Tommygun1918 wrote:
Really nice work. How well does the foamcore hold up to game play?
I have started building a few foamcore buildings but never seem to finished them.
Generally I work with polystyrene I buy in bulk from a commercial supplier.
I'm always looking for ideas.

Pretty well, actually. With the layers of details and glue, the material becomes quite durable.

Thanks for the comment, Tommygun!

Also, I did some more work on the outer wall of this piece.


And base coated the interior walls with glue and cheapo Craft paint.


Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Ooh I'm excited to see how the wall damage turns out
I tried something similar with tissue paper to create corroded walls.

Very nice ruin ya got there!

 inmygravenimage wrote:
Ooh I'm excited to see how the wall damage turns out
I tried something similar with tissue paper to create corroded walls.

Oo, that sounds cool! Did you just soak the stuff in watered down PVA and layer it on the walls?

 shasolenzabi wrote:
Very nice ruin ya got there!

Thanks, shaso!

Yup, exactly that!

Awesome updates Waaazag! The buildings look great.

Nice, graven! I'll have to try that.

Thanks, Olthannon!

More updates soon.

It's always nice seeing some terrain. That damage is interesting.

Not Online!!! wrote:
It's always nice seeing some terrain. That damage is interesting.

Thanks for the feedback, Not Online!!!

The damage is meant to represent corroded metal. And this is also a project to represent an unlit spacehulk interior. I'm imagining that the space marines are using just their autosenses like thermal and enhanced vision to "see" in the total darkness. So I'm making and painting as if they can barely see it.

 Warboss_Waaazag wrote:

Not Online!!! wrote:
It's always nice seeing some terrain. That damage is interesting.

Thanks for the feedback, Not Online!!!

The damage is meant to represent corroded metal. And this is also a project to represent an unlit spacehulk interior. I'm imagining that the space marines are using just their autosenses like thermal and enhanced vision to "see" in the total darkness. So I'm making and painting as if they can barely see it.

That is one awesome concept, i might steal some ideas for my own terrain.

More interesting creations Warboss_Waaazag.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks, Captain Brown!

I'm currently struggling with figuring out how to make a working sliding door on the opposite side of the bulkhead. I *think* I know what to do - build up wall thickness with cardstock, leaving a gap large enough to fit the door and then layer over that with just a small amount of raised detail attached to the door sticking out of the outermost layer. It hurts my brain to think about it, but I think I can do it.

 Warboss_Waaazag wrote:
Thanks, Captain Brown!

I'm currently struggling with figuring out how to make a working sliding door on the opposite side of the bulkhead. I *think* I know what to do - build up wall thickness with cardstock, leaving a gap large enough to fit the door and then layer over that with just a small amount of raised detail attached to the door sticking out of the outermost layer. It hurts my brain to think about it, but I think I can do it.

and the slide guides, I recommend some plastic U like long pieces to fit in.

That's a good idea!

Wow, it's been some time since I posted on this. Never let it be said that I'm skilled at finishing the projects I start. On the plus side I finally got diagnosed for my various mental illnesses and am now on regulating meds that are helping me stay focused in ways I have never been able to achieve before. So, that said, here's the start of my current project.

I wrote an enormous Deathwatch/Spacehulk campaign on one of the other subsections of this very forum and have decided to create modular sets of terrain for each Mission until I feel like I have enough terrain. I first started with the idea that I'd be making terrain for a 48" by 72" table, but then discovered that my friend's gaming table's dimensions are actually 28" by 44". So I'm building with those dimensions in mind.

I started with a piece that was originally meant to face its flat surface to the center of the board with the detailed floors facing outward, to act like corridors in the walls. I was struggling to come up with a way then to create an elevated walkway for the interior. But now that I'm working with less space, I can turn it around so that the piece can be both interior wall/structural support and elevated walkway.

Blah blah blah blah terrain. Anyway, I built the basic framework with a masonite letter (an F with the "f" bits sawn off) and roughly measured and glued together foamboard walls/floor. Once done I started detailing the bottom and finally remembered to start taking in progress photos. Here's the first.


And then went nuts with more details and forgot to take more photos until I remembered to take these.


I've been priming each section as I go because there is a lot of nooks and crannies to get at. I'll post more progress up as I remember to take photos and upload them. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Edited to add: Oh check it out, I did remember to take some progress shouts of the 1st floor.

Great to see you back, WW! Hail, hail, the gang's all here!

Very interesting use of found/non-standard materials to achieve the desired outcome- your terrain pieces never lack for imagination.

I find myself in a similar predicament vis a vis: progress photos; I either forget to take them, or don't want to bore people with intermediate stages and present only finished or near-finished items. In the end, I let folks figure out for themselves how much they want to read or look at and try to take photos at fairly regular intervals or stages of progress. Using the cellphone to take the photos has helped a lot; using a point-and-shoot little camera before was adding an extra step and had to remember to have the little camera out to begin with- the phone is almost always on me.

Great to have your thread to look in on again and get inspiration from! "The destination is nothing, the journey is everything."

Rock on!

Thanks, Cat! I appreciate the warm return reception. Yeah, I agree that the phone camera is way better than the digital camera I was using. So much easier to work with and saves me so many unnecessary extra steps.

More detailing work on the first level.

More work done, complete with priming.


3rd floor structural supports test fitted.


Made an air duct out of throw away scraps, including the packaging from my foam core.


And I made some panels for the inside of a ceiling hole.


Thanks for looking. C&C always welcome. Have an awesome day!

Excellent progress and that console you built serves as inspiration for what I want to do on the zeppelin. Rock on!

Here I have the third floor structural supports in place with craft paint to weight them down.


And then tunnel views of the 1st floor:


2nd floor:


And 3rd:


More work to be done.

All three of those views are going to be excellent stages for when you want to photograph a figure- let alone the fun of gaming them!

Great to see this blog back in action :-)

Yeah, Cat, that's one of my favorite things to do with finished terrain projects. Taking pics of painted models in action on 'em!

 Skinflint Games wrote:
Great to see this blog back in action :-)

Thanks Skinflint! I really appreciate that!

I'll have more pics of my progress up soon. I keep thinking I'm almost done...and then there's still so much left to do. I have to detail the ceiling on the first floor, the floor above that, the ceiling and floor above that, and the "connection" to the ceiling on the top. Then the back of the thing. There's so much. And this is the first of like 35 pieces.

Although, I did start building a pair of balconies. These were originally created to "solve" the open doorways on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the other peice, but I realized that the short one missed the 3rd floor and the tall one blocked the 2nd floor. So now my intent is to use them as separate stand alones.


This is the bottom of the short one.


I made their shapes complicated because I thought I was building for a 48" wide table and had made a riser platform. This shape was intended to fit a staircase under it so models could move to the stuff on a lower level and inside the walls. Now that I am working with a 28" wide space, that shape is unnecessary, but I'm not about to waste a project just because it looks weird.

This is the taller peice as I started to detail it.


My materials are primarily paper, toothpicks, and foam cast offs. Here is a shot with the little platform I built to start the stairs and how it would have socketed into the weird 3 legged design.


Anyway, that's it for now. Thanks again for looking and I hope everyone has a fantastic day!

I did a whole bunch of detail on the small balcony. And because I'm not using it for its original purpose, I decided to make it more stable by adding a bunch of exposed pipes for the missing 4th leg. These pipes are rolling paper tubes. I have a bunch of friends who smoke and they save stuff for me.


I also did a ton of detailing on the taller piece, but forgot to take progress shots until it was all primed. And of course I could not leave well enough alone and added even more detail after the priming.


That's it for now. Thanks for looking. C&C always welcome. Everyone have a great day.

I see you're making progress, keep it up.

 Tommygun1918 wrote:
I see you're making progress, keep it up.

Thanks, Tommygun1918!

I imagine this doesn't look like much yet, but this is going to be the angled ceiling on the tippy top of this piece. It is in its infancy, but here's the inner wall.

And the outside facing part.


I built a little lip to glue these walls onto, to create depth.


I'll paint these walls and glue them in place. We'll see if, once done, anyone will even notice all the absurd work I've put into this detail. Thanks for looking! More progress will be posted soon.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Alright, here is the ceiling hole painted and in place. And yep, I was right, no one is going to notice this insane detail except me.

The top side is a little wonky at the moment, but there's plans to fix that.


Also pictured is the block from earlier, detailed up.


And a test fit of the ceiling bit. I still have a lot left to do.


Thanks for looking. More progress shots up tomorrow.

Looking good Warboss! You’re cramming loads of details in for sure. Sounds like it’s going to be an amazing 3d board to play over when you’re done!

 gobert wrote:
Looking good Warboss! You’re cramming loads of details in for sure. Sounds like it’s going to be an amazing 3d board to play over when you’re done!

Thanks very much, gobert!

"Electrical cabling" made from cardstock, toothpicks, and rolling paper tubes.

And then some glued into place.


I'm feeling pretty good about my progress on this. Thanks for looking. Always looking for critique. Have a fantastic day!

I did a little bit more work yesterday evening. Not a huge amount, but even small progress is real progress. This is the corroded trim along the edge of the 3rd floor's...well, floor.


I also added a band around the pillars on the 1st and 2nd floors & started wrapping the pillars on the top most level. Just small details. I think, for some reason, I am dreading reproducing the "railing" trim that I made a test for at the end of the 2nd level. I don't remember what sizes each peice was and I have to find my replacement blades because all my exactos are getting dull.

Ah, well. More work will get done this evening. Thanks again for looking and have an awesome day!

Okay, finally remembered to take progress photos of stuff before I primed it. The spaces between each pillar, on the back walls, gets decoration and a little floor runner to fill up the space. Here are the WIP shots of each of those three for the third floor.

And some extra detail on the side of one that will peak up just over the floor panel.


And then each runner with its respective wall panel and miscellaneous extra details, if any.
This one is for the left wall:

Here is the back wall and the panel for the center:

And the right wall:


More details will go up as I make them. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day.

You're really cranking through the work!

That's a great idea with the floor runners to add visual interest, detail and texture without having to get really involved- great look within reasonable build times; I
m stealing that.

