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

Miniature Building Authority Vietnamese Farm Buildings & Scatter

   A patrol stocks up in a VC-friendly hamlet including my 2 MBA Farmer's House & Barn buildings

Now that I am finished with the miniatures for my 28mm Vietnam project, it is time to slip into "terrain mode." First up in the buildings I will be readying for the tabletop are from Miniature Building Authority. I purchased these from Kirk at Buckeye Game Fest this past May. When I unpacked them, they looked oddly familiar. Turns out, these were originally created by Acheson Creations and now are stocked by MBA. They are ACH-TC85 Vietnamese Farmer's House and ACH-TC88 Vietnamese Farmer's Barn.

    Originally produced by Acheson Creations, these MBA buildings were easy to ready for the tabletop

Unfortunately, I didn't realize they were originally Acheson ones until after I spray primed them and added the 50/50 mixture of acrylic black paint and water. It was then that I noticed some of the paint pulling away from the more raised areas. Uh-oh. I hadn't done my usual first step with Acheson products and run them through the dishwasher to get rid of the residue from Acheson's mold release. Once I realized it, I had two choices: strip them and start over or pile on the paint and sealant heavy enough that the paint does not wear away. I chose the latter, as I had no idea how to strip the Krylon Fusion Matte primer off without marring the surface of the buildings. These are great buildings, but I highly recommend you do the dishwasher thing before painting them, as for all Acheson's excellent products.

    The rear of the two buildings -- all it takes to paint these is prime, wet brush, & dry brush...easy!

I decided to do the interiors first. I gave them a thick Leather Brown base coat. I let them dry overnight and then dry brushed the interiors khaki. I painted the window trim and door frames a darker brown, then similarly dry brushed them khaki. The exteriors were painted dark brown first. I let the buildings dry overnight again, then I followed up with my typical "wood pattern." I applied a Camo brown wet brush followed the next day by a Khaki dry brush. I really like the look of the aged wood it gives, but still retaining a brown tone rather than a (probably more realistic) gray. 

    The interiors of the two resin buildings with their mud walls and wooden floors

The floors were done like the outside walls, skipping the khaki dry brush. I wanted them to be darker, figuring the farmer's family regularly tracked in dirt into their home. In fact, I was surprised the home and barn were modeled with wood flooring. I wonder if dirt would be more accurate? Perhaps in some areas and not others? I can't claim to be an expert on farmer home construction during the Vietnam War! Finally, I did the thatch roofing. This began with Camo Brown, followed by a Dun Yellow wet brush, and finally a very light gray dry brush highlighting. Once dry, I gave the thatch a black vehicle wash. 

    My larger jungle scatter pieces I created, with a patrol of Viet Cong marching past

Since I was worried about the paint not adhering to the resin properly, I gave the buildings a brush on clear coat using Liquitex matte varnish instead of spray. To hold the flocking in place on the base, I used a coating of white glue and water. So far, I don't see any signs of paint scraping off, but I guess I will find out for sure once I start using them in game.

    I used circular wooden bases, palm trees, and a variety of plastic plants from the craft store for these

The other terrain I finished this week for Vietnam were larger jungle scatter bases. I picked up two packs of six 3" round wooden discs at Hobby Lobby to supplement the smaller ones I had done previously. In the center of each of the large bases, I epoxied in a plastic palm tree. I dry brushed the trunk khaki and then added a dark brown vehicle wash over it. The plain green plastic palm fronds were dry brushed here and there a light olive drab. Next, I painted the edges of the bases and flocked them with my usual method I used for miniatures. I let them flocking dry completely for a day before beginning the next step.

    A close up of one of the bases with a VC soldier - note the effect of the brown wash/varnish

I assembled my ziploc bags of various plastic plants that I'd picked up from the local craft store. I snipped off ends of various plants for vegetation to surround the palm tree. Once I felt I had enough (I didn't -- I went back and snipped more), I drilled holes into the base with a pin vice so I could insert the plastic stems. I dabbed each hole with two-part epoxy and forced the stems about a quarter of an inch through. I also added individual fallen leaves and fronds from the plastic plants to the ground. Once done with this stage, I set them atop some old dice I use so they were raised off the surface of my desk. I didn't want the stems being pushed one way or another and messing up the way I had the plants sticking up.

