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2016/06/09 10:35:05
Subject: The -=]_=- Terrain Competition Thread -=]_=- LoER Terrain Contest #18: The Portal - People's choice!
People's choice is currently tied at the top folks - anyone who's not voted yet, even if not a contest entrant, you have 24hrs to do so! And more generally, hoping to post results for the contest tomorrow lunchtime.
Theophony"... and there's strippers in terminator armor and lovecraftian shenanigans afoot."
Solar_Lion: "Man this sums up your blog nicely."
Anpu-adom: "being Geek is about Love. Some love broadly. Some love deeply. And then there are people like Graven.
2016/06/09 10:51:31
Subject: The -=]_=- Terrain Competition Thread -=]_=- LoER Terrain Contest #18: The Portal - vote counting!
That was, without doubt, the hardest judging decision ever. I must congratulate everyone who took part, finished or not. The innovation, ambition and sheer scope of what's been attempted here just blew me away.
So. First of all, people's choice :
It's a draw - even with extra votes in!
Tek Thornison AND Guildenstern!
Right down to the wire, that one. Literally every entry got a people's choice vote, which sums up exactly how difficult judging this was!
Many congrats both, a great achievement, have a warm fuzzy glow
And now, the result.
...
It was so tight at the top that it literally came down to a single point.
And the winner is...
Camkierhi!
Huge congratulations, sir. It was the sheer range of modelling techniques that ultimately swung this. I'm guessing you'll take the mystery box? and we look forward to contest #19!
But, the honorable mention:
Terrainwalker
Quality of painting, innovative interpretation, playability - this was a clever, understated, beautifully executed piece.
So by the power invested in me by a higher power (Dr H), I award membership of the LoER for outstanding modelling and quality rivets.
I must mention my other highlights, from all of the entries:
Guildenstern, for the coolest car crash ever.
Nevelon for making an eldar jetbike float in mid-air.
Tek Thornison for amazing use of a phone in the service of terrain.
Kingpin54 for services to sprue lovers!
Viktor for modular, fun terrain - with eggs!
And The Eye of Night for 10/10 for Coolness, which is just... Awesome. And cool.
Thanks once again to All! Detailed breakdowns are available on request, and over to you, Camkierhi!
Theophony"... and there's strippers in terminator armor and lovecraftian shenanigans afoot."
Solar_Lion: "Man this sums up your blog nicely."
Anpu-adom: "being Geek is about Love. Some love broadly. Some love deeply. And then there are people like Graven.
2016/06/10 11:32:25
Subject: The -=]_=- Terrain Competition Thread -=]_=- LoER Terrain Contest #18: The Portal - the Result!
And thanks for running this. I had a lot of fun. It’s good to try something new once and a while. Learned a lot. Got to check something off the “things to do” list, and picked up some tricks for the next, bigger project.
Congrats, Cam, and all fellow participants. I would also appreciate a judge's review of my entry when you have the time, graven
War Kitten- Nothing evens the odds like a reaper chainsword to the naughty bits
Sgt. Vanden- And now I'm a whale with panties. Can't see how this day can get any better.
I think, next time, I'll have to just work old-school. I got the skills (I'm a Jewelrysmith, after all, sculpting isn't really that difficult for me) but I keep trying fancy stuff, procrastinate and then run out of time. I do so take an Oath to complete the next competition! So there!.
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2016/06/10 21:45:30
Subject: The -=]_=- Terrain Competition Thread -=]_=- LoER Terrain Contest #18: The Portal - the Result!
Well done, one and all. I've pmd scorecards to those who asked and am happy to discuss further via pm, or here if you'd rather. Anvildude, you are duly pledged!
Theophony"... and there's strippers in terminator armor and lovecraftian shenanigans afoot."
Solar_Lion: "Man this sums up your blog nicely."
Anpu-adom: "being Geek is about Love. Some love broadly. Some love deeply. And then there are people like Graven.
2016/06/10 21:54:40
Subject: The -=]_=- Terrain Competition Thread -=]_=- LoER Terrain Contest #18: The Portal - the Result!
Firstly, congratulations to all those who completed a piece. Good job all. To those that didn't quite finish, I hope you will continue with the model and finish it one day.
Congratulations to Cam' for the win, Tek' and Guilden' for the People's choice, and to TerrainWalker for the high honour or joining the ranks of the League. (Higher power, me. ).
