More Large Jungle Scatter Pieces & Miscellaneous

    Some of my 28mm Pulp miniatures posed in front of a jungle made from my new scatter pieces

Here are several things I've been working on that I combined into one update. First, I created another six large pieces of jungle scatter. These are pretty much identical to my first batch, but seemed to go a lot faster. I imagine it is because I had a plan and knew what I was doing...ha, ha! This brings me to a dozen of these larger pieces. One more batch of smaller ones and I will call myself done with jungle scatter -- for now, at least!

    With these six complete, I now have a dozen 3" diameter jungle scatter pieces for my tabletops

I started with 3" circles of birch wood that I picked up at Michaels craft store awhile back. In the center of each, I placed a plastic palm tree. I have an entire box of plastic palm trees, and could easily spare these. I think I picked up long, long ago from Pastimes on the Square at a Historicon or Cold Wars convention. They are a great place to pick up little pieces of vegetation, foam hills, or other scenic bits made from plastic plants or other cheap sources. Once the palm tree was epoxied into place, I a khaki colored dry brush on the trunk. I followed this up with a dark brown vehicle wash and the trunk was suitably "spiffed up." Next, I did a light olive dry brush here and there over the palm fronds themselves.

    Two explorers on a jungle path: "Boy, it sure is hot in this jungle..." "Shut up, kid, and keep up..."

With the central palm done, it was time to flock the base -- yes, before putting on the other plastic plants! Flocking afterwards would be a nightmare, and get all kinds of pieces attached to the plants themselves. I used my usual three-step brown ballast and blended earth and grass turf that I use for my bases. Since cooler weather had returned, I could spray these with clear acrylic matte after this step. 

    A close up of some of the discs with no miniatures tramping by them...

Next, I pulled out all of my plastic plants I'd picked up from either Hobby Lobby or Michaels when I was doing the earlier batches (and even longer ago). I trimmed to size a variety of styles and likely more than I'd need. Next, I used a larger diameter pin vice to drill holes for the stems of the plants and covered it with a blob of two-part epoxy. Then, I inserted the stems through the holes. I would set the disc on a pair of old dice or something so that they were high enough up that the stem wouldn't hit my desk. I would do one plant per disc, let them dry a few minutes, and then drill the next hold in each disc. This assembly line method worked much better than the hodge podge way I did it before. 

    I used a variety of plastic plant types and trimmed them to create a jungle array

I let the epoxy dry for an hour or so before flipping the discs over and trimming off the stems that projected through the base. One final step remained. I grabbed a premixed bottle of brown wash made from Vallejo clear matte and brown that I don't use anymore (I mostly use the vehicle washes nowadays). I slathered this liberally over all of the greenery on each disc, the palm fronds included. This takes the plastic shine off of the plants and gives it a more realistic look, I feel. In any jungle or woods, there are always dying plants. The brown wash gives that effect.

    The neoprene mat I created with fabric spray paint for those six-player, free for all skirmishes

You may have noticed the dark, greenish-brown mat that the jungle scatter and miniatures are sitting on. The cooler temperatures and lower humidity finally gave me a chance to paint a hex-shaped neoprene mat I had created from material bought at JoAnn Fabrics going out of business sale months ago. I had decided to try fabric spray paint to color it (comes light gray off the roll). I mentioned that to my friend Mike S, and he generously gave me two large cans of it, a dark brown and a forest green. I laid a tarp down in the grass outside and gave two coats of dark brown to it first. The next day, I sprayed it less thoroughly with the forest green. I wanted both the brown and green to be showing through, which I think it does. However, it is way darker than I would have liked. I'd be curious to see what others think, though...

    Two bedrolls and a large blanket that looked vaguely "old" to use for my French encampment

The final items are three pieces of plastic scatter from a huge box of Terrain Crate scatter that I bought from my friend Bryan Borgman a few years back. They are from the Crystal Peaks Camp and included two sleeping bedrolls and a large blanket. I will be using these as part of a French camp in my refight of the skirmish at Jumonville Glen at the Ohio History Center, Sept. 7. Our HMGS Great Lakes chapter will be hosting monthly historical miniatures games at the museum to showcase our hobby to passers by. Players and GMs get in free to the museum, and we will have literature on hand to pass out about the hobby.

