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Completed Projects

Stuffed Fables

Incomplete Projects

Board Games (GW)

Deathwatch: Overkill

Dreadfleet

Gorechosen

Hero Quest (I Know, Milton Bradley, but GW did the minis)

Lost Patrol

Necromunda: Underhive

Shadespire (Base game and Sepulchral Guard)

Space Hulk

Warhammer Quest (1995)

Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower

Warhammer Quest: Hamerhal

Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress

Speed Freeksl

Board Games (FFG)

Cadwallon: City of Thieves

Fallout

Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition

New Angeles

Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Talisman: Revised 4th Edition

Board Games (Other)

Big Trouble in Little China

Hellboy

Hybrid + Nemesis

Kingdom Death: Monster

Mice & Mystics

Super Dungeon Explore

Zombicide: Seasons 1-3

Zombicide: Black Plague

Zombicide: Invader (yeah...I know...)

Miniature Games (GW)

Adeptus Titanicus / Epic 40K (Dark Angels, Chaos, Tyranid, Orks, Forgeworld Tau, Imperil Titans, Terrain)

Battlefleet Gothic (Imperial, Chaos, Orks, Forgeworld Tau, Terrain)

Blood Bowl (Human, Orcs, Skaven)

Hobbit / Lord of the Rings (Gondor, Uruk Hai, Goblins, Fellowship, Harad)

Man O War (Empire, Skaven, Dwarf, Bretonnian, Dark Elf, Chaos)

Necromunda (Goliath, Escher, Cawdor, Genesteler Cult, Chaos Cult, Delaque, Palanite Enforcers, Corpse Grinder Cult, Terrain...lots of terrain!)

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar (Disciples of Tzeentch, Skaven, Blades of Khorne, Maggotkin of Nurgle, Undead, Orcs & Goblins, Terrain)

Warhammer 40K / Kill Team (Dark Angels, Drukhari, Tau, Genesteler Cults, Tyranids, Orks, Terrain)

Warcry (Corvus Cabal, Untamed Beasts, Iron Golems, Terrain)

Kill Team (Genestealer Cults, Fronteris Terrain)

Miniature Games (Other)

Confrontation 3.5 (Kelt Sessairs, Dirz, Griffin, Acheron, Ophidian)

Dark Age (Forsaken, Skaard, Nomads)

Flames of War (101st Airborne, 2nd Armored Division, Terrain)

Gaslands

Infinity (Nomads)

Last Days: Zombie Apocalypse

Maelstrom's Edge (Epirian, Karist, Broken, Artarian Remnant, Terrain)

Malifaux (Ressers, Neverborn)

Warmachine/Hordes (Cryx, Cephalyx)

Rangers of Shadowdeep

Dracula's America

Fallout: Wasteland Warfare (Robots, Survivors, Super Mutants, Ghouls, Wasteland Creatures, Scatter Terrain, Raiders)

Frostgrave

Relicblade (everything)

Star Wars: Legion (Empire, Separatists,Terrain)

Marvel: Crisis Protocol (Minis and Terrain)

First Post


So without wasting any time on explanations, here are two WIP terrain projects I've had kicking around for a few years...trying to get the motivation to finish them up.

Questions, comments and critiques are strongly encouraged

Brilliant firebase. My favourite gw card building. You are doing it justice. Will you give it a similar paint job to the original? I'm surprised gw haven't made that as a plastic building? The slight alterations seem to work well!

Looking forward to more!

Very nice - looking foward to seeing these completed.

Is the firebase a scratchbuild or is it the original with added detail? Looks great either way and is the one piece of 2nd ed scenery that I always wanted but never managed to get hold of. Seen a few pop up on ebay recently so maybe...

Interested to see where you go with these...

Wow. Awesome stuff. I'd like to know how you made those bulkheads with the crossbeams.

Very nice!

That is excellent. How have you made the solid X walls? Chopped up bulkheads? The plasticard work is very neat and detailed, looks almost lasercut.

Awesome stuff man. Now just get a little color on those badboys.

 Valhalla130 wrote:
Wow. Awesome stuff. I'd like to know how you made those bulkheads with the crossbeams.

I did that too, just took my electric mitre saw to the solid Necro Bulkheads , it's a sacrifice, but DAMN, does it look good!

How did you make the top surfaces? Scribed panels? or did you glue down individual panels? It's flawless!

What did you use for the lower walls behind the entrance section? (or is that what people are asking about with the solid X?)

Fantastic job so far man! I can't wait to see more.

