Hi. I am back. This time, I am continuing to explore the fantasy world setting in the old city of the damned. I initially created a test building a few weeks/months back. One – to see if I could get myself out of this funk I have been experiencing for some time now. Two – to see what it takes to create some terrain from concept to completion. And three – to see if I can accomplish this in a short amount of time, money, and resources – hopefully living up to my blog’s creed to provided this sort of content.

With some new and previously acquired minis for reference, I began construction by cutting out the bottoms of my test building to be used as the base floors for this new project. Re-use and Recycle! Using the knowledge I have acquired from my unlimited resource library (i.e the Internet, or specifically – Google), I plugged in my low temp hot glue gun and “went to town” Here’s what I did so far.

Inspiration. There is so much out there that I got lost in the mire of information I found, Google images, YouTube and other social media creator’s posts, and so much more. I said to myself, “Stop ‘researching’ and ‘just do it’. It will look bad. It will take you a long time. You will make mistakes.” But then I also came to the realization that “if you don’t start, you won’t get to your destination”. So here goes…

Gather Materials. Too easy. I am a hoarder and collector at heart. Most of these items sat in 18gallon storage totes for years with the notion that “I will use these ‘one day'”. Well that day has arrived. Well, actually, yesterday – Sept 8, 2024. Why that day? Why not. I have loads of carboard, foamboard, EVA foam, glue sticks, CA glue, utility blades, rulers, cutting mats, and more recently, coffee stir sticks and granny “mesh” (Check out my materials page affiliate links if you are having difficulty sourcing materials and tools locally – clicking the links is free to you, but if you purchase something, I get a small commission with goes towards supporting this website and content creation endeavors)

Foundation. Every building should start with a solid foundation. I took mine from my test building. I cut out 4.5 inch by 4.5 inch (@11.5cm/sq) squares from the corrugated carboard floors of that original 3 level project.

Walls. I used 3/16 inch (@5mm) thick foamboard, hot gluing the sides to the perimeter of the cardboard base rather than on top for, you know, “reasons”?! They are 4.5 inches wide and 2.5″ tall (@6.3cm). I am at as point where there are 3 units in a row with 2 interior shared walls. The back wall is not present as this terrain piece is for the game Mordheim and I wanted to provide “ruined” buildings for players to traverse in/out and thru. Also I am debating whether to clad this ground floor with “stones”. I can use various methods including painting different “stones”, gluing individual stones (i.e. cut/textured foam), remove the paper from the foamboard and draw/carve in the stone pattern. These methods will all be refined in the later painting phase of the project anyways. Maybe I will try all three methods for “shites and jollies”. Let’s see if you can tell at the end of the project.

Openings. Although I left the back sides open for now on this ground level, I did want doors and windows for the aesthetics and practicality. These were once fully enclosed houses before being destroyed by the fallout and fragments of the twin-tailed comet’s crash landing into Mordheim. I want to give the denizens at least that. I cut openings for doors and windows. I framed them using coffee stir sticks cut to fit. I used the granny mesh with the stir sticks to create windows. I will figure out how to add “glass” to each at a later time or leave the glass out for now. Don’t know yet.

Doors. I wanted the look of wooden doors, so out came the stir sticks again. I used the foamboard as the base. I clad the foamboard in strips of sticks and even included some bracing. These turned out a little beefier than I anticipated. I wanted to make the doors ajar in a later stage of the build to give the illusion that each house was breached and rummaged thru.

Flooring. I learned through some research that medieval/old world style houses of this nature typically had stone walls with either dirt or stone floors for the ground levels. Typically, homes with wooden floors would suffer from wood rot/decay due to the contact with the moist ground. But I said, “Tis my house m’lord, and I shall cover thine floor with whatever I chooseth”. And I choose wooden (stir sticks) planks for the houses. For now. I created a threshold for each using EVA foam. I cut up small rectangular strips to length. I scored each one and blasted it with a heat gun (you can use a hair dryer also). Doing so will allow the scored lines to seal and open up giving the appearance of individual stones.

