Title: Battlefield Clutter Tutorial
Description: Digits shows you how
Description: Digits shows you how
Digits - April 1, 2008 05:31 PM (GMT)
Following the success of the sandbag, smoke marker and stowage tutorials, I thought I'd try my hand at sharing a few tips on battlefield scenery. This should not be confused with terrain, as these are small pieces which can represent either objectives or eye catching scenic items.
I rarely travel to a game without taking a box of finished scenics, many of which can be seen below. IMHO, very often the difference between a good looking wargame and a fantastic looking one, are the details!
As this thread grows, I will be covering ammo dumps, fuel dumps, general cargo / supplies, vehicle wrecks, barricades, bunkers, fences, tank traps and other defences. Many of these are of course available from GW, but to be fair, the choice is limited, and I hope to show you how to get the most from what you get.
Ammo Dumps / Drops
Firstly we will look at ammo dumps / drops. I take my inspiration here from our recent objective marker competition. I apologise to non imperial players but most of this section is more suited to Imperial forces because of the ready source of bits! Besides, if you choose to play xeno scum forces, well, ya take's yer chance....! :P
The Battlefield Accessories sprues are invaluable for many of these pieces. and are reasonably cheap. There isn't a single unusable piece on the sprues. For Ammo dumps and drops, the metal pallet, ammo boxes and canister are all readily usable as they come, but it is best to combine these with left over bits from infantry, heavy weapon and tank accessory sprues.
On the tank accessory sprue, there are many items which if not used as vehicle stowage, can certainly be used here! In particular, there are two ammo boxes, the largest of which is my personal favourite and has been used extensively in the following few models. Heavy weapons sprues are very versatile. It is inevitable that "most" people will have left over parts and weapons from these which can be used with very little modification.
I made these two pieces up in one go, taking less than an hour.
To me, it is important that to give the impression of an ammo store or drop, you should endeavour to make it look to have purpose and substance. It is often too easy just to scatter what few bits of weaponry / ammo boxes etc onto a base.
To be fair though, such supply drops do not give the impression of being able to sustain a squad, never mind an army!
Be prepared to use your preciously gathered items together, choosing to make fewer but more substantial pieces.
If you are short of stuff, but want to give the impression of more, then cheat!
Look at the pallet in the following picture. I only had a handful of these cool looking ammo boxes (taken from the vehicle accessory sprue). To give the impression of more, I have stacked all the boxes at one side and then put offcuts of foam board around it. This model can now be partially covered by a tarpaulin made from tissue paper and watered down pva (an idea I shamelessly stole from Jase's parachute objective marker).
Try to make your scenic items unique. Look in the top crate in the left hand piece above.
I have cut the stocks from a handful of left over las rifles and glued them onto a piece of card to give the impression of a full crate of folding stock guns. Also note the mortar has it's legs "folded" in.
This one only uses the long crates and a handful of missiles. I've put in "supports" to compensate for the difference in length. Again, by using three crates, the piece looks more "purposeful".
Next up, I will demonstrate Jase's tarp method which has been used here on this pip model.
We're going to add a tarp to the pallet with the bits of foam card. First of all, cut a piece of 3 ply tissue to twice the size of the required tarp, then fold it to the correct size.
Centre it with a dab of pva on the model.
Start to add watered down pva. It does not need to be too runny, but it does need to be wet enough to start soaking into the tissue. Use an old paint brush to dab it on, pushing the tissue into the desired position. Ensure that you leave enough detail showing through where you want it. In this case, we clearly want to show off the ammo boxes!
Make sure you leave a few "folds" as these make the painting look more interesting. Make sure that you get wet pva to every surface area of the tissue. Any dry tissue at this point will break up during painting! Once you have covered the model to achieve the desired effect, leave it to dry. (24 hours is fine)
You can add a further coat of pva at this point if desired, otherwise, you are ready to paint!
Fuel Drops / Dumps
Fuel drops should be treated in the same manner. The addition of a few details such as the funnel and the drum hand pump (Italieri) help to give it purpose. Try to use a minimum of three barrels.
