Wasteland Wondering

Welcome back to another Wasteland Wondering. In today's blog post I will give you a hobby update, make a book recommendation, explore some ideas whilst giving you a insight into my warped mind.

Not a lot of hobby stuff has happened since my last blog update. I did pick up a few LAM figures (the post apocalyptic heroes) and some old Rogue Trader era Space Orks for the Orktober competition on the Oldhammer groups over on Facebook. I made a start on the base coats on all these figures and then stalled. Strangely I have had the bug to paint some 15mm miniatures but I have not found the time. Maybe I am going over to the 15mm dark side??

This week I have been reading “We had Flags” the third novel in the Toxic World series by Sean McLachlan. The novel explores the fear and paranoia people feel when confronted with the unknown. In this case the unknown arrives in Toxic Bay in the form of a rusty pre end freighter fitted with a cannon. Things get worse when it becomes apparent the ship is crewed by the feared Chinese. The novel like the others in the series genitally explores how the world got into the post apocalyptic state through the characters thoughts and conversations. I find this a refreshing change to the block history lessons that some novels of the genre give us.

Toxic world is a grim setting where the world that is left is the ruins of the past and a world filled with toxins. If you are expecting Hordes of Undead, Mad Max (fuel and vehicles are too precious to waste) or Fallout (no 50s Sci Fi elements or mutants) then you may not like the novels. In all the Toxic World series of novels are a good read filled with excellent characters and twists. If post apocalyptic gaming is your thing then the series gives plenty of ideas for characters, factions, places, scenarios, skirmishes and even a full scale battle. I love the Tweakers in the novels who are solvent/chemical addicts. They are disheveled and crazed by their addictions. The Tweakers are a constant danger out in the ruins. I wish I could find suitable miniatures for these bedraggled feral chemical addicts. I may have to convert some Mantic Ghouls. Check out the Toxic World novels over on Amazon.

One of my other hobbies is to go for long drives/rides exploring the countryside of UK. When checking out a couple of passes through the Peak District I discovered lots of caves on the passes and what was a Lead Mine. On seeing this my twisted little mind screamed “BULLET FARM!”. There is a couple of villages in the pass. In a Post Apoc setting the surviving villages could easily blockade the passes. The locals could trade lead and other minerals for supplies with other factions. If they are clever they could even trade for the components to make munitions.

Whilst looking about Google Earth (a great tool for research) I noticed that the Cheshire salt mines are near the banks of the River Mersey. My modern Post Apocalyptic setting is based in and around the ruins of Liverpool (write about what you know and all that). The city sits on the banks of the Mersey. The river would be a good place for a salt trade and would provide a easy method of transportation. I imagine that salt would have some valuable uses in the Post Apocalyptic world. 

Well that's all for now. I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings and idea sharing. In my next Wasteland Wondering I hope to be looking at ideas for post apocalyptic settings in various scales.

Until next time...have a Happy Halloween and Safe Bonfire Night.

Abandoned Industrial Terrain

Welcome back to my blog. 

For some time I have had some abandoned industrial terrain laying there waiting for me to finish them. So four years later I got up to speed. 

The storage tanks. Who knows what may have been stored in these? Fuel, concrete, chemicals, flour or sugar maybe?  Should we investigate? 

These where originally designed for my STALKER games but they fit Post Apoc very nicely. They maybe also useful for the Undercity too (apart from the tufts of grass that is!).

This model is made from three bottle tops and three yakult bottles. The pipe work on top is made from thick pipe solder. It is easy to work with. The whole thing is mounted on a CD. 

The barrels are made from press cast milliput. I use laytex molds taken from model bits. Great for making Post Apoc terrain bits cheaply. 

The master mixer and processing tank. This again is bottle tops, yakult bottles and thick pipe solder. The big tank is made from a tank from a cheap toy gun. The breather hole has had a straw inserted to make a breather pipe. 

The processing tank is mounted on a milk bottle/carton top. The control panel is a toy mobile phone from a cheap action figure. 

The pipe work and power panel is from a resin Old Crow 6mm scale refinery pipework set. The old bandy and warped packing crate is also press cast. 

Thanks for looking. 

More new ruins and craters.

Welcome back to my blog. I have been off work ill for a couple of weeks now with a virus which I cant shake. Damned mutated wasteland viruses. One great thing about our hobby is that you don't need to be too fit to do it. One silver lining is I have managed to do a little catching up on hobby stuff. 

This blog post will show off some more ruins & craters by Amera Plastic Mouldings that I managed to get finished. 

First up a barricade or wall. 

This is a set up crumbled ruin which can be trimmed to give three models. 

The posters are a book cover and promo are from the Unity series of Sci Fi novels by Jonathan Fletcher, who also does his own art. He kindly agreed to let me use his art work as posters for my models. 

Craters are a part of some post apocalyptic landscapes. Mattblackgod's world was a massive warscape before it got nuked from orbit. My modern settings are blasted by asteroid storms. This double crater is produced by Amera Plastic Mouldings. 

Giant craters are also a must in the wastelands. 

That does it for now with Amera terrain although that there is some bits to finish in the pile. 

Thanks for looking. 

Roach Jones

Roach Jones lives in the overcrowded megablocks of Utopia City, Mattblackgod's world's only surviving mega city. Roach is a nobody. For some time he has been haunted by disturbing dreams which featured a lot of symbols of the Matt Black God. 

Looks like Roach's base needs some time for the glue to dry - whoops!! 

Roach approached the Church of the Matt Black God hoping to find some answers. They saw him as a heretic and attacked him. Roach fled with the angry cultists in hot pursuit. Roach dodged through a marketplace causing the cultists and shoppers to riot. 

This has lead to the Utopia City Magistrates to become interested in Roach Jones because he incited a riot and is in possession of an illegal weapon.  

Still clutching a holy holo book from the cult which Roach hopes to find answers and the pistol he took off a cultist Roach flees across the city. Roach sees his only option is to head to Atomic Alley where it is rumored that there is a entrance to the fabled and dreaded undercity. 

Rictus & Furiosa - New additions to the Warboys Warband

Here it is - post No 300!!! 

The Warboys have some new additions to their  Warband. 

Rictus is the third son of the Warlord Immortan Joe. He usually leads the Warbands into the Wastelands. 

Rictus is an old OOP Necromunda Goliath miniature by GW that I was given painted a while back. I touched the paint up and he is ready for the table. 

Furiosa came to the Citadel as a prisoner who worked her freedom and proved herself as competent warrior. Furiosa worked her way up the ranks in Immortan Joe's army and is allowed to run a war band and war rig across the wastelands. Furiosa is a Ms Lovely Day by Crooked Dice.  

Scab is the newest member of the Warboys. He has been trusted with a machine pistol from the bullet farm. They better hope that Scab's finger doesn't slip. Scab is an old OOP Necromunda Goliath juve miniature by GW (as if you needed telling who made it) that I was given painted a while back. I touched the paint up to make him look like a Warboy. 

Just for a bit of fun...a War 'Tom' Boy! 

The War 'Tom' Boy is a girl who has joined the Warboys. She has proven herself to be as tough as the boys. 'Tom' is an old OOP Necromunda Esher juve miniature by GW that I had laying about. 

A group shot of the new additions to the warband.