Rusty Scrap Piles

Hello and Welcome back,

While useful for a Post Apocalyptic setting, I made 6 of these rusty scrap piles as objectives for the Skirm game. A further 2 were made and a larger pile as terrain was also produced as I was in the zone. 

The objectives were based on 50mm bases. Skrim needs 25mm but I thought that would be difficult to make a decent looking scrap pile on such a small base. The inspiration for making these models came from a Bill Making Stuff video on YouTube.

All of the scrap piles started with a pile of tin foil flattened to make a heap shape. These were then superglued into position. Hot glue may have been a better option as the glue would have filled the gaps between the base and foil heap.

Then piles of junk salvaged from the bits box (in this case bits of hexagon platformer kits, cut up plastic junk, on toy bullets, model kit parts, figure casting tabs by Ramshackle games, model missles, bits of wire, 1/32 car wheels and other scrap) were then hot glued onto the piles in a random haphazard fashion.

The piles were primed with Matt Black (what else?) spray primer. When dry the piles were given zential priming with white spray primer. The whole thing was painted in textured paint which was a mix bicarbonate of soda, dark brown craft paint and pva glue in equal parts. This takes a while to dry but gives a nice old rusty pile effect. 

The piles got some orange and brown spots added and some light rust paint (army painter). A dark wash was added to make the details pop, such as they where.  

The bases then got a coat of textured paint which is a mix of bicarbonate of soda, fine sand, course sand, pva glue and yellow ochre craft paint. I tried to get paint on other areas of the models as sand gets everywhere. Once dry they got a Coat d arms Bone drybrush. 

I added some flame grass tufts as I figured anything growing would be contaminated by the rust. 

These piles were quick and easy models to make. It is deeply satisfying raiding the bits box and grabbing items of plastic to cut up to make junk. I recommend it. 

I have plans to make larger peices in future. Time to get those bits box emptied! Although I can guarantee that I will probably want those bits for another build a week later.

Thanks for reading,

Take care out there.

Dusty spaceport town building Pt 2

Hello and Welcome back, 

Some progress has been made on the peices I started back in this post.

The ruined walls got a dry brush of Coat d Arms sand while the coated portions of the wall got a dry brush of Coat d Arms Light grey. They then whole of the models got a light drybrush of Coat D Arms Bone. I like it as it gives everything a nice dusty feel. 

Here are the finished power generators. 

All the other buildings also got a dry brush of Coat d Arms sand followed by a light drybrush of Coat D Arms Bone. The bottoms of all walls got a drybrush of Barbarian leather to give a dirty appearance to them. 

The pipes and control panels were picked out and detailed. After this the compulsory graffiti was added using Posca Markers. Posters and signs were added from pictures I had printed off. 
I fancied some graphics on the building so a corner was masked off and purple craft paint was sponged on. Once dry extra graphics was masked on and white painted on. This was followed by a yellow top coat. Weathering was added.

As I want the models to look like they have a purpose I made a sign from plastic card salvaged from some packaging. Two peices were cut and glued back to back to add some lamination and strength to the sign. 

It was painted to look a bit rusty as I thought it would make a good contrast with the shiney letter stickers I picked up on ebay. I envisioned this building being a some sort of munitions dealer that adventurers (or ship's crews) could go to stock up before going off to explore the world. 

The Ammo Shack could be a interesting tabletop hazard too. Anyone hitting the building in a fire fight might cause the munitions within to explode causing further tabletop mayhem. 

The compulsory graffiti was then added using Posca Markers and posters and signs were added from pictures I had printed off. 

I have yet to decide which Fogou Desert buildings are going to be worked on next. There has been a flurry of activity digging through bits boxes looking for stuff to add details to the next bunch of buildings. 

Keep watching for the next thrilling installment of Dusty Space Port Town Building.  

Thanks for looking, take care out there.

A couple of bits of 15mm terrain.

Hello and Welcome back, 

In addition to various bits I have been working on for 28mm, I built this pair of models for my 15mm collection from spare Robogear platformer bits. 

There is a habitation building, which somewhat reminds me of the buildings found on various worlds in the No Man's Sky video game. 

There is also a platform which can be used for defence. 

This reminds me, I need to get my finger out and finish painting my 15mm terrain from various places. 

Thanks for looking, take care out there. 

Fogou's Battle at the Farm set.

Hello and Welcome back, 

After the joy of painting Fogou's Fantasy ruins and Ringfort, I was still in the groove and eager to paint the other stone model set I have by Fogou - the battle at the farm set. 

For those of us of a certain vintage, the phrase "Battle at the farm" may make us misty eyed as we recall playing the battle using the counters at the back of the 40K Rouge Trader book. Even replaying the game once we had miniatures (painted or otherwise), most of us would have been using proxy models to make the farm. 

On seeing Fogou's set, I had to have it. 

The set has a ruined farm house, enough low walls and barricades to make up the defenses. It also comes with some scenic scatter. 

The models were painted exactly the same way as the Fantasy Ruins. The ammoboxes, oil drums and pots were painted with appropriate colours and also treated to the magic wash. Is there any model this wash doesn't improve? Maybe, the magic wash needs it's own blog post? 

This means I will have to replay this classic scenario at some point. 

Thanks for reading,

Take care out there.

Fogou Fantasy Ringfort

 Hello and Welcome back,

After painting the Fogou fantasy/dark age ruins, I was in the groove and pulled the Fantasy Ring Fort from the pile of shame. 

I ordered the Ring Fort after receiving the Fantasy ruins from Fogou, after a short period of oohing and ahhhing of course (less than 3 seconds). 

To be honest, I have no idea what I will use it for. Maybe a stronghold on a distant frontier world? 

The painting was done exactly the same way as the Fantasy Ruins. There was the additional step of using the Down and Dirty Moss effect paint to give it the mossy look. 

The painting of this large model was surprisingly quick. One thing I noticed is that it had no steps to get to the ramparts. I quickly ordered a couple of sets from Fogou. They arrived quite quickly and were painted on the day they arrived. That's how quick the paint process is. The longest part is waiting for the magic wash to dry. 

I also ordered the Kev Addams Fantasy gate for this model. When I decide what colours to paint it, there will be a follow up post. 

Next up - Battle of the Farm set. 

Thanks for looking 

Take care out there.

Fogou Ruins

Hello and Welcome Back. 

Time for a visit to some beautiful resin terrain by Fogou Models. 

I ordered the Fantasy Ruins from Fogou's Kickstarter campaign. 

They could be used for Post Apocalyptic too, but I intended to use them for either Frostgrave or perhaps Late Stone Age fantasy. 

A colonial defence force investigate some old ruins. 

Fogou's models are cast in a heavy Jesmonite resin. They are very durable on the tabletop. While being heavy the resin isn't brittle. One of the nice things about painting Jesmonite, is that it doesn't usually need a undercoat. Paint goes on nicely and doesn't wear off.

My painting approach was quick. The steps are: 

1. Despite what I said above, these models were primed with Acrylic rattle can primer. 

2. The models all got a heavy dry brush with Coat d Arms Mid Grey (I prefer to use paint in pots for terrain rather than dropper bottle paint). 

3. If you look at any old stone buildings the stones are not uniform in colour. I picked out individual stones with the following colours. Note: don't pickout too many stones, it is only to break up the colour.

I. Coat D Arms Hairy Brown

ll. Nostaliga 88 Snakebite Leather

iii. Coat D arms Light Grey

4. Lightly dry brush with Coat d arms Light Grey

5. Pick out the wood with Coat d arms Bone.

6. I give all the models a wash with my magic wash formula (wood included). This is mix of Burnt Sennia acrylic craft paint and Sepia Ink in a rough 80:20 mix. This is watered down to a 50:50 and then a drop of washing up liquid added to aid flow. Just apply the wash, dilute it in places. The aim is to get the wash into the nooks and crannies as well to tie all the colours together.The wash doesn't have to be even as when it comes to stone buildings uniformity of the stone colour doesn't exist. 

7. Once dry the wood parts of the models were given a further wash of Army Painter Dark Tone Quickwash.

I was thinking of adding tufts to these models but then I want to be able to use the models in different settings, including Sci Fi. I also like the rubble inserts for the edge of the walls.

I know I am lucky to have quite a few of Fogou's models in my collection, to my mind these models are well worth the coin. 

Note: I am not affiliated with Fogou in any way other than being a fan of their models. 

Next up, the Fogou Ringfort. Keep watching.

Thanks for looking

Take care out there. 

Dusty spaceport town building pt1.

Hello and Welcome back, 

One of my plans is to build a space port town on a dusty frontier world. You know the sort of thing, adobe mud buildings with bits of tech and suchlike. 

I have been making a start in the past with these models: 

Fogou resin models 

Trashbashed plastic tub

Reworked gift box. 

3d print from Amazon.

In my pile of shame is a lot of resin desert buildings by Fogou, from their Kickstarters. As I have been on a terrain push this year, I plan to crack on with these. There are several old models in my collection which I plan to rework to fit the setting. 

One of the beauties of Fogou Models is that the resin can be painted directly without priming. One thing that has stopped me working through these models is that they are lacking suitable gubbins to make them fit into a Sci fi setting. Coincidentally I have been collecting lots of detailing bits for a long time. Time to use them up. I might also have to add some scratch built bits to the models. 

First up, there was some crumbly ruins. They had oddbricks picked out with Coat d arms Bestial Brown and desert sand. The wall coatings were painted light grey. My magic brown wash was applied (70:30 Burnt Sennia craft paint and Sepia ink mix, diluted to 50:50 with water and then a drop of washing up liquid added. Its a lot cheaper than buying model paints/inks). As you can see it looks decent once dried. I still have to do some dry brushing to finish them off. 

The power Generators are also WIP, they have had the details picked out (pipes, hatch and control panels). My next move will be to dry brush them with desert sand and Bone. The details will need finishing too. 

This WIP building had some Fogou pipes and vent added as detail. A Mantic aircon vent was added to the roof. The air-conditioning unit has been painted and super glued onto the roof. Like the power Generators, this model had some details painted up, before hitting it with my Magic Wash, drybrushing and weathering.

My other plans for this building is to maybe add some colour to it and possibly a sign for the building. 

Thanks for looking, take care out there.

Hobby Progress- Scatter terrain and Objectives

Hello and Welcome back,

Just a quick catch up with what I am upto hobby wise. I have been catching up with finishing some scenic scatter and objectives for the tabletop.

The pots, kiln and barrels are Fogou, the mdf crates/vending machine & lockers are from Miniature Scenery in Australia (can anyone explain why the post from Australia is cheaper and quicker than across the Atlantic?) and the desk, cabinets, weapon rack and screens are mantic.

I have also been reading through the Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland RPG rulebook. It is a D20 based Post Apocalyptic RPG with a 80s vibe. Looks a fun game. 

In other news I am planning on doing more work on my dusty space port terrain collection. Hopefully I will have some updates on that soon.

Thanks for reading

Take care out there.  

Hobby Progress January 2025

Hello and Welcome back, 

Well here we are, finally at the end of January. I don't know about you, but January this year has felt incredibly long. 

Believe it or not, but I have managed to get some hobby in during the opening salvo of 2025. Admittedly as well as the old problem trying to find the time, my mojo has been a little off. There has been a lot of distractions, both at home and the world beyond. 

I am now over on Bluesky, using the same handle as this Blog. I was so glad to leave the sewer that is Twitter. Bluesky is worth a look and there is a fast growing hobby community there. It feels a lot like Twitter used to before the propaganda & hate bots arrived. If you do join or are already on Bluesky check out the #wargaming and #nerdlings hastags. 

I managed to finish a couple of terrain peices and paint 6 figures up. The figures still need basing plus I have a handful of figures to base from last year. Pictures and fluff will follow soon, I hope. 

In addition I have been messing about with a couple of prototype walls made from scrap foam board for my Spaceport/space station/Zone Raiders table. I found the 3 inch (75mm) height too tall for narrow corridors. My huge mitts were knocking over the walls. So the next builds will be 62mm in height. 

The design is for free standing walls which hopefully will aid storage. One thing I learnt from my the building of my tunnel terrain was the amount of room required to store it. Not to mention the spatial awareness conundrum every time I had to pack it away. The final design will be built from courrated cardboard, mainly because we have a ready supply of it. The end peices to help the walls stand will be xps foam. 

The one thing I picked up from ebay last year was another Robogear Hex platformer set. With the spare bits from past platform sets, I have been playing about making new models for my Sci fi table. There will be a couple of 15mm peices too.

Another thing that arrived was the Skirm rules by Bill making stuff. They look right up my street. I am planning to do a quick review soon. In addition I am thinking of building some small gangs up to play, plus working out how to use these gangs in my own settings. 

After playing the Mad Max computer game, the appetite to get back into 20mm (ish) Auto combat has returned. I have spent a couple of evenings pouring over the Gaslands rules and my old favourite Axels and Alloys. 

Gaslands feel a little complex for me. It reminds me of the old GW Dark Future rules which I played quite a bit back in the day, but Gaslands is much simpler (DF had so many tables to cross check) and the road/track boards replaced by templates. That doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun and it is good to be familiar with as it seems to be a staple of many a games club.

Axels and Alloys is a older game by Owen Cooper, it is based on Jon Tuffneys Full Thrust starship rules. I played it a lot a couple of decades ago and really enjoyed it. It also made me invest in Full Thrust which was a lot of fun too. 

I favour Axels and Alloys as it allows the kind of wasteland auto combat I crave, that the more stadium based games of Gaslands. Although Gaslands revisited does have some Wasteland scenarios, they feel somewhat limited to me. 

I was doing so well with my New Year's promise of not buying any figures or models this year. I nearly got to four weeks, which is a record for me. Those of you who regularly visit social media platforms will know that Ramshackle games was in trouble with orders drying up. As Curtis is a mate of mine, I had to help. Despite not needing any figures I ordered a few figures that would fill out the Rustlords, Skrap Knights and Black Guard factions of Mattblackgod’s World.

The good news is that the response to Curtis' social media plea was massive and Ramshackle Games has been saved. I hope to see Ramshackle continue strength to strength in thr future. 

But there is more, I also could not resist Fogou's new Shack me up kickstarter. Some of these mix and match with the stacking shacks. It seems to be a good move to flesh out my township further. At least that is my excuse and I am sticking to it. 

Right, back to the hobby purchase embargo. Let's see if I can last more than 4 weeks. lol 

Thanks for reading and take care out there.