Converting and Painting a Rogue Trader Mutant.

I had just enough time this week to sneak in an entry to the Beware Mutants Competition on The Emporium of Rogue Dreams.  The entries were generated using the random mutant rules in the original Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader rulebook and unpainted and painted versions were required. 

I chose a human as a base model, no way I'm chopping up my rare RT squats, and rolled for three mutations. I got Skull face, Moronic, and Very warty skin. Nothing that would really help the character in a fight and Moronic means that he must make a test every time that he tries to use any sort of technology. And that he's completely unable to open milk cartons or yogurt containers.

The body is a Major Magnam mini from Rogue Trooper with a skull head from a Screaming Skull Catapult crew man. I sculpted a thick covering of warts on his arms and neck and added a plastic lasgun. Of course at this point he's missed his Moronic test and is waving it like a wand hoping that hot light comes out of it.

I also Photoshopped a Chapter Approved: Book of the Astronomicon style stat sheet for Ol' Knobby and created a blank version so others could use it. The main font seems to be Sudbury Book which is easy to find for free online. The main header is Arial Black.

Although the rolls made for a pretty pathetic mutant, I had a fun time converting and painting this little fella and coming up with his back story. Plus I used all Rogue Trader era bits which makes me extra happy. :)

Trash Bash Bits Now on Kickstarter!

If you're like me you get tired of trying to find suitable technological bits like doors, windows, and hatches when making gaming scenery. Trash Bash Bits solve this problem by being easy to use, light, and affordable. They are flat on the back and thin enough to look good when glued to the outside of buildings.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847163926/trash-bash-bits-sci-fi-doors

Check out the first three doors below and help me out on Kickstarter!

Miniatures shown for scale only.

Converting and Painting a Miniature for Numenera.

I've recently started playing in a Numenera game with a great group of players. Numenera is a sort of dark age of technology setting that takes place a billion years into the future and uses evolved technologies in ways that mimic magic. It's a beautiful setting that is written well and uses a system that allows for a lot of player interaction while keeping the game moving. 

I'm enjoying it so much that I decided to convert and model a mini of my character Chert Blazebeard. Chert is a re-imagined version of an earlier D&D character of mine who is sort of a traveling warrior/weapons-smith. He began life as a farmboy, became a smith's apprentice and now travels the lands of The Ninth World seeking martial challenges that will help him in his quest for better weapons and fighting techniques as he studies The Way of The Striking Anvil.

Sketch of Chert Blazebeard.

I was going through some Reaper Bones minis at my FLGS and found a great starting mini sculpted by Bobby Jackson. The mini is of a flame-thrower trooper called Torch McHugh 80018 and had a bulkiness and weight that I liked. I'd already started drawing Chert as wearing quilted armor and finding this mini seemed fortuitous.

There was a lot of cutting on this mini that I would not have tried with any material other than the hardened vinyl of Bones. The stuff is brilliant for massive conversions. There are still some issues with detail softening but not enough to worry about. This was going to be a gaming mini and not a contest entry.

The following pictures show the basic steps and tell which greeblies I used. Enjoy!

So much disassembly made so easy.

Even the massive fuel tanks were clipped off easily.

With the head re-angled the whole pose changes.

Arm from Games Workshop.

Pads from Gangs of Mega-City One and shield from The Homer car model kit.

Backpack from Warzone Bauhaus Trooper.

Green stuff for armor, beard, and axe blade.

Very basic paintjob. Simple colors with Citadel Washes and light drybrushing.

Base from Champ Industries.

Chert Blazebeard, ready to rumble!

Trash Bash 2012 Final Results.

Another great Trash Bash has now come to a close and as always I'd like to thank the sponsors, entrants, and supporters for helping to make this such a fun and exciting endeavor. And without further ado, the winners of Trash Bash 2012!

