How to make a Westeros Map - Pt.3

Finishing Touches

To finish off the map I decided to add some moulded hardwood trims with brass nails and brass corner brackets. I wanted the edging to look like it was straight off of a carriage, so I used 3 coats of gloss, lightly sanded between coats and applied with a clean cloth. The holes for all the nails/tacks were pre-drilled to ensure the wood didn't split and that positioning was perfect.

Above: You could use a compound saw or take it to your local hardware store to be cut to size, but I prefer the old fashioned way; a hand saw and a mitre box. It also allows you to make adjustments on the spot and be incredibly accurate.

Below: Each nail hole was pre-drilled and nails placed for ease of attachment. A tip - line up all your edging and only half nail in the centre nail for each side. This allows you to easily check placement, how they line up and allows you to make sure all the mitres align correctly. If not you can easily remove each piece and adjust it, then put it back on with the same nail. Whatever you do, DON'T put more than one nail in each side until you're sure it's a perfect fit.

Below: Brass corner brackets were added mostly for aesthetic purposes, but also because they protect and hold each corner together tightly.

The Final Product

It took three months of my spare time and more than a few curse words but here it is, complete and ready to hang. I may still change my mind about putting a clear lacquer on it, but for now I love it just as it is.

I'll be making a new tutorial soon for a custom piece I'm making for a friend. It'll be based on one of his (and my) favourite video game series, so keep an eye out. I hoped you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I'm enjoying my new map, all the best!

Chaos Castle Pt. 2 - Basing and further building

Now that I've got a structure to work with I can move on to basing. What you make your base from will very much depend on what you're looking for. In keeping with the recycling theme I'm making a cardboard base, but not just because I want to recycle as much as possible - it's also a great base as it is stiff, light, strong and best of all free. You could use foam board (delicate but very light), MDF/masonite/chipboard (strong but heavy but not ideal for putting on top of other terrain) or in fact any other fairly thin material that you like. Another reason why I like using cardboard is because it stands up to knocks/bumps and falls better than any other material and you can shape it easily using a modelling knife, bread knife, retractable knife, shears etc. This makes it a very flexible material - did I mention it's free also?

One thing to bear in mind is this - the bigger the base the thicker it needs to be. In the case of this castle the base will be around 75cm (2.5') in width and around 90cm (3') in depth. This means that it is in no way suitable to use only a single layer of cardboard as it would flex/bend too easily and wouldn't be sturdy enough. To make a solid base I'm going to use 3 layers in a lattice pattern. This makes it extra strong, in fact many times stronger than a single piece of cardboard as thick as the 3 layers of the cardboard I'm using combined.





Above: I'm using some pretty big boxes made from thick card to make this base - leftovers of some electrical items that I bought.

Below: When I say to lay it in a lattice pattern I mean that you should alternate the direction of each layer when you glue them together. You can see the 'grain' of the corrugated cardboard runs in two directions. In corrugated cardboard the outside layers sandwich a centre layer of 'wavy' (re: corrugated) card that gives it strength and protects whatever it is packaging/carrying. The idea is to layer them in opposite directions for each new layer, increasing strength in all directions and making it less prone to bending/flexing. The more layers you add in a lattice formation the stronger it gets, in this case 3 layers will be plenty. Obviously the bigger the base the more layers you'll need (for most small items [i.e. less than 50 x 50cm {}] two layers is plenty).




Above: 2 layers of corrugated cardboard in a lattice configuration.

Below: When gluing layers together use PVA glue, it doesn't matter what brand as they're all the same (regardless of what anyone tells you), what matters is that you use plenty and get good coverage of the two surfaces being glued together. TIP - When you glue cardboard together push them on to each other and then rub the 2 layers together, this will distribute the glue across both surfaces evenly and fill all the cracks, helping it adhere better. It also helps stop big blobs of PVA from forming, which makes it cure faster.



Above: Once you've glued the two layers together put some evenly distributed weight on top. This will make the final bond between them that much stronger and more consistent.

Below: The third layer isn't a full layer per se. Instead, I'm using 3 off large off cuts as stiffening boards. Again I've used plenty of glue, put them in a lattice formation, placed some evenly distributed weight on top and given them a few hours to dry.




Below: You don't have to do this but I like to, particular on cardboard bases of this size. After poking two holes in the base I've used a twist tie (most often found on bread bags and new electric cables) and pushed it through each hole. Once done you simple twist it off until it's tight and then move on to the next hole. This may seem like overkill but I like doing this on bigger bases, by no means do you have to do the same.





Above and Below: All tied off. I used 5 ties, though I would've used 6 if I didn't run out. Again this isn't strictly necessary, I just like to make sure.




Above: Once the base is all dry and ready to go it's time to mark out where it's going to be cut. When cutting the edge try to cut it at about a 15 degree angle - this makes it slope off so that it looks better on the battlefield and doesn't come to an abrupt 90 degree angle.

Below: Cutting the base. You can use a bread/modelling/retractable knife, but always make sure that you're cutting away from yourself and take it slowly. Slipping and cutting yourself is not pleasant.




Above: The cut and finished base, all ready to have the castle glued to it.

Below: The foam walls, glued to to the base. It takes a lot longer for glue to cure when gluing foam and cardboard together. Also, be very wary using anything other than PVA (craft glue) on foam - most other glues either won't bond strongly enough, or they'll melt the foam. If in doubt, test it on a scrap piece first. You can see I've also glued the carved off pieces of foam to make the buttresses match. Don't worry about any small gaps as they'll be covered over with filler.

Above: The boxes are going to form the base of a rocky outcrop, on the front of which will be a portal.

Below: I cut a slot in the back of the bigger box, so that I could wedge the smaller box into it. This also makes it a lot stronger, particularly since I glued, stapled and taped it all together.

Below: Using a utility knife I cut lots of nicks/wedges/holes in the sides of the boxes, so that filler, rocks and other items I add aren't the only depth it's given. This also draws attention away from the fact that the rocky outcrop is, in fact, boxes.

Up next - texture, the portal, adding detail and generally making the castle look pretty EEEeeeevil!

Chaos Castle Pt. 1 - Structure

What fantasy/sci fi world is complete without a glittering castle, polysteel bastion, fortified artillery position, dark ziggurat or twisted alcazar with all the trimmings? The answer is none, in case I hadn't clued you in to the rhetorical nature of that question. With this in mind I've been planning to show you how to build one for quite a while but wasn't quite sure what I wanted to make - castles/strongholds make very large terrain items and can be hard to store, so it's unlikely that it'll be too large, too tall or that you'd have more than one (unless they were small keeps or the like, or if you had a massive room/shed/real castle to house them in). Pondering this I decided that I wanted the castle to fit in with my recently made terrain board set - stony, cold, very little life, god(s) forsaken, constantly stricken with bizarre weather events and so on.

Deciding that I was spending too much time idly thinking I went to work about the house, cleaning out the spare room and garage so as to appease the lords of domesticity. Just as I was considering what I was going to make my castle from I came across a couple of boxes with polystyrene liners - remnants of some recently purchased electronic goods. Lining them up next to the recycling bin I decided to take a closer look. After pulling them apart I could see a future in these polystyrene lumps and subsequently saved them for the construction of my new edifice. If you don't have polystyrene suitable for your building/castle/dungeon/giant pants I recommend that you chat with your local electronics store or tech college - they usually have a tonne of this stuff and rarely do they have any use for it.




Before putting the pieces of the castle together there was a bit of work to be done. Each piece had to fit perfectly at a 90 degree angle to the others, so some cutting was required. When cutting polystyrene there are a couple of methods - the most popular being the 'bread knife' and 'hot wire' techniques. I used the former but many swear by hot wire cutters, they tend to be cleaner and very fast (but create a terrible smell). Using a bread knife is slower and you have to be careful not to tear chunks off, it is also a bit messy but it's the cheaper option (assuming you have a serrated/bread knife) and works perfectly well. Before you cut make sure that you've got the angle correct - once cut there is no going back.



