Monday, October 31, 2016

To A Bloody Pulp, Project #7 Gotham Adventurers

First, here are a set of 3 WW1 pilots, whom I like a lot.

Next, here are a set of Post-Apocalyptic survivor adventurers whom I think should have some use in the Pulp Game here and there.   One guy is my new presumptive Rufus Merriwhether, now that the first one turned out to be a chick.  If I find I want to make another Turnkey order, I might try for the male delivery guy next time, but the survivor in brown will do for now. And yes, that is a flame-thrower guy






Sunday, October 30, 2016

The Urban Road Grid Battle Mat

I measured out the blocks and roads on my urban road-grid battle mat.   Here's a summary of dimensions:


The Road Grid Battle Mat

This urban battle mat should prove very useful for To A Bloody Pulp.

Here's a Scheme of the layout:

Block 1
21” x9-12”




Road
Block 2
19”x21”
Road
Block 3
18”x15-16”
Road
Road
Road
Road
Road
Block 4
21”x10-12”




Road
Block 5
21”x21”
Road
Block 6
21”x10-12”
Road
Road
Road
Road
Road
Block 7
22”x14”




Road
Block 8
22”x21”
Road
Block 9
22”x10-12”

Notice that the left and right margins (especially) are not cut or printed evenly, so there is a variable width in many of the blocks.

The first number is the height, the second number is the width.
The entire grid is 6 foot by 4” (so 1 foot of length will have to overhang the table)
The roads are 7” wide, and run the length of the map in each direction

HERE IS A PHOTO:
I will also put a copy of this set of dimensions in a document on the To A Bloody Pulp wiki.
 

Saturday, October 29, 2016

To a Bloody Pulp Project #6: More Personalities

Here are three potential  Gotham heroes (or villians)

Left to Right:  Weird Scientist Dr Hellfist (he's very tall because he comes from Reaper Town),  Kung Fu Master Ho,    and Kung Fu Jackson

Below:  3 Gangsters from the Moroni Gang corner a dirty squealer


Friday, October 28, 2016

Good News Everyone, and the Nazis are here

My order from Pulp Figures arrived and my supervillains are the correct size, they're not super giant Reaper scale, so I can get some cool stuff from Pulp Figures in the future.

Also my 10 dirty NAZI scum arrived from Old Glory, hurrah!

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

To a Bloody Pulp Project #5: The New Jersey State Militia

Some WW1 era American soldiers to use as allies and guards


Building the Headquarters

I've had an idea about the Headquarters Building.


I was just going to make maps of it on the big grid paper, maybe put it on the wall in place of the Gatavia Maps there now.


But,  I was looking at my street map-grid.   Each "block" on the street grid mat is about 20" by 20".


The cardboard boxes I bought to build Bushwhack Canyon are 18x18x6.  One of those boxes should nicely fill in one block on the street mat.   6" tall, should make a 3-story building (the Wild West towns are 2" tall).


So,  I'm thinking of printing out some brick work on paper, gluing it to the outside,  cutting some cardboard floors, walls and roof and having at least the headquarters building, maybe some more, less elaborate ones too.   I've got tons of those Grecian Pillars, that might be nice for the entrance to a bank (or courthouse or post office--maybe a single building with changeable sign). 


Doors and windows are the biggest hitch.  I've ordered some from a model railroad company (S gauge is apparently the equivalent of our miniatures scale, but it's not a common scale). 

Saturday, October 22, 2016

To A Bloody Pulp Project #4: Gotham Personalities

Above, from left to right are Mr. Cheavers,   Alternate Mr. Cheavers from a parallel dimension, and Old Man Jenkins --the caretaker from the abandoned amusement park.

From left to right are Mr. Scraps, the indestructible dog, and package delivery person (originally was going to be Rufus Merriwhether, but now I'm pretty sure the miniature is a woman, so either Rufus is going to become Ida, or I'll need a new miniature).

To A Bloody Pulp Project #3: Suits and Shades

Here are a set of 5 secret agent guys, suits and shades.   They are more modern than pulp but will still serve.


Miniatures Needs for To A Bloody Pulp

DAMES!!!!  I'm waiting for my order from Pulp Figures to arrive, it finally shipped yesterday. I need to see if they play well with my other minis, scale wise.  If they do, then there are some awesome DAMES and others I am willing to spring for.  They're a little too expensive if they're also too big.

NAZI'S!!! I don't have any freaking Nazi's.  Old Glory has some WWI guys at a reasonable price, but I can't decide between the all rifle 10 pack and the pack with 6 pistol guys and 4 rifle guys.

MORE COPS:  I should get another pack of 5 cops.

HEROES:  if the pulp figures work out, maybe some of their hero figures,

BUILDINGS:  I have a plan to scratch build some buildings for the street grid, but I'm tempted to get into HO scale buildings, a little smaller than 28mms, but okay.  They look awesome.

Friday, October 21, 2016

To A Bloody Pulp--Project #2--Gotham City Police

Here are a set of 5 police from Reviresco.   I might just order a second pack of these, extra cops might be useful.



Tuesday, October 18, 2016

To a Bloody Pulp, Project #1: Heavily Armed Henchmen

First the Standing ones:
Next the Kneeling Ones
There's a story behind these guys.   They are WW2 British Commando figures I bought many years ago at a Convention.  I never liked the green paint job I had on them.   When I found a doable means of stripping the old paint off (Soaking them in a pickle jar full of Pine-Sol overnight and rubbing with paper towels)  I decided to give them a new coat.

I thought they'd be good as heavily armed henchmen of some sort, if I changed the color scheme.   I gave them charcoal shirts, hats and boots, and beige trousers, and think it worked out pretty well.   The figures are, in retrospect, not especially good, but I think they're now pretty useful (I wouldn't ever really need British WW2 Commandos for anything.)

Sunday, October 16, 2016

October Project #12 The Water Works--Where the Wild West reaches its finish

First I created a small pond, and coated the water area with 2 coats of a clear varnish.   I think the bright blue made any significant effect by the varnish moot.

So, for the final build, the creek, I actually scaled back my earlier ambition (painted river bank, varnished water area) and just painted 2 strips of cardboard blue.   These at least will reach the length or width of the table, unlike my older, more elaborate river, which was built for my older, narrow table.

So, now the Wild West project is complete, the miniatures are painted and all the terrain is ready.   Yee-Haw.   On to Pulp Projects next.   I did make one decision about the Pulp Game,  I have given up on an extensive set of period vehicles and instead bought a crap-ton of Matchbox cars.




October Project #11 Cows and Cacti

I purchased a herd of cows from the fine people at Turnkey miniatures, for all of your rustling pleasure

I thought they painted up fine, but I didn't like the one I gave a black face, since it made it look too much like a sheep.

I got some desert plants over a A.C. Moore last week, to add some cover in the desolate areas, they painted up okay too:



Thursday, October 13, 2016

Bushwhack Canyon: Part Four: Done

I cobbled together a pair of ascending paths for Bushwhack Canyon.   I'm not attaching them, since I might want to move them about depending on the scenario.   You can't actually put a miniature on the path and have it not fall off, but it shows how a character could climb up or down.

Bushwhack Canyon is complete
I have based and primed my herd of cows and some cacti.   I've cut and glued a small pond.   Once those things are complete, all I have left for the Wild West project is the creek, which I'm going to see how the pond turns out with the varnish before I do.

Then it's on to my Pulp projects

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Bushwhack Canyon: Part 3: Painted

I gave the canyon a light pass with tan spray paint, mostly to cover the whiteness of the spackle.   Then I ran a dark brown paint brush along the canyon walls to simulate rock layers.

I don't think I'll use spackle again.   It came loose just at the part I wanted it to cover up.   It does make the rim of the canyon look more rough and natural, but it was more trouble than it was worth.   From now on, I'm just going to use masking tape to cover nasty corrugation edges.

I probably need to make a couple of add on pieces to represent places to ascend and descend from the top to the regular ground level.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

October Project #10 The Horsemen

I've painted the 8 mounted figures I've gotten.  One looks just like James Caan's character "Mississippi" from the movie El Dorado.





Still waiting to paint Bushwhack Canyon, need a bigger chunk of time than I had today.

I just need the cows to arrive, and to try the creek and pond, and I should be done with the Wild West series of projects.


P.S.  Sorry for the incredibly crappy long-distance picture

October Project #9: Rancho Relaxo

Here are two scratch-build items for a ranch scenario:

#1  Balsa Wood Bunkhouse

The door and ladder came from my bits bin,  the crappy window I made myself.  The building itself isn't too bad for a first try.

#2  Corral
Made from 8 bamboo skewers.   Not great, but it will serve to keep cows in.



Bushwhack Canyon Part Two: Paint Preparation

After the top cardboard was glued and dried,  I applied spackle around all the top edges:




Then using a crappy bigger brush, I brushed to tops with Elmer's glue, diluted with water, and then spread a coating of sand across them.


I would have done more, but physics forbade me, I needed to wait until the spackle dried before painting the whole thing.







Monday, October 10, 2016

October Project #8: Bushwhack Canyon: Part 1: Structure

Step one of constructing  Bushwhack Canyon:  assemble 5 cardboard boxes:  18"x18"x6"

Step 2:  Arrange on table to see if they will function the way I planned them to:

Since this seems to be more or less what I had in mind, time to proceed:

Step 3:  Cut out cardboard top pieces for each of the two sections (giving oneself a nasty paper cut is totally optional and not recommended).

Step 4:  Tape the boxes in each section together (top and bottom)

Step 5:  glue the tops to the sections, weighing them down with boxes of lead





At this point the structure of the canyon is complete, after the glue dries, it will be time to apply the paint and other finishing processes.





Sunday, October 9, 2016

October Project #7 General Store

Here's the outside of the General Store

Here's the inside.   The large shelving unit turned out to be longer than the inside of the building, so it's at an angle.


October Project #6 Gunslingers

Here are a pack of 7 more gunslingers to add to the ones I've had

I've got my 8 mounted guys based and primed, and am starting to work on the General Store.   When those two things are done, I'll have finished with everything I bought for the project.   I'll need to scratch build a few things after that:  Bushwack Canyon,  a new river/creek,  a new corral, maybe a simple bunkhouse and/or a ranch house.   I guess I do have some cows coming for rustling, they'll have to be painted.  

October Project #5 Bank

Here's the outside of the Bank





Here's the inside
There's a teller area in the middle and a vault at the back

Friday, October 7, 2016

October Project #4 The Shopkeepers

Here are a collection of shopkeepers for the Wild West Town--including 2 with shotguns and 1 with a cleaver.


My phone camera is way better than my old Kindle camera, but I need to work on getting better lighting on my subjects.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Stop me before I shop again

I ordered some gangsters, WWI soldiers, cops, pilots and a Model T ford kit this morning.  There was a sale, honest.

October Project #3 The Sheriff's Office

Completed the Sheriff's Office and Jail.


Along the back it is brick or stone work to represent the strengthened jail cell


The roof is removable, and there is a set of jail bars inside to separate the cell from the office.   The roof didn't line up quite properly, and I might trim it a bit so the back slot fits in the hole.   There's also a desk to put together, but, once again, no instructions or even a picture to give one a hint, so it's staying in the bag.



Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

This is bogus, man

Here I am stuck at work at 6pm for parent teacher conferences, when I have a painted and trimmed "Sheriff's Office" waiting to be assembled at home.   It reeks, I tells ya.

Monday, October 3, 2016

October Project #1: The Bandittos

The first of the "Knuckleduster" Brand Wild West miniatures to be painted:

The Dreaded Rojo Brothers
The rest of their bad hombres