The Dippening

I went to bed dissatisfied last night.  I decided to experiment with The Miracle Dip method again.  I had tried it years ago, but found it not worth the extra effort.  But, I had recently got better technique instructions.  I tried the process on my cheap gangsters and barroom brawlers. It was pretty good.  So I tried my Asians.  The Japanese soldiers took to the process like a pig takes to garbage.  I decided I was all in.  I dipped all my Riflemen and ww1 soldiers, 1 cultist, 1 hero, 1 dame, 1 reporter (all for tests) and then my bad commandos and then my cops and government agents (about 100 guys total).

The dip makes none of them worse, most of them better and a great many of them much better.  The only downside is it dirtiest up white clothes.  The army troops especially look great.

Synopsis:  thoroughly mix a can of Minwax Polyshades (polyurethane with some dark colored stain) brush it on (don't actually dip) brush off any pools.  Let sit for 24 hours, spray with dullcoat (I am waiting now).  Throw brush away.

P.S.  I dipped the rest of my pulp figures after lunch, no use messing up the place twice.

TABP Project #30: Anti-climactic last project of the plan: cheesy building 4

All the miniatures are here, and painted.   One last project, Building #4, where I painted a box grey, took the remaining doors and windows I had, spray painted them black and hastily glued them on.   The plan is complete.  I'm working on getting them organized and boxed now.   Focus now shifts to last minute campaign planning and adventure writing.

Here's the cheesy building:

Good for a bank, post office, government building, factory offices.

TABP Project #29: The Purple Oyster Cult Strkes again

I was going to paint this second batch of cultists red or burgundy, to have 2 easily identifiable sub-groups, but the purple was just too awesome, so they ended up purple too.

First, the heavy weapons team in gas masks....Flame Thrower, Flame Thrower, Flame Thrower:

Second,  the Evil Ceremony Team:

Third:  a special BONUS!!!!
The 4 priests of Slag-Bah, from Knights of Orion, have changed Messiahs and taken on the Purple Robes too!

TABP Project #28: Bomb Throwers and Bombshells

First a set of Bombshells:   Femme Fatales,  Dames that are nothing but trouble:

Second a small band of mercenaries

The guy on the left turned out to look more like a state trooper in the inventory department,  I like the two guys with heavy weapons and the captain with a bundle of dynamite

TABP Project #27: When you are all doomed to die a horrible death

This set, labelled "Doc Thompson and his Fabulous Four" in no way resemble Doc Savage and 4 of his 5 famous henchmen, no sir.

Left to right: 
Henchman (Johnny, I believe, could be Renny)
"Ham" Brooks (lawyer with a sword cane)
"Monk" Mayfield  (fist-fighting chemist with pet pig)
Doc Savage himself
Henchman (either Renny or Long Tom)

The Doc Savage figure is just awesome.  I mixed flesh tone and copper colored paint to try to get the bronze effect, but the finished product looks like a classic Doc illustration.

I can see getting a lot of use out of the henchman with the green shirt and big fists.

TABP Project #26: Daring Adventurers

I did a batch of Murch's "Pulp Figures" today.

First:   Safari Adventurers:

Rock Beefcake,  not Teddy, Roosevelt,  Jane, Machete Chick, Butterfly Guy and Generic Safari Rifle guy.   (I like most of these).

Second:  Dangerous Dames #2

 Hunter,  Frenchie,  Frauline Discipline, Blois Blaine, Cowgirl, Woman in Red. 
I like the Cowgirl a lot.

Third:  Some Hard-boiled Private Eyes

Me, Humphry Bogart, and guy in a hat.

I like all of these too.

TABP Project #25: Big Crowd of Riflemen

I bought a pack of 30 guys from Old Glory (Old Glory being a combination of acceptable quality and low price).  They were titled "Dismounted American Cavalry" from the Pershing Expedition against Pancho Villa (1916).  I picked them out because I thought they had a really good potential for a wide variety of use.   I divided them into some squads of 5-6 and tried a variety of paint schemes for different uses:

Here's the crowd, primed:

First, here are a squad painted with beige uniforms, to represent typical soldiers of 1910-1940 for using as Army troops, national guard, state police, mercenaries.  At first I had their hats beige too, but they really needed a contrasting hat, so I made them brown.

Next I painted some as the Negro 10th Cavalry, with dark blue shirts, so they could be used for Wild West too.   They look less purple in person.

Next I painted some in Spanish-American War era colors, with tan pants and hats, but light blue shirts, I really like these.

Then I tried something different and painted the shirts red and the britches blue.  They should be good as armed civilians, hunters, moonshiners, and other rustics.   These I particularly liked too.  If you squint a bit, they could be used as Mounties too, if we have to fight the notorious Canadian super-villain Captain Politeness.

Then I painted a squad with Green shirts and hats, to represent regular soldiers.

Finally, I painted up the 2 captains, who may be usable as PC's:

I pleased with the batch as a whole.   I wanted a bulk group to use as rank-and-file bad guys and henchmen and allies, and I think they fit the bill nicely.   I don't know what went wrong with my camera this time, everything came out blurry, but what are you going to do?

TABP Project #24 Dangerous Dames

Six-gun Mildred,  Shotgun Sally,  Ace Veronica, Frauline Helga and Madam Wang, all make their way to Gotham City.

TABP Project #23: Masked Crime-fighters

4 daring masked Crime-fighters:  Not Kato, Not The Shadow, Not the Green Hornet and Some Chick with a Mask.

TOBP Project #22: Fear the Purple Oyster Cult

10 hooded cultists for all your occult needs:

TABP Project #21: Hitmen

After a week of being sick, back to the workshop.   I painted another group of Pulp Figures, this time, Hitmen.  SOme of these guys will work as detectives, G-men, Player Characters too.

TABP Project #20: Dirty Nazi Scum

While I did some German footsoldiers earlier, now I've gotten my shipment from Bob Murch's Pulp Figures, and here's some Gestapo officer figures for some bad guy action:

TABP Project #19; Building #3

One more city building for the table.   Here's the front:

Here's the back:

To A Bloody Pulp, Project #18: City Building #2

I've made a second city building, using the same basic process as the first.  This one, however is only 1 storey and uses pre-made doors and windows (which were a surprisingly pain-in-the-ass to paint and glue).

First, the Front side:

Second, one side, with a chimney and no other features

Third,  the back side, with a large baggage door:

And finally, the other side, with a door and windows:

I used a different, browner, brick pattern this time, a bit less crisp than the first building.   The doors and windows are "O" gage, which should be rather big, but I think they're better than the "S" gage ones I ordered, that are supposed to be right for 28mm miniatures.

Side Project: Space Guys

I totally ran out of pulp guys to paint while I'm waiting for a shipment from Canada.   But, I had the time and the desire to do some more painting, and dug out these Space Guys whom I had bought, based and primed over a year ago before the short Traveller campaign.

First 3 Totally Fabulous Space Mercenaries (including one who turned out to look like Space George Washington)

Second,  a squad of 9  Mutant Doom Troopers from Beyond the stars who have a swell Purple-Turquoise and Silver themed battle uniform:

TABP Project #17: Model T

Here's a metal model of a Model T Ford I glued together and painted.   It's a better size than the 2 German cars I did, but a little on the small side.  It was easier than the plastic tiny models too (the secret is Gel super glue).   I think that matchboxes are really the answer overall, they're cheaper and easier and look nicer.

To A Bloody Pulp Project #16: Gotham Troublemakers

First, a set of Chinese Irregular Infantry (i.e., armed peasants) useful for the 2 Chinese gangs in Gotham:

Second, some new brawlers, rioters or bar-fighters (had some old ones, but probably not nearly enough)

Last,  the final mini for Rufus Merriwhether, deliveryman to vigilantes:

To A Bloody Pulp Project #15: Terrible Boat

Here's the terrible boat I put together today.

First I cut out the deck, taped the edges, painted it and glued on some project blocks for the engine and supports for the wheelhouse walls.  So far so good.

Next, I built and painted walls and a roof for the wheelhouse, painted some cardboard for windows, glued them on.   And then cut and painted some cardboard strips for the wall-dealies.

The gluing together was a disaster, and the whole thing just didn't quite turn out as I wanted it.   Sticking to simple buildings from now on.

The Front:

The side:

It will do for the one scene of the adventure "The Book of Frankenstein" that I made it for, but I don't think I'll keep it long after that.  Maybe it'll look a little better when all the horrible pools of glue dry.

To A Bloody Pulp Project #14: The Blue Moon Crew

Two packs of minis from "Blue Moon's" Chaos in Cairo line.  5 "American Agents" and 4 Captain Josiah and Crew:

First,  3 American agents:  General Havoc, Non-Indiana Jones, Not Brendan Frazer from the Mummy:

Second, 2 more American Agents---tough as nails Dames

Third,  Captain Josiah and his scurvy crew

All the minis are staged on my brand-new Parking Lot piece, standing in front of the city-block model.

Spree Spent

I think that my incredible shopping spree may finally be at an end.  I have made a significant order from Pulp Figures and have asked for a bunch more for Christmas.  But, I think I may have come to the end of the jag.   I'll need to paint awhile, and I'm in to building terrain for the adventures I'm writing for TABP, but I think I've really reached the point of having bought what I need for the campaign to be well populated.  I needed to pull the bandage off the Pulp Figures, cause they're awesome, and I'm not getting any more of the sad Reverisco figures which pale in comparison.   I did like the Blue Moon figures I just got, but their pulp line is smaller than Pulp figures, and I've gotten the ones I really wanted from them.

To A Bloody Pulp Project #13: Brick City Block

Here's a big project.   I was determined to make a scratch-built city block, using only things I already had in the house, no ready-built commercial parts

Step 1: start with a 18x12x6 box, from the ones I got for the bushwhack canyon project.  Taped it together, cut a piece of cardboard for the roof.

Step 2: Glue the roof to the top of the box, tape the edged to  cover the corrugated edges, weight it down, wait for it.

Step 3:  Paint roof black and Apply brick paper to the outside.  This was a brick pattern, copied from Google images and printed out on my printer. 

Step 4: cut doors and windows from pieces of bass wood, paint them, draw some frames and handles with sharpie and glue to the building.

THE FRONT:  3 shops, each with a door and store window, another door on the end leading to the apartments on the upper floors, 6 windows for those apartments

THE BACK:  large warehouse door, door and window for warehouse office.

THE SIDES:  2 windows on one side, no features on the other

To A Bloody Pulp Project 12: Gotham Characters

First I have another set of 5 Reverisco figures, small low-detail casts.   There are 3 dames (I seriously am short on women, but more are coming).  Not too bad, but low on detail.  Second are Chumley McTux and a photographer,  again, not great sculpts to begin with.

Next, finally, are the 5 supervillains from Pulp Figures, the sculpting and casting were just so much better. 

First,   Iron Death Mask and the Red Snake Pope (both super awesome)

Next,  Evil scientist, Creeping Masked Man, and Bandaged Freak (awesome)