NOTE: If using a knife don't push or force it through - use a gentle sawing motion instead, let the serrations do the work. If you're using a hot wire cutter make sure that you're cutting on something not likely to melt/burn easily. For both method make sure you're outside - the hot wire will make a horrible smell and the knife will leave a mess (I cut with a plastic bag beneath the polystyrene as it captures all the waste and makes life much easier).


Above: All angles correct and ready to put together.

Once all the cutting was done it was time to line up the pieces and see how they fitted together. To do this I used a few double pointed toothpicks, though you could use cocktail sticks, skewers or anything similar. Stick a couple on each surface to be joined and then carefully slide them together. Make sure that you do this BEFORE you add any glue, else you won't be able to change them around/modify them.





Above and Below: If you look closely you'll notice that there are some rough parts inbetween the 'pillars' at the front - the same goes for the pieces of the side. This is where I've used to knife to flatten unwanted protusions off, making the walls look more consistent. I'll be using filler later to smooth these over, give the foam some texture and to ensure that the foam doesn't melt when I undercoat it (more about that in another installment). The small pieces of foam in front are parts that I cut off of the pieces of foam that I didn't want - they're going to help by continuing the line of the half pillars and filling the gap.



Below: The final product. I was excited about how this was going to turn out but now I'm psyched - unpainted and factory white it's looking cool, but once it's rendered, detailed and painted it'll be a different ball game altogether. In keeping with the spirit of how I believe this hobby should be approached there will be as much recycling and as little monetary expenditure as possible, relying instead upon creativity and items we all have lying around (though I am going to scrounge through my parts box for quite a few bits and pieces).



In case you were wondering the back of the castle is not going to be a wall...



The next installment will demonstrate how to base, add detail and get the castle ready for painting.

Cheers!

Make your own Steampunk Nerf Maverick and CS-6 Guns (also known as 'A lapse in concentration')

Though not technically related to this blog I felt that I should add this, safe in the knowledge you will approve of such deviant content.

For those of you who are not aware, 'Nerf' is a Hasbro brand (to which I am in no way affiliated) of wonderfully pointless toys designed to allow children and adult-children (henceforth known as childults) to shoot one another with foam darts. Being that I'm a childult I was compelled to purchase one for both myself and my partner who was almost more excited than I was to have her very own Nerf pistol.

After getting home and wrestling our respective Nerf guns from their boxes, a half hour skirmish ensued - adult chasing adult with scant regard for knick-knack, item of memorabilia or tumbler glass. Later reflecting upon our chase we determined that it was much fun, 'But wouldn't it be cooler if they made Steampunk Nerf guns?' crooned my out-of-breath significant other. Turning to meet her enthusiastic smile I made an astonishing discovery: that Steampunk Nerf guns would be awesome, and how good was I for having thought of them? With this in mind I told her that 'I will make for us now Steampunk Nerf guns, so that we may use them and smile!'. Hence from that place I went and traversed the arduous space between the couch and the fridge, after which my machinations took shape once I'd polished off some delicious Sprunk. Ahem...

First thing is you start with a Nerf gun (or more as the case may be). You then have to take them apart so that you can see where you have to spray.






When spraying (I used Citadel Chaos Black spray) make sure that you get in all the nooks and crannies but not on any slides/frictive surfaces. This means spraying a single coat and then pulling everything back and spraying it, being sure to get every square inch. Leave them to dry for a couple of hours on a hook/peg/washing line/narcoleptic sloth.





Once they're dry the plan is to drybrush them (see my Terrain Boards Pt 4 tutorial for a guide). I used a rather large brush (about 1" [25mm] across), making it much faster to complete than you might think (a couple of hours it took me). I used a 'Tinbitz' metallic (I think) to paint the body, 'Chainmail' metallic to paint the barrels/detail and 'Burnished Gold' metallic for writing/crests. I built up a few layers of drybrushing and it turned out really nicely (just make sure you drybrush in all the corners [there are many]).

Here is a pic after the first round of drybrushing



The finished beasties (that said I'd like to add some brass engraved plates, copper tubes etc. but I wanted to make sure they still worked well and weren't just ornaments):




I couldn't help it...