First Place: Diego Diz~ Landing Module

Judges praised the high level of finish on Diego's piece as well as his excellent job of hiding what his model is actually made of. In the words of one judge it "really is built of trash and the great thing is you can't tell!". The backdrop and staging of the final photo helped to solidify Diego's lead in the standings. A common opinion of our judges was that this model "just looked right.".

http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=39188.0

Second Place: Andy M~ Spy-DAR

Andy's piece is an impressive project that is truly ambitious and fun. "very pulpy, very 70's BBC - excellent!" and "One question: Where can I get one?" were some of the comments from our judges. Again the high level of finish and overall cohesiveness of vision came together to make this one inspiring model.

http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=38015.0

Third Place: Ruben DeJong~ Rupelmundus's Observatory

Besides the obvious amount of work put into Ruben's entry this fantasy observatory charmed judges with it's well realized interior, detailed concept, and fun back story. Judges thought it would look great on a tabletop or as part of a larger town set-up. 

Honorable Mentions:

It was exceedingly difficult to choose only three winners for this contest so I'd like to also recognize the other contestants and their entries. Everyone single one is inspirational in its use of trash bashing techniques and overall creativity. (The following are listed in no particular order.)

Tony Harwood~ The French Imperial Aeronef Le Louis Daguerre

Great concept and setting combined with outstanding conversion and finish.

http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/2012/03/trash-bash-2012-results.html

Leland Erikson~  M29A4E8 "Yorkshire Terrier"

Fun, well realized gaming piece. Judges marveled at clever usage of components like plastic jewels for armor plates.

James Holloway~ Syldurian Launch Observation Platform

Well realized diorama with a cool back story and cohesive finish.

William Burke~ The Rodent One

Adorable characters and fun paint-job that truly suited the subject.
http://bandit86.blogspot.com/2012/03/trash-bash-entry.html

Larry Hammer~ Sd.Kfz G0-41 “Gopher”

Great use of twisty candy container for drill bit and overall cohesive design.

Duke Dreal~ Observation Starships

Multiple ships that each have their own charm and inspiring use of parts.

Thanks to everyone involved with Trash Bash 2012 and keep checking Roebeast's Magical House of Sunshine for even more miniature modeling mayhem!

Messing Around with Instant Mold.

So Cool Mini or Not carries a product called Instant Mold that promises to help you create pretty much any bit the you'll ever need for miniature modeling. Having some experience with metal and resin casting I was at first skeptical that this would work well at all. Boy was I wrong.


I have been using green epoxy putty for a while to replicate small details on miniatures like amulets or purity seals. This can be a hit or miss process since the putty likes to stick to the mold and often details can be very soft. Instant Mold has several great properties including a tenacious un-stickiness. The only putty I tried it with that would even stick while uncured was Aves Apoxie Sculpt and even this released immediately once it was cured. I did tests with Kneadatite green stuff, Procreate, and Apoxie Sculpt and they all released perfectly once cured.


Instant Mold comes in a pack of separate bars. Each one is plenty to replicate a small part and you can combine them for larger bits. Basically you soak the Instant Mold in boiling water for two minutes. Take it out of the water and dry it off. This helps to keep water from making distortions in the mold. Then you can press the Instant Mold over a part for a flat piece or wrap it around for a complete casting. The basics of this are shown in the following video. But be warned: This dude's knife handling is flinch inducing.

So after ordering a pack of Instant Mold from Cool Minis Or Not, I set about seeing how much cool stuff I could make with it.


I started out with a Capital assault rifle from Warzone. I wrapped the gun in IM and then put it into the freezer to set up. A few minutes later the mold was ready to be split. Since the putty is translucent I was able to see my XActo knife blade as I cut the mold. Be careful with this step! I can see a lot of cut fingers and thumbs coming from this. And you want to be careful so you don't damage your original.

Once I had the mold I used Aves Apoxie Sculpt to cast the rifle. I filled the mold with a little more putty than I thought I would need and squeezed it to form the part. Try not to twist the mold and keep your pressure even. This squeezing will produce a huge amount of flash but it tends to be very thin. One of the reasons that I use Apoxie Sculpt is that it is very sand-able once cured. This is especially important for hard edged mechanical parts.

