The Truckdoza

Alreet! Welcome Back.

Need transport across the Wastelands? Come book the Truckdoza. Rough terrain is not a problem. The ram deals with obstructions and barricades with ease. As the wasteland is a risky place a twin machine gun is mounted on the cab to deal with those pesky bandits and mutants.

Many years ago, I picked up this cool pickup truck from Ramshackle Games.

Picture courtesy of Ramshackle Games.

The model is heavy and I can be clumsy. I dropped the truck from height and snapped some wheels off. It was assigned to the rework bits box.

During the Covid Lockdowns, I discovered the truck while looking for bits. I also found these cool looking tracks in there, from a cheap B&M stores toy tank. They matched the length of the truck perfectly.

The problem was fitting them. Stripping the truck down, I had to remove the truck bed component. I ran some Balsa wood batons the length of the Truckadoza. This allowed the tracks to be fitted with small wood screws. The dozer blade was fitted from the orginal model. The rear gate was made from a gift card I had been punching rivets from. Some resin junk armour was added from Ramshackle games. A Fox Box Ork Jerrycan and back pack (now availble from Ramshackle games) was also added.

The Truckdoza was parked (pun intended) until last week, when sorting bits for the Junk Raft (see my previous post).

I added googly eyes to hide the screw tops holding the tracks on. The vehicle needed foot boards. The were made from gift cards and interesting looking bits cut from plastic food trays. Another backback was added from the bits box, along with a Ork Skull which was painted in mythril silver as a nod for the film Mad Max fury road. 

Some armament was needed. Another bits box delve turned up another Ramshackle Item, which has lurked there for over a decade. A mount was made from two circles of EVA foam. Rivets were added. I am using tiny nail jewels. You can buy packets of 1000 quite cheaply. They are consistant looking and a better match to the model scale.

The model was primed black and heavily drybrushed in sheet metal. The whole thing was washed in brown. I could have left it there, in a oxidised grimey metal state. Grey was sponged over the metal panels and then colours sponged over the top to give a worn or chipped paint look.

Thanks for looking, take care out there.

The Junk Raft of Tapu

Hello and Welcome back, 

Time to visit the world of Tapu, known as the Gutterlands from the Skrim game.

The Junkraft was found on the shore of the Slosh by Morti Krilly, a Colonist of Tapu. It was clearly a Ruster vessel, and Morti proceeded to salvage it (well, steal it more like). 

After paddling it across the Slosh, Morti decided that it was too much hard work. Digging through the junk that covers the Gutterlands, Morti found some sort of wrecked air vehicle. Soon he set to work to build a air boat from the wreck and the junk raft. The engine and weapons were little more than rusted junk. A smaller working engine was found in what looked like the wreckage of a personal transport. After cleaning it up, it was installed as the prime mover the raft. 

Soon he had a working air boat and Morti was earning a living transporting salvage teams across the Slosh. The raft is as ramshackle as it looks and Morti deliberately keeps the speed down to a few knots, for fear that any faster would have the raft fall apart. That and going any faster becomes terrifying.

Inspired by a pateron challenge to build a water vehicle on the Bill Making Stuff discord channel, I set off building a raft. After some time of thinking of a propulsion method I decided on air boat. 

It is built from plastic milk bottle tops, a bamboo skewer frame and EVA platform (holes and rips courtesy of my cat Dixie, who loves to steal and play with my EVA foam sheets). Some panels cut from food trays were added.

The aircraft bits came from a cheap 1/48 prepainted snap together kit. A lesson learnt is to wash the model before using it. Then scrub it to remove the paint. 

After the dark wash, the paint and primer just washed off some sections requiring a repaint. 

Thanks for looking,

Take Care out there.

Mytharth city characters.

Hello and Welcome Back,

We are headed to my fantasy setting, Mytharth.

It's time to take a look at some of the characters from the city of Lienad. 

Law and order is maintainted on Lienad's mean streets by the city watch. This lot are also required at times to help defend the city from invaders by becoming focal points for city milita or to chase criminals beyond the city limits. 

Trouble comes in all the usual forms that all cities suffer from. Here are a few of the more unusual types the can be found on Lienad's mean streets. 

Dorwin Springfirn is a Gome and is a usually a happy law abiding character, until he has had a drink. Then he gets violent. The Watch are often called out to deal with Dorwin's drunken rampages.

The issue with the Wizards at the Invisas Univasitas playing with magic is that the magic sometimes leaks out. As a result weird things happen in the city all the time, like this rag doll. Its taken on a pyschotic personality and attacks people with a spear. 

