Tutorial: Step by Step "Table Edge Terrace" Part 3 April 22, 2015 09:15

If you have just opened this blog, you can check how I got to this stage by reading the first 2 tutorials.

In this picture I have used the asphalt with "Grey Slate" emulsion mixed, watered down and applied in an almost random way. I did however try to keep the lighter paint away from the top of the tiles near the next row as this emphasises the overlap and gives a stronger shadow effect. Spending time tiling the roof with card proved to be a good investment when it came to painting.With the laser etched tiles more care is needed not to overpaint onto the next slate. With raised card picking out the edges was a lot easier and quicker to do with the same effect. This next layer was straight from the tester pot grey slate again, I applied quickly overlapping the previous coat in an attempt to get a variety of shades on each troofing slate. Once more I avoided the shadow area at the top of the slate tile. This picture shows the diverse way paint was applied. I often use the paintbrush sideways, instead of painting with the hairs on the brush, I go accross using the length of the brush. This sideways application gives a more natural looking random accidental efect and looks less contrieved.

This last picture shows 3 stages. I repeated the previous method using "Cool Slate" tester pot emulsion. Each time I apply a highlight, I cover less tiles and a smaller area on each. Applying highlights like this means each colour takes less time than the previous...great for motivation.

Once the slate was complete, I applied a lichen effect dabbing / stippling Vallejo German Orange Ochre (left over from when I attempted oak leaf pattern SS uniforms). The lichen effect was further enhanced with Vallejo "Ghost Grey", again this was a quick job as I was seeking a subtle aged / weathered effect.

I used grey primer paint to spray the windows and doors. Use a small blob of blue tac to hold the windows still when spraying to avoid blowing the pieces away.  One set of windows I oversprayed black, another white. I then used a small amount of contact adhesive to bond the windows to some acetate (If I remember correctly this was from the front of a Christmas cracker box). I usually glue in the windows and then apply the acetate by gluing the window surround inside and sticking on a large piece, this avoids any glue being seen from the outside. On this occasion as both sides of the windows are to be seen, I had to take more care.

Look out for the next tutorial where the finishing touches will be applied to complete the kit.

Tutorial: Step by Step "Table Edge Terrace" Part 2 April 19, 2015 10:41

If you have just logged into the Charlie Foxtrot Models Blog, please read my "Tutorial part 1" to see how I reached this stage.

This picture shows the model with the roof complete and the walls textured. I bought a large aluminium turkey roasting dish (79p) and poured some in chinchilla dust; the deep sided dish will contain any spills. The chinchilla dust I bought from a local pet shop. A large 3kg bag was only a couple of pounds. I have textured many buildings yet the dish does not seem to be emptying. I use an old large paintbrush to coat one wall at a time in PVA. Draw out the glue so there are no runs or drips then press the building edge into the dust. The chinchilla dust is highly absorbent and sticks instantly with very little "drop off". Repeat for all walls. If you cannot press into the sand due to the roof overhang, sinply take a handful and pour it over. I carefully applied PVA with a smaller brush and then used the pour method to coat the dormers and chimneys. This now needs to be set aside to dry.

Note: If you miss a bit of wall, leave it to dry and patch in the gaps the next day. I learnt the hard way. If you try to touch up any gaps or areas of PVA that have dried too quickly, the chinchilla dust comes off and sticks to your brush. The more you dab, the worse it gets.

When fully dry, spray primer the model grey. For miniatures, I prefer a black undercoat yet for buildings a cheap grey car primer provides a good surface to paint on. I apply two coats, leaving it to fully dry between each.

I sprayed the inside of the building with primer. I have no plans to paint the inside of the building or to decorate in any way. If you see "Ruined House 1" in the shop, you can see the effects that can be achieved should you wish to go that way. I am under a time limit for this model and do not want to detract from the main part of the gaming table.

The focal point of the wargames table should be, I believe, where the action is. I want the village centre to be the "centre of attention" and the "Table Eedge Terrace" to be a back drop to this. While on this point, I see very limited value in painting the inside of buildings (unless they are ruined and open to view). For the brief few seconds it takes to place models inside and replace the roof, the time spent doing interior decorating has, in my opinion, little return. I prefer to spend the bulk of my time painting the rooftops. They are always in view and the closest part of the model to the gamer....more on this later!

I had toyed with doing Hollywood style scenery props front facade only yet this would look good but not add anything to the gameplay. This idea was dropped in favour of gameplay vs aesthetics balance.

Tutorial: Step by Step "Table Edge Terrace" Part 1 April 17, 2015 14:02

This is going to be a diary style how I complete a kit to the standard you see on my website.

I have just released the "Table Edge Terrace" and I need to have it painted for the Exeter Legionary show in two weeks. As I have a lot of other terrain items to complete, I will be getting the effects I want, in rapid time using as many time saving techniques as I can. I assembled the kit as per the instructions, leaving off the chimneys, dormers, doors, windows and shutters. This took 15 minutes.

I then trimmed the corners off the dormers and chimneys to get a close fit to the roof. I used a small Stanley knife and then sanded the edge with an emery board. I prefer these to sandpaper as being more rigid, I do not round the edges off when I want them to be square. 

Then I used quick drying polyfilla to cover the jonts and tag gaps. I also filled the chimneys and dormers at the same time. Approximate time to fill 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, I gave the filler a light 5 minute sanding to smooth the walls ready for priming. 

At this point I was going to spray and paint however I could not resist using my card tiles to texture the roof. I did this with the dormers off to save time "cutting in" gluing straight runs made for a quick job and the roof was complete in under an hour. There is very little waste when tiling the roof as any offcuts are used to start the next row.

Lining up the tiles was easy as I just followed the engraved lines. The card tiles are the same size as the engraved ones so you do not have to adjust the size. If you look to the left of the roof you will note I left a small overhang with the card. I plan on cutting this off when they are dry. This will save time on trying to line each strip up accurately.

When the roof was complete, I glued on the chimneys and dormers. I lined the dormers up using the tile edges as reference. I then placed a 12" ruler over the top to ensure all 3 dormers were even in height.

The dormer tiling was easy....if you follow these steps. Cut a straight edge with a full tile to your left. Cut the tile strip slightly over size after "offering it up". Place the tile edge on the outermost edge of the dormer roof then using a fingernail or pencil point crease the card into position. You will then pick up the correct slope to get a good fit to the roof. When you have this line, trim to size with scissors.

As you need 6 of this piece, DO NOT GLUE IT ON. Rather than make more work repeating the process, simply draw around the tile strip you already have. Glue in place and repeat for the next course of tiles. In the picture you will see my top rows of tiles. Once I cut the slope to fit the roof, I offered it up to the dormer and drew a pencil along the back to know where to cut. Again you do not need to be mega fussy here. Any gaps at the top will be covered by the plastic ridge tiles.

To complete the dormers and ridge tiles I took 60 minutes.

 I cut the plastic angle pieces to approximately 10mm using a razor saw and a bench hook I designed with measurements on. The roof is just a matter of straight cuts while the dormer needs more work. I glued on the outer one so I did not have any fiddly small bits on the edge. I then trimmed a tile with a Stanley knife to fit the roof end. I infilled the last one by either adjusting the gaps between the tiles or trimming to fit. A tiny amount of quick drying polyfilla on the tip of an old paintbrush was used to fill any minute gaps. I used the same wet paintbrush to smooth any raised polyfilla lumps.

This now needs to be set aside to dry.

More on this project will follow .......