 Meer_Cat wrote:
You're really cranking through the work!

Thanks, Meer_Cat! I'm very happy with my progress also. Speaking of which, here are some shots of the ceiling from the 1st floor, along with the last length of cabling in place.


And then the right wall and floor panels in place:

The middle:

And the left, including detail of the floor. I tried to make it look like the area had been damaged by acid. Do you think it comes across well?


And then the third floor in its entirety, including the decorative railing.


Thanks for looking. C&C is always welcome. Have a great day.

Not a huge amount of work, but I started on the 4th floor.


Thanks for looking. More progress tomorrow.

The evolution of this is staggering. Lovely stuff.

 inmygravenimage wrote:
The evolution of this is staggering. Lovely stuff.

Thank you very much for the high praise, graven! I should have more progress shots up tonight or tomorrow morning. I'm working on the right side of the ceiling and the back wall on this top floor.

I started making details for the left side. A wall panel first:


And then primed with some piping:


And then the floor:


And then a notched structural beam:


That's as far as I got this evening. More work will get done in the next few days, with more updates. I have to wrap the beams on the right side, make railing bits for the 2nd floor, detail the right side ceiling (including a vent shaft), and figure out what I want to do with the center. Then I have to cover the sides and detail the back before I will consider the building part complete and move on to the next piece.

Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

I say again- that paneling is a terrific effect! The whole project is impressive and intimidating in its scope, but I really like your raised-relief panels and how natural they appear in their positioning; there is really a purpose for them to be where they are. Rock on!

Thanks again, Cat.

I started work on the right hand ceiling vent. This rim gets glued to the exterior of the angled ceiling.


These are rough cut panels that will form the walls of the shaft.


I learned from last time that most of the details I add to these panels will be hidden in the ceiling, but I still put way more than necessary. I just cut a bunch of paper strips of various widths, used some of the other paper debris you can see in the background here, and various scraps to add random shapes to these panels.



This might be difficult to see in this photo, but this is the base details of the other ceiling hole, with an extra nib of foam in the lip because the right side angle doesn't line up as well as the left.


Then I primed and painted the vent interior panels.

And the inner rim of the ceiling hole.


And then this is just a shot of the ceiling details of the third floor. Just a whole bunch of dots.


Any way, that's tonight's progress. More to do tomorrow. Thanks for looking. C&C always welcome. I hope you all have a fantastic day!

This is looking superb, really giving me some enthusiasm for building a similar feature to display my Space Hulk stuff on. I’ll probably chest and 3d print something though

 gobert wrote:
This is looking superb, really giving me some enthusiasm for building a similar feature to display my Space Hulk stuff on. I’ll probably cheat and 3d print something though

Thanks, gobert. And I want to point out that 3D printing is not "cheating". It's just another tool in our creative toolbox. If I had the skill to design things in those programs or had access to a 3D printer, I would be using that, too. There is no wrong way to make great art (except by using generative AI because those steal art already made by other artists without crediting them. There really needs to be better regulation to protect creative people, who pour their heart, soul, dedication, energy, time, and earned skills into making their art, only to have it stolen and appropriated by Tech Bros and real cheaters/plagiarists looking to make money off of someone else's efforts).

Hmm, clearly I have strong feelings about AI art. Although, to be fair, I have really strong feelings about art in general and a deep love and respect for the artists that create it.

TL;DR: 3D printing is a tool, AI art is theft.

Rant out of the way, I wrapped the right pillar finally.


And glued the right ceiling vent panel in place.


This part was way forward and I did not want to undo any of my previous work to fix it, so I added the nib inside this lip as an anchor for these corrosion stalactites.


And then I immediately started adding panel details.

And floor deets:

And here you can see a close up of the decrepit right pillar.


More updates as I get stuff done. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day.

Inspirational work. Brilliant use of material. Love this.

 Camkierhi wrote:
Inspirational work. Brilliant use of material. Love this.

Thanks, Cam!

Here are a bunch of 4th floor details WIP.


This will be a wall vent that I wanted angled louvers for. So I glued a short stack of risers to act as support inside the vent.


And then the last ceiling panel in place.


And then a wider shot of the top.


Every step of this build has been preceded by dreading the next big thing I had to solve or duplicate. The complex railing, the structural beams on the 4th floor, the ceiling vents, wrapping every pillar, and on and on. Powering through this build has been such an emotional challenge for me. And of course, I still have to detail the back and exterior sides of it. My work continues forever.

Thank you coming to my build and witnessing it with me. C&C always wanted. I want everyone to have the best possible day.

Just some sketches I've doodling in my down time.


I carry printer paper folded up in my pockets and sketch or write when an idea hits me.

More work done. This piece was meant to give me a 2" depth ino the center of the board layout (there will be 5 other 2" riser platforms). My original idea was to have a board where a big hole in the center presented a flanking option to get to the opposite side of the table. But that idea centered around the idea that the airlock players would be entering from came into a cargo hold of some sort. My new idea places the airlock between gun batteries, with a platform overlooking the loading areas. So now this riser is just a middle piece among many. It also means that I will have to add a bottom sheet to enclose it all. I want it to sit flush with the other terrain it will sit on top of.


And I wanted to make the shape interesting, so I added this lip.


Here is rando BT to showcase scale.


This zoomed in shot is my new board layout idea.


The full size of this riser thing is 14" by 11" by 2". I didn't want to do much cutting, so the top sheet is the exact size of the precut foamcore.

This is barely a beginning, but I don't want to lose momentum.


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I went a little berserk with making basic shapes to detail.


Hopefully I can make a bunch more basic shapes tomorrow, too.

Warboss_Waaazag,

OK, I see the detail on the one at the back. When that treatment is applied to the basic shapes it should look epic.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks, Captain Brown.

I wish I had progress shots to show for yesterday or today, but I wound up seeing a good friend on my way out of work last night and spent all my potential hobby time talking to him and catching up. So alas, I did human stuff instead of hyper focusing.

More updates forthcoming.

I think what I am currently struggling with is how to make effective staircases that are easily accessible by models, functional, and not gigantic. I want scratch built stairs that don't overpower the terrain and still look good. I might have to switch to a different material other than foamcore, but I also want to try to steer clear of plasticard. Anybody have any suggestions - material wise, construction tips, or links to stuff you've seen or done that works?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I worked on more sketches. Just trying to spend my time well. Always trying to work out new designs, new ideas.


Don't mind my lunch in the background.

Started work on another piece. I wanted it to lean forward a bit and have some complex shape. Measurements got fiddly.


But I got there.


Then I started work on a giant heat sink.


These are the tines


And here I test fit them in their housing.


That's it so far. More progress photos as I make it/them. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Okay, I detailed the rim of the heat sink vent.


And then I distressed each tine. Applied glue to seal them, didn't wait for the glue to dry before priming them, and then primed and assembled the whole thing.


And then I test fit it into the main body.


I like how this is coming out, but now I am kinda at a loss for what to put underneath this thing. Ah, well, I'll figure it out. More to come.

What a great piece!

Maybe condenser coils underneath? Or a computer work station/control station?

Rock on!

 Meer_Cat wrote:
What a great piece!

Maybe condenser coils underneath? Or a computer work station/control station?

Rock on!

Funny you should.suggest that!

Detailed the sides of this thing.

And added first floor details


And then I made this console.


And then glued everything into place.


With Larry for scale


Thanks for looking, more updates soon.

All I've managed to do in the past few days is sketch. I blame my mechanic.


Thanks for looking. Feedback always welcome.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I made a super small piece, meant to be scatter. The cap on the bottom? top? Got extra fiddly as the shape is not a perfect rectangle.


But whatever, it fit. Small work done, but at least I am trudging forward.

Righthand pic, upper: that power conduits and control station needs to be made reality. Just sayin'.

 Meer_Cat wrote:

Righthand pic, upper: that power conduits and control station needs to be made reality. Just sayin'.

Thanks, yeah. I had a plan to make a pair of pillars on one long base to stand opposite the giant heat sink as a way to hold up the structures above, to add elevation, but I started thinking about using dowels to mimic pipes running from floor to ceiling instead of bulky structural supports. I was rolling ideas around for how to make them look more interesting than "pipes go up and down". Hopefully I can do the bird-ish part justice.

In other news, I started detailing the big, broad box that was originally going to be a riser to add a pit to the center of the board (with an overhang) and is now becoming a middle level walkway that i could potentially use up side down with that original intent.

This was a thing I needed to do because it was relatively simple. I fret about doing justice to the more sculpturally involved details and I don't want to discourage myself into inaction. So I did this instead:


It's obviously not finished yet, but what do you think of it so far?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I finished off the walkway and added deck plating made of sheets of various paper materials.


And then I primed it all.


Just moving along. I was too exhausted to do any more work, but glad I was able to do some.

Oodles of doodles today. Full time jobs are not as fun as the hobby.


I'm coming up with scatter terrain detail ideas. What I like to call "Municipal Doodads".


Thoughts? Any that jump out at you or that you think work particularly well? These are meant to be placed against a wall or in the middle of a big room to change up the big set pieces without having to make dozens of near-identical terrain.

Thanks for looking. Have a great day!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here, I did more

I started to work on the side panels of the big, flat riser peice.


Then I cut out a small trim by hand and then one with the hole puncher. I liked the hole puncher better because it was way easier to make clean lines


Here they all are in place.


I wound up cutting them in half and then taking large hole punchers to them. Then I added these 2 "vents" and a bunch of teeny tiny rivets.


Then I added a second layer of details to the smaller large flat side.


I'm particularly proud of this "cabling".


Please comment on my progress. Even a "nice job, I like it" type comment is encouraging and appreciated. Thanks for looking and I hope you have an awesome day.

Warboss_Waaazag

That was an ingenious way to make those vents.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks, Captain Brown! I really appreciate your feedback!

I started work on more details. These bulkhead plates.


I placed the first to make sure it fit.

Thought maybe they needed spacers and completely mismeasured all that. But, whatever, I'm not undoing all that work.


That's it for now. More progress tomorrow.

The punched round sections are excellent. And the X bulkheads are really coming together.