@Zwan1One - That's one thing I haven't decided yet. My buddy Tyson embellished his Firebase and went with gray and rusty orange...I like the original scheme better, but I have a feeling I will go with something else. I am totally open to suggestions here!

@SilverMK2 - Thanks man, I have a feeling that posting my progress here on Dakka will get me motivated to see these to completion.

@Ruglud - Its all plastic card (some of it textured of course), styrene tubing/rod, and Necro bulkheads. Sadly, I cut up the original card to trace the patterns and panels, etc. There is a bit of wire on that control box, and the vent on top of the maintenance tower is wire mesh.

@Valhalla130 - I indeed cut up the solid Necro bulkheads to assemble the crossbeam textured walls. I've never been any good with a Dremel tool, so I used clippers and hobby knife to cut and shape everything.

@Vitruvian XVII - Thanks!

@Bruticus - Yes, sacrificed those bulkheads....Thanks, I got my bachelors degree in architecture at Cal Poly, SLO. 5 years of constant model building tends to help hone those skills!

@Galorn - Thanks, I need some help deciding how to paint these...

@dsteingass - You were right to recognize those crossbeams from the bulkheads. The floor panel surfaces are individually cut, puzzeled together, and glued down to a solid styrene sheet base. The edges have a slight bevel on them to accentuate the pattern. The base was cut into as well, and I have yet to build the housings for the hydraulic pistons that raise and lower the (eventually hazard striped) blast panels. Most of the wall panels are 2 to 3 layers of styrene, with the outer layer cut to the original pattern printed on the card walls, etc. I hand beveled the edges with an Xacto knife, so they aren't all perfectly straight on close inspection. The rivets are sliced from styrene rod...in hindsight, I think I should have used a smaller diameter...they are pretty beefy rivets!

Thanks everybody, I will post more pics as I make more forward progress. It has always been my dream to wire this thing up and put LED lights on the landing pad, and maybe a flashing red one up on an aerial on the tower. We'll see how ambitious I get...maybe I can be coerced into finally going through with it. As of yet, I don't have any electrical experience!

my only criticism is that some of the walls or floors are a bit flat, some additional support struts around the walls or railings/sandbags around the top would make them look more substantial, as would supporting beams underneath the flooring.

As for painting, I'd probably not try and replicate the original colours. Dark grey, rust, paint chips and hazard stripes is my favourite combination.

I can't believe it, but I'm going to have to disagree on the painting part, I think the original rust-streaked aged concrete mixed with that lovely 'Munda Blue steel look is best.


..And your rivets are PERFECT! -They should always be proportionate to the size of the construction.

One more touch,,,,,,Rivets! Lots of rivets looking like they hold it all together.

I'll have to mull over the paint scheme for a while. In the mean time...I have to add the structure pattern to the slanted side bunker face, diagonal supports on several places where walls meet supported floors, the access 'boxes' under the blast panels on the landing pad along with pipes, hoses, wires, and the hydraulic pistons, and countless more rivets!

That Imperial Bastion terrain kit was one I started to scratchbuild, in fact the door on the slanted face of the bunker on my Firebase was salvaged from that attempt. I think I abandoned it because I decided, in the end, that it really should be scaled up a bit. I almost wanted to give it a big gate that allowed for maybe a predator or chimera to drive through...like it was an armored checkpoint leading into an demilitarized zone. I will eventually revisit that project. But first, I am inspired to get my Necromunda terrain 3Dified for our upcoming campaign...

 Fango wrote:
... I will eventually rerivet that project....

Fixed that for you

 dsteingass wrote:

Fixed that for you

Why thank you! Now if you could just cut about 150 rivets for me, I'd be much obliged

 Bruticus wrote:

As for painting, I'd probably not try and replicate the original colours. Dark grey, rust, paint chips and hazard stripes is my favourite combination.

Have to agree here. Those bright colours belong in the past...

 Bruticus wrote:
my only criticism is that some of the walls or floors are a bit flat, some additional support struts around the walls or railings/sandbags around the top would make them look more substantial, as would supporting beams underneath the flooring.

I agree Bruticus, especially the walls on the walkway and the floor that juts out to the tower from the main base. I will indeed add some thickness to them.

Keep working on it! You just got that new airbrush, put it to work!

Ok, we're 2 weeks into our Necromunda campaign and my Escher gang is doing fairly well for itself. I've ordered a couple of alternate models made by Reaper as stand ins for some gangers and juves. So far, it's just Ozymandias, myself, and our friend Stephen...but we hope to get a few more on board soon.

Here are a few photos of the setup we had last weekend...












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here's my collection of scatter terrain so far...gotta start getting some paint on this stuff...




