Ten Inch Template

Necron Project Complete

2012-02-28T08:05:00.002-05:00

Here's the proof. Now I just need a more detailed photo shoot to go over the finished conversions.

It's a funny thing; last year I spent six solid months working on my Kabal of the Fursaken space skaven army. This Necron project took less than a month to complete, and involved some pretty far-out modeling work. While it is true that I already had a large 2nd edition collection, the 11 additional, converted vehicles were far from a chore.

And have I played the new codex? Nope. I'd rather be painting than playing 40k at the moment.

Snow Storm

2012-02-26T20:54:00.000-05:00

This Cult of December model was a real pleasure to work with.

Here is a solo shot of the Rasputina re-sculpt. I love the model, but due to how I based it, the center of gravity is awfully wobbly. I need to find a washer that fits inside the base, to give the figure a bit more balance.

Lastly, here is a somewhat blurry photo of one of the Ice Gamin for the crew. I painted these Gamin with the exact same treatment that I gave the Ice Golem, as well as all of the ice chunks on the bases. It gives the crew a unified, snowy, icy theme.

Rasputina

2012-02-25T23:32:00.000-05:00

The Rasputina re-sculpt tempted me for months; the past weekend saw her and her crew painted.
The Malifaux models are a pleasure to paint. The ability to paint a dozen or so models, then switch to a completely new style and palette, has allowed me to be far more experimental in my technique. I have been playing with a home-made wet palette, to some degree of success, and am currently trying a new "drybrushed ink" experiment. More pics to come.

Atari paddles + 1950's Scifi = Triarch Stalkers.

2012-02-21T06:05:00.000-05:00

Atari paddles + 1950's Scifi = Triarch Stalkers. Clearly.

Cthulhu Desolation Engine

2012-02-18T15:03:00.000-05:00

Modified Desolation Engine photos, WIP.

Steampunk Pyramid-Head meets Cthulhu. Detail of the head/helmet:

I made the head with a combination of putty, plastic card, watch parts and wires. The base is cork, gravel and more watch parts.

Necron techno dance party incoming

2012-02-15T20:43:00.000-05:00

Turn out the lights, and I'll glow.

And in the light,

Painting is well underway on the entire collection at the moment; I just had to stop painting to share the glowing effect. Inside the casket, I have mounted a string of 15 LED lights on the floor, with a layer of green glass beads over the top.

Ok, back to the paint. This has been a very fun, very quick project. Let's hope I maintain the pace!

Voltron Ghost Arks: WIP

2012-02-13T20:42:00.005-05:00

Magnetized, built, primed and ready for lighting.

The tubing seen in the center of the model is cut from the same pipe drain snake I used for my Triarch Stalker legs. I found that cutting the galvanized steel took far too long. I eventually used a vise to hold the snake in place, and simply bent the steel back and forth at a right angle. After about a minute of rigorous bending, the heat created by the friction would almost melt the steel apart. This saved me quite a few hacksaw blades!

The Necron Lord is not just included for scale: The Lord's base is magnetized, to hold him in place on the "Command Platform".

Here are the other three Ghost Arks. You can see one of the bases in the lower right of the screen. The coffins are mounted so they hover just off of the ground, like a landspeeder on Tatooine.

My plan here, is to lace a string of 15 LED lights along the bottom of the inside of each casket. Naturally, I built the models to open on a rear hinge for this purpose. After switching on the LED lights, I can then fill the coffin with green glass beads, to provide an otherworldly glow. Once the glass beads arrive from the online store, I will have some necron disco pics to share. Now for the atmosphere...

There is space in one of the coffins for an ipod touch, which can sound fairly decent with the speaker maxed out. The only thing still uncertain, is the playlist. At the moment, I have a collection of music picked out featuring 80's video game chiptunes like this:

Contrary to popular belief, Necrons aren't alien mummies.

Necrons are space invaders.

Triarch Stalkers with Extra PEW PEW

2012-02-11T12:36:00.000-05:00

Martian Tripods with Heat Rays? Sign me up!

