miniature scenery

February 24, 2019

I’m Back–and Switching Gears

Twisted stairs, lamppost, and stair-steppers.

I hit a hobby slump several months ago after I’d made amazing progress painting so many of my buildings for Twisted and Wolsung. A combination of factors and just life getting in the way made me take a step back from the blog for a time, but I am eager to get right back into it!

Part of what held me up was not feeling excited to paint a bunch of lampposts (I think I have about two dozen of them), stairs, and boardwalks. These more tedious pieces all take a lot of paint and a lot more time than I’d like. My husband and I also still haven’t played a game of Twisted or Wolsung since I started my blog. Instead, we’ve focused on playing some of our other games (especially Adeptus Titanicus and Kill Team by Games Workshop). My husband even got his Titanicus battlegroup all painted except for three Knights! They look amazing! I have one half-finished Knight…I’m not that great at sticking to painting models.

My husband’s Mortis battlegroup for Adeptus Titanicus

My husband did an amazing job on his 6mm-scale Mortis battlegroup for Adeptus Titanicus! He has three Knights left to finish before he expands his force.

Since my last post, we also purchased quite a bit for Fallout: Wasteland Warfare by Modiphius. We also have quite a bit for This is Not a Test by World’s End Publishing. I already assembled so many retro/post-apoc. buildings for these two games, and I’m very excited to paint them up so that we can have some amazing games on a great table.

If you’re considering buying the Red Rocket terrain set Battlesystems made for Fallout: Wasteland Warfare, your money would be better spent elsewhere. The playmat (not pictured) is great, but the cardboard terrain is flimsy and won’t last. I couldn’t even get the rocket to attach properly, and I’m a very experienced terrain-builder. However, I cannot recommend the ColorED post-apocalypse terrain by Plast Craft Games highly enough. It is amazing!

I decided to start out with my trailer park and suburb from Sarissa Precision. I have many other types of buildings (including 99% of the Retro Americana range from Sarissa) and a plethora of scatter terrain/accessories from a variety of manufacturers as well, but they can wait for another day.

Expect to see frequent updates on my quest to create a suitably-weathered trailer park and suburb for the post-apocalyptic wastelands of the worlds of Fallout and This is Not a Test. Then we’ll see what area of the wasteland I want to tackle next!

Side note: I’m not affiliated with anyone I link to, but I like to give you the resources to find what I’m talking about!

May 3, 2018

Twisted Buildings, Part 3

Allow me to present the newest addition to my Twisted city: a decidedly whimsical No. 42 Carver Lane house! My first copy of this building, with a distinctly more serious tone, was featured heavily in my Twisted Buildings, Part 1 post.

My initial, more subdued take on this house:

The bright, cheery shop:

It’s probably no surprise if you had a look at my last post that I was pleased with the color scheme from my first Old Corner Shop. I decided to carry on with a similar look, using turquoise accents instead of blue, with this newest house.

Here are some additional angles on the new house:

“Hold up,” I can almost hear you audibly protest. “Isn’t steampunk a gritty, dirty, Industrial Revolution-esque setting? Just what exactly is she doing painting these like this? Surely she can’t think these are done?!? Where is the dirt? The weathering? The dried up tears of laborers returning from the workhouse?” Well, hold onto your hat, dear reader, because I’m about to blow your mind!

The world of Twisted is a truly unique steampunk setting centered around the machinations (see what I did there?) of The Engine, an infinitely powerful and ancient entity that shapes the world and lives of its inhabitants according to its own designs. It can influence the world in any number of ways, and the different factions in the game can tap into its power if they can garner its favor. The Engine is a little like GW’s Tzeentch in that complicated coincidences and events in the world happen just as planned. One of the ways that I imagine The Engine keeps the society of Twisted under control is by altering people’s perception of reality. My inspiration here is from a couple of video games.