    "Wait...I hear zee reinforcements are on zair way, mes amis!" My Frenchies awaiting new recruits

I'm happy with the scatter and the blankets and bedrolls -- still undecided on the hexagon mat. Oh, well -- that's how it goes sometimes! Not every idea comes to fruition perfectly!! So, what else is on my painting desk? Right now, two batches of miniatures -- Orc archers for my Dragon Rampant army and six Canadian Militia to reinforce the French side in that upcoming skirmish. Terrain-wise, I am scratch-building my own French & Indian War tents for the scenery in that game, as well. Stay tuned for more!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 180

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 159

Resin Bunkers from MBA for Vietnam Project

    28mm NVA Jungle Bunker available from Miniature Building Authority - you can see fig inside

I picked up these four resin bunkers and sniper positions at Historicon 2025 from Miniature Building Authority. Not that every game is going to include a bunker, but the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong did use them, and they were usually well-camouflaged, making it hard to see them. My plan was to have them "appear" on the tabletop when a light machine gun Event Card is drawn in my Surviving 'Nam rules. Same with the sniper positions, though I may need to purchase a prone figure or two to have them and their base actually fit inside the position with the roof on! Oh, no -- just when you thought it was safe -- more purchases! 

    Coconut Log MG Bunker from MBA (originally made by Acheson Creations) with some VC figs

These 28mm pieces were originally produced by Acheson Creations, and Kirk at MBA has picked up them up and carries them on his website. All of the pieces came with detachable roofs. I purchased the Coconut Log Bunker, NVA Jungle Bunker, and two of the Sniper Positions. I'm a big fan of Acheson pieces, but have learned by now that you MUST do something to get of the mold release agent. Otherwise, your paint will bead up like rain on a newly-waxed car -- or pull away and bubble. My method is to put them in the dishwasher with soap on a low heat, light wash cycle. Next, I prime them with Krylon Fusion Acrylic black matte spray paint. The final step before painting is to go over the surface with a 50/50 mixture of black craft paint and water, to ensure all crevices are fully filled.

    U.S. soldiers investigate MBA's 'Sniper Position' - it blends in well with my Jungle Scatter pieces!

Typically, Acheson pieces are a snap to paint up. Sometimes, it is only 3-4 colors on something and you're done, except for flocking. These were a bit more complex, though. I decided to do the wooden log construction of the bunkers first. I did a wet brush of dark brown, letting them dry overnight. Then, I did two highlights -- the first in Howard Hues Camo Brown and the second in Khaki. I'm always happy with the wood look this color combo gives, and these were no exception.

    A V.C. machine gunner inside the Coconut Log Bunker with the roof off of it

Next up, I went to work on the very thick vegetation molded onto both the roofs and the bottom parts of the positions. I decided to go with a three-color approach. First, I painted it all in a very dark green craft color that I have. After drying overnight, I did a medium green dry brush. These pieces are excellently sculpted, and have nice deep grooves in the palm fronds that are perfect for dry brushing. The next morning I put on the final very light green dry brush -- applied lightly. I really liked how the vegetation looked at this stage, and think it will blend in nicely with the model trees I use on the tabletop, which was a concern I had originally.

    The bottom part of the NVA Jungle Bunker comes in two pieces, with the roof as a 3rd piece

The final detail on the pieces were the boulders or large rocks modeled into the vegetation at various points. In carefully looking over these pieces, I found that I had painted a number of the rocks green thinking they were vegetation instead of rock. Even after I thought I was done, I found more of them! I did a three-color approach to these, as well. I used a Charcoal craft paint as a base coat, then a medium and finally light gray dry brush highlight. At this stage, everything was painted. I liked how they looked, but definitely wanted to do a wash on them before flocking. 

