More Post-Apocalyptic (Wrecked Cars & Dead Trees)

    Mantic Games resin wrecked vehicles painted up rusted and dilapidated for post-apoc games

With Advance the Colors 2023 behind me, I now seem to have more time for finishing up things I'd begun (or wanted to start on) earlier. First and foremost were four wrecked vehicles that I want to use for scatter scenery in my post-apocalyptic games. I picked them up at the Guardtower East during one of our monthly Saga game days. 

 Biggest complaint was that the window for the back up the pickup had to be glued in and didn't fit

These were made of a gray resin or plastic and came with two pickup trucks and two cars. Each type was identical, and the pickup required one piece of assembly. The back window of the pickup needed glued into place with the truck's bed. Only it wasn't that simple. Try as I might, I simply couldn't get it to fit smoothly. There had obviously been some warping or distortion that went on in the casting process. I ended up having to epoxy the windows into place as close I could. I then filled the gaps with green stuff. I was fairly happy with how I did with the green stuff. It is definitely something I am still a learner on.

    The models come dented to simulate a wreck, but all the rust and wear and tear was painted on

I spray painted each vehicle with Krylon matte black, following it up with my usual 50/50 acrylic black paint and water. I then epoxied it to a styrene plastic base, though I was tempted to leave it un-based and free standing. It might even look better on the tabletop that way, but I detest holding onto things while painting something, with the chance of rubbing off paint. Or paint the bottom and then painting the top. Basing something up and holding onto that base is always preferable.

    The windows are solid, so I used my brushwork to make them look broken and busted, too

Next, I did the base color for all four vehicles, leaving black gaps in the seams of the body panels, doors, etc. I'm not sure why I went with brighter colors for the vehicles over the trucks, but I did. I followed this with a dry brush of white or lighter color of the base. Next, I did a three part rust effect, beginning with a dark brown, adding in patches of a rusty, leathery brown, and then finishing it off with an orange clay color. Since the windows were solid, I had to paint cracks to make them look busted up, too. I painted the chrome areas a steel color, then pewter and silver highlights. Of course, each vehicle got a dark black wash to look appropriately abandoned and dirty.

    3-D printed trees from Rusty Parker of Jarls Workshop. I decided to make them "dead" for post-apoc

The next thing I finished off were two 3-d printed trees that I'd picked up as prizes from the Hold the Line Saga tournament in Port Clinton, OH. Rusty Parker of Jarl's Workshop printed them off and had numerous ones he'd painted up for terrain for the tournament. He had flocked them to look like trees in bloom, but I thought their bare branches would make them excellent dead trees to add to the smaller ones I'd painted up earlier. In a post-apocalyptic landscape, the dead trees at a nice desolate vibe.

    Closeup of the one of the dead trees with my 28mm Planet of the Apes gorillas patrolling nearby

These were very easy to get ready for the tabletop! I simply spray painted them black, did my usual 50/50 acrylic follow up, and then dry brushed them. I applied the first dry brush thickly -- more of a "wet brush." I used the Camo Brown from Howard Hues. Next, I did a dry brush of Howard Hues Khaki. A black wash finished them out, and they were ready for flocking. There is an area between the branches that looks like vegetation, so I flocked that with Woodland Scenics "Burnt Grass" flocking. Otherwise, I did a fine brown ballast around the roots and applied a Turf Earth over top of that. A couple more patches of burnt grass and some tufts, and they were done. Of course, they are taller than the box which I stored my smaller dead trees would hold! I will sit them on their sides until I think of a better idea.

    The smaller dead trees in back are from Mantic Games' Terrain Crate line, 'Gothic Grounds'

These two mini-projects took less time each than a normal batch of Saga miniatures, so it was nice to feel they were painted up quickly! Hopefully, the speedy progress will continue!