    Another look at one of the bases surrounded by others, with two VC stalking through the vegetation

The next morning, I turned the bases over and trimmed off the stems with a carpet knife. Finally, I added the tiny leaves that I've been adding to the base of my Vietnam figures. There was one more important step to go, though! As I mentioned in the post for the smaller jungle pieces, I think that plastic plants on their own have too shiny of a look. I mixed up a batch of Liquitex matte varnish with a few drops of brown paint. Then I painted it over all of the plants and also the fronds of the central palm tree. Not only did this dull down the sheen and make it look more natural, it also added a brownish look of dying vegetation. 

    I like the combination of palm trees with miscellaneous craft store plastic plants -- very "irregular"

I really like how these larger scatter pieces came out. I am planning on doing one more batch of the smaller ones and another of these larger ones before I'm done. When added to my fairly decent collection of palm trees, I feel they should give a nice jungle-like look. They are time consuming to build, with all the trimming of the plastic plants and drilling holes for the stems. However, they add variety to the tabletop. I'm really looking forward to what my Vietnam battle board will look like. The little vignettes I set up to photograph to display the miniatures or terrain I've painted look nice, I think. A whole table in that fashion should look great!

    A final look at my most recent additions to my Vietnam terrain -- will the VC take the chickens, too?

So, what's next on my painting desk? For miniatures, I've started a batch of 28mm resin Fishfolk that I also purchased from MBA. I wanted to practice on them before doing the more expensive Beldolor Studies ones I got at Origins. I've also primed three more buildings for the Vietnam project. So, I guess I am keeping up with my strategy of juggling of a batch of miniatures with a batch of terrain at all times. So, look for these in future posts!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 237
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 132

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

Ruined Building & Various Scatter for Flea Market Sale

    Two-storey ruined MDF building from Father and Son -- I really like the detail on the floors!

I'm continuing to crank out the stuff in preparation for having things to sell on my flea market table at Historicon. I had earmarked this MDF 2-Storey Ruined Building from Father and Son Gaming as one I had purchased, but didn't necessarily need in my collection. Much like the earlier 4 Ground ruined buildings, this one came out so nice I'm tempted to keep it and not sell it! I really like how it looks all painted up.

    Three of my survivors check out the newest ruined building that I prepped for the flea market

I don't know if it is typical for their MDF products, but there were no instructions included other than the photograph from two angles of the finished building. Unfortunately, for me -- Mr. Not a Puzzle Person -- it wasn't enough. There were three pieces I never figured out where they went. And I ended up assembling the walls "inside out," with what was supposed to be the exterior facing inwards. You might say that I "ruined" it, but honestly, I think it looks pretty darned good this way! I absolutely love the floor patterns that Father and Son have inscribed on the MDF. It really makes this building "pop," so to speak.

    This view shows the rubble along the base of each of the walls that I added to the MDF kit

The only modification that I did to the building was adding in rubble all along the walls. This step is easy to do. You just squirt white glue where each wall meets the floor and pour in tiny rocks or rubble. I used a bag of black rubble that I bought from Discover Games at Buckeye Game Fest. Then you tap off the excess that didn't make it firmly enough to where the glue was, and sweep that up and put it back in the bag or tub. It doesn't take that long to do and I think really adds something to the look of a ruined building. 

    Close up of the black prime, dark gray wet brush, & light gray dry brush I did to the walls

I did my usual method to ready MDF ruins for the tabletop: black prime, go over it with a 50/50 mix of acrylic black paint and water, and then wet brush dark gray and dry brush light gray. Once those steps are done, you are all but done with this. I decided to dry brush the floor in Wedgewood blue -- a very pale craft paint color. Then I took heavily watered down medium blue and painted it into the recessed floor designs. I'm very happy with how it came out. For the downstairs floor, I simply did a Terra Cotta craft paint wet brush over the tile floor. The different amounts of paint on the brush over the top of a primed black floor looks really nice.