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I've also put my Firebase on hold as I keep bringing it to game night, and it never makes it on tot the Necromunda board. I've decided to start making plastic card versions of the Necromunda card terrain and some of the old studio models from the 90's. This is nothing new for those who frequent the P&M blogs here on Dakka...I've been inspired by some of the veterans in here, dSteingass in particular. So I decided to start off on the same piece that he did in his blog. This is my take on it...








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here is how far I got to after spending the afternoon riveting!

As an architect aren't you more tempted to design your own buildings? I've never really understood the desire to replicate exisiting designs, even if you can make them look a whole lot better by making them 3d. I suppose one big benefit is it will be compatible with the card stuff, but then if that is the goal you may as well just buy more of the card stuff. Why not make new buildings but using the same design elements? Your model building skills are ridiculously good, was just hoping to see some new designs on the way.

E: as you posted the same time as me, that new pic is just amazingly well done. Very precise work. I wish I could buy ready made sheets with that sort of scribing and riviting already done, that's exactly the sort of detail work I don't have the patience for.

Looking good! Keep at it!

It'll make my victory over you Escher that much more pretty!

That's great. How do you get the straight lines on there? I'm pretty sure I know how to do the rivets now, but those look like they were machined that way.

That is awesome excellent stuff Fango! Much more detailed than mine! The riveting is fantastic! I hadn't yet discovered the beauty of my Chop-it tool for slicing mass-quantities of rivets yet when I did mine.

I think you are on a fantastic path here! Please keep up the excellent work!



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 Valhalla130 wrote:
That's great. How do you get the straight lines on there? I'm pretty sure I know how to do the rivets now, but those look like they were machined that way.

I'm guessing he just used a straightedge and a scribing tool. If you can draw a straight line with a pencil, it's pretty easy to scribe it too. When I built mine, I didn't yet have my proper scribing tool, and when you just use a dental pick, it creates a piling on the edge of the groove. A proper scribing tool actually peels that ribbon of plastic out rather than just push it to the side (like a plowed field). Fango's scribes are very clean and they all seem to have the right concave shape.


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@Bruticus- we recreate the card terrain for a lot of reasons. Mostly because the card terrain gets worn out, and we are nostalgic for the old designs. Recreating it in plastic allows you to have that terrain that you love for a long time. More importantly though, The process of transcribing all those shapes, lines, and rivets to plastic teaches you that patience that you claim not to have, not to mention it increases your scratch-building skills exponentially.

I understand that it teaches skills, although I think Fango here has the skills pretty much mastered and I think you would learn skills and patience whatever you made. And I get that it lasts longer in plastic. I guess I just don't understand the nostalgia side of things then. I've got nothing against people recreating original scenery - it looks amazing and they were always quite functional designs - I would just also like to see that architecture degree put to use designing something new!

Anyway, people should make whatever they like so just ignore me!

Your own work is amazing Bruticus! That gives you credibility and makes whatever you say impossible to ignore There is just something exploratory and satisfying about taking the original flat 2D graphic designs that we have all loved for 20+ years and layering them in plastic. Nothing is as cool for me as when someone thinks it is the card stuff at first glance, then they look closer and realize it's all built up and 3D. We're not just recreating, we're fully realizing what it was always supposed to look like. if anything, I'm just trying to pry open your mind a bit my friend

NIce work Fango. If you get the chance I have a couple of questions. What thickness plastic sheet are you using? How do you cut such clean lines on the plastic?

Bruticus wrote:As an architect aren't you more tempted to design your own buildings? I've never really understood the desire to replicate exisiting designs, even if you can make them look a whole lot better by making them 3d. I suppose one big benefit is it will be compatible with the card stuff, but then if that is the goal you may as well just buy more of the card stuff. Why not make new buildings but using the same design elements? Your model building skills are ridiculously good, was just hoping to see some new designs on the way.

E: as you posted the same time as me, that new pic is just amazingly well done. Very precise work. I wish I could buy ready made sheets with that sort of scribing and riviting already done, that's exactly the sort of detail work I don't have the patience for.

Thanks for the praise Bruticus, I've taken a look at your Plog and gallery and I must say that what you have is most impressive!

I did get my degree in architecture, but alas, I am not an architect. I work at a software company designing GUIs and button icons. I graduated about a year after the economic, and subsequent real estate market crash here in the States...Sadly, its a mostly thankless and underpaid profession (compared to Doctors and Lawyers who also need to be licensed to practice and can be sued for making mistakes) unless you are someone like Frank Ghery or Norman Foster (whom also took a lifetime to get where they are). I picked architecture to study because I've always loved to draw and build models, and had a knack for spacial awareness...but really my dream job would be working for, say, WETA workshop making hyper realistic 'bigatures' for science fiction and fantasy films.