And so. This is where I am at. Gonna work on this project a bit more later today. Hopefully have an update later tonight or soon. Wish me continued progress. It’s all I can ask for. That and click on my affiliate links? Hahahah. It was worth a shot.

As always. Happy crafting!

What hobby/miniatures things are you working on today? Let me know in the comments. Thanks.

Hi. It’s me. Back from where-ever I was hiding off at. I finally decided to pick up a few “28mm/32mm” minis for this Mordheim thing I have been “looking into since who knows when. The main reason was to use minis so that I could scale terrain buildings accordingly.

I ended up getting some 3D printed resin minis sculpted by Vae Victis off a seller on Etsy. They came in fairly quickly considering they had to be printed, cured, cleaned, packed and shipped in less than a week. I am assuming this was fast. This was my first time getting bespoke minis since I don’t currently own a 3D printer (resin or other).

The sculpts look fantastic and even if I don’t use them for tabletop gaming, I could still enjoy them thru the painting and basing process. Compared to “official” GM minis in the same genre, these have less sharper details, however, they are definitely above the dollar store molded flexible plastic minis I have seen.

Here are some of them next to a test building I crafted. I will be placing these on square bases in the end…more to come.

Happy crafting.

It is truly amazing how much has happened since I last posted, yet so little has been done. Maybe amazing is not the appropriate word for what has been going on. There was a family tragedy, followed by family drama, and more recently, some reconciliation. However, I lost the motivation to move forward.

There is so much motivation around. Things I read and watch on the web. Observations of things I could apply to my hobby or craft from my real life surroundings in my house, yard, neighborhood or distant places I have travelled both in the past as well as recently. But I lost the “want” I had for my hobby. How could I want, when so much need that exists that drains my energy and will. I have (an maybe continue to) lose sleep over thinking about it.

Was it me? What is them? Was is a combination of the two. I travelled a long distance with a companion to identify the situation that caused the rift and try to move forward. I have had some trouble trying to even get to that point, but with encouragement from my spouse and travelling companion, I moved forward and took that journey. What was the result? The beginning of the healing process, but there is a long way to go.

I sleep a little better at night. I am finding my motivation again, even if it not directly related to this endeavor or my hobbies. I am slowly healing, but it is a grand canyon of a wound that may never heal (or even grow). As they say, “only time will tell”.

In the meantime, I am making an effort to work on this little side hustle/hobby/slash that maybe I could make some side income in the future. The community helps with motivation, but ultimately, it must come from within me.

More to follow.

Happy crafting.

BTW – How’s your summer going? What projects are you working on? Just asking for a friend.

Hi – Hope your 2024 hobby and crafting endeavors are going well.

Just wondering, did you have a chance to view (and purchase) a copy (or two or a dozen) of my Journal for Wargamers? I’d like to know what you think. How are you using it in the wilds of your home or local gaming clubs? Are you able to share it with your cohorts or rapscallions? Maybe you bought a couple dozen to share with your warband IRL?

Post your comments here or on my other socials (Instagram or Youtube). Hello, hello, hello (fades). Echo, echo, echo (fades). Thank you, you, you (fades)

If anything, you are supporting the efforts of this website and accompanying socials. I really, really much appreciate it.

Happy Crafting!

Hello. As I sat at my desk and stared at my pile of shame last night, I thought to myself, let’s try something. So I picked up a sealed box “Warhammer Quest: Lost Relics”, got my hobby blade, and went to town. It felt so wrong as the sharp metal edge sliced through the clear cling plastic that wrapped the box. At the same time, it felt so right.

Quickly surveying the contents of the box, I found the sprues on which was attached my quest, at least for that evening. I quickly cleared an area in front of my keyboard, opened up the rules book to the assembly instructions page and began my mission.