Bioshock is one of my favorite video game franchises, and one of my favorite sequences in the franchise is when you get to play as a Little Sister in Bioshock 2 and see the world through her eyes. As a Little Sister, you see what is in reality a decaying and gruesome environment as a stunning, bright, and somewhat trippy paradise. The dead splicers the Little Sisters harvest ADAM from actually appear to them as angels, making their constant chatter about such things finally make sense. They are little girls, after all, and this altered perception helps them to do their job without being traumatized. Sometimes my husband and I joke that our cat has “Little Sister-vision” when he seems to be obsessed with nothing. Who knows what he can see in his little kitty mind?

Another instance of this type of altered perception in a bleak and depressing video game world is in We Happy Few. Admittedly, I have never played this game, but I’m an avid Twitch and YouTube viewer, and let’s plays are one of my favorite things to watch. In We Happy Few, the populace are kept docile and surface-level “happy” with the hallucinogenic drug Joy, provided and in many cases forced on them, of course, by a dystopian government. When your character in the game takes Joy, you have a very different, brighter, and more whimsical experience of the world around you.

All of this is to explain that my vision for Twisted is that The Engine alters people’s perception of the world around them so they believe that they live in an idyllic, cheerful place. By giving them this view, they will continue to work hard, feel satisfied, and be blissfully unaware of The Engine’s influence and plans for them. I think I have executed this vision pretty well so far. I realize it isn’t for everyone, but I want you to know that I have put some thought into it.

And now, by popular demand, due to dwindling counter space, because these buildings deserve to be observed in their proper habitat, and without further ado, here is the complete-to-date Twisted city perched lovingly upon a delightful vinyl cobblestone mat by GameMatz!

much cobble. very stone. so city. such Twisted. wow.

If you’re dying to see some Twisted miniatures to go along with all of these buildings (or you are at least vaguely curious to see them), then please send your good vibes toward my husband, Alex, who has agreed to start painting some up. Why aren’t I going to paint some myself? Am I truly horrible at painting miniatures? Is MDF the only medium with which I can create? Nah, I’m actually pretty good at painting minis. The reason I am, of course, is Alex! He has been gaming and painting much longer than I have, and he always gives me just the right guidance if I’m stuck or frustrated when painting a model. I will definitely paint miniatures again, but he’s a lot more motivated to do it right now. I’ve really regained my painting mojo with these buildings lately. My table full of assembled but unpainted Twisted terrain is looking more and more empty. This blog is keeping me motivated, and I can’t wait to see the project completed.

Next up: I would like a bit of a reprieve from full-sized buildings, so I’ll take a stab at my Twisted Staircases and Twisted Walkways. If I’m feeling especially motivated this coming week, I’ll also paint up at least some of my Twisted Street Lamps.

After that: I’ll finish up the last two shops and the last two houses. I also have two absolutely adorable ~~gypsy~~ traveler caravans (in bow top and ledge styles) and a truck from Sarissa Precision to paint up and add to the city.

April 21, 2018

Twisted Buildings, Part 2

I’ve been rather motivated to work on my lineup of assembled Twisted buildings lately, so I’m ready to post a nice photo update. If you missed my first Twisted Buildings post, please check it out!

I am very pleased with the way my first Old Corner Shop turned out (I have two more waiting for paint). Although Twisted takes place in a steampunk setting, which can often be portrayed as gritty and dirty, Demented Games put a unique, whimsical touch on their world that I interpret as you see here. I’m not exactly a lore expert (in my house, that’s my husband, Alex), but I also have a few story-driven reasons for my view of this world. I’ll address those in a future post.

I wanted to paint the two Nouveau Archways the same because I picture them as being public structures, and it makes sense that the city would design them to look alike. I didn’t really intend it, but Alex pointed out to me that they kind of resemble a certain set of golden arches.

My Twisted city is really starting to take shape! I’m running out of space on the kitchen counter; I’m going to need to start photographing the buildings on our gaming table with our cobblestone mat. We have this 4×6 vinyl mat by Gamematz. We have four different vinyl mats from them, and we really love them. As long as you treat them with care, they work beautifully.

