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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Wild West Exodus Demo Tables

The mesas were part of a larger project– one of two 2' x 2' demo tables for Outlaw Miniatures. For the full range of detail shots, check out the Wild West Exodus Terrain gallery. Here are a couple of highlights:


Mining Camp


This was built on a GW Realm of Battle board section. All of the skulls were covered, and the sand texture was added using "play sand."



The mine cars were scratch built using sheet styrene, L-strips, and my good ol' sewing punch for rivets. The cart is glued atop model railroad wheels.



The miner's shack was made much the same as the other Wild West Exodus buildings– Foam core with basswood strips glued overtop.



You've seen the tutorial on how the crates were made; here they are, painted.



Warrior Nation Settlement


This one is also built on a Realm of Battle board, which is apparent from the rocky hillside.



The skull-filled crevices were covered with wood filler, and extra details like the foam rocks and fallen logs were added.




The organic components like the tree bark and sticks were coated with a layer of wood glue to prevent them from falling apart.



To make the trees removable, I drilled into the table base and glued a styrene tube in place with a magnet at the bottom. Each tree's trunk was then inserted into a smaller tube, with a magnet glued just inside the end. The tree then pegs into the table, and remains secured by the magnets.




The Tepees are constructed from basswood dowels, with fabric super glued overtop. The fabric was coated with thinned wood glue to harden it, and then the doors and front seams were attached.




Like the trees, the tepees are magnetized and removable. The blanket and grain sacks were sculpted with Aves epoxy sculpt. I was even able to put my renown flame-sculpting abilities to work on the campfire!



These tables will be in the Outlaw Miniatures booth at Adepticon. If you're at the show, stop by and check them out (maybe get a demo of Wild West Exodus, too).


'Til next time!

8 comments:

  1. Looks awesome, as usual!

    Have you ever considered publishing blueprints for buildings such as the miner's shack?

    I'd love to see that as your next tutorial. :)

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  2. Wow. Very nice looking terrain, I would love to own ^^

    Do you use the GW Board because its so sturdy and practical ?

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  3. Wow Rob wow! I love every project you put up and seeing I was a backer of WWX I love these two piece and want them for our games. I swear when I hit the mega millions you better clear your schedule 'cause I am gonna hire you full time ;) Keep up the great work.

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  4. Thanks guys! @MK: I never really work from a template, so there's no "blueprint" for the building designs. Some general dimensions: 3" tall for each story of a building, 2" wide for walkways. Sometimes, even with those measurements things can appear a little large, and I'll shave off a 1/4 inch here and there.

    @Drache: I used them because Outlaw Minis had requested that I use them as the base because they had some on hand and yes, because their plastic design wound keep them light and ensure the bottoms wouldn't chip. Also, less "ground modeling" for me, so it can keep the cost and work time down.

    @Nog: You wouldn't believe how many of my friends & colleagues say that. My chances of getting a full time "retainer" terrain job increase every day! :)

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  5. Great looking boards! I've always liked your work. Question for you, what did you use to make those rock escarpments? It looks like pink foam, but its thinner than I am used to seeing. Also, can you go over a brief how to on those? Ar you using an knife or foam cutter (if it is foam)?

    I attempted something similar recently and it came out like poo-poo. Any advice would be most useful.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! Click the "Terrain Tutorials" image top right for the modeling & painting guides.

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  6. Its amazing what you can learn when you read... THANKS!! Keep up the good work!

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  7. Great work as always, Rob. Really like the tree and tepee magnetization trick! Will have to keep that one in the back of my head.

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