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Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






Here's the guard for the Vault 81 caravan:



The armor is finished. I'm a bit sick and not seeing straight, so I may have to do a little cleanup here and there. As with the trader, I'm debating adding a little bit of gear on top, most importantly an ammo pouch. I can get away with the civilian part of the caravan having no reloads on her (that's what the pack Brahmin is for, after all), but I think that doesn't work for a guard. Maybe also a pistol holster so he has a backup weapon.

The trader's pistol holster is almost finished, so it looks like I'll be ready to paint these soonish. I haven't really been doing well with painting lately, though. Too much stuff getting in the way, so no promises.

Here are the ingredients for my next terrain project:



I believe I said I'd do something urban next, but I've been working on a coastal theme and hoarding materials for it for a while and finally got around to assembling the patrol boat. Essentially what I have in mind is a beached boat by a pillar of a destroyed bridge. Basically the ship has been carried up an inlet by a flood and got stuck when the water withdrew. This is to justify having a boat on dry land since I don't want to do any terrain (yet) which specifically requires a larger body of water on the game mat or as a separate scenery piece.

It'll also allow me to test a cracked earth paste for the dried out river bed, aka most of the piece's base.

I'm currently working on the farm outlet and the bridge in parallel because of drying times. No idea yet which one will come out on top and get to the painting stage first. Both have details that I still have to work out, like the dreaded parking lot for the farm. For the bridge, I'll have to see how it fits together. Maybe the boat will form the center of an encampment. Not sure yet.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






On to the other thing I talked about. Tremble before my leet MS Paint skills:



So there I was thinking it's great that all these pre-war bus stops litter the Commonwealth and the Island in Fallout 4, but I think I'd rather walk. Public transportation isn't what it used to be. But then it came to me - why not?

Now it's been a somewhat constant criticism of mine that in a post-apocalyptic world where power armor and various flying machines are maintained without trouble, how hard can it be to have a regular old ground vehicle that works as advertised? And it doesn't have to have an engine either. Mankind got around plenty before the steam or combustion engine were invented.

Thus was born the Brahmin Bus!

Imagine that a savvy businessman figured there is need for getting around and doing so in style, and with more protection than tagging along with your local caravan Well, the Brahmin bus service can make this dream a reality for just a few caps per passenger.

I made a sketch, which I don't normally do, because I have no idea when I'll get around to building it. It would suck if I forgot (or for no reason changed) key elements.

You should be able to read about most features in the picture, but I'll add a couple of notes:

- The sketch was made using screenshots from the game to determine the relative size of the bus and Brahmin. I could fit in six, in three pairs. The question I'm debating is if maybe 4 BP (Brahmin power) is enough. That would allow a little more room in the back, which is the most heavily converted section of the bus, as well as a little storage compartment behind the driver. The obvious downside is that 6 BP is much more capable of moving a fully loaded armored vehicle than 4 BP.

- The layered, armored skirts are intended to protect both wheels and Brahmin, While it's not especially hard to change a flat tire, a flat Brahmin poses a bigger problem. The skirts have suspension and skids so that the bus doesn't get stuck on uneven ground.

- In conjunction with that, I'm contemplating an addition to the front for mine clearing, the other big danger to the Brahmin.I'm not really sure there's a good answer to that particular problem, though. A plow causes friction, requiring the Brahmin to work harder. A mine flail doesn't have that problem but requires power to spin and makes a racket, which you probably want to avoid. So the solution requires something that works when needed but isn't a hindrance when not needed, like a plow that can be lowered and a spotter sitting next to the driver.

- The passenger deck is kept simple for now, but is obviously vulnerable to snipers and grenades. The issue is that adding taller armor adds additional weight the Brahmin have to move, and aesthetically an open deck with railing and a sun screen could look pretty cool. Grenades can be stopped with wire mesh while still allowing a panorama view.

- The winch and back ramp are a quick addition to seal off the bus and protect the gunner positions from the back. Considering the Brahmin need to be able to enter and leave, the middle section of the ramp needs to be low and level whereas the side should allow passengers to access the ladder to embark or disembark. I'm currently not clear on how this will be handled, nor the walkway dropped to connect both gunner positions when the ramp is raised.