Next up: another No. 42 Carver Lane. Last time, I went with a hunter green/gray combo. What colors should I go with?

Thanks for checking out my latest projects! Keep on hobbying!

April 18, 2018April 6, 2019

Wolsung Buildings, Part 1

I’m making good progress on my Twisted buildings (I got the two Nouveau Archways done, and I’ve started an Old Corner Shop), but before I give an update on those, I thought you might be interested in having a look at some of my previous work on some related buildings for the Wolsung Steampunk Skirmish Game.

Wolsung SSG is a great skirmish game by the very talented Micro Art Studio set in a steampunk universe interwoven with magic where several factions vie for dominance. Just like with Twisted, I first heard of Wolsung SSG during their Kickstarter campaign. Several of the game mechanics are quite unique, and this was the first time I had ever seen a standard deck of playing cards being used to affect gameplay in a miniatures game. I easily fell in love with the Inventors and their adorable robots, and my husband, Alex, was likewise quite taken with the Scylla, a very unique halfling mafia group with ogre thugs to do their grunt work. And the terrain…

Well, you ought to know by now that if nothing else, the terrain will sell me on a new game. The range of buildings and accessories Micro Art designed for Wolsung SSG truly made my jaw drop. The detailed MDF buildings were designed so that you could lift the top off and remove different levels, revealing the inside as additional play areas. This was my first foray into MDF terrain, and I was truly excited. This was basically a bunch of dollhouses, but better!

The Kickstarter rewards are now long past delivered, and we’ve had plenty of time to put buildings together and enjoy the game. Honestly, I’ve been dying to play recently! But back to the matter at hand: terrain. At first, I simply removed the pieces from the MDF sheets and had Alex put them together. He has been a tabletop gamer for most of his life, but I was still relatively new to the idea of putting something like these complex buildings together. As time went on, I tried painting some of them (I started small, with some of the small ramshackle shacks), and then I got up the courage to build some myself. I discovered that I love it!

Alas, I still don’t have all of these delightful buildings assembled and/or painted (we do have quite a lot of them), but here is what I do have ready to show.

XIX Century Shantytowns

You can even stack them!

XIX Century Shantytowns

There are so many ‘XIX Century Shantytowns‘ to show because a set of four was one of the free stretch goal backer rewards during the Kickstarter. Alex and I backed the campaign on two accounts each in order to maximize our freebies. You have to save some money when you can in this hobby; it’s just being resourceful. This is a boutique (read: niche, small-scale, high quality, but a bit on the expensive side) game, after all. These little cuties were the first Wolsung project I tackled, and they were a joy to paint. Like all of the Wolsung buildings, the roofs lift off from these tiny abodes in case you want to use the inside space for additional play area. I still have more to assemble, believe it or not.

Larger, double-sided stands

Six smaller one-sided stands are ready for goods.

These ‘XIX Century Stands‘ were the first MDF pieces that I assembled on my own, and they were also very fun to paint. I started making some wares to display in them, but I haven’t quite finished that task. I’ll return to it one day. After all, as we say in the tabletop gaming hobby: as long as you have unfinished projects, you can never die.

XIX Block of Flats

Level 1

Level 2

This ‘XIX Century Block of Flats‘ is still a work in progress. I still have the roof and the inside to paint. There are even perfect little acrylic windowpanes to glue in when everything is done. I am truly impressed with how easy it is to lift off, and later replace, the different levels of the building. I have two more blocks of flats to paint up once this one is finished.

There are some assembled but so far unpainted pieces as well, but I’ll save those for another day.

Disclaimer: I’m not partnered with or sponsored by any companies mentioned.

April 13, 2018April 13, 2018

Twisted Buildings, Part 1

If you aren’t familiar with Twisted by Demented Games, you should really check it out. It’s a great skirmish game with a whimsical steampunk setting and some of the most beautifully detailed miniatures you’ll ever find. I found it, as I often do, on Kickstarter. The Servants of the Engine faction was calling my name, and as soon as the Egyptians were revealed, I was hooked!

I’ve always had a soft spot for archaeology and a certain wonder about the mysteries of the past (and I am a history teacher, after all). My childhood was filled with Indiana Jones, and my favorite movie is still the original Stargate. ~~Indiana~~ Indigo ~~Jones~~ Ford, the female archaeologist, can be found cracking her whip on the Twisted Kickstarter page, but she is not available just yet. My favorite author is the great Agatha Christie, who is also included as a mini in the Egyptians faction, along with her famous Hercule Poirot!

During their Kickstarter campaign, Demented Games teamed up with CNC Workshop (now known simply as Miniature Scenery) to provide a variety of scenery options that suit the world of Twisted perfectly. Of course, I had to have these unique buildings and accessories as well.

I recently went on an MDF assembly binge and put together all of my Twisted scenery that had been sitting around in my hobby closet for a few months. I also started painting them up, but I have a long way to go!

I wish I had taken some pictures during the assembly process, but I can tell you that these Miniature Scenery MDF kits are some of the best I’ve ever put together. I am the terrain builder in my house, so you should trust me. The pieces were easy to remove from the MDF sheet, and it was pretty easy to understand the assembly process. These kits do rely a lot on glue, but I glue all of my MDF terrain with Loctite super glue anyway, so that’s not a big deal to me. I never had to clamp anything. One minor drawback for me was that I had to refer to their website for the assembly instructions because they weren’t printed on the back of the cover paper or included in the kit. This resulted in me having to constantly unlock my phone with gluey hands during my first copy of each of the kits to make sure I was placing the pieces properly. Even that wasn’t too bad, though, because once I had put a certain building together once, I could pretty much do it again for the next copy without consulting the instructions. I put all of my kits together over the course of a week (off and on, of course). The results are worth the effort; these buildings are absolutely gorgeous.

All together, I have one Abbot & Gillard – Moneylenders building, one Assay Office, two Nouveau Archways, four No. 42 Carver Lane houses, three Old Corner Shop buildings, three Twisted Staircases, two Twisted Walkways, and two sets worth (24) of Twisted Street Lamps. There were also several copies (I think I had ten or twelve) of the Roof Tile Set that I used to roof all of the buildings, with two copies to spare. It was definitely worth getting the roof tiles. They really give the buildings something extra special.

I have thus far painted the Abbott & Gillard – Moneylenders building, the Assay Office, and one No. 42 Carver Lane house. For MDF terrain, I like to use acrylic craft paint. You can get it quite cheaply at pretty much any store with a craft section, and you don’t have to feel bad about using quite a bit on a building. It typically takes two coats of most colors to get it looking the way I want it. The most difficult part of painting these buildings has been all of the edges. In some places, there are several layers of wood, each with their own darkened edges where the laser cutter shaped the pieces. These edges are a bit smoother than the rest of the wood, and they don’t take paint that well, so they’re always a pain. This isn’t a fault of Miniature Scenery; their multi-layered designs are beautiful, and the darkened edges are just a side effect of the cutting process.

Here is my first painted No. 42 Carver Lane house:

This is the Abbott & Gillard – Moneylenders:

The Assay Office:

Assay Office front

Assay Office back

Comparison of the three buildings together:

First 3 painted Twisted buildings — (L to R) Assay Office, No. 42 Carver Lane, Abbott & Gillard – Moneylenders

These buildings really capture my imagination. I especially love the playful details. The atmosphere they create really reminds me of playing Fable 2 several years ago, walking through Bowerstone and getting immersed in the unique world. I’m very excited to get more buildings done so that I can create my own little city on the gaming table. My husband and I have a great vinyl cobblestone mat that we plan to use along with this wonderful terrain.

I’ll be working on the two Nouveau Archways and an Old Corner Shop next. Stay tuned for updates to my Twisted city!