Monday 21 May 2018

Houses of the city - Post-apoc/Sci-fi scenery


In the last couple of weeks I had the chance to play a fair load of games and for the second part for the french Oldhammer event (posts HERE and HERE, I had decided to build and paint a bit more scenery to have a good table.
Now I've started these a few months ago but like often I did most of the job and then couldn't get myself to do what was left.

But deadlines do have that ability to kick you in the rear, especially if you've committed for some nice folks and don't want to end up playing on something like this :


So here's what I managed to finish in the 3 days prior to the event (thank May and its 4 bank holidays !) :
The main building is a rather unique one, it's a prototype from Oakbound which I got as a reward for the painting competition at BOYL last summer.



The building came as a basis more than a complete building so I decided to make it some sort of imperial administratum... outpost ?


I decided to go with a mix of Victorian/steampunk elements to anchor it in a futuristic setting so riveted roofs, sci-fi doors (from other kits, see below) and a few bits which would anchor it in tehegrimdark far future and we would be good.


I obviously had to cut 357 billion rivets out of plastic rods, losing most of what sanity I had left, but I suppose it was worth it in the end...


The most chalenging but fun part was to build an administratum icon from scratch which ended much better than I feared. Of course, since I didn't want to model more of it, I made an Oyumaru mould and got a few cast with resin. The result is more than pleasant since the original and copy look exactly the same when painted.


This building doesn't provide much in terms of gaming (not much room to climb on but it does offer some good opportunities for scenic shots and the sheer size of it makes it a perfect focus point on the table :


The photos above are heavily lit from above and hid the nuances of colours but I do find that given the time spent, it really works as a decorative piece on the tabletop :


After that, I had a few models from Miniature scenery I ordered back in August. I have to say I was really impressed with those, they were a delight to build with tight fits, clever designing and very limited preparation work (no excessive filing and sanding to make parts fit which can be a nightmare).
If it wasn't for the postage and duty fees, it would be the best around, I really wish they could get a european retailer.
Those come with plenty of little bits and pieces you can add to other buildings to decorate them so I used some windows and doors to make the administratum outpost look more integrated with the rest.

Like above, the pictures here are all lit from above and lack some of the nuances they have IRL but you get the idea.
First one is the Administration block, a very simple design but which does provide 2 levels and hence plenty of gaming opportunities.


Next was the Distribution building, a very interesting building with 2 levels, a removable roof for scenic shots and a cool workshop on the first floor.


Then the Central processing building, which just fits right with the other buildings :


Then the Auto shop, , just 1 level but larger and some good cover so still very useful in game. I haven't decided what kind of sign I want to add in front so I've left this space blank for now...




Now the lesson I learnt from the other events is that when you have big scenery, you need about twice as much scatter terrain to make it look good so I picked a variety of pieces I knew I could get painted in a small time.
Some communication relays (which got used for both our games of Rogue Trader), they're 40k bits that help add a little grimdark vibe without being too eye catching, I painted them very simply.
I've also based some lamp posts to decorate the streets, some ladders because you simply never have enough of them and 2 sewer doors along with the 9 barricades from the Necromunda box.
Nothing really fancy here but the aim really was to have them done ASAP.


In the end I'm quite pleased with how everything turned out, it works well on the table, fits all together and is relatively easy to store which for now is the compromise I'm aiming for. I still have a few commitments for May and then I'll get some free rein for the summer so I better end this month as brilliantly as it began !

44 comments:

  1. Great terrain and a really interesting post. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Cheers, they were fun to paint even though in a laid back style.

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  2. It ALL looks brilliant man. MUCH better then the London GT tables(What a cock up!).

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    1. Lol, they've set a standard that's pretty easy for all of us to beat. ^^
      Cheers mate.

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  3. Absolutely amazing work as usual! Very inspirational!

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  4. Nice work. I like the step by step.

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    1. Cheers, just wanted to show off all the very hard work I put into it.

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  5. I prefer the first table you showed, easier to pack up and the white and grey of the polystyrene block really show off the battle mat a lot more than if it was covered with "real" scenery :D

    You managed to make a shed load of scenery quite quickly there mate. A great effort! The MDF stuff is my favourite, mostly for practical reasons. I imagine the huge tower you constructed is a bit of a pain to transport and store. But it does look good, like you said, great for photo ops too.

    If your like me and loathe cutting out rivets, have a go with one of these little hole punches: https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Inch-Hand-Punch-Circle/dp/B0001DT3ZE You'll never go back to cutting out styrene rod again. You can usually pic them up in scrap-booking shops and other crazy places like that. I use them on thick card to make the rivets. A damn sight easier than chasing bits of plastic across the table every time you cut one off the styrene rod.

    I really like your barricades too JB, they'd be excellent additions to any table.

    Stellar work my friend :)

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    1. I'm really going to get me a rivet puncher amongst other tools everything that saves time and energy is worth considering.
      I know the first table looks better, lets the focus on the models rather than the table and it's far easier to fix in case of damage but y'know, I'm not a pro.

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  6. Great stuff! The tower building looks very good, but it must be a bit of a bear to store. Miniature Scenery do very nice stuff (and it is pleasant for us Aussies to have one company that we don't have to pay overseas shipping for!)

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    1. Ah ! It is good stuff for the price really, I wish I could get more honestly. ^^
      And yes it's an absolute nightmare to store. ^^

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  7. Excellent work. Mr Papafakis nice link to the Fiskars punch

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  8. Mec I want to come play with your toys. This weekend okay?

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    1. What time are you here ? Will you have eaten or are we having dinner together ?
      I'm booked, just need to go get the groceries later this week.

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  9. That's a great looking set of scenery that you have there!

    Terrain seems to be in the spot light thanks to LGT's efforts. A lot has already been said about it and it really hasn't done a lot for the UK's reputation abroad.
    Oddly enough, I think that 'Polystyrenegate' has highlighted one of 8th edition's weaknesses. That cover is nothing more than eye candy unless it blocks line of sight.
    Many of the more competitive players have said that it worked really well and was more useful than GW's terrain at Warhammer World. Unfortunately, while practical, it looks awful and reduces the immersion in the game for those of us who enjoy the narrative aspect of the hobby.
    It's one of the main reasons that 8th has fallen by the wayside for me and I've focused on Necromunda instead. The terrain really brings the games to life and leads to much more immersion, I look at great tables like yours and they spark the imagination.....they tell their own stories before a single model is even moved.

    Wonderful stuff!

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    1. I can get why some would rather focus on the mechanics than the tale and in that regard, that kind of scenery is indeed more convenient but I work the other way which means the time I don't spend on lists is spent on modelling. ^^ Different tastes, that's all.
      Thanks !

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  10. Very nice mate, that Administratum symbol is a great touch!

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  11. Replies
    1. Those were 3 busy days indeed but well worth it !

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  12. So freakin' awesome! I'm in love with the Administratum building, of course, but all the other ones turned out splendidly too. One can never have too many buildings, that's a fact...

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    1. I have to say it's got a special place because of the extra work to customise it. ^^
      Thanks !

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  13. Well done JB. It really helps bring the world together. Looks great.

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    1. It certainly helps bring my little corner of our made up worlds together. ;)
      Thank you Conrad.

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  14. The Miniature Scenery terrain always looks fantastic on the table-top.

    Do you mind if I ask what the shipping and import duties came to on the stuff you ordered?

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    1. I placed the order during a "free shipping" sale but I don't remember the cost of dutis fees, they were not negligeable though, almost negating the free shipping unfortunately.
      I really wish they had a retailer in Europe.

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    2. I'm not very well-versed in the technology of this kind of mdf laser cutting business, but I'd have thought it'd involve them providing the relevant files to a manufacturer in Europe and then just printing them to order.

      That being the case, you'd think getting a distributor in another country would be easy.

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    3. That would make sense but I suppose they might want to keep control of the production.
      I'm actually surprised we don't see that many european firms doing it, looks like there's a niche here to fill.

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  15. End results of the terrain look great. Nicely done man!

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    1. Smoke and mirrors, the mass effect works well I find. ^^

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  16. That terrain came out great! Miniature Scenery has some nice stuff.

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    1. Thanks, They really do, too bad they're on th eother side of the globe !

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  17. Like your tabletops didn't look amazing already... -__-

    Solid additions to the collection JB.

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    1. Cheers ! It's improving step by step. ^^

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  18. Those buldings look great. The modifications you've made to the Oakbound one makes it really ring true. Great shot of Administrator Meatfinger standing on the steps.

    Thanks for the link to the other manufacturer. I love their Orky Bird of Prey: https://miniaturescenery.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=136

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  19. Sorry to resurrect this on you, but I love the paint job on these. Any tips on how you did it?

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    1. Sure, pretty easy ! I basecoated everything in black and gave some sprays of red on the lower parts and some more random touches from a distance just to give texture. I then sprayed grey from a distance as well from a 45° angle and then some white from just below zenithal aimed at the high points, I then drybrushed edges with a light grey (some people do that with Posca markers) and then added Vallejo Washes in sime recesses to get a better contrast !

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