- Since the bottom along two thirds of the length of the bus for 4 BP or more for 6 BP is cut out to allow for the Brahmin, the back axles are gone and the wheels need individual suspension. This should work since the driver only needs the assembly around the front axle intact for steering.

- The storage compartments to both sides hang low and partially conceal the armor plates, but are suspended from the bus's side to allow the armor plates to move.

This is as far as I got. I think the vehicle is viable and could plausibly exist and work. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

I could see myself build this from plasticard, mostly. Got to scare up some wheels of the right size and figure out dimensions. Since I'm already working on two scenery pieces, I don't know when I'll get to it, though.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in gb
Using Inks and Washes





Edinburgh

Vault security gent looks fantastic! Armour looks realistic and effective - you've somehow conveyed the weight of it, which is very impressive. I can see where you're coming from regarding the extra gear, but it would be easy to overload him. Ammo pouch should be easy to sneak in, at any rate.

I'm really looking forward to seeing you attack that boat - I'm a big fan of nautical theming and it's something you don't see a whole lot of at 28mm scale. What model is that? I'd love to pick one up myself. Is it going to be a rusted out hulk, or something still usable?

Bus is an interesting concept. I appreciate the extra space would be useful, but I think 6 cows are going to more convincingly be able to shift that weight than 4, especially if you factor in the extra weight of customisation where the 2 vanished cows would be.
With regard to the mines, have you considered a mine roller such as this?
Spoiler:


Would allow for clearing the way whilst the roller creates less friction than a plow. Just an idea!
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






Thank you.

Yeah, I ultimately decided to add two small pouches on the left and a pistol holster on the right. Man's got a job to do and I'm not going to stand in his way.

Agreed on the nautical theme. I can understand it, bodies of water are harder to incorporate than almost anything else into a normal board. Aside from historicals for amphibious assaults and river crossings, I don't believe I've ever seen much related to the sea. As I said, I'm there myself. I have one gaming mat and it's all dry land. The only way to convincingly build my coastal theme terrain is to make sure it's a little inland. I bought a glorious whale carcass from Antimatter Games that will be beached similar to the ship, which I'm in the process of figuring out the composition of the components on the base. It'll be a partially rusted hulk stuck against a collapsed bridge in a dried out river bed. That's the plan for now. I'm a bit stuck at the moment trying to figure out composition as well as how much elevation over the river bed I want.

The ship is a 1:48 US Navy Swift Boat (PCF) kit by Revell.

I think you are right about the number of moo cows. I'll probably be more comfortable myself with six as well. The mine roller is interesting, thanks. Never seen that one before. I'm not quite sure it'll work as is as not only the tire lanes need to be cleared but the path of the Brahmin, too, lest they step on a mine that the tires would have missed. But the idea is good.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






So, first WIP of the ship and bridge:



I'm a bit uncertain on a number of points:

1. The bridge will get a maintenance access ladder so it's possible to climb up and down during games, but that means I need dry land on the bottom. So it's either a transition from the pillar to the small island on which the ship is beached, or a concrete foundation with the island arranged around it.

2. The bridge will run parallel to the base so as to prevent it from hanging over the edge, which gets in the way of storing the piece between games. I don't have a clear idea yet at which angle I want the ship.

3. Elevation is a problem in the image. I'm hoping to fix that with the island/concrete foundation. That should allow a ship to comfortably pass under the bridge. Where it might get iffy is the ladder. It'll be two individual ladders with a walkway in between both to offer an elevated position for models as well as shortening the height a model has to cover in a turn. It's position is pretty much set due to a door in the pillar and the overhang of the bridge, but so far I still have the option to put it on the same side as the shop, or the opposite side. On the same side I'm going to double down on the elevated positions on that side and possibly getting in the way of model placement on the ship's deck. On the other side the will be overhang, which as I said I want to avoid, so I'd have to move the pillar further inward on the base, which in turn may make the island on which the ship rests a little cramped, if there is any room left at all.

So yeah, lots of stuff to figure out.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






I finally painted the Brotherhood of Steel Outcast Scribe:



And a group shot with his buddies:



That wraps up the Outcast I planned to make. I may or may not add an extra robot or two down the line, but considering I don't get all that much hobby time recently I have enough on my plate with the two scenery pieces and the Vault Dwellers.

