Hola Chicos! A little Xmas treat for you all - the finished Mars Board I started last year. My original thread was in the Eng language forum - I will copy and paste it here over the festive holidays. I’ve also nearly finished my Haqq Attack army and will be working on an alternative colour themed Aleph SP at the start of 2018 so look out for that thread soon too. I’ve set the Haqq up on the board here to intimidate the Alien threats that keep infiltrating their industrial city. 2018 NEXT STEPS - BUILDING A CITY BOARD I am excited to build a new board based on a commercial city habitat. I was lucky enough to travel to HK and Vietnam last year and have a ton of inspiration to get going with. I will be scratch building skyscrapers and buildings and posting tutorials. I will be trying to make a believable space and evolving what we already have done so that it will all be compatible and have the feel and look we have created. Challenges will be vehicles and finding the perfect Mat, but I have some ideas in place already. New forum looks great and I hope to attract Español interaction too so I will be pasting google translations moving forwards. Yo hablo Español un poco - he vivido en Barcelona, pero ahora es Spanglish! Suggestions and ideas are always welcome and I hope you get inspired! Cheers, Ed - ESP Hola Chicos un pequeño regalo de Navidad para todos: la Junta de Mars terminada que comencé el año pasado. Mi hilo original estaba en el foro de idioma inglés. Lo copiaré y pegaré aquí durante los días festivos. También estuve a punto de terminar mi ejército Haqq Attack y trabajaré en un Aleph SP temático de color alternativo a comienzos de 2018, así que ten cuidado también con ese hilo pronto. He colocado el Haqq en el tablero para intimidar a las amenazas alienígenas que siguen infiltrándose en su ciudad industrial. 2018 PRÓXIMOS PASOS: CONSTRUIR UNA JUNTA DE LA CIUDAD Estoy emocionado de construir una nueva junta basada en un hábitat comercial de la ciudad. Tuve la suerte de viajar a Hong Kong y Vietnam el año pasado y tengo un montón de inspiración para ponerme en marcha. Estaré rascando edificios y rascacielos y publicando tutoriales. Intentaré crear un espacio creíble y evolucionar lo que ya hemos hecho para que todo sea compatible y tenga la sensación y la apariencia que hemos creado. Los desafíos serán vehículos y encontrar el tapete perfecto, pero ya tengo algunas ideas en su lugar. El nuevo foro se ve muy bien y espero atraer la interacción de Español también, de modo que pegaré las traducciones de google avanzando. Yo hablo English un poco - él vivido en Barcelona, pero ahora es Spanglish! Las sugerencias y las ideas son siempre bienvenidas y espero que te inspires! Ciao, Ed
The following are the old posts from the old Forum. I will not translate it here. --- Hey guys, I'm having trouble getting regular games in Boston as there are no stores that are really suitable. So I thought screw this, I'd build my own board. I want to create a Sci Fi industrial city off planet. Somewhere tough and gritty and dirty, but also habitable. A city that revolves around the mining the heck out of the planets resources and acting as a trading colony. It also has to be a little bit alien - maybe some kind of strange artifact has just been dug up a la 2001:Space Odyssey or maybe forerunner architecture coexisting with the settlers. I'm planning for asian influences and nods in architecture and the graphics/graffiti. It is a clash of colours and dust and graphics. Obviously Mars is a big influence here - but generic red dust planet is the story for now. This is my first board ever and a long term project. Expect this to be something that will take time. In terms of resources, I am investing in a game mat and some key pieces of terrain. I will try to make everything else on a budget. Starting out with papercraft/scratch build scatter to get a board up and running. MOOD BOARD Posted April 3, 2017 Mucho Gracias @jherazob esto es perfecto! I will be downloading some of those spaceships for sure! I have my eye on the Pod Hotel too - I think that would suit my 'Habitat' area. I plan to build this at a later date. I have downloaded and used @Tommygun 's amazing paper scatter terrain which I will show you later. Also I love the @TOPO 's range of vehicles - the Samsara especially suits my needs. I'm not 100% sure of the forum rules for linking other companies.... I will be vague but hopefully point you guys in the direction of a good google search. -- BOARD / MAT The first thing to consider was the playing surface. I found a 'roll up mouse mat' that I loved the design of and suits my needs aesthetically - it's called Forges of Mars by a game mat company based in EU. The only issue is that it is a 6' x 4' and my table is around 5' x 3'... so what to do? I decided build a 6' x 4' board that would fold up and fit under my bed for storage. I wanted the full board to make the most of the mat and also in my infinity experience we end up with a ton of tokens, army sheets and iPods lying around during a game. The extra space would accommodate all the accessories well. I went for a concertina style movement so it will be three parts and fold to 2ft x 4ft, perfect for storage. However, ran into a couple of problems - first up, I used a runner hinge action. This stuck out underneath the board and ontop. I got around the underneath using sticky no slip silicone pads that were the same height. This also solved the problem of the board slipping ontop of the