As I only served as a consultant judge for this round, I don't have lengthy notes on your models. But I will share some notes here, on the fly; they won't be terribly long as typing takes me a long time (Dyslexia).
In no particular order (well actually in the order they appear in the round-up post): KINGPIN54 Great use of sprue (as dear to my heart it is). Nice way to mould it to shape. I feel that it could use something more though; either some more modelling by carving the ends of the sprue do they don't end in the recognisable rounded shape, or adding something like hot glue to make the whole more of a web-like structure. Or, more in the painting side. The colours you have chosen make it look more like a metal cage and less a magical portal. Also, choosing more colourful, "portal-like" colours, would have given the whole model a bit more of this mystical "pop" we modeller's talk about; it's all a bit monochome with the black marble. Talking of the black marble, that looks nice. Very effective. Good use of parts to give the model some chaos flavour.
Guildenstern Great concept. I do like a model with a Jekyll and Hyde transition. Very fun. The texture on the arch looks great. The blue on it, could do with some minor additions: I'm assuming you are going for a glow and not a staining (although, as staining goes, it works... you can tell I'm thinking as I type), for painting OSL ...
***Big disclaimer: I have yet to manage an OSL effect that looks good, let alone "right". Do as I say, not as I do. ***
...The effect on the surrounding objects (the arch in this case), the "light" will make the surface lighter than it is normally. The way to do this is paint on white first, either dry-brushed or airbrushed, and then glaze over the white with the glow colour. This makes it look less like a stain and more like the light is falling on the surface. However, what is really missing in your OSL, is the glowing object. There's a couple of things I can think of now that would sell it nicely: Fit a piece of clear plastic into the archway. You could leave it clear and the glossy surface would do the job. Or you could paint tendrils, stars, Portal-like things on it so that they float in space (these are the glowing objects, and the OSL on the arch would have to vary in brightness depending on proximity to these objects). The problem with this is how difficult it would be to cleanly cut around the car. Or, use wire to create electrical arcs within the plane of the arch, and these act as the glow source. Also, if the glow is casting on the arch, it should also be on the car and the ground around the arch.
Going back to staining. This requires none of the effect on the car or surrounding area. It doesn't need to be brighter nearer the source, or anything I've mentioned above (which is why I think it's a possibility). I also like the idea of an invisible barrier/portal, with the change in the surroundings showing the effect rather than the "typical" glowy portal thing. What this could do with, would be darkening the stained area; Like wet things becoming darker. Instead of adding the blue as a dry-brush, add it as a wash that will only tint the high points of the rock surface, but pool into darker and stronger-coloured areas in the recesses. Also, making it darker would avoid any confusion about whether you are using OSL or not.
Going back to the rest of the piece now, I like the change from green to brown that you have mirrored in the plants as well as the ground. I like how the road changes from tarmac to stone too. Good idea on the ground texture. A couple of things to add though: Where the ground meets the other things (road, arch, fence) it could do with some extra dirt build-up and/or some grass. The arch and tarmac road look a bit too much like they are "on" the ground, rather than part of it. In contrast, your stone road merges nicely with the ground. I can see that you added flock about the tarmac, this is good. I just feel that the ground could come up to meet the edge of the road a bit more. Also, where the ground meets the metal fence, If you changed from green to "mud" paint, and maybe added some other patches of mud about the area just to break up the green a bit. But this is a tricky balance point as you don't want to effect the contrast between the green half and the brown half. Maybe just a sprinkle of flock along the bottom of the fence instead.
And finally, the car. Nicely done. Damage works well. The scratches are good in their shape and placement. Just one minor addition to the painting of the chipped paint areas: Add an undercoat layer. Use exactly the same technique you have used, don't change anything, just add a step to the process. At the boundary of paint to damaged metal, you want it to go Paint - undercoat - clean metal - dirty metal I'm going to make some assumptions about how you painted this, but bare with me, You have painted the car surface clean (the yellow), then you paint on the scratches/chips with metallic and then you have weathered it with washes etc for the rust and depth of dents. Instead of adding the chips and scratches (paint brush or sponge) with metallic paint, use the undercoat colour. The colour itself doesn't have to be what you used to actually undercoat your model, it's what was used "in universe" to undercoat the car; this can be white/light grey, typical grey primer, anti-rust red, or anything else. For best effect, use something that will contrast with the models "clean" colour and the metal colour. You are only going to have a fine line of this colour showing, so it's needs to stand out a bit.
Once you've done this layer, then add the metallic paint within these areas but making sure to leave a thin boundary of the undercoat between the metal and clean paint. Then you can carry on as normal adding brown and black to make the metal areas rusty and dented. You seem to have done these well. You can take this further by not using metallic on every chip. Leave some of the smaller chips/scratches as the undercoat layer and this will look like the paint has chipped off, but not the primer
And one last thing on the car; The front half could do with looking dirtier. It's scratched and dented, but the yellow between these bits looks every bit as clean as the rear of the car. With the sharp contrast between the green grass and the brown mud of the two halves of the board, the car could do with a sharper divide.
I'm supposed to be keeping these short, that'll do for now.
Camkierhi Actually, Cam'. There really isn't much I can rip into on your's... There's lots going on, big and small. I, as you well know, like little details. I like how you've added a tide mark inside the egg tower. I like the Verdigris too. A scattering of plants, another thing I'm always telling people to add. Nicely textured wood. Again dear to me heart. Tentacles! Need I say more. The tree looks pretty good with the foliage added. It might still look a bit too much like twisted sprue from some angles, but mostly good. The mud and dirt is nicely varied in colour and texture. The water is nicely done. The portal is good and swirly, colour and texture. The only thing I'm not too fond of, is the eye. It's a bit disjointed. It could do with something to make it more than just a floating eye; a bulge in the surface, eyelids, more tentacles caressing the surface, put it on a stalk, or just blend it in to the surface a bit more (painting-wise). A worthy winner.
Nevelon Nice design and good show pushing outside your comfort zone. Done well handling the foam. The scattering of bushes is nice and natural, but the grass between them is a bit too uniform. A bit more variation in colour and texture would break it up nicely and make it look more natural. As good a job you have done making the structure a nice smooth surface, it could do with some added shapes to break up the flatter areas. Have a look at what GW does with it's larger Eldar structures; while I think they do get a little carried away with the number of bumps, somewhere in-between the two would help. And maybe an access hatch or two. Also, just a thought, maybe the addition of two much smaller "spires" could be added opposite the large main spire you have, spaced apart but not as far as to make all three evenly spread. Think of the larger being a thumb and the other two being small fingers, with the portal being the palm. Not better, just different. Great use of the electro-screen thingy.
TheEyeOfNight I love the effect on this one. Really works well. The contrast between the red lights and the darkness of the rest of the model works well also. Quite probably this doesn't need added plants. The base is nicely textured in itself and the added skeletons are good. Nice design on the rear of the portal too.
Terrainwalker Very nicely detailed piece, great design. The mud and rocks, as is the rest of it, are well painted. The patches of grass are well placed, but could use some variation in length to add to the realism. Good use of parts to create the whole.
Tek Thornison Overall, I love this piece. You had my vote. There are scattered plants, and grass growing in crevices. Nice variation in texture on the base. The design is cool, and the carved faces really help break up the straight lines. The use of the broken phone is good, and including a hole and pokey-stick hidden in plain sight are great ideas. Only thing I can see to improve is the marbles; they still look like marbles. Maybe a good layer of gloss varnish, polished up really well, and then have them placed with the inner swirly bits aligned vertically, then they may look like orbs of contained magical fire. Good idea, none-the-less.
Viktor von Domm Fun idea, Vik. and very game-central / playable. Nice designs too. I like the variation between the "empty" and "full" portals, and that the full ones can house a model. The swirly portal-ness is nicely textured, but the painting could do with a few more layers between the purple and white. The white is a bit too stark to cover the whole of each tendril. If you could get that same area (the white face of the tendril) to blend from a pink/purple at the edges to a fine line of white in the centre, they would look excellent.
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd, I'm done. That's only taken all afternoon.
Again, well done everyone. Lots of fantastic ideas, and good to see so many of you pushing the boundaries. Good luck in the next round.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2016/06/11 16:31:05
Mastodon: @DrH@dice.camp
The army- ~2295 points (built).
* -=]_,=-eague Spruemeister General. * A (sprue) Hut tutorial * Dsteingass - Dr. H..You are a role model for Internet Morality! // inmygravenimage - Dr H is a model to us all Theophony - Sprue for the spruemeister, plastic for his plastic throne! // Shasolenzabi - Toilets, more complex than folks take time to think about!
2016/06/11 17:52:57
Subject: The -=]_=- Terrain Competition Thread -=]_=- LoER Terrain Contest #18: The Portal - the Result!
My OSL version was solely on the arch, because I'd intended to put an actual portal in place :( sadly that didn't work out. I love your wire idea though and when I get the gumption to start working on this project again, I think that is the version I will use. Which actually is also a great idea, because I wanted to keep the car as a removable thing.
Re: the weathering, not sure I followed you exactly but the process I did with the car was priming, painting leadbelcher, sponging on brown, followed by chipping fluid and then the top coat. Now, mind you this is the first time I've used chipping fluid! And I found one of the things that was a problem was *remembering* where the heck I'd put it lol.
Really like the idea of adding the metal scratches, which is a technique I've known about but not used myself. I guess sometimes too when you're trying out a technique you don't always think to mix them together for good effect. I know I tend to get a bit focused on doing the new thing, sometimes to the detriment of other things.
I'd meant to or wanted to add more vegetation on the green side of the area but again it kind of suffered as I was just too burned out I think. Pretty much all the placement of everything was meant to mimic what was on the other side, so the rocks would have been green plants on the green side.
And just as a side note to anyone trying this out as well: you may not want to use tacky glue for scattered rocks! I like that glue a lot, but even though I hadn't applied what I thought was a lot, it *really* grabbed hold of a lot more of the rocks than I thought. Or I guess, I could have placed them individually. Normally I kind of use the, put the glue down in random fashion, dump rocks on top of the area, shake off excess. I was surprised how well it held lol Of course you want it to, but in some places it had 5 rocks or more, quite a lot when I had really been going for 1 to 3. Experimenting is fun! ^_^
Anyway, really useful advice thanks very much!!
*edit*
ooh now here's a question I meant to ask someone who probably would know the answer! How would you weather rubber? I couldn't really figure it out and I don't like that the front tires looked so new
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/06/11 21:17:46
Great work one and all - glad I didn't finish, as my piece was not worthy for this round and probably explains why I lost interest towards the end... One day I will complete, yes I will...
@ Ruglud, your work is brilliant, bud, been missing you getting a full run at these, but we understand. My mojo's elsewhere at the moment as well.
@ Guildenstern, go for a matt finish and possibly try painting crackle on it to look perished. Also obviously some dusty powders would work. Wonder if you could try nail varnish, my daughter uses a crackle glaze varnish at the moment!
2016/06/12 00:22:19
Subject: The -=]_=- Terrain Competition Thread -=]_=- LoER Terrain Contest #18: The Portal - the Result!
Good to hear TerrainWalker. I learn as much as I put back from these contests.
Guildenstern wrote:@Dr H
thanks for the run down ^_^
lot of good ideas!
No problem.
My OSL version was solely on the arch, because I'd intended to put an actual portal in place :( sadly that didn't work out. I love your wire idea though and when I get the gumption to start working on this project again, I think that is the version I will use. Which actually is also a great idea, because I wanted to keep the car as a removable thing.
Yeah, time is the enemy of us all, and I realise that many of the "finished" pieces could have been nearer, surpassed, or done other things from what I've mentioned above, had there been more time (and now that the contest is over, the owners can continue to work on the models, using my feedback or not, if they want to). A model-makers work is never done. Keeping the car removable is a good idea, but would prohibit the use of the clear plastic portal idea.
For the wires, keep an eye out for models that have had large electric arcs added for ideas, Ork KFFs are one I can think of.
Re: the weathering, not sure I followed you exactly but the process I did with the car was priming, painting leadbelcher, sponging on brown, followed by chipping fluid and then the top coat. Now, mind you this is the first time I've used chipping fluid! And I found one of the things that was a problem was *remembering* where the heck I'd put it lol.
Ahh, you used a mask. The effect is good. I was talking from a completely hand-painted technique, with no mask.
There's a couple of ways that you can do what I was talking about, with a mask.
1. This actually sounds like what you did.
Paint the undercoat/primer layer, and add the metal areas freehand/sponge.
Mask over the metal areas being sure to cover some of the surrounding primer.
Paint over in the final top coat paint.
Remove mask.
Final weathering, etc.
b.
Paint metal areas.
Mask
Paint primer/undercoat layer.
Unmask (Maybe?)
Mask over the same areas, but cover some of the surrounding primer/undercoat layer. *You could just add to the existing mask without removing it, but cover a slightly larger area. The problem is seeing where to add the mask; removing the previous layer will make it very clear.
Paint top coat.
Unmask (It may be possible to remove both mask layers at this stage as you are covering the first with the second)
Final weathering, etc.
The advantage of the second version is that you will get the sharp edge of the mask technique for both the metal and undercoat layers, without having to freehand anything.
Really like the idea of adding the metal scratches, which is a technique I've known about but not used myself. I guess sometimes too when you're trying out a technique you don't always think to mix them together for good effect. I know I tend to get a bit focused on doing the new thing, sometimes to the detriment of other things.
Always good to try new things. I try to try something new with each model I make. Or at the very least extend/improve upon the latest new technique. But I move slowly though models, one model can last me months.
If you are working on many models (as with many a hobby ADD butterfly) then trying a new technique on each of them could become overwhelming. Maybe pick a technique for the month, or something.
Mixing techniques is a great way to achieve effects that are otherwise unachievable (or really really hard) with one technique alone. Don't be afraid to keep using a "basic" technique just because you've started using a more advanced technique. This is why there is a section in this contests scoring scheme under painting about "simple but effective".
For example; Dry-brushing, layering, feathering, wet-blending, all have a place to stand on any model at any level... if done well. And a combination can produce something that any one technique couldn't achieve.
I'd meant to or wanted to add more vegetation on the green side of the area but again it kind of suffered as I was just too burned out I think. Pretty much all the placement of everything was meant to mimic what was on the other side, so the rocks would have been green plants on the green side.
That's fair enough. This is a hobby after all, and it's meant to be fun. If it stops being enjoyable it's time to change something (not always a break, maybe a new technique/toy/material, or different model, or go for a walk...).
And just as a side note to anyone trying this out as well: you may not want to use tacky glue for scattered rocks! I like that glue a lot, but even though I hadn't applied what I thought was a lot, it *really* grabbed hold of a lot more of the rocks than I thought. Or I guess, I could have placed them individually. Normally I kind of use the, put the glue down in random fashion, dump rocks on top of the area, shake off excess. I was surprised how well it held lol Of course you want it to, but in some places it had 5 rocks or more, quite a lot when I had really been going for 1 to 3.
I'm of the type that places anything but the very tiniest of sand-grains, one at a time with tweezers (Have a look at my UFO crash piece that I made for a previous round, each leaf on the plants there are placed with tweezers). I wouldn't really wish it on anyone else as an affliction.
Experimenting is fun! ^_^
Yes it is.
Anyway, really useful advice thanks very much!!
*edit*
ooh now here's a question I meant to ask someone who probably would know the answer! How would you weather rubber? I couldn't really figure it out and I don't like that the front tires looked so new
Are the tyres on the model rubber, or do you just mean what does rubber look like when weathered (and how to achieve that on a plastic model).
I've not actually had the opportunity to weather on rubber (all my models that have had rubber tyres are factory fresh), so I don't quite know how it reacts to paint.
I would expect it to be fine and would, personally, give it a dark/medium brown wash (to get into the crevices) and then a dry-brush of light brown (if the vehicle is used off-road) or light grey (if used on-road) mainly on the walls of the tyre. I would then remove any brown/grey from the raised tread areas with a moist brush (as dirt is rubbed off the contact surfaces of a moving vehicle, leaving clean rubber)
As with anything though, plug it into Google and see what old tyres look like.
Also, while I'm here. For clean tyres, lightly sand the contact surface. As they come, model tyres are often relatively shiny all over, the sanding will give a lightly worn look to the contact surface and leave the walls nice a clean and shiny.
Mastodon: @DrH@dice.camp
The army- ~2295 points (built).
* -=]_,=-eague Spruemeister General. * A (sprue) Hut tutorial * Dsteingass - Dr. H..You are a role model for Internet Morality! // inmygravenimage - Dr H is a model to us all Theophony - Sprue for the spruemeister, plastic for his plastic throne! // Shasolenzabi - Toilets, more complex than folks take time to think about!
2016/06/12 00:51:16
Subject: Re:The -=]_=- Terrain Competition Thread -=]_=- LoER Terrain Contest #18: The Portal - the Result!
Nevelon
Nice design and good show pushing outside your comfort zone. Done well handling the foam.
The scattering of bushes is nice and natural, but the grass between them is a bit too uniform. A bit more variation in colour and texture would break it up nicely and make it look more natural.
As good a job you have done making the structure a nice smooth surface, it could do with some added shapes to break up the flatter areas. Have a look at what GW does with it's larger Eldar structures; while I think they do get a little carried away with the number of bumps, somewhere in-between the two would help. And maybe an access hatch or two.
Also, just a thought, maybe the addition of two much smaller "spires" could be added opposite the large main spire you have, spaced apart but not as far as to make all three evenly spread. Think of the larger being a thumb and the other two being small fingers, with the portal being the palm. Not better, just different.
Great use of the electro-screen thingy.
The bushes are scatter terrain, they are not glued down, so can be adjusted if something need to be where they are. I could add more, or different colors. I considered adding tufts of grass, but the ones I have on hand were dead-ish winter tufts, not the spring greenery I would have wanted to use. So they got left off. Plus, they would need to be glued down, which would hamper play. Originally I was thinking of having some vines climbing the arch, but like many things, that got cut.
I had also thought to use different colors of flock, and setting up a browner “worn” path up top. But once I started putting glue and flock down, that idea went away. It was un-fun enough just getting coverage.
I’ve got a box of plastic spoons that have a date with a knife and a paintbrush. Might try to get some in smaller sizes for variety. I’m thinking 2-3 per side. It’s on the to-do list, but I need some time to recover before heading back into the world of terrain.
Little thumbs probably would balance things out, but I don’t recall seeing anything like that in the artwork/display boards/video games.
The whole piece, from concept to execution, flowed from the lumidisk. When I rebooted my Eldar army, I dusted it off and knew that someday, it would be a webway portal. Thanks to this competition, that day is now!
Thanks for the advice, and that’s also to everyone who helped out over the last few weeks. Could not have done it without you. Well, I probably could, but would have ended up with a mangled, misshapen lump instead of a cool, finished piece of useable terrain.
My next step is to put together a polar fortress for my Ultras. But that’s a much bigger goal. Might start small. I could go back to my 3rd edition dream of having enough themed scatter terrain to be able to use the charts in the rulebook. Give me some more little things to practice on.
Best of luck riveting to all you. I’ll be sitting out the next challenge, but I do lurk in them, and have been for a bit. Just needed to find one that peaked my interest enough to get the foam out!
Congratulations Cam, and to all who entered. Some fine projects here. And I see Cam has already started the thread for the next one. Time to update the sig...
...and done. See y'all on the flip side
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/06/12 06:44:35
2016/06/12 13:47:52
Subject: Re:The -=]_=- Terrain Competition Thread -=]_=- LoER Terrain Contest #18: The Portal - the Result!
Nevelon wrote: The bushes are scatter terrain, they are not glued down, so can be adjusted if something need to be where they are. I could add more, or different colors. I considered adding tufts of grass, but the ones I have on hand were dead-ish winter tufts, not the spring greenery I would have wanted to use. So they got left off. Plus, they would need to be glued down, which would hamper play. Originally I was thinking of having some vines climbing the arch, but like many things, that got cut.
That is fair enough. It is a highly playable piece of terrain. I do lean more towards realism than gameplay, but they are both valid approaches.
Movable, scatter pieces are cool though.
I had also thought to use different colors of flock, and setting up a browner “worn” path up top. But once I started putting glue and flock down, that idea went away. It was un-fun enough just getting coverage.
Varying the colour of the ground is a nice way to add to the realism without taking away from gameplay, adds time to the build though.
Ooo, I do love a worn path. However, for an army that the majority of vehicles are hovering, and the troops are known for being light of step, a worn path is probably not relevant.
I’ve got a box of plastic spoons that have a date with a knife and a paintbrush. Might try to get some in smaller sizes for variety. I’m thinking 2-3 per side. It’s on the to-do list, but I need some time to recover before heading back into the world of terrain.
