This Is Not a Test Demo Prep...Scatter Terrain

Tin Roof...Rusted

Base Coat Applied

This tin shack was made by one of my kids during a blizzard back in 2015. This has been kicking around for a while in my garage as are the other two that we assembled that day. The building of these shacks was a project to keep the kids busy one snow day. We started with a simple plan, make a one room structure that would be playable and with the appropriate look of something cobbled together in a wasteland.

Each person was provided an unlimited supply of "tin" sheeting. We used coffee cup sleeves from Starbucks and WaWa. For those outside of the Northeast US and Florida, WaWa is a convenience store chain. These, when flipped inside out, have great corrugations that look closely like tin sheeting or even corrugated steel. The back side is of course smooth so it allows for easy application to other surfaces. Most of this sheeting was cut into standard width and length sections of either 4' x 6' or 8' x 6'. This was to replicate what would be easily found within a DIY shop or scavenged from other locations that were already used. Smaller pieces were then cut to fill gaps or to add texture to the pieces.

The base and walls were made of standard foam core sheeting that is generally available for any kids craft/school project. I kept the walls to 8' (2") to allow a figure to stand within easily. The ceiling is not attached to make the inside playable. The door was created using a simple technique using stirrers. These happen to be Starbuck's stirrers because they are the right width and rectangular. Each door panel is cut to be 6' (1.5") in length. The interior of the door, is held with a series of four small pieces spanning across varies widths of the door. 

After priming this shack, I decided to test out a new can of Rustoleum Forged Hammered Antique Pewter ($8.66) that I picked up on a whim one day at WalMart. You can see the texture of the paint in the Base Coat Applied base. This is a primer and paint in one, so it will save you a step if you go this route. 

The weathering of the tin sheet was accomplished by mixing some Vallejo Model Color Light Grey areas and some Reaper MSP HD Dirty Grey spread around different areas. Some areas of rust were added using Anita's Metallic Tin Roof Rust. You can see this on the roof and some streaked areas on the front. Washes of Vallejo Model Wash Light Grey were added for sheets to add some depth. Model Wash Dark Grey was applied in areas of overlap or where a shadow was needed. The base was painted with Delta Ceramcoat Dark Burnt Umber as a place holder until I decide how I will incorporate into other pieces. This shack may be removed and placed onto a better MDF or particle board base.

In the end this painting test mostly worked. I ended up removing most of the beaten pewter from the start, but the base color was good and could be useful for some other models. In the next, I'll try a different color base and some other fun weathering ideas and break up with some broken color areas.

Dragon Forge Designs Medical Supply Marker

This Medical Supply Marker ($5.00) is the second of these markers that I have painted from Dragon Forge Designs. The first was a 40mm on a beveled base and covered in my Take a second to breathe...then prepare for what's next post, while this one is 50mm. As  you can plainly see, this base is a rounded lip base, which is my typical preference for all of my miniatures. For this, I did some different things. I started with a base of Citadel Calthan Brown for the box. The cross members are based with a bit of Citadel Dwarf Flesh. The cross is painted with Vallejo Model Color Flat Red. The box was washed using Vallejo Model Wash Light Grey to draw out the grain of the wood. The box was dry brushed with Model Color Light Grey to add some aging to the box. 

The base was started in Citadel Bleached Bone as was the skull, but I found it to be too light. I painted a few of the larger rocks with Model Color Ashen Grey and some of the smaller rocks with Citadel Knarlock Green. With the light base color, the skull was lost and it looked too much like a sandy area and that was not the final location I had in mind. I used a Model Wash Dark Grey which took the base much darker. This was hit with a dry brush of Dwarf Flesh to add some highlight. Back into this some small areas of Calthan Brown was added for soil and some areas of Delta Ceramcoat Dark Burnt Umber. This Dark Burnt Umber was also used to trim the base entirely. 

Mantic Games Canister

At some point a couple/few years ago, Mantic Games had an offer for some free scatter terrain pieces that could be used to support Battlezones or Star Saga. This specific one is a three canister set that is permanently attached. This piece was free, which is pretty great, but unfortunately I only have one of these. I'd love to have another 5 or 6 of them. You can now get these within the BattleZones: Sci-Fi Urban Accessories pack ($12.99).

I went with a flat color scheme with a primary color base to give it a futuristic look. The base colors are Vallejo Model Color Flat Blue and Model Color Flat Red. The top is Model Color Grey Blue. The segments are lined using Game Ink Black. The side clasps were painted with Citadel Chainmail.

Now, for use in This Is Not a Test the canisters must be beaten up some. I used Reaper MSP HD Military Grey to make some areas where the color was removed and the primer exposed. In some of these areas, some slight use of the Citadel Chainmail is used to show the bare metal.

Dragon Forge Designs Ancient Runes II Ammo Objective

The Ancient Runes II Ammo Objective ($5.00) is 40mm on a beveled base. This is a set of large ordinance shells and a smaller ammunition box on what could be an ancient tile floor space.

For the stones I wanted an aged Italian/Greek marble look. I started with Citadel Bleached Bone as a base. The marbling was added with Reaper MSP HD Tusk Ivory and Citadel Calthan Brown. I washed this with Model Wash European Dust.

For the ammunition box, I had a desire to have a RoboTech inspired box. For this I used Model Color Blue Grey for the surround to the lid and Model Color Light Grey for the rest. This made is futuristic and I think hit the color intent. Of course this would stick our for Warhammer 40K and This Is Not a Test, but I like the look.

The shells are based with FolkArt Metallic Chocolate Brown, surprising I know but I have a big bottle of this stuff left from the Command Master Sergeant statue. This was then washed down with Citadel Nuln Oil to rough it up/age it and to pick out the section lines. A couple of highlights were added using Reaper MSP HD Military Grey.

Farewell Mighty Warriors...

This Is Not A Test Peacekeeper Warband

NOVA Open Lot

As this posts, the NOVA Open came to a close. With it, the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation Silent Auction will also be closing. Attached are a couple of photos of the auction lot, which included the first ever released hard back rule book, a Gas Mask Girl sticker, the quick rules hand card, and the Peacekeeper warband. My sincere thanks to Dave Taylor of davetaylorminiatures for getting these great photos.

Peacekeeper Warband Close Up

I am hoping to find out who wins the auction and if I can will see what sort of commentary I can get from them about the warband and the rule book. I do know that this lot helped the Silent Auction totals come to nearly $5,500 raised for the charities which is about twice what was previously achieved.

I imagine that most people who are reading this either supported the Kickstarter or will be getting the rule book otherwise. Those Kickstarter items will be shipping as soon as the miniatures start arriving. Keep an eye out for your delivery!

Dragonforge Designs Kickstarter Update

Free to backers at $1100 funding!

With just 4 days to go, the Oakk - Wood Floors campaign is moving along, albeit begrudgingly. These are fantastic bases for any campaign. I have a warband of Brigade Games miniatures that will be based on these miniatures as soon as I can get my hands on them. The details on these miniatures is fantastic, with rich wood grain, wearing, and tiny details, like nails!

These bases are fantastic for Guildball players and anyone who has a water's edge, pirate, or western themed warbands or characters.

On the horizon at $1300 funding!

As I write this post, the funding crossed $1,100, Coming quickly at the $1,300 funding level is the heroic set of bases. These had some really great looking flooring contrasts. These are really great for a variety of steampunk themed miniatures, but work great as the top decking for steamships, airships, or interiors. I imagine it might also be good for many of the Wyrd miniatures.

Other ways to stay in touch...

For everyone who has taken the time to read this, thank you for your interest and support. If you want to see other content, then you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.

If you have a blog or Facebook artist page or other things, feel free to post in the comments. I'd like to tag along with what you are doing. 

Roll Call...Riot Officer

This Is Not A Test Peacekeeper Officer

There are only a few days before NOVA Open and the last officer to come to the warband is another Peacekeeper Officer from Officer Pack 1 ($13.00). No patrol is complete without an officer with a shotgun. The last officer to report is eager to blast your opponents with his Mossberg 500 riot shotgun. The shotgun has some great advantages when used in close combat situations, an added point of weapon strength within a 12" range.

This Peace Officer is decked out in the standard riot armor, but without the heavy coat or cape of some of the other warband members. The officer has the standard MSP Stetson, painted with the Vallejo Khaki Grey with Khaki highlight. The riot armor was based with Reaper MSP Military Grey and then washed with Vallejo Dark Grey Wash. The officer has Army Painter Leather Brown. His boots are Vallejo Black Grey with Citadel Boltgun Metal spurs.