Continuing the theme of craptastic retro toybashing, I have finished three of these Triarch Stalker conversions. I started with Atari 2600 paddle controllers for the base. A mere $3 each on ebay!

Naturally, those big red buttons had to be repurposed. I purchased a few keychain LED laser guns, complete with PEW PEW sound effects. After gutting both the controllers and the keychains, I rewired the two together for maximum PEW.

Lets go back to that finished product pic again:

The legs are made from cut lengths of coiled galvanized steel, purchased in the form of a drain pipe "snake". Those were not fun to cut. I used the same material on a section of my ghost ark conversions, which I will post soon. These sections of leg end in space marine dreadnaught feet. Also worth noting, are the bits on top of the controller. The "eye" and "battery coil" looking parts are actually magnetized, and they attach to the screws holding the controller together. This way, I can remove those bits and unscrew the controller, to change batteries.

So there you have it. Is it going to mesh with the size of the GW model? I neither know, or care. This Necron project has taken-on an energy of its own. I am more interested in exploring the theme of the army, than creating form-perfect conversions at this point. Rule of cool.

I hope you enjoy!

Necron Toy-Bash Extravaganza!

2012-01-24T18:07:00.000-05:00

We have all seen a wargame that featured a tonka truck proxied as some kind of tank, or a godzilla toy as a stand-in for a monstrous creature. When seeing such a bizarre conglomeration of aberrant plastic, it is understandable to cringe. There is much discomfort to be generated in the jarring shock of mixed scales and aesthetics. I have decided to harness this discomfort, and see where it leads.

The skull you see above, is from the Robotix building set that was popular in the 80's. Check out the jaws on this guy!

I find the absurd expression and over-emphasized teeth to be particularly interesting. Regardless, I began playing with the idea of incorporating such an embarrassingly out of place component in my necron collection. After all, the 2nd edition models that constitute my army are already pretty wonky enough.

I played around with the jaws as I worked out the scale of the toy, and found this little gem of a detail, which seemed to be a perfect representation of the deck of a command barge:

The Overlord model fit perfectly in the mouth, and looked quite at home. After magnetizing the model to stay put while in the jaws, I added the guts of an LED candle to the roof of the mouth, for an illuminated profile effect. Things were starting to take hold...

For the rear of the model, I used five engines from the barge kit, as well as a few chassis bits to form a set of "fins" for the back half. The finished conversion is a bit longer than the command barge (maybe by %20), but using such a classic piece of plastic was worth the sacrifice in profile.

Naturally, my success here led to other experiments. For example, an old Atlantis Flying Saucer model inspired me to build three doom scythe stand-ins:

The death ray attachment sports a flickering LED core. Part of the whole "over the top" element drove me to install lights on all of the models I am currently working with. You may recognize the pilot from the command barge kit:

Naturally, none of these models have been primed, so none of the clear components have been glued in place yet. The testor's canopy glue is going to make those bubbles gleam...

Lastly, I needed to convert 4 ghost arks. As I have said before, I am less than pleased with some of the aesthetic choices that GW has made regarding the necron line. I personally don't like the "tomb kings in space" style, so I needed some cool core component for the arks. Enter Voltron:

This coffin of doom is a transport, that dropped "robeasts", Voltron's foes, into battle. The coffins open, allowing for more LED fixtures...

Yes, I know there is already a light in the coffin. Unfortunately, those bulbs were ancient and cracked, and quite singular. No, the coffins that I needed for my necrons needed far more than just ONE light...

Regardless, here is a bit of WIP profile experimentation:

The dimensions are MOSTLY correct (just 1" taller than the GW kit), and the model should certainly be identifiable. I was lucky enough to bring one of the coffins to the Conflict GT a few weeks ago, and was able to take some photos of it near the GW kit for comparison. When I get more progress, I will certainly share.

Anyway, this is what I have been up to. I had a bit of momentum going with my Emperor's Children, but as soon as the ebay boxes started arriving at my door, I just had to release the converting beast. And the testor's glue fumes.