We will cover larger fuel dumps later....
Fences
Some of you will have seen my fenced stockade in my Industrial Terrain thread.
Nice piece of terrain that it is, it doesn't offer the flexibility that individual fence panels can on an ever shifting wargames table.
Using the same method I used to create the the above, you can quickly and cheaply knock up simple panels.
Using roughly cut 5" pieces of foamboard, glue in three 2½" pieces of plastic angle. It helps to score the foamboard so you can push the posts into it. PVA and sand the base. An alternative to plastic angle can be straight pieces of left over plastic sprue.
To this, stick a piece of car body mesh (very cheap and available from any car parts shop) sized to stretch over the frame.
It helps to add a little more sand to the base to anchor the fence mesh.
I also find that by drilling the tops of the posts, I can thread a piece of fuse wire through to help keep the mesh tied tight.
You end up with good looking fence pieces.
Should you want to model corners, construct them like this.
BTW, the cargo stack shown in the stockade picture is available from Ainsty Castings (Old Crow) and looks damn fine.
Sandbag Barricades
Using the method I described in the Sandbag tutorial, it is easily possible to create sandbag emplacements and barricades. This one is based on a simple 5" off-cut of foamboard, roughly cut and sanded.
By adding further detail into the wall, you can save on the number of sandbags ( and therefore expensive greenstuff or milliput! ) and make them more interesting. Please note that if you are making this number of sandbags, it is cheaper to use Milliput or Air Drying Clay than GS.
You can even incorporate other defencive barricade items into them.
Tank Traps
There are of course some particularly nice resin traps available from Forgeworld but they are fairly expensive, especially if you want a large number of them.
We will now explore how to make our own by creating a master from which we will make a latex mould and be able to cast as many as we want!
tbc
......to be continued.....
I rarely travel to a game without taking a box of finished scenics, many of which can be seen below. IMHO, very often the difference between a good looking wargame and a fantastic looking one, are the details!
As this thread grows, I will be covering ammo dumps, fuel dumps, general cargo / supplies, vehicle wrecks, barricades, bunkers, fences, tank traps and other defences. Many of these are of course available from GW, but to be fair, the choice is limited, and I hope to show you how to get the most from what you get.
Ammo Dumps / Drops
Firstly we will look at ammo dumps / drops. I take my inspiration here from our recent objective marker competition. I apologise to non imperial players but most of this section is more suited to Imperial forces because of the ready source of bits! Besides, if you choose to play xeno scum forces, well, ya take's yer chance....! :P
The Battlefield Accessories sprues are invaluable for many of these pieces. and are reasonably cheap. There isn't a single unusable piece on the sprues. For Ammo dumps and drops, the metal pallet, ammo boxes and canister are all readily usable as they come, but it is best to combine these with left over bits from infantry, heavy weapon and tank accessory sprues.
On the tank accessory sprue, there are many items which if not used as vehicle stowage, can certainly be used here! In particular, there are two ammo boxes, the largest of which is my personal favourite and has been used extensively in the following few models. Heavy weapons sprues are very versatile. It is inevitable that "most" people will have left over parts and weapons from these which can be used with very little modification.
I made these two pieces up in one go, taking less than an hour.
To me, it is important that to give the impression of an ammo store or drop, you should endeavour to make it look to have purpose and substance. It is often too easy just to scatter what few bits of weaponry / ammo boxes etc onto a base.
To be fair though, such supply drops do not give the impression of being able to sustain a squad, never mind an army!
Be prepared to use your preciously gathered items together, choosing to make fewer but more substantial pieces.
If you are short of stuff, but want to give the impression of more, then cheat!
Look at the pallet in the following picture. I only had a handful of these cool looking ammo boxes (taken from the vehicle accessory sprue). To give the impression of more, I have stacked all the boxes at one side and then put offcuts of foam board around it. This model can now be partially covered by a tarpaulin made from tissue paper and watered down pva (an idea I shamelessly stole from Jase's parachute objective marker).
Try to make your scenic items unique. Look in the top crate in the left hand piece above.
