Steel-Iris Door for Trash Bash Bits.

The newest door to be unlocked for the Trash Bash Bits Kickstarter is the Steel-Iris door.

This is a classically simple sci-fi design and one that can be used for many different settings. The sharpened steel petals open and close with hissing whispers and the constant threat of horrible malfunction.

Trash Bash 2013 Final Results

It is with great pleasure that I announce the winners in this year's Trash Bash! As always the level of creativity and craft is astounding and every entry has some inspiration that can be taken from it. Thanks to all of the entrants, the judges (who helped me to make some very difficult decisions), and our generous sponsors. And congratulations to the winners!

First Place: Diego Diz~ ATHT (All Terrain Half Track)

Again the first place prizes go to Spanish modeler Diego Diz. His weird war vehicle gained points by clever use of the mouse and overall cohesion of design and excellent finish. Diego has a great ability to find the right bit for the job and his skill in scale modeling is formidable.

"...It was the one that showed the most innovative use of the parts and the end result is a striking vehicle with a primitive-tech character - nice."

"Very well done. Also nice paint work."

( Check out some more "behind the scenes" pictures here.)

Second Place: Thomas Kelley ~ Nu-Mars Colonial Militia LRPT

This is Thomas's first year participating in Trash Bash and he has made a great showing with this cool piece for 15mm. Besides the excellent finish of his models he's also done a huge amount of modeling to create the vehicle stowage and sensors. Lots of great ideas in this one.

" This model demonstrated a high degree of imagination, forethought, artistic talent, and craftsmanship. The attention to detail was considerable yet not overdone, and this model stands out all the more for it."

"I really like the fact I don't see a computer mouse when I see this vehicle."

Third Place: William Burke ~ Red Star Mining Security: ADNOH Hover Darter 

Trash Bash veteran William Burke delivers another fun entry for this year's contest. Judges liked the overall feel of this model, like something you'd see in a Gerry Anderson show.

"The model has a campy, retro 60s style to it, adding to its overall appeal in the context of the figures and terrain with which it was presented."

 "The little hover is a very pleasing design and I liked this a lot - it's so cute!"

Honorable Mentions:

It was exceedingly difficult to choose only three winners for this contest so I'd like to also recognize the other contestants and their entries. Every single one is inspirational in its use of trash bashing techniques and overall creativity. (The following are listed in no particular order.)

Clark Payne~ SCARAB Defense Pod

Alex Hoover~ Self-Contained Quantum/Underwater/Ionospheric Device (SQUID) 

Adam Smillie ~ General Engineering and National Technologies  G.E.N.T. Deep Strike Walker

James Holloway~ Scrapdevil

Duane Gilbert~ The Anuran Prospecting Mech

Trash Bashing a Sci-Fi Vehicle From Start to Finish: Part 3

Final Painting! After gluing a bunch of stuff together it's time for the magic to happen. When I prime a new trash bash project I often forget what it was made of in the first place. The primary colored plastic melds into one cohesive object that can then be painted without any concern for what the parts began as. Quite simply this step makes me happy. 

I tend to prime all of my terrain and vehicles black as it makes for easier painting overall. Even if I'm painting something red or yellow I prime black and then drybrush the colored areas with white. This makes shading much easier for me since I use dampbrushing to add my colors, especially on a big, clunky vehicle like this.

Once the primer was totally dry I went over the main body with dark red and built up the color by layers, finally ending with very pale red/orange. All of the metal parts were repainted black and then layered with dark metal and finally lighter silver. I added some "Chris Foss" panels to break up the surface and to add more visual interest. The windshield was painted with a gradient to imply transparency and the various lights were painted using the standard gem technique.

I used rub on transfers from the Pine Car Phantom set and a yellow racing stripe to correspond with the yellow number 6's on the sides. The transfers were varnished with Testor's matt varnish and allowed to completely dry. Then I used various Citadel washes to dirty everything up. I added some dark soot along the exhausts by drydrushing dark gray. finally I finished the tires by drybrushing them with gray. I kept the upper body separate from the wheelbase to make this step easier.

Once it's all painted and dry I used a gloss varnish and then the Testor's flat varnish, standard operating procedure for most of my stuff.

Some perps never learn.

So that's it! The Bates Industries Roadpig DX is now ready to hit the mean streets of Mega City 1. I hope you've enjoyed this article and that it inspires you to start collecting and gluing together your own fleet of vehicles. Remember that Trash Bash 2013 will be happening next year so start saving your greeblies! 

Fantasy Modeling #5

It's been a long while since I've posted a new issue of Fantasy Modeling but here it is! This is issue features some great stuff including a brilliant article by Rick Overton about kitbashing Victorian Spaceships that was truly steampunk way before there was such a word. This whole issue is a treasure trove of hobby goodness. Check it out!

Fantasy Modeling Volume 5, 1981

Contents:

5 Editorial
6 Victorian Spaceships by Rick Overton
10 Dungeon Diorama by Philip O. Stearns
14 Model Kits That Almost Were by Andrew P. Yanchus
18 A Spaceship For The King by David Douglass Merriman III
22 Computer Gaming by Mike Kilbert
26 Adventures in Gaming
27 Reader's Photo Page
28 Spaceship Photography by Jack Gurner
34 New Technologies in Rockets by Michael A. Banks
38 Super Detailing Spaceships by Jeff Pollizzotto
42 The Competitive Edge by Philip O. Stearns
44 Book Reviews
46 Letters
48 Collectables
50 Odds and Ends by Andrew P. Yanchus


Fantasy Modeling #5 -