Thanks, graven. I really appreciate your feedback!

I did more work on the angled end of the walkway because it felt too plain.


And put the first layer of detail on the large flat area.


There's plenty more to do.

After priming the larger floor area, I started working on the second layer of details. Honestly this piece will be the first of the large ones to be completed.


Thanks for looking. There's plenty more to do.

It is amazing how non-playable the unprimed/unpainted pieces look- like Jackson Pollock kinetic art in the act of flying apart and then how perfectly textured everything looks with just an overcoating of primer. The transition is amazing and one that I want to try on my next building-type terrain piece (and I've got the bits floating aorund that are just itching to get built!).

Rock on!

Thanks, Cat. I look at my before pictures and cringe. Then I prime them and I go, "Oh yeah, there it is."

I went back to the giant piece that started all of this and started plating the back of it, before realizing there was an overhang at the top that I hadn't accounted for.


Luckiky, I had gone to my storage unit earlier that day and unearthed a very sharp blade. I made short (ish) work of that.


Whatever, it didn't need to be perfect for what I had planned. These were not meant to be autumnal. Those were just the colors at the top of the stack. I bought these colorful index card things because they are all precut, a reasonable size, and colorful enough to be pleasing to my eyes prior to priming.


Also, after all the work to cap these vents, I decided to cut them open in anticipation for the terrain piece I'll make to fit over them.


Work is never done. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Really inspiring and impressive. I now have a mad terrain idea and I'm totally blaming you

 Meer_Cat wrote:

It is amazing how non-playable the unprimed/unpainted pieces look- like Jackson Pollock kinetic art in the act of flying apart and then how perfectly textured everything looks with just an overcoating of primer. The transition is amazing and one that I want to try on my next building-type terrain piece (and I've got the bits floating aorund that are just itching to get built!).

Rock on!

Just as a follow up on this, I wanted to reveal that after I glue on the first layer of details, I coat the entire surface with a thin layer of roughly smoothed white glue (I use Elmer's). And then just let it dry. It creates a rough, uneven coat that lends itself to looking like aged metal and adds a texture for drybrushing to pick up on.

 inmygravenimage wrote:
Really inspiring and impressive. I now have a mad terrain idea and I'm totally blaming you

Thank you very much for this high praise, graven! Absolutely blame me. Go forth, make! I can't wait to see what you create.

Sketches on work days. This first jumble is me trying to work out how to make a 4 way arch.


And then working through consoles and walkways.


I'll have more project shots up soon. My weekends are in the middle of the week.

I love seeing your brain at work! I'm going to convert a Weapon X bunker from mcu into an endor bunker.

 inmygravenimage wrote:
I love seeing your brain at work! I'm going to convert a Weapon X bunker from mcu into an endor bunker.

Thank you! And cool!

More Archway sketches.


And trying to hint at warping effects on architecture.


And then ideas for how to create easier rounded forms with foamcore and paper.


Maybe I'll get some work done this evening if I don't pass out in my soup. Also, I think I've been struggling with my next big project piece. I have to make a staircase. A functional staircase. And I've been fretting about it for weeks. So I think I'm just going to build one for no reason, just to work past my fears of not making it "perfect". Like, I literally intend to make a staircase just to fail at making a staircase so I can move on with my brain process to see where and what I have to fix to get it right.

Thats a lot of work done for scenery! So far looking great, I like the bulkheads, step by step you will end up with some amazing terrain

Ideation is the first step towards realization- rock on!

I now remember what some of your punched out bulkhead/walkway terrain embellishments reminded me of: exhaust systems gaskets! From the ones that fit at the muffler/pipe joint all the way up to the header pipe and manifold gaskets- if you could find those as scrap or surplus, they might make an interesting addition to your 'found item' pallet.

More of this, please!

 Meer_Cat wrote:
Ideation is the first step towards realization- rock on!

I now remember what some of your punched out bulkhead/walkway terrain embellishments reminded me of: exhaust systems gaskets! From the ones that fit at the muffler/pipe joint all the way up to the header pipe and manifold gaskets- if you could find those as scrap or surplus, they might make an interesting addition to your 'found item' pallet.

More of this, please!

I'll see what I can find. Thanks, Cat!

The_Retromancer wrote:
Thats a lot of work done for scenery! So far looking great, I like the bulkheads, step by step you will end up with some amazing terrain

Thank you!


Here's another doodle. This one was ages ago, but it started me on this path of more dynamkc terrain layouts. Probably what catapulted me into doing more sketching in the downtime at work. I showed it to a coworker and they were so excited by it. It's just the broadside of a spaceship - gun turrets and a pair of bay doors sandwiched between gun batteries, but the fact that they could parse what I had drawn is really what motivated me to keep doing it. I went to an art school, but I haven't really used the sketching skills from it in a really long time. I was convinced people couldn't understand what I was doing; what I was drawing. I thought I had lost the skill. But Will told me otherwise and it motivated me to keep doing it. Thanks, Will.



I did some work on the back plating of my first big piece. The shininess the camera picked up is a coating of white glue drying. Once that cures I'll hit it with another layer of craft paint primer.


More work yet to be done. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Just passing by to say keep it on!

Thanks, Retromancer!

I finished the detailing on this deck.


And started detailing this smaller piece.


More shots up as I get stuff done.

I started making some small details. First up is a chonky tesla coil made from wooden rings and discs.

And this wooden dome on top.


And then this "proof of concept" for a sort of fence to hang off the walkway's edge.


I'm still struggling with my stairs. Sad face, but I'll figure it out yet.

More doodles.

And me pretending I know what to do about my stairs.


More progress posts up soon.

What's the plan with the top left middle pic? Intriguing.

I might wind up doing a spiral staircase, which is ironically simpler to achieve. Oh, and I want to imply more stairs than I actually need to build.

Didn't realise that you were a fellow sketch enthusiast!

Nice work on the terrain btw!

Stairs are something I struggle with as well. Either they look like I just put a bunch of posterboard atop each other, or they are scale weird looking.

Stairs, #1 enemy of scenery builders ;-)

#2 of course is accidentally using the wrong glue.

Thanks everyone! Grrrr, stairs.

I changed gears. Sorry I didn't take any in progress shots of this thing. The main body is about 5 layers of "I don't know what I'm doing, help" and 1 layer of "ah well, hopefully the primer will cover all my mistakes, this is fine".


Also, disregard the messy bedroom in the background, this is the only place in my apartment with adequate sunlight for photos. Because here is what crap lighting photos look like.

Great work Warboss - regarding stairs, have you checked out Wyloch's videos on YouTube? He did a great video on this type of thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N99J7c5ifc

Thanks, Skinflint! I'll take a look when I have a free moment.

I didn't get any work done on my weekend as I was sick both days, but here's a patch of recent detail doodles.


I'll have more progress shots when I'm feeling a little better. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day.

Here we go, details in layers.


And then blamo!


More updates soon.

As you say "detail in layers"! It takes a certain type of mental perspective to be abel to deconstruct how you want the final look to be, and then build it up one bit at a time. It's almost like those art pieces you see that are nothing when viewed straight on, but then resolve into a sculpture or face or something when viewed at the proper angle.

Rock on!

Looking great - I use layers in some of my work, but your attention to detail between layers is wonderful.

Thanks, Cat and blockade23!

I did more work on the right side of this thing, first cutting a vent.

And then test fitting the ring.

Before placing it over this leather ribbon I found for cheap it has evenly spaced brass studs already in it, so I feel like the 2.37m (9 yards for those Imperial folk) for $3 USD was a good purchase.

Then more details went on and on and on.


More details to be added, but I am making good progress. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

I detailed the left side of this piece.


And the top decking.


Soon I'll do the front and this thing will be nearly complete. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Started work on the back.


And the front top.


Built this little doodad to add to a recessed panel.


Then laid out the foundation, the details, and then, after priming, the doodad.


And then finally added the second coil to the other side of the box beneath the heat sink.


At this point I am pretending I'm almost done, but I'm probably going to spend a bit more time adding layers of grime and weathering.

Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

I'm loving the greebling. Detail work adds so much texture.

Thanks, graven!

I started sketching like mad again today. There's a lot left to do.


Still struggling with stairs ideas. I'll get there eventually.

I started work on the second "boiler". I don't know what these things are, but really it doesn't matter. None of this is real.

I started by carving out where the dowels ("pipes") will sit. I learned a lot from the previous boiler build and intended to correct my method's errors.

I also glued a slightly shorter piece behind this one and then cut an angled bit to lay across the top of it, which I then pinned. Pinning it, however crudely, held it in place so I didn't have to. I was working at a furious pace and the glue would barely have time to set before I was ready to glue something else on.

After about 60 seconds passed, I cut the channels out of this angled bit.

And then sliced up the next layer to hem the rods I was using as pipes in. I test fit to make sure these areas were the correct size and snugness I was looking to achieve.

You might notice I also angled the pins as I went to make sure all the glued surfaces made contact with each other.

The next layer didn't need a lot of modification, so I scored the next piece at the correct channel locations and then brutalized the foamcore with a rough, rounded rasp.

As you can see, I barely adjusted the depth, but it was enough to let the next layer sit correctly.


The next layers were easy with no modifications and the angled strips across their tops. Here is an unpainted Black Templar I bought off of Ebay that I have been calling "Gustavo" for scale.

Then I rolled the shape over a piece of paper and marked where each angle of the base block ended and made a mark. After snipping the paper to size, I cut notches at each angle end and scored the interior where it would fold with a ball point pen.

The holes for the pipes were achieved by test fitting the paper and pushing my colored pencil through the base block's holes from below. Then, at the approximates my pencil made, I traced the base of the pipe and cut an X. Then test fit again and pushed the pipes through the Xs, hence these dimples.

Then I glued the sheet on and folded/glued the endcaps down.

And then one last test fit to confirm the pipe joins looked ugly as hell...sigh. I guess next time I'll have to work on improving that aspect.


Now on to the details. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Hey, it's looking great! And paint hides a multitude of sins

 inmygravenimage wrote:
Hey, it's looking great! And paint hides a multitude of sins

Thanks graven. I know you're right.

