DRAMASCAPE'S CRATES AND CONTAINERS

Another piece of art from the fantastic artist GRIMBRO, I'm sure most of you will recognise the zombie as Big Daddy (played by Eugene Clark) from the 2005 film Land of the Dead. Directed by the maestro himself George A. Romero. Enjoy!

OK, enough culture on with the fun. More card modelling adventures again this time. Nothing spectacular just some scatter terrain to provide a little cover and to block line of sight. These are from Dramascape via the Wargame Vault and is again free to download. The goal is to cover as much of the table as possible for free.

REMEMBER TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.

This is a relatively simple kit, they are after all just boxes, big boxes but still just boxes. Even though it's a simple kit, I still urge you to read the instructions before you start assembly. (This cannot be stressed enough).

CONTAINERS!

So you get three different container textures, they are pretty generic so could be used in a sci-fi or near future setting as well as a modern one. Nothing much to say about them, they are big rectangular boxes, nuff said.

CRATES!

You also get three different textures for what are descibed as crates. Although not like your traditional crate, these things are huge. Again quite generic so can be utilised in a variety of settings. Basically three big square boxes.

A BIG ASS PIECE OF COVER.

A final shot of everything together, I'm sure these will get a lot of use filling in spaces between and around buildings. Always handy to have I suppose.

That's all I got for this time dudes and dudettes, so until next time heed the DUDE and "take it easy".

STOELZEL'S DERELICT COMMERCIAL BUILDING. THE THING CONTINUES.

More card scenery fun again this time dudes and dudettes, but first some art. This is another piece by GRIMBRO, I neglected to mention this last time, my humble apologies.

You may recognise the zombie as the boat owning dick head Steve (played by Ty Burrell) from the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.

Ramping up the skill level this time, by far my biggest project yet is Stoelzel's Structures Derelict Commercial Building. A massive 28 pages including the instructions, but don't let that put you off, this kit is amazing. Up until now I have only built a couple of Microtactix's building and I was impressed with those. Stoelzel's is in a different league, fully detailed interior, it's damn impressive for a free download.

REMEMBER TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS

After reading the instructions several times,(there are three different ways to build it), I decided to use The Sliced House method of assembly, for ease of gaming. Basically each floor is a different box which stack on top of each other.

ISOMETRIC - FRONT AND RIGHT SIDE.

I much prefer this configuration as it takes away the need to get fingers into awkward spaces knocking figures over and such. Although you then need to disguise the cuts between floors, this is easily achieved by painting the exposed foamcore an appropriate colour.

ISOMETRIC - BACK AND LEFT SIDE.

I still haven't tried to cut out the windows or doors yet, that's another skill step for another time. This was a step up in skills as it was, I'm glad I built the display base first to get used to rabbeting, a technique used throughout this build.

CLOSE UP OF SOME OF THE POSTERS.

The outside has been decorated with lots of posters, I don't know exactly where on the internet these came from as they were kindly donated to the cause by WNI regular The Tollman. To be honest the less I know about The Tollman's internet usage the better. He's weird!

WARNING SIGN FOR UNWANTED VISITORS.

The posters cover all kinds of subjects from bands and pop culture to humorous sayings. Like I said they were chosen by The Tollman.

MORE POSTERS COURTESY OF THE TOLLMAN.

The interiors are fully detailed, very nicely too. It was little nerve wracking lining up the exterior and interior print outs, but I think I got the hang of it in the end.

INTERIOR GROUND FLOOR.

The only thing I had any real difficulty with was the stairs. My first staircase, but it turned out OK in the end, I just had to leave off a step as I had stuck mine to foamcore.

INTERIOR FIRST FLOOR.

All in all, I was very pleased with how this kit turned out and would recommend Stoelzel's Derelict Commercial Property to everybody, it's a large building and would make a great base for your survivors.

THE ROOF TOP. (NOTE LADDER ACCESS).

Well that's all I got for this time dudes and dudettes, so until the next time follow the DUDE'S example and "take it easy".

MAGICLEEN DRY CLEANERS AND THE START OF A THING.

Before we get started I'm going to introduce a new "thing" in an attempt to bring some culture to this blog. Zombie art, no not pictures drawn by zombies, but pictures with zombies in them. Hopefully some of this culture will rub off on you, my visitors and commentors, meaning we all leave here as more rounded and improved individuals. So without further ado, I give you some zombie art.

SEND MORE COPS.

I'm going to continue with my card modelling adventures again this time. I must admit to having developed quite a fondness for this particular part of the hobby. Even though it can be a little tricky at times, I'm reasonably pleased with my progress.

So this is from the same download as "Horseman's Deli", the build is the same, just using the alternative signs that come with the kit. Again this was downloaded from Wargame Vault for free. Bonus.

REMEMBER TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS KIDS.