I have cut the stocks from a handful of left over las rifles and glued them onto a piece of card to give the impression of a full crate of folding stock guns. Also note the mortar has it's legs "folded" in.
This one only uses the long crates and a handful of missiles. I've put in "supports" to compensate for the difference in length. Again, by using three crates, the piece looks more "purposeful".
Next up, I will demonstrate Jase's tarp method which has been used here on this pip model.
We're going to add a tarp to the pallet with the bits of foam card. First of all, cut a piece of 3 ply tissue to twice the size of the required tarp, then fold it to the correct size.
Centre it with a dab of pva on the model.
Start to add watered down pva. It does not need to be too runny, but it does need to be wet enough to start soaking into the tissue. Use an old paint brush to dab it on, pushing the tissue into the desired position. Ensure that you leave enough detail showing through where you want it. In this case, we clearly want to show off the ammo boxes!
Make sure you leave a few "folds" as these make the painting look more interesting. Make sure that you get wet pva to every surface area of the tissue. Any dry tissue at this point will break up during painting! Once you have covered the model to achieve the desired effect, leave it to dry. (24 hours is fine)
You can add a further coat of pva at this point if desired, otherwise, you are ready to paint!
Fuel Drops / Dumps
Fuel drops should be treated in the same manner. The addition of a few details such as the funnel and the drum hand pump (Italieri) help to give it purpose. Try to use a minimum of three barrels.
We will cover larger fuel dumps later....
Fences
Some of you will have seen my fenced stockade in my Industrial Terrain thread.
Nice piece of terrain that it is, it doesn't offer the flexibility that individual fence panels can on an ever shifting wargames table.
Using the same method I used to create the the above, you can quickly and cheaply knock up simple panels.
Using roughly cut 5" pieces of foamboard, glue in three 2½" pieces of plastic angle. It helps to score the foamboard so you can push the posts into it. PVA and sand the base. An alternative to plastic angle can be straight pieces of left over plastic sprue.
To this, stick a piece of car body mesh (very cheap and available from any car parts shop) sized to stretch over the frame.
It helps to add a little more sand to the base to anchor the fence mesh.
I also find that by drilling the tops of the posts, I can thread a piece of fuse wire through to help keep the mesh tied tight.
You end up with good looking fence pieces.
Should you want to model corners, construct them like this.
BTW, the cargo stack shown in the stockade picture is available from Ainsty Castings (Old Crow) and looks damn fine.
Sandbag Barricades
Using the method I described in the Sandbag tutorial, it is easily possible to create sandbag emplacements and barricades. This one is based on a simple 5" off-cut of foamboard, roughly cut and sanded.
By adding further detail into the wall, you can save on the number of sandbags ( and therefore expensive greenstuff or milliput! ) and make them more interesting. Please note that if you are making this number of sandbags, it is cheaper to use Milliput or Air Drying Clay than GS.
You can even incorporate other defencive barricade items into them.
Tank Traps
There are of course some particularly nice resin traps available from Forgeworld but they are fairly expensive, especially if you want a large number of them.
We will now explore how to make our own by creating a master from which we will make a latex mould and be able to cast as many as we want!
tbc
......to be continued.....
Digits - April 3, 2008 02:30 PM (GMT)
Open to suggestions as to what to add in here. SC just gave me the idea of using a dead carnifex as a roadblock!!! ;) If I can get my hands on a cheap one I will. All ideas welcome.
Any suggestions as to how to improve it?
Any suggestions as to how to improve it?
Penguin of Death - April 3, 2008 02:49 PM (GMT)
Possibly for each you could have the more detailed, complex version and then a simper/budget version below - eg leftover sprue for fenceposts
Digits - April 3, 2008 03:06 PM (GMT)
Thanks for that Penguin. Though I may not make both versions, I will try to highlight alternative materials. I'll go change the fence one now.
Anything else?
Anything else?
Asmodai Dark - April 3, 2008 03:47 PM (GMT)
Digits... Dont be casting forgeworld models now!
Didnt SC do a thing on dragons teeth? Or was it Rictus?
Didnt SC do a thing on dragons teeth? Or was it Rictus?