table. Image below shows the bottom - For the top I decided to use two small hinges towards the edge of the board as they would bulge underneath the mat and have a smaller surface area. I think I need some Gaffa Tape along the seam for additional support... It is a bit wobbly at first - but a trusty stool fixed this issue! and finally we are ready for some terrain! Check out the awesome mat - I will get some close ups to show you details later on. Ultimately I am really happy with the quality - it is a little shiny on camera because of the polyester - but I understand it's there for durability. Now onto terrain! HOODOO ROCKS For my dust planet I want to create rocky outcrops and barren wastes. These are some rocks that I bought from a company based in UK. The company does WW2 28mm game that is popular and also another Sci fi game which they had this range from. The rocks come pre painted in brown or grey stone. I went for the brown and realized it wasn't Mars dust enough so I've repainted them Red and orange. They are actually made out of Bark with a wire that goes through the middle to keep them together. I think they look good and are great that they are pre-made and painted but since I repainted them myself I decided I would make my own in the future as it would save me a few bucks. So I went out and raided a few parks and playground areas and came up with my own. Since I had the tall spires I needed some more 'width' blocking rocks as such. Shown below unpainted.
PROCESSING PLANT This is the going to be the start of the power generation for this part of the city - a processing plant. It is from Micro Art Studios - part of their Hard Foam range. This stuff seems to be really durable and is very light weight. It is hard and seemed to paint very easily. It is quite affordable and has nice shapes and details. My only issues are the 'bubbles' on the surface which seem to disrupt the design - look where the pipe is on the side. For my purposes as a wargaming terrain it is fantastic and I fully recommend the range to any infinity players who don't mind a bit of rough and tumble. You can see it comes in two parts so can stand together or separate - a nice touch to spread out terrain for the table. My paint scheme for Mars Attacks is splashes of colour onto grey and white surfaces with dust gathering and weathering the buildings. I'm spraying the models with grey and rust colored primers then attacking them with a wet/dry brush randomly, washing all over, going back in for a dry brush and finally edging the details. It sounds like a lot - but its really quick to do. I'm not a brilliant painter but I'm going for a colorful game standard. I feel that I need a couple more details - graphics mainly like warning signs and maybe ripped posters, but for now I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Here is the Mars Board I have at the moment - minus the Operation Ice Storm/Red Veil. The Haqqattaks making use of the settlement - 10pts for the first to spot the Tuareg Sniper. Close ups of details to follow PAPERCRAFT CRATES I've downloaded numerous paper craft terrain off the internet and all of it seems good stuff. Its takes a bit of time to get used to, but it is doing a great job for me. The scatter crates I glued into little piles that stack like packed boxes or provide suitable barricades for models to shoot over. I made the pallets out of match sticks and PVA glue. PAPER VEHICLES The offroad trucks are perfect for my mars terrain - I want them to be industrial and utilitarian not military styled. No guns really. They are a great size - big enough to provide a lot of cover and block LOF. They were tricky to put together at first, but I knocked the second yellow one out much quicker once I knew what to expect. The wheels I messed up a bit, but for wargaming purpose they look great. I know I still need to paint the white outlines, I will do that one day Also note the civ space craft - I cut and glued the bottom of a blister on the bottom to raise it up to provide total cover for S2 models. MAS HABITAT I love the Micro Art Studio ranges I feel its really Sci Fi and utilitarian and durable. Also the prices are decent for what you get. This is the first building for my 'residential' city area and I have matching tower blocks to come. They can double up as general offices or whatever too. The bridge is plasticraft and the Tri adverts I made my self from cardboard. PLANTERS idea for quick and easy planters - Tea Light Candles! Spray, stab a hole in the bottom, superglue some aquarium plants in, light the wick and melt the wax to secure. Don't inhale the melted plastic fumes. FENCES/GENERATOR these I made from plasticard scraps I had knocking around. Super easy to do. The ripped poster graphics and TV screens I made help the aesthetic I want to achieve. I was going to do some more but ran out of the textured plasticard I like so may try cardboard. The silver Generator is from a Swifter mop debris I found in the street! still had the motor attached. I stuck a plastic bottle top on the end and a plastic circular shape I had knocking about. Had to make a little cardboard wedge to stand the motor up on. NEXT UP more Micro Art Studio buildings - 2x tower blocks to fill in the habitat section. Also a few more walls and another building from an Australian brand. I am considering more paper scatter too - maybe a chicken hawk or walkers... will have to see what tickles my fancy. thanks for the support guys, makes it all the more worth while!