With the warband finished, it was a matter of packing it up and shipping it off to the NOVA Open for the Charitable Foundation Silent Auction. There are a number of other great raffles that are available and all proceeds go to some really fantastic charities: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Doctors without Borders, and the Fisher House Foundation. I hope everyone is able to support these great charities with the chance for some really amazing armies and pieces.

Dragonforge Designs Oakk - Wood Floors Kickstarter Update

The Kickstarter campaign is quickly approaching $1000 and hopefully will make it to the $1100 mark to unlock the next stretch goal.

Currently there are sets of bases for 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm. The first stretch goal unlocked the 80 mm and 120 mm bases. At $1100 all pledges of $50 or more will receive a free set of small crates. Following this, should the Kickstarter get to $1300 then the Heroic Set One will be released.

If you get in on the Kickstarter campaign, you essentially save 10% over retail prices. I've used lots of Dragonforge bases, many of the Peacekeeper warband were. These bases will be a great addition and will go very well with some of the Brigade Games miniatures that will soon be started for another This Is Not A Test warband.

Janie's got a gun

This Is Not A Test Outrider

Outrider (front)

With NOVA Open fast approaching, I had to get moving quick to make sure the last two pieces were finished and shipped to davetaylorminiatures.com for transport to the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation Silent Auction. Thankfully my #HobbyHangout pals are always available with words of encouragement and banter to keep me going.

Janie, the Peacekeeper Outrider ($6.50) was the last miniature that I finished before the Open, but I am going to cover her before the other officer. I painted this entire miniature in about 2.5 hours, which I believe is the fastest that I ever painted a figure. Sure it helped that I had already painted 5 others and the color scheme was already worked out, but I managed to keep to task for the entire time.

Outrider (rear)

 As with all good forces, it is helpful to have the advantage of sight. The Outrider is just that for the Peacekeepers. Taking advantage of keen sight, the Outrider finds the right vantage point and can keep opposing forces from advancing. With advanced optics, the Outrider's rifle allows her to hit targets from a distance.

This model follows much of the same color scheme as the other Peacekeepers. The cloak is Vallejo Olive Drab, with some Stained Olive splash, and touched up with some Golden Olive highlights. The leather vest was painted up with Army Painter Leather Brown. The Stetson is the same color combo of Vallejo Model Color Khaki Grey and Khaki. The pads/armor pieces are Reaper MSP Military Grey. The boots are a combination of Army Painter Oak and Reaper MSP Woodland Brown. The Model is based on one of the Dragon Forge Designs Urban bases.

Now with the force nearly complete, there will be one more opportunity to post prior to the Open. I truly hopes lots of people take advantage of the Silent Auction and take part in the other auctions as well.

NOVA Open Charitable Silent Auctions

Tickets are already sold out for the Pride of the 14th Legion army. Three raffles supporting Warhammer; Da Bad Moon Skwadron, Mjolinar Space Marines, and Novamarines Adeptuc Asartes. There is a WWII Soviet Tank Company for Flames of War and an Emerald Empire Squadron for X-Wing. Tickets for each of these raffles are $1 each and total 500 tickets for each raffle.

There are also a bunch of specially painted models that are up at $2 per ticket. Corvus Belli Studios made a studio painted Achilles model. Neil "Zab" Szabo provided an Adeptus Mechanicus Ironstrider. Duncan Rhodes of Games Workshop donated an Archaon, Exalted Grand Marshal of the Apocolypse. John Stiening created and painted a Bolt Action King Tiger and a Primarch Angron.  David Pauwels created and painted a Carcharodon Captain. Roman Lappat of Massive Voodoo fame, put together a Crashed X-wing scene and the NOVA Open Virtue statue, Raffaele Picca of Massive Voodoo fame, created and painted First Ranger Mira and the  Great White Werebull, A Khorne Chaos Champion was created and painted by David Faust-Du Sablon. The Ork Warlord "Overfiend of Octarius" was created and painted by Sean Fulton.

Dragon Forge Designs Oakk - Wood Floors Base Set Kickstarter

Just in time for the net projects, Dragon Forge Designs has released a great set of round lipped wood bases. These bases are perfect for a new warband that will be starting soon. Though the wood floors have a great pirate ship feel, I will be taking them more in the direction of a dock on the North Shore. So far all of the Dragon Forge Designs bases that I have used have been fantastic. This Kickstarter works as all of the others did, pledge an amount and pick that much from the available basis. Once you hit the $50 amount, you also get any of the stretch goals.

Role-call Lt. Strong

This Is Not A Test Peacekeepers

Peacekeepers

When the Road Marshal starts role-call, his go to second in command is Lt. Stong. He is the Road Marshal's Quartermaster and there to keep the troopers in line and on point. After many years on the force he knows the units, knows the procedures, and knows the gear. Ready to tear a weapon down and reassemble at a moment's notice, Lt. Strong is the most dependable of this veteran force.

Armed with an AR-15 capable of fully automated fire, the good lieutenant is ready for action. As with every good Quartermaster, he is not concerned with the performance of the weapon because he treats it better than his lady. 

Lt. Strong (Front)

The Quartermaster is decked out in the standard Stetson straw hat and Maryland State Police (MSP) winter coat. The hat was painted with a base of Vallejo Khaki Grey with a highlight of Vallejo Khaki. This Khaki was carried down to his shirt as well. The heavy coat follows with the MSP Olive Drab. Highlights were applied with a Reaper HD Stained Olive and Golden Olive. All of the buttons were done in Citadel Beaten Copper to match the theme and style of the Road Marshal. As with Road Marshal, the Quartermaster has pants of painted with Army Painter Leather Brown. His gloves and the scabbard for his knife are painted using Citadel Snakebite Leather. 

Unlike the Road Marshal, standard colored chaps were not available, so he got some Harley Davidson stock chaps and modified them for duty. These are matched by his Harley Davidson riding boots, nicely accented with silver spurs. The chaps and boots were base coated with Vallejo Black Grey. The chaps were washed with Vallejo charcoal grey extra opaque and deepened with Secret Weapon Miniatures soft body black. 

Lt. Strong (Side)

The AR-15 was painted with the black grey, they washed in small spaces with the Vallejo Dark Grey Wash. Some wear marks were added using Citadel boltgun metal. The ammo pouches on his belt were done with the black grey with beaten copper buttons. The beaten copper was carried tot he ammunition belt across his chest. All of the armor and pads were painted using the black grey with a cover of Reaper Military Grey to provide some contrast.

The model was based on a Dragon Forge Designs 30 mm Round Lip Concrete Finish base. This is a few layers of paint and washes. The base color is Reaper Ash Grey. The areas between the slabs were washed with Vallejo Dark Grey Wash and then brought back up with Reaper Ash Grey.

If you want to see this one and take it home, be sure to check it out at NOVA Open and bid on the warband in the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation Silent Auction. 

Hell hath no fury...

Like a Woman Scorned

Agatha Fox (front)

As part of the Reaper Bone Kickstarters, I picked up hundreds of miniatures and many of those are still sitting around collecting dust. With my involvement with This Is Not A Test, I have found a new use for many of the miniatures. Originally I picked them up for all of the fantasy figures for use with on-going D&D campaigns. Well a couple of years later, some parts from the Bombshell Couterblast Kickstarter and inspiration strikes.

I started with the Agatha Fox Bones miniature ($2.49) and made a little modification. The original figure is a peaceable enough looking woman, but with a secret, she is a spy after all. Tucked up behind her purse is what appears to be a Walther PPK (think Bond, Jane Bond).

Now while this is a fine enough figure and has been painted by many rather good painters, I decided it needed more. I liked the pose overall, but there wasn't enough oomph in the gun and I didn't see a spy in this figure so much as I saw a woman scorned. Perhaps beaten and broken, she was seeking revenge in one final confrontation.

Agatha Fox (rear)

I selected a handgun from the Neiran Weapon sprue ($2.99) since it had a much more American six shooter look to it. I had to do a little surgery on Agatha, but since it is the Bones material that is a really simple task. The material is a sinch to cut and move around. For this, I had to slice where her right hand falls behind her purse and separate her purse from her body. I cut off what was the Walther and opened the hand so that I could add the Neiran gun into a position that keeps the profile and the gun can't be seen from the front. This is similar to the work I did for the Reaper Bones Strumpet (The road from lovely scrumpet to deadly vixen).

Once the conversion was completed, I selected one of the newer Dragon Forge Designs bases, a round lipped base from the Cobblestone Rubble 30 mm sets $10.00).

Painting

Agatha Fox (Front)

I tried to keep a rather domestic look to the figure to keep with the basic idea that she is meeting up with a lover/husband and exact her revenge. She has a very fair complexion, Reaper MSP Maiden Flesh. The hair is a base of Vallejo Mahogany Brown with highlights of of Reaper MSP Griffon Tan. A wash of Vallejo Flash Wash was used to mark the line from the hair to the skin. 

The coat is based with Vallejo Khaki Grey with the Flesh Wash to add depth. The lapels were painted with straight Khai Grey. To finish off the coat, the belt was painted Mahogany Brown with a Citadel Shining Gold buckle. 

The gold carries to the purse which also has gold buckles on a Vallejo Flat Blue base. This was mottled with a Vallejo Grey Blue after a Vallejo Blue wash to give it a color similar to a Coach purse my wife has. When originally done though, the blue was too predominant and drew attention away from the face of the model. I increased the layer of blue grey and that toned it down significantly. For some additional consistency, she was given Mahogany Brown boots to complete her outfit. My thanks to some friends in the Facebook #HobbyHangout group for helping with feedback and color choices for the belt and boots. 

Agatha Fox (Rear)

The base was coated with Reaper MSP Ash Grey then some color was added to a few of the cobblestones using the Grey Blue. The highlight color was Reaper Concrete Grey. The sewer grate was painted with a base of Citadel Boltgun Metal which was then covered/washed with Vallejo Black Grey. 

After finishing it up, there was still something missing that I felt was needed to give it a bit more life. Since her colors were fall in palette, I went to the Secret Weapon Miniatures Masterclass Scenics and added some Fallen Leaves to the base. These were added in a bit of a clumpy fashion but coming off of the base to give it some action, something like the leaves being blown in the wind. Something to add to the chill nature of the act about to occur. 

Peace Officer

This Is Not A Test Peacekeeper Road Marshal

Blocked out colors

When faced with the constant attacks and chaos of the wastes, gentler folks look for peace wherever they can find it. When the Road Marshal ($6.50) brings his posse to town, they are ready to lay down the law.

The original kit from This Is Not A Test includes two weapon options, the submachine gun or a pistol. Since this is the leader for the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation Silent Auction, I decided to give him the SMG. To give him a more action intense pose, he is pointing to provide direction to his men.

Details being worked out

The original package come with two head options, one that is wearing a helmet with a gas mask and one that is totally open with mutton chops. I decided that the scheme for this warband would be close related to the Maryland State Police (MSP) Troopers since they are coming from the National Capital Area. To make this work, I selected one of the heads with the straw Stetson hat as worn by the MSP.

To get the hat color I started with the Vallejo Khaki Grey and then added some highlight with straight Vallejo Khaki. The highlights are along the ridges of the top of the hat and along the front brim of the hat. Along the front brim of the had, I extended the highlight back a bit more to bring the focus toward the face.

Final (front)

For the face, I wanted to show him as well exposed to the sun, so I went with the Reaper Sunburned Flesh as the base. I added some touch up to this with Reaper Caucasian Flesh. His hair started with Reaper Concrete Grey that was washed with Vallejo Flesh Wash to give it some added brown to the hair.

The traditional colors of the MSP are Olive Drab winter coats, khaki shirts, with brown pants with a black stripe. Now, the Vallejo Model Color USA Olive Drab worked really well with this figure and I used the Vallejo Stained Olive to deepen the contrast on the coat. The turned section is done up with Vallejo Golden Olive to make a stark contrast with the exterior of the coat and lighten up toward the face. The shirt is done with the Vallejo Khaki paint with the belts painted with Vallejo Gunmetal Grey. The center section and all of the rivets, buttons, and buckles were painted with Citadel Beaten Copper.

Final (Side)

The belts that are on the exterior of the coats and the chaps and belt pouches were started with Vallejo Black Grey. To deepen this, I used Vallejo Game Exta Opaque Heavy Charcoal watered down to be a wash. Usually I would highlight with a lighter grey as well to bring show wear and add highlight, but I left the bottom half darker to keep focus moving up the face. The small area where the pants can be seen was painted up with Army Painter Leather Brown. That was washed with the Game Color Flesh Wash.

Final (back)

The SMG was based with the black grey and then touched in a few spots with Vallejo Game Ink Black. The boots were painted strictly with the Heavy Charcoal.

The base is a Dragon Forge Design 30 mm Round Lip Concrete Finish base. This is a few layers of paint and washes. The base color is Reaper Ash Grey with touch up of Reaper Concrete grey for the highlight/wear locations. The areas between the slabs were washed with Vallejo European Dust, Vallejo Light Grey Wash, and Devlan Mud.

Be sure to check out the final set when it gets to NOVA Open this September.

I'm surrounded by scatter terrain!

Status Update - I was offline for hobby stuff for the last couple of weeks. First it was Thanksgiving which tied me up for some time at home and then some travel to see family. Because there aren't enough disruptions and stress at the holidays, we are preparing for a move from Maryland to Florida. Nice sure, but it also means we have to get the house ready for sale. To do that we painted the entirely of the interior which means I packed everything up for wall access. That took a week overall. Now we are preparing for carpet installation in the entire house, which means additional stuff gets packed and put aside. I did though with a house in ruins looking like life sized This Is Not A Test terrain surrounded by scatter terrain, I managed to assemble...

Warsen.al Scatter Terrain

MDF Sheet

I can't recall how I found this little terrain set, probably a Facebook feed ad or something, but you can pick up the Comanche Scatter Pack for $8. This is a great little kit made of laser cut MDF and plastic. There are no instructions in the kit, so it took me a few minutes to figure everything out, but for you, I took pictures. Even with my normal distractions of children and television, I had all of the pieces assembled in about 30-45 minutes. 

From this kit, you can make a plethora of scatter terrain for your board. The components when fully assembled will yield two pallets, six 55 gallon drums, two barricades, two cable wire spools, four Jerry cans, four ammo boxes, two ammo crates, and a satellite dish.

55 Gallon Drum Assembly Process

Let's start with the 55 gallon drums. The majority of the MDF is small circles and at first I couldn't figure out how they were to be used, but it turns out these are the spacers that make the body of the barrels. The plastic sheet contains the top, bottom and middle pieces which are slightly larger to give the appropriate bump outs/edges on the barrels. The picture shows in pictures the assembly, which I did using Aleene's Tacky Glue. Once assembled and dried, you will need to do some sanding to smooth out the centers of the barrel if you want a smooth uniform look. If not, you can prime and paint up. 

Assembled Pallets

Next up are the pallets. These are really pretty simple overall because there is only one way to assemble them correctly and since everything is pre-cut, it would be hard to assemble them incorrectly. One note though, the boards have pre-cut nail holes in them and you want to make sure they are pointing out. Some of the notches for the thin boards are irregular, so you may want to dry fit them before you glue them in place. I also started on with the larger boards which wasn't terrible, but in retrospect it would have been easier and more stable to start with the thin boards. 

Large Cable Wire Assembly

Similar to the barrels are the large cable wire spools. I have been looking for something like this for a while and was too lazy to create it myself. I do think though that you can do it very simply with s piece of PVC and some plasticard. I might have to try it soon.

Anyway, the components are similar with the ends made of the plastic and the filler made of the MDF discs. Now if you look closely at the picture, you will see that the discs for the spool are different than the disks for the barrels. Make sure you keep them separate to make the assembly easy. There is a small wooden cuboid which fits snugly in the square cut out in the disc. I know there is some joke about square pegs and round holes, but that is just if you screw it up. When you fit it all together than you should have the holes in the discs lined up with the holes in the ends which makes a nice tunnel through from side to side. 

Street Barricade Assembly

The two street barricades are pretty simple to figure out and assemble. The only thing that threw me was an extra end piece for the barricades, but you only need four of the five ends to build these. One pretty cool thing about the barricades is that they are marked so that you could paint them up immediately with some pattern (black/yellow or white/red) and not have to worry about too much work to get them done. 

These appear to be 5 gallon Jerry cans are three parts per can with the body being MDF and the sides made of plastic. The sides just glue onto the two sides. There is a little notch on the cans, so make sure you pay attention when you are gluing things together. These all fit on and line up very well, so it isn't much of an issue. This is more of a logistics warning. 

Once assembled these will be great additions either as stand along pieces or added to any number of tanks or small jeep like vehicles. 

If you look to the left of the Jerry can bodies on the MDF sheet, you will notice four little rectangles and I wasn't sure where they went. I looked at the image for the scatter pack a bunch of times and couldn't see anything there. But at the end of the time, I figured out that they were 4 ammo boxes and apparently no assembly necessary. In fact these aren't even included in the description of the set, so happy bonus!

Jerry Cans and Ammo Crates

The ammo crates are three pieces. The top and bottom are made of the plastic and the filler is made of MDF. The picture of the scatter pack shows four ammo crates, but the description (which is correct) indicates two ammo crates. One note to really be careful is with the handles on the crates. These are small, really small and barely attached to the crates. In face one of mine was missing, which isn't a big deal. I removed them immediately and then glued them into position. Doing this means you can change them to up or down. Down is more secure than up, so select based on how much you will use them. Other than that, the pieces just stack together. 

The two tires are made of four pieces and completely plastic. Each part has a set of nubs carved on the exterior. When all put together it makes the tread for the tires. One interior piece has the spokes for the tire and the other has is just a cog looking piece with nothing in the interior. The exterior pieces have some etching to look like the exterior of a tire, duh. So long as you have the etched pieces facing out, you can easily glue them together and be ready for prime and paint. 

Satellite Dish and Tires

The communications satellite dish is a pretty cool little piece. The entire set-up is made of plastic except for the base which is a nice little piece of MDF which would be equally suitable as a base crown. I didn't take pictures, but the base of is two pieces which slide together. You may want to glue this together first then build something else and come back when the glue sets some. There is a frame for the dish part which sort of looks like a Klingon batliff (really had to dig deep into my nerd file for that). This slides up into the leg frame and then is covered by the center panel of the dish. The wings then just glue onto the frame.

This is a great set of terrain and incredibly affordable. I am looking forward to getting it painted up and ready for the tabletop. Definitely check them out for more more pieces especially if you play Infinity, that is the majority of the offerings.

Kickstarter News

Three Kickstarter campaigns that I wanted to tell you about. The first is the latest from Dragon Forge Designs - Goth-Tech Expansion Bases and Accessories, which I mentioned previously. This has achieved funding level and unlocked a couple of stretch goals, the latest getting every a free ammunition objective marker. As I write this the campaign is about $100 dollars from unlocking stretch goal number 6 ($1800). This will unlocked another set of oval bases.  Down the road a ways is this generally named "Generator" which is in process. This is a marker or general terrain piece and stands rather large. Currently the aim for this is a $3000 stretch goal, so a little while to go. To see us there though, a bunch of other stretch goals are laid out already. If you have a tech-based army, this is a good opportunity to get in on some top-notch base sets.

The second is a cool set of Slavic Fantasy Miniatures which have been sculpted for Deraj Studios. The miniatures are 32 mm, so suitable for pretty much any tabletop campaign or RPG. The miniatures are high quality resin and based on Slavic folklore. Sculptors include Kamil Smok Milaniuk, Prezmyslaw Szymczyk, and Patrick Keith (Bombshell Miniatures). This has already doubled the original funding goal, so additional miniatures are being developed. There is a really amazing Rooster which has been hollowed out to be a home and walking about. 

These figure support a game as well, Portals: Worlds Collide which looks to allow you to bring many universes together for a table top skirmish game. 

The last on the list today is the Trash Bin Bits Part 2! campaign by Brian Roe. This is the follow-on to the previous Kickstarter campaign. In this campaign, Brian brought us another round of pretty great looking sci-fi doors/windows/covers to bring your trash bin creations to life and finish them off with style. You can see the amazing sets that are now available as high quality resin bits. These are perfect for the DIY modeller who can take cardboard packaging inserts, CD cases, and otherwise discarded materials and make some top notch sci-fi terrain. I am glad to have gotten in on this campaign and am eagerly looking forward to the materials being cast and sent to me. 

Hopefully all of this come before I move so I don't have to worry about mail/package forwarding. Anyway, keep your eyes open for more exciting Kickstarter opportunities and if you have others of interested, add them in the comments section.

Geek Out on Black Friday!

Just when you thought you were prepared for Black Friday a bunch of new deals were announced! Here are some additional deals that have popped up since the This Is Not A Test: Marshal's Report: Interlopers! post. Before we get to that though, let's take a look at a Kickstarter hitting today! Get those shopping lists out, you have more to consider!

Dragon Forge Design Goth-Tech Expansion Kickstarter

Round Lip Forge Kit Kickstarter Exclusive

If the deals being offered by Dragon Forge Design wasn't enough, today starts the launch of a new series of bases. The Goth-Tech bases are designed to have a very steampunk feel to them and have been very popular for a variety of 28mm games. This expansion makes the round lipped style bases available, adds new base styles, and fills in a number of the new base sizes required for many games.

Starting at the $50 Early Bird pledge level, you get a Kickstarter exclusive set (bevel or round lip) which is a set of five 30 mm bases and a 50 mm base. Additional bases may be added as Stretch Goals are unlocked. Be sure to pay attention as these are limited to the first $50 Early Bird pledges and you must select either Bevel or Round Lip specifically. At this level you can select any number of bases up to the total value of the pledge and can mix bevel and round lip styles.

170 mm Goth-Tech Knight Base

Additional pledge levels are $10, $25, $50, and $100. $10 will get you one 30 mm base. The $25, $50, and $100 pledge levels allow you to select any style bases, but you do not qualify for the freebies as they are unlocked.

Bases in the range include round (30 mm up to 120 mm) and oval (up to 170 mm) that will be suitable for any game. Base sets run from $9 to $20 with lots of new sculpts. 30 and 40 mm base sets include 10 bases. 50 mm base sets and the 60 x 35 mm oval bases come as 3 bases per set. The other larger bases are singularly priced.

I have a number of the other bases, terrain pieces, and modelling supplies offered by Dragon Forge Design and recommend these fully. The work is very well done and I highly recommend. Also be sure to check out the currently running Thanksgiving Week sale.

This Is Not A Test Black Friday Sale

The wastelands are all bleak (though my last game may say otherwise, that post is coming soon). From November 26 through November 29th, you can get a free miniature with any purchase of $40 or more. Now, the available critters are not recommended for dinner, but add greatly to your wasteland adventures. Use the code 'thanks40' during checkout. Now if you decide that there is just too much goodness (and really who wouldn't) and you find you have managed to cram more than $60 in your cart, you can select the Mutant Rats instead. Use code 'thanks60' during checkout.

Burn In Designs

If you find your tabletop is looking a little desolate or you just need to refresh the terrain, then I recommend you take a look at Burn In Designs. While you can get a number of laser cut terrain pieces, many of which you may have seen in posts by Jim Wappel, the holiday sale is limited. Running from Nov 27 through Dec 12, you can get 15% off of all paint storage systems and 10% off all Welcome to Rock Ridge kits. The Rock Ridge kits are perfect for any games of Wild West Exodus games (10-50% off at site).


Army Painter

Get to Army Painter between Nov 26 and 30th to stock up on all the paints that you will need to be successful until next year. The good folks of Army Painter have put together a Black Friday Super Mega Pack. This combination set includes the Army Painter Mega Paint set, a can of primer (your choice of color), and a can of Anti-Shine Matte Finish ($150 total). You will receive a can of Quickshade Strong Tone. This is a total of $29.99 in free materials and to sweeten the deal, shipping is included as well.

Warploque Miniatures

Warploque Miniatures is about to start the Griffsmas Sale which is a 30% discount on the Arcworlde Arcane Dragon. This miniature would normally be £80. Now the really crazy thing is, at least how I read the post, the miniature will only be available during the Griffsmas Sale. Some of the other miniatures are also for sale at 25-30% off. There is a limited stock of the miniatures, so make sure if you are interested that you get to the site quickly. They are a UK based company so the sale is already underway. The sale runs from Nov 27th through Dec 31st.

There's more!

Kromlech is offering 20% off all purchases. Wargames Tournaments is offering 30% off a wide variety of terrain pieces through the eBay store.

My Sincerest Thanks

Given this is Thanksgiving in America (Thursday to everyone else), I wanted to take a moment to give my sincere thanks to all of the people who take a moment or two to read through my blog posts. I started this originally because I am color blind and needed a mechanism to track color schemes and the specific names of paints that I use for each miniature. This was also supposed to get me to complete my 40k Imperial Guard army, which still hasn't happened.

I have though evolved my skills, the scope of this blog, and my own goals and aspirations. I have grown my personal network, which now includes some amazing miniature painters and game designers across the globe and all of whom are very down to Earth and approachable, which is fantastic when you want to develop. On top of all of the changes, I have taken on new projects which including attempting to sculpt new parts for miniatures, creating a card game, and learning airbrush skills.

So sincerely, I thank everyone who has taken a moment to read these posts and I look forward to where this all goes into the future.

Chris