More designs!

After designing the submarine last year my thoughts had moved back to a concept that had been rolling around my noggin for a time.

I’d been think about a set of walkways, mostly inspired by Star Wars, could be interconnected and had additional pieces to add flavour to the set. Now walkways have been done plenty of times before so I wanted to do something that made the set different.

I toyed with the idea for a while until my first eureka moment which was when I cottoned onto the idea that the joins could be handled using a ‘jigsaw’ piece connection that was echoed throughout the set. So I merrily came up with an interface and proceeded to try and create the walkways that would be the constituent parts of the set.

Whilst drawing up the intial walkways themselves I bumped into the question of hand rails. Now the Star Wars setting isn’t always particularly strong on handrails as they seem to hamper the leaping and fighting for the Jedi and their enemies. However I wanted them because it wasn’t just going to be for Star Wars Legion, I wanted it to have a wider sci-fi use.

Then I had the second eureka moment when I ended up handling how to interface the handrails between pieces. It became apparent that they needed to marry up and be inter-connectable like the jigsaw connections for the main body of the walkways.

After quite a bit of jiggery and swearing I finally managed to get a working design and merrily set about design the rest of the set. Two weeks later and it was done and I was excited to get them into production…..which for a variety of reasons hasn’t happened until this year.

I’m pretty happy how they have turned out. The kind folks at Blotz made some, in hindsight, very sensible tweaks regarding the height which has finished off the set just right.

Given how busy they are at Blotz getting ready for Salute I offered to paint up the set for the stall. Couldn’t wait to get my mitts on it!

I’m really pleased with it! Now to see what people make of it at Salute!

TTFN

Tally up to 68!

Infinity Train

This is the completed model for my infinity train.  In common with most of my projects, it got 80% done really quickly, another 15% done relatively quickly after a lull..... and then the last 5% took me ages as I faffed around and didn't get on with it.  This tends to leave me with a huge pile of "nearly finished" things on my workspace as I drift between projects....

Anyway, here it is, and it's a bit of a beast....

Fully four feet long and great fun to put together and paint.  And retailing at £20 delivered from ttcombat it's a real bargain.  As it covers the length of the table, there is no need for track.

 

I decided on a Green colour for the wording and final arrows.  The train is heavily weathered as I figure a cargo train isn't going to get much cleaning.

 This is one of the power cars and you can just about see the hazard stripes that I decided it really needed to finish it off..... but of course, I didn't have any long enough, so I had to go and find an image on the internet to print onto my transfer/decal paper.  Here's a better picture:

The decal/transfer paper is one of my best purchases but it is a fair bit thinner than most commercial decals and my home printer doesn't lay the ink on as thickly so it can sometimes be a little translucent.  I think it works in this case as it shows wear and tear without me weathering it :)

 

And the thing that took the longest for me to do?  Junt suggested that each train needed it's own identifying number.... and try as I might, I couldn't shake the feeling that until I added them, it wouldn't be completed.  so here is a close up of one.... you can also see it in one of the pics above to prove each is unique......  I'm now looking forward to getting a game in on it!  Just need some cargo for it.....

Infinity scenery

Well, these might not have been completed during "scenery September" but that's certainly when the bulk of the work was done.

First up, walkways from ttcombat. Great value these.

Couple of coats of white and then weathering and black sponged.

The adverts are from Antenocitis workshop bought a loooooong time ago and finally used to add some visual interest.

Next up, four fast food vendors, also from ttcombat.

My vision of infinity has lots of bright colours, but lots of weathering and a generous dose of white to try to tie it all in and not look too garish. Time will tell if it works!

Appropriate menus on the inside of each one

Would you eat somewhere as "clean" as this?

Lots more to come, hopefully soon!

And so it begins......

So Urn, Junta and I seem to have managed to sort of challenge each other to "Scenery September".

No prize just bragging rights!

I've started with some sci-fi crates that i'd knocked together from some spare Spartan Scenics detail panels that come with their kits. I thought they'd be better and more usable as crates. Put them together and undercoated them ages ago but they'd not advanced since then.

As always my painting choices make the job take longer than necessary but I'm hoping that these will look pretty funky.

After these I'll be looking to get some of the TTCombat kits I put together earlier in the year painted. Given the slow progress I made on the crates last night I wouldn't be surprised if I don't get to them for quite a few days.

TTFN

Back in the groove - infinity scenery

The house move has really put a cramp in my painting...... Although in fairness it was pretty slow before the move, I blame packing and thinking about the move instead of me being bone idle :)

I was finding it tricky to get going with painting and I find when then happens, you have to find the parts of the hobby that you are interested inannget going. That mountain of lead, plastic, resin and MDF isn't going to do itself!

Here find the fruits of my labour. I backed a Kickstarter by Troll Trader two years ago (that's the problem with kick starters, you can see exactly how long you've had something....) and the nice scenery produced had sat in its packets on the MDF sheets since then. Getting the kids involved in a "craft afternoon" of my own devising in our house meant I could sneakily get building.....

This was the start and led to this:

A four foot long freight train for any sci-fi setting. Now, this is where I often fall down and things get put away and asI really don't like the look of bare MDF on a table, I don't use it. So I resolved to get going and with the help of spray paints, masking tape and patience, I ended up with this:

Close up on the cab....

Smashing kit from TTcombat, really nice to put together and great value at £20 (annoyingly the KS price was a little higher than that, but such is life).

Along with the walkways I also made and sprayed white (in the first train picture above to the side of the train) I have done some elevators, ladders and a building by bandua

All these need detailing, weathering and acrylic pieces adding in but I'm dead pleased that I've got going again as great terrain really makes a game so hopefully that won't take long. Having been really pleased with the outcome I'm determined to drag out all of my half painted buildings and get them done too.

Washes really are rather good aren't they!

I'm still plugging away at my DW KoB forces. I finished the tracks last night and managed to get some Badab Black wash on some of them. The effect it has is great.

It makes me wince sometimes seeing the pre-wash colours. They're sooooo gawdy!

One coat of wash and the metals are toned down, details picked out and crevices shaded. Its a long way from blobbing on Humbrol enamels which is how I started painting miniatures back in 19......no lets not dwell on how long its been.

So tonight I'll finish off the black wash and start on the bases.

  
Managed to get this fella together today. body and legs are pinned as are the arms. You can't see all of them but there are three spindly spines on its back which I nearly left off as i thought they'd be early casualties in the figures case. However.....I persevered and managed to pin all three despite them being only slightly big than the drill bit.

Given that infinity seems to have grabbed me and Urn I suspect that this fella might get a pass to the front of the painting queue.....along with some friends.

TTFN

When sunshine....

....and free time at work perfectly combine!

The weather gave me a lovely opportunity for me to get a squirt of colour on the crates. I'll take them home now and spend an evening or two on them to finish them off....once I'm done painting the KoB tanks.

TTFN

Now for some ever so slightly better pictures.

The Infinitys guys got a lick of varnish and base trimming last night. Here are some slightly better photos but I am coming to the conclusion that I really must invest in a light box to get a better quality of piccie for the blog.

 Zhanshi follows the original colour scheme that I'd used apart from me adding a bit of white detailing on his torso armour. I also used a slightly lighter grey to paint the weapons, one which seems to show the gun details better after the addition of the army painter.

The two Domarus are mainly monchrome white and grey but there is colour is the underlayer.  

Like the Zhanshi, the celestial guard is pretty consistent with my previous limited pallet choices. I think this style of painting suits the infinity figures pretty well.

After those were done I cracked on with the KoB.

Gaudy aren't they! The main green colour will go on after the brass and then the steel for the tracks. Then they'll all be given an total wash of Nuln Oil to bring all the colours right down. Hopefully the brass will be subdued down to just being bright rather than the painful bling it currently has. The green seemed to take the Nuln Oil well on the test and the steel always comes out looking really nice under that wash.

Ever hungry to get more done......I finished construction of the pile'o'crates at work today. Weather permitting tomorrow, I might be able to get a spritz of paint on these in the car park during tomorrows lunch break.

TTFN

And now for some badly washed out WIP piccies!

Yeah these are pretty awful photos. They have only just been varnished and are very glossy here so they will look a lot better after tonight when they'll be receiving a coat of matt varnish.

Will try better tonight with the photos.

Firstly two Domarus. I like their segmented armour but absolutely love the braided under garments that peak out between the armour plates. I painted them a plain pastel sort of green colour and the army dip has picked them out really well. I can't wait to see how they look after the varnish.

Next up is Mr Celestial Guard. He is very menacing in his full face mask.

 Lastly is the Zhanshi.

Varnish and base edges to be painted and then these guys are ready.....just in time for tomorrow night's game vs Urn.

Then back to the DW stuff and the massed KoB forces. After that I wouldn't be surprised if a couple more infinity troops get done as its been a nice distraction for a week.

TTFN

A diverting side project.

As I'm so easily distracted by other projects it probably shouldn't be a surprise that I've started something else at the same time as working on the Infinity figures, DW KoB and putting together my DL stuff.

In the Spartan scenics sets there are some nice little squares provided pre-etched with details to spruce up the insides of the corridors and rooms. Personally I don't think they're needed once furniture and scatter terrain is added mainly because the sides of the corridors slope inwards which would make them hard to actually see.

So what to do with these instead then?

Crates. Oddles of crates to be even more scenery for infinity. Quick spot of PVA and they go together quite easily. A quick squirt of spray paint and they'll be all but finished.*

This little lot should make about 25+ boxes.

TTFN

*This is a lie. They are simple crates that would be just fine with a blast of spray. I however will probably end up picking out some of the details and trying to get them done in a variety of colours to make them more interesting thus creating a shed load more work for myself. I'm like that I am.

On to the next thing.

So PE DW land forces wave one are finished. Phew. I enjoyed painting them but staring at the same figures when batch painting does wear....a ....little thin after a couple of weeks.

So to provide a nice change I slapped some paint on a couple of, soon to be deployed, infinity troopers. A Celestial Guard, two Domarus and a Zhanshi. These, along with several I already have painted, will provide me with my first proper 100 point 2SWC list. Urn and I have flirted with Infinity but now it is time to get serious, engage fully with the rules and escalate the conflict!!!

I am really looking forward to this. It is a scenery heavy game which I really like and between Urn and I we have some really nice scenery to play on.

I'm sticking to the limited pallet that I used for my other Yu Jing so these shouldn't take that long to do. I hope.

I also got some reinforcements through for my DW KoB forces. The KoB were rather outnumbered by the PE so I decided to even the match at bit. Trimmed, bases textured and sprayed today in time to go home this evening. I'll be starting on them as soon as the infinity figures are done. More big batch painting but it'll be worth it to finally have the bulk of the DW forces done. After that I'll have to get some scenery knocked together.

I really do have a lot of toys.

:-D

TTFN

Pre-painted infinity terrain

Nice looking terrain is great and really makes a tabletop look good. But nobody likes painting scenery (apart from White, but we've always known he's a bit weird!). So I'm really impressed at the growing range of pre-painted terrain out there.

Here is a small pack I bought on a whim from antenociti's workshop.

Pre-coloured and just needed sticking together and the sand and plants stuck down.

Dead easy and they look great.

Finally!

It feels like these have taken an absolute age to finish.

Unsurprisingly seeing as they have been sprayed, dry-brushed in three different colours, had four different colours painted on and then all thirty six panels have had individually uniquely printed transfers added. Sheesh! I really do make work for myself. Still I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

One really good part of the spartan scenics is their modularity and in particular the side panels on the hubs as they don't get glued in place so that you can hook them up with other scenic sets. This is what led me to the idea that they could be reversible. Great for Infinity with lots of more brightly coloured adverts making the set less grimy and industrial.

What next?

I should be painting infantry but I've also got two more sets of the Spartan Scenics to do. Yup. Even more of this stuff! I love it!

TTFN!