Speaking of which, I decided to switch from Vault 81 to Vault 101 since the vault suits are so clearly based on Fallout 3. Not a big deal and gives me an excuse to make a vault caravan from Modiphius's whenever they become available. For now I'll have the two from Brother Vinni to paint, along with the robo-dog. I also started work on their Brahmin, based on a cow model from Reaper.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






So there I was thinking, wouldn't it be neat if instead of of getting on with any of my numerous projects, I'd just not do a damn thing at all? Well, one month later I think the answer is... no, not really. So, after real life dragged me away from hobbying I'm hoping to get a little more done again in the near future. Until then:



This is the first mock up of the beached ship and bridge. After rummaging through my building collection I decided to extend the pillar with a little pumping station. It allows me to have a dodgy ladder construction that doesn't look quite as dodgy as it really is. And while I have no idea how the Wasteland Warfare rules are going to shake out, it's a good spot to put a computer terminal in case those are objectives or points of interest (which I assume, given there will be models and there's a hacking skill).

I settled on a concrete foundation because of this addition, so it looks properly industrial. The ship should fit nicely on what remains of the base and I'm likely going to add a muddy bank around the concrete base so it is level and miniatures can easily placed aboard, along with dirt that's washed up against and collected on one side of the ship. Plus a couple of broken bridge parts sticking out of the ground that stopped the ship in its final position in the first place.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in ca
Phanobi






Canada,Prince Edward Island

Ooh this is going to be good! I'm just playing with some DZ terrain myself at the moment so you shall be good inspiration to stick with it

   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Next up is finalizing the pipes and ladder assembly. That's all that's in the way of gluing the whole thing in place and getting started on the ground texture.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






I finished the ladder assembly:



Took me long enough to work out the details. I'm terribly indecisive when it comes to working out the little bits. All that's missing now is hand- and guardrails and the thing I love to forget, I'll have to cover all those connector holes. Oh joy.

Here's to the next three weeks of agonizing over the tiniest details.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






I did something most amazing. No, I don't mean wrapping up the bridge assembly. No, after three months, or is it four, I remembered to put a couple of models in the picture to give an idea of scale.



But yes, the bridge is finished except for little details like debris and a broken walkway that I can only add once I see how the rest of the piece looks as those pieces may interact with others.

The next big step is to put the ship in place alongside what I'm currently thinking will be two broken bridge pieces. I'm considering deforming the hull to show the impact, maybe tear it open a little. Not sure how to go about that yet.

The other big one is to shape the ground to make something that could be mistaken for a river bed. I have crackle paste for the river bed but I'm not looking forward to tying that together with normal sand of the bank, or somehow getting this to gently slope toward the bridge foundation. Oh boy.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






There is a shocking lack of color on this page. I'm feeling blue.



There, fixed. I put the blue and put it on Lou. Well, guess he's Lou now. And since I'm naming things, may as well call the stupid dog Spot:



Yay, so I finally painted something again. Winter is a bit dire since I prefer daylight (and sunshine) for my painting, which is obviously in short supply at the moment. That's half the Vault 101 trade caravan done. I'll probably paint the trader next and wrap it up with the Brahmin, but technically I meant to paint the dog last and you can see how that turned out. Guess we'll see.

I gave gloss varnish a try to finish off the visor on the guard. Transparency effects sure are hard, but I think I can live with what I've done. I'm sure before long I'll have car windows and other fun stuff to try this on a little more. Light, shadow, distortion - it's all one big nightmare.

I'm a bit stuck on the scenery because I can't make up my mind how to make the ground around the ship. Realism versus playability is something that I can't just decide between - I love the former but appreciate the necessity of the latter. Sloping silt hardly helps the models stand, but it's really the only way it would accumulate around the ship. And of all the nitpicky little details, I get stuck on which way the river flows...

Oh well, I'm sure I'll make some decisions eventually. It's not like I'm running out of other things to keep me busy while I wait....

Edit: Also, my tripod broke and I'm not sure if the replacement isn't very good or if that's just my poor photography skills showing more than usual. Hm...

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/01/12 17:29:03


Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






*brushes off cobwebs, shushes spiders away*

Ooooooooo-kay. So the past couple of months haven't exactly been the most productive, but I'm doing things. Hopefully now that it's starting to get sunnier I'll get more stuff done again.

So, onward. The big one is of course the ship and bridge scenery piece. I hit two snags there, the first of which is mostly resolved with this test piece:











It's small, it's fuzzy and cuddly, but it gave me a very good idea what to expect from the cracked earth paste I bought for the river bed around the ship. It's pretty good stuff, hard, sturdy and just flexible enough that it doesn't break when bent. I love it.

The only issue I had, which you can see well enough in the pictures, is that I have to figure out how to smooth over the surface after applying it. The pack contains a popsicle stick and suggests using that to apply the paste, but as can be seen that leaves ungainly streaks in the surface. I was hesitant to treat it with a little water since I have no idea whether that'll impact the crackle effect (I suspect it would, but maybe if I'm careful...). I'll give it a try with the bridge model, and I guess just hope for the best.

The second holdup is the sides of the ship which should have a sandbank look where the river built up sand while flowing around the stuck ship. I could build this up with plaster, but since it's a large piece and I want to keep it as lightweight as possible I'll go for a hollow plasticard construction with thin sheets (so they bend well) held in place by plastic cement (one of the lovely side effects of using plastic, it's going to be very sturdy for what it is) reinforced with a couple of pillars beneath. This is what I'm working on now, having just started on the upstream side of the ship.

The last thing that delayed the model is, well, really dumb, but I resolved to close the holes for the clips on the plastic tiles and just couldn't be bothered to measure them and cut some fitting plasticard to do it.

Well, that's behind me now and this is where I currently stand:


Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






Today's update with final pictures of the ship before painting:







So, that's a big scenery piece that took a while to make, and I suspect painting it won't be a swift affair either. Not the least because I don't really picked a color for the bridge yet. Concrete and ship are grey, dirt is brown. Easy. But the bridge? Rusted to be sure, but not all rusted so as not to look boring. Hmm. Maybe I'll go green.

With the bridge getting closer to completion, I recently started sculpting my Sole Survivor. Might take a while, but with how my output has slowed down (not the least because I'm waiting for Modiphius to start shipping new stuff) she may be the next model I finish, unless I miraculously decide to continue on the Vault caravan. Well, maybe I'll actually do that. I've spent some time painting a Wild West Exodus model today. Maybe when I'm done with that posse and I still feel like painting stuff...

Technically I still have the outlet store for the farm waiting for some love, but I think that'll have to wait until the ship and bridge are complete. Working on them simultaneously sure helped when there were considerable drying times involved, but I'm happier working on one thing at a time, especially when it's big models like scenery pieces.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






Well, I miraculously resumed painting the Vault caravan...



Had a terrible week, at the end of which I found it both relaxing to put the final touches on this models and get to feel good about finishing a model again. Yay!

That leaves only the Brahmin to paint. I was undecided how to paint its skin, but I think I figured something out I want to try, so I might paint that at some point. Not sure when, though, because I'm currently putting some paint on a couple of 40k models again. If that mood lasts, it might be a while...

The bridge is, unsurprisingly, not making any progress with me putting my time towards other endeavors. What is making progress is Dao, my Sole Survivor from Fallout 4:



Only missing the arms and the head now. The face is done and I'll put it on once I know which way she's supposed to look. The arms are going to hold an assault rifle in front of her body, which I therefore had to get done first.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






I think sculpting on Dao is done:



Unless I overlooked anything that needs fixing, i can move on to painting her.

Might paint the Brahmin before that if I feel like it as that's been on hold long enough, but you never know. Player characters have a way of getting VIP treatment. Cows don't...

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
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Made in lt
Druid Warder





Amazing! I applaud Your sculpting skills and all these ideas for terrain items, like that bridge that obviously has been too far... Top-notch Herr Geifer.


*Ducks and hides under the bridge remains.*

Painting progress tracker:
2017: 50 of 50 planned; 2018: 80 of 60 planned; 2019: 75 of 75 planned

Pledge 2020:
6 to sculpt, 75 to paint (2/57 done) 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant








Thank you!

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Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






And now for something comple... I mean, marginally different!

I bought FFG's Fallout board game. The figures looked all sad and unpainted, a fact I sought to rectify over the last two weeks:












Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
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Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






Back to the regular stuff. I painted Dao:





That's my Fallout 4 Sole Survivor sorted.

