Sammy Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 I agree short of 3d printing or scultping a base master, plaster casts give you the best starting point with a lot of projects. I think the hesitation from others that I've talked to about it is the investment in materials, since you're essentially making a "single use" mold just so you can make the final "production" mold. I mean, in a hobby application I understand the sentiment of not wanting to use more high cost materials than needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMGraham Posted July 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 I'm totally gonna be cross-posting like mad, but then again I only do this once a year! Finished up my area terrain system, and the Kickstarter is on track to live on Friday. I'm thinking some Dragon's Teeth inserts might be a good addition, but I don't know if I'll have time to do them this go-around. I'm feeling the pressure to get my army done for OFCC. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romans832 Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 You're such a stud 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathonicus Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 Nice work on that customizable area terrain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esperatus Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 I love how you are constantly making our little worlds better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombking Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 Now that is good work and a cool bit modular work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMGraham Posted March 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Getting set to start on some new terrain once my OFCC army is done (it's getting closer!). In the meantime, I hope it's not too shameless of a plug to say that, now that the Kickstarter is fulfilled, I've cast up some stock and the webstore is updated. Given the advent of 7th edition 40k, the exploded vehicle markers are on sale, as well. If you're interested, check it out: www.worldsmithindustries.com 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMGraham Posted May 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Got some more terrain painted up! A couple of pieces of scatter terrain I cast up: My first attempt at a cast hill. It looks decent, but the slopes are too sleep and it makes it hard to place models on. Have a second (better) attempt cast up, but it's not painted yet. Remember that cottage I tried casting before? Earlier in this thread, I think. Went ahead and got the best of the casts painted up. I'm working on a different approach to buildings now, which I think will work better. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romans832 Posted May 29, 2015 Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Stud 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indytims Posted May 29, 2015 Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Very nice! I especially like the damaged column/fallen column piece... you say you 'cast' those yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMGraham Posted May 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Thanks! Yup, the columns started life as a wedding cake topper. I sawed them into pieces, filled the hollows with putty, and made a mold out of the pieces. Then I cast them in plaster, and used files, rasps, and an xacto knife to carve them up into the scatter terrain (which I then modeled and cast in resin). The plan is to eventually do a series of pieces of scatter terrain that include ruined columns and the like. I've gotten to be a big fan of casting some pieces in plaster to carve up and manipulate before making resin casts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indytims Posted May 29, 2015 Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Thanks! Yup, the columns started life as a wedding cake topper. I sawed them into pieces, filled the hollows with putty, and made a mold out of the pieces. Then I cast them in plaster, and used files, rasps, and an xacto knife to carve them up into the scatter terrain (which I then modeled and cast in resin). The plan is to eventually do a series of pieces of scatter terrain that include ruined columns and the like. I've gotten to be a big fan of casting some pieces in plaster to carve up and manipulate before making resin casts. Well those certainly look terrific! I've poured plenty of plaster with the handful of Hirst Arts molds I've got, but I've never toyed with resin, and I've never tried to make my own molds. Awesome work. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMGraham Posted May 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Making your own molds and casting in resin is so much easier to work with than folks realize! Making some custom bases is a great way to try your hand. Or, I've cast plenty of resin in Hirst Arts molds, as well. The accessory molds are particularly good for it, as would be the sandbags, I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMGraham Posted June 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Man, the terrain bug seems to be seasonal for me. Got interested in putting together a set of modular ruins. I had started a while ago by taking some Roman column cake decorations I had picked up from Michaels, sawing them into pieces, filling them with clay, and making a mold of them. Then I cast a bunch of the pieces in plaster. After I had a slew of pieces, I set to carving them up and gluing them together into ruined columns of various heights. Then it's off to the mold box with the resulting pieces! The resin casts turned out well enough. Ruined columns are a go! Today, I started working on a base for the columns. I cut out a piece of MDF, beveled the edges, and laid out some columns. I had previously carved up some foam into a cobblestone pattern and made a mold and some casts in plaster. I also laid down some foam in some places to add height. That lower area you see is purposefully recessed so it can be filled with water effects if desired. Once I had the cobblestones laid down, I set to weathering and carving them and adding some texture to the places with exposed ground. I use model railroad ballast of varying grits, with the occasional splash of sand from the local lakeside volleyball court. The final base is here. The columns are removable so that you can get them out of the way if you're moving blocks of troops onto the scenery. I'm also planning on modeling some individual piles of rubble that can be scattered around the bases for more visual interest. I reckon folks can glue them down if they like, or leave them loose for flexibility. I did all of my usual pre-molding work. I painted some watered down glue over the grit to smooth it out and help it adhere better. Then I sprayed the whole thing with an acrylic gloss sealant. Once it was dry, I made a mold box and sprayed it with release. The mold is currently setting, and I'll pull my first resin cast tomorrow morning! I really like terrain that's modular in nature, that lets you switch out different looks. I also happened to have a 3D printer I kickstarted show up the other day. It turns out Sketch Up is really easy to learn to use, so I made a Dwarven pillar and printed it up. It worked! FIrst 3D model and first 3D print! I might thicken up the top part of the column, but it'll work out, I think. I'll sand it to finish it, then mold it, cast it in plaster, and carve and weather the plaster for the final models. Still haven't figured out exactly what other ruin styles I'll do, but I really like this as a proof of concept for the project! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esperatus Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 I get that bug. Sometimes it's more fun to build worlds than armies. Looking great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indytims Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 I get that bug. Sometimes it's more fun to build worlds than armies. Looking great. I am totally on board with that! Sometimes I'll go a few weeks without touching a fig, but will be working on terrain instead. To me it's every bit as fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMGraham Posted June 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Agreed! Here's a cast of the base: And, some bases with various columns and debris. I need to make some custom debris for these; here I just used whatever was handy. I also printed up another Dwarven pillar, this time with a thicker top. Hard to see in the photo because of the translucent filament I used, but I like it better than the thin one. I've also realized that I can use sketch-up to make pieces that fit together to make an arch. I have some modeled up, but won't print anymore until I see how the big column works when it's sanded and cast. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indytims Posted June 19, 2015 Report Share Posted June 19, 2015 Absolutely awesome, JM! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romans832 Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Dam son, sexy as all get out 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfestedKerrigan Posted June 20, 2015 Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 Dammit, Jim. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generalripphook Posted June 22, 2015 Report Share Posted June 22, 2015 Could you make dead square based trees? The remnant of a road lined by trees. Are you having the arch run length wise or across the road? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMGraham Posted June 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Nice! Square tree bases would be easy to make. My goal with the arch would be to make it as flexible as possible. Went for a hike in the woods with the kids on Father's Day, and found a nice place to sit and sketch while the kids frolicked. Worked out some design problems with the arch, and I think I'm ready to design it. I'll start printing pieces tonight. Almost have the first Dwarven pillar sanded up. I've been spraying primer, sanding it down, spraying more primer, sanding, etc. seems to be doing the trick well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfestedKerrigan Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Ethics question. Would you sell casts of the pillars that came from the craft store now that they are chopped, chipped and aged? Or would that be viewed the same way as purchasing a bolt of cloth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indytims Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Ethics question. Would you sell casts of the pillars that came from the craft store now that they are chopped, chipped and aged? Or would that be viewed the same way as purchasing a bolt of cloth? If you took that cloth and created something with it, you could sell it. The columns Jim made from the pieces he bought from the store, are used for a totally different purpose. I am no lawyer, but I would think he would be fine to sell them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMGraham Posted June 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Ethics question. Would you sell casts of the pillars that came from the craft store now that they are chopped, chipped and aged? Or would that be viewed the same way as purchasing a bolt of cloth? My gut agrees with indytims, but I dunno. I feel like, because it has been altered several iterations, and because it is being used for an entirely different purpose, it would fall under fair use, the same way collage art might. Curious to here what others think, though. It started off as a cake decoration, then I chopped it up, cast it, combined it and altered it further, and would ultimately be selling it as part of a kit for things used for an entirely different purpose (wargaming terrain). That definitely warrants looking into. I could model my own, but I'd rather not. Doing the same with foam (as with the cobblestones) is obviously not an issue, but here? Don't think so, but dunno. A great point and I'll definitely seek some legal counsel before moving forward with it! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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