I started on a sort of work station platform. I lnew ai wanted an extra stair here, partially because I made this boiler slightly wider than the base. I used this curved bit I sawed off the letter "F" and glued it on at its edge. I also reinforced this join with a sheet of heavy paper glued to the bottom of both pieces and cut to shape. Sorry I didn't get a picture of that.

I contemplated shaving the curvy bit down, but in the end didn't bother. Then I moved on to the platform, which is just a piece of foamcore textured with paper rectangles.

And then it got a foam lip that I poked holes in every 1cm to later place toothpick fragments to represent an ancient and decaying guardrail.

And then I glued everything to the base and detailed the crap out of it.


That's it for now. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

That’s looking funky Warboss! Loads of details crammed in already

 gobert wrote:
That’s looking funky Warboss! Loads of details crammed in already

Thanks, gobert!

I worked on a computer terminal. It's just foamcore covered with paper. I poked holes in the back of the console part and the stem part with a pin. And then widened the holes with an exacto blade before popping weensy toothpick fragments in the holes to act as pins.

Then I detailed the front of it. I also made a tiny extra bit for the side of thhe new boiler.


That's it for now. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

I glued the dowels-as-pipes into place as well as all the other bits and bobs to the base. Here is Gustavo for reference.


Then I got started on the box that will sit on top of this piece.


My original idea was to make extra bits, sort of like sockets, sort of like couplings, to add to this box to house the pipe ends. However, when I test fitted the box and compared it to the heat sink...

...it turns out I had already made it 1.5cm too tall. Dang it!

So, instead, I made a mock up using foamcore castoffs to illustrate how these peices will stack.

And then with the other piece to illustrate how I intend to fit stuff together.


Once the pipes piece is done I'll get started on another big box that will sit on top of the big platform and cover up the tops of those two ceiling vents from the other piece. And even still, all of these pieces only represent about 1/4 of the table's coverage.

Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

I like it!

The scale/size of the piece gives it a feeling that is almost Lovecraftian; seeing Gustavo wandering through these Cyclopean halls makes me wonder when the Great Old One is going to pop out!

Rock on.

This is some great work in here, keep it up.

Thanks, Cat! I like your cyclopean description. Catacombs of the dead and dreaming.

itsonlyme wrote:
This is some great work in here, keep it up.

Thank you, itsonlyme!

Here I present a billion photos of the start of my simple fix.

I basically outlined where the dowels were supposed to fit, measured a larger hole to make it easier to get inside of and fiddle, and then cut it so poorly I practically doubled the size of the second hole in an effort to fix it. Ah, well. Progress is still (messy) progress.

Sorry I haven't posted on here in awhile. This is mostly a post to say I haven't forgotten about this project (because it looms like a shadow in my overall anxiety). The past 6 days have been very hectic, but I promise I will dive right back in over the next couple of days.

More coming soon-ish.

 Warboss_Waaazag wrote:
Sorry I haven't posted on here in awhile. This is mostly a post to say I haven't forgotten about this project (because it looms like a shadow in my overall anxiety). The past 6 days have been very hectic, but I promise I will dive right back in over the next couple of days.

More coming soon-ish.

I know that feeling. I ran out of clear lacquer and I couldn't finish any of my projects this last week.
Couldn't take it any longer, so I drove around town today looking for a store that had the right kind.
I can finally rest.

It's OK mate, stuff happens, attention wavers. Better to take a break a return afresh!

Right there with you, man! I very much enjoy seeing random bits and bobs stuck onto a slab of cardboard magically become highly detailed building or starship interiors- it's like those sculptures that seen from straight ahead appear to be only a series of disconfomring layers, but from the right angle become a face, or horse, or whatever. I look forward to the next installment when it comes.

In the meantime, things are also hectic here! I am _____so_____ close to finishing Kittyhawk I can taste it- and not a minute to work! It'll come, though.

Rock on!

Is away for 2 weeks, Wazag builds what feels like a whole town...

 Tommygun1918 wrote:
I know that feeling. I ran out of clear lacquer and I couldn't finish any of my projects this last week.
Couldn't take it any longer, so I drove around town today looking for a store that had the right kind.
I can finally rest.

 inmygravenimage wrote:
It's OK mate, stuff happens, attention wavers. Better to take a break a return afresh!

 Meer_Cat wrote:

Right there with you, man! I very much enjoy seeing random bits and bobs stuck onto a slab of cardboard magically become highly detailed building or starship interiors- it's like those sculptures that seen from straight ahead appear to be only a series of disconfomring layers, but from the right angle become a face, or horse, or whatever. I look forward to the next installment when it comes.

In the meantime, things are also hectic here! I am _____so_____ close to finishing Kittyhawk I can taste it- and not a minute to work! It'll come, though.

Rock on!

Not Online!!! wrote:
Is away for 2 weeks, Wazag builds what feels like a whole town...

Thanks friends. I really appreciate your support. I have the next 2 days off. I'll try to make some progress.

I have a house guest coming from Sweden tomorrow, so I used that as an excuse to clean my work space.



It's more spacious, but I miss my mess. Time will help me return it to clutter, no worries. I cut a bunch of squares.


And test fit them in one of the holes...


...but not much else got done, unfortunately. Maybe I'll be more productive next week, who knows?

By golly there's a table under there! Scientists have long proposed the theory of the 'primordial table', but had never been able to delve deeply enough to prove the theory.

Now we know!

Enjoy your time with your friend!

 Meer_Cat wrote:
By golly there's a table under there! Scientists have long proposed the theory of the 'primordial table', but had never been able to delve deeply enough to prove the theory.

Now we know!

Enjoy your time with your friend!

lol, thanks Cat.

I did a quick, three step process for determining where my dowels are going to fit.

Step 1. Put blobs of paint on the tops of the dowels.


Step 2. Fit the box on top of the dowels and press down. The blobs are blobby enough to transfer.


Step 3. Fit the squares of insert into the box hole and transfer the blobs.


Now I have a rough estimate where those dowels will need to be and I can cut the squares down into shape. It also became clear to me that, as is, the box top would be 1 foamcore board thickness too short, so I factored that thickness into my design as I prepared to cut.

This may be a question that cannot be answered, but how close are you from having enough for a full table of terrain?

 Tommygun1918 wrote:
This may be a question that cannot be answered, but how close are you from having enough for a full table of terrain?

For what I have planned for this project, this is about a quarter of what I want to build. If I laid all the stuff flat, I probably already have wnough for 1 table. Overall, my entire collection of terrain? I have probably about 4 tables worth of completed terrain, most of which lives in other people's homes (in my friends' hobby rooms).

I started some sketches for a pair of archways.


And a piece plan for the next block to go on top of this stack. Hopefully this will make sense in hindsight.


I got some work done last night. I'll upload my (unnecessarily) comprehensive WIP shots of that over the course of the next few days.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
On one side I did all the work without taking any progress shots. Whoops. The dowel holes.


Test fitting on the dowel tops.


All the extra squares glued together and under a sort of heavy object to make sure they stick well.


And the next day test fitted into the box housing.


It's coming along.

So, take 2 on the other box. First sandwich slice:


I realized the dowels as is would have been 1 foam board thickness too short by comparison to the other piece,so I corrected it with some creative measuring.


I notated my guidelines...


...used my Invisible T square...


...lines and reminders for me what's going away and what's supposed to stay...


...shallow cuts...


...tear the paper away poorly and use the exacto to carve into the foam and pull it away...


...tada, first one sort of a trench and then 2...


...then check, measure, and cut again, this time all the way through...


...then test again...


...and repeat for the last sandwich bit (i also wanted to show off how perfect the paper came off this last square)...


...I also wanted a shallower cut on this last piece, so I utilized my beveled rasp to mangle a rough trough into the foamcore and make a general mess...


...then glue...


...and once all is assembled and aligned, I smooshed them under this weight.


And that's that part of how this part of the terrain was made. Thanks for sticking with me. Have an awesome day!

I love the way you document everything, it's awesome. Keep it up!

Thanks, graven! I will.

While I waited, I decided to sift through this pile of debris


...to find detailing elements...


Honestly, I was shocked by how much I was able to salvage.

...and set to work detailing this random scatter terrain bit.


I didn't get very far before I gave up and went to bed.

This convoluted mess is my "plan" for the second section of my board.


Aren't sketches fun?

Brilliant

Aw, shucks, thanks graven!

I did more work yesterday. I finished the second dowel box. I outlined where I needed to make cuts to make the top flat (because all my pieces were of irregular size and height). Not shown is that I measured this line to be 1 and a half inches from the base, because all I wanted was the last detailed half inch sticking out of the big box it fits into.


And, tada! First step complete.


Now to even up the other sides with my rasp.


And use the world's most sophisticated tool to make the dowel holes wide and round.


Then, because I knew this box was larger than the previous one, I measured out a few panels and corner covers. The red pencil marks are cut lines, the black pen marks are fold lines.


And then a super oversized plate to cover the bottom. The overhang gets cut away once the glue dries (or barely has a chance to set because I am impatient).


Then the dowel holes get the sophisticated treatment again...


And it's on to detailing. I drew this line as a guide for placing said details.


These trapezoidal shapes come from a template I saved from an earlier project. And by "template" I just mean a left over trapezoid that I trace over and over and over again. End result:


More coming soon. Thanks for sticking with me. Have an awesome day!

Reduce, reuse, recycle.

This is going to be quite the piece of terrain.

Cheers,

CB

 Captain Brown wrote:
Reduce, reuse, recycle.

This is going to be quite the piece of terrain.

Cheers,

CB

I used to have a t shirt that said reduce, reuse, reanimate. I didn't do a lot of reanimation work on this piece, but I did everything else honestly. Thanks for the encouragement, Captain Brown!

I started detailing the top box, first with pencil guidelines.


And then actual details.


And then I went bonkers...


...especially considering all this detail is on the bottom of the box and won't even be readily noticeable during gameplay.

Sides come next.

Brief interlude before I forget I have these pictures. I finished detailing the small box...