Rictus - April 3, 2008 04:52 PM (GMT)
Good timing.
Tank Traps:
Unfinished razor wire:
Large fuel dump:
Booby traps:
Fuel and Ammo dumps:
I really should finish all that lot...
Tank Traps:
Unfinished razor wire:
Large fuel dump:
Booby traps:
Fuel and Ammo dumps:
I really should finish all that lot...
Digits - April 3, 2008 04:58 PM (GMT)
Good stuff mate! How did you make the tank traps? Ice cube method?
I particularly like the booby traps and the pallets!
I particularly like the booby traps and the pallets!
Asmodai Dark - April 3, 2008 05:26 PM (GMT)
Booby traps, especially the barrel, look very nice
Im having a word with someone now about doing a few resin dragons teeth (sorry, shameless plug)
Im having a word with someone now about doing a few resin dragons teeth (sorry, shameless plug)
bringerofdecay - April 3, 2008 06:36 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE (Asmodai Dark @ Apr 3 2008, 05:26 PM) |
| Booby traps, especially the barrel, look very nice Im having a word with someone now about doing a few resin dragons teeth (sorry, shameless plug) |
you mean ABs own dragons teeth? i might have to buy some if you did nudge nudge ;);)
Digits - April 3, 2008 07:46 PM (GMT)
This is my master.
Now to make the mould......
Asmodai Dark - April 3, 2008 08:02 PM (GMT)
Aye thats true BOC.
Im interested in how your going to cast these and what material in. Ive been looking at the anarchy of casting things like this myself, so if you want any help you've my number now feel free to give me a ring and Ill try and point you in the right direction.
Im interested in how your going to cast these and what material in. Ive been looking at the anarchy of casting things like this myself, so if you want any help you've my number now feel free to give me a ring and Ill try and point you in the right direction.
Tony88 - April 4, 2008 12:03 AM (GMT)
Very nice work guys.
I got a few things i could contribute, but im at work :(
I got a few things i could contribute, but im at work :(
Digits - April 4, 2008 01:01 AM (GMT)
Cheers AD, but I've already been shopping!
Not sure yet if this will work! However, i am deliberately trying to make this method affordable to everyone, This simple paint on latex, the liquid Vaseline and the box of powder only came to £10.
I don't intend casting these in resin ( for my numbers, it would be exorbitant!)
Not sure yet if this will work! However, i am deliberately trying to make this method affordable to everyone, This simple paint on latex, the liquid Vaseline and the box of powder only came to £10.
I don't intend casting these in resin ( for my numbers, it would be exorbitant!)
Asmodai Dark - April 4, 2008 01:52 AM (GMT)
Ill be interested to see how this works out - Ive not seen vaseline used as mold release before. Very interesting stuff indeed!
thewizardofoz - April 4, 2008 03:49 AM (GMT)
w00t! great tutorials Digits! and others. i cant wait to see the dragon's teeth finished. all i need is some monies and i shall have exact replicas of these in no time.....
Digits - April 4, 2008 09:05 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE (Asmodai Dark @ Apr 4 2008, 02:52 AM) |
| Ill be interested to see how this works out - Ive not seen vaseline used as mold release before. Very interesting stuff indeed! |
Picked it up in Hobbycraft mate. Only £2 I think.
As you say, let's see if it works first! ;) I'll be creating the mould this afternoon......
.....vaseline added
First layre of latex.
The more layres you put on, the stronger and more often you can use th mould apparently.
Lt.Gregor - April 4, 2008 03:28 PM (GMT)
Hey digits where do you get your "green stuff"? is it the plain old GW stuff or something else?
Digits - April 4, 2008 04:55 PM (GMT)
Digits - April 5, 2008 10:24 AM (GMT)
Well, the release agent (liquid vaseline, did a perfect job!!!! Not a rip, stick or bit of latex stuck to the master!!!!. Great news, because I can now start to make another mould and another........
The master was never very square to start with :rolleyes: but it looks a faithful imprint! Next up to cast one and we'll see!
Really pleased so far, I've never tried this before.