I actually felt good clipping the various parts from the sprues. I wanted to have some Warhammer fantasy figures to use as size reference for my “future” Mordheim-inspired terrain/city build project. But for now, I just wanted to assemble some minis. BTW – Games Workshop does a real good job of designing these particular minis to be press-fit including the bases. I made sure to trim the stray sprue bits off the model before press-fitting them together and onto the bases.

For now these minis will stay plain plastic, even then they are awesome looking sculpts and would benefit from a proper paint up.

BTW – If you fancy getting a hold of your own Warhammer Quest minis, you can click THIS LINK. Yes, it is an Amazon Affiliate link. It’s free for you to use and by purchasing items thru this link, you will be helping support this website and me to provide you with more content for your entertainment and enjoyment. Thanks.

Anyways, that’s all for now.

Happy crafting!

OK. I am really asking for myself. I was of age when Mordheim was released. I had disposable income. I had an interest in Warhammer and such. I painted up my Legion of the Damned metal figures. I assembled at least my Catachan Jungle Fighters (no paint). But for some reason, I never really discovered a little known game from Games Workshop called Mordheim.

Fast forward to a few decades later. I, now past the half century mark, have heard whispers, no screams, of a resurgence of the twenty plus year old skirmish game. Since it’s official retirement from Games Workshop, the Mordheim Community has grown into quite a large following. In the age of social media, Mordheim has peaked my interest enough with fans creating awesome terrain and spouting the many virtues of their warbands.

I want to know. Nothing like diving in…more to follow.

Happy crafting.

I know. I know. I am VERY, VERY late in my New Year’s greeting, but “Better Late, Than Never”. How have y’all been doing so far into 2024? Hobbying/crafting been keeping you busy?! Get in a couple of tabletop skirmishes along the way? Good. I am glad to hear.

For me, it’s been a little…well a lot…slower. Normally by this time of year, I would be rushing to complete a family cosplay for a local pop-culture comic book convention. But in recent years, the excitement and anticipation has not been the same. Attribute this to winding down from the Pandemic era shenanigans or is this indicative of something else in me?

I can’t (won’t) let that spoil my passion for creating things and enjoying my various hobbies. Shameless plug ALERT: If you haven’t had a chance, check out my tabletop gaming aid/journal. Check it out HERE. Pick up one for yourself or get a couple for your gaming group or club.

Needless to say, I have decided last minute to cosplay as a Crewmate from Among Us. It’s something fairly easy to do (jump suit + astronaut helmet), plus it is a welcome distraction from life’s trials and tribulations. Cue obligatory bathroom selfie. Happy crafting! SUS!

I wanted to make this gaming aide for you folks that actually embark on missions with your minis. I am proud of this accomplishment, plus proceeds will go towards supporting this website as well as helping me to continue to produce content. Thank you so much for your support.

Check it out HERE.

The description reads:

“The Journal for Wargamers is a low content journal designed for wargamers who want to document their games. It is perfect for recording your thoughts, ideas, and strategies before, during, and after the game. The journal has minimal structure, which makes it flexible enough to accommodate your needs. The size of the journal is 6 x 9 inches, which makes it easy to carry around. Bring it to your next gaming event, club, tournament or a friend’s house. Stow it easily in your gaming pack with the resting of your minis and gaming accessories. Give away as gifts to your gaming club or wargaming family and friends. Don’t forget your pencil or pen.”

You can annotate the Start and End Dates of your glorious battles, Name the Game and Players, List your Armies, and a few more fields. You can even add your own freeform ideas or battlefield drawings.

Check it out HERE.

Happy Crafting!

Edited to include updated link to my product. What are you waiting for. Go BUY IT TODAY! Thank you for supporting my endeavors!

So I was able to make some progress yesterday and was able to order a sample. The plan is to post more info after the sample arrives and is hopefully approved for GO. Every day I sit across from my shelf and see the wonder that is my trinkets and pile of shame.

Should I open up the Imperium bags and just start building and painting those for fun. Maybe I should create some terrain to accompany those? A diorama perhaps? How was your week?