It's been a while since I worked on any terrain. I usually travel for gaming, and my gaming pals have way nicer terrain sets then I do. However, having some friends over for games over the last few weeks has made me look at my own set again.
This old Battle Masters tower has been sat in a wardrobe half finished for years. Every time I opened said wardrobe I would see it and resolve to paint it soon. Years pass. Game systems rose and fell and still the tower lay unfinished.
This particular time when I looked up at it I just took at down and put it on my painting desk. Two sessions later, done. I no longer have that particular mind-worm nibbling at me, and I get a new big terrain piece. Decisiveness, that's the ticket!
There is some slightly ropey milliput work I did on it back in the day, but not so much that I felt the need to spend hours fixing it. It adds to the tumbledown charm. YES IT DOES. Typhus Corrosion once again did it's magic on the weathering. Is there nothing that can't be made look better with a dab of this magical sauce?
I'm trying to tart up my gaming mats at the moment too, which suffer a bit from bowling green-itis. You can see my efforts here. I've added watered down washes, more types of flock and some torn up grass matting all bedded down with pva glue. A little basing scatter here and there and it's getting there. The first mat look a while to get to a point where I was happy, and I still need to work the edges a little, but it's looking like I'll then have a process for upgrading the other mats.
Then I'll be happy.
Very nice indeed. I have one of these, must paint it up sometime. It's a bit chunky but still a nice piece.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot. It's got a lot of utility, an old tower is pretty useful in a plethora of games. It's a clunky thing, but still nice for all that.
DeleteIt's a fun little piece. I have the same problem, as it is sitting here staring at me wanting to be finished as well. It just doesnt go with my game table tho. I will get to it eventually. Hope I can get it half as nice as yours. ;)
ReplyDeleteCheers Airborne. It's such a simple piece that it almost paints itself. The weathering is what livens it up though I think.
DeleteI was just thinking that I need to plan to paint my battlemasters set in time for my grandchildren to enjoy. (my kids are young, so I might get it done in the next couple decades)
ReplyDeleteLovely work on this though, makes it feel more "real".
Thanks a lot. I rebuilt my set (including another unpainted tower) last year to play with my two sons. With it's huge play-mat and tons of figs it's a great intro game for wargaming.
DeleteThat's a great job! I see you elected not to modify the blocking-in behind the tapestry. In fact, you painted the tepestry as stone! That's a simple way of tackling that part of the piece.
ReplyDeleteHave glued this together? There's something very pleasing about constantly pulling it apart and reassembling it.
Thanks Curis! It's a little shortcuty, but I think painting it as a carving is the easiest way of getting around that part of the model quickly, it's such a massive section that some deft painting sleight of hand is required to make the banner section look well. Plus I'd need to paint on an actual banner.
DeleteIt's pretty much welded together, though I do have another one in my Battlemasters set that is assembled and disassembled as required.
Ah, there you go, inspiring me again... Are there actual blackberries hiding in the lichen/vines? And how'd you go about modelling those? Adds quite a bit to the presentation!
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly. No actual blackberries were harmed in the making of this tower. The ivy is from the Army Painter Battlefields Poison Ivy pack, though it seems to be OOP. Sad as it's really easy to use.
DeleteThanks for the info! If I know kickstarter, there'll be five companies offering something similar soon, but in the meantime I'm sure Woodland Scenics (the model railroad folks) provide an effective substitute.
DeleteI had two of these painted and unused for over fifteen years, so I passed them on a few years ago, thinking "I'll never get into fantasy properly". I then got into fantasy properly.
ReplyDeleteThis post inspired me to contact the person that currently has them (also unused) and buy them back.
Great idea painting the banner as a carving. I will likely do that too, when I get them back.
Good to hear you can actually get them back. They paint up easy and are nice big blocks of scenery.
DeletePainting the banner as a carving saves a ton of time, and looks graaaaaaaaand.