The master was never very square to start with :rolleyes: but it looks a faithful imprint! Next up to cast one and we'll see!
Really pleased so far, I've never tried this before.
TheGrizz - April 6, 2008 05:56 PM (GMT)
Awesome work so far Digits, really inspiring stuff! Always nice to see moveable terrain/scenery being made!
Digits - April 7, 2008 07:56 PM (GMT)
Cheers :D
OK, I cast a second mould! This release agent is so cool, I suspect I could make a couple of dozen moulds!
Anyway, time to cast. I'm worried about this particular powder. If it doesn't work, I have access to some crystal cast at a friends house.
OK, I cast a second mould! This release agent is so cool, I suspect I could make a couple of dozen moulds!
Anyway, time to cast. I'm worried about this particular powder. If it doesn't work, I have access to some crystal cast at a friends house.
Ciaphas Cain - April 7, 2008 11:53 PM (GMT)
And?
How did it work? :blink:
Can't wait any longer..need sleep..now..zzzzzzzzzzz
-_-
Cheers
CC
How did it work? :blink:
Can't wait any longer..need sleep..now..zzzzzzzzzzz
-_-
Cheers
CC
Asmodai Dark - April 8, 2008 12:30 AM (GMT)
I saw this stuff today Dave I was sorely tempted...
Its quite gooey stuff though, looks like it'd dry very fragile so ive got to ask - why didnt you make the mold a solid block? Less chance of knocking one over, stronger mold...
Its quite gooey stuff though, looks like it'd dry very fragile so ive got to ask - why didnt you make the mold a solid block? Less chance of knocking one over, stronger mold...
Digits - April 8, 2008 07:22 AM (GMT)
Cheapness really! Trying to show how it can be done on a budget.
As for how it came out! <_< Gonna try crystalcast powder. This suff is very crumbly! lol
As for how it came out! <_< Gonna try crystalcast powder. This suff is very crumbly! lol
Penguin of Death - April 8, 2008 08:10 AM (GMT)
The same company (Gedeo) also do something called Resin plaster (http://www.fredaldous.co.uk/product_151120004.htm)which they claim comes out similar to polyester resins, but is only around £6 per kg
jasevx - April 8, 2008 01:47 PM (GMT)
Bloody hell where did this lot come from!
Nice to see my parachute being used, and I'm seriously interested in the casting method, I've been tempted at trying it with ice cube moulds.
Nice to see my parachute being used, and I'm seriously interested in the casting method, I've been tempted at trying it with ice cube moulds.
Merceus - April 8, 2008 02:34 PM (GMT)
so cool :D may have to use some of these, cant wait to see more ;)
Asmodai Dark - April 8, 2008 02:54 PM (GMT)
If your doing with Ice Cubes I doubt (dont quote me) that you'd need the vassaline as a release agent - they should, generally, just pop out.
I saw that the other day POD, I'll be investigating when I do mine.
I saw that the other day POD, I'll be investigating when I do mine.
Digits - April 8, 2008 11:17 PM (GMT)
OK, a lot better with CrystalCast plaster.
They are a little rough and ready. Just shows, had I spent time on the master model, making it squared off etc, they'd look good!
However, I like rough and ready! A lick of paint and we'll see what they look like!
They are a little rough and ready. Just shows, had I spent time on the master model, making it squared off etc, they'd look good!
However, I like rough and ready! A lick of paint and we'll see what they look like!
russian_ben - April 9, 2008 07:10 AM (GMT)
they look great digits it dont matter if they look rough as they proberly been there 100+ years or they are hastely built before the system is attacked
Digits - April 9, 2008 10:58 AM (GMT)
Exactly! You've got the idea mate. Hopefully, I'll get a lick of paint on them later. I left my two moulds with my friend Brian who will hopefully cast me a few dozen!
I'm hoping to make a mould of a few barrels next to recreate LARGE fuel dump! lol
I'm hoping to make a mould of a few barrels next to recreate LARGE fuel dump! lol
Digits - April 11, 2008 11:12 AM (GMT)
I pinched these photos out of Ross's RossWorld thread :P
What a great alternative to the wire fences I showed above. Corrugated plasticard and strips of balsa or plastic with a little patience!
Better still, you can daub slogans and notices over them and you have an opportunity to add colour.
I'll definitely be making a few of these!
I also grabbed these pictures from him of scrap heaps. Very easy to do with left over bits from your bitz box. Any childrens cars being scrapped can be salvaged for body parts and in particular, wheels!
What a great alternative to the wire fences I showed above. Corrugated plasticard and strips of balsa or plastic with a little patience!
Better still, you can daub slogans and notices over them and you have an opportunity to add colour.
I'll definitely be making a few of these!
I also grabbed these pictures from him of scrap heaps. Very easy to do with left over bits from your bitz box. Any childrens cars being scrapped can be salvaged for body parts and in particular, wheels!
Deserter - April 11, 2008 07:09 PM (GMT)
Is it corrugated plasticard? I thought it was the middle of corrugated card :) I think theres a way of using steam so that the card comes apart...
The tank traps look great!
The tank traps look great!
Digits - April 11, 2008 09:47 PM (GMT)
Mwahahahahah!!!!!!!
No, this is not a bag of marshmallows, but Brian who was casting a handful for me got a little carried away!!!!!
He has not slept in two days and brought me enough traps to do another 9 bases like the first one!!!!!
Bloody hell! I was only doing this to show you guys how easy it would be! Now I have a bloody big amount of painting to do!!!! :(
No, this is not a bag of marshmallows, but Brian who was casting a handful for me got a little carried away!!!!!
He has not slept in two days and brought me enough traps to do another 9 bases like the first one!!!!!
Bloody hell! I was only doing this to show you guys how easy it would be! Now I have a bloody big amount of painting to do!!!! :(
Lt.Gregor - April 11, 2008 10:15 PM (GMT)
Grrr Now I want to make tank Traps. Did you make the master from soild Green stuff or did you layer Gs over a Plastic Card box?
Digits - April 12, 2008 12:07 AM (GMT)
A lump of gs! To be fair, I only roughly made it! I hadn't reckoned on having 50 trap out of it! :huh:
If I had, I would have taken a little more time over it.
If I had, I would have taken a little more time over it.
thewizardofoz - April 12, 2008 04:06 AM (GMT)
GAH!!! you make me soo sad! i want nice things like these! but i has no monies! wah!! why do i even come here anymore.... i just get depressed seeing all the awesome things i'm too broke to afford....
Ross - April 12, 2008 06:30 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE (thewizardofoz @ Apr 12 2008, 02:06 PM) |
| GAH!!! you make me soo sad! i want nice things like these! but i has no monies! wah!! why do i even come here anymore.... i just get depressed seeing all the awesome things i'm too broke to afford.... |
Apart from the odd $2 toy from the Reject Sop, or Spoils, or The Warehouse, my terrain only cost me money for paint and PVA. I believe, why pay for it if you can do it yourself!
The corrugated fences are cardboard, I just managed to get some single sided corrugated card from a place I'd worked in and glued them back to back. Cheaper than plasticard :D
Tony88 - April 12, 2008 08:58 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE (Ross @ Apr 12 2008, 04:00 PM) | ||
Apart from the odd $2 toy from the Reject Sop, or Spoils, or The Warehouse, my terrain only cost me money for paint and PVA. I believe, why pay for it if you can do it yourself! The corrugated fences are cardboard, I just managed to get some single sided corrugated card from a place I'd worked in and glued them back to back. Cheaper than plasticard :D |
Yeah, i just buy corrugated cardboard from this scrap booking shop for like 10cents, and then paint it, always does the job.
Those farm animal sets are alright for quick fences, just spray them black and drybrush them as you see fit. Pretty easy, i figure the cheaper your small terrain is, th emore money you can save for something extra nice like a COD building or something like that.
thewizardofoz - April 12, 2008 09:48 PM (GMT)
i have some corrugated cardboard... but extra things laying around to use for parts... i lack that.... i may try to scavange some things soon. if anything decent comes of it i'll post pics.