Hello all. Inspired by Runer60000's sprue scenery tutorial thread, I have created this blog thread to chart my progress and the progress of everyone else who wishes to post in making cool looking scenery from all the sprues and bitz we have leftover from our big projects.

This thread is also meant to inspire those who have never made scenery before to try it out, and also to share any cool scenery ideas you may come across/make up.

My first piece is in progress, is yours?


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And so,

My main wall for my barricade, with my inquisitor lord as a scale ref:



And the barricade as it stands:

A few wip shots.

I think I'll add some more tissue paper to create more of a mound, then I'm trying out a new trick I picked up of Terrainoob's which is to collect your old tea bags dry them out and use the leaves as a free flock. Anyway looking forward to seeing other peoples stuff too. Oh and if you got any pointers let me know. This is my first piece of terrain outside of a tea towel and some books.

that is a simple and effective barricade. Great use of sprue! Reminds me of the posts where the raiders hang out in fallout 3

Fun fun. I made a wall out of sprue bricks. I used it for basing rather than terrain, but it's still sprues. Still being worked on too, I'll try to get a wip pic of that up fairly soon.

Interesting. I never thought of using the segments as structure. I've seen them chunked up for rubble piles, but this is even better. Now I wish i hadn't thrown away my own sprues this past weekend...

Like the trench feel with the duck boards.
Would be good for IG and a trench system.

nice work Lenny.
Keep it up

Is it ok for us to post some Sprue-weaponry and conversions? I love using leftover bits to make freebie stuff.

Go for it I think that Lord Marcus started it with the express wish that others would contribute. Any additional ideas for what to do with all the sprue left overs is fine I think. Remember that we have had to pay for excess sprue as well as the actually minis.


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Oh and thanks for the compliment CBB, That was a test model, like I said I've never made any terrain before so I was very happy with the result.

As to a trench system that's exactly what I'm going for. The cheapest trench set I've seen to buy is still around £20/$30. The way I look at it now is that with every squad I buy I now get a free piece of terrain.

A massive thank you to Runer60000 for this idea.

Exactly lenny. My intent was for this to be a community project, and for everyone to contribute as they want to.

Good use of sprue bits. Those barricades are nice and I'll probably have to nick them for my own purposes.

Feel free to post what you make here to serve as inspiration for all of us!

An attempt at making a Multi-melta from leftover sprues. Took alot of sanding, but that was 100% sprues. Started off as a Melta Gun though, and may be a twin linked Melta Gun since it's not quite big enough for a Multimelta. Still Largely WIP as I refine the process, but it does save me quite a sum of money as I can now equip alot of units with these bad boys on the cheap (I have enough sprues to make roughly 200 of these).

I could see adding another barrel and cutting shallow lines in the sides to make it a multi, as long as you added a backpack to the guy wielding it.

there's already two barrels. I made the unfortuate choice of using a clear sprue so it looks awkward right now. I'm making a second prototype when i get another exacto knife.

Also I did cut shallow lines into it, but I dont have my camera and my Scanner totally obliterated them. =(

at MechaEmperor7000
please can you show us how you did it? i would love to see a step by step with this creation. could help lots of people, tho i might be thankful just on my part alone^^

vik

I've got a WIP city of death at the moment and all the pipes are sprues with green stuff, yet to be added, and I plan on making gutter drains out of sprue sections cut in half. no photos as of yet.

I'll post a WIP when I make a second one. First one was originally suppose to be a small Blastmaster, which then turned into a thunder hammer (dont ask) until finally I settled on the Melta Gun design.

really any kind of recognizable weapon will do, in the future i want to convert some mordheim dudes into praetorian naval marines so i need some futuristic weaponry...

much apreciated...

vik

It'll be three weeks from now though, since I have quite a bit of stuff coming up for college.

hey when you do, drop me a pm, to show me. thanks in advance^^

vik

Will Do~

thanks mate^^

Remember to post it here too!

Anyway, my barricade is progressing. I've got one side half-finished atm.

I've just based a terminator using sprue as a pipeline on the ground, looks great.
About to start work on a barricade using sprue and old 25mm bases to make a gun mount for a heavy bolter.
i might make a new thread on making the mount.

please we need more pics. bases with pipes frome sprue sounds really cool, please show us...

vik

i'm trying but I can't get the photos off my camera i can't find the cord atm.
they will be posted soon.

Very interesting. Looks like i wont be throwing away my sprues anymore haha.

Show us more everyone.

I've got the photos on my computer but i cant workout how to put them in this post.

Go to the gallery link at the top of the page, and click upload pics, then once you are done and it has processed them, go into your gallery (accessible by either your profile or the main gallery page) click on a picture, click on the "forums" link below the picture in the new window, copy/paste to the thread.

Agreed though, everyone is encouraged to post what they have done.

Here wwe go.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/user/36344-OrionDisciple..html

Wow Orion! I didn't think of using one of the bent bars as a pipe. Great idea. That, and your barricade idea looks super, especially using two bases to make a gun platform. cool idea.

thanks man. it's nearly done too.
i'm going to make it really orky. hence the use of a tau gun and terminator missile attachment for weapons.

Cool. mabe stick a couple boss pole bits or some such orky icons on it to make it fit the theme a little more?

yeah thats the plan.
Although i don't actually have any bosspoles i have got some ideas like an ultrmarines banner with and ork glyph painted over it ( horribly of coaurse)
and some cardboard glyphs i'm painting now.

The banner defacment idea sounds good, although i'd use heavy cardstock or plasticard instead of cardboard.

ok cool. i'm trying to find Plasticard atm but what is heavy cardstock?

i´d go for the back of paperpads you use in school, they´re pretty sturdy and can take some punishment...also you can look in shops and salvage some of the cardboard there, the stuff that bananas come in is very hard card...and thick with that you can smash someone up....


vik

I just got the thought of someone being beaten with a box of bananas.
but i just had a thought.
Do you think that plastic stuff on the front of plastic sleeve folders would do the job?

oh yeah, i use that as it is aslo quite sturdy and i use it for details an stuff. also i plan on using it for rivets as it is quite easy to use with my holepunch thing...if you can part with the folder than do it. but there are other things like food containers, the ones where tomatos and stuff gets shiped in thats also good as a plastic source, also meat packaging. if you visit next time to do shopping groceries than you can find lots of things that even have texture on them to use. choclate packaging and sweets and oh so many more...for a scracth builder there is no limit. and painted and glued it will look tens times better and your never guess it then what it was before...

vik

I have a friend that used to work at a GW store in Texas and he said the store would take sprues and grind them up in an old hand-cranked meat grinder for scree and blasted debris for the interior and adjacent exterior of CoD buildings. Was wondering if anyone else had heard of that or tired it, and if so what were the results? I haven't tried yet myself and have a lot of sprue (have always saved it for some reason, maybe this is it?)

by the stuff tomatoes get shipped in do you mean that card that the tomatoes sit on before they are wrapped in plastic together?
also just found some card it's really strong.


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that sounds like an off the hook idea. i just need a meatgrinder now.

Love your 2nd peice its so epic wish i had some more sprues , i just recycled mine

neraly finished. i just need to make the last wall and then add glyphs.
(And paint)

i do mean the plastic, looks like a pot...heck you could even use those plastic flower pts the plants come in...the black and brown ones the could make great bunkers...

vik

Can't wait to see the painted results Orion.

I just finished painting mine, just waiting for the pics to upload to dakka then i'll post them.

Great, I'm excited.
also that, Lord Marcus, is an amazing idea. and next on my to-do list.


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@lennysmash, what painting scheme did you use for the sprue. I have no idea what to do.

The mud is scorched brown-chestnut ink-graveyard earth-desert yellow-snakebite leather-bleached bone.
on top of that just a few select place is dark angels green- goblin green.

the wood is scorched brown-desert yellow-bleached bone again the greens are added to give the impression of moss or algae on the wood.

the grenade is just boltgun metal-chestnut ink-boltgun metal.

not lord marcus** Viktor.

lol^^

sorry

Oh and i forgot to mention the brown flock is actually tea leaves from dried teabags.

Wow, i just saw the pictures. i kept scrolling past them without noticing you posted them.
It looks great.
Tea leaves is a great idea.

what a cool looking terrain piece. the wooden effect you created by chipping the sprue is really good. i have to try that, really have to do that as it creates lots of athosphere...

thanks a million for sharing

vik


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tealeaves was also my intention for use s like that...

Thanks guys, as a test piece I really think it has come out well. Is there anything you think I could change or improve upon? Be honest I'm here to learn.

I can't see anything wrong with it.
also I have photos for my WIP ATM if you want to see.

what i would try is scoring a tiny bit the wooden logs to get that wooden feeling a bit further, but that might ruin it also, mybee use a wirebrush to score it...just once in one direction might do the trick....so you can then use washes better...but bear in mind it looks awsome even now, so no need to change it.

vik

I used my hobby knife to score mine, although i'm doing a gretching gun-post so it's supposed to look pretty beaten.