    MBA's 'Sniper Position' with palm frond roof off of it - the inside portion is too small for my figs!

In the end, I did two washes. For the vegetation, I used a dark brown vehicle wash from Vallejo. In creating my jungle scatter pieces, I had toned down the green plastic of those with a brown wash. I felt that doing a brown wash on top of the vegetation on the bunkers would give them a similar look to the scatter pieces. I was glad that I made that decision. I think the brown-washed vegetation looks great! Next, I did a black wash on the rocks and wood. The last step would be flocking, and like everything else with these bunkers, it would be multi-step and more complex than usual.

    Side view of 'NVA Jungle Bunker' - you can see the separate back wall better in this photo

First, I had to paint all of the earth that was showing. I used my usual craft brown paint. This was fiddly in some places, as I had to pick out the brown between individual palm fronds or rocks. Some modelers might have painted the earth first, in the time-honored paint "inside out" approach. However, I was afraid I would have too much splash over with the wet and dry brushing of the vegetation and boulders. Of course, I could have done the earth first and then gone back and just touched up the mistakes. If I were to more of these pieces, that's probably the method I would try next. 

    'I'm not going in there...YOU go in there!' -- a close up look at the front of the Sniper Position

Once the earth color had dried, the time for flocking had come. I have an old Elmer's glue bottle that I keep filled with half white glue, half brown craft paint (the same color I use for the earth). Once again, I carefully brushed this onto the brown earth spots, and then poured over Woodland Scenics Blended Turf. I tapped off the excess, and then used a makeup brush and a soft paint brush to whisk off the excess flocking from the leaves and boulders. I seized the chance of a borderline low humidity that day to spray the flocked pieces with Krylon clear matte.

    This look at the roof of the NVA Jungle Bunker gives a good picture of the intricate detail

The final step in the flocking process was to add patches of Woodland Scenics Blended Green Grass in irregular patches to the turf. It is a similar process I use for many of my bases, and I like the effect it gives. Like with my miniature bases, I also glued on a few tufts here and there. And leaves! I am really liking the touch that miniature leaves give to figure bases and terrain flocking. Now, I just need to find another source of them before I run out. One final spray coat and these bunkers are done! Well...they were supposed to be done. I wasn't 100% happy with how the roofs sat on the bunkers. I swore they fit nice and snug before I primed and painted everything! However, they seemed a little wobbly after it was all done. So, I decided to add a layer of black felt to the bottom of the roofs. Not only would it essentially be invisible when the roof was sitting on the bunker, the felt material should both snag and cushion the posts a little, and help them sit a little more secure. That is the hope, at least!

    Front of the Coconut Log Bunker -- you can barely see the flesh of the prone machine gunner inside

I'm very happy with how these bunkers and sniper positions came out. I'm so glad that Kirk from MBA has kept some of the incredible Acheson terrain line in production. If you need a few bunkers for either Pacific theater of World War II or Vietnam, I highly recommend these!

    Top down look at a Sniper Position which shows the dry brushing on the palms fairly well

So, what else is on my painting desk? Since terrain is often a "do a little bit and let dry overnight" kind of pace, I have been working off and on the last five Fantasy Fishmen I had primed and ready to go. They're off to a great start and are pretty far along. After that, I have some decisions to make as far as miniatures go. I can begin painting my horde of 28mm metal Orcs and Goblins, or I can do up a few batches of miscellaneous stuff I've been wanting to get done eventually. My guess is it'll be Orcs and Goblins, but we shall see!

    Last look at the NVA Jungle Bunker with 2 of my 28mm 'Black Sun' range NVA troops

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 167

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 61

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 150

3-D Printed Canyon Rocks & Stacks from Diabolical Terrain

    Battle droids prowl the canyon lands of Tatooine among 3-D printed pieces from Diabolical Terrain

A big part of my advance purchase that I picked up at Historicon from Diabolical Terrain were these desert terrain pieces from his Canyon Rocks & Stacks range. I wanted them to supplement the Desert Rock Formations that I had painted up awhile back. I now have 17 of these printed in 32mm scale, so should be set for any of my Star Wars skirmishes that I set out in the outback of Tatooine! 