Sounds cool. Indeed, take your time and have fun.
Little thumbs probably would balance things out, but I don’t recall seeing anything like that in the artwork/display boards/video games.
Ah well, as I said, that's just a design choice. Neither way is "better". Although, I will always bow to research.
The whole piece, from concept to execution, flowed from the lumidisk. When I rebooted my Eldar army, I dusted it off and knew that someday, it would be a webway portal. Thanks to this competition, that day is now!
Thanks for the advice, and that’s also to everyone who helped out over the last few weeks. Could not have done it without you. Well, I probably could, but would have ended up with a mangled, misshapen lump instead of a cool, finished piece of useable terrain.
My next step is to put together a polar fortress for my Ultras. But that’s a much bigger goal. Might start small. I could go back to my 3rd edition dream of having enough themed scatter terrain to be able to use the charts in the rulebook. Give me some more little things to practice on.
Best of luck riveting to all you. I’ll be sitting out the next challenge, but I do lurk in them, and have been for a bit. Just needed to find one that peaked my interest enough to get the foam out!
Thanks again,
--Nev
And that is what these contests are for. Spreading cool pieces of terrain across the world.
Mastodon: @DrH@dice.camp
The army- ~2295 points (built).
* -=]_,=-eague Spruemeister General. * A (sprue) Hut tutorial * Dsteingass - Dr. H..You are a role model for Internet Morality! // inmygravenimage - Dr H is a model to us all Theophony - Sprue for the spruemeister, plastic for his plastic throne! // Shasolenzabi - Toilets, more complex than folks take time to think about!
2016/06/13 14:42:59
Subject: The -=]_=- Terrain Competition Thread -=]_=- LoER Terrain Contest #18: The Portal - the Result!
Right guys, sorry about all that kids are no longer puking
Collated scorecards (here is where we discover I can't count... :
Camkierhi
Spoiler:
TOTAL: 74
Modelling: 34/45
(10 points) Skill and Techniques - 9 Generally very well executed.
(5 points) Originality - 4 Doesn't immediately scream Portal at you, you have to take the time to look at it and appreciate how innovative the interpretation is. Also, there's 2 portals here, with the door, which I really approve of.
(10 points) Materials - 7 largely recycled. Some stock scatter terrain used.
(5 points) Little details - 4 So many little touches that make it work. More rivets wouldn't go amiss on the tower though (5 points) The wonder material - Sprue - 4 Cracking use of sprue in the tower.
(10 points) Design -10 A complex, well-executed and dynamic piece as a whole.
Painting: 29/40
(10 points) Between the lines - 9 looks great; the division between metals is a little too sharp is my only niggle.
(5 points) Simple but effective - 5 drybrushing etc very effective indeed.
(10 points) Skill and Techniques - 6 Looks very good, and there's some nice weathering and OSL in particular, though I think you may need to ramp it up even more to really sell the piece as a whole
(5 points) Thinking outside the box - 0
(10points ) Final product - 9 - As I've said, I really like the look of this, and would happy with it on my table
Bonuses: 11/15
(10 points) Coolness: 7 Great piece overall, again a tremendous narrative to it.
(5 points) Ambition: 4 The use of water effects in this really impressed me: it's dynamic, interesting and unusual - very hard to push yourself when you're already so accomplished. Kudos!
TerrainWalker
Spoiler:
TOTAL: 73
Modelling: 35/45
(10 points) Skill and Techniques - 9 Generally neat and tidy, a few glue overspills that could've been incorporated into the design.
(5 points) Originality - 3 Complete reinterpretation of the theme; totally gets my approval there, I never would've thought of this (and given that, when I played WMH, I played Cryx, that's a win!)
(10 points) Materials - 9 excellent use of a wide range of parts. I like that the urge to use "real" WMH parts was resisted.
(5 points) Little details - 4 Rivets FTW! I love the goop, also, and the different varieties of shrub, though some more variation in warping of that might've been nice.
(5 points) The wonder material - Sprue - 3 Fairly extensive structural use of sprue.
(10 points) Design - 7 It take a minute to get your head round this; it's vaguely reminscient of a crane, rather that a pump. That being said, I like the design and execution, and that it's a playable piece of terrain as a whole.
Painting: 30/40
(10 points) Between the lines - 10 Clean and well executed.
