Mushroom Scatter Pieces Because...Well, why not??

    Pre-painted mushroom charms from a craft store that I based up and got ready for the tabletop!

I was in Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago looking at their beads and charms to see if there was anything I could use for gaming pieces. I saw these plastic mushrooms in two different sizes. Then I saw the 50% off sign. They were already painted. All I had to do was pull off the metal bits and base them up, right? I couldn't resist, so picked them up.

I found some round bases that they would arrange nicely on, two big ones and three smaller ones. That separated neatly into four bases worth. So, it actually wasn't as easy as epoxying them onto the base, of course. The metal bits came out easily with a pair of pliers, especially when I learned the top piece unscrews (leaving a tiny hole, but I could live with that). The mushroom bottoms on the smaller ones were flat, but the bigger ones were rounded. I took a pair of wire cutters and snapped off the bottoms of those. Once they were all ready, I epoxied them to the bases in a nice, natural arrangement, I felt.

    In case you're curious, the tree stump with face behind the mushrooms is from Bad Squiddo Games

The mushrooms were painted, but the colors were awfully bright and garish. So, I did a brown wash followed by a black wash to tone them down a bit. It also made the stems look more natural, as well, with a darker tint and not blinding white. Once I was happy enough with how they looked, I flocked the bases with my normal method. I sprayed them with a matte clear and they were done! Quick and simple, and who knows? Maybe they will look good or be useful for some of my fantasy games. Or perhaps I could use them as objectives markers in a post-apocalyptic or other game?

Either way, they're done and ready for the tabletop! What's next? I will post my report from our Star Wars spaceport game at Keith's on Sunday next. Otherwise, I have another batch of Splintered Light Miniatures on my painting desk, along with a couple pieces of larger Sci-Fi scatter from A Critical Hit. Those will probably be next, after the AAR. Stay tuned -- updates will be coming fast and furious!

    Here's what the charms looked like straight off the shelf at Hobby Lobby

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 100
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 49 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 10
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 16

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 53
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 37