On The Bench: 03.17.10

Making a reappearance for the first time in many moons... Factory Unit A:

Not much (if anything) has changed since she last saw the light of day. An issue I intend to remedy in very short order. She's close now... just some attention to detailing required. Will keep you posted.

Below... shades of what can and will be. Tank Farm, Refinery with huge smoke stack, Generator Building (sporting huge smoke stack no.2) and a yet-unallocated structure which will likely end up being some manner of vehicle repair center.

Not shown are of course Hab Block One & Hab Block Two, who are both receiving their own special treatment currently and neither are feeling very photogenic at the moment. They too will receive updated pictures quite soon.


On the upside I'm fairly convinced I will be able to empty out the vast majority of the pointy bits, sprue chunks, and flostam which appear to multiply in the darkness of my miscellaneous bits boxes as flair and accouterments are added to these dingy industrial city streets. Less clutter is almost always good.


Definitely going to need to pick up grey spay paint in bulk... and some large brushes. Lots of large brushes.


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Signs, Signs... Everywhere a Sign

As I ramp up my interests in squad-based mayhem, completing the multiple pieces of industrial terrain I have in-progress has garnered renewed focus. While this post isn't specifically about those pieces (that's coming soon), it dawned on me that I have a metric crap-ton of WW-I and WW-II era propaganda posters I've collected from all corners of teh interwebz over the years. 

I know from experience how difficult it can be sometimes to locate quality bits and bobbles to add flair to terrain cityscapes, so I figured I'd give back to the community a bit and offer up some of these pix. The Communist and Fascist basis of the originals are undeniable. But when resized to 40K-scale the writing is mostly illegible anyway and it becomes all about the dark, paranoid imagery. Tailor made for our favorite dismal future. All can be easily modified with additional text or more appropriate Imperial imagery to taste.


Thus, my good deed for the day is fulfilled. Enjoy.


(Don't forget to click on each the images for full-sizes. Higher resolutions increase reduction qualities when printing propaganda for your favorite street corner)

Industrial Terrain: Hab Block One & Two

Considerable progress on the Hab Blocks. Not too much which requires explanation.

Both units looks almost identical, so just the one picture. Nice, cement-ish grey base, couple different lighter shades of subtle light grey and white highlighting completed. Semi-gloss (to simulate metal) maroon-ish doors scuffed/lightly sanded appropriately near the latches and kick plates. Both units need additional weathering and a good, dark wash to fill in the recesses. After that, all that's left is the addition of "windows" (small clear plastic sheets) and permanent mounting to 1/4" MDF. That's when the fun begins.

The MDF mounts (already cut) are approximately double-size of the models. Sidewalks, some different shades of lawn, bushes... maybe a rusty swing set and merry-go-round to make it look more pedestrian. The benefit of mounting the pieces is that I'll have ready made to-scale "curbs" so I can just plop the pieces down on the table and create an instant street between them. Really looking forward to detailing these pieces.

Industrial Terrain Project - Day 11

I am constantly on the prowl for scenery 'on the cheap'.  As much as I believe I have every right to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on the highest quality resin-cast structures, my children constantly bombard me with irrational and self-serving arguments such as "it's cold" and "I'm hungry".

Whatever.  Call when you get work.

Anyhow... O-Scale model train buildings are generally pretty darn close to 28mm in most cases. Problem is, anything a retailer can add the words "for model train sets" to the description gets a 700% markup (your mileage may vary).  So stumbling across a decent deal on a decent O-Scale building is, well...  decent luck.

I found me one of them "good deals".  Bachmann Plasticville O Kit, Apartment House, 45980. Approximately fifteen bucks each + shipping.  They have the right retro feel, and when I am done appropriately "dark futuring" them up they will be a perfect addition to my industrial city as Hab Block One and Hab Block Two.  Pix below are original nasty plastic color after assembly, with the second unit one step further (primed). FrankenOrk & Sparkz the 'Bot for scale reference.

Don't expect much from the kits themselves.  There is no internal detail.  No windows either, but I'll be fixing that by using some of the hundreds of discarded clear plastic packaging pieces I have been hording since last Christmas. You know...  the ones your IPod, Car Charger, or other electronic must-have thingee came sealed in? The packaging that is impossible to open without the Jaws-of-Life and an acetylene torch?  It has a use.


The base plastic as-formed colors (maroon/gold) are hideous. But there's a considerable number of raised textures which I am positive will respond well to drybrushing.  Each kit is a ten minute assembly.  Use super glue. The plastic is some manner of mutant polymer that standard Testors model cement couldn't dig into.


I like these so much, that I am positive there will be a Hab Block Three and Hab Block Four.


Plasticville.  There's a pop culture reference in there somewhere.  Just don't feel like digging it out.

Industrial Terrain Project: Day 10.5

After receiving requests to see some WIP shots of Building One (which I don't have), I decided to toss some of the various pieces I have (in numerous stages of completion) on the table to give a better overview of what the end result will look like... eventually.

The pictures really speak for themselves, and they illustrate much more concisely than my original description how the edges of each piece form streets, curbs, etc.  I do apologize in advance for the picture quality. Though I am working on it, my photography skills are far from respectable. As I luck into better pix I'll replace the worst of the lot in this post.

Finally & completely unrelated, a gratuitous 3/4 beauty shot of my converted Macharius Annihilator.  For no other reason than it is a damn fine piece of machinery.

Industrial Terrain Project: Day 10

Ok, that’s not entirely true…  Day 10.  I only recently started chronicling/blogging my crafting exploits and I have been fiddling with the four terrain pieces I'm detailing in these posts for quite some time. So I actually have no clue of the actual ‘start date’.  Arbitrary number ‘10’ it is.

Almost all the terrain builds for 40K I see out in web-land consist of structures which have been pulverized or half buildings with the plumbing hanging out.  Don’t get me wrong, many of these pieces are absolutely brilliant. Wanting to do something different I opted for an intact industrial landscape.  The revised 5th ed. building rules (treating them exactly as a non-moving vehicle) and PlanetStrike allow for easy integration and management of solid structures in most games.

This piece below, artfully named 'piece one', is a motley assortment of PVC fixtures, gutted electrical boxes, plastic cross-stitch lattice (I think that’s the technical term) and various sundry pieces from the bits box all mounted on ¼” MDF.  Once complete and on the table, the edges of the pieces will serve as street curbs to form streets.  Each structure will possess an address which allows for easy identification of the building specifics for game purposes.  For example: this structure will be Building 1, Capacity 5, Armor 10.  So the address sign will read: B1C5A10.

Build stage 1 complete and primed.  Detailing to follow.