The Librarian is a character from Invisas Univasitas. Stories say he was turned into an Orangutan by a magical explosion. The Librarian is happy in his new form and resists attempts to be turned back to his original form by his colleagues. Although given how incompetient the other Wizards can be might be the real reason. He likes a drink and is known to get voilent if any one calls him a Monkey. 

Igor isnt really a problem to the Watch, apart from stealing freshly deceased corpses for parts. Igors are amazing surgeons, and are often forgiven for their grave robbing crimes in the big city. Igors like the city as it is a refreshing change from being chased by angry pitchfork wielding mobs. 

Its hot and half the city have gone the beach. It soon gets raucous and it doesnt take too long for things to get out of hand. The Watch step in to break up a mass brawl, which turns into a riot. 

All the figures in this post are from the Guards line by Sally 4th minatures, which are inspired by Discworld characters. As a huge Discworld fan, I had to add them to my collection. Some of the text is also inspired by the Discworld books. 

Thank you for looking, 

Take Care out there.

Starport Scum #14

Welcome Back, 

Here is yet another episode of Starport Scum...

This Dvarg is a straddler from the Big Red Mining Company (or in this case a new addition). He is on his way to join his comrades on the world of Tapu/Gutterlands in the Bill Making Stuff universe, after missing is Starport connection by being distracted by a heavy metal holo feed (which is known 'Folk Music' in the far future of the Wild Galaxy!)

The figure is a old 40K metal Squat missing it's plastic arms. Like other Squats of this era in my collection, the arm Wargames Atlantic Einhenjar fix the problem. They fit nicely and solves a problem with finds on ebay. 

Vermen are a constant problem across many of humanites worlds and colonies. It is still a mystery, just how they get there or where they come from. They are suspected to be a kind of GELF (Genetically Engineered Life Form) but there is no record of their creation or participation in the GELF wars. There are some theories that they are some sort of mutant or alien. 

This Verman is a Mantic Vyrmin figure. 

This filthy animal is Marco Lawless and is a low level roid addicted thug. He is a handy hire if you need muscle but dont make the mistake of trusting him. He will double cross if he will benefit.

The figure is a old plastic 97 Necromunda Goliath found in an old box of figures. He was missing an arm, which was fixed by using a old Gorkamorka metal arm with a big revolver. Goes to show how brawny these old Golaiths are when Ork arms look a bit weedy!

Marco Lawless faces off with a Verman Scout. 

Here we see a Dvarg prospector finding a damaged droid. The droid is a Stargrave objective. 

Thanks for reading, 

Take Care out there.

 

Blue Star renforcements.

Hello and Welcome back, 

Blue Star Corporation is a Dvarg mining corporation. They have just had some renforcements, because some of those rocks can get really aggressive. 

This lot are Space Dwarves by BMT3D which fit the oldhammer Squat athestic nicely. They are meral cast from 3D prints. Looking closely you can see the filiament lines on the casts. 

They all are from BMT3D apart from this guy, who is a classic 40K olhammer age Squat. The arms were missing and were replaced by Wargames Atlantic Einhenjar arms. 

Thanks for looking,

Take Care Out There.

Dodgy's Bar Rework

Hello and Welcome back, 

A long time ago I built some sci fi buildings from junk, intending them as scenery for Judge Dredd games. It was a time before I began weathering models. Being a fan of 80s 2000AD I went for a bold colour, blue in this case. After a couple of games they sat on a shelf. 

The Batrep for your entertainment: https://mattblackgodsworld.blogspot.com/2014/03/trouble-in-utopia-city.html

You can see Dodgies Bar on the left there

Another angle of Dodgies Bar

I was thinking of reworking Dodgy's bar for some time. One idea was to update the sign with letters. Intially the bar began life around Christmas time. The lower half was a plastic treats tub that held some chocolate treats. The upper half started life as one of those tubs that dry roasted peanuts come in. The door and windows were made from cerial packet card. 

The letters were made using a silicon bakers letter mould and eva foam clay. Its an idea I will reuse for other models. 

After fitting the letters, my brain started thinking that the clean look would out of place on my current terrian styles. My thoughts were to make the bar look more like it was built from scrapped or wrecked space craft, on some galactic backwater dump.

I started by carving panel lines into the model. Being me, I added the lines by hand using the blunt side of a scalpel. It went wrong with wonky lines everywhere. Doh. 

As a fix, I began adding panels made from cereal packet cardboard and plastic food trays that cakes or biscuits come in. Some extra greeblie bits were also added.

There is some strange people out here.

