I have a shorter and fairly straightforward update for you this week (for once!). I spent the entire week working on Fallout terrain and am happy to show off where I am with it currently.
I have the exterior walls painted and varnished which is great. I went ahead and test fit everything and did some sanding to get it all to fit. I went all out on the weathering on this one which I hope will lead to an eye-catching final product. Here is a look at the side and floor. Keep in mind that the interior walls are not what you see here. Those are separate pieces I’ll show in a bit.
One thing that I have noticed is that the porch, which looks awesome, is actually a bit fragile and could be broken if I’m not careful in the future so I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on that. Unfortunately, I did have a surprising and mildly frustrating experience this week. I recently bought a big bottle of Vallejo Gloss Varnish. It was twenty bucks which is quite a bit to pay for varnish and 100 milliliters so I figured if nothing else, I could use it for a long time. Well, as I started using it on the shack, I realized it was yellowing parts of the house, especially those that have the lightest highlights! You can see what I mean in the upper-right portion of the porch in the photo above.
This terrain really only has cold whites with brown mixed in and yet, you can “splashes” of yellowing that I had never intended and didn’t particularly want. While I don’t think it looks bad by any stretch, it is very disappointing that a gloss varnish could do this. I can’t say I’ve ever seen it before and the fact that I bought an extra big bottle, because nothing else was available, just makes it worse. The only thought I had was, “What if I was working on a white or lightly colored display piece and I made the mistake of putting this varnish on it?” I could have lost hours upon hours of work and probably would have had to throw the thing out. Needless to say, I am disappointed with Vallejo’s quality here and I spent more money to get AK Interactive’s Gloss Varnish. It may slow down my progress on this project a bit in terms of assembly but I’m not going to proceed until I get this varnish situation figured out.
Finally, I went for a fairly bold and dark color for the interior walls to help them stand out from the exterior. Once these are varnished, I can think about gluing the exterior down along with these interior walls. If that goes smoothly, I’ll have about half of this project done which is not too bad of progress really and I’m happy with the results thus far which is the most important thing.
A couple of other quick notes before signing off. Its funny how much changes in a week sometimes. I talked about the Golden Demon being scheduled for March here in Chicago and while my interest in entering is still strong, a lot has happened this week outside of the hobby. If one is to read the pandemic portents, it is not hard to have a gloomy outlook. It certainly looks as if we could be headed towards lockdowns or a change in larger gatherings soon. Cases are going up and there is a lot of COVID fatigue in the US which I think is making it even worse. I wonder if Adepticon will get cancelled or pushed back again now. I know they’re requiring proof of vaccination to attend (which is smart!) but I could see a situation where they have to say, now isn’t the time to hold it like we hoped (not unlike when they cancelled it the first time). Only time will tell but I know it would be a bummer to work on a display piece and get it done, only for Adepticon to be cancelled. I guess that is the risk I will have to take.
Finally, this may be my last post for the year. With the holidays coming up, I hope to see my family this year for Christmas (though I have some apprehensions about traveling with COVID coming on strong) and so I will play it by ear and update again whenever I’ve made solid hobby progress. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe festive period!
Kuribo's Painting 
I hit like even though I do not like that you feel let down by that gloss varnish. From my perspective it looks ok because well… Fallout. But if you as the artist are not happy what I think matters little. Sorry to hear you are disappointed. I wonder how much of the problem is down to the material under the paint. I have noticed the model material under the paint (particularly Dwarven Forge and Reaper Bones white) can still affect how tacky some clear coats can be so why not cause yellowing as well?
Covid has not gone away. Too many folks seem to think we are past it. We are in for a hard winter on both sides of the Atlantic mate. Stay strong, be well. Eventually it will pass… just not yet.
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I’m more annoyed that I spent $20 varnish and got a bad product than I am with how it looks, if that makes sense. I think this is actually one of the rare projects where some yellowing is okay and fits in pretty well. You wouldn’t think pre-painted MDF with more paint put on top of that would have this issue but maybe you’re on to something there. I’m very curious to see how AK Interactive varnish performs when it arrives early next week to say the least.
Agreed on COVID and I hope you and your family stay safe as well. We’ll certainly be taking safety precautions to try and ensure that we stay healthy this holiday season! Thanks as always for the support, mate 🙂
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It really is a question of whether it is a case of a bad product or of how the product is interacting with the subject material. I know I was surprised at how how a Matt coat could be affected through a primer and several coats of paint but perhaps the base material changes the chemical composition of each coat of paint?
Trying different brands worked for me, I hope it works for you.
Have a happy and healthy holiday mate!
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I’m anxious to see how the new product does for that reason. I’ll certainly report back if I can determine the cause because I don’t want to besmirch Vallejo unfairly if it is a reaction with the MDF like you say. Cheers, mate! I hope you get a little extra hobby time over the break!
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Might not have been the plan but I don’t think the yellowing looks that bad. That said I more than understand your disappointment. I think you should consider the show, in any event you’ll still end up with an excellent mini and you can always enter it next time. The Covid situation isn’t looking good here in the UK either but I hope you get to see your family and have a good Christmas. 🙂
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Agreed, on the yellowing. It could have happened at a worse time though the thought of “wasting” a big bottle of varnish is not comforting. I think I will plan on entering the competition until I find out its been cancelled. I reckon I can get a booster shot and be okay around others. I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas as well!
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That’s pretty annoying on the Varnish front! I haven’t used my AK gloss bottle on any large areas so far, but I’ve been happy with it on the smaller areas. The good thing is that it’s not really noticable on the shack unless you’re looking for it, and I assume you’re gong to add dirt and grime to it once the painting is finished, so it’ll just add to the ambiance in the end.
As for Covid.. yeeeeah. We have morons in charge here who are only concerned with “finally opening up” and with Omicron pretty much cutting right through the only vaccine that people over 60 were allowed to have, I can’t see anything going wrong… and then we’ll move into Winter.
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I’ve had good luck with AK’s ultra matte varnish so that is one silver lining in all this. I may switch to them for varnish if it performs well. With that said, I’m not really upset about the yellowing overall because it isn’t too noticeable and it fits the setting well enough too. What you see on the exterior walls is all done and I won’t be adding any additional weathering to it, I don’t think.
Most things are open here but we don’t have nearly enough vaccinated people for people to be going to sporting events and doing things inside, let alone without masks on which in some parts of the country is encouraged. It doesn’t sound like things are much better where you are. There is a certain portion of the population that just does not seem to care about much beyond themselves which has probably been the saddest and most infuriating part of all this for me anyway.
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Yup! Now we’re at the point of barely having any covid rules at all, while Omicron v2 works it’s way around and community infections rise again. With winter coming, though and everyone huddled indoors, nothing could possibly go wrong, right?
On the topic of varnish, I’d also recommend the other two of AK’s brush-ons – the Satin and Gloss. I often mix a given two of them together now so I can vary and control just how matte-satin-gloss a given model (or part of a model) is.
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Its funny how things have changed because now there are almost no restrictions even where I live (where masks have been required for quite a long time) but it seems like cases are manageable here so far. Hopefully you and your family can stay safe. My Vallejo Matte Varnish is starting to run a bit low so I may replace it with AK Interactive as they haven’t ever let me down.
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So many unknowns when you buy varnish, primer, etc. Is it a bad bottle? Too humid? Too cold? Not shaken enough? That said I think it isn’t too bad on that piece but understand your disappointment.
Covid continues to be the grinch but I hope you left enough lists around so you get what you like for Christmas.
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
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I couldn’t agree more on the varnish thing. You kind of take your chances with it though I don’t spray varnish anymore and that takes a lot of the variability out for me. Rattle can varnishes are not worth messing with in my opinion. They’re just too fickle.
I should be getting a few things I want anyway. I didn’t ask for a lot of hobby related stuff and rarely do but I’m sure Santa will bring me something nice 🙂 I hope he does the same for you!
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This looks absolutely great, that is however very odd on the gloss varnish front, I think I had that happen once with an ancient bottle but never a new one.
And I hope you have a nice festive break!
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Thanks, mate! I started looking over the bottle myself and was wondering if it was old batch or something had gone wrong. I’ll probably never know truthfully. I hope you enjoy your break as well! A little extra time for GodTear painting, perhaps? 🙂
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Thanks man, I hope to do some more painting, got a few things on the desk I’d like to get done before the new year but we will see how it goes!
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Odd situation with the varnish! I use Vallejo gloss on occasions but have never noticed a problem, although I only tend to use it on darker colours and I’m surprised that an acrylic varnish yellows. I would never rule out that it might be something to do with with either the mdf material and/or the pre-painting that’s been applied. All that aside, Jeff, hope you can enjoy the Christmas break! 🙂
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Same here, John. Vallejo’s varnishes haven’t caused any issues for me and I’ve been using them for probably 3-4 years now exclusively so nobody is more surprised than me. I’ll see if I can’t get this sorted and I will give it my best shot. I hope you have an excellent break too! 😀
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The shack looks great so far, and those Fallout buildings are chock full of detail. Sorry to hear about your varnish woes, especially after spending $20 on it. I use Liquitex Matte Varnish and I’ve never had an issue with it, and it’s pretty cheap (around $15 for 200ml). I’ve had the bottle for 3½ years and it’s still got about a fifth left. I have a smaller bottle of Vallejo Matte Varnish and it’s only given me a yellowing problem on one mini, so I don’t use it too much, mainly for bases.
Unfortunately I think you’re right about Covid. Even here in Vermont, which did so well during 2020, cases are going up. At least we can get tested for free without an appointment, and I’m wearing a mask when I go out despite being vaccinated and having the booster. Stay safe, and a happy Christmas to you and your family!
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Thanks for the kind words on the building, Matt! I have never used Liquitex before so I appreciate the recommendation. I’ll remember that if I do decide to move away from Vallejo’s varnishes.