    Also painted up 18 plaster oil barrels that a friend had given me long ago - I like how they turned out

I also like how this collection of oil barrels came out. They were cast from plaster and given to me years ago by my friend Tim Peaslee. They've sat in my unpainted scatter box for quite some time. This was mainly because I already had oil barrels from Acheson Creations and my pre-painted gas station set. Since most modern or post-apocalyptic gamers could use oil barrels, I figured why not get them ready for sale, as well? I primed them black with Fusion Acrylic Matte Black, then went over it with a 50/50 mix of black acrylic paint and water, as usual. Then I dry brushed them in various colors, which gave the a nice dirty look.

    Close up of one of my survivors guarding the oil barrels - good look at the rust effect I did

I decided to use my bottle of Dirty Down "Rust Effect" on them, too. So far, I've learned you don't simply paint this over an entire piece. It's best to pick out certain areas where rust might show up, and also to stipple it every once in awhile. Also, don't be afraid to apply some of it thicker and other parts more watered down. This gives different effects. However, I do think the effect is improved noticeably by doing a black wash over it afterwards. I was very happy with how these rusty, dirty barrels turned out. Once again -- stop me if you've heard this before -- I was tempted to keep them and not sell them in the flea market...ha. ha! I did base them on tiny washers to make them more stable on the tabletop and flocked the part of the base you can see with Woodland Scenics Blended Turf. What do you guys think? Would a buck ($1) a barrel be a fair price, or is that under pricing them (or too much)? Feel free to give me feedback in the comments.  

    3-D printed dumpsters from Sea Dog Game Studios that I also painted up for the flea market

The last things in this update are four dumpsters from Sea Dog Game Studios. These are 3-D printed items that I bought several years ago before I'd painted up the other ones I typically use in my modern games. In fact, I probably have too many dumpsters already, so these were definitely superfluous. What better thing to turn into cash than something you paid for years ago and don't really need, right?

    'What do you think - should we look inside?' - A closeup of the largest of the 4 rusty dumpsters

I gave these the same prime and 50/50 preparation that I did with the other two things in this post. I painted the dumpster itself a dark green, with a brighter Kelly green dry brush. The lid was left black with a medium gray dry brush on it. For some reason, I did not like how the Dirty Down rust effect worked on the dumpsters. Maybe it was the 3-D printed texture or the darker green color? Either way, I was unhappy, so went back to my "old school" painted-on rust. I painted speckles and blotches of rust in Autumn Brown. I then added fluorescent orange in the middle of the brown. Once the two colors had dried, I went over it with a dark black vehicle wash.

    Unlike the oil barrels, I painted this rust effect with brown, orange, & a black vehicle wash

I was tempted to put some labels, graffiti, or signs on the dumpsters, but I wanted them to be generic to tempt more purchasers, so passed on that. I based them up on pieces of styrene plastic and flocked them with Woodland Scenics Blended Gray Fine Ballast. I painted the ballast with a black vehicle wash to give it more of an asphalt rather than gravel look. I thought they turned out nicely. I am completely at a loss what price is fair to charge for them. Feel free to comment and give suggestions. The bigger one is obviously going to be more expensive than the three small ones. But what price?

    A final look at the Father and Son MDF building -- is $45 a fair price, you think?

That's it for this update, and possibly the last update for a week or so. I will be at Origins Game Fair at the Columbus Convention Center this week. I'm running my Viking Raid on an Anglo-Saxon town from Thursday through Saturday, this week. So, I'm going to be pretty busy and will unlikely get a chance to update the blog. There is a chance that the last batch of Viet Cong may get posted before then -- they're were just finished this morning. Otherwise, the last two batches of U.S. infantry in Vietnam are nipping at the Viet Cong's heels. They'll likely be done the week or so after Origins, too. I also have some ruined Buddha statues and a stone bridge that are pretty far along, too. Those are for the flea market, too. So, stay tuned! There may be a week or so delay in posts, but they'll be back on track soon!

    A last look at the oil barrels...is $1 each a good price? Could I get $2 each -- what do you think?

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 232
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 117 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 40

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 93
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 100