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Terrain Challenge: Zombie Sub-urbs

Terrain Challenge: Zombie Sub-urbs

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Project Blog by darkvoivod Cult of Games Member

Recommendations: 173

About the Project

A probably way to ambitious attempt to create a 3 by three, modular, multipurpose, zombie apocalypse table.

This Project is Active

A misguided beginning: The Church...

Tutoring 8
Skill 11
Idea 11
No Comments

With a bit more disposable income availableI resisted the temptation many of us are all to familiar with, to buy more miniatures.

This time I bought a hot wire cutter and an airbrush. I”m planning to do some serious terrain building. Osprey games has recently released the last days rules.

I have been waiting for these zombie rules for a good while now and I intend to make a gaming surface to do them justice. The plan is to make a 3×3 suburban table. This will be modular and will, among other things, include a church, gunstore, gaststation and motel. Along with various scatter terrain.

As soon as I had my hotwire cutter, and some Styrodur (a styrofoam with higher density. It’s very suitable for terrain making as it has only the texture you give it. This taxture can be added with varous techniques) I gor cracking.

I started with the church, which I’m kinda regretting now. It’s probably the most difficult of the buildings. The biggest and the one I really want the most details on. It’s kinda like starting with the centre piece.

The good news, it allows me to really get used to the material and tools.

My hotwire cutter. I created a strait angle to allow more controll while cuttingMy hotwire cutter. I created a strait angle to allow more controll while cutting

These are the first steps. Walls, and floor. I used crumbled up foil for the texture

After putting it togetter with PVA, it’s time to hide the seams, as well as making the model a bit less flat. I created some corners and cut them up to size. Then I stuck each piece on indivually.

I also created some reinforcements, to make the sides a bit more interesting

Next step will be a bit of interior. Mainly some pillars and an altar. Pews will be added at some point probably, but not before the rest of the entire project is finished. I allso want to be ably to move them around, so I can furnish the church as either a survivor hide out, or use it in another game in current day setting or even infinity, with everything intact.

I’ll also ad some steps on the outside. Then there’s the roof, a bell tower and I have yet to decide wether to have closed wooden windows or add stained glass, but I’m kinda inclined to do the latter.

Raising the Roof

Tutoring 8
Skill 10
Idea 10
No Comments

Luckily I have a few weeks of of work. The missus still needs to work for a week and the kids have some activities in town.

So I can make some progress on this thing.

I adhere to Indiana Jones’philosophy of making things up as I go along. This resulted in a building thats over a foot long and almost a foot wide for my 9 square foot table. I’m glad I put doors in every wall, so models can move through them.

 

Today I started with some colomns and an altar. I didn’t stick them in place yet, for ease of painting. They provide some interest in the interior as well as cover.

Raising the Roof
Raising the Roof
Raising the Roof

Next, the roof.

I first made a skeleton. Nothing fancy, just functional. This will often be put aside during gaming and I’m not going to fancy up the inside.

Then I had the shapes for the front and back.

I allso added a layer of card to work as a foundation for the shingles, which is gonna be a &%*&(*&*( of a chore. Not looking forward to that.

Raising the Roof
Raising the Roof
Raising the Roof

So, apart from the shingles. I still need to add some steps to the doors, a tower and then hide all the seams/decorate.

I also decided against the windows. I’m going to use balsa wood for the doors and windows. This will make the church less distincly christian. I will ad a magnet above the alter so I can place an Icon of my choosing to adjust to the game I’m playing. Allowing me to use it in warhammer/40K or C’thulu if I so choose.

Putting up a facade

Tutoring 4
Skill 9
Idea 7
No Comments

Less time these last few days and to be honest, I was a bit restless and did some computer gaming.

But I did want some progress and I decided on some fun stuff.

Nothing spectacular skill wise, but it does make the model come to life a bit. This is both to hide seams, which is criticall in scenery maing in my view and create a less flat more intersting model. I allso added the steps to the front.

 

Putting up a facade
Putting up a facade
Putting up a facade

Unfortunatly, my supplier of Balsa wood skipped town. It wasn’t the best store for hobby supplies, but now I have no way to get balsa and vallejo paint, but the internet.

Which sucks.

I guess, the doors and windows will be foam as well. Not a huge disaster. That should work too.

Getting there

Tutoring 8
Skill 10
Idea 7
No Comments

huge progress made.

This thing is turning out to be huge It;s 19 inches long. 10 wide and 20 high

I found a way to make the shingles for the roof. Not fast, but faster then I feared.

Getting there
Getting there
Getting there

Then I started working on the bell tower. I decided on a different way to hide the seams. The last one was nice, but rather bulky. This requires a bit mor preparation, but I’m more pleased with the results.

Getting there
Getting there

The top of the tower is to be removable to have easy acces to models that choose a sniper position. I allso had my first attempt at some wood structure. Something I’m gonna need now the balsa option for the doors.windows is out.

I also had my first attempt at something papercraftish, since I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to get the top of the tower in foam. Not without more specialised attachements to the foamcutter anyway.

Getting there
Getting there
Getting there

Getting there II: allmost there for real this time

Tutoring 4
Skill 8
Idea 7
No Comments

Wow, some steps take way more time than planned. I am so looking forward to making a gunstore and gasstation. I mean, it’s not like making interior for those is gonna take a long time….

So I started on the doors and windows. I used my molds to create the pieces and I had also been carefull to keep the cut-outs from the tower. I cut these in even thinner slices on the hot wire cutter. I used my pen to make some planks and a wirebrush for the texture. I then cut some really thin strips of card and stuck these on as metal crossbeams. Probaly easier to use plasticard strips that are readily available, but… no store in town.

 

Getting there II: allmost there for real this time

I finished the tower with the same shingles as the big roof. Then hid the seams with thin folded strokes of card. A small card pyramid to tie in everything on top and done.

Getting there II: allmost there for real this time
Getting there II: allmost there for real this time

If you take anything from this blog: If you are going to attempt this, make sure you either have a dedicated hobby room or a supportive significant other. I think I have been pushing said support this week.

Getting there II: allmost there for real this time

So I need to finish the back. Add some details to the doors and I should be ready for painting

Build done

Tutoring 1
Skill 8
Idea 6
No Comments

Done with building..
Well kinda. I am an idiot and miscounted the windows. I will set this strait on saturday and basecoat the thing with a mix of PVA,water and some cheap acrylic primer.

But at least I know what it looks like in one piece.
Many components aren’t glued in place. namely the steps and pillars, altar and doors and windows. this will hopefully make it easier to paint.

Build done
Build done

Primed and ready. Well.... primed....

Tutoring 5
Skill 4
Idea 3
2 Comments

I made the missing window shutters and completly forgot a Trapdoor in the tower. Never mind, I’ll make that later and just glue it on. Not done with the entire project for a long while anyway.

That I made my prime mix.

I used a mix of about 1/5 th pva with 2/5 demineralised water and a cheap primer.

I used deminerilased water hoping I could save if I made to much, but this thing was parched. The theorie is the PVA hardens the material and the primer makes the paint adhere better. I will test this as soon as it’s dry and have a few hours to spare, hopefully tomorrow.

It’s a messy process, make sure you cover stuff up. Since everything is watersoluble, it’s not a big deal if it gets on the table, but you don’t want this stuff in the carpet.

Primed and ready. Well.... primed....
Primed and ready. Well.... primed....

Airbrush shenanigans

Tutoring 6
Skill 4
Idea 0
No Comments

So apperantly there’s mor to airbrushing than spray and pray.

I played around a bit with it before, but during my first attempt it took over 3 hours. My spray was way to small and the result ended rather blodgy.

In the end it appeared the final tip of the airbrush that guides the needle got loose. Luckily I recovered it. My own fault offcourse.

More importantly, I discovered for these bigger project I needed to increase the PSI to about 40 instead of the 20 normally suggested for miniatures. The second result was far better. Not good enough for a miniature, but on a building that should show some sign of age it’s fine, especially once I drybrushed and  washed it

First attemptFirst attempt
SuccesSucces

In the meantime I made some wash. I needed something close to armypainters Strongtone, but like loads of it. Enough for this project would have cost me…

ONE MILLION DOLLAR.....ONE MILLION DOLLAR.....

Or a tad less. Not on option anyway. I made my own with about 1/3 Isopropanol 2/3 water (demineralised to make sure it keeps)  and then add chestnut and black ink untill I was happy with the result.

And… it’s crap. Seriously don’t do this. It just pools or flows strait from the model. I’m going to try some different options, but don’t use this one….

Can I get an AMEN, Brothers and Sisters?

Tutoring 2
Skill 8
Idea 0
No Comments

Okay, so a good recipe for a wash is: cheap acrylic paint, water and some dishwaser (just a dab). It was a bit of a chore, but after the basecoat and first drybrush, this wash did the trick.

I used cheap acrylics to get the drybrush colour. Just some brown and white, tinted with the slightest ammount of model colour red.

Then I washed the entire model with brown/black and the roof again with black.

Then I did one more light drybrush and added a camo wash in most of the corners and created some streaks to simulate moss gowth.

The model is done for now. I messed up one of the small front windows and I want to add a piece of metal to allow me to attach magnetised Iconography above the altar. For now it’s servicable.

 

 

Can I get an AMEN, Brothers and Sisters?
Can I get an AMEN, Brothers and Sisters?
Unfortunalty for those who sought sanctuary, they brought the infection in with themUnfortunalty for those who sought sanctuary, they brought the infection in with them

These streets aren't safe

Tutoring 1
Skill 1
Idea 2
No Comments

I’m not making the same mistake again and start a building without planning.

Pretty sure I allready have to scrap the motel for now, or the buildings won’t fit the board.

So first thing first; the board itself. I had it cut to size and used duc-tape to strengthen the sides.

These streets aren't safe
These streets aren't safe
These streets aren't safe

Let’s see what Kind of setup I can make. I need several places to put this monstrousity

These streets aren't safe

Allright. So first I use PVA to put down the road. Just a small road, suitable for a quiet suburban place. I used the finest grit sandpaper I could find for it.

Then I covered the rest in styrodur and cut it to size

These streets aren't safe
These streets aren't safe

Now I need to create the pavement and paint the lot

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