Yeah, I have heard all the complaints about the GW boards, but I liked the look of them. Besides, GW could release the 2nd coming of Christ and they would get knocked for him being too expensive and way overpowered compared to Necrons. My favorite complaint was that models slide down the hills on these boards. I have to laugh my ass off at this. If any of you think plastic minis are going to hold their position on slick plastic boards, you're too stupid to play 40k, turn in all your crap and get out your checkers set! (Yes, I heard this complaint on a podcast. Somebody was stuck on stupid that day). I have also heard people bitch that the hills are too gentle and people don't measure elevation changes during movement correctly. Umm, SLAP THEM, they are cheating. If you let it ride, then its your fault, get over it.
I knew the board would need to be flocked going in so I laid in supplies. I used thinned down acrylic tube paints blasted through an airbrush to do the terrain. I find these paints tough and durable and they spray pretty well through a .5mm airbrush. I used;
Raw Sienna (Liquitex Basics)
Burnt Sienna (Liquitex Basics)
Raw Umber (Liquitex Basics)
Payne's Grey (Liquitex) (Super secret wash... more later)
I also used a bunch of Woodland Scenic's blended turf and static grass flocks.
You should be able to see from the pics what the steps were, but I'll elaborate as needed. While not completely done, they are totally playable now. I just need some washes around the skulls and some random terrain recoloring.
So, on to the boards. Enjoy!!
Ready to start terrain painting, except that the black primer I used (The cheap stuff from the hardware store...) was an enamel. The acrylics didn't stick. I had to dust white ACRYLIC primer on the boards to move forward. Yes, I was stuck on stupid that day :)
And, the ubiquitous skulls, dry-brushed to preserve the darkness and about to be washed again, with Sepia or maybe Payne's...
More later :)
Like the boards. Great job! I've heard the same complaints as you. When flocked, models (even the metal ones) stand at a good tilt (unless bumped). Also, I always point out the rule in the BRB that says the hills molded on the Realm of Battle do not count as terrain or towards the terrain limit. (imagine that).
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of Payne's Grey wash. Where can you get?
Thanks! Appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten about that passage in the rules, thanks for reminding me :)
You can get Payne's Grey Acrylic Paint at any Hobby Lobby or Micheal's store. It's just regular tube type acrylic paint, just mix it with water until you have a was consistency (Just a tad thicker than water) and go to town. A $7.00 tube has lasted my for years now, so it's cheap too.
I always use tube paints for terrain, it just works out so much cheaper in the long run.
Nice Looking boards. I like the look but I think they jinx my dice.
DeleteI use Chessix pre-loaded dice and they just don't roll the same.
MightyTim
I really love the different greens, it really breaks up the flat areas. Do you lose half of it when you move models around, or does the flock hold on?
ReplyDeleteHiya Matthew, Thanks for the comment! As for the flock falling off, no it does not, but there is a process here. Haven't documented it yet... so here goes.
DeleteI literally soaked the boards with a mixture of PVA glue (25%), Matte Medium (5%), Alcohol (5%) and water (65%). The mix is not exact. You need the glue to hold things down, the matte medium to remove the shine (and also act as a glue as well). The Alcohol is regular rubbing alcohol, (70%, not the 91% stuff), it breaks up the surface tension so the flock does not go all over the place or pool up. I put that into a mister bottle (You can get at the supermarket really cheap in the make-up section, or really expensive at hobby stores). I spray it on so thick that it looks milky when I am done. It dries pure matte finish though, with no shine at all and it is stuck on for good. You need a scraper to move it now. If, when you spray, the flock gets blown around, add a bit more alcohol. The actual mix will depend on how hard your water is locally. It's an old model railroad scenery trick I got from Dave Frary.
Playing my first game on those boards on Saturday (today), will take shots and post the results :)
ciao for now.