A gang member from Gangs of Mega City One

  
Once painted the gun looks pretty good. I can see this being very useful for special weapons and for older bits that are hard to come by.


The next part came from a little Tiki fellow from a magnetic skill game. The sculpting on these pieces is very sharp and clean and this helps when making a part with Instant Mold.

I cast some of these in Procreate and used them to make a pulp inspired base. Casting architectural parts is one of the most suitable uses for Instant Mold. Toys, keychains, jewelry, or knick knacks can all be used for creating small detail bits for larger buildings as well as for miniature bases.


I've heard a couple of folks discussing the possibility of using Instant Mold to copy entire miniatures. I decided to give it a shot using one of my own sculptures of a cult leader and his evil Cthulhu cult sword. 

This mold was more difficult to cut and had some problems with trapped air and parts that didn't fill in. Since this mini is such a simple design this wasn't a huge issue but it would be a real pain with a more complex miniature.

A Cthulhu Cult Leader surveys the ruins of Tiki Island.

Besides the ethical issues, using Instant Mold to create whole miniatures is frankly too much of a hassle to do much. I'm glad that I can use it with my own sculpts to give me an idea of what a painted version will look like or to replicate parts that I will need several of. I also imagine it will be useful for texture stamps. But it's really a pain and doesn't create a detailed enough piece. 

  
The final bits that I created were shoulder guards and a shield for an Imperial Champion. The splinter guard shoulders are from a Games Day limited edition mini and the shield is a Storm Shield from a vintage Thunder Hammer Terminator. I cast the shoulder guards as solid pieces and then ground out the inside with a Dremel tool. The shield was cast flat and then sanded to the thickness that I wanted.


Overall I was very impressed with Instant Mold and for 13.00 bucks it is a value, especially since it can be reused indefinitely. It is best used for small details that can be cast in one piece but even two part molds can be made to work with a bit more effort. For the scratchbuilder, convertor, or sculptor it provides a very quick way to replicate parts and should be added to your hobby toolbox.

Check out some of the other stuff I've made with Instant Mold:
Crackle Texture Bases
Imperial City Base

Trash Bash 2011 Final Results.

First off a big thanks to the participants, sponsors, and judges who helped to make Trash Bash 2011 possible. It has been inspirational to see how contestants have solved the challenge of using a discarded deodorant container to create a vehicle. And it's been a lot of fun to read the back stories and parts lists that accompany all of these models. Check the comments box below for links to each contestant's blog or website for more information on each entry.

Great work everyone!

First Place: William Burke- B86 DROF Motors Road Utility Surface Buggy

Judges really responded to the completeness of concept for this vehicle and its somewhat odd configuration. The final paintjob ties it all together and the backstory of a beleaguered Quar named G'wible really added to the concept of the vehicle. William used the clear, green plastic of the deodorant container to great effect and his use of decals looks realistic and well thought out.

Second Place: Ward Shrake- Russian Heavy Hovercraft Tank and German Scout Car

Ward created two models for his final entry and the level of finish on both vehicles is amazing. The back story for these models not only assassinates Joseph Stalin but also implies a future of man portable beam weapons. Ward is truly a mad scientist of modeling, using heat tools to fuse plastic and "Sharpie Juice" and model glue to color and texture his creations.

Third Place: Duke Dreal- Pirate Hovertank

This entry was created in the true sprit of trash bashing. Other than a few Hirst Arts castings the whole thing is cleverly constructed out of household refuse. The paint scheme and design concept are pure Star Wars and the tank fits right into a game of Star Wars Miniatures. Duke has used a stockpile of discards to create a really useful gaming piece.

Honorable Mentions:

It was exceedingly difficult to choose only three winners for this contest so I'd like to also recognize the other contestants and their entries. Everyone single one is inspirational in its use of trash bashing techniques and overall creativity. (The following are listed in no particular order.)

Clarke Payne- Yiksossi Reaver Raiding Skimmer:

Tom Perrin- The Shark Amphibious Assault Vehicle:

Larry Hammer- The Coarse Hare River Gunboat:

Jess Carver- Star Frontiers Explorer: