FtW Bloggers Group

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Overpass Made Easy (and Cheap)

There is an original piece of Horus Heresy Art, I think done by Paul Bonner, that has a what was once thought to be Stormbird dropping off assault troops. In the forefront there is a damaged overpass. That and the fact that I live in Texas and they are required to have one every ten square urban miles I have inspired me to make some for ages.

However as a gamer I want something that looked decent but did not cost a lot of money plus was easy to store. I finally came up with a plan that is inexpensive, it just may take a long time if you want to save some money.

Makes: 6 feet of overapass in approximately 2 foot sections
Requires:
1 2ft x 4 ft MDF board
2 1/2in x 1 1/2in x 8ft length of wood (or similar)
2 1/2in x 3/4in x 8ft length of wood (or similar)
12 deodorant containers
3/4 in long wood screws

Tools:
Saw
Wood Glue
Clamps
Pencil
Tape Measure
Sand Paper
Goo Gone(tm)
Dish Soap
Patience
Bandaids
Safety Goggles
Water for dehydration
A first aid facility within blood loss distance

Directions:

If you have a table saw, cut the 2x4 of MDF into four equal corners (should be slightly less than 1ft x 2ft each due to the blade taking out about 1/8 of an inch of wood. Note: If you have your local DIY store cut it for you, they guy, even though you specifically tell him you must cut down the middle, will screw it up slightly.

Cut the 8 foot pieces to match the length of the resultant boards long ways. They will be the rails and the support on the bottom of the board. I made three sections and had some left over. You will use this for additional detail on the bottom. Strongly recommend you cut and label each section to match its specific MDF section.

Using the clamps and wood glue and after deciding how you want the rails (the 1/2in x 3/4in x 2ishft) lengths to fit, glue them in place.

Let dry 2 hours or overnight (I live in south Texas so they baked in well enough to remove the clamps in just a couple hours. Using the leftover 1/2in x 3/4in sections, I custom cut lengths between the bottom support beams. This provided lateral support so the structure does not eventually start to sag down the middle.

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Remove the lids of the deodorant containers. While the sections are drying, peel the stickers off the side of the deodorant containers. Use the Goo Gone to remove the residue. Wash with dish soap and let dry overnight. You don't have to use deodorant containers. I chose so because 1) they resemble the base of the Skyshield in size and shape 2) Using the lids will make them easy to break down for storage-you'll see in a moment 3)My terrain now smells manly, or at least clean. NOTE: Manly smell no significant enough to overpower M:TG players that may be nearby.

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Now that the sections and lids have dried, measure out where on the bottom you are going to want to place the supports. I recommend centering them about 1/2 foot from either edges; the effect looks like the supports are about a foot apart when it is all together, but it also distributes the weight evenly so that your heavier models don't flip the whole thing over.

After laying out and marking the center point, drill holes in your lids, then go back and drill pilot holes in the wood to avoid splitting. You will want to do two holes per lid.

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Using the short screws, replace the lids on the holes and screw the lids into the wood. If you feel necessary, you can glue as well but I think for the most part the screws are sufficient to hold it in place.


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Now you can put the deodorant bodies back into the lids, carefully flip it over (the bodies tend to fall out-after painting this should not be as much of a problem) and viola-you have an overpass. Feel free to bling it up with extra 40K Grimdark Doodads and skullz. Definitely Skulls. You can glue the lids in, but I prefer to leave mine unglued so that I can store them more easily. Use the sandpaper to smooth out any rough areas.
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As you can see-they are pretty sturdy and with some paint will brighten up any 40k game. You can make the road portion seem more like asphalt by using kitchen drawer liners or you can paint it with some sort of textured paint. Be sure to add some garbage for character.

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At one point I screwed up with the trimming of the sides. If that happens, get a Dremmel, gouge the area up, and just call it battle damage. It will be our little secret.

I'll update with pics after I get it detailed up and painted.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

June 2016: Space Wolves, Orks, and a Lovely Couple I Met the Other Day

We start with my son's Space Wolves. His collection is growing nicely, especially considering they are repaints from traded figs.

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Next we have the last of the Stormclaw figures which means the boxed sets I purchased in 2015 are now all up to date for all practical intents and purposes. We start with this nice trio of chaps who just want to give you a big hug.