HABITAT BUILDINGS / DISTRIBUTION BLOCK / SCI FI WALLS Next stage is well on its way - I've nearly finished the habitat blocks, some new walls and a distribution block for the 'industrial' sector. They need some posters/ banners / transfers minor details, but I'm really happy with how its shaping out. Again, my painting is not clean - but I'm going for dusty sci-fi manga. Gritty and pop colours. I'm enjoying splashing paint around, but my phone touch screen is covered in blobs - whoops! I LOVE the MAS habitat buildings - I think they're really cool and techy. The Distribution block is from an australian brand and it looks really sweet too! Very happy with my purchases. I'll upload more tasteful pics tomorrow of them on the board - I'm getting a 250pt game in so expect some cool images to follow this post! NEXT UP - I have some big transport desert military trucks for my haqqattacks that are very suitable for this board... I'll keep you in suspense until then! Posted April 29, 2017 Bashed out some pink foam rocks this morning... They still need painting some more - I can see the pink blobs here and there where the foam has chipped away but looks pretty good for now. Super easy to make and much bigger then the bark hoodoos that are more scatter. They will work well together. The other buildings are pretty much done for me now. I'm happy with the way they look for my games table. Cant wait to set it all up! BTW - the blue roof isn't glued down for access which is why it is on wonky in the picture! Whoops! We had an awesome game the other night, and the Haqqattacks really brought the pain! We stomped YJ - I felt pretty bad, but it was super fun game with @fraynkwash as always! Played with some new troops - the Ragik and Farzan and I tried out the Al Fasid... Now I see what all the fuss is about - he is actually ridiculously good! He finally went down to the Hsien, but took a fair few with him - including a ninja sniper! Will have to test him out again. Board looked Sweet - but maybe it was too claustrophobic. It must be the European in me. It was a really exciting game and nothing is better then two fully painted armies battling it out on cool looking terrain! Cant wait until the next big game! Must think about Sniper lanes more
Had a more 'spacious' layout for last nights quick game. It helped to channel the fire lanes and keep the high ground towards the middle. There was Hidden Deployment, Holo projectors and HMGs - lots of fun! I feel we are still learning the game but there were some crazy moments - A Ninja slashing through the back lines and a Tuareg Sniper who couldn't hit a barn door. happy with the board at the moment - it feels atmospheric. I do have my eye on some new buildings for more variation and in the meantime I have some suitable transports for the Haqqattacks being built. Pics below and a few close ups. Who popped that smoke? Oh Crap... 7x ARO SHOTS(!!!) later.. Kwarij about to get sliced in half Finally went down - and the Jan saves his ARM! Well.... That didn't work Fidays, Mines and Crits... Seems like it's good timing to have a Haqqislam Asteroid Space board I guess I've recently downloaded DOOM on the PS4 and I just love the atmosphere and 'terrain' in it - it's really inspiring and a flipping awesome game so check it out if you get chance. One thing I want to create are pipes and walkways in the game that give it a more industrial feel. I decided to make my own after shopping around a bit - thinking it would work out cheaper. The simple solution is to combine the two - to create a scaffolding around the pipes so models can climb and stand on top. A simple idea and something that I need to fine tune in terms of my modeling skills, but for a wargaming board totally does the job. I've used PVC pipes and the plastic joints - super cheap from Home Depot (an American B&Q). Lots of PVA, some Card and spackling for the mars dust ('filler' in UK). Sandpaper for plaster board comes in a grid pattern which I'm using for the metal mesh floors. Finally the simple and obvious ingredient - the scaffolding is made from wooden Coffee stirrers! Someone had a ton at work so I nicked a few! Get down to Starbucks and load up lads! ***disclaimer - Totally not promoting stealing as a lifestyle choice, but to occasionally win against 'THE MAN' feels pretty good*** NEXT UP Need to paint/build some more and I have an idea to combine the technique with some of my pink rocks which could look pretty fruity! A really quick paint job - I need to go in and do all the details but have no time this week. @chromedog thanks mate and a great heads up about the bases! I totally didn't think about that - great for me as a lot of my opponents use pesky TR Bots Big Prep for WOTAN!!! I'm getting very excited and spent a wkend building new terrain. ***PLEASE NOTE*** This post may come across as a Micro Art Studios bash - and I was frustrated by the builds, but I am a HUGE fan of their company and their products. They are REALLY GOOD. Most of my scenery is from MAS and the outcome was totally worth it, I just struggled with the builds and the prep... I'm not a master modeler and so I think I wont be putting any MDF buildings together again until my thumbs heal. PIPES AND