If you've been through my terrain galleries, you'll know that I've built a lot of terrain for the Wild West Exodus game. Outlaw Miniatures contracted me again to create some new battlefields. The first is a mining complex– A series of underground tunnels in a hillside, with a lift-off top that features an area of forested terrain.
The table measures 4'x4' and the mine tunnels were constructed from stacked 2-inch insulation foam. Each side of the table has two entry points, and the interior of the mine forms a series of crisscrossing tunnels and rooms.
Once the mine tunnels were cut, I framed the exterior of the table with thin lauan. Any gaps and staples were smoothed over with wood filler putty.
The front corner of the table has the main entrance of the mine, cut into a cliff face.
The cover (a piece of 1/2-inch fiberboard) was cut to the shape of the cliff, with a small portion permanently attached so there would be a clean edge at the front of the cliff. The seam was covered with wood filler putty. I roughed up the surface of the walls and cliff with a wire brush. It was a pretty cheap brush, and it was practically wrecked by the time I was finished!
I vacuumed up all the loose foam (and more than a few wire brush hairs) and sanded and spackled the top of the wall sections. I spread some wood filler on the walls to cover the seams between the two layers of foam and vary the rock texture. Then I added sand and gravel on the floor of the mine.
The sides were sanded as well, and I added four pegs on the corners to lock the cover board in place.
Holes corresponding to the pegs were drilled in the corners of the cover.
Some basswood strips were placed along the walls of the mine to represent the support beams, and then I began painting. The color was drybrushed with a series of greys and browns.
The tops and sides of the board were painted black, and I added the tracks for the mine cart using model railroad tracks.
The ramps and platform for the turnaround were made from foam core covered with basswood planking.
Ladders are scattered throughout the tunnels. They correspond to hatches on the top board so models can move between the two levels.
I made a bunch of mine carts using model railroad train wheels and styrene card. Outlaw Miniatures had also sent a batch of treasure and cargo with which I could populate the mine.
Since Wild West Exodus blends a mix of sci-fi and old west, I made a handful of high-tech lamps and painted a red glow around them. They were then glued in place in the mine.
I also made a ton of low-tech lanterns to hang on the hooks in the mine. Power cables were made from thick floral wire, bent over hooks in the support beams.
A gear system and generator was added for the turnaround.
The mine even has a caved-in tunnel!
Here's a top-down shot of the finished mine with the cover removed.
Coming up, we'll step outside and take a look at the forest and mining building in more detail.
'Til next time!
I had a free moment between commission work. Did I use it to paint anything in my project queue? Hell no! I knocked out one of my "micro distractions." Micro distraction is the name I give to quick little projects that distract from the long-running unit grinds or large models that take weeks (sometimes years) to finish. These often result from a spark of inspiration for a conversion or an army accessory that can usually be knocked out in a day or two.
The Screaming Bell/ Plague Furnace has always irked me because it overhangs the back of its base in such a way that models can't be ranked up behind it. If they have staves or halberds (in the case of Stormvermin) just forget it!
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| There. Perfect! |
I had been toying with the idea of making a base to fit behind it, with models posed like they are actually pushing the Plague Furnace, and I finally pulled the trigger. (Hey, it was either this or spend the day blending the flesh on those two Stormfiends. I intend to put that off as long as possible!) I began with a 40mm and two 20mm bases to accommodate the six models in the spaces behind the machine.
The bases were glued down on a thin sheet of styrene card, and the gaps filled in with Aves Epoxy Sculpt. (You'll notice that I made two bases, because I'll eventually do this for my Stormvermin unit so they can push the Screaming Bell.)
Once the epoxy was dry, I cut the card around the bases and filed the edges to create a smooth, beveled side.
I super glued some ballast on the top, and then began adding the Plague Monks. I started with the front models, angling them in such a way that they wouldn't collide with the machine's framework. Their weapon hands were replaced with Crypt Ghoul hands– They are nicely sized, open hands, perfect for pushing the Plague Furnace.
