nice.
Another handy tip- if you accidentally put permanent marker on a dry erase board, scribble over it with a whiteboard marker. You should be able to wipe it off.
Ciao.
I made mine out of 3mm thick MDF because its sturdy enough to take a knocking from players, deep enough to get your fingers under and has the benefit of being able to be lifted and moved with the miniatures still on it. Great for when you walk off the end of one board, and need to place another tile.
Basically grab some 3mm thick MDF and cut it into exact square pieces- small enough to fit in your gaming bag or minis case. You want this to measure a multiple of your game grid- so something like 10"x10" if your doing D&D scale- or if you use modern lipped 'warmachine' bases- go with a 3cm grid (30x30cm). I prefer 3 cm myself as it gives minis with outstretched swords a little room. Less scratching.
The next step is really what sets the board apart- besides the price. Grab some cheap craft acrylic paints and paint it up to look all dungeon-ey, grassy or ye olde parchment-y. Whatever. If your crap at painting, you can spray glue a print out of a textured surface instead. After you draw your grid on with something like a Sharpie (though I suggest painting on soft grey lines instead so you can see the dry erase lines clearly)- simply laminate the surface using a roll of sticky book cover laminate. This takes a little practice to get right- but a few air bubbles won't be a problem.
Because the grid is under the laminate, the lines will never rub off. You also don't have to worry about scoring grid lines- which I can tell you now is a real bitch of a job.
Once I am finished my reversible game board will have cost no more than 20 bucks Australian to make. For that I got 9 10 x 10 grid double sided dry erase boards. Nice.
Another handy tip- if you accidentally put permanent marker on a dry erase board, scribble over it with a whiteboard marker. You should be able to wipe it off.
Ciao.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Stripping paint off minis
Labels:
Tutorials
I strip my minis using Dettol. Its safe, easy to use and cheap- and it does an awesome job. The other bonus is the caps are handy for blue-tac'ing figures to when you need to handle them. I simply stuff my figures into old glass coffee jars, top them up with dettol and leave them for a day or two. You can actually leave them in for a few months with no problem, and its probably a good way to protect them whilst your getting around to painting them.
Do use cheap heavy duty rubber gloves when come to brush off the paint, as the sludge is very sticky andno matter how much you wash, that Dettol smell hangs about. Enamel paint is a bitch to get off, as it has a high density of color and tends to sludge up your scrubbing brush and leave other figures in the jar tinted- if you get the chance, do these figures in a seperate jar to save scrubbing all your figures like a madman.
Picking needles
After rinsing in warm, soapy water (lead does not rust), the figures are ready for picking over and polishing. I pick over using a thick sewing needle mounted into an old paintbrush handle with milliput. Mount your needles so most of it is in the handle, and go for thicker needles - thin, long needles run the risk of snapping and pinging up into your eyes.
Since you don't want to scratch the mini- grind down the tips of my needle a bit. Also, hold the picker loosely using as little pressure as possible hook out any remaining slivers of paint. Dont worry about the fine stuff, the next tip will save you all that pain.
Blue Tac Ball of Doom
Take a fresh ball of blu-tac (one that that you WONT be using on your rented appartment walls)and scrunge it into the model, twisting it around like a lemon on a juicer. You should find that all that crap gathered in the chainmail is now on the blutac, and your model is polished up on the upper surfaces. Nice trick, huh?
If you have a seriously old model, you may need to consider a dremmel with a soft brush. Read the warnings and be careful- these are not toys yeah?
I managed to save a seriously deteriorated Death Jester and Ninja recently by neautralising the lead rot using a baking soda solution then creaning away the damage with a dremmel. I used a mask and gloves for this, as I do not want lead poisoning. The theory is that acids cause leadrot, and baking soda is alkaline. Works in theory, but I will let you know in a few years if it worked. Stay tuned. :)
Chemical Baths
A highly dangerous manouvre is inducing lead rot by bathing the figure in acid (lemon juice or vinegar), then in baking soda. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. As I understand it, (I get my facts from TMP) what your doing is basically turning the surface of your model into Sugar of Lead- which is absorbed into the body easily and will give you lead poisoning very quickly indeed. Apparently it is deliciously sweet. DONT TASTE IT. The soda will neutralise the corrosion, and the result, I am told is a shiney as new mini. Risky, risky, risky. I would probably consider it to save a $300 ultra rare mini, but I would be throwing away all my gloves and containers if I did.
Smoothing the Surface
So once the figure is stripped down, qite often you will find the surface is a little pocked here and there. You can smooth this out using Milliput grey/green mixed with water. Often called milijuice. Brush it onto the smooth areas, taking care not to get it in any details. Once very close to dry, give the model a polish and later perhaps a bit of a fine sanding and you should have a silky smooth surface to paint on. I tend to do this on exposed skin, like barbarians and trolls, and very old models which tend to be quite roughly sculpted.
Prime and forget
If your lead pile is getting mountainous, prime your freshly cleaned figures before storing. Never store your figures in a wooden or cardboard box- they tend to be mildly acidic. Disposable chinese food containers are also good for storing unpainted minis.
Doh... not another Devourer
One last tip about stripping is to not leave your big jars of minis so long you forget what is in them and buy more. I got most doubles that way, and yep, this week discovered three more I had doubled up on. Tsk. Bad collector. No ebay this week for you.
Thanks
Anyway, this is just a quick post whilst I am having a coffee break. More proper posts with pictures and everything once my new Bederken minis go off to the moulds. Please comment- it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and more like posting up pictures :)
Do use cheap heavy duty rubber gloves when come to brush off the paint, as the sludge is very sticky andno matter how much you wash, that Dettol smell hangs about. Enamel paint is a bitch to get off, as it has a high density of color and tends to sludge up your scrubbing brush and leave other figures in the jar tinted- if you get the chance, do these figures in a seperate jar to save scrubbing all your figures like a madman.
Picking needles
After rinsing in warm, soapy water (lead does not rust), the figures are ready for picking over and polishing. I pick over using a thick sewing needle mounted into an old paintbrush handle with milliput. Mount your needles so most of it is in the handle, and go for thicker needles - thin, long needles run the risk of snapping and pinging up into your eyes.
Since you don't want to scratch the mini- grind down the tips of my needle a bit. Also, hold the picker loosely using as little pressure as possible hook out any remaining slivers of paint. Dont worry about the fine stuff, the next tip will save you all that pain.
Blue Tac Ball of Doom
Take a fresh ball of blu-tac (one that that you WONT be using on your rented appartment walls)and scrunge it into the model, twisting it around like a lemon on a juicer. You should find that all that crap gathered in the chainmail is now on the blutac, and your model is polished up on the upper surfaces. Nice trick, huh?
If you have a seriously old model, you may need to consider a dremmel with a soft brush. Read the warnings and be careful- these are not toys yeah?
I managed to save a seriously deteriorated Death Jester and Ninja recently by neautralising the lead rot using a baking soda solution then creaning away the damage with a dremmel. I used a mask and gloves for this, as I do not want lead poisoning. The theory is that acids cause leadrot, and baking soda is alkaline. Works in theory, but I will let you know in a few years if it worked. Stay tuned. :)
Chemical Baths
A highly dangerous manouvre is inducing lead rot by bathing the figure in acid (lemon juice or vinegar), then in baking soda. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. As I understand it, (I get my facts from TMP) what your doing is basically turning the surface of your model into Sugar of Lead- which is absorbed into the body easily and will give you lead poisoning very quickly indeed. Apparently it is deliciously sweet. DONT TASTE IT. The soda will neutralise the corrosion, and the result, I am told is a shiney as new mini. Risky, risky, risky. I would probably consider it to save a $300 ultra rare mini, but I would be throwing away all my gloves and containers if I did.
Smoothing the Surface
So once the figure is stripped down, qite often you will find the surface is a little pocked here and there. You can smooth this out using Milliput grey/green mixed with water. Often called milijuice. Brush it onto the smooth areas, taking care not to get it in any details. Once very close to dry, give the model a polish and later perhaps a bit of a fine sanding and you should have a silky smooth surface to paint on. I tend to do this on exposed skin, like barbarians and trolls, and very old models which tend to be quite roughly sculpted.
Prime and forget
If your lead pile is getting mountainous, prime your freshly cleaned figures before storing. Never store your figures in a wooden or cardboard box- they tend to be mildly acidic. Disposable chinese food containers are also good for storing unpainted minis.