    These canyon rocks and stacks certainly evoke desert terrain out west, such as Arches National Park

They are incredibly easy to get ready for the tabletop, too. I began -- as I did with the first batch -- with sand-colored Camouflage spray prime from Menards. I must not have sprayed it on as thick as I did with the first batch, because I did have to go back and do a base coat on top of the priming in a craft paint khaki color. Or maybe there are more grooves and crevices in this batch than the first. Who knows?

    I love how the erosion lines paint up quickly with a simple base coat, dry brush, and wash

Either way, I let them dry overnight after that. Next, I did a white dry brush highlight with a wide, stiff-bristled brush. If this is sounding familiar, it is exactly the same recipe as for my Tatooine buildings! Some of these are fairly big pieces, so I had to be careful to not smudge the areas I'd already dry brushed as I went all the way around each piece. Once again, I let them dry overnight before the next step.

    The contrast between the two styles of pieces -- stacked rocked look and eroded look

The final step besides a clear coat spray was to go over them completely with my Vallejo brown vehicle wash. I was worried that the massive surface area of the eight pieces would deplete my bottle completely and force me to mix up a new batch with the restock I picked up at Historicon. However, it did not -- there is still some left in the pre-mixed (watered down) bottle I made last summer. Now, the problem is that I don't actually remember what my ratio or formula was for Vehicle Wash to Water. Maybe I'll go back and read some of my blog posts to see if I mention it? I looked on the bottle cap (where I usually write these things down in Sharpie), but there's nothing there. 

    Few things are more Star Wars iconic than creatures riding huge beasties -- so this fig was a natural

Anyway, I really like the effect this dark brown wash gives on these pieces. It gives  the surface a nice kind of glow that you sometimes see in photographs of the desert southwest. Speaking of which, some of these are dead ringers for the terrain you see in Arches National Park. I'm sure that is intentional, so these pieces would also look great in a Western game set in the appropriate desert lands. The pieces actually break down into two types of surfaces. One is very craggy and like piled rocks (stacks?). The other is smooth and eroded with parallel lines carved into them by wind or water. Geologically, I'm not sure which it is -- I just know I've seen some amazing photos of these types of rocks out West!

    These battle droids are on the hunt for the Empire's enemies, tirelessly trekking the sandy planet

I really like how these turned out, and now I'm wishing my next Star Wars scenario was set in Tusken Raider land or something. Instead, it is a city scenario using the additional "Tatooie" (as the website calls them) buildings I bought from Diabolical at Historicon. Oh well...next game! Still, if you are currently doing Star Wars skirmishes with your group, you can definitely use some of theses for your games! They are reasonably priced and you can scale up or down what size you want them printed in (with the price going up or down, too, of course!).

    No sign of the Rebels here! Terrain pieces like these are where 3-D printing excels, I feel...

So, what's next on my paint desk? Well, speaking of Star Wars, I'm working on a batch of six civilians that I pieced together from the various Stargrave plastic sets I've purchased. They're about half done and will be needed for the upcoming game near the end of the month for our next game of Space Weirdos. The resin bunkers and sniper positions from Miniature Building Authority are still primed and awaiting their first coat. After that, I would like to polish off those five additional fishmen I primed up awhile back. Otherwise, if I jump from here into painting my Dragon Rampant fantasy troops, they'll be giving me the stink eye the whole time: "Hey, Bub! What about us? Youse said we's was next...!"

