Once I got the rug painted last week, I threw myself into this terrain piece as I knew that once it was done, I would be ready for the next Fallout scenario, so I was plenty motivated. I was also curious to see how this would come together since it is my first attempt at MDF terrain.
As I mentioned last week, I was really concerned about the textures and making what is a fairly simple building look interesting so I ended up drybrushing the outside and stippling with styrofoam on the inside to make it visually interesting. Whenever I can snag some Fallout terrain that Modiphius makes for crates and crafting stations, I’ll throw some inside of the trailer to add even more life to it but gaming purposes, I think it looks great and is ready for the table. The real test was: can some minis stick their guns out of the window and look like they’re taking cover and the answer is thankfully, yes! Sarissa Precision did a great job designing this piece of terrain and I look forward to building the other piece of terrain I purchased from them in the near future.
In terms of what I learned, I did make a couple of mistakes on this project. The first is that I should have gotten a rattlecan for priming it. I didn’t want to spend nearly $30 on one from GW that I thought I’d only use for this piece of terrain in the near future but it would have saved me a couple of hours of work, if not more so. If you’re taking on a bigger MDF project, get yourself some primer you can spray and skip the tedious basecoating by hand part! I also messed up gluing one of the posts on the outside of the trailer which means there is a slight wobble on this trailer. I swear that I tried really hard to be careful while gluing but still ended up making a mistake and I glued the crap out of the piece that is causing the wobble so it isn’t something I can pull apart and re-glue unfortunately (I already tried) so while the look of the terrain is awesome, there are still areas that could be improved. I imagine the slight wobble it has is something I’ll just have to live with and fortunately, it isn’t an issue when it comes to gaming since the wobble is pretty minor.
So all in all, it is a project I enjoyed working on and am happy with the results. It should help spice up my Fallout terrain too as most of the industrial/manufacturing locations you visit in the game have something similar to this and additionally, there’s no reason you couldn’t have it be around a residential neighborhood (maybe some houses there were under construction when the bombs went off for example).
I also wanted to say thank you for all the birthday wishes this past week! I had a nice relaxing day and my family was incredibly generous and thoughtful with gifts as always. My fiancee got me several miniature related things including the Institute Core Box and two boxes of objective markers pictured below.
I asked for the Institute box because I wanted to get something else to paint besides Super Mutants and Survivors to add some variety to my backlog. I’d love to get raiders but I think painting them would be too similar to painting super mutants and humans (raiders are basically a combination of the two factions since they rusty armor like super mutants but with human skin) so I’ll save those for later. The objectives should add some nice life to my Fallout terrain and make my battle reports look even nicer too so I’ll be excited to work on both in the coming months.
As far as non-miniature gifts go, I got Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order for Playstation 4 and I love it so far. It really captures the Star Wars universe well (the sound effects are so satisfying) but it has a nice challenge to it and the exploration of Star Wars planets is a blast in the 4-5 hours I’ve played so far. I also got 1917 on Blu-Ray which I’m excited to watch. I’ve heard it is great and WWI deserves a great movie. Who knows maybe it will inspire me to finally paint something from that era!
Kuribo's Painting 
That cabin has come out really well indeed, Jeff! š As far as the wobble’s concerned, if it’s not pronounced you could try standing it on a sheet of sandpaper and rubbing it across that until it’s level – I do that with trucks and tanks to ensure all the wheels/tracks contact the ground.
Sounds like you’ve got lots to keep you busy!
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Cheers, John! š It is actually just one post so I could probably just sand that side down a bit more and that would do the trick. Part of me wants to fix the gluing error but I’m not really sure how that is ever going to happen so I think your solution is a smart one and the best I can do. Thanks for sharing this tip as I never would have thought of it otherwise!
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Nice work! The trailer fits Fallout perfectly. Sarissa Precision is a great manufacturer, they have really great quality terrain for good prices. Quite impressive what is possible with just 2D MDF plates. Looking forward to the next Fallout battle report. š
Those sound like lovely birthday gifts. Nice to read you had a relaxing birthday!
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Thank you sir and I’m looking forward to the next game too! š It may sound a little sad (and maybe it is!) but the older you get, the more you appreciate relaxation on your birthday. In some ways, it is the best gift you can receive š
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Nice work, and I like the MDF building, simple and effective!
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Thanks, Dave! š
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First up – a belated happy birthday to you!
The trailer looks great so far. And don’t forget that there are tons of other bits and pieces that would work well to make it and the area around it well lived in. Mantic’s stuff seems pretty good as well for Fallout – especially their “red brick” accessories as they were originally designed for the Mars Attacks game, with a pulp-50’s setting that fits Fallout well. I’ve just found a ton of pocket fences yesterday that I’m throwing into the terrain queue so I can paint them in that beaten-up wood look that Fallout 4 did so well.
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Thanks, mate! š I’ve looked at those fences too (as they’re pretty ubiquitous in Fallout) and I will probably pick some up in the near future. While Mantic’s terrain crate pieces I bought for my diorama are annoying me (mold lines, flimsy plastic), I will have to give them a second look for filling out my terrain too. It seems like it could be months or maybe even a year until I finally get the chance to buy Modiphius’s Fallout terrain from a US retailer so I might as well find some alternative stuff to use. Thanks for the recommendation on the primer as well. I haven’t heard of that before so I’ll look it up and see if I can source it here in the states!
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Which TC pieces/models did you pick up? Most plastic stuff has some form of mold lines unfortunately, but it depends how bad they are, I guess.
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The Throne Room set had everything I needed for this diorama (well, almost everything) which is probably good for me as it is one of the cheaper Terrain Crate sets.
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Also – shellac based spray primer for MDF terrain!
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Nicely done and you have taken away the MDF look from the building which is always my main goal. I agree with John’s idea for getting rid of the wobble but another alternative would be to glue something like a barrel or a box to the outside perhaps to level it up at the appropriate point. From a diorama perspective there is a lot you could do to this piece – furniture inside, posters on the walls, etc, etc – but I appreciate that gaming pieces fulfil a different need. Glad you had a good birthday and have fun painting the stuff you received. 1917 is a great film too.
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Thanks for the kind words and that is a great suggestion on a poster and furniture! I had envisioned at least some kind of small furniture but a poster would be great too. There is space to add some things, especially wherever there isn’t a window so I will definitely “revisit” this project and see if I can’t find something cool to add to it! Also, I’m very excited to watch 1917 and mentioned it mostly due to our conversations on WWI š
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Great work on the trailer mate. As you say, a very useful piece in the Fallout universe. What you put in it or around it can make for a very different location each time.
Happy birthday, albeit a bit belated!
I am one of those rare folks that joined the Institute so I have to admit I am more excited than ever to see your work on the Institutes figures.
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Thank you for the kind words and I imagine this thing will see a fair bit of use on the table too š
I nearly joined the Institute and The Brotherhood of Steel and got cold feet as I realized how immoral each organization is in Fallout 4. With that said, I love the Institute synths and hearing them respond when you attack them is entertaining. The synths are chilling and I hope to paint them up well. There are some Institute specific scenarios that will be fun to play through down the road too š
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@Stew – I was getting ready to respond to your comment and I accidently deleted it somehow. Shame on me and my apologies!
I think you’re right that furniture inside the trailer is going to be tough. Maybe a tiny touch and something on the bare walls could work but that’s about it. I like the way you described the trailer too š
I’m very impressed you got your wife into the theater for a great war movie as well. I am seeing it at home for the first time because I knew that battle wasn’t worth fighting (not unlike WWI!) š
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