I hope you guys get a kick out of the pics. I know that this project is quite a bit different than my previous work, but then who wants to make the same army over and over again? And as for the wonky aesthetic, if it bothers you, then I have succeeded. I am hoping that my painting will unify the collection, and lessen the visual shock of the mixed components, but honestly, I am really hoping that the absurdity of the conversions, mixed with the over-abundance of lighting effects (and the installed MP3 player blasting techno; more on that some other time), turn the project into something that approaches the sublime. I hope that when this project is finished, it stands as a work of satire of both the GW art direction of MORE, but also of our own inexorable attachment to such dismal roots. Defining "the line" by clearly going over it.

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

I for one think Dr. Thompson would be proud.

The Conflict GT, purple paint, and camp.

2012-01-08T21:54:00.000-05:00

The Conflict GT is this coming weekend, so if you are in the New York area, you best represent!

The Conflict GT was a blast last year, and I expect nothing less this time. There are sure to be a ton of beautiful models to check out, and I hope to have some photos to share after the event.

As for my own painting, I have been working on my Emperor's Children at the moment. Line-highlighting six land raiders is a bit time consuming, but I enjoy the variation from my typical "gritty" paint schemes. I am painting the whole collection "assembly-line style". Here is a pic to display the level the whole army has been brought to at this point:

I have also begun the processes of organizing components to convert up some vehicles for my old Necrons. After watching the army played, and reading a bit more of the hype, I have decided to make my own collection playable. I have a ton of models already painted, so it shouldn't be more than a dozen or so vehicles to add. I personally do not like the "Tomb Kings in Space" feel of the new models, so I have been working to find a more interesting visual style to pair with my 2nd ed models. I started with four of these beauties for Ghost Ark conversions:

You may recognize those from Voltron, as the coffins that Robeasts were deployed in. I plan to use this casket to replace the "passenger" and "boat" portion of the GW Ghost Ark model, but keep the pilot and gauss guns. I think the visual impact will match the "techno-80's" feel of those original necron raider models, while keeping a similar profile to the original model.

As for Stalkers, I am currently using lengths of drain-snake coil to create "war of the worlds" style tripod legs for these fantastic 50's sci-fi models:

These flying saucer models even include a cockpit with a glass bubble, perfect for displaying a necron pilot tapping away on multicolored buttons. Add the mandatory heat-ray, and the conversion is complete.

I will post pics of the conversions as they come along, but in the immediate future, I plan on plowing through this Emperor's Children project. Six tanks and thirty-one infantry shouldn't take TOO long. Especially not with those sweet flying saucer models giving me the eye...

Long Range Support

2011-12-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

I painted up these Manticores last weekend, and had an opportunity to test them out this Thursday. I have to say, I now understand why people use them.

Naturally wanting to get the most out of the three Manticore kits used, I bought a few extra bits from ebay to allow for the rockets to be swapped out for the deathstrike missle.

I enjoyed the opportunity to return to painting my Vraks schemes and colors, and have found more projects on my desk for the traitor IG. I am now working on some demolition veterans, as well as 8 more heavy weapons teams, and two penal legions. While this involves neglecting a few other projects, I feel like I should follow the Vraks inspiration for now.

After all, I don't think I will ever regret having too much IG..

Vraksian Reinforcements

2011-11-27T18:51:00.002-05:00

I was recently inspired to work on a 90 model block of conscripts for my Vraksian Militia, and thought I would share the results. While I have painted plenty of zombies in my day, I have developed a soft spot for this horde in particular.

As you can see, I have broken away from the Games Workshop zombie sprue, in favor of the Mantic Games Zombie box. While the variety of poses Mantic provides are more limiting than the Games Workshop product, I found the models to be easy to work with, and simple to convert. I also found the poses that Mantic chose provide a greater sense of movement within the unit, whereas the GW zombies tend to look more like action figures to me. Considering the low cost of Mantic product, this was a fine component to work with. I added a few GW helmets and bits throughout the horde of zombies, more for variety than to indoctrinate these figures into the ranks of the GW monstrosity...

In order to run these unarmed conscripts in my traitor IG army, with the "without-number" manner that zombies deserve, I had to have a model to use as the Chenkov special character. I used a basic Cadian torso and legs, with basic Chaos Space Marine arms, and a Beastman head. Pretty quick and easy mock-up for a carapace armored figure.

The last model I finished in this batch, is this standard bearer you see here. I plan to use him as Kell, the special character banner bearer from the IG codex. That should explain the power fist.

Here is the list I plan on running these models in:

2000 Pts - Imperial Guard Roster - The Lost and the Damned

Total Roster Cost: 1998

Company Command Squad 310 pts
   Meltagun x3, Colour Sergeant Kell, Lord Castellan Creed, Chimera

Infantry Platoon 644 pts
   Command Squad, Commander Chenkov, Meltagun x4, Chimera

   Infantry Squad, Meltagun, Autocannon, Chimera

   Infantry Squad, Meltagun, Autocannon, Chimera

   36 x Conscripts Squad, Send in the Next Wave

Infantry Platoon 594 pts
   Command Squad, Meltagun x4, Chimera

   Infantry Squad, Meltagun, Autocannon, Chimera

   Infantry Squad, Meltagun, Autocannon, Chimera

   36 x Conscripts Squad, Send in the Next Wave

Leman Russ Battle Tank, 150 pts

Leman Russ Battle Tank, 150 pts

Leman Russ Battle Tank, 150 pts

The basic concept behind adding these units to my Vraks collection, is to allow for hordes of bodies to bubble-wrap my tanks, with Chenkov allowing me to recycle any zombie conscript hordes that are wiped out, or I CHOOSE to remove for that matter (as per his special rule). Between Creed and Kell, I should be able to order my army, as well as these two huge units, in some interesting ways during a game. It is true that my zombies are not modelled holding lasguns, and as I have said in the past, that is because they do not have lasguns. What's the harm in a little sacrifice, if it means your army comes equipped with atmosphere?

Necron System Error

2011-11-08T17:35:00.001-05:00

Like all good glue fiends, I picked up the new Necron codex this weekend. In short, my hobby plans for the next few months will not be interrupted...

The blurry iPhone pic above was intended not to display the work I have done on my own 2nd edition collection of pewter robots, but rather to express right off the bat, that I have a vested interest in a viable, playable set of rules for the mini-monster-bots. I really wanted to see my models come out of the display case.

To me, the codex is a complete failure. I literally mean complete. Let's start where the book starts, with the fluff. The reboot of the background material for these models took the line in a new direction. Personally, I feel that the flavor of the army has been entirely lost. While it is true that the story lines now include personalities, I was originally drawn to the army for it's distinct lack of personality. There is something truly sinister and elementally evil to a collection of soulless automatons, and the Lovecraftian themed C'tan added just enough mystery to the origins of these space undead. Now we have political machinations, allied Ultramarines, and Necron Lords shooting Inquisitors text messages.

Next up, comes the new models. To me, the "pimp-bot" style of the Lychguard, which permeates most of the new line, removes the crusty-robot feel of the original army. Again, I get it: the change was intentional. I just wish the change had been for the better. The Ghost Ark kit would actually be pretty ok, if it wasn't for the alternate build of the model. The fact that the alternate build, the Doomsday Ark, is just the hull of the Ghost Ark flipped over, makes me feel like the design was a poorly thought-out rush job. Honestly, it is the fact that the two builds make me feel robbed of two distinct models, that keeps me from enjoying either build individually. Remember, I have an army of the ugly 2nd edition Necrons, so for me to be complaining...