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Then there is Mister Storm Claw himself, whatever his name is. Truth is I really don't play Orks, I just like painting and converting them.

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Five of his closest Nobs.
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Some much-needed Boyz. I really only have about 35 or so; nowhere near enough for a true Ork army.
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A Runtherd and his charge.
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And lastly this bartender and his hab-wife. I plan on using them as part of my innocent bystanders collection.
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Saturday, May 28, 2016

Location Casting

Saul baby-good to hear from you; I was starting to get worried. No I wasn't hoping you vanished in a jungle or something! But if you did I'd be more than happy to take care of Margaret for you. Just kidding! What have you got for me?

Yes I remember-I wanted exotic but commonplace; something you find in any town but don't see much of these days on the board.

Your kidding. A rail station? For a retro future piece? Genius again Saul!

Okay, I see that dapper couple and their robot dog thingie there-looking good. Yeah I see the posters and the time table. Could be either 1929 or the 41st Millennium.

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Okay, here are the various train cars. Yes I see the guy checking his manifest and the other one searching for, hobos or something. What's with the graffiti? Yeah I bet whomever that governor is he is going to be pissed! The names? No idea. Must be some inside joke or something.

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What's with the locomotive? Oh more retro future stuff eh? Yeah I don' think they had those in 1936 but whatever works!

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Yep, six plus feet of straight track there plus some curved stuff ready if necessary. Good job Saul, not start working on my Orks!

Monday, May 16, 2016

Central Casting

Sid, baby, I'm in a pinch! I've got this time travel movie coming up and I need a bunch of weirdos. No of course they don't have a script yet-just a treatment and some rap star they want to tie it in with! Yeah no kidding. Okay, this is what I've got.

I need a futuristic guy, but he has to look like he's from World War I. Yeah I have not idea how that is possible. German looking? That would be fantastic!

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Now I need, like a giant robot pilot or something, but not one of those anime ones. More dark future and stuff. A claw hand? Yeah that will work.

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Brilliant! Now I need some snipers, but they need to be big burly types; yeah real manly men! What? Those guys are perfect! Keep 'em away from Margaret if you know what I mean though-heh just kidding!


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Now I need a doctor. Well not a medical doctor but a guy who calls himself that. No he isn't supposed to look like a doctor; just kind of a geeky dude. You know just the guy?

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Now he needs a travelling partner. No not romantic but there will be some weird sexual tension there. A redhead? You are mind reader Sid!

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Now they need a dog. Or a robot. But it has to be kind of late 70's/early 80's if you know what I mean. A robot dog? Frickin' genius!

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Don't ever change Sid-you are a lifesaver! Now how are you on location scouting...


As usual, apologies for the crappy photos.

Monday, May 2, 2016

My One Miniature for April


I call this titan Grimlock for reasons that should be obvious.

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Here it is side by side with an old Armorcast Titan for scale:
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Construction:

I remember seeing one in the store an thinking it has to be pretty close in size to a Reaver Tiran. I decided it wouldn't take an insane amount of work to do. It took a few long nights figuring out how to anchor the arms to the main chassis and there is some internal work that I did not get shots of; it was very important that the arms not be flimsy or fall off easily.


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"What a lovely charms bracelet!"
"It is made of the Emperor's Finest!"
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Sunday, March 13, 2016

Space Wolves

As part of my parenting requirements, I am painting up a Space Wolf army for my son.

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The love of a father aside, I am also cheap so mainly it is the contents of Stormclaw and repurposing existing unused figures from my collection. And trades for painting. The scouts are from repurposing classic plastic scouts with leftover heads and weapons. The rest is from mixing and matching with Stromclaw stuff as well as Bjorn in a trade.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

February Catchup

Been a hectic new year and I have a lot of posting to do.

Start with a boatload of Ultramarines:

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Quite a bit of terrain:

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A Hastily shot photo of Quonset huts for Ryan:
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Some Cars for the LVO Glory Road Kill Team (or something like that-they were for a Ryan who definitely improved upon them after I was done):
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A couple of Apothecaries for David:
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And lastly some Space Wolves for my son:

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Space Wolves are the short term priority followed by some contract Ultras and some orks. Or maybe Nids. Or AM. Plus more of my Ultras. Did I mention some Chaos? Well the year is young.