To answer your question though, I couldn't have said it better than Dave did below. It IS mostly for nostalgia and to bring to realization the full potential of what the original designs were...sacrificing some modularity, storability (is that a word?), and game-play functionality (ie, no more all-flat surfaces), in exchange for texture, hyper detail, and sheer coolness factor (IMHO). Also, my card stock is showing its age from wear and tear...several card panels now have creases, and or have the back edge of the paper peeling off.

I would like to know what your painting techniques are for your entropic, rusty, paint peeled look...and where you get your (closely) scaled vehicles from.

Ozymandias wrote:Looking good! Keep at it!

It'll make my victory over your Escher that much more pretty!

Thanks Chris, I look forward to our game this Thursday...hopefully we can play on this piece!

Valhalla130 wrote:That's great. How do you get the straight lines on there? I'm pretty sure I know how to do the rivets now, but those look like they were machined that way.

Thanks Valhalla, the straight lines just require patience is all...the trick is to make several controlled slices (like scoring) but cut all the way through...also, realize that when you are cutting you are basically displacing that plastic by driving a sharp wedge into it. So if your knife is straight up and down, you will get edges that look like this: \ / But if you hold the knife at a slight angle away from the edge you want straight, you can get an edge profile more like this: | /

In addition, I use a handy tool called an L-square (and also a triangle square) to keep my cuts straight. If you have a bunch of cuts that you want to line up, make sure you do them all before moving your straight-edge tool.

dsteingass wrote:That is awesome excellent stuff Fango! Much more detailed than mine! The riveting is fantastic! I hadn't yet discovered the beauty of my Chop-it tool for slicing mass-quantities of rivets yet when I did mine.

I think you are on a fantastic path here! Please keep up the excellent work!

Thanks Dave, I am just slicing it off the end of a rod by rocking my Xacto up and down. The cut bits are rarely precisely the same size, or at the same angle...but being so small, its hard to tell the difference.

dsteingass wrote:I'm guessing he just used a straightedge and a scribing tool. If you can draw a straight line with a pencil, it's pretty easy to scribe it too. When I built mine, I didn't yet have my proper scribing tool, and when you just use a dental pick, it creates a piling on the edge of the groove. A proper scribing tool actually peels that ribbon of plastic out rather than just push it to the side (like a plowed field). Fango's scribes are very clean and they all seem to have the right concave shape.

Actually, I used the back edge of my Xacto, it does leave that little ribbon edge, which I carefully run the tip of my blade down nearly perpendicular to the scribe line. I'm sure there is a better way, or a better tool, that's just how I improvised...The landing pad near the top of this thread I actually cut out all the panels and sanded the edges...but that was way too much work.

Bruticus wrote:I understand that it teaches skills, although I think Fango here has the skills pretty much mastered and I think you would learn skills and patience whatever you made. And I get that it lasts longer in plastic. I guess I just don't understand the nostalgia side of things then. I've got nothing against people recreating original scenery - it looks amazing and they were always quite functional designs - I would just also like to see that architecture degree put to use designing something new!

Anyway, people should make whatever they like so just ignore me!

Actually, it hadn't even occurred to me to make anything completely original before completing all of the card terrain pieces. Tell you what, my very next piece will be an original one done in the same design language as the rest of the Studio Necromunda terrain. Can you help me with an idea? I've only just started playing Necromunda for the first time in about 17 years...With your experience, what kind of a structure do you think would compliment the rest of the terrain set in a way that offers unique line of sight and cover situations, would be fun to play on and looks super cool?

dsteingass wrote:Your own work is amazing Bruticus! That gives you credibility and makes whatever you say impossible to ignore There is just something exploratory and satisfying about taking the original flat 2D graphic designs that we have all loved for 20+ years and layering them in plastic. Nothing is as cool for me as when someone thinks it is the card stuff at first glance, then they look closer and realize it's all built up and 3D. We're not just recreating, we're fully realizing what it was always supposed to look like. if anything, I'm just trying to pry open your mind a bit my friend

I wholeheartedly agree with Dave here Bruticus, your input is extremely valuable!

whill4 wrote:NIce work Fango. If you get the chance I have a couple of questions. What thickness plastic sheet are you using? How do you cut such clean lines on the plastic?

