Thursday, 12 May 2022

3ITC - Bultha's Farm - Walls and Texturing

Once I'd drawn the plans I cut the walls out of pink XPS using my Proxxon. I cut the edges to 45°, easy to do by setting the wire at the required angle.

Then I textured the outside of each piece first using a Green Stuff World textured roller. I find it benefits from deepening the mortar lines, to see where I'd gone (and so it shows up better on photos) I used a black biro. Once this was done I used a ball of kitchen foil to add a rough stone texture. Finally I used a pen top to push some of the stones in a bit. This more uneven surface gives a more natural look.
For the insides of the walls I wanted a rendered finish, but with some of the render missing, exposing the stonework beneath. I cut a thin irregular strip from the inside, the exposed surface was then textured with a pen to show the stonework.  I didn't even try to match the placement of stones on the outside; the walls are two stones wide with a gap in between.

I added a strip of XPS to the interior walls to support the upper floor.  I also added strips of cable tie to the inside of the door frames to give a more Sci Fi look.  I considered doing the same to the windows, but the ties I had looked too bulky.  If I find some thinner ones I may still do this.  I imagine the ridged texture represents some sort of field emitter, perhaps to keep out dust?  And yes, I am totally using this in my Tatooine builds.

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The doors themselves will be long gone of course.  For basing I used the thick plastic sheeting used for signs.  It's my first time with this stuff; so far it seems strong and is easy to cut and sand smooth.  I'll use it for the damaged upper floor as well, probably carving in some sort of texture.

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I wasn't sure about the floor and tried both card and balsa (floorboards) but neither looked quite right; too 'fantasy'.  Finally I cut a thin piece of XPS for the floor, cut out some damage and textured it with the foil ball.  This seems more what I was thinking of.  I'll add some rubble, but the model has to work as a gaming piece, so the floor has to be clear and level enough for minis to stand up in it.

Next I will give everything a coat of mod podge and black paint (I may add some greebles first) then it's on to painting.  I'm not adding the roof or the upper floor until the bulk of the painting is done, but I'll get them cut out and textured soon.

6 comments:

  1. That's coming along very nicely. I love the 'ball of kitchen foil' technique for adding texture.

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    1. Thanks, it's amazingly effective.
      There are two schools of thought as to using it before or after adding other textures. I chose afterwards on the ruin.
      I used the same technique for the render on the inside and the floor, though I deliberately made it less obvious.

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  2. Looks great so far. What are 'greebles'?

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    1. Thanks, I'm pleased with how it's progressing.
      'Greebles' are bits added to a model to give a greater sense of detailing. I'm not sure when it originated, but I think the model builders on the original Star Wars films were using it. (It's also a term in psychology)

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  3. That building's shaping up nicely. I'm worried about a battle for the farm though, seeing Imperial Fists already camped out inside ;)

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    1. Thanks, I need to get some paint on it, it's currently just primed with mod podge.
      In the original skirmish there were 16 Space Marines already in the farm (including a missile launcher with unlimited plasma shells and a Major Hero) vs 21 Orks (including a champion and a minor hero, no special weapons).
      It's not surprising that no one runs it as written these days.

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