Let's talk about the rules. Sure, I am annoyed that all of the models I had built and painted back in the late 90's, are now terrible. I expected to have to buy new units, but the extent the codex goes in ruining the previous models is almost insulting. Preferred enemy on Destroyers? Twist the knife. Deep strike mishaps for your Monolith? Glad I didn't waste time installing lights. Now I don't claim to be a tactical genius, nor do I pretend to understand game design like some of our more number-heavy blogs, so I could totally be missing some synergistic keystone... but to me, every infantry unit, Lychguard included, will be assaulted, beaten in combat, and chased down. I am very disappointed in the lack of the "stubborn" special rule, at the absolute minimum. Maybe someone will find a way to build a list with some tactical flexibility, beyond banking an entire strategy on spamming solar pulse, and hoping the enemy doesn't have searchlights. Unfortunately, I see "mediocre mono-build" in this army's future.

Again, I showed the photo of my Necron collection at the beginning of this article, to attempt to show that I am not just being a negative-Nancy. I had something to gain from a useful Necron update, and I truly hoped that this book would bring some value to my ancient collection of robots. Aside from ebay.

On the bright side, this disappointment has forced me to redouble my painting efforts. My zombie-corpse is coming along nicely, and I am very excited about trying a new kind of list with my traitor IG. Silver linings and all that jazz.

Hobby Update of the Random Variety

2011-10-29T20:05:00.000-04:00

With the winter season quickly approaching, I have been hard at work building and priming. The damp cold of winter is typically less than ideal priming conditions, so I needed to strike while the iron was still hot.

First up, some news on my heresey-era Emperor's Children. After completing the build phase of the models, I first used double-sided mounting tape to bond the infantry models to paint-stirring sticks from Home Depot. I used these sticks to manipulate and angle the models, for a few thin and even coats of black P3 spray primer. Once this was fully cured, I set the models on a large table, and gave them a "top-down" angled coat of the new Army Painter "Alien Purple", to provide a fast and easy base from which to build. The primer is a "hormagaunt purple" shade, and should be easy to build highlights from. The land raiders also took the primer well, and are just begging for some attention...

In other hobby news, I have begun working on a new section of my Vraksian Renegade Militia. After reviewing my collection, I decided that while I had indeed built a competitive Imperial Guard army, I had not really captured the look and feel of a "Lost and the Damned" force. To that end, I have written a new 2000 point list that includes two new units. I think that having platoon commander Chenkov, and two 50 man units of conscripts, could make for a fun army. I have been building and converting 100 zombies, of the Mantic Games variety, to use as gunless-hordes of cannon fodder. If you know the special rules that Chenkov has, then you understand that these two units of zombie terror are "without number", meaning that they come on from reserve again any time they are wiped out. I can choose to "wipe them out" at any point as well, leaving their CC opponents to be blasted by the rest of my army. So, unlimited bodies of crap. That are scoring. Sounds like a Lost and the Damned army to me! Now honestly, I am not saying this is a good use of points, or even effective in the game, but thematically, I think I have nailed the 2k list. One last point. While conscript models are armed with lasguns, I have decided to build all of my zombies without any gear at all. In-game, I will accept that these units are completely unarmed, and cannot fire any weapons at all. While it is true I am handicapping myself a bit here, I think the sacrifice is well-worth the theme of an unending horde of worthless walking corpses.

As for robots, I have certainly seen the new Necron models set to be released in the coming weeks. I have pre-ordered the codex, and begun cataloging my Necron collection. At the moment, I have a fully-painted collection of 2nd edition pewter Necron models. Yes, the ugly ones. Among other small units, I have 40 warriors, 20 immortals, 12 destroyers, and a ton of scarabs. I hope to see how my collection will fit into the new codex, and what will need to be updated. I do have one small bubble of trepidation though, which is that the number of "codex jumpers" may well push me to keep my Necrons in their stasis chamber of my display case. When the Dark Eldar came out last year, as much as I liked some of the models, I knew that in order to have a Dark Eldar army that would stand out from the pack, I had to convert the hell out of something; Hence my Kabal of the Fursaken. With the Necrons, I already have a painted army, so I certainly do not plan to build anything new to "stand out". Who knows, maybe the 2nd edition, ugly pewter models will offer enough character. Only time, and the power of the new codex, will tell.

On the "event" front, I have two points to cover. First of all, the Conflict GT is quickly approaching, and so I registered earlier today. While I am looking forward to the event, the fact that the GT will only be 1750 points has me a bit confused. I have yet to even decide which of my armies to bring to this event. I have been involved with the GT circuit for over a year now, but have only ever fielded two of my collections. I think it may be time to break out some of my older work. While this means the visual impact and painting scores will suffer, it will allow me to play a variety of lists. At the moment, I am considering bringing my Epidemius plaguebearer-spam Daemon army, just to serve as a combo-breaker/meta-puncher. Maybe my ancient Tyranids will make a reappearance. I just need to find a way to make interesting 1750 point lists...

My final point worth mentioning, is that there have been rumblings of the NOVA 2012 date. According to MVB's blog, NOVA 2012 will be scheduled for Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend the event due to this weekend's proximity to the beginning of my next school year. I remember my GT hangover from this past August, and have no intention of starting a school year so blasted. Luckily (or unluckily), my GT partner, Jorge Ruiz, is also unable to attend on that date. At least I won't be leaving any of my friends without a roommate!

Off to my studio, where zombie bits and glue fumes await!

Battle for Salvation and Comic Con

2011-10-17T07:09:00.000-04:00

That's a photo of me at New York Comic Con this past weekend. Perhaps I was reflecting on my 2-4 record at the Battle for Salvation? Regardless, my shitty Big Bird suit provided a 5+ armor save, but the puddles of New York "mystery street water" were ap 1.

First, the Battle for Salvation.

I attended this year's BfS, marking the one-year anniversary of my foray into Grand Tournaments. I have to say, this event was by far the most enjoyable GT I have attended so far. It was great to see all the players from the NYC area I have come to know over the last year, and the "intimate" GT setting of only 60 players made for a truly personable event. One effect that having so few players had, was free-up extra table space. Because the gaming tables could be spread out, there was actually space between every gaming area to place army display boards and gaming supplies. In my previous GT experiences, I have found myself in pain from repeatedly bending under a table to retrieve models from the display board. While I know that some people use carts to support their collections, my 98 honda civic just can't accommodate the size of cart that would be needed to provide stability. So for me, the extra space was a true godsend.

As I said previously, my record for the event was 2 wins and 4 losses. Considering my 2 wins and 6 losses at NOVA, I have improved! Sort of! I had a blast, and really enjoyed all of my games. I was lucky enough to play Joe Johnson, the painter behind the soft-shaded orange and purple Salamanders army that has been sweeping up "best painted" trophies up and down the east coast. I think we spent a good portion of our game talking about painting, rather than rolling dice. I also had the pleasure of getting stomped by Sean Kemp of Da Boyz and the US ETC. Battlewagon Orks finally achieved what no army had done before: blocking off my webway portal. Alas!

If there is one thing I took from this year's BfS tournament, it is a feeling of camaraderie. I feel a bit less silly about spending time and money tucked away in my studio, when I see that I am not alone. I finally got to meet Tordeck, and mull over my confusion of missing the Toy Wiz vet nights... I got to show the 11th co guys the backwoods of NJ... and I wound up walking away with the "Best Converted" trophy for my Steam-Engine Dais of Destruction. All in all, a great gaming weekend!

Now, Comic Con...

This past Saturday, my girlfriend and I went to the New York Comic Con. She bought the tickets and set the date, as a friend of hers was planning on cosplaying her way into Mark Hammil's presence. I thought that I may as well go in costume too, and I just so happen to own what I would call a "Shitty Big Bird" suit. This thing is filthy. Think grass stains and chili spots. Regardless, the suit is an old stand-by for my Halloween adventures, and I thought it would be a good time. I had no idea what I was in for.

From the sweat to the chafing, a full-body costume is not for the weak of stamina. The day went in many directions. At one point, I found myself dancing to Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi", surrounded by flashing cameras and a loving public. Another moment of the day involved me being interviewed on live Japanese television. You need to understand, I had nothing to do with any of this, it was all about how people reacted to the suit and the character of Big Bird on its own. Anyway, here are some of my favorite pics:

And I'll form the head!