Up top I added cables, struts and conduits to make it look like this was a peice of a space craft hull. A comms mast made from plastic rod and some beads was also added. I figured the paterons may want to stream sports games or news about which empire is picking a fight with their neighbours because they once looked at them funny. 

To make the model more interesting for table top tacticians, I added some ladders and platforms to the bar. You can now ambush drunks leaving the bar from above. Or enterprising snipers can hide on the roof to command the battle field. Just dont get too close to that big cooling fan blade up there. 

Paint wise, I decided to go with space ship colours, dirty whites mainly. Lots of weathering was added and followed up with new posters. The graffiti artists didnt take long to daube the bar. 

I have enjoyed reworking the bar. I will need to create a Dodgy character for the tabletop at some point. The other buildings I built for that Mega City One table, are waving at me to be reworked for a galactic backwater dump setting.

Thanks for reading, 

Stay safe out there or come visit Dodgy's Bar, where the beer is warm and the scowls are genuine.

Swamp Dragon

Hello and Welcome Back,

I got this Dagon Minus One model as a freebee from Fenris Games. It is a bit different to my other models. It will serve as a Swamp or Water Dragon in my fantasy world. 

Painting this critter was fun. It was primed black and dry brushed grey. The model got a couple of green ink glazes. A heavy dry brushing of Mithril silver was applied followed by a thin brown wash. Another layer of green glaze was then applied. A very light dry brush of Mithril silver was then applied.

After that it was some details, odd bits of other greens added to the lower parts. The eyes started as white and got two red ink glazes. The cornea detail was added in orange and the pupil added in black.

In all it was a fun model to paint. Thank You Fenris Games.

Thank you for reading, 

Take Care Out There.

Whatthehellasaurus Rex

Hello and Welcome Back,

Time to meet a new horror... 

Around the campfires, it is whispered that a fearsome monster lurks out in the Caustic Clump. A giant, armored, multi-legged monstrosity known as the Whatthehellasaurus Rex, or as some call it, "Hideitscoming."

The tales say that the creature's roar freezes the blood in your veins, and its extra legs allow it to easily run down its prey (usually you). Bullets just bounce off its hide. The monster's claws can tear through armor effortlessly. It is said to swallow its victims whole, but the lucky ones merely get bitten in half. No, I don't know how that one works either, surely the lucky ones don't encounter the Hideitscoming at all.

"Its behind me, isnt it?"

Is it a mutant or a beast natural to the world that survived the ages since the fall of the planet Corrosion? 

"I'm gunna need a bigger gun!"

No one around the campfires has actually seen the beast, heard it, or has any evidence of its existence. But almost everyone knows someone who knows someone else who might have seen or heard of it, or been eaten by it. But then, as so many folks never return from the wastelands, who can say of its real for sure? 

This model was inspired by a challenge over in the Billmakingstuff discord channel. In my usual fashion, I failed to finish it on time.The models was based on a toy Tyrannosaurus rex and a Allosaurus. In true mad scientist style I lopped the tail off the Tyrannosaurus and front off the Allosaurus, then I joined them together. Lots of putty filled the holes. The jaw was removed and lowered to give the Whatthehellasaurus Rex a much larger gob. I had to fix the teeth, add a tongue and extended the claws. I added blades from eva foam onto the back to make the six legged freak even more intimidating. 

Thanks for reading,

Take Care Out There.

Terrain Posters WIP 2

Hello and Welcome back,

I have made a little more progress on the posters. I have added some colour. 

That reminds me, I need to get a character figure kitbashed up for Milky.

These two were also drawn up and are in the middle of having colour added. 

Old Kosmik's "business":

https://mattblackgodsworld.blogspot.com/2022/08/kosmiks-sweat-lodge.html

Hopefully I can get some more drawn up soon. The ideas just keep coming. The side effect of world building I guess. 

Stay tuned and keep safe.

Terrain Posters WIP

Hello and Welcome Back,

Yes, I am still alive. Things have been insanely busy since my last post. I have been hobbying but I life is keeping me busy too get to blogging. My usual issue is getting pictures organised. Hopefully I can catch up soon. 

Meanwhile, I have begun drawing up posters for my terrain. 

So far there is a advert for Big Milky Tours and Old Crustys Fungus Ale. The idea is to make posters that will fit frontier world and post apocalyptic models. 

Once these are cleaned up, some colour will be added. Maybe some aging. The plan is to scan these in and drop the image into a document file, shrinking the size to suit the scale. Hopefully this will hide just how bad the art is. 

Once printed and cut out, they will be glued to various models. One thing is that it has given me lots of ideas for more. Keep watching for futher progress.

Thanks for looking,

Take Care out there.