I'd like to Steampunk some more items but with 1001 projects on my hands we'll see how that goes. Please feel free to comment and suggest Steampunk'able items or to add links to other cool Steampunk stuff, like this.

PLEASE NOTE: In no way do I endorse nor take responsiblity for any mods you make to any 'Nerf' brand foam projectile launchers and so on and so forth. On the side of each toy it says 'Do not modify darts or dart blaster'. You have been warned. Oh, and apparently if you live in the USA you should make sure that the tip of the barrel remains bright orange - something to do with legalities and safety etc. But then you wouldn't modify a 'Nerf' dart blaster, would you?

Cheers!

Terrain Boards Pt 1 - Getting started

Introduction

So you've spent a tonne of time painting an army, hundreds of dollars of miniatures that have been painted and are resplendent with detail. It stands to reason that you should have a lovely battlefield upon which to wage a holy war or a bloodthirsty onslaught. Terrain and games boards are underrated, they really add detail and interest - you've spent so long building and painting a host, it makes sense that they get to play on a sweet battlefield.

There are many methods available to make terrain suitable for tabletop gaming which, depending upon the application, can be great to look at but not easy to work with, or good to work on and look at but very expensive and inflexible. With this in mind the method proposed in this tutorial is based around price, flexibility, simplicity and good aesthetic.







What you'll need

The great thing about this method is the average price, depending on how much you want to spend you can have each game board for around $10. The examples shown in this tutorial were cheap as chips and look great (in my humble opinion). Anyway, back to what you'll need:

PVA Glue (don't buy PVA from specialist suppliers, get the stuff from your local hardware store [they're exactly the same])
Chipboard sheets (the size depends on what you want, the ones used in this tutorial [900 x 450 x 12mm {3' x 1.5' x 1/2"}] are available from most hardware stores pre cut and can be arranged together to make larger boards easily)
A larger, used paintbrush
Plaster or Filler (cheap wood filler is great, tough, fast setting and easily mouldable)
Rocks and/or Gravel
Lots of Cardboard (different thicknesses are handy)
Paint
Newspaper (put it under boards you're working on to protect furniture and floors from glue, plaster, paint and the inevitable crud that comes with terrain making)
Stanley/Modelling Knife and Scissors(kitchen shears are the best)
Undercoat spray paint (make sure it's matt spray, not gloss)
Flock, polystyrene, static grass, barrels, walls, barricades or anything else you'd like to add






Getting started

First of all you should have a good work area that isn't in the way and try to make sure it has good circulation (all the different things you'll be using tend to smell when they dry, it's always good to have fresh air when working with glues/paints/solvents etc.). You'll also need somewhere outside that you can spray undercoat each of the boards and you'll need to leave them there to dry.




Once you've set up your work area you can get started. There are a few things you should keep in mind when making your boards -

Storage - How and where are you going to store them? Do you have enough room?

Size - How big do you want them to be, how many will you have, what configurations might you use?

Height - This relates to storage and strength, if you make tall boards they'll be hard to stack on smaller/tighter shelves. Taller terrain will also break more easily, so its better to make tall terrain items separately (this also aids in flexibility re: desired placement on the battlefield).

Tightness of terrain - How close do you want difficult ground to be together? Too close and it could makes bigger games difficult, for my boards I've put them mostly in the corners and have limited them to one terrain item per board (this means you can turn them around to make central areas with lots of terrain, evenly dispersed terrain items or a wide plain/valley for bigger pitched battles).

Theme - Boards tend to go together in themed sets, i.e. one particular style of terrain and colour scheme for each set of boards. With this in mind you should choose what style you want before you begin and perhaps try making a small terrain item (a hill, rocky cairn etc.) in said style to see if you like it. The ones in this tutorial are old, bluish, stony battlegrounds with tufts of life clinging to what little arable soil there is. You could do something similar or completely different - lush green pastures with hedgerows, a marsh with rushes and waterlife, snowy drifts criss crossed with lava streams, the mortar scarred remains of a distant planet, a barren desert...the only limit is your imagination.

When you've get everything you need and a place to work you can start Part 2 and begin putting it all together.