...and then decided enough details weren't enough details. So I broke out the trusty orange juice cap, white glue, water, toilet paper roll, and the crappiest brush I own and went to town adding what I hope will look like corrosion when I'm done. This was honestly a test to see if this effect could work on the dowel pipes because I'm afraid they look too plain.


"Yo dawg, we heard you like detail. So we put detail on your detail, so you could detail while you detail!"
-Xzibit

Thanks for sticking with me. Have an awesome day!

NICE. I'm going to nick that idea ;-)

 Skinflint Games wrote:
NICE. I'm going to nick that idea ;-)

Sweet!

As promised here are the sides. I followed the guidelines I drew on earlier.


And then I primed the boxes and glued them in place in the middle of doing this.


Then I got on with the task at hand.


Did the front end, too.


I textured the dowels. One set just with glue...


...and the other with the toilet paper method I tested on the other piece.


And then glued the top to the bottom.


And also, here is the other front end. Except for paint, this piece is done.


Thanks for looking. More very soon. Have an awesome day!

Excellent! I have done the tp corrosion before, it's very effective.

That looks very promising!

Thank you, folks!

Next up is a stairwell for the 3 floor piece I started this project with. I've had this idea of using a dowel to create stability in a single standing column and this was the proof of concept build.


And, well, it worked. I carved out the other walls and a floor, too. There was a third floor glued in, but I tore it out after I realized I wasn't sure how I wanted the stairs to work for that floor.


It was a complex shape that I rushed gluing, so I had to pin a lot of the panels together so it wouldn't fall apart while it dried.


And then I decided maybe stairs wasn't the answer and a ladder was.


We'll see where I go from here. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Alright, so here is my stairwell sketch.


It clearly calls for stairs. Also, the ladder didn't do the one thing I wanted the climby thing to do, which was to allow models to move halfway up it and stay. So I pulled it apart and built a staircase by accidentally cutting two identical angled pieces from my foamcore. Whoops, that worked out well.


After cutting my step guides, I used the former ladder rungs to mock up the stairs and tada, working prototype.


A lot more work and details to do, but I'm on the right track. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, in case it wasn't implied, I always appreciate feedback, ideas, and critiques.

So are these pieces for a smashed Hive city or a space hulk?

 Tommygun1918 wrote:
So are these pieces for a smashed Hive city or a space hulk?

My intent is to use them for a spacehulk in a campaign I wrote and will run for some friends. But they could just as easily be used for the underbelly of a hivecity. All these pieces tackle the problems I have with both settings.

1. Why is there only 1 deck on the space hulk?

2. Why is everything so small in the undercity when it is literally the basement of a titanic superstructure?

And this project addresses my issues with a lot of terrain setups I see on the internet and in battle reports. Because either the terrain is small and functional or it is epic but static. And I want epic and functional, but above all, modular.

And to that end, I simply remove any sense of being able to store this stuff well and instead opt for "does this look cool"? If I must, I'll sleep in the closet.

Thanks for your question, Tommygun1918! I appreciate your feedback.

In both cases, I think of it as one of those cramped, pipe filled, under the building corridors from so many action movies

 inmygravenimage wrote:
In both cases, I think of it as one of those cramped, pipe filled, under the building corridors from so many action movies

I think that's a valid interpretation, too. And I feel like that sense of claustrophobia is also not well achieved by most terrain layouts that show up in my image and video searches. One obstacle to overcome at a time.

I did more work on my stairs, by starting to detail the inside and outside walls.


And the steps themselves.


Once everything was primed, I glued it together into its roughly staircase shape. I don't really want to admit how many times I glued a step in backwards (I had detailed the leading edge of each step to avoid this issue, but my dumb brain went ahead and mucked it up anyway. Thanks brain).


Flaunting his stair climbing capabilities...


More very soon, I am making good progress on this piece. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Okay, massive update. I was running so late for work yesterday, I decided it would be easier to call out. So I spent my day wisely, hobbying.

Most recent details on the lower staircase.


And detailing the first floor (that will be largely hidden behind this staircase).


Even the freaking ceiling.


Testing with the lower staircase where I should place the 2nd floor stairs so that Brother Gustavo sized models will fit at the bottom, too.


Drawing step guides and realizing I need more space to fit Gustavo behind the staircase.


Another first floor test fit after I added some more details.


Before moving on to the second set of steps.... I glued a paper strip on the facing that is meant to be the front. Then cut tinier strips to glue to the center to create small details there. Then detailed the top faces to keep in theme with the first floor steps.


Then I primed the whole thing and glued it together. I set it aside to dry and after a few minutes, used it as a guide to punch holes all the way through the wall from the inside so I can pin it in place from the outside when I'm ready to glue it in.


Next up I sectioned out some pillars and railing shapes to match the giant piece I started this project with. I cut all the long lines first to make this process easier.


On to start detailing the second floor before I install the stairs. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

All feedback is welcome and appreciated.

Exciting! Can I recommend/request plastic straws across ceilings and upper walls as ducting?

 inmygravenimage wrote:
Exciting! Can I recommend/request plastic straws across ceilings and upper walls as ducting?

Request? Hmm, never had one of those before. I'll see what I can do. Here are some sketches on that idea that I made while being bored at work.

Some cool ideas there. Glad I helped Something else to consider is bendy straws - easy to curve and natural ridging.

Now I am working on detailing the second floor. Starting with broad strokes and big panels I work my way through to the smallest details. I cut this piece from a pad of colored paper I have and left the pre-poked hole in it because it's a free perfect circle. I distressed the paper, traced where the distress shows through to the wall, and then distressed the wall where it will be glued on to.


I also made columns with paper coverings that I distressed in the same way as the wall paneling. I took the extra step to paint the inside and outside of the paper where the distress cuts are and also painted the wall and column before the paper got glued over it.


Then I did a whole bunch more detailing and priming before I took more progress shots.


Incidentally, I filled in the floor line with scrap foamcore strips because I took an interlude step and cut the 3rd floor. I also drove my brain crazy because, for reasons unknown, I decided to draw all guides for the cuts I had to make on the BOTTOM of this piece. Which means everything important was inverted. I'm sure I can still feel the extra fold in my brain this twisted puzzle made.


I test fitted the floor before I was ready to glue it in place and then panicked slightly as I struggled to remove it. But it came out without breaking the whole build so far. Whew!


Next was on to the floor tiles (which were such a pain to make I decided against duplicating the effect for the 3rd floor).


Then came the "railing" and perhaps noticeable in the background I added some details to the stairs for durability and stability.


Here's where the stairs will go (testing to make sure it all still fits).


And a side by side with the piece it's meant to pair with.


More very soon. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

New day, new progress.

I glued the stairs, making sure Gustavo still fits. And also starting to detail the railing and overhang area.


I cut holes into the two walls and glued in clusters of toothpicks to facilitate the next level.


And then started detailing the 3rd floor before gluing it in place and priming it.


Then the walls up there:


It's nearly complete.


Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

That final shot

I also started gluing on the back plating.

I can see the rivets and the like now. I assume that a dry brush of grey will follow to make them pop a little?

CB

 Captain Brown wrote:
I can see the rivets and the like now. I assume that a dry brush of grey will follow to make them pop a little?

CB

Yes, a drybrush of some sort will come at some point. I want to try to finish all these pieces before I put paint to any, so that I can get a consistent look.

I finished up the back plating and textured it with glue. I also decided to keep the staircase on the 1st floor separate.


I also glued the railing on the 3rd floor.


And added a few small, extra details to that rail and the 3rd floor walls.


I also added details to the edges and pillar facings and used glue to blur them into the surface of the walls.


So, except for paint, I'm calling this one done and moving on to the next one.

Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Speaking of, I started a topper for the stairwell, perfectly fitted to the pegs I made.


Here's a mock up of what I have planned.

Alright, starting small with details. Structural pillars made of foamcore scraps require rasping and trimming into shape.


And then shaping the paper facia and tracing where the underlying damage will be. I find tracing the fold lines with a ballpoint pen helps make the folds easier and more uniform. I squiggle on some rough ideas of where I want my rust holes to go and then cut them out vaguely following their pattern. For some reason it looks better when I start with the squiggle instead of trying to do it freehand with the xacto. Colored pencils or crayons are great for filling in the holes on the foamcore where they peek through the paper.


I hand painted black on the inside and outside of where the damage is before gluing it all together. There's also a nub of a back wall glued in place, too.

I went kinda bonkers with the structure on the opposite end, making a custom paper shape to wrap it. Then I discovered it didn't cover completely so I basically just detailed the whole thing before I glued it to the floor.


Here, too, I added a back wall bit and pinned the whole thing in place.


This wall gap was intentional, as I did much the same with the angled section of the ceiling, too. I also built a little cap for this doorway that juts out the back. Gustavo illustrates.


And then showing off where it sits on top of the stairwell.


Progress, progress, progress. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Feedback always welcome and appreciated.

My goal for this December is to finish all the terrain for this first set (I intend to build a whole bunch of layout sets). So, with that, here is the preliminary work for the largest and most wonky piece in the set. The original idea was for a thing roughly 15" by 15" by 5", but it evolved over time. It has both top and under playable elements. The idea is that the Mission deployment will be on top of this piece and that play can (and probably will) continue beneath it. I always prefer to start players on top of things to climb down rather than the bottom, because they are unlikely to go up. This means that the initial play area is 18" off the surface of the table.

I started by anticipating a staircase at the "back" and pinned together this elbow to start it. I also thought the interior wall was a little too plain so I build a small indentation into the wall.


Then I worked on a balcony to fit onto the back of the stairwell's topper. There's a shelf to help it fit over that piece.


I hammered out the basic shape and test fitted it to the rest of the already build pieces. Here Gustavo models the underneath play area. (Disregard my sink full of dishes)


I originally thought the balcony would be strong enough to stand on its own, but as I built I realized it's not anchored to enough of the rest of the piece for that. So I will have to build a structural support piece to fit beneath it.

Here is Gustavo to illustrate the enormity of this whole set up. Don't mind the coffee maker; that's not part of the set.


Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Feedback always welcome and appreciated.

Wow. Breathtaking.

 inmygravenimage wrote:
Wow. Breathtaking.

Wow. Thank you very much!