Once the first two monks were positioned, I began adding the others. To attach the skinny Ghoul hands, I drilled out the sleeve and shaved the end of the wrist with a hobby knife so the hand pluged into the socket. This provided a much more secure bond than simply gluing two tiny flat surfaces together.
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| Patty Cake at +1 To Hit! |
The models in the back were posed to be pushing the ones in front of them, and everything lines up perfectly with the furnace.
I painted the monks to match the rest of the unit. To see the process I used, check out my Painting a Plethora of Plague Monks tutorial.
The monks rank up perfectly with the Plague Furnace now, and my modeling OCD is satiated for another day!
Coming up, We'll take the terrain train underground to see some new Wild West Exodus game tables.
'Til next time!
I've been chipping away at a terrain commission for the past couple months. I haven't been authorized to post any photos of the terrain yet, so I can only say that it's for a system I've built terrain for already, and it's pretty cool.
But that means that I haven't had time to work on any personal projects recently. So, in an effort to avoid neglecting my blog for yet another week, I decided to take stock of my project queue and show off what's in the pipe. So, without further ado, I present...
The List of Things I Will Never Get To
The Final Stormfiends
These guys are so close to being finished I can almost taste it. Or maybe that's the paint and glue fumes in the air. A few bits of skin and fur, then their armor and some final details are all that remains.
And once they're finished there's still the pile of magnetized weapon options to finish.
The Rattling Cannon Stormfiends have been doing so well, however, that I don't have much incentive to finish the melee 'Fiends. In retrospect, I probably could have built these guys without all the different options. Optimal load-out indeed! The campaign has pretty much stalled anyway, so the Skaven are going to be relegated to the back burner in favor of the Undead. Still, my Skaven army is the only one without any unfinished projects, so I'll need to finish those models before I shelve them.
Two More Rat Ogres
It never ends. These guys will round out my Rat Ogres to an even 10. I'm considering a conversion using the leftover arm from the Hell Pit Abomination, to create a more Pestilens-themed creature. The gang has been talking about Mordheim, so I may start a Clan Pestilens warband, and that will give me an excuse to work on these.
The Last Five Terminators
I've been trying to finish one of these every month for 2015. After getting ahead for a little while, I'm back to lagging a month behind with this project. I had hoped to squeeze in the Genestealers sometime this year, but I think I'll be lucky to finish the marines.
Corpse Cart
Long-time readers may remember this from the Shelf of Shame post two years ago. Aside from the Terrorgheist, I don't think I've put together any of the new units introduced in the 8th Edition Vampire Counts book (Hexwraiths, Vargheists, Crypt horrors, Mortis Engine, Coven Throne). I've got all the kits languishing in my to-do pile, but before I get to any of those I need to get this thing off my painting table. Seriously, it's been over five years. At least I've given the zombies an ink wash since last time. Now that's what I call progress!
Nagash
It's been almost a year since I started this project. But he's a huge kit, and I'm converting the hell out of it, so I can't blame myself for taking so long. Still, when an epic campaign begins and ends resulting in the entire game system getting shitcanned before I can even finish the model, it's time to reevaluate how long I let my projects sit unfinished. Nagash is getting bumped to the top of the list so I can (hopefully) finish him for October.
Necrotic Colossus
And the "I'm never going to build you" award goes to the Warhammer Giant! I had a great idea for converting this model into a Colossus to accompany Tomb Prince Selketta (with a backstory explaining how the Khemrian spirit was bound to the corpse of an Empire giant) but now that the entire state of Warhammer is in flux, the enthusiasm for this project has been killed.
Are we going to use 8th Edition? The 9th Age? Kings of War? Are the Undead Legions carrying over into the 9th Age? Will the Kings of War army lists have undead giants? If we use the Age of Sigmar rules, I guess I can still field him with my undead. I'm glad I wasn't planning to arm him with a great bow, as that option is gone in the new age. I guess we'll see how things pan out, but for now it's back in the box for another year.
'Til next time!
