06 November 2016

New Terrain

The last couple of weeks I have been getting focused for the upcoming Painting Challenge.  I usually waste a fair bit of my hobby time during the challenge prepping figures.  This time I have a better plan so I am trying to get my figs cleaned up, on bases and undercoated early. However, that does get rather tiresome, so I decided to also progress some terrain pieces (noting that terrain items are not part of the painting challenge anyway).

First up is the Warlord Ruined Farmhouse set, which I did as two different buildings for flexibility.  Its a really nice plastic model with really lovely detail including the remnants of a second floor.  I also added a few extra beams to the roof along the way.

I also decided to ditch the chimney section - its very nice on the outward side but it has been sculpted hollow so that no matter where you place it you can see inside it from the holes in the wall. Rather frustrating really.

The second, smaller building was originally intended to be brighter with coloured, plastered walls. Unfortunately that turned out rather horribly.  So instead I scrubbed the majority of that off, back to the black undercoat but was careful to leave some still there when I bust up the grey dry brushing effect and added some smoke effects.  I like the realistic splashes of colour it leaves, which are vivid on the table, and which suggest the houses's former condition.

I also completed the ruined walls and debris set that I picked up at MOAB last month - painted in a month, a new record!
I went with a black undercoat, followed by far too many layers of drybrushing in ever lighter colours of grey.  That, inevitably, looked way too uniform and boring.  So I dug out my weathering chalks to add some splashed of colour.  That added a nice, dusty look but the terrain lost a lot of depth.  I added a dark ink for shadows, which washed the chalk away - ugh.  We eventually got somewhere near where we wanted to be but it was a love/hate relationship with them.





After fighting for days in the ruins of Arnhem, this para realises he might need some more clever hat camouflage 
Sadly, this terrain project saw a significant loss, forcing a morale check: I dropped and broke my paint water jar of 20 years.  In fact, it was one of my daughter's first solid food jars.  With all that history and colour splodges from old projects, it was like loosing an old friend :-(

Luckily, it has been the Oktoberfest season.  This gave me a +1 sauerkraut re-roll, which I passed easily to push on!

26 comments:

  1. Great looking terrain and my deepest condolences for the loss of your paint jar. At least the jar passed while serving in the line of duty, granting it entrance into "Paint-halla", where it will enjoy painting sessions for all eternity.

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    1. Thanks mate. It takes a special kind of Uber Geek to understand the pain of such a loss. Thanks for being there for me at this difficult time.

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  2. Fabulous buildings, I really must get myself that ruined farmhouse kit.

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    1. Thanks Michael. If you like the look, splash out on the Ruined Hamlet set for the extra buildings

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  3. Great looking Terrain.
    The Food jar. I hope you didn´t throw it away..you could have used the pieces (painted up) as broken walls or such..Recycling is very in and HiPP ;-)

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  4. Nice work on the terrain Paul and congrats on the successful sauerkraut roll, even though it was necessitated by the demise of the old paint water jar :)

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    1. It was also necessitated by the domestic order to "get that putrid stuff out of my house" :-)

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  5. Good you passed that sauerkraut roll.
    That putrid stuff is best gotten out of the house via hotdogs in my opinion.
    Yeah Prep work needs a break sometimes.
    That building and all that terrain looks great.
    cheers

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  6. Fantastic work on the terrain Paul. Bit sad about the paint water jar though. Long live the new one!

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    1. Cheers Rodger! We will indeed put the Great Oktoberfest 2016 incident behind us

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  7. My deepest sympathies on the loss of your paint jar... mine is only circa 2010 (an old jar of curry sauce) but I shudder to think how I'd cope without it.

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    1. Thanks Ed - I'm sure that curry jar gave your brushes a nice tang for awhile!

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  8. Great articles. Your buildings painted up well. Fantastic work!

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  9. The loss of a much-loved and well used paint jar is indeed a trying event. You have my deepest sympathies mate. I'll raise a glass in it's honour. The jar is dead, long live the jar!

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    1. Thanks Millsy, I knew you would understand. On the bright side, the counselling is going well :-)

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  10. All that work and heartbreak led to some splendid looking scenery. With the Paras, it looks very Arnhemy.
    Sauerkraut - best with a big Polish sausage and a pint of lager. Damn, now I'm hungry.

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    1. Thanks indeed Michael - lets just say I didn't go thirsty during the activity :-)

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  11. RIP water jar. Welcome Kraut jar!

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  12. Very nicely done Paul and my condolences on your paint jar! I've had my own for 25+ years so I understand.

    Christopher

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  13. Looks mighty fine Paul; The struggle came to a worthy end. Thanks for the heads up on some of the pitfalls. Because I have so much difficulty sticking to one project my terrain troubles have been ongoing in spite of nothing accomplished. Note to self: Lead Mountain creeps up on you gradually and is a comfort while Building Supply Mountain is merciless and deprives you of all your Lebensraum :( .

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    1. It is the eternal struggle of all gamers, followed closely by the challenges of storing painted miniatures!

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