I trimmed the big thing down. Here it is in progress from various angles.


Plenty more to come.

So, I paused the big piece for the moment and started work on the structural support for its balcony. I have all these mdf letters that I've been collecting for decades and decided to put them to good use. The stairwell is actually mounted on 2 capital "L"s glued into a rectangle. For this base I glued an I and a D together, strengthening the bond with a piece of paper on the bottom.


I only had a vague idea about what I wanted to do with this one, so I just started gluing shapes on, modifying as I went. Pinning as needed.


And then of course, about halfway through this project, I started another one.


I like to create strong bonds by trimming the edge off one sheet, roughly the thickness of another sheet, so that when glued, the corner is bonded on 2 sides. Here's an illustration of how I score the leftover material on the cuts to make scraping it out easier and faster.


I then started doing some bulking out of the piece, again deciding where details would be as I went. Yet even still this was just building a base shape to build upon later.


I'm starting to ramp up production to build a lot of base pieces and leaving the detailing for later.

This is looking amazing. Great deal of work put in. Love the structures. I can really imagine playing on this.

 Camkierhi wrote:
This is looking amazing. Great deal of work put in. Love the structures. I can really imagine playing on this.

Thanks, Cam! It's great to have you here.

I built the simplest of base piece cores. And then struggled to adequately photograph this tiny alcove on the top floor.


With any luck it will become more comprehensible as I add detail to it.

But in the meanwhile, I had the ambition to construct a working gigantic door. All kinds of stories circulate in my head about why it exists, but I don't want to spoil the Mission details in case my potential players peruse this site and blog.

I started with a very basic shape, at the total height of most of my other pieces (roughly 9 and three quarter inches tall) and carved out a hole roughly the size and shape of the archway on the other piece. Then I built up some interior spacers in the form of another layer of foamcore and a 1mm thick cardstock layer. I added in a runner on the bottom which is literally just one of the cast off strips I have dozens of from trimming previous walls and things. Then I cut a grove in the outermost wall and used it as a guide for the size and mechanism of the door.


That groove ended up being too short to let the door open as much as I wanted it to, so I cut it (probably too much) and then was forced to awkwardly pin the stopper back in place.


I'll post up more progress on one or more of these projects as I make headway. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

looking great! I love the black foamcore more than the white foamcore - it definitely just feels more substantial for some reason (and painting it is easier!)

 blockade23 wrote:
looking great! I love the black foamcore more than the white foamcore - it definitely just feels more substantial for some reason (and painting it is easier!)

Thanks, blockade23! Yes, I agree. Also the black foamcore has a denser styrofoam layer, which means it holds its shape better than the white stuff. Although that might just be the brand I keep buying.

I started to distress the archway using my exacto blade, some snapped toothpicks, and tons of white glue.


And then added surface details to the door. I wanted one side to grant clues about what was beyond ut and the other to just be a basic door. I added about 2 layers of paper to the "clue side" and used a ballpoint pen to scour plate lines into the other side. I also nicked the edges of those "plates" with a very sharp knife and pulled the paper away from the foam. Then distressed the foam with a less sharp knife until I came out with my desired level of corroded.


Here is my attempt at showing the gradations of the cold blue I layered onto my black base coat. I leave it to you all to tell me if it comes across as layers or just duplicate pictures. This is just craft matte midnight blue with gradual additive light grey mixed in.


I wanted the door to look like the action of closing it created friction beyond what it is used to and tried to portray that with a reddening in two lines. I don't know if I achieved the desired affect. You all tell me if you think it works.

I started with a brick red and then softened it with a medium brown, before adding a smidge of yellow to the original red. I feel like this should have been more yellow, but I ran out of steam.


Thanks for looking and have an awesome day! Feedback always appreciated.

That's a really cool effect there, very convincing!

 Skinflint Games wrote:
That's a really cool effect there, very convincing!

Thanks, Skinflint!

I glued the sandwich halves together with the door meat. I guess the glue counts as mustard? And now it's time to show off the door in action.


And then the whole package to its base. I used my two other WIP elevated walkway pieces to prop it up in case it tried to fall over while the glue sets.

Sandwich from above.


And kinda how it will look on tbe table, by way of its braces.


Only this small update today. There will be more progress tomorrow. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Various sketches working through design challenges.


Sorry there's no terrain today. I'm trying to be gentle with myself for taking one night off without building or writing anything. It feels uncomfortable to not be in a state of perpetual creation. I always feel like I'm running out of time.

Thanks for looking and staying with me.

Oh, also, what would be the general community interest in me posting terrain tutorials in a video format, like a YT channel? Think anyone would be interested in that? Just putting the idea into the universe.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and stress free day.

Hey pal. Do not beat yourself up about not doing stuff. Firstly, you sketched! That's stuff. Secondly, you owe it to no-one. Your hobby, your way no guilt over not making stuff!

 inmygravenimage wrote:
Hey pal. Do not beat yourself up about not doing stuff. Firstly, you sketched! That's stuff. Secondly, you owe it to no-one. Your hobby, your way no guilt over not making stuff!

Thanks graven. I really appreciate you.

I made a small progress last night. Not much, but at least I remembered to take a couple of pictures. I added the basic under structure for a few support beams on one side of my giant door piece.


That's it. My weekend is coming up (I work 5 days straight, but my 2 days off are not Saturdays and Sundays) so I hope to get a boatload of work done on those days.

Thank you all for looking at my stuff. Your encouragement, support, and feedback has been a life line to me. Words fail me to express the depth of my gratitude. I truly hope everyone has their best day today.

@Warboss_Waaazag Planning things with sketches is still doing something and while it might not feel as productive as the actual building part, hobby stuff should not feel like something mandatory, although I also feel a bit bad when I can't do something I wanted/planned to do on a given day.

I have seen a few terrain building tutorials so if you are up for it, it could certainly be interesting to watch. You make some really nice things from concept on paper into reality.

 GreenScorpion wrote:
@Warboss_Waaazag Planning things with sketches is still doing something and while it might not feel as productive as the actual building part, hobby stuff should not feel like something mandatory, although I also feel a bit bad when I can't do something I wanted/planned to do on a given day.

I have seen a few terrain building tutorials so if you are up for it, it could certainly be interesting to watch. You make some really nice things from concept on paper into reality.

Thanks, GreenScorpion. I very much appreciate your kind words.

I made more progress on the big door. I had to make a sheath for the pillars I'd already glued in place, so I started with this vaguely textured paper sheet. Drew my lines on for cutting and folding, and created a little diagram for me so I wouldn't get confused.


Whipped out my trusty Invisible T Square (which I misplace at least four times a day) and made my cuts. My blades are so sharp that this plastic ruler is barely a straight edge anymore.


Then, after I folded my paper in the wrong direction, and then folded it the right way so it would fit as intended, I got to work drawing out the outlines of where I wanted to put the rust and decay. And then I realized I had put these marks on the inside. The idea behind this door is that there's a radiation leak where it leads to, so all the structures surrounding the doorway are heavily damaged and those further away are less so. With that in mind I flipped the paper and aligned it to the damage I already portrayed in the archway and jazzed my marks up a bit.


Cut the inside, flip to compare, and cut again.


Then I overlaid the paper to the pillar and used a colored pencil to mark where the damage would show through. This process also further and naturally distresses the paper, which is nice.


I did some basic outline scrapes and tried to peel away the paper from the foamcore, but I recently swapped my exacto blade and it turned out to be too sharp to distress the project in a satisfactory manner. So I used its sharpness to stab the bejeezus out of my outlines and go from there. It worked much better, although I wound up wiping the garbage off the blade with my bare fingers, forgetting how sharp it was and promptly slashed a good cut into my fingertip. It's been a long time since I did that. Ouch.


Then I sealed it with glue and painted it black, before gluing the sheath on over it. You'll notice I already painted the inside and outside of the damaged bits of the sheath to make the finished priming and painting process easier. I always use way too much glue for these damaged sheaths because I want it to help me further distress the paper. The paper I use is many-layered and pulls apart as I rub it into place. Strangely, this creates a better looking decayed metal effect than any I try to do deliberately. The extra glue also seals the paper and adds a further texture to the exterior. I spend a lot of time rubbing and smoothing this excess glue until it gets tacky and then starts to pull in interesting patterns. Bits of stray paper, foam, and drier glue globs also get stuck under this layer, adding further texture.


And now we come to the weirdest part of this build, where I explain my material acquisition process. You see, I grew up with the original Star Wars movies. And one brother (amongst many) who really nurtured my creativity. He bought me things like The Empire Strikes Back book of concept sketches that showcased designs that never made it into the films. I would copy and modify those sketches over and over again. The images of it are some of my clearest memories. He also brought me to exhibits of the props used in the films and showed me videos of the build process of ILM (the Industrial Light and Magic production studio was created to do all the practical effects work of Star Wars: A New Hope) and watched in awe as grown men butchered thousands of model kits and used mundane materials and items to create immense "miniatures" of Star Destroyers and X Wings and Death Stars and AT-ATs. All this instilled in me the idea that I can find details and ideas in nearly any object.

Fast forward to today, as I wander craft stores, yard sales, antique shops, 99 cent stores, and art supply stores, evaluating every item for its terrain building potential. It's why I use paper instead of plasticard, why I collect and task my friends to collect orange juice bottle caps, why I use dark brown glitter as burned shattered glass, and why I bought a jar of tiny flat basketballs to use on this project, too.


Because it works. And $4USD is a tiny amount to spend on hundreds of details I don't have to make myself.


Everything is material. Let your imagination run wild. Thanks for looking. Have the best day today.

I thought those tiny basketballs were all Tau logos at first.

I honestly believed you had hand drawn each one...

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
I thought those tiny basketballs were all Tau logos at first.

I honestly believed you had hand drawn each one...

I wouldn't put it past me. Woe betide the project I currently hyperfixate on.

Good progress with the damage and the use of cheap materials for detailing is a great idea.
As someone who has built a small fortress out of used matches I do think that reuse of garbage can be great. Building something of that size with thousands of matches is probably not something I would recommend though.

I wrapped the left column with no distress, mostly because I wanted to save myself some work.


And then proceeded to distress the heck out of the central column.


The inside and outside of my paper wrap.


And then all the distress of gluing it into place. I also glued a wall into place between the nondoor column and this center column in anticipation of the details I intend to put there (and before I primed all the details behind it, like a dumbass; yay more difficulties for no reason).


Now more basketballs and some wall dressings.


And then a quick review of finished versus WIP piles.


Thanks for looking. I'll post up more stuff soon. Have an awesome day!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 GreenScorpion wrote:
Good progress with the damage and the use of cheap materials for detailing is a great idea.
As someone who has built a small fortress out of used matches I do think that reuse of garbage can be great. Building something of that size with thousands of matches is probably not something I would recommend though.

Wow, that sounds like an endeavor! And yeah, garbage and unusual materials seems to have become my trademark. I just went to my storage unit yesterday and dragged out a hole crate of odds and ends - lollipop sticks, wooden cubes, tongue depressors, coffee stirrers, drinking straws, broken dollhouse furniture, pieces of cheapo wooden puzzles, and more! I'm looking forward to implementing these bits on all my stuff going forward.

Very dramatic. Keep it up!

 inmygravenimage wrote:
Very dramatic. Keep it up!

Thanks, graven. I will!

And as evidence, I started with this sprue left over from a bunch of mecha kits my friend gave me a few years ago.


The rounded nature of these gave me the idea to have pipes coming up out of the hole I had made with the low wall. After struggling to get my paintbrush into that area, I primed the hole as best I could and then attached the sprue-pipes to a piece of spare foamcore. I shaved some grooves into the foam to create channels for these pipes to fit into and used coarse sandpaper to file away any details that might give these plastic bits away as sprue. After a quick prime and the addition of another foam chunk, I started building the insert.


Then jammed it in place, realized there was more gap than I thought, and hastily added more paper to the extra space until it fit as snuggly as possible.


More details up soon. Thanks for looking!

Leftover sprues are an amazing material! If you ever need a round control terminal/table that circular part in the middle seems like a good start, it even has little feet.

Very nice. I really will need to take inspiration on some of those techniques.

Thanks, GreenScorpion and Not Online!!!.

Here is my latest craft store haul. I intended to use these glitter packs as individual bolts, but now that I have started to I fear each individual glit might be too flat to even pick up paint. I guess time will tell.


Anyway, I used the gold glitter and paper dots to add some details to the piece.


I also filed down another sprue bit to make a pipe.


And then went a little berserk with garbage in the corner.


But that's my update. I'll post more as I get it done. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

VERY little progress, but I started work on the structural supports for the other side of the big door piece. I measured, cut incorrectly, and trimmed until these slivers lined up to create an angle. Then glued them all together and used the power of HAND to make sure they cured flush and aligned correctly.


With luck I'll have more to post up later today, but this is it for now. Thanks for looking.

Various fiddling with scrap paper to create archway details.


Measure once, cut twice, right?


And this my trusty smoothing block aka just another cast off amongst thousands.


And then with all the bells and whistles.


I noticed my basketball rivets were looking kind of exposed so I added some glue to smooth out their details.


During that process I noticed a blank spot in the central column, so I added more details there.


Then I detailed the second half of the big door piece, over the actual door.


And added a stalagtite next to the pipe on the first side.


Thanks for looking. I'll have a bunch more progress shots tomorrow.

Okay, remember that alcove I had trouble photographing? Well I decided to add some details to it. First, I took a scrap of a masonite "F" and cut it down to the correct height.


And then I test fitted it to the alcove to see what the end result might look like.


On to using my template


Easy enough. I cut out those original 3 and then went through a couple of base ideas about how to use them. I was thinking I might glue 2 together and then alternate them with a recessed detail. Or glue 3 together, or.... Hm. I settled on cutting out 1 more piece to make 4 in total, glued 2 together to make a thicker support. I made 2 of these; then detailed them up and decided to make a single recessed detail between them. Paper wrapping foamcore shapes is the smartest mistake I stumbled upon with this project.


Never just discard cast offs, folks. You have no idea how useful all these extra slivers of foamcore have become.


I cut a sloping widget of foamcore, too. It needed covering so I went a little silly, but it worked.


And then, tada, the whole insert glued together.


After priming the thing, I got to work on the radiator/vent thing I wanted in the middle. It took some fiddling to figure out the exact size, shape, and placement of the tines.


But I eventually figured it all out.


Here it is from the top view (which no one will ever see again).


And here it is tucked away in that impossible to photograph alcove.


This project has really brought the "insane attention to details" out of me. The number of tiny things I've made and hidden, in places only barely visible to even a scrutinizing viewer, is significantly greater than 1.

Thanks for looking and have an (insanely) awesome day!

Insane and AWESOME

 inmygravenimage wrote:
Insane and AWESOME

Aw shucks, thanks graven.

I started work on an archway for another piece.


It was a pain to carve out and I eventually shaped it with my curved rasp.


Then I started to add more details and tried to smooth the transition from foamcore to big blocky pink foam.


I felt the floor flanges needed some support, so I built one.


Slow progress is still progress. By working on multiple pieces at the same time I feel like the whole process is taking longer. It's difficult to acknowledge that I am making progress because it doesn't feel like I am. When all 5 of the pieces I am currently working on are done, all more or less at the same time, I will probably feel differently.

Anyway, thanks for looking. Have an awesome day, and comments are always welcome.

This is looking awesome Warboss, love the sprue pipes, I'm nicking that idea ;-)

 Skinflint Games wrote:
This is looking awesome Warboss, love the sprue pipes, I'm nicking that idea ;-)

Excellent! That's why I document all of this (and totally not just to generate dopamine boosts when y'all give me such high praise. Honest). Please, nick away.

I started wrapping the archway piece and now I feel like it's wearing pajamas.


Now I am struggling with the idea of leaving this part exposed like it's made of stone, instead of wrapping it like I had originally planned.


Thoughts? Suggestions? I know it's totally on brand for 40k spaceships to have stonework and masonry onboard, I just don't know if it would look right, here. The archway is going to get gussied up with fancy ceiling tiles and the very first piece I made is virtually covered in ornamentation, but is stonework here too far fancy? I guess I just worry about collective uniformity when I'm done with the set.

Also, new, more realistic goal for my December is to complete this piece, the door piece, and the impossible alcove piece by the end of this year and save the structural support, the balcony/top cover, and all the rest of the set yet to be created for next year. I'm tired of setting impossible goals for myself.

Please, comments and feedback are welcomed and encouraged.

Thank you for looking in on me. I love you all.

Chugging away, I finally got to work on the other side of the giant door piece. I had the idea that this side of it was exposed more directly to the radiation that's damaged the support structures on the first side. So I endeavoured to create depth to build into by first laying out a grid in colored pencil and then using the multitude of foamcore scraps I had laying around to emulate the wall's internal superstructure.


And then, after running the flat of my hobby blade over the framework to create "damage" and irregularity, I immediately got to work layering "damage" using lengths of various gauges of copper and aluminium wire, scrap paper and foamcore bits, paper circles, those mini tags I recently bought, string, and anything else nearby that I thought might do the trick. In some places I cut down into the foam of the piece itself. I wanted layers and layers and layers of detail, but didn't want to clearly define what any of it actually was.

You'll notice between these shots that I realized I would need more foam strips to glue my "rotted panels" onto, even with the spaces I left for my pillars to sit in. So I just glued more strips along the lines originally meant to be the border of this pattern. I also strengthened these strips with a layer of finger-applied white glue and a heavy dose of matte black craft paint.

About midway through this process I realized I should finish and apply the support pillars I had planned and so got to work actually finishing them. Repetition is boring, but here I demonstrate how I used this guiding mark to cut the angles I wanted. This is roughly 1cm from the top of the strip. I just scored this with my hobby knife and then used that score mark as the guide for my blade to cut the angle.


Not very interesting, but a necessary step. Then I glued them together, one strip at a time and weighed the join down with my heavy rasp while I worked on other details. The wrap was so tedious and uninteresting that I didn't bother to take pictures of the process. It's all much the same as all the other times I've wrapped stuff. Measure once, fold, test fit, be sad, frustratingly apply glue and sloppily paste the whole thing on. Then create a small extra piece to cover what the first sleeve missed. Prime black (or forget to) and glue to the main piece. Tada.


And then I spent just...so much time getting fiddly with the details until I couldn't take it anymore and put it to the side for now. I'll pick this up again at a later date.


Thanks for looking and have an awesome day! I'm still open to feedback on this post and any other throughout this whole blog. Questions, comments, critiques?

Finally primed the finished wall.


And got all 3 pillars in place on the other side.


And did a ton more work on the detailed side. The bottom:


The top:


The wall as a whole:


And just getting started on the wall over the door:


More to post up soon! Thanks for looking and have a happy and safe holiday of choice! I celebrate the Winter Solstice, personally.

I did some work on the stairs topper. Started wrapping it and detailing the floor.


Paneling the exterior wall...


And detailing the underside/ceiling for the level below (and priming it whenever I had left over black paint on my brush from painting something else)...


And then some ideas about what to do with the inside wall join (that's a lolipop stick cut down to size)...


Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Your detailing is looking quite nice, can't wait to see the full set of terrain all together when you are done.

 GreenScorpion wrote:
Your detailing is looking quite nice, can't wait to see the full set of terrain all together when you are done.

Thanks, GreenScorpion, me too!

Insane attention to detail seems an appropriate diagnosis. An epic build, for sure!

This is simply amazing. Can't wait to see the final product!

 youwashock wrote:
Insane attention to detail seems an appropriate diagnosis. An epic build, for sure!

Not Online!!! wrote:
This is simply amazing. Can't wait to see the final product!

Thank you both! I unfortunately do not have progress shots to post today. The end of the year has proven to be very hectic for me. My resolve is still set to finish this project, but I for sure am not going to meet my December goal of 5 pieces completed. I honestly will be surprised if I finish even one of them.