OBJECTIVES pipes finished with 'grid' plasterers sandpaper on the walkways and painted 6x objectives from Micro Arts Studios - I only had 2x 40mm bases so need to get 4x more from somewhere... Kum on quads racing off-road to grab the data and get the heck out of dodge... MICRO ARTS BUILDINGS - L SHAPE, GARAGE AND HOLO ADS I invested in some new scenery and I must say, these were a royal pain to assemble. They look great and are sturdy but popping out all the MDF sucks and its super frustrating. I had a couple of pieces snap and the fit is way too tight in places. I have painted all the insides, but the roof is really snug (need to sand the edges after painting) so its going to be hard to play with the insides if we keep having to pop them on and off. I wanted the option to either play both individually or stack them and while the build itself was relatively straightforward I noticed that they have two front doors overlooking nothing. To get around this I build a small balcony at the back of the garage with a ladder up to it. I am aiming to build some stairs in the future for the other door, haven't designed them yet. The windows on the L-shape are orange transparent plastic so I will look into lighting in the future. GARAGE (taken over by for all my Haqq transport needs) L SHAPE BUILDING front of the building - knock knock... side with Holo Ad attached Back of the building - Boarding Shotguns are the best way to clear the house HOLO ADS The holo ads I bought only fit to the buildings with the wall around the roof ('castles'). They do not fit to my sky scrapers in the background. Also they did not come with a frame to have them stand alone. To get around these issues I built my own out of MDF spare parts from the set and it fits onto my other buildings. It is narrow enough now to fit ontop of my skyscrapers and even my new pipes which is great! HAQQATTACK BASE OF OPERATIONS The Lads have took over - you can see the two 'pillars/stilts' at the back which slot on and off and the floating door in need of some stairs... Overall I'm happy with the outcome, but found the build kinda frustrating to prep for. I would buy MAS again but hope that they get a better laser cutter The Mars Haqqattak board is coming on very well! An asteroid board in time for WOTAN... watch out for BATREPs and I'm commander Edster on the site if you're a fellow Haqq (or not) and want to share war stories.
Thanks guys @PauloCavalcanti @ToadChild And especially @Yunzhi for the kind words since you are an inspiration to me dude! loooking back, yeah it's been a really quick turnaround I guess! I started in April and just got addicted. My painting is super quick and energetic which really helps - is is all spray can and brush. I use a limited palette to keep the board unified - white, grey, bluey turquoise and orange/Fluoro yellow for highlights. The extra depth of colour comes from the paint splashes and 'mars dust' 1. Spray model grey for white main colour or black for grey main colour 2. Spray over with white (or grey) as base colour, treat as highlight - ease up on the can - 'speckling' or 'dusting' by holding it further away or pressing nozzle softly. 3. Spray bottom edges rusty brown - again 'dusting' from further away 4. Splash and paint lots of bright colors over model - be careful not to overdo it, keep colour in a similar palette. I'm going for dusty pastel hues and soft neons to represent lights. 5. Paint details (usually panels are a soft grey and features turquoise) 6*. Cover whole thing in watered down black wash 7. Using off white slightly wet and an old brush 'streak' from top to bottom a little at a time. It's a bit like dry brushing with a glaze and a streaky brush. 8. Dry brush highlighted edges with white 9. Using watered black wash do the edges 10. Finish with glazed weathering of 'mars dust colour' focused on the bottom and the areas dust would collect in corners etc. 11. Stick ripped posters and printed out tech panels using white glue - I put a quick wash over the posters once they're dry. 12. Stencils are a paper cut I made and done with white paint and dabbing with a brush. I've tried to keep all the stencils and posters the same throughout to unify the scenery. there is sometimes a 6A* step where I will 'dust' the model with white spray can after the watered down black wash depending on how white I want it to look - I will have to put some pics in of this. Basically its all spray cans and wet streaky paints. I've been meaning to paint the paper terrain but haven't got them all together in one place yet as they get stored away after use and I've been too excited about new projects. Love the idea of the cellophane scatter! I was thinking of using paper cloths like Tarpaulin and even making little awnings on bits and bobs, but I've been focused on my main buildings at the moment to fill up the bulk of the board. Talking of which, I've been building a small rocky pump building today so will upload that tomorrow probably. It is worth saying to myself that I've put more time into the hobby over the past month or so as I'd rather spend my free time on something creative and hands on then playing computer games or watch tv or whatever. I am a designer by trade and sometimes it's nice to use my 'skills' in my own time on 'non-commercial' projects for myself. I find painting and building very relaxing and enjoyable. The other motivation is definitely the community here - I am constantly inspired and interested in everyone's work and the support they give each other - it's a great feeling to be part of such a creative, positive community. I would love to do tutorials or some kind of blog - that will be my long term project. Something I'm thinking about for the future. thanks again guys! Thanks a lot guys @Epidote @KayWroshyr it means a lot to lure a lurker out I was a fellow lurker for a while too before I introduced myself - every comment like this makes it worth while so feel free to share when you're ready! This site was my first ever blog posts and now I'm thinking about starting a website!! In the meantime I've got a step by step to follow up on. This build took 1 day - but the concept was knocking around my head for a week. The trick with speedy builds is actually the design. The physical build and execution is mostly the easy bit - as long as you have an idea or plan and stick to it you can bang it out quickly. Designing takes the longest part - coming up with ideas and solutions for how to solve problems. I know this happens as you go along, but if you get a plan together first projects are quick and focused. Base your ideas around inspirations - I use Pinterest and store screenshots off my phone from my commute on my computer. Base ideas around peers - check out ALL the pages on this thread (theres around 40-50 i think). There is a ton of amazing design and ideas bouncing around in here as well as other websites for other games. And finally just remember - you don't have to be a brilliant designer or artist or creative or builder - check out my crappy sketches! They're scrappy and quick but they give me the idea and then I build off that. Paper and pencil are your tools. Get sketching. STEP 1 SKETCH IT OUT sketching - on the train - in front the telly - on the toilet - wherever and whenever - added bonus - it gets your tired eyes away from the screen for an hour or so. looking at the scaffolding to scale for the pipes - I used coffee stirrers on the build cos they're cheap. I counted each piece I needed and measured and then cut them all in one go - bulk production saves time. The sketch is to scale so I simply placed them on top as a 'template' when building the frames. The base gave me an idea of how big to make the rocks underneath and what to expect on the table. STEP 2 BUILDING I missed a few steps I'm afraid as I forgot to photo. I used plasticard and old MDF sprue parts - the door was from a MAS Habitat build I have where I made sure to keep the spare door off it for a project like this. NOTE - the building and rock are not glued together yet for painting. The white stuff is spackle which I used to try to stop the spray paint melting the pink foam. STEP 3 painting I painted both parts separately but this is a guide to my technique for painting buildings PAINTING 1 - Spray paint - all over gray, then rust brown 'dusting' along the bottom edges and finally a white 'dusting' from above PAINTING 2 - paint splatter - use different colors to make points of interest and depth. I like to use pastel hues and neons to represent lights reflections PAINTING 3 watered down wash - I use black and this pot of sticky badness was bought from a FLGS I only use it for terrain. You could use any colour depending on your preference - brown/blue/red, but remember to water it down. PAINTING 4 - white glaze streaks - once wash dry using an old brush with a bit of wet white paint start to streak white paint from the top down the model. It's a technique I've invented called Wet-Dry-brush... Be gentle and soft and remember that it will tint the other colours out a bit PAINTING 5 - dusting - while painting the orange mars dust rocks - glaze over the parts of the building that will collect dust and be dirty. I use the same manky brush from the last step and make sure it is watered down paint and really just let loose and don't worry about mistakes - it goes with the look of the piece PAINTING 6 and FINAL CONSTRUCTION - use the black wash and do the outlines of detail around the edges of the pieces. I then glue the elements together including the walkways and the steps I made (which are huge and out of scale but do fit minis on). I go back and touch up any details that get mucked up in this process. All of that took 1 *FULL* day to build and paint. We are missing the final stage to add posters and do the details but I have not had time yet as it is a busy week in the office. Now I need your help - I need to find a way of Varnishing the models to make them last longer and stop the Spackle from chipping away. I use Testors Dull coat varnish and really feel like there must be something better out there. PLEASE let me know if you have any advice for Varnish! -- Hope you enjoyed the tutorial - let me know if you have any tips for improving the next one. Heres a cheeky reward for lasting to the end - my 8pt Daylami using the new terrain to his advantage and smashing a Su-Jian who was, quite frankly, asking for it... 'Till the next time!
Hey guys, been away with work and holidays and just had a couple of updates for you all! First up is warsenal armory which is a great model. I bought it off a friend already built, which saved me some time, and there were a couple of tiny build errors - one of the shelves was facing the wrong way for instance. Not that it matters to me as it's all for gaming! I decided that this needed to be an objective room that could double up as good scenery for my board so I scratch built a new roof for it. I had the idea of lighting it up and wanted a 'glass' roof so you could see models inside etc. I made the roof from an old plastic file folder I found knocking around and used coffee stirrers for the beams. It was secured with tape and glue so it's a bit scrappy but I'm happy with the outcome. It was hard to figure out the size of the glass panels so I had to use sketchup to 3D model it to scale first and measured from the software. Worked out pretty good! Warsenal terrain is probably the most detailed war game scenery I've seen and the extra scatter from lockers really help bring it to life. Very impressed by their quality and durability, I will buy from them in the future. And here it is on the battlefield last weekend! Looks pretty sweet if I say so myself In house games we are not using interiors as it can slow the game down and eat all the orders. All I need to do now is find a way to light it up! Next up I'm building a raised section to add height to the battlefield. It's in progress so I'll put a little step by step when it's done for you guys. Cheers! Ed Just a few pics from a quick game last night round my mates. Haqq Vs YJ chapter 3 of our campaign, the armory. It ended in an absolute blood-bath trying to clear the room on my last turn, but I had a really good first turn killing off some of his key units. Sekban HRL is insane, bashi did some work but MVP I think goes to Hunzakut FO for failing to open the doors 3x orders in a row! Lol. Eventually the boarding shotguns and naffatun flames died down and it was a close victory 5-4 to Haqq. The scenery is mostly Sarrisa Precision. It's very off planet base I think. The walkways are great - I will have to think about getting some myself. if you are looking to start a board I would recommend getting a mat first - the mars one really makes such a huge difference to the whole atmosphere. It's really interesting to see it looking more industrial with these different buildings.
RAISED PLATFORM / HELIPAD AREA I wanted to create more dynamic space on the board. We felt that having a raised platform would be a great way to create cover and avenues that can be adapted with different terrain placements on top of it. I didn't necessarily want it too high to shoot over - more to be used as a height advantage - you can see more from a top of the 'hill'. Also it gives opportunities to create fire lanes if you place a small scatter like boxes or rocks to block LoF. In the final result S2 models can see over in some parts but not where the pipe is but the other side. It was also really important that it fit the Mars attacks board and the aesthetic had to match but also be easy to produce. My first idea was to create an industrial platform so metal and panels and gizmos, but then the easiest option was to combine this with the pink rocks that I had created earlier. Pink foam is relatively cheap and easy to manipulate so it made sense to use this as the main base and then embellish it with details. One edge was adapted using the scaffold pipes that are becoming trademark to look of the board. The other thing was to have a landing/loading platform as I want to look at getting a spaceship in the future or creating a warehouse style area. The final detail was to make sure that it could overlap the design of the mat so I designed a road to go through the middle to link with the patterns on the mat. Simple design layout - I made the initial sketches on paper to scale and then cut the foam when I was happy Creating texture - looking at the idea of making it even higher. I'm glad I didn't as it would have been too oppressive on the board and cut down our options. building the details out of thin plasticard - glueing the pipes together. The base is thick cardboard. I use wooden coffee stirrers to build the scaffold for the pipes and the landing details. I glue sand onto the piece to give texture in parts. I also covered the whole thing in a thin layer of 'spackle' ('filler' in the UK) and then watered down PVA (white) glue. The plasticard is stuck down with a crap ton of Gorilla wood glue. Painting I use spray cans - note the wooden scaffold was done separately before glueing down to get all the angles on it. finishing painting and details - the walkways and landing pad are made from plasterers sandpaper which comes in a 'grid'. After this stage I painted a couple of stencil details I made from paper on top to link back to the Asian language theme of the board. final product - I made it to fit between the pattern of the mat The mars board is looking pretty healthy as a collection now Finally IN GAME!!! it has definitely been a great addition to games. The two towers really was a cool scenario and focal point and a successful Haqq Attack Ambush blasted the Alien scum off our rock! In all it was a very quick turnaround project - less then a week. This was because I knew what I wanted to make from the start and feel confident in the process after experimenting on my other builds. I have some ideas for the next project but my priority is to finish my Haqq army and take some time out to play more games. Send me any suggestions you have and I would be happy to contemplate them. ED
Thanks for the suggestions guys, I’m digesting them all. I spent a couple of weeks last month in Vietnam and Hong Kong and was so inspired that I will be building the terrain into a city scape in the future. I think we already have a lot of good foundations to start with so that’s exciting. I’m going to do some scratch built habitats at some point once I have a design I like done. In the meantime I picked up some Micro art studio ammo dumps up for cheap and have quickly painted them up. They are made from hard foam which is lightweight and seems really durable. The quality of the mold is fine for what it is - there are some bubbles or rough areas, but I genuinely think it’s great for wargaming. You can bash them around a bit too and it doesn’t seem to chip easily. We can make a really nice industrial board with these or maybe a military base. If you want some quick and easy terrain I definitely recommend the hard foam stuff, and it’s affordable too. I picked up a plasticraft bus shelter thing and some planters I’m working on. Please note that the sign at the back of the shelter is something I made from a print out. I’m not too impressed with plasticraft. It doesn’t seem to fit very well and the plastic feels a little cheap and strange to me. It can be a pain to glue too. I can’t knock it too bad for wargaming purposes. It is more affordable then other brands and does the job and I’m sure the scatter is much appreciated on the table. I can see why the colored stuff is appealing and totally support that, but for me personally, I have found better quality products (but more expensive) elsewhere I feel. Next up we have a few little shops from customeeple I’ve built. Will upload when I get chance! cheers mates!
This table is an inspiration! I'm seriously thinking of going the game mat route for a base after seeing this and many others. The purpose built might be slightly better looking but the effort and ability to store it far out weigh other considerations when you make something look this good. I live in a 1 bedroom and while I have a painting nook I do not have a place for a permanent 4x4 table. I do have space for a storage container that can hold all those buildings and a mat though!
I’ve been busy making a couple of scratch built buildings from card and old wooden sprues for details. The trick is to buy a glue gun! But be careful where you point it ;) I got a few planters from plasticraft too which are fine. The next ones I will just make myself though. Also picked up a couple of aquarium plants off amazon - sprayed them with spray paint and paints the leaves with acrylics. Used Matte varnish so hopefully they last. Fit well on the table - I was going to make planters but the bases came out fine in the end. They really made a big difference on the table and their size can block sniper lanes which is really useful.
Topo (http://www.toposolitario.com/principal/index.html) - he's also on these forums and is the guy with the Chicharra flier project as a 3d printable model (WIP).
Here are some more pics of the other scratch building I made. They’re pretty quick once you have the idea set. You can see how using the ‘sprues’ off other kits really helps add detail. The plasticard hexes are from plasticraft sheets.
I got a new mat!!! From https://www.antenocitisworkshop.com/ it’s their undertown mat. I wanted the 6x4 one so that we could fill the table and boy oh boy I’m pleased with my purchase. was concerned that the mars attack terrain wouldn’t match with the New mat but looks suitablely worn and gritty in the end. I really want to evolve the mars board into a city scape so that we can have an alternative board. I really want to build a commercial shopping/habitat area full of high buildings, a ton of advertisements and neo-Tokyo style graphics. I’ve started to create ideas for advert signs - the towers and tri ads and I want to see how far I can push this. Eventually the goal will be to introduce LEDs and moving images somehow. Here are the graphics I’ve been working on...
