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Post by sgtslag on Apr 19, 2024 16:40:09 GMT
Check out the Red Box Alliance web page for new fantasy sets available: ALL72062 Windy bay warriors. Set 1. Heavy Cavalry (horses are wearing partial Plate Barding; 12 mounted riders, 6 poses) ALL72061 Southern Kingdom Warriors. Set 2. Heavy Cavalry (horses are wearing partial Plate Barding; 12 mounted riders, 6 poses) ALL72060 Southern kingdom Warriors. Set 1. Rangers and Scouts (8 are armed with Bows/4 have Long Swords/12 poses total, 48 figures/box) ALL72057 Mounted Light Eastern tribes. Set 2 (horses are wearing Scale Mail Barding; 12 mounted riders, 6 poses) ALL72056 Mounted Light Eastern tribes. Set 1 (horses are wearing Scale Mail Barding; 12 mounted riders, 6 poses) Note that these are 1/72 scale figures, which would be 25mm tall, if standing. These sets are primarily based on the Lord of the Rings movie series, but they are suitable for just about any fantasy based war/RPG games. They are not strictly Tolkien-specific in design. They typically sell, on e-Bay, for around $21USD/boxed set, delivered to the USA ( check this seller for likely the best prices on the Internet). They paint up as good as metal/resin figures, and they are remarkably affordable, with good quality, surprisingly detailed, sculpts and poses. If I did not have literally a hundred Human Cavalry troops already in my collection, I would be placing multiple orders on e-Bay… Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Apr 17, 2024 18:57:20 GMT
Love the orange bodies, green faces, and purple noses. Fantastic color palette. They remind me of AD&D Hobgoblins: orange skin, blue noses, and a bad attitude... Thanks for sharing! Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 30, 2024 2:20:45 GMT
Beautiful. Love the frightened moon in the sky. Love the humor, style, colors, everything. Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 27, 2024 16:48:53 GMT
I started on the Twisted Tower back sometime in '17. Seven years later, it is finally getting colorful... I hear ya'! I've had projects wait 20+ years to lift off of the ground. Too many projects, in fact. My d20 Globe project was born in 1982, or so. I made the global map of my game world, around 2010. I purchased laser-cut, equilateral triangles to build it into a physical globe, in 2023. I finished it in 2024. I need to build a mounting system for it, now... Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 20, 2024 17:07:45 GMT
Correct, regarding Acetone. It is hard to control it, preventing it from going too far in melting your prints... Thanks for sharing. Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 20, 2024 14:46:03 GMT
I finished painting the globe with urethane stain (more pictures added to the project folder). Then, I matte clear coated the entire globe. This gives it a nice, durable finish. I learned a few things making my flat map into a d20 globe: flat maps are really distorted compared to a 3D globe; I placed the small continent of Polder entirely within the Arctic Circle (not a bad thing, but not my original intent) -- it makes for an inspiring arctic continent for adventuring; I learned, too late, that probably the most ideal campaign setting, offering the greatest diversity, is a large island grouping, like Kee's Hand (offers sea faring adventures, all types of land adventures, and even underwater adventures, if desired). Every land depicted is tugging at my imagination to be further developed… I have a plan for marking the geographical features which are currently labeled, but not clearly defined: Arctic Circle; Tropic of Humanis; Equator; Tropic of Draconis; and the Ant-Arctic Circle. These are important climate zones which need to be marked, as they will speak volumes as to the expected weather conditions for the land masses and seas near them. I really need to create a mounting system to allow me, and my players, to spin the globe around, to view its continents and features. I have some ideas on how I can do it, but that is another crafting project, waiting to begin… Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 16, 2024 18:18:24 GMT
Check the picture folder linked in the previous post: two new photos added. I stippled a light brown paint onto the Sunflower mountain ranges. When this is dry, I will use a darker brown stipple on the light brown to enhance the mountains further. I also applied a heavier coat of Matte Mod-Podge over all of the printed paper labels. I will likely touch up the foam continent edges, joining the waters. After that, I will do a test application of urethane-stain, before going Sherwin-Williams on it... I did consider buying a kid's inflated, vinyl beach ball to draw my maps upon, then paint that. I knew, however, that it would flex, a great deal, and the paint would likely flake off, fairly quickly. I gave up on that idea because of that, but also because I would need to redraw my entire global map, and that would have been a chore. I had no idea how to get a firmer sphere to use as a base, other than to sacrifice an Earth Globe... I did give that serious thought: round, firm, paper surface canvas to work on, comes with a built-in mounting system, and more. The issue I had with that was I was limited in size. Many of the Earth Globes I found, and liked, had raised surfaces for the various mountain ranges -- I would need to sand them down (a delicate job), and I would need to ensure the whole surface was smooth everywhere. That seemed an insurmountable amount of effort. I wanted a fantasy globe bigger than the Earth Globes I could find, in a price I could afford. I did watch some YouTube videos on the manufacturing processes for Earth Globes -- very fascinating process, but nothing that truly aided me in my quest. I will likely wait to post again, until I have the Globe stained. The mounting project is another matter unto itself (hopefully a smaller, simpler project compared to creating the Globe in the first place). Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 15, 2024 21:31:56 GMT