Work Shed.

This guy didn't actually have any candy in his van.

I think this is called a mis-pack.

Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Hardwood Bases

2011-10-03T07:11:00.001-04:00

While basing a Colette Du Bois crew, I found my fingers rich with splinters, and a newfound respect for the compass.

Filling the interior of each beveled base proved to be more challenging than originally anticipated. I first used double-sided foam mounting tape to hold a series of balsa wood strips to a cutting surface. Then, I measured the diameter of the flat part of each base, and drew matching circles on the wood with a compass. I made sure to label not only each board, but also the base that each board was going to be basing. After carving the balsa along the line, I popped the bits of wood out and made a few extra cuts to represent connecting floor-runners. I glued these bits down, and sanded the edges of the wood with a small file.

Lastly, I drilled holes for the nails, and glued pin-heads in place. Please excuse the horrid resolution on the next pic, but I was trying to really show the detail of the nails:

Basing this crew was scaring me, and I am very glad to have finished the surfaces. I wanted each of my Malifaux crews to be presented on unique custom bases that I had created myself, and the idea of sculpting putty into boards was giving me fits. I think that with a little ink and paint, these will do just fine.

The only question that remains, is just how polished the wood should be. I think that a worn-wood stage would be appropriate for Malifaux, but then the only hardwood stages I have ever seen have been maintained with a high gloss. Maybe I should do a little research...

I've been Terraclipped.

2011-09-27T07:04:00.000-04:00

When I saw the finished product that World Works Games was releasing for Wyrd's system, I knew I was going to enjoy playing around with construction, but I had no idea just how much fun that in itself would be.

These are shots of my first attempt at a 3'x3' table. I bought a sheet of masonite, and cut it to size. I spray-painted one side black, and applied way too many non-skid grip pads to the other side, to assure stability. I had originally purchased one of each Streets and Buildings of Malifaux sets, but after laying them out on the 3'x3' board, I quickly saw that in order to make environment as elaborate as I had originally envisioned, I was going to need more. In the end I picked up five boxes of clips, two sets of Streets of Malifaux, and two sets of Buildings of Malifaux. I do like the aesthetic of the Sewers of Malifaux kit, but I didn't really like the way that kit mixed with the other two. While it certainly wasn't a small investment, I am extremely happy with my decision. The quality of the product, combined with the creative possibilities of a temporary gaming board, were too much to pass up.

As I said earlier, these are photos of my first test-run at building an actual board with the kits. Having spent the time building a board, I am now astounded at the possibilities. Take this basic two story building for example:

The basic balcony you see is quite small, but they are very easy to build. With that in mind, balconies can be built to run around structures, or even directly across streets to form bridges between tall buildings. You can see in the photo how the street tiles work to help sell the aesthetic, with brick-work that not only continues the curves of the road, but also takes into account the location of doors with a flourish of pattern or segmented curb.

Getting back to the building itself, the roof section can be removed freely to reveal the second floor interior:

Inside, you can see the continuation of the doorway from the balcony. You can also see the railing protecting the stairwell leading to the ground floor.

Here you can see the ground floor, with the front and back doors, as well as the stairs leading up. This entire building, which is stable and locked in place, came apart this way without ever needing to pull card from a terraclip. The product is designed very, very intelligently.

Again, this was my first effort. It took close to an hour and a half to create this test village, but only about 15 minutes to clean up and put away. It is worth noting here that the system must be stored with care, as keeping the components orderly is a huge help during the construction process. I am hoping that with practice, I can crank out a 3'x3' board in around 30-40 minutes. I was pleased with this test run, but what I find very exciting is the possibility of delving much deeper, and seeing what can be made with these components. Maybe one giant mansion. Maybe a system of catwalks surrounding very narrow, spindly towers. Maybe an action-playset for my cats to stalk. I pity the hapless mousey-invader who enters my home, only to find himself hunted through the streets of Malifaux. [evil laughter]

Which brings me to my final thought of the day: Can gaming terrain be more fun than gaming?