Wasteland Cruiser

I found an older muscle car toy at a second hand shop, and it inspired me to create a post-apocalyptic ride.  It was red and beat up pretty bad, the rear window was missing, wheels damaged, chipped bumper, not a wreck, but in bad shape.  I'm sure you all know the inspiration for this vehicle...

Mad Max anyone?

I added some fuel tanks to the rear window area (taken from a truck) as they fir the space pretty well.  The front end has a reinforced bumper made from wire and sprue parts.  I also added wire mesh to the windows, they need some protection.  Overall a rust and dirty paint job finished the cruiser.

Ready for a rough road

Improvised front ram

Rex stands in for Max

Pretty much straightforward, a rusty beat up muscle car.  Some reinforcement and extra fuel tanks for the long empty roads...

Scenery: Ruined Gas Station (Flo's V8 Cafe Toybash) WIP

This starts with a CARS play set of Flo's V8 Cafe.  When I got it, it was already in rough shape, so I figured a ruined gas station was the best way to go.  The set was already missing one gas pump, the top was broken, the sign was missing and some various parts were missing.  It's not the largest building, but the overall look and feel of a gas station was easy to start with.

The original out of the box (not my pic)

The one I found was in pretty bad shape (which to be honest, is the way I love to find these toys!) but still had the main parts intact.  Normally I wouldn't post until I had the build completed, but I am hoping to use this in one of my next campaign games.  With luck, showing something half done will encourage me to finish it more quickly!

Some WIP pictures:

Front view, still pretty clean

Front and above

The first shots I have are pretty clean still.  I'm adding junk to the base, as well as show a little more damage.  The interior I have added some fallen shelves and other bits.  There are some cans and bottles, plus a cash register salvaged from a Polly Pockets play set, just painted up.  I'm pretty pleased with the interior, although I may add a bit more debris before I call it complete.

Interior Details

I have some crushed glass beads I have used for simulated broken glass.  I was hoping they would pick up the light a touch and give that 'broken glass' glint.  It works, but not as well as I had hoped.  I have a ton of beads, so I'm going to play around with them some more and see if I can get them to work better.

Side view, open access plate behind

I placed a wreck where one pump was missing from the original play set.  I'm not pleased with the wreck, so I am making a new one.  The pictures show what I was thinking at least.  I'd like a much more "skeleton" wreck I think.  Hopefully I can make something work.

Wreck where a pump should be

It's a wreck.

The toy was missing the sign post, so I need to come up with a new sign.  I'd like to make both a sign post as well as something for the roof of the building.  There are various details on the roof, I think it should lend itself to a collapsed sign structure once I have a design.

That's it so far, comments and suggestions are welcomed!

Scenery: Rusty Car Wreck

There is a hair spray-salt rust effect painting method that I have seen demonstrated a few times on the web in a few places.  I decide to give it a try.  If you don't know what this method is, in short it is painting a model rust, spraying it with hair spray (yep) and covering areas with rough salt.  You then paint over the whole mess with a top coat color.  Then you soak it in water and brush off the salt which breaks through the top coat, leaving holes to the base coat (rust).  Then just some detail work and sealant.

I found about eight older plastic toy cars for ten cents each at a yard sale.  They are not really any scale, but they are close enough for 28mm.  While not very detailed, nor any particular real world design, I figured they would make decent empty husks of cars, useful for cover and not much else.

To try out the painting method, I am just going to do one car, the others will follow (and show up on battlefields!) as I get a chance to get them done.

Starting out

The car is molded in a softer plastic, but still pretty strong.  It's a very bright green, and has a few molded details (door handles, door lines, engine grill, etc.) but no interior whatsoever.  The wheels are actually pretty strong, and are a good size.  I'm going to add those to the bits box.

Removal of some parts, basic undercoating

First, I removed the wheels, they came off very easy.  The rear window was solid, so I cut it out.  that was a bit more difficult, as the rear axle supports ran up to the window.  Luckily, this is going to be a wreck, so it getting hacked out and it looking a bit rough is fine.  The body is ready, and I start undercoating black, I focus a bit more on the inside getting it coated.

Rusty undercoating

After the black, I add a red oxide (rust) and a terracotta spray coating.  The terracotta gives a nice orange  look over the red oxide, like an active rust.  The idea is to get a decent coverage for the rust to show through later.  Next I get some hairspray (its just a cheap small can, donated by my wife) and some salt.  I am using a mix of table salt and sea salt.  The sea salt is larger and rougher pieces, but I hope to get some interesting effects from the smaller salt as well.