    A final look at the atmospheric 8 Canyon Rocks and Stacks that I just painted up

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 161

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 57

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 150

Urban Development in Tatooine (& moved markers)

    My newest Sci-Fi buildings for Tatooine are 3-D printed in 32mm scale from Diabolical Terrain

It was a race to see which of the things I purchased at Historicon last weekend that I would finish first. At first, I thought it would be the four Vietnamese light machine gunners (next post). However, my multi-step flocking method slowed progress down on them enough so that the Tatooine buildings and some movement markers for our Star Wars skirmishes beat them to the finish line. The buildings were ones I bought from Diabolical Terrain. With these finished, I now own one each of the six different styles in their "Tatooie" line of 3-D printed buildings. Hopefully, I'm set for now with buildings for my Star Wars skirmishes! That's the thing about 28mm terrain -- it takes up a lot of room and is not cheap!

    Two views of the larger domed building -- these paint up so quickly and I think look great!

I really do like these buildings, though. They look perfect for a Star Wars setting. Plus, they are so easy to prep for the tabletop. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that I finished them first. First, I spray painted them with a Khaki "camouflage" color I bought at Menards. Unfortunately, it didn't cover as well as it did on my first batch of these buildings, so I had to go over with a brush-on craft paint to give it a thorough base coat. After it had dried overnight, I dry brushed the buildings white. Waiting another evening, I applied Vallejo brown vehicle wash over it. I really like how the wash softens and blends the brush strokes of the highlighting. Prior to washing the buildings, I was kind of disappointed in myself, feeling I had botched the dry brushing stage. The harshest strokes disappear, though, once the wash is applied. Magic for the fumble fingered...ha, ha!

    The 'Double Humped' building being inspected by Stormtroopers on the lookout for 'rebel scum'

All that was left after that was to pick out the details. Most were done with Iron Wind Metals "Steel" paint. Progressively, I added a craft Gunmetal Gray, then Pewter to give depth to the metallic sections. The doors were painted first in Steel, then I added Metallic Brown in the recessed panels. Pewter was added as a highlight to the steel sections. Once again, these lines between the different colors disappeared when I did the Vallejo black vehicle wash over it. I really like what this wash does to metallic colors. It gives great shadows and depth, yet lets the highlighted areas still have more shine.

    Street level view of the three buildings together -- soon to be used in our next Star Wars scenario!

I'm glad I finished these, as I will need to use them in a few weeks for Mission 3 of our Star Wars skirmishes. This will take place in the city, again. The extra buildings will prove useful in creating the backstreets where most of the battle will take place. If anyone is interested in picking up a set of these from Diabolical Terrain, mine are printed in 32mm scale. There is a drop down menu on each building's page which allows you to select which scale you want them printed. Or -- better yet -- pick them up at the HMGS Great Lakes flagship convention, Advance the Colors, Oct. 10-11 in Springfield, OH. Ron Weaver will be attending as a dealer and has lots of great stuff!

    This pack in Menards caught my eye -- I had been looking for something to use for move markers

The next items I finished up involved a bit of serendipity. I was in Menards, picking up a replacement can of that Khaki spray paint, when I cut through one of the hardware aisles. I happened to pick the aisle that had the little stick-on sliders you put on the bottom of furniture. Lo and behold, I saw 1/2" diameter round adhesive cork pieces on the wall rack. Scratch builders know that cork is a great material. It can be painted or dry brushed to look like just about anything -- a rocky outcrop, asphalt, you name it! I have been trying to figure out what to use as markers for some of my games to denote which figures have acted already for that turn. In particular, I need them for Space Weirdos rules. You are supposed to show how many movement actions a figure has taken on its turn because it can affect shooting at (and by) them. Since you can move up to three times in a turn, I wanted smaller markers. These will be perfect, I think.

    Luckily, I already had a box of 1/2 washers that fit on the underside of the cork pieces perfectly

Even better, I discovered that I already had a box of 1/2" metal washers when I got home. Cork is a great looking material, but it can be fragile. I simply peeled off the paper back of the pieces and stuck the metal magnet to the underside of each cork piece. No problems with fragility now! Next, I flipped them over, and put a blob of white glue in the center of each washer -- just to make sure that the two stay properly adhered to each other.