Update: 03/15/2024: (finally...) Link to a folder of the latest images of my d20 Globe. Note that the photos show freshly applied Matte Mod-Podge, so that is why some of the labels appear white. Finally made progress on my d20 Globe Project... Analysis Paralysis took hold of me: there were many ways to possibly add the lettering to the globe, but I finally decided upon using a text editor, placing the names inside table cells (white text), and filling in the boxes with either Blue (water), or Red (continent names). I started out cutting the paper labels with a paper cutter: too tedious, paper slipped yielding angled cuts... Switched to scissors, and it was much faster, must easier to get straight cuts. I used Matte Mod-Podge, applying it to the bottom of the paper labels, first. After positioning, and pressing/burnishing in place, I applied a 2nd coat of the same Matte Mod-Podge to seal them to the globe's surface. I had to make a lot of decisions as to what to label, and what not to label. That was a challenge. Is it done?...No. I need to finish painting the mountain ranges and the land masses. Right now, they are just three colors. After that, I plan to seal the whole, to age it, and to protect it. I might insert a metal rivet or something similar, to allow me to hang it, or to mount it so it can be spun. That, however, is a future project... I knew, from the beginning, that this was something I, as the DM, would use for inspiration. It is not really for my players, except as a curiosity, to show them my entire game world, and how small the campaign setting continent ( Cegia) really is. One of my sons wishes to DM a campaign in a different region ( Kee's Hand island grouping), so it will give him a better perspective on the relative isolation of that island cluster region. The Continental Shelves are something I really wanted to map out, as it is a dream of mine to run an underwater campaign, at some point before I die, using the Aquatic races for PC's: Tritons, Mermen, Sea Elves, etc. The Continental Shelves are variable, likely too big in some regions, but I decided that I could not make it too accurate/realistic, mostly due to my limited 6th Grade Crafting Skills. The massive continent of Sauria is ruled by Dragons. It is big enough to have every type of Dragon's favored terrain available, and to accommodate large clans of Adult Dragons. I have the Council of Wyrms hardcover game setting book. I've read it, and I know that the Dragon leveling/aging system is broken. I believe I can surmount that issue. That is another campaign idea I really want to pursue before I die. It would allow us to really dig into Dragons, which are one-half of the name-sake for the game! Now to sell my players on the idea so we can launch this new campaign into orbit around my fantasy planet's globe... I plan to "seal" the whole globe, when all of the continents are fully painted, with Urethane Stain, to give it an old, worn feeling, as if it were more than a century old. It may help the paper labels to blend a little bit better into the surfaces -- I hope! The final coating of urethane should protect the surface finish (decoupaged paper and craft foam layers) from wear. This has been, and it continues to be, a fun project. To my knowledge, no one has done this before. The Hot Glue assembly technique for the MDF triangles has worked better than I had hoped. So far, it is holding together exceptionally well. I expect it will survive for decades -- longer than I will. My two sons with whom I play AD&D with, are very keen on keeping my game world alive: they've been gaming within it for 20+ years; they feel as if they know it, and that they helped shape it, through their role playing (very true!). They feel like they own it, at least in part, because their PC's names, and exploits, are within the pages of its history. Cheers! PS: On another forum, someone pointed out a Bob Ross, Happy Little Accident, on the Sauria photo: it resembles a dragon skull. Hah! Never saw it until he pointed it out. Totally an accident -- thank you, Bob Ross!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 13, 2024 20:25:51 GMT
Gahhh! I forgot to include a link to the Starlux Viking Chieftain figure! I needed this figure as a 1e AD&D Jarl, leader of a clan of Frost Giants, for running the G2: Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl adventure module. I hope to run that adventure in April, with full 3D terrain, and 30+ Frost Giant figures. This has been a dream of mine since High School, circa 1982. I previously ran G1: Steading of the Hill Giants, with 2.75D terrain, and 30+ Hill Giant figures. I have 30+ Fire Giant figures ready to go, for running G3: Halls of the Fire Giant King, using a friend's Dwarven Forge dungeon terrain. These three adventure modules have been around since 1977. Thousands of gamers have played through these modules, but very few have done so with 2.75D to full 3D terrain and miniature figures. Making a dream from my youth into a reality, is very rewarding and exciting. Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 13, 2024 15:39:46 GMT
Finished the Draco Lich 2.0, an ancient Great Red Wyrm Lich. Here are the photos: broadside view, with a Gnome, and two Humans (28mm); frontal view, with the same dead men walking; rear view, from above; 3/4 view, from above; and the raw model, on the store shelf, to compare it to how it started. The figures are sitting atop a Chessex Mondomat, with 1-inch squares. The Draco-Lich is mounted onto a 6-inch x 12-inch MDF base. I used a mixture of two shades of green sand, with model Rail Road Ballast (rocks); the other sand mixture is reddish gravelly sand I acquired from the North Shore of Lake Superior. I find that random areas of each sand blend creates a much more visually appealing base for larger creatures. It looks really good on top of my tight weave, green indoor/outdoor carpet, ground cloth for my mass battles games. Now I need to create a 2e BattleSystem game scenario to bring this bad boy onto the scene… Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 12, 2024 19:08:21 GMT
I needed a 60mm Viking leader figure, for my Frost Giant Army, so I ordered a metal figure: fantastic sculpt, fantastic details… For a 1e Frost Giant, in scale to a 25mm-28mm Human figure, 60mm is just right, in Goldilocks parlance.
The figure was holding a long spear, overhead. I had to straighten it as best I could, at least five times. The spear hand holding it, came off the wrist, twice. Then, I gave up. Decided to cut my losses.
I ordered a plastic Starlux (French) 60mm Viking Chieftain figure. I fully expected a soft HDPE/LDPE figure. What I got is a hard (styrene?) figure, holding his straight spear at his side. Great detail, superb pose. And no special pre-painting techniques required!
I hadn't heard of Starlux before. Too bad I don't need more 60mm Viking figures. Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 11, 2024 14:23:09 GMT
Smooth-On has been recommended to me on another forum, as well. I realized, yesterday, as I was discussing it with some of my D&D friends, that this model is of the right hand, and Vecna lost his left hand, and his left eye in the fight with his subordinate, Kas... Been thinking of taking a photo of it on my Chop Saw, with a pair of spoons, and some heavy-duty wire cutters, to send to my other D&D friends, saying, "I was all set to go ahead with my plan, when I suddenly realized that Vecna lost his LEFT hand, and his left eye... Not his right hand!..." I have a really dark sense of humor. My jest might be a bit too macabre for some of them. Mhah-ha-hah!... Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 8, 2024 22:31:33 GMT
I typically use sandable automotive spray primer to prime my miniatures. Recently, I picked up an FDM printed model of the Hand and Eye of Vecna (D&D Lich, whose mummified hand, and eye, are powerful magical relics). The model is around six inches tall. I picked it up in the Vendor's Hall, at Con of the North, in February, for $20. I could not resist... The FDM 3D printer layer lines are noticeable, and if I apply The Dip Technique as a dark wash to it, I am afraid that the layer lines will be highlighted by The Dip. Over the past 30 years, I have noticed that the sandable automotive primer can fill in subtle details, as it tends to go on thick, from the spray can, even when exceptionally well mixed. Anyone care to comment on their experiences using a sandable automotive spray primer on FDM printed figures? Did it seem to fill in the layer lines, or were they still an issue for applying washes? A fellow gamer, on another forum, suggested using Smooth-On XTC-3D product. I went ahead and finished the Hand/Eye of Vecna model. I wanted it done for a D&D game I am running on Sunday. Here are some images of it, finished: View1, View2, View3, View4, View5, and View6. If you zoom into the images, you can see the layer lines, highlighted by The Dip Technique applied. It is not terrible, especially at arm's length. When you pick it up, and look at it closer, the lines become more apparent. If you are not familiar with FDM 3D printing, you might not know what they are, and ignore them. I am really intrigued with the possibility of 'erasing' the level lines using the Smooth-On XTC-3D product. I know that by futzing with the FDM printer settings, it is possible to limit the level lines, which would help quite a bit. It is all very intriguing to me. Thanks! Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Mar 8, 2024 16:19:36 GMT
Nice brushwork. I like the highlighting on the faces and bodies. I'm a simple Dip'er. Your work really demonstrates highlighting in a clear way -- at least to me. I've done some dry-brushing, but it is not a major technique for me. Your work is tugging at me to do more dry-brushing... Stop that! LOL! Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Feb 20, 2024 16:24:54 GMT
Learned that Elmer's White Glue is a form of PVA Glue, but it is not Ph-balanced for paper archival purposes; do not use Elmer's All Purpose Glue -- Ph is not archival, will damage paper more than their White Glue formula. Do NOT use Wood Glue! It is acidic, and it will damage paper books over time!
There are special PVA Glue (and other types of Glue) formulas made for book binding, which are archival quality (Ph-neutral, won't damage paper over time). There are plenty of book-binding videos on YouTube which discuss the proper types of PVA Glue to use, as well as everything else pertaining to book binding. Interesting stuff!
I have some small books I'd like to try my hand at binding: some soft cover, perfect bound, and some I'd like to bind with a hard cover. I had been planning to send them to Lulu. Likely still will, but I might try my hand at binding, for the fun of it. Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Feb 16, 2024 17:38:49 GMT
Just learned of a spray formula for Mod Podge Matte. One thing I hate, is brushing on primer to figures, especially soft plastic miniatures: too tedious, too time consuming, too boring and repetitive! I game with Army Men figures, and brushing on PVA Glue is said to be the best primer to keep paint from flaking off of soft plastic figures. Mod Podge is a variant formula of PVA Glue. I have many hundreds of 54mm Army Men figures to prime… Wondering if anyone at TMP has used the Mod Podge Ultra Matte Spray? It is expensive (roughly $2.20 USD/ounce, delivered from Amazon), but I ordered a bottle to give it a go. My hope is that I can use it as a primer which will prevent Minwax urethane stain and craft acrylic paints from flaking off of my Army Men figures, over time. In the past, I washed my Army Men figures with dish soap, let them dry, then I painted the bits that differed from the plastic's color, with full strength craft acrylic paints; I sealed/washed them with Minwax Polyshades Royal Walnut ( The Dip Technique), followed by a matte clear spray coat. After about 10 years, the urethane stain began to flake off, badly, along with the craft paint. I gave up on painting my Army Men figures, after that, as it seemed like 10 years was too short for the work invested. Would really like to have them painted, as they look so much better, painted, on the tabletop. I will also try the latest Krylon spray paints made for plastic. I have my doubts that the Krylon will stick to the the HDPE plastic for very long. Might have to wait 10 years to know, so I thought I'd check the DM's Craft Forum Hive Mind, to see what shakes out. LOL! Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Feb 14, 2024 19:20:54 GMT
Update on the crafted Book Page Markers... I decided to use Post-It(R) Notes to act as the base for my ribbon page marker strands: the Note's adhesive portion will bond the paper strip to any page I attach it to, without causing discoloration, tearing, or any other type of damage to the page; it can be removed easily, without damage, as well, if necessary. I cut four different colored ribbons to the same length (~24": can be shorter/longer as desired), adhering them to the end of the Note strip which did not have the adhesive on it. I applied a small amount of White PVA Glue to the paper, first, spreading it around with my fingertip; then I applied the ribbon end, more PVA Glue, spreading it evenly with my fingertip, again. Be careful spreading the Glue around, as you do not want to touch the rest of the ribbons getting Glue where you don't want it. MISTAKE: I sandwiched the wet glue, paper strip, and ribbons, between two layers of Freezer Paper (plastic coated on one side), as opposed to Parchment Paper (non-adhesive, even for Hot Glue!). I pressed the paper, ribbons, and glue, between the two layers of Freezer Paper, with weights on top of them, to press everything together, and flat, until the glue dried. I waited overnight before peeling them apart: the water-based glue had not fully cured after 12+ hours. I then carefully peeled the paper and ribbons from the plastic side of the Freezer Paper, and I let them air dry for several more hours. CORRECTION...Once dried, I applied the adhesive portion of the Post-It(R) Note strip to a page I did not care about, and one I would likely never open to, as it was an anchor point which I hoped would receive minimal stress, especially as opening to that page might generate on that page's binding: my POD softcover PHB's, "The Real Basics" page. I added four different ribbons, as I believe four will be enough for me. If more than four page marker strips are desired, feel free to use a wider piece of Post-It(R) Note as your anchor for your ribbon strips. 02/15/2024:Do NOT use the glue portion of the Post-It Note(R)!!! It will penetrate the paper, making a permanent mark, etc. It does this really well with pressure applied... Cut off the glue portion, leaving clean paper, and you will be fine. I plan to move mine to the spines of the books, today. Learned of the glue issue on another forum from someone in the know about this particular issue... Glad he corrected me!Ribbons come in a variety of colors and styles. Three of the ribbons my Wife had on hand, were the same style; the black ribbon was the odd one out. They can be found at any fabric store, such as Wal-Mart, Jo-Anne's, etc. Feel free to use whichever ribbon style and color suits your fancy. I suggest keeping them narrow, but that is my preference. LOL! Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Feb 7, 2024 20:15:11 GMT
Nearing the Finish Line… The Draco-Lich figure is done: matte clear coat applied, dried. Only thing left to do, is to make a base for it, out of MDF, mount the figure to its base, and to cover that in colored sand mixtures. Unfortunately, I do not have a base ready. I may need to purchase a small sheet of MDF, and cut it down to size on my table saw. Here are some images of the finished conversion model: Original Store-bought model; Front, 3/4, Right Side, and top-down views. The Human Female figure is 28mm, the grid is 1"-squares. Now to convert it to 2e BattleSystem stats: AD: 12+10 (Red Dragon, adding +2 to the original +10, to account for its Chill Touch effect) BW: 8d12 AR: 2 Hits: 10 ML: 19 MV: 9" (Jump: 3")/30" (Maneuver Class C) CD: 9" Spells: 1 x 4th Level Special: Horror, (-2); Take Command of any Undead Unit within its CD, once per Turn (Magic Phase), lasting until the next Turn (Magic Phase); must control a different Unit of Undead, each time; may Attach itself to any friendly Unit, as a normal Commander/Hero. Jump during the enemy's Movement Phase, if within Range: if it lands atop an enemy Unit, it will get AD12+10 on all figure bases 75% covered by its base (surrounding figures/bases are not subject to the attack, only those covered by its base -- excess Hits are ignored; AR checks apply), this attack is immediate, but it cannot attack again, during the Melee Phase. The monster hopes to break the enemy Unit's Morale with its ferocious Jump attack and its Horror aura. Special powers of the creature won't make/break the game play, and this is a very special monster, so I feel good about giving it some latitude. After all, they are extremely rare, and more or less, the Army Commander/Hero. LOL! YMMV. Cheers! PS:Looking at the front view photo, I can hear the woman saying, " Fetch, Boy! Fetch the staff!" LOL!
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Post by sgtslag on Feb 6, 2024 18:38:01 GMT
As the label on the tin says...
I have done the following, so far:
Sculpting with Hot Glue: I've made a couple of Treants (very crude), and a couple of Elementals [Fire and Water, good enough to game with; larger, stronger (more Hit Dice/higher level), than commercially available models], from scratch;
Sculpting with Modeling Clays [air drying, Polyforma (baking), or non-drying]: made a AD&D Otyugh and a Beholder, from scratch;
Modifying existing items, such as toys, making them useful for your tabletop war games, or RPG's, by adding bits, bobs, or hacking parts away: Skeletal Dragons improved upon to make Draco-Liches, and more.
How about you? If you have done other methods, or used different materials, please share. Cheers!
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Post by sgtslag on Feb 6, 2024 18:10:26 GMT
Wings trimmed to match the bone structures, with some additional gluing to the wing bones. I will add some damage to the wing skin surfaces, giving it an appearance of having had a few scrapes since it became one of the living dead. Once this dries, I will apply more White E6000 Glue to the upper surface of the paper wings, to make them appear to be attached to the underlying bones. These, when dried, will be coated with more Royal Walnut Minwax Urethane Stain, to help them blend into the model. This will also further darken the wing's skin material. The plastic wings, under pressure beneath the books, did flex. They did not, however, bend sufficiently to fully attach the wings, as desired. This required this extra step with additional glue, to attach the 'skin' to the wings near the body. If there is a next time, I think I will try placing some open cell foam between the books, and the freezer paper over the wings and the paper 'skin'. This might actually press the paper down, against the plastic bone, to achieve better contact, with a tighter bond. I made an interesting discovery about the Minwax application to this paper. It is much stronger, tougher, and more resilient thanks to the urethane coating. This is very noticeable when I tried to cut it with a razor knife. I could tell it was much tougher, with the scissors, as well. When cutting the strengthened paper wings, I tried using a sharp razor knife, first. Too little control, and the paper flexed too much for accurate cutting. I then used a scissors, and that worked superbly for cutting the majority of the paper away. I had to use a razor knife, on a cutting mat, to trim the delicate parts away from the blackened bones coming out of the wing skin, and to trim around the bits. Once the attachments beneath the clothes pins dries, I will apply the glue 'ribs' atop the wings. After that cures, I will stain them. A matte clear coat, and it will be ready to be mounted on its base. Cheers!
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