With this out of the way I hope I'll have the time, motivation and SPACE! to paint the bridge. I've never been one for terrain pieces because the thing I like about miniatures is their size. Terrain, well, you know. It gets big. Too big to handle properly in the case of the bridge, which put me off in the past. Luckily I don't have any pressing project to take my mind off of that, so maybe I'll finally get some work done on it.

Or I'll just do something else after a day or two. Whichever is less bother-/tiresome.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User



The Wasteland

Awesome stuff there! Is the FFG fallout miniatures in scale with the other stuff by chance?
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka





6 foot underwater

Great blog. Some cool minis in here, and some nice sculpting. Well done indeed.

And keen to see that bridge progress.

cyborks & flyboyz : http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/300067.page
heretical ramblings : http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/302773.page
imperial preachings : http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/303365.page
Da Waaagh-ky Races : http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/325045.page
Briancj: You have the Mek Taint, MT, and the only thing we can do is watch in horror/amazement.

 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






Thanks, guys.

F.U.P.O.S wrote:
Awesome stuff there! Is the FFG fallout miniatures in scale with the other stuff by chance?


Unfortunately not. They seem to be 35mm scale compared to the 32mm scale that much of the other stuff in my blog is. And while the detail on them is quite nice, especially considering they're board game miniatures, they use decidedly heroic proportions (large heads and hands, somewhat stylized, chunky body shapes). Plus, although that's specific to me, they are molded to 3mm bases compared to the 1.5mm tall bases I use, so for me they stand apart that little bit more than they have to.

That said, I use 32mm models alongside 35mm models. To me one guy being a head taller than another guy is not a deal breaker. It's the stylistic divergence that stops me from considering them, really.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in gb
Using Inks and Washes





Edinburgh

Love the colours you've picked for the FFG figures - charming bright colours from the old world in with the wasteland drabs. Dao came out lovely as well - really seamless sculpting work.

That bridge is really something else though - so much tiny, believable detail, an incredibly cinematic piece and yet still useful as a bit of wargames scenery. I can't wait to see it painted
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






Thanks, Scarper.

 Scarper wrote:
I can't wait to see it painted


Well, the sooner you get to work, the sooner the bridge will be done!

What, you don't expect me to paint it, do you? You do?

Why do I have to do all the work? Bummer.



Ok, so on a serious note, the bridge is turning out to be quite the long term project. It's a lot of surface to cover just to get the base layers on (which I'm only halfway through at this point). I dread to think of all the tiny details I'll have to paint after that.

But I'm sure I'll get there. Just as I'm sure I'll fit in the odd, more compact project before the bridge is done. Got to break up the monotony a bit.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in gb
Using Inks and Washes





Edinburgh

Aye, a feeling I know well. One of my biggest problems with terrain painting is the sheer overwhelming SIZE of the damn thing. I get burnout laying basecoats on a 28mm figure, so something the size of a bridge just seems a step too far. Fitting in smaller projects inbetween seems a good plan. Stick with it! I belieeeeve!
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






If you ask so nicely, how could I possibly stop now?

It's a good thing in theory, fitting in smaller projects. If only I didn't have a knack for finding something that's just as work intensive...


Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
Why is the rum always gone? 
   
Made in de
Huge Bone Giant






Oh look! It's an update!

After wasting half a month on this pesky real life stuff nobody needs, I managed to paint the billboard:











In other happy news, I'm painting the bridge and while it is slow work (especially now that it's really hot and I'd rather not do any work at all) and I almost ran out of paint, looks like I'll be getting there eventually. It'll be a while still, but I'm confident it's going to get finished this year.

So what about side projects so I don't go nuts painting the bridge? The big one should be that I'll be drowning in Wasteland Warfare miniatures before long. I doubt I'll be able to resist those new shinies before wrapping up current projects.

The billboard came two to a pack and I primed and basecoated them at the same time, so there's no reason not to paint the second one as well.

Finally, not sure if I mentioned it in this thread, but I felt the need to make an improved Piper. I'm currently halfway through the sculpt.

Nehekhara lives! Sort of!
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Made in us
Nasty Nob






Just caught up on your blog. Fantastic work here, from the sculpting, to the scratch building, to the painting. Love all of it. Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing!


My P&M blog: Cleatus, the Scratch-building Mekboy
Successful Swap Trades: 6 
   
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Huge Bone Giant






Thank you, Cleatus!

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