Thanks Whill, I'm using what I had on hand which happens to be .03" high impact styrene. When I buy in bulk, I think I will go for .04" for just a little more rigidity. Scribe and snap will give you the straightest lines on an actual cut. See my comments above for some tips and tricks! Also, check out dsteingass' project blog here on Dakka for some really good modeling tips.






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Made a little more progress on this piece tonight. I need to finish up the raised areas around the perimeter, then add a few more rivets. Then its on to the bulkheads that this thing sits on top of. I hope to have the construction done by Wednesday night.

I did get my degree in architecture, but alas, I am not an architect. I work at a software company designing GUIs and button icons. I graduated about a year after the economic, and subsequent real estate market crash here in the States...Sadly, its a mostly thankless and underpaid profession (compared to Doctors and Lawyers who also need to be licensed to practice and can be sued for making mistakes) unless you are someone like Frank Ghery or Norman Foster (whom also took a lifetime to get where they are). I picked architecture to study because I've always loved to draw and build models, and had a knack for spacial awareness...but really my dream job would be working for, say, WETA workshop making hyper realistic 'bigatures' for science fiction and fantasy films.

I know a few people in similar situations and have seen their awesome architecture models at various displays - there is so much crossover between making architecture models and making necromunda scenery, half of these degree project models I just wanted to add a few skulls to and cover in rust, would be great scenery! That's what I was getting at really, it would be cool for someone to come along with that sort of skill-set and build something really interesting for necromunda, something beyond a random industrial building or random platforms with no obvious function. Maybe a ruined arbite precinct, noble housing, giant hab block...

I would like to know what your painting techniques are for your entropic, rusty, paint peeled look...and where you get your (closely) scaled vehicles from.

I've tried a few different ways for doing rust - and I don't claim to know the best way - but a good compromise between ease of use and a good result is: basecoat boltgun metal, wash with black ink or soot pigment, wash with dark (old) rust pigment, seal with pigment fixer, dab on bright (new) rust pigment (to keep the last layer of rust looking new, don't seal or varnish it, and apply it dry). I use Mig pigments. For areas of high corrosion add a texture first, my favourite way is to use a spray paint called Rust-oleum Aged Iron, but sand or anything would work too. For old paint try the crackle paints from Tim Holtz. A torn bit of sponge dabbing on dark grey for paint chips on bright colours works well, or bright metal for chips where appropriate.

Vehicles - Ramshackle (cheap), Antenocitis Workshop (expensive but awesome) and the toy cars (which are a bit small) are... I can't recall the brand, 1:43 I think.

With your experience, what kind of a structure do you think would compliment the rest of the terrain set in a way that offers unique line of sight and cover situations, would be fun to play on and looks super cool?

I'm not an expert or anything, but there are a few bits of terrain that work really well in games. Simple, multilevel platform towers that can act as hubs to connect walkways too are probably the best bit as they allow so much variation. Creating long corridors is also great, if you can make solid walled buildings that can be placed next to each other you get corridors that protect your dudes from snipers. The stock cardboard scenery is way too open, generally speaking you should be able to always be in partial cover and rarely in full cover on more than 2-3 sides. Once you get enough cover, games become much less of a shooting competition. Careful of making high up hard cover firing positions, especially if lots of people can deploy in them, you want to encourage people moving not camping. Ramps are not used enough despite giving +1 combat to the higher up person, which is quite a big deal. My favourite things are things that break up the flat surface of the board, elevation changes etc - 2 inches high works well for these so they can be climbed but still hidden behind. I think a really long, wide bridge would work great, basically giving a whole extra board level to play along and able to connect with walkways to other high points, my overpass sections are cool but maybe a bit small. Walkways are essential and should always have cover/railings otherwise no-one will use them as it is too dangerous. I like it when you can do a whole lap of the board without walking on the surface.

Bit long winded sorry!

These new bits are really great, if you could figure out a way to sell similar things to them that would be amazing.

What are your feelings on walkways...I have some great ideas for functional-looking walkways from RL industrial buildings, but to make them look right, they almost need to be permanently attached to the building. I know separate walkways give you more flexibility, but what about a mix of the two types?



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This is why I love Dakka..When I built mine, I was one of the first that I know of, then you come along, get inspired by my attempt, and then go and raise the bar! That little extra vent is so small, yet so completely perfect for that piece! You work with angles and bevels on Plasticard in ways I have never even imagined possible. Is the raised L-shaped lip on the left solid or hollow? I can't tell.


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@Bruticus- You'd be surprised how enjoyable it can be to duplicate something from a photograph or drawing, or video game in detail. A year ago this time, I'd never heard of the Fallout game series, today I am the only producer of 28mm Nuka Cola machines in the world