I think my New Year's resolution is going to be to finish at least 1 piece per month. If I finish more than that, well good. That's gravy. I'm so used to working on a dozen projects at the same time, but not really finishing the whole giant project they are all a part of. And now that I am on effective mental health meds, I have to get used to this ability to focus on one piece at a time, finish, and still retain commitment to continue with the rest of the project. This is a new experience for me. It took me 48 years to get here and I wish I had gotten the help I clearly needed decades ago, and at the same time thank goodness I finally did get this help.

So, sorry to turn this post into a PSA, but my message to everyone who needs to hear it is:

It is never too late to get the help you deserve. Use the internet as the tool it was meant to be. If you can't see a psych in person, have anxiety about the process, or are embarrassed about asking for help, remember that it takes Strength and Courage to admit you cannot do it alone. It shows Strength of Character and Humility to ask for help. You owe it to yourself to live your best life possible. Even Space Marines operate best as a Squad. They lean on their Battle Brothers for aid and survival. You and your therapist or psychiatrist are Battle Brothers and together you overcome the Daemons that threaten to overwhelm you (anxiety, depression, chemical imbalance, fear, and all the other things that weigh upon us and stop us from loving ourselves and others).

For me, the most difficult part was seeking out the help. I went to Talkiatry and even through my fear and anxiety, I found the help I so desperately needed. It's all remote video conferencing, through my phone, and they even take my insurance. Find the time, my friends. You're worth it.

I hope you all have a joyous and prosperous New Year. Stay safe, drive sober, and have an awesome day!

Sound advice. Keep safe.

I'll be back on track with this project come the New Year. Stay tuned, y'all.

Always happy to see what you have built today.

Cheers,

CB

 Captain Brown wrote:
Always happy to see what you have built today.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks, Captain Brown!

In an effort to stick to my word, here is the teeny tiniest of updates. I did some more work on the big door piece, adding details over the doorway itself. I took basically the same picture from 2 angles and I couldn't decide which looked better.


It's my hope to finish this piece in the next week or two. Thanks for looking. Have a great day.

How do you plan to finish these up paint wise.
Do you have a color scheme?

 Tommygun1918 wrote:
How do you plan to finish these up paint wise.
Do you have a color scheme?

Yes. I intend to paint them as if they are being viewed through the augmented sensorium of space marine autosenses. Essentially cold, blue thermal imaging.

I started working on more details, cutting a square out of the wall.


And sealing it with glue.


And then built a small wall in it.


Not a whole lot of work, but it's something.

Small progress is still progress
The wall is looking better each time you update, cant wait to see the final result.

 GreenScorpion wrote:
Small progress is still progress
The wall is looking better each time you update, cant wait to see the final result.

Thanks GreenScorpion. A nice reminder to follow my own advice.

I got more work done. I took a bunch of random paper scraps and scribbled on them and cut them into plates to cover up some of the details underneath, because that's the crazy person I am.


And then I gathered a bunch of random scraps and crap - including a half of a half of a plastic clothes pin, a nub of rounded sprue, tiny squares of foamcore cut in half, and a twisted jumble of the last of my 18 guage wire.


All this is going to be the "last bits" of details. And by last, I mean just another layer before I add rivets and other minor details.

Thanks for looking and have an awesome day. I'll have more progress shots up soon.

Added more details to the wall above the door.


And then added layers of debris to the floors below these walls.


And then took the last wiggle of wire from my wire spool and layered it with paint and glue, before jamming it in the square hole I carved into the wall earlier.


And now, except for priming and a handful of rivets, this stage is complete. Now to work on the floor above.

Well, I primed the wall.


Slow progress is still progress.

That looks nice and suitably wrecked. Lots of fun detail on that wall.
What percentage of completion are you at on this project?

 Tommygun1918 wrote:
That looks nice and suitably wrecked. Lots of fun detail on that wall.
What percentage of completion are you at on this project?

Overall, with what I have made versus what I want to make, I'd say about 30%. I was slacking for most of the end of last year and the beginning of this year, but I feel like I am finally starting to get back on track.

As evidence, I present the more work I have completed. I started work on the top deck of this piece, with a plastic grid mat that I think is normally used to make rugs. I cut a shape out and sanded it rough to get rid of the shine and to help the glue and paint stick to it better.


Then got started with overally detailed structural supports using scrap cast off strips of foamcore.


To create ruin I slice vertical and horizontal lines and then distress it by picking at it with the tip of my blade.


This whole process is a lot of rough measuring and distressing to taste.


Here's the moment I realize I'm working with two different qualities of foamcore. I don't know if you can see the scintillation in the right piece, but if you can, that's the mark of an inferior product.


At first I thought it would be good to glue the grid to one of the other floor pieces, so I cut a groove in it to accommodate it and tried using brute force to make it stick. Ultimately, this plan failed, so I moved on without it.


I test fit the supports and realized I needed more. The grid ia inherently flexy and I had to do a lot of work to make it keep a shape.


So I measured, distressed, and finagled a cross beam. Then realized it would look better with structural plates, so I prepainted a trio of squares before impatiently gluing everything together.


Then my rasp to weigh it down and flat as I waited for it to dry.


Once dry (ish), I glued the supports in place and sealed the foam with white glue, before weighing that down, too. This is the stage where the other part of the floor fell off and I just soldiered on.


That's it for now. More progress up soon. Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

So then I traced a rough outline of where the structure of the main piece would rest on the parts of this floor, before gluing the completed and primed grid in place between the two halves. I added a few extra details, too. Namely because I wasn't sure it would be stable enough without rigid plastic to hold it in place. I also wasn't sure which side was going to be the bottom side (and ceiling for the floor below). I hemmed and hawed quite a bit on this.


There's also a side frame of foamcore on one side because I wasn't convinced it would hold in place without it. I pinned this up almost excessively while I gathered bits for details.


I'd love to say I was plating this just for looks, but half of it got glued on in a further attempt to stabilize and strengthen the bond between these two disparate materials - foamcore and plastic grid. Layers of glue got added, too, for pretty much the same reason.


I worked on the side with the outline thinking it was going to be the bottom before I decided to flip it. This decision came when I test fitted it and saw too many gaps between the floor and walls. So I flipped it and it seemed to work out better. Also, I just liked the way it looked.


So the new bottom got guardrails to hide the missed joins and less details.


And then I glued it in place and weighed it down with a bunch of stuff that I had near to hand (which you can barely see in this shot).


Brother Gustavo marvels at my creation.


There's still a few details to add before I will be finally ready to call this one complete.

Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Looks excellent, looking forward to seeing it painted up!

 Olthannon wrote:
Looks excellent, looking forward to seeing it painted up!

Thanks, Olthannon!

Here's a better shot of the weights.


I got a bunch more shots of progress, but I have to find a minute to upload them.

Okay so here's the top finally glued in place.


And some shots of the overhang from various angles.


And then I plated up the sides.


Added more detail to the floor on top.


And added some basketballs to help tie this side in with the other.


So, except for paint, this piece is officially completed. On to the next one.

Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

The details are bonkers. Love it.

Liking that piece Warboss, lots of nice little detail,, top shelf stuff.

Thank you, both!

I returned to this archway piece, briefly


And then instantly distracted myself with this support piece.


I started by using a spare D to outline and carve out a filler for this depression.


I didn't really have a plan when I started this project, beyond "it needs to hold up a balcony above it" so all my ambitious ideas about it are hampered by the haphazard nature of its construction. I decided to go easy on myself with this one. Here's a bunch of brute measurements.


Perfect.


Sort of perfect...


Okay, perfect again. Time to glue.


And trim and wrap.


Here's the mock up with an unorthodox thing I want to try to use.


Anyone have any suggestions for what I can use to fill any gaps in this thing? Super glue and paper doesn't seem to want to work.

And then switched back to this archway piece. I started bulking out the doorways and walls.


And created a shelf to clean up the bottom edge of the "stonework" created by the pink foam.


I also extended that shelf around intonthe archway, because I have an idea about details I want to add, but I think I need something for it to start at.


I got more work done, but I haven't eaten anything today, so I didn't have the energy to upload the photos yet. I'll shove food in my face and then get around to that shortly.

Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Massive advances with everything you're getting done- it's going to be an impressive table, combined with all the other things you've craft over the years.

For filling gaps, especially with all the disparate bits you combine (I'm envious of your facility in doing so), you might consider a flexible spackle like DryDex or anything with either silicon or vinyl in it. They tend to come in very small containers of a couple of ounces for home repair (up to gallon and five gallon buckets for contractors) so should be affordable and a little goes a long way.

Once dry it can be sanded, but still flexes a bit so it doesn't crack if the piece it's adhering to gets moved around.

Rock on!

You are frickin machine, dude.

This is going to look INSANE when completed ;-)

Seconded on the flexible filler front, acrylic caulk is another way to go - we usually cook up a gunky mix of filler powder, PVA, sand and craft paint to texture and do any gap filling. Works nicely to protect the foam if you're using a spray primer as well.

Cracking progress, second the caulk for gap filling!

That build is looking pretty epic, loving all the little detail here and there,, really coming together well,,

Warboss_Waaazag,

Good idea on using scraps to make more useful scraps there (with the plastic-card).

Cheers,

CB

Wow! Thank you very much for all your feedback, everyone!

I made more progress on this piece. I primed the details I made to add a detail. This is what I call design parity. Even though it isn't a guard rail, this crenilation helps to tie this piece together with the others previously made. I also took the opportunity to mark the placement of the fancy ceiling tiles and glue the first lollipop rod in place.




I built my first prototype tile. And couldn't decide if I wanted a square or a circle in the center. So I made both.


And then I assembled all the bits for the ceiling tile assembly.


And did as much as I could stand before giving up and switching focus.


By bulking up more of the 3rd floor and adding excessively complex paper folds to cover it all.


I'm trying to build a terminal in this corner and decided to use the face height of models on hand to judge the placement of the screen.


And that's as far as I got. Thanks for looking. I really appreciate everyone's feedback. Have an awesome day!

The detail on the tile has to count as rivets, for League purposes- terrific work!

Good lord, where do you store all this stuff?

 Tommygun1918 wrote:
Good lord, where do you store all this stuff?

Instead of furniture I have terrain.