Salting the car

A salty snack!

So several other people have posted videos and guides, they warn about too much salt and also too little.  I figure I am going to go for too much to start - this is supposed to be a hulk.  I don't think it can look too rusty and nasty.  I try and get a couple of areas of just the table salt and the coarse sea salt separated.  I want to see what the different salts give for effects.

Watch your eyes - the topcoat is next!

POW!  Yellow!

Sorry couldn't resist, I used a gloss yellow and the camera flash made it...glow.  Here's a couple toned down shots:

Yellow over the salt and rust

Side view

After the topcoat was dry (I left it alone for 24 hours or so) I dunked the body in warm water.  I found out it was actually buoyant, so I switched from a tray to a drinking glass (disposable) so I could keep it submerged.  I used a pretty nasty old brush to knock off the salt as the water worked to dissolve the salt.  I didn't realize how much of a mess it would be, but luckily it was mostly water that made it a mess.

If you try this, be aggressive when you knock loose the salt, BUT, be careful as you can scratch right through the base coat rust color if you are to heavy.  I had a few spots that I went all the way through, but I figured I could cover those up easily enough.

After the wash and brush cleaning

Some touch ups but it looks pretty rusty

Overall, I was pretty happy with the result.  The car is still too good looking for a rusty hulk, so I add a black and brown wash (very similar to my zombie wash) to dull the paint and bring out details.

The wash darkened it a touch

In the end, this is a decent effect, and I like it.  I am going to try it on the remaining cars I have, I will go a bit heavier on some of them, or at least in certain areas much heavier.  My goal is just some rusty looking wreckage, which this definitely looks like.

In comparison, I have the new wreck next to the VW bug wreck I did recently.  The bug is paint over the existing paint job, not the salt method.  They both look like wrecks, just different.

Two wrecks

Wreckage

This method does not save any time for rust effects.  It does give some pretty interesting paint effects, as the paint is really peeling away from the model, it gives a feel of rust showing through.  I think it is better used on models that are more 'active' such as tanks and cars that still in use.  I could see applying the salt and then a finished coat, then using the salt to reveal rust, that would be a very cool and dramatic look.  If I can dig out a model to try it on I'll post some pics of what I mean.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome!

Helping Hand - Part 1

With a rumble, the Hummer rolled down the side street, zombies following behind.  Larry kept the speed up, trying to put distance between the truck and the horde of zombies wandering up from the highway.  "Where are we heading?"  He asked.  "We're going to run out of streets eventually..."
"North a few blocks and then we'll head to the right, go east."  Trish answered.  "We can't go too far north, the army is setup around the gas tanks up here."
"Watch Out!"  Blake yelled, dropping into the Hummer from the gunner hatch.  An explosion rattled the truck, making Larry swerve across two lanes before regaining control.
"What the hell was that?"  Dawn shouted, looking out the window.
"I saw a drone dropping out of the sky."  Blake shook his head.  "I saw a few drones and at least one helicopter flying around.  There's more smoke and explosions a few blocks southeast of here."
Larry turned a corner, avoiding a pile-up that blocked the street.  "There are a lot of wrecks out here, and more zombies too."  He said as he turned back north.  "maybe we should get off the street..."
"Keep moving, whatever is going on, if we keep moving, it will be harder for us to get caught up in it."  Dawn said.  "Let's keep an eye out for a good defensive location though, just in case."

The group has moved off the highway, and is making their way through the side streets, trying to get out of the city.  This board has a planned encounter with a pair of survivors.  They are suffering from a break down of their SUV, and will ask for help.  The PEFs will be normal, but will have a chance to be the corporate team sent to recover Trish.

This is still day 37, afternoon.  The ER is 5, zombies will spawn on a 4+ and there are 13 zombies on the board.  The team enters in the Hummer going at speed 16.

Just head down the street...

"Watch out, there are zombies wandering all over the roads."  Dawn cautioned Larry as he drove down the street.
"No problem.  I'll try and keep us moving and away from them."  Larry said, aiming for a nearby zed.
"Are there people by that SUV and camper?"  Dawn said peering ahead.  Slow down and let's see if they're friendly."
"Are you crazy?"  Trish almost screamed.  "Just keep moving, we have to get out of here!"

The first turn, nobody activates, so the only movement is the Hummer moving forward.  I hope this isn't the whole game...
As the Hummer moves forward, they clip one zombie.

It's dangerous to cross outside the crosswalks!

Passing through the intersection

Three more zombies spawn from the engine noise.  Otherwise, a very quiet start to the game.

On the next turn, the survivors go first, followed by the zombies.  Two of the PEFs will also activate, but move after the Hummer (moving vehicles move first).  Larry pulls up next to the SUV and camper, and triggers the meet and greet with the survivors there.

What do we have here?

Larry slowed down as they pulled up to the SUV.  "Stay down Blake."  Dawn said as the hummer rolled almost to a stop.  "Let's try to not intimidate these folks."
"Just go!"  Trish yelled.  "We need to keep moving!"
"Calm down.  We'll be rolling in a sec."  Blake replied.  "Maybe they can help us out.  If we never stopped for anyone, you'd be dead on the highway."
"Can we keep the argument for later?'  Dawn said as she turned towards the pair of survivors by the SUV.
"Hello!"  She yelled.

Mary and Nathan having car troubles

The meet and greet goes well, and Mary and Nathan (both rep 4 survivors, armed with BAP each) join the group.  They have an SUV that was towing a camper, but it has broken loose.  As the team stops the Hummer, planning to help either tow the camper or fix the problem, the nearby PEF moves out.

Agents Attack!

Agent Hammer saw the Hummer pull to a stop below.  He had hoped they would pause to help the other civilians, it looked like his plan was going to work.  "Eagle, we need pickup at point Sierra Four."  Hammer waited for the reply from his helicopter extraction.
"Roger.  On site in four mikes."  A choppy response came over the radio.  Hammer allowed himself a small smile.
"Team Alpha - Go."  He calmly said into his communicator.  The ambush had started.

More agents arrive

The PEF revealed as a group of corporate agents, I determined this was the strike team sent to retrieve Trish.  They gained a Hummer and 3 more agents blocking the road just ahead of the team.  The leader of the agents, Hammer is Rep 5, with BAP and Sword, he has Hard as Nails and Brawler, and is considered a Star.  The remaining agents are all Rep 4, BAP, stun gun and baton.  They all have the 'agent' advantage which gives them limited star powers, and allows them to ignore 'man down' rolls until they more than half their starting number.

I had hoped to have this ambush in another scenario later, but the dice decided to move along sooner.

The agents attack the survivors

As the agents jumped out of the Hummer, Agent Hammer pulled out the flash-bang.  "Remember we need the primary target alive.  Eliminate all others as needed.  Agent Williams, disable the truck please."  He calmly said over the communicator.

We go to in sight checks...

It could be worse...

The first of the in sights are threes, two of the agents and Dawn get to act.  The first agent is "Williams" who fires a special weapon (think one of those EMP weapons from Fast and Furious) to disable the Hummer.  He scores a hit, and the successfully kills the Hummer's engine.  It will need to be restarted, but only after two turns have elapsed can the survivors even try.

The Hummer is disabled as Dawn returns fire

Dawn fires back, hitting Williams.  She kills Williams, for what its worth.  One agent from the ground fires at Mary, but misses (she has cover from the SUV).

Man down!

The twos go next, with Larry and Mary firing on agents, knocking one out of the fight, killing another.  Larry is hit by one of the agents and goes OOF.  Agent Hammer throws his flash bang, with devastating results.

Hammer throws the flash bang

 I used the flash bang rules from Better Dead Than Zed.  In short its a 6"blast, each model takes a test - pass 2d, keep going, pass 1d, stunned, pass 0d take knock down test.

Ouch.

Dawn, Mary and Trish are stunned.  Blake goes OOF.  Nathan is the only survivor to pass the test.  He also still gets to act.

The last agent and Nathan take aim at each other

Nathan reeled from the explosion, he shook his head and looked around.  Bullets pinged off the pavement, and Nathan saw an agent firing from a nearby roof.  He raised his pistol and fired...

They both manage to kill each other

The insight checks are done, the agents on the ground pass a received fire check, and Agent hammer, being a star, passes 2d for his man down check.  I roll to see if the agents activate, and they do, acting before the zombies.  Hammer moves down and out the front of the building.  The two agents on the ground run to the Hummer and pull Trish out. (On a side note, I had declared the Hummer stopping during the survivors turn, otherwise the agents would have had to wait until next turn when it was stopped by the EMP.)

The agents grab their target

Trish couldn't focus her eyes and the ringing in her head was making her head ache.  Suddenly strong hands pulled her from the truck, easily knocking the pistol from her weak hands.  They dragged her out and into the street.  "Just stay calm, we'll get you to safety."  She heard one agent say.

The agents are making a run for the top of the nearby parking ramp, a helicopter is inbound to the top in 4 turns.  As they reach the end of the Hummer, I realize they draw line of sight to another PEF.  While zombies ignore PEFs, I figure other people can trigger them.

Another PEF comes in sight

"Hammer, we have movement in the street ahead." Agent Jenkins said into his communicator.  As the two agents cleared the end of the Hummer, he saw a military foot patrol.  As he spotted them, they saw the agents, and raised their weapons.  "Contact!  Military infantry in the street!"  Jenkins yelled, bringing his pistol up to ready.

Soldiers surprise the agents

The PEF resolves to a 4 man team of military infantry.  The dice are really pulling out all the options today.  I figure they spotted the military Hummer come under fire and are moving to support/recapture it.  The current situation makes the corporate agents enemies of the military anyway, so once they spot each other, it's time for in sight checks.
The soldiers are all Rep 4, armed with assault rifles and pistols and are protected.  The 'leader' which is the figure with his rifle pointed up, has a grenade as well.

Military in sight checks

Agents in sights

Hammer turns out to be too far away to be able to fire, so his 4 passes are wasted.  Agent Jenkins manages to fire and  knock one soldier OOF.  The remaining soldier fire on the agents.  They fire on the agent carrying Trish, one soldier misses completely, and runs out of ammo!  The other two soldiers manage two hits, one hits Trish and she goes OOF, the other shot kills the agent.  Really poor shooting from the soldiers.

That's just...terrible.

The soldiers roll, and don't activate this turn.  Finally it's time for the zombies to act...

Zombies crash into the soldiers

In melee, the soldiers fare a little better.  They manage to kill one zed, and knock down another.  After all the shooting another 12 zombies spawn, attracted by all the gunfire.

Zombies roam the streets

Finally that ends turn 2.  Hard to believe that was all one turn.

To be continued...

On a side note, this has been a crazy month.  No excuses, just lots of work and family stuff.  I'll get the next part to this up soon, no 3 week gap this time!

And Now for Something Completely Different...

With apologies to the Python team...

So I took a short break this week and joined some friends for an Apocalypse 40K battle.  This was just for fun, and was sponsored by a local game store, Adventure Games, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  I have not played 40K in 4 editions (3rd ed was the last time I played) luckily the guys were willing to help me get back in the swing of things, and put up with my shenanigans.

I had a pair of old Armorcast titans (a warhound and a reaver) plus a Baneblade for my forces.  At least they were painted, maybe not great, but passable.  The battle was fought on three separate tables, with some connections between them.  We could lob support shots with our indirect fire between tables, and some vehicles could travel between them.

It was a fun time, and I met some new gamers in the area.  Even if I was swept from the field of battle, I felt I made a good showing, and everyone seemed to enjoy the game.  I won't bore anyone with the details, here are some pics of the battle though.

That's a target rich environment

Oh to have a barrage into that mess!

The central front

We played a few rounds, apocalypse takes a long time to get through with so many models.  I believe the estimated points was 28,000 per side (total of all the boards.)  As I said, it was a fun game - we played pretty fast and loose with some of the rules, just to keep things moving.  I managed to get quite a bit of my stuff killed quickly...

Things start getting hot

Warhound down!

Everyone had some "big cheater" units and models, so we were pulling special rules out all over.  For all the shooting, it did seem to take a while for stuff to die.  It all seemed to be mine when it did get killed, but them's the breaks.

More air support might have been useful

Marines watch from a ruined tower

Chaos and Necrons fight for a shield generator

My damaged Reaver tries in vain to hold the highway

In the end both of my titans were destroyed, the rebels took the highway, but loyalists held the main battlefield.  The fight at the shield generator was still a toss up, but I had to leave before the final turns.  It's fun to play is such a large scale game, I had forgotten how much fun the 'special event' battles can be.

A quick update on my ruined high-rise.  I have a few parts started, and it is getting closer to finished.  I hope to be done in a week or so, depending on how much ATZ I get to play.  Some more pics:

Shanty and latrine started, plus some possible extras

Some weathering and paint, still a ways to go

Some signs added, need some weathering

I hope to get back to ATZ soon as well.  Once I get the ruins finished, I hope to get back to campaign.