    First batch of 24 move markers - I really like how they look with the cork surface, rocks & tufts/flock

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised how quick these were made ready for the tabletop...wait! Didn't I just say that about something else? I pulled out all of my khaki-ish paints, opened them up, and set their lids next to the mat I most often use for Space Weirdos games. I picked out the one that matched best -- it was a craft paint called...wait for it..."Khaki!" I painted the side edges of the cork/washer first in that color. Next, I wet brushed the cork top in that color, as well. I figured they'd need more than that, and after looking at them, I decided I was right. I added groups of 2-3 small tan ballast stones to the top by applying a bit of white glue and then placing each stone with a brush whose tip was dipped in the glue.

    How the markers will be used -- to indicate which figs have acted & how many moves they made

A few hours later, I went downstairs and took a look a them. I felt the movement markers needed a bit more. I added brown vehicle wash to the base and the rocks. They definitely looked better, as the wash settled into the grooves of the cork and gave irregular darker patches. But...guess what? I felt they could use just a bit more...ha, ha! I added tufts or clump foliage to each one with a dab of white glue. Now, they were perfect! Or at least would be, once I got a chance to spray coat them with matte.

    A rebel drone keeps an aerial view on a squad of Stormtroopers as they search Mos Eisley

I will be headed back to Menards soon for another box of 24 of these cork pieces. Or two boxes? Remember -- cork looks great! It can be used to replicate so many surfaces! Anyway, I was happy with how they came out. The question will be whether I will make similar ones for other terrain surfaces. So, what else is on my painting desk? Quite a bit, actually. The only miniatures currently underway (other than the machine gunners who are just waiting on a matte spray coat) are the dozen 28mm Empress Vietnamese civilians I also bought at Historicon. They are about 1/3 of the way done. Terrain-wise, I have the nine 3-D printed canyon rocks and stacks that I bought at Historicon base coated. The MBA sniper positions and bunkers will hopefully get a black primer today. So, stay tuned! More of my purchases from Historicon are on the way!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 145

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 50

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 138

More Buildings for 28mm Vietnam Project

    Two 3-D printed Jungle Huts & 1 Shanty Town 'Noodle House' from Miniature Building Authority

Although I purchased all three of these buildings from Miniature Building Authority, they are actually two different types of products. The two similar ones are 3-D printed and the other is a resin building from his Shanty Town range that I thought might look appropriate for rural Vietnam. I think the 3-D printed ones, Jungle Hut, although different sizes are the exact same model. I think one was printed up for 28mm scale and the other was printed for 20mm, perhaps? They both look like they'll work for 28mm, with one simply being like a bigger hut. That's my guess, as I could find only one Jungle Hut listed in MBA's Pacific and Vietnam terrain section.

    I thought this resin MBA building from the 'Shanty Town' range seemed to fit for Vietnam

For the Shanty Town building, I selected Noodle Shanty as looking like it wouldn't be out of place in a village or hamlet in the countryside during the Vietnam War. I really like MBA's Shanty Town range and have been slowly picking up more and more of them. It seems that every convention MBA attends, I come how with 2-3 new buildings or products I bought at their booth. I liked this one because of its slapped-together look, with sections made of wood, corrugated tin, and even tarp. From what I have read of villages in Vietnam, the locals built with whatever scraps they could scavenge -- including the cardboard boxes C-Rations came in!

    The larger of the two 3-D printed 'Jungle Huts' - I really liked the peaked, thatch roof

All three were primed with Krylon Fusion Acrylic matte black spray paint, and then I went over them with a 50/50 mix of water and acrylic black craft paint. I have a premixed bottle (which I need to refill!) that I use since this is a common preparation method for the terrain that I paint up. I wanted these jungle huts to somewhat match my scratch-built ones I'd made for my 28mm Pulp games a few years ago. So, I chose a medium leather color as a base coat for both the interior and exterior. I dry brushed it Khaki next, but didn't like how the wooden pole framework looked identical to what I assume is supposed to be woven mat sides. I painted the horizontal and vertical poles (and door) Howard Hues camo brown. This is usually the second step, wet brushed over dark brown, in my wood tones recipe. I did a light highlight of Wild Rice rather than khaki so it looked a bit different from than the woven mat highlighting.

    I tried to match the color of the wall's woven matting to my earlier scratch-built jungle huts

All that was left for the building portion was to do a dark brown vehicle wash, which I think nicely darkens it up, but also gives some depth and warmth. Next, it was on to the roofs. Well, actually I had been working on them simultaneously. The huts had a thatch roof, which I painted with the same leather color, followed by a dun yellow dry brush. Normally, I do a light gray highlight on thatch, but I didn't on these as the detail on the 3-D prints was not as deep as, say, an Acheson Creations thatch building. I did a black wash over them, which I liked because it made the thatch a different tone than the buildings themselves. I like how these huts came out. They were easy and quick to do, similar to the Vietnamese Farmer's Hut and Barn that I'd finished previously for this project.

    The smaller of the two jungle huts, which I think are the exact same models in different scales

The Shanty Town noodle shop was a much more labor-intensive building. Being composed of a variety of patched-together materials, that meant a lot more steps and details than on the jungle huts. I began with the wooden portions, which I did in my usual aged wood preparation method. Dark brown base coat, Camo brown wet brush, and finally a khaki highlight gives a nice depth and still looks like wood. For the corrugated steel portions, I went all-in on the patched together look. I used a variety of colors -- light gray, pastel blue, gray-green, and salmon. I dry brushed the colors thickly over black, so that they would look aged and dirty. I did a light gray highlight on all of the colors. Finally, I used my Dirty Down rust effect bottle and added lots of rust to their surfaces. Having so much surface to cover, I learned a couple tricks. You get a different rust look depending on how thickly you apply it. If I brush it thinly over an area, and then add dark blobs of the paint in the middle after it has mostly dried, it gives a nice mottled look. I've decided I liked this purchase, and may go look at buying other effects from the Dirty Down line.

    The roof of the Noodle Hut and its patchwork look of pieces of rusted, corrugated steel

The oil barrels at the side of the house were done dry brushed terra cotta over black, with salmon highlights. I added rust effects to them, as well. Finally, the entire building received a black vehicle wash. I am really happy with how it turned out. It properly looks like an aging, pieced-together building in a backwater village. I could easily see using this building for post-apocalyptic games or even modern ones set in a slum or run-down area. Much as I really wanted to add a hand-lettered sign on the wooden placard of the building, I decided to hold off and let this building remain more generic. If I paint "Numbah 1 Noodles" in Vietnamese and English, like I was thinking, it makes it less usable for other periods and locations. Who knows? I may change my mind and go back and add something on the signboard. Or figure out a way to print out a sign and affix it there temporarily.

    The rear of the 'Shanty Town' Noodle Hut with its fabric tarps over some of the walls

Getting these done also neatly aligns with my other unofficial mantra for buying and painting things. I like to finish what I bought from a vendor the last time I saw them before I buy something new from them. So, having finished off all five of the buildings I bought from Kirk when he was at Buckeye Game Fest, I can with clear conscience (ha, ha!) buy new toys from him! Actually, if truth must be told, I have already put in an order with him to pick up at Historicon this week. It will be more stuff for Vietnam, but more bunkers and such to enable me to create a bigger variety of scenarios with my terrain. What else is on my painting desk? I have a big lot of Acheson Creations scatter that I am hoping to get some of done before we leave on Wednesday. It might not happen, though, as I they are only primed at the point I am typing up this blog entry. Maybe a couple of them will get done in time. We'll see! Very likely, though, this is the final blog post till after I return from Historicon.

    Interior of the Noodle Hut - I was looking for a mud-daubed wall effect with the colors I used

    Interior of one of the jungle huts -- simple, but playable, with openings to for troops to fire out

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 237
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 144

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 46

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 112

    'Chopper eye's view' of the three buildings in a jungle clearing...

Quick 'How To' for a Star Wars TIE Fighter Scenery Piece

    My scratch-built TIE fighter 'objective markers' for our 2nd skirmish in our Star Wars campaign

The second scenario in my Star Wars skirmish campaign using Space Weirdos rules will have the rebels attacking a TIE fighter base in the deserts of Tatooine. I was sure one of my friends would have some usable TIE fighter models. Color me surprised that neither Keith nor Wallace had any! I posted on the Lead Adventure Forum, looking for ideas for inexpensive roughly 28mm scale models I could use essentially as terrain in this game. Some good suggestions, but I didn't want to spend $30+ on a just few models. There HAD to be some way to make them, assemble them out of cardstock, or whatever!

    Somewhere in the Tatooine desert, a flight line and base for six imperial TIE fighters

I kept waiting for inspiration or an idea to hit me until it got to less than 2 weeks out from the game. No more time to dither, I had to make a decision! I chose to make my own. I found a good image online of the TIE fighter's hexagonal panel "wings." I would print these out at the local office supply store, using the same image for both inside and outside. I'd affix those with spray adhesive to a piece of thin styrene plastic (white glue just peeled off). Now, I would need to source the central ball-shaped pod and the connecting sprues. As I like to do in such scratch-building situations, I headed up to Hobby Lobby. And hit paydirt!

    The image I found online of a TIE fighter side panel and the styrene sheet I affixed them onto

First, I found perfect-sized, wooden spheres at clearance prices for the central sections. There were even holes drilled in either side so it could be a "bead," in essence. Then, I found a bag of cylindrical, wooden beads that looked to be a good size to connect to the panels. These were also at a good price! The last stop was at Office Max, where I got two silver Sharpies (one thick point, one thin). The plan would be to spray paint the ball and beads black, and draw panel lines in silver. Here's where I was relying on memory rather than double-checking images. I should have spray painted gray and used black Sharpies to do the darker portions. D'oh!

    Wooden beads from the local craft store made up the central section of the TIE fighters

The cylindrical beads fit well into the holes on the spherical beads. I had also bought a thin wooden dowel to string all three together so they'd be lined up straight, though. I pre-cut the dowel into the correct lengths, squirted white glue into each bead, and then strung them all together, twisting the cylindrical beads to get them firmly inserted into the holes in the balls.

    Close up of the panel lines drawn on with silver Sharpie onto the ship's central sections 

I spray painted these black (yeah, yeah, should have been gray!), then spent an hour or so after they had dried going over them with the silver Sharpies, creating panel lines. Honestly, I did a so-so job on this stage. These are definitely terrain items -- not beautiful models recreating a TIE fighter. Lump them in the "should be seen from six feet away category" and they look fine...ha, ha! In my game, the TIE fighters are basically just objectives that the rebel players are trying to blow up. They won't take to the air and I don't imagine I will use them for too many scenarios. They're fine for spending just a tad over $10 for everything.

    Side view with a look at the fancy furniture tacks that (along with Tacky glue) hold them together

I did forget to mention that I bought a box of fancy, silver Furniture Tacks at the local Menards to fasten the hexagonal panels to the wooden central section. I used a pin vice to create a hole in each of the hexagonal panels. Then I drilled out the inside of the cylindrical beads (essentially through the dowel). I squirted in white glue into either side, and then pressed the tack in firmly from the outside, attaching the panels and central section firmly together.

    Stormtroopers guard the flight line -- will they be able to hold off the rebel raid & protect the ships?

All in all, they look okay as scenery. So, if you have a need for a half a dozen parked TIE fighters that you can source for less than $20 total, maybe my post here will inspire you. If not, now you know what lengths I will go to in giving my games that little extra bit of eye candy...ha, ha! Oh, and despite all of what I just said, in my totals below, I am counting these TIE fighters in the "MINIATURES" category...! 

    Final look at my 'terrain pieces' -- TIE fighters built for $10+ so my players could blow them up!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 237
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 138

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 43

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 112