Doh... not another Devourer
One last tip about stripping is to not leave your big jars of minis so long you forget what is in them and buy more. I got most doubles that way, and yep, this week discovered three more I had doubled up on. Tsk. Bad collector. No ebay this week for you.
Thanks
Anyway, this is just a quick post whilst I am having a coffee break. More proper posts with pictures and everything once my new Bederken minis go off to the moulds. Please comment- it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and more like posting up pictures :)
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Basing part 2- a how to guide.
Labels:
Tutorials
I got asked how I do my bases. It surprises me cause I think mine are pretty much functional and crappy. However, your wish is my command.
I went for a classic 1980's finish for my figures based between Phil Lewis and Kevin Adams style. I wanted robust bases that could withstand gaming, and be dustable. That ruled soft flock out- which always looks shitty several years down the track as it flakes off and greys with dust. My color inspiration comes from the sales poster for the Citadel Monster Paint Starter Set- which showed very yellow green grass on Skragg the Slaughterer and his goblin pals. Nice.
ATTACHING THE BASE
First, prime the tab. Yes the bonds weaker, as your glueing paint not directly to the model, but I am told it will protect the figure from lead rot- especially if the PVA glue or basing material is acidic. When gluing a figure together you want the contact points raw for maximum bonding, but when your holding the figure on the base, it does not matter so much. Leaving a relatively weak bond to the base gives you the option to crack off the old base and refresh it in years to come. This is why I use more expensive, rubbery putties such as green stuff and procreate to build up bases around the feet and tab, rather than millput- which I often use for sculpting stone and rubble. Flexable putties are much easier to remove and flex when dropped. Polyfiller wont- unless you use the wood version- which I suspect is acidic. Now that stuff is GREAT for doing dungeon tiles with!
I use regular superglue to base the figures. Once glued on, flip the figure over and either fill the slot with epoxy putty or paint a thick layer of paint over any exposed metal. Again, this protects the figure from exposure. Just like a Jedi going after a shape shifter in a bar, you must be extra careful. Superglue in the eye is a hospital trip you dont want. When popping the cherry of a new superglue, always turn your head away or wear protective glasses. If your worried about looking like a wanker, well- sorry to break it to you, YOU COLLECT MINIATURES! May as well be a safe one.
SURFACING
I use a mix of Bondi Beach, grit from the streets, flock and brushings from my workbench- which often contain metal filings and bits of Bederken Dwerg figures. This is mixed with PVA glue to make a gloopy concrete. You can use this mix to make scenery, I refer to it as modellers cement.
Anyway, use a cheap brush to paint the cement onto the base, and then sprinkle fine sand to dry off the surface. Wipe your brush clean, then use it to dust off any spillage on feet. An old scalpel blade can be handy to push the goop under the feet.
The grade of sand you use makes a massive difference to the drybrushed- so experiment.
If the slotta holes are really wide, like you get on some precut horse bases nowadays, a little stickytape is all you need to block the hole. The small gaps dont need to be filled if you use PVA.
Finally I run my thumb around the edge of the base to cut a small ledge around the lip of the surface. I think it looks nice.
ORNAMENTS
Mushrooms are a MUST for a retro citdadel figure- the old world was FULL of mushrooms and venus flytraps. I suggest making them in bulk, rather than doing them for every figure directly on the base. Grab a cork, stab it with wire- bend the ends over to stop the shroom falling off, then whack on your putty. Leave the stalk long enough so you can drill and glue it in your bases later on. Check out Kevin Adams wonderful bases from the eighties- he used stippled putty for grass and sculpted plants, skulls, shrooms and flytraps galore.
For painting, I use a thinned wash of black acrylic, overbrush with GW Catcachan green, then finish up with a drybrush of Camo Green. Washes of brown, red, purple and Dark Angels Green add Frank Frazetta-esque touches of color.
For science fiction I use VMC green-grey washed with 50-50 GW badab black and blue washes. Gives the thing a 1980s scifi video feel I kinda like.
I went for a classic 1980's finish for my figures based between Phil Lewis and Kevin Adams style. I wanted robust bases that could withstand gaming, and be dustable. That ruled soft flock out- which always looks shitty several years down the track as it flakes off and greys with dust. My color inspiration comes from the sales poster for the Citadel Monster Paint Starter Set- which showed very yellow green grass on Skragg the Slaughterer and his goblin pals. Nice.