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http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/user/36344-OrionDisciple..html

here is my WIP.

Yeah for the wood, I did three thing to add a grain. In person you can make it out but the photos don't really it.

Firstly I used a file back and forth to scratch up the surface, then when I painted on the base coated it carried on working the paint for a bit. This was to purposely add the brush strokes in. Finally with the final highlight i used a technique some where between overbrushing and drybrushing to give me lines of bleached bone for the grain.

Thank you for the feedback guys, I'll take a look at you stuff now orion.

Yea I made a couple for my table. They are your basic junk piles and whatnot. Nothing fancy, but you can see that with a little effort sprues can make some really cool looking terrain.
Obviously WIP, as I never painted them lol

They look great.
Paint it up and show us.

nasty pieces of terrain... very suitable for a trench table...

cool work, don´t let it just sit on its own get it painted

cheers, vik

best use of sprue yet

neil101 wrote:best use of sprue yet

United, we may yet make a warzone!

enjoyed reading this thread!!!! Will have to work on some scenery, i paid my little brother to cut up every last sprue i had so i literally have an AOB box full of different sized bits of sprue!!!

Here's my latest offering, I'm going to add some Army Painter razorwire either in front or around the cross bar. This is going to be placed between two machine gun nests (once they're made).

looks cool, add a weight at one end and it looks like a tollgate...

nice idea, seems to be endless possabilities...

vik

The next section of terrain is done, I had some suggestions to add a weight to the end but I think I'm going to make a proper check point later. Anyway here it is.

And again the two terrain pieces together.

well done
looks very good

Right! no time to rest on yer laurels!
Crack on with the next one!

Most impressive!

Makes me regret throwing out a ton of sprues recently.

THis is some cool stuff, as a newbie to this game but with plenty of gaming under my belt thsi is some great ideas. Hey you paid for the sprues when you bought your armies, might as well use them too

Sprues it or lose it?

Exactly. and i just got a shiny new utillity knife and i'm looking at a box of sprues. I'll update you all later

I think it's great that all those sprues aren't going to waste. I may have to do this.

nice work, i have started amassing sprues, might give the barbed wire one a go thanks for sharing

Lol, never imagined sprues would be so useful beyond rubble piles.

Oh they definatly are! Adding to what you see in this thread, you man make sprue crystals for your bases and sprue plants, both of which involve making some quick cuts in a rectangle section.

I'm gonna have to give this a go. Looks great.

Hey Scotty. Glad to have you trying the method out. Its quite fun tinkering with stuff and seeing what your brain can come up with. When you make something, feel free to post it so we can all get inspired!

If you run Necrons, the templates sprue is great for crystals, but difficult to work with.
Give it a go.

You know, I think i'll try that. I have a template sprue lying around here somewhere.....

A simple use of sprue for a ladder master to make lots of ...erm... ladders, unsurprisingly.
and a shameless plug for my blog.

if interested please scroll down a little way to the pic with the ladder and cling film.

What type of clay is that?

It's Das
which is not the best type but all I have at the moment.
The original intention was to make a mould for casting ladders in resin that you can get from the car repair shops.
It is cheaper but would be good enough for simple push moulds,
Just remember not to have any undercuts!

Anyway when I did the first test mould, I liked how it looked for a concrete structure, so decided to adapt it as shown.
I am hoping to try and get a bit of Fimo polymer type clay as it will dry harder and therefore should be more resilient.

I was thinking about it, mabe staples would be easier then cutting out pieces of paper clip for the rungs?

It doesn't take much more than a snip and a bend tbh and I prefer the round rung.
It is hard enough surviving in the Underhive without having ladders that hurt their feet!

Will probably use staples in foamboard for some ladders, as discussed in the blog though.

Awesome stuff, great use of the humble sprue. Consider your ideas well and truly stolen.

Viktor von Domm wrote:nasty pieces of terrain... very suitable for a trench table...

cool work, don´t let it just sit on its own get it painted

cheers, vik

yeah i was going to say that it would look good to line a trench in them

i was just thinking, one could use sprues with very little modification on terrain like a construction site as raw construction materials like I beams or something like that.

Orinoco wrote:i was just thinking, one could use sprues with very little modification on terrain like a construction site as raw construction materials like I beams or something like that.

That would look pretty interesting.

Cool stuff.

I've made a piece of 2 from sprues but got lazy. I need to get some more motivation and put them sprues to good use.

Nice one! Those look great.

Wow, these are realy good ideas, i think i will start using stuff like this on my board i am starting to make!