Cases are going up in Chicago though we’ve never had COVID as under control as things were in Vermont. I’m doing the same with masks (you have to wear them inside here but I’d wear one regardless). I hope you have a merry Christmas too, mate! 🙂
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The building is looking great Jeff, and the yellow actually adds another stain level to the piece, as for the why it can be down to the mix slightly separating causing the yellowing, which is obviously annoying after spending $20 on a bottle ! Hope the next one proves better but you could look into artists varnish, as an alternative Winsor & Newton do a range, which I have never had a problem with.
Hope you have a great Christmas
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Thanks for the kind words on the building, Dave! I agree that the yellowing does look like another touch of stain so I’m not upset about it. I think your theory is a good one on why the varnish isn’t performing. I noticed that I could catch varnish that was yellowing but still wet so on the side pieces of the house, I got rid of a lot of the yellow spots. Perhaps that is further evidence for your theory! Either way, I appreciate the recommendation. I use Winsor & Newton brushes and they’ve never let me down so I’d certainly consider their varnish as well. Thanks, mate and I hope you have an excellent holiday break as well 🙂
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Varnishes can be very problematic but all up it looks good mate. Covid doesn’t seem to want to go away. All we can do is remain optimistic that things get better eventually. Merry Christmas mate and happy new year!
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Thanks, mate. I hope you enjoy your wonderful weather and the holidays too!
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Bummer on the varnish. I hate wasting money. We all do.
Least you tried it out on something all broken down and ramshackle. 😀
Merry Christmas. Happy new year. Have fun. See you around the internet next year. 😀
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We certainly spend enough on this hobby as it is! Thank you and I hope you have a nice holiday break as well. I’ll see you next year or maybe even right before the end of the year. We’ll see 🙂
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I think it all looks great Jeff, even with the yellowing, which sort of adds to the weathering.
I guess it’s the vallejo polyurethane varnish? If so there are a couple of reasons why it’s dried yellow – What paints have you used, any oil based? Vallejo’s varnish can be prone to the oils in paint cutting through and reacting with the varnish to produce a yellow tint. What colour is the varnish in the bottle, is it milky white or more towards a yellow? If it’s yellowing then it either hasn’t been stored correctly or it’s an old batch and past its shelf life, time to get rid.
Hope you get to see your family over the festive period, fingers crossed.
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Thanks for the kind words, mate! It is indeed polyurethane varnish. Premium Airbrush Color to be exact. I only used acrylic paints (Games Workshop to be more specific). The varnish does not look yellow or off-color in the bottle so I’m not sure if that helps us come to a likely explanation. I was thinking maybe the brush I used which does sometimes get used with oil paints could be a potential culprit but even that seems like a stretch. Since I just bought this varnish, if it is old, its the seller’s fault which could certainly be possible. I’m not sure if Sherlock himself could solve this mystery. A lot of loose and potentially, dead ends!
I hope you get some time for gaming over your holiday break. I’ve got an Arkham Horror Card Game campaign to try and finish! 🙂
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Did you actually apply it with a brush? If so, I’ve been doing a bit or research and others have had similar problems when applying it with a brush, so maybe try a test piece using the airbrush, see if it’s any better🤔
Good luck on finishing the campaign, hope you live!!!
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I did indeed. I have trashed 3-4 airbrushes so I just stick with regular brushes for now anyway (and a trusty rattlecan for priming). I think I’ll grab a new brush before I varnish anything else and see what effect that has. And cheers! I’m playing Blood on the Altar next which is where I failed last time so fingers crossed! 🙂
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Blood on the Alter… we played that earlier in the year and I can’t for the life of me remember how we did, but as we started the campaign again soon after, I’m guessing not too well!
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If you fail… you lose on that one! I’ve heard people say it is one of the few places where that is the case and I can see why. Its annoying to put in eight hours and then “wipe” the whole campaign because of bad luck. Fortunately for me, I might have beaten the scenario this time 😀
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Ah! That’ll be it then, lost again!
It shouldn’t come as any surprise really, I mean, this is based on Lovecraft’s world so expect to die, horribly – I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often.
I don’t mind losing in this game though, as it all fits the story. When you play again, you remember snippets from previous games, ‘Oh, such and such did this… but he was devoured!’ It’s like you’re creating a living world, and you’re attempting to go where others before have failed – I love that aspect of it.
Good luck on the rest of the game, I’ve a feeling you’re going to need it😉
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It is thematic to die if Cthulhu or one of his pals get summoned, that’s for sure! I don’t know why but I don’t care as much for the idea of taking on new investigators following in the previous ones’ footsteps. That just feels like a loss or Game Over to me for whatever reason. Its funny how differently we view that as we often agree on our assessments of games!
I don’t know if I’ll do much of a write up about it but I did beat Dunwich Legacy finally. Much to my relief, in fact! It was fun playing a new scenario and having a successful result. I say it a lot but I’ll say it again Arkham Horror: The Card Game really is a fantastic game 🙂
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I think you misