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Terrain http://www.tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=30575	Page 1 of 1

Author:

BigJulius666 [ Wed Nov 25, 2015 5:49 pm ]

Post subject:

Terrain

Well, this will be my first post.

I have had a few boxes of Epic stuff lying around for years, back from when I was a kid and everything was within pocket money range. . . and typically only recently I have decided to get interested again. . . when its out of production and I don't know anyone else who plays.

I stumbled across this forum while I was trying to find proxy models to complete my Steel Legion and this has been a constant source of inspiration and ideas.

Tactical Command I salute You!

Anyway my Guard and Marines... and Orks... and Barran Siege Masters / Krieg are nearing completion and I have this mad notion of trying to convert a few locals to the game by turning up with various armies and showing them the game (which the new press release from GW about the specialist games might even help) and I realize that I have no scenery. as at the moment I have a lot of time on my hands I have decided to buy as little as possible and make as much as I can. Not only this but my partner and I are buying a house, and I am life long skinflint, so I need to do this on the Cheap (with a capital C)

my first project was some tranches for my Barran Siege Masters / Krieg, I know they are not very good in-game but you cannot have Siege Masters with out them and they shouldn't be too hard to make.

My long term plan is to get at least on 6'x4' gaming table worth of scenery done this way as well as having my armies painted before I try and introduce someone to the game.

enough of that.

below are pictures of my trenches and I have to say I am fairly happy with the result! I think I have enough for one complete unit to be fully entrenched *cough*Supreme Commander Blitz Defence*coughcough* depending on how I feel / how bored I get I may make more as they were fairly straight forward.

total items used: 4 boxes of matches, PVA, bits of cereal packaging and a pot of poly filler, roughly £3.20.

Next on my list are tank/artillery positions, Bunkers and razor wire.

Attachments:

File comment: 'front' view, perfect size I think!

Trenches 3.jpg [ 1.53 MiB | Viewed 6692 times ]

File comment: I made the bases wide enough to fit the 'new' strip bases and deep enough for the 'old' square ones.

Trenches 2.jpg [ 1.53 MiB | Viewed 6692 times ]

File comment: Three Matches cut to size and then stacked on each other. this was slightly frustrating at times as they were not always stable....

Trenches 1.jpg [ 1.68 MiB | Viewed 6692 times ]

Author:	Stormwind [ Wed Nov 25, 2015 6:45 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Terrain
Welcome! I wish you well in your attempts to convert the locals. =)

Author:	Legion 4 [ Wed Nov 25, 2015 9:02 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Terrain
Welcome to the show !

Author:	moredakka [ Wed Nov 25, 2015 10:26 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Terrain
Welcome aboard.

Author:	Matty_C [ Thu Nov 26, 2015 8:19 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Terrain
You have the patience of a saint stacking matches like that! Can't wait to see a finished product!

Author:

BigJulius666 [ Tue Dec 01, 2015 1:24 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Terrain

Thank you!

This weekend was a bit busy seeing a few friends, but I managed to get a bit more done.

I decided to make some Barbed Wire for the Trenches after I saw a Blog online about it (I cannot remember where I saw it, but it also had a bit about making tank traps, again really easy but as I cant use them I decided against it. Although I may go back purely for atheistic reasons)

The wire is just garden wire first twisted on itself to give it a bit of texture, and then wrapped around one of the (many) match sticks I have lying around to give it a coiled look. in the blog that was then stuck onto a base, but I decided to try and make some posts for it. after a bit of thought I settled on drawing pins pushed through card board strips... I believe it will work, it just means I can NEVER drop them on the floor and forget about it!

I also added the polyfiller to the trenches and giving it a bit of texture in the process.

Wire: £1
Pins £1
Cardboard £3 (but I get a weeks worth of breakfast as well

)

Once I have these done my next thoughts are either the bunkers or the tank positions...

Attachments:

trench and wire 3.jpg [ 1.43 MiB | Viewed 6559 times ]

trench and wire 1.jpg [ 1.63 MiB | Viewed 6559 times ]

barbed wire 3.jpg [ 1.71 MiB | Viewed 6559 times ]

barbed wire 2.jpg [ 1.66 MiB | Viewed 6559 times ]

Barbed wire 1.jpg [ 1.62 MiB | Viewed 6559 times ]

Author:	Nitpick [ Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:29 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Terrain
Interesting. I have used aluminum "car repair" mesh for this. If you cut along an individual strand of such a sheet, you end up with a thorny thread suitable for the very same thing.

Author:	carlisimo109 [ Wed Dec 02, 2015 2:24 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Terrain
I'd be nervous about stabbing myself with one of those during a game! They look great, though.

Author:	jimmyzimms [ Wed Dec 02, 2015 2:07 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Terrain
Nitpick wrote: Interesting. I have used aluminum "car repair" mesh for this. If you cut along an individual strand of such a sheet, you end up with a thorny thread suitable for the very same thing. spare window bug screens do the same. Yay for recycled materials!

Author:

BigJulius666 [ Tue Dec 08, 2015 5:30 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Terrain

Well, only a small bit of progress this weekend.

Me and my Partner have picked up the keys to our new house, so the moving and the stowing of Stuff has been my focus.

I managed to add a bit of texture to the barbed wire sets that I started and 'finish' them, so there is progress at least!

Attachments:

File comment: With texture and the wire coiled around the matchstick

Wire 1.jpg [ 1.71 MiB | Viewed 6426 times ]

File comment: completed

Wire 2.jpg [ 1.67 MiB | Viewed 6426 times ]

File comment: completed

Wire 3.jpg [ 1.63 MiB | Viewed 6426 times ]

File comment: with the trenches

Wire 4.jpg [ 1.63 MiB | Viewed 6426 times ]

Author:

BigJulius666 [ Thu Dec 17, 2015 4:38 pm ]

Post subject:

Re: Terrain

Well, this week has been hectic!

although I have been pre-occupied with Flat Pack Furniture and other fun stuff I have managed to make some progress.

I have managed to finish the Tank positions. I did this in a similar fashion to the tranches, only I added an extra layer on the sides as I thought that these would be made with a specific field of fire in mind upon construction. I also added an extra set of matches to make them 'deeper' as the positions would be designed to protect the occupants from other tanks.

I am fairly happy with the result (pics below) although I am a bit concerned that the shape I have made them may mean that the bases for my artillery/emplaced positions may not fit as well as a tank (Meh I'm still happy for version 1)

Total Spend:

Polly filler £0 (left over from trenches)
3 x match boxes £1.05 (due to the extra layers)
Card £0.00

I was having some problems deciding on how to make the bunkers. my bits box was sorely depleted (I moved to the area about three years ago, and although I brought my completed models I left all my bits behind... sorely regretting that now!) and I didn't trust my crafting skills to try and sculpt them. looking at the rules I saw that I didn't have to make a sprawling base (although I want to make one for my trenchers eventually as I am viewing them as PDF troops, where as the Steel legion are brought in off planet when the it all goes to Xenos / heretical shaped) but only something big enough for three bases to reasonably fit in. I struck upon the idea of using the 'cup' parts from a Mr Kiplings cake boxed set as the bunkers.

I cut them up and sure enough they would be good enough. I left a slight overhang from the parts which over hung and simply stuck some card to the inside (I needed to do a bit of cutting and folding to get them the right shape) which will be fine as doors/curtains when they are hung up. I was even happier to find that I could add a trenched entrance that was an almost exact match for the already existing trenches! Win!

I had the shape, but a bunker isn't a bunker unless the troops inside can fire out. My helpful other half helped me out with this. She knew that I have been hording junk for this project and had given me a load of really cheap key rings, after a bit of cutting (see below, the horrendous green thing) I used the end of it and simply glued it to the edge. I had just enough to complete 6 of the bunkers. I am slightly concerned about how i am going to paint them, but I figure paint the hole black and maybe stick some off cuts of plastic as gun barrels sticking out and it should be ok... from a distance...

Total Spend:

Mr Kiplings Cakes: £3.00 for two boxes of 6.
Key Chains: for me nothing, but normally £1.00 for 6 or 8 from Poundland.
Matches: £0.35 for one box.
Polyfiller: £0.00 (still left over)

everything was put together it doesn't look too bad, enough to represent an emplaced hill / crossroad and didn't cost me an arm and a leg!

I have also (although no pics) have found a way to make some roads and fields. I simply went to Poundland (love that place) and got a pack of 4 floor tiles with self adhesive backs. I took the back off and simply turned it around and re-stuck it. I then cut them up into suitable lengths and after adding some borders with some of the left over poly filler as sides I have my roads (need painting) the reason I got the tiles is I am hoping that the texture of the cheap lino will look like concrete / tarmac ... and if it doesn't I only wasted a quid. for the fields I got one of the cheap doormat with a ridged effect. Again I cut that up into 'field shapes' (mostly rectangular, but a few odd shapes thrown in) and done! the matt is brown to begin with and a bit of careful dry brushing on the ridged section should make it look like rows of crops.

I wish I got the field and road idea in a moment of genius, but I have out right robbed it from a blog I found online!

my next project is some forests....

Attachments: