New Resin Terrain and More Dreadfleet

Skull Forge Scenics: Ruined Graveyard Walls

I've added a new set to the Skull Forge Scenics online store:

 

 

These are ruined walls, designed in the same style as my other graveyard walls. The set includes three crumbling wall sections and two wall posts.

 

The posts work as corners or ends that the walls insert into.

 

 

I hope to have my own set painted soon, and I'll definitely post some pictures.

 

Dreadfleet Final Assembly

The end is finally in sight for this project. Painting is underway on the three sea monsters...

 

 

And with only four ships remaining, I decided to assemble the hulls and get them primed and ready to go. The Heldenhammer and Flaming Scimitar went together very easily. I was concerned about getting at the detail on the Heldenhammer, but it's really accessible as a single part. For the Scimitar, I left the tower with the djinn and efreet separate. It will be primed white for the brighter colors.

 

The Shadewraith was kept in a few parts so I can paint the insides and outsides of the hull halves, since the interior will be visible through the ship's skeletal framework. These are getting primed grey with a white zenith spray.

 

And then we come to the Bloody Reaver. I'm saving the most complicated ship for last, and I don't know how this is going to work. The join between the ship halves will need to be puttied...

 

...but there's a sail that needs to be inserted in between the two halves before they are glued together, meaning that the parts should be painted separately.

 

The outer layer of the hull has detail in the inside that will be difficult to reach once assembled.

 

But the outer half also includes a portion of the castle that will need to be puttied, so it's another situation of pieces that need to be painted separately. I might be able to separate the castle portion and attach it to the center, but I still don't know what to do with that front sail.

 

And to top it off, the masts all have ball-and-socket attachment points that need to be inserted before the halves are glued together and no locking key to make sure they're oriented in the right direction.

 

It may be an assembly nightmare, but this ship is huge– almost five inches long– and I can't wait to see it painted.

 

'Til next time!

DreadFleet: Tools of the Trade

My attention over the past few weeks has been on a large terrain commission, so I haven't been able to blog as frequently.  I'll be able to post pictures of it in the coming months, but now that it is out of the way, I can get back to painting and sculpting. Yesterday I knocked out the measuring tools for my Dreadfleet set.

 

The ship's wheels, used for making 45 degree turns:

 

The wind gauge, which moves around the perimeter of the seascape to indicate wind direction:

 

The flip side of the wind gauge is the vortex marker, use to mark the center of the maelstrom in one scenario. I was concerned about having a part lay "painted side down" on the board, but the seascape mat is a soft material, so it probably won't be too rough on the counter.

 

Finally, there's the navigation rod, which functions as a measuring ruler, and can be bent up to 45 degrees to check facings when firing broadsides.

 

 

Next I have the three sea monsters to paint. The Bone Hydra and Sea Giant needed their bases extended a little because they were so top-heavy. (Once the head with the sail was attached, the hydra would tip over at the slightest touch.) I glued the models on some plastic card and sculpted matching waves with some brown stuff modeling putty.

 

Once they are painted I'll be able to play a game with fully painted components, ready for whatever game effects the fate cards deal– well, except for the little auxiliary ships, but I have something special planned for them.

'Til next time!

Dreadfleet: The Seadrake

I'm right in the middle of a large terrain commission, so I haven't been able to keep up with the blog or the Dreadfleet project. (I expect to have some pictures of the finished table in the coming months). I have been slowly picking away at my Dreadfleet queue, some water here, a sail there... The Leviathan Island (or as I like to call it, the remains of Morla) is finished at last.

 

 

 

 

The giant turtle island is the last bit of the Galleon's Graveyard terrain for the game. I also finally crested the halfway mark on the ships, by completing the Seadrake. Only four to go!

I've got a couple of progress shots– The ship's hull was sprayed with a bone color, and the dragons were painted first.  The highlights on were achieved by mixing a little flesh tone into the red.

 

 

Then I finished off the hull details and masts. This was the most painstaking one yet, because I had to carefully paint all the gold trim and details without messing up the white hull. The masts were glued in place before attaching the sails, which were painted separately on the sprue. I kind of like this image because it almost looks like the ship could be at port with its sails down. 

 

 

Here's the finished Seadrake in all its glory, including a shot of it's back side, which you never see in the books. This is the only whip with a dedicated photogenic side; I had the row of finished ships facing to the left on my shelf but I had to turn them so the Seadrake's "good side" would be visible.

 

 

 

 

 

Now that I've got three ships for each side, I'll have to get in a proper game and see how it plays.

 

'Til next time!