Things went even better the second time around. The printouts were sprayglue mounted on to cardboard, I find used cereal boxes to be quite adequate for this, giving me a very cheap source of material. The pieces were then cut out using a steel ruler and a very sharp craft knife.

EVERYTHING CUT OUT READY TO GLUE.

I find gluing the pieces together with a glue stick, rather than PVA, speeds up the process. You don't have to wait very long for it dry, I still like to use clothes' pegs to hold things together for 10 minutes before moving on to the next stage. The build went very smoothly, being the second time I've built it in as many weeks, and I read the instructions (this bit is really important).

FRONT VIEW OF MAGICLEEN.

So basically you get a very similar building to the "Deli", with different signs. There are a few other ways to make them look different, such as leaving off the roof top room, not using the same advertising signs and not including the roof top aircon unit.

ISOMETRIC FRONT/SIDE VIEW.

I still haven't made the interior playable on this one, I'm taking that leap on my next build. In the future when my skills have improved sufficiently, I'll definitely be coming back to these first couple of builds and re-doing them with playable interiors.

ISOMETRIC BACK/SIDE VIEW.

I finally got a Sharpie (black permanent marker) to edge my builds, as these were already built I had to "retro-edge"(yes, I just made that up) them. Luckily I'm rebuilding these, as the "retro-edging" went a bit tits up.

SIDE BY SIDE TO SHOW DIFFERENCES.

Also made a little kitbash shed from the rooftop building on "Horseman's Deli".

FRONT OF SHED.

WINDOWS FROM DERELICT WAREHOUSE KIT (STOELZEL'S).

Well that's all I got for this time dudes and dudettes, so until next time heed the DUDE and "take it easy".

STOELZEL'S CD DISPLAY BASE SHENANIGANS.

Before we crack on, I've got to drag the welcome wagon back out of the storage shed, to welcome my latest followers. So a big BZA welcome goes out to minigrafter. WELCOME MINIGRAFTER! Another big BZA welcome goes out to Steve H. WELCOME STEVE H! If you guys have blogs, let me know.

More adventures in card modelling again this time. To further my skills and experience I decided to try Stoelzel's Structures CD display. This was another step up the skills ladder as it involved foam board and some of the techniques required to use this material. It was also a free download from Wargame Vault.

REMEMBER TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!

After reading the instructions several times I dived in. This was my first time rabbeting, who knew foamboard was so much fun. As well as trying to improve my card/foamboard modelling skills, I was building the display base to photograph my finished survivors on, when they are eventually  finished.

I TOOK THIS ONE (IT'S OUT OF FOCUS) THE WHITE BITS ARE RABBETS.

OK, because I read the instructions the build went very smoothly indeed, even though there were new skills involved, like rabbeting and matching up printouts on both sides of the same piece of foamboard. REMEMBER KIDS ALWAYS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.

REVERSE OF THE DOUBLE SIDED PIECES. AGAIN THE WHITE BITS ARE RABBETS.

Unfortunately due to my eagerness and my official photographer's bone idleness, pictures were not taken during the construction. Luckily with lots of badgering, shouting, attempted bribery and swearing I eventually managed to get my official photographer to do his job and take a few shots of the finished piece.

SHOT OF THE BACK. POOR PAINT TOUCH UP THOUGH.

In other news, I got my very own printer for my birthday. Now I don't have to wait on other people to print out my card model templates and textures. WOOO HOOOO! So you can expect more scenery reports really soon.

SHOT OF THE FRONT. WHERE THE FIGURES WILL GO.

I really enjoyed building this piece, and because I read the instructions it all went together beautifully. I can now display my finished survivors in a suitable setting to be photographed.

Well, that's all I've got for this time dudes and dudettes. So until next time follow the DUDE'S example and "take it easy".

HORSEMAN'S DELI

My second card scenery build. (I'm not counting my log cabin as it's not complete). This was a much bigger project, comprising two pages of instructions and three pages of parts to assemble.

REMEMBER TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS

The printouts were glued to cereal box card as before, using spray glue. Then weighted down for the recommended drying time. There was a little issue with some glue overspray, nothing that can't be ignored.

All the bits were then cut out with a modelling knife and steel ruler as per the instruction sheet. Everything that needed scoring was scored with the same tools.

SOME OF THE PRINTOUT WRINKLED DURING GLUING.SOMETHING TO WATCH OUT FOR.

I then used a glue stick to glue and assemble the build, at this point I found the use of clothes pegs to hold the drying parts together invaluable. Following the instructions, everything sailed along smoothly with no major issues. I did find the air-con unit a little fiddly but nothing that could not be overcome.

LOOKING A LITTLE BLUE.

I was gaining confidence with every stuck down seam and flap, I don't know if I'm ready to do what Bryan does (make the interiors playable, the doors open and the windows see-thru) but I'm quite happy to build the basic kits.

BORING SIDE VIEW SHOWING THE IMPERFECTIONS.

As can be seen the edges still need to blacked with a marker pen. I know it's early days, but I'm  going to be studying Vampifans build posts and might even quiz the legend himself for some inside info on his techniques.

ISOMETRIC BACK VIEW.

I think I can truthfully say I'm a card model convert. Even these basic, free models has a nice level of detail and they cost a fraction of the price of plastic or resin kits, allowing the entire gaming surface to be covered in these models for next to nothing. Let's hope the vehicles go together just as easily.

SIDE BY SIDE TO SHOW THE SCALE DIFFERENCE.

As you can see in the final photo, the difference in scale is way too noticeable for my liking, I'll use it "for now" but it will be replaced at some point in the future.

WITH ADDED ZOMBIES FOR FLAVOUR.

That's all I got for this time dudes and dudettes, until next time try and follow the DUDE'S example and "take it easy".

DRAKES TV & RADIO.

In my last post I mentioned that I've finally had some of the free paper downloads printed out. So I thought I have a go at making one. I picked Drakes because it all came on one sheet of paper, easier to build I thought.

IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.

So as it was so hot, I ventured out of the bunker, armed with cereal box card and spray glue along with the printout. The printout was successfully stuck to the card. After a ten minute wait, the recommended amount according to the can, I took it back inside to cut it out and score the bends. During the drying time the card was placed on a flat surface and some rather large and heavy books where placed on top of it.

The cutting out was completed with a metal ruler and craft knife, as per the instruction sheet, and proved to be relatively straightforward. The scoring was completed with the same tools and again seemed quite simple to achieve.

ALL THE BITS READY FOR GLUE.

I then assembled it following the instructions provided. I used a glue stick. Again this went quite smoothly, much to my relief. The only fiddly bit was getting the roof inside the walls. I also need to edge the card with a black marker.

THE SHADY PART OF TOWN.

My apologies for the poor quality of the photo's showing the completed building, that's what happens when I take them myself.

The only thing I found with this building, is it seems a little on the small side. I measured the door and it's 30mm tall, where as on the Horseman's building the doors are 45mm. Maybe this could be resolved by increasing the scale before printing.

AROUND THE BACK.

Well, that's all I got for this time dudes and dudettes. Until next time, try and follow the DUDE'S example and "take it easy".

MORE TARDINESS AND WELCOMES.

First order of business today is to dust off and oil the welcome wagon, then get it out of the shed to welcome my latest followers.

The first big BZA welcome goes out to clint. WELCOME CLINT! Clint runs the "Anything but a one" blog, go check it out there's always lots to see. Clint's like some sort of painting machine as he churns out loads of high quality mini's for his many and varied projects. Keep an eye out for the Paint Monkey. Strap in Clint and enjoy the journey, it could take a while.

Our second BZA welcome, don't worry it's just as big, goes out to cmnash. WELCOME CMNASH! He runs the "Down Among the Lead Men" blog. A proud ZBA member, it's been quieter than usual but he seems back in the saddle again and is showcasing some lovely card terrain at the moment. Go see, you won't be sorry. Put your seatbelt on cm, I doubt it'll be bumpy but it could take some time.

Second order of business is to thank all the visitors to my humble little blog. It has been brought to my attention that we have surpassed seven thousand page views.Amazing! So a big THANK YOU to everyone who drops by.

Well the summer holidays are here so most of my hobby time has been taken up by entertaining the kids. Not that this is a bad thing, especially now they seem to want to play Zombicide every night. We've even talked my son's girlfriend into becoming a survivor. This week the goal was to attempt the "Switch City" campaign, what we didn't expect was the challenge it provided. We have still to complete the final mission!

THE START OF THE SECOND MISSION "FAST FOOD"

HALF WAY THROUGH "FAST FOOD". TWO OBJECTIVES DOWN, TWO TO GO.

THE ABOMINATION SHOWS UP.

WE'VE BEEN USING SHELDON'S ZOMBIE DOGZ. BLOODY NIGHTMARE.

I have managed a little painting between days out and marathon Zombicide sessions but it isn't much. I've never shown any WIP before and I'm breaking my own rules by doing so, but it's this or no pictures.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE.

I've finally managed to get some of my free card terrain printed out. Now I just have to build it, reading the instructions first this time. I'm really quite excited about this, just don't expect Vampifan's level of expertise.

HORSEMAN'S DELI

DRAKE'S TV & RADIO.

I also got the Stoelzel's Structures CD Display Base to photograph my survivors on, when they are finally finished.

DISPLAY BASE.

Well that's all I got for this time dudes and dudettes, so until next time try and do as the DUDE does and "take it easy".