ATTACHING THE BASE
First, prime the tab. Yes the bonds weaker, as your glueing paint not directly to the model, but I am told it will protect the figure from lead rot- especially if the PVA glue or basing material is acidic. When gluing a figure together you want the contact points raw for maximum bonding, but when your holding the figure on the base, it does not matter so much. Leaving a relatively weak bond to the base gives you the option to crack off the old base and refresh it in years to come. This is why I use more expensive, rubbery putties such as green stuff and procreate to build up bases around the feet and tab, rather than millput- which I often use for sculpting stone and rubble. Flexable putties are much easier to remove and flex when dropped. Polyfiller wont- unless you use the wood version- which I suspect is acidic. Now that stuff is GREAT for doing dungeon tiles with!
I use regular superglue to base the figures. Once glued on, flip the figure over and either fill the slot with epoxy putty or paint a thick layer of paint over any exposed metal. Again, this protects the figure from exposure. Just like a Jedi going after a shape shifter in a bar, you must be extra careful. Superglue in the eye is a hospital trip you dont want. When popping the cherry of a new superglue, always turn your head away or wear protective glasses. If your worried about looking like a wanker, well- sorry to break it to you, YOU COLLECT MINIATURES! May as well be a safe one.
SURFACING
I use a mix of Bondi Beach, grit from the streets, flock and brushings from my workbench- which often contain metal filings and bits of Bederken Dwerg figures. This is mixed with PVA glue to make a gloopy concrete. You can use this mix to make scenery, I refer to it as modellers cement.
Anyway, use a cheap brush to paint the cement onto the base, and then sprinkle fine sand to dry off the surface. Wipe your brush clean, then use it to dust off any spillage on feet. An old scalpel blade can be handy to push the goop under the feet.
The grade of sand you use makes a massive difference to the drybrushed- so experiment.
If the slotta holes are really wide, like you get on some precut horse bases nowadays, a little stickytape is all you need to block the hole. The small gaps dont need to be filled if you use PVA.
Finally I run my thumb around the edge of the base to cut a small ledge around the lip of the surface. I think it looks nice.
ORNAMENTS
Mushrooms are a MUST for a retro citdadel figure- the old world was FULL of mushrooms and venus flytraps. I suggest making them in bulk, rather than doing them for every figure directly on the base. Grab a cork, stab it with wire- bend the ends over to stop the shroom falling off, then whack on your putty. Leave the stalk long enough so you can drill and glue it in your bases later on. Check out Kevin Adams wonderful bases from the eighties- he used stippled putty for grass and sculpted plants, skulls, shrooms and flytraps galore.
For painting, I use a thinned wash of black acrylic, overbrush with GW Catcachan green, then finish up with a drybrush of Camo Green. Washes of brown, red, purple and Dark Angels Green add Frank Frazetta-esque touches of color.
For science fiction I use VMC green-grey washed with 50-50 GW badab black and blue washes. Gives the thing a 1980s scifi video feel I kinda like.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Basing
Labels:
Tutorials
So I recently got invited into an D&D campaign for like the first time in decades, and casting around for a mini to play with I settled on a slight conversion of a 1980s Citadel AD&D female theif model. Hard to find, but rather than damaging the figure I settled on adding layers of greenstuff over the existing model, giving me the freedom to clean it all off once I am done. More augmenting than converting.
Anyway, for her I used a classic milliput stone finished surface on a round base, and I have to say its far more practical for gaming than my beloved Hex bases with sand. The dilemma is that now I have a huge collection styled in exactly the same way, do I go a different direction for part of the collection to give a consistent look? A quandry.
Love to hear your opinions. Vote below.
Yay- keep rocking the HEX.
Nay- mix it up.
Anyway, for her I used a classic milliput stone finished surface on a round base, and I have to say its far more practical for gaming than my beloved Hex bases with sand. The dilemma is that now I have a huge collection styled in exactly the same way, do I go a different direction for part of the collection to give a consistent look? A quandry.
Love to hear your opinions. Vote below.
Yay- keep rocking the HEX.
Nay- mix it up.
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