(5 points) Simple but effective - 5 impressive shading and transitions across the piece
(10 points) Skill and Techniques - 6 there's a beautiful eerie glow from the necrotite flames and goop, though some osl from that wouldn't've gone amiss. Great edge highlighting also and nice weathering (thought, again, I might've liked even more extreme decay.
(5 points) Thinking outside the box - 0
(10points ) Final product - 9 - It feels like an excellent display piece for any table; it wouldn't look out of place in an "official" source.
Bonuses: 8/15
(10 points) Coolness: 5 Whilst it's not "knock it out the park" cool, it's still a great idea.
(5 points) Ambition: 3 Though coming from a very experienced modeller and painter, this is still a strong effort. There's some complex building techniques going on here.
TheEyeOfNight
Spoiler:
TOTAL: 68 (but see note below) Modelling: 37/45
(10 points) Skill and Techniques - 10 A wide range of techniques both simple and complex, mastered beautifully.
(5 points) Originality - 4 On one level, it's "just" a portal. But the use of complex electronics and - gasp - science - worked to raise this right up.
(10 points) Materials - 9 use of diverse objects and techniques.
(5 points) Little details - 4 The skeleton on the battery box, the carving of the chaos sigil into the base, the rune on the back - loads of bits and bobs.
(5 points) The wonder material - Sprue - 0 Missed opportunity there.
(10 points) Design - 10 so much design work has gone into this. It's fully playable, brilliantly conceived, and highly effective. I freely admit I love it.
Painting: 18/40
(10 points) Between the lines - 6 pretty much all there, a bit of bleed over at the base of the spikes and edge of the big rune.
(5 points) Simple but effective - 3 nicely weathered and good transitions.
(10 points) Skill and Techniques - 1 some edge highlighting on the outer ring.
(5 points) Thinking outside the box - 0
(10points ) Final product - 8 I think that aesthetically it all hangs together really well, despite not being necessarily as technically complex as some others.
Bonuses: 13/15
(10 points) Coolness: 10 That lighting effect is, simply put, the coolest thing in the contest.
(5 points) Ambition: 3 Even for an experienced, LED-loving modeller, this was a step futher. Very impressive.
Addendum - I erroneously didn't award TEON points for sprue on my original scorecard for him, but did when I calculated final scores he was awarded 3 for use of sprue the base, placing him 3rd overall with 71 points.
Nevelon
Spoiler:
TOTAL: 51
Modelling: 27/45
(10 points) Skill and Techniques - 7 It's clever and well executed, but I do think it's a shame that more explicitly Eldar features are missing from the arc of the portal. Some of the curves could be a bit cleaner, also
(5 points) Originality - 4 The use of electronica always excites me, and nudges up the marks here. It's a good take on the webway also, highlighted by the way it makes the flight stand almost disappear on the jetbike.
(10 points) Materials - 8 great use of foam and other raw materials.
(5 points) Little details - 1 this is the contest of scatter sponge. I think it's crying out for a couple of plastic teaspoons as giant gems though!
(5 points) The wonder material - Sprue - 0 Shocking (10 points) Design - 7 It's a great playable piece of terrain, for the most part. It's well thought out and a lot of effective design has gone into it.
Painting: 15/40
(10 points) Between the lines - 6 White on that scale is hard to do! A little rough around the edges.
(5 points) Simple but effective - 3 some drybrushing of the stone to good effect
(10 points) Skill and Techniques - 0
(5 points) Thinking outside the box - 0
(10points ) Final product - 6 - Aesthetically. it's a great piece but feels slightly unfinsihed.
Bonuses: 9/15
(10 points) Coolness: 6 It's a cool concept, and generally well executed.
(5 points) Ambition: 3 The modelling and lightlng in this is really excellent - just needs pushed that little bit furthe to really knock it out the park.
If anyone else is happy for their scorecard to be public, just lmk.
Cheers, one and all,
Graven
Theophony"... and there's strippers in terminator armor and lovecraftian shenanigans afoot."
Solar_Lion: "Man this sums up your blog nicely."
Anpu-adom: "being Geek is about Love. Some love broadly. Some love deeply. And then there are people like Graven.
2016/06/14 12:24:59
Subject: The -=]_=- Terrain Competition Thread -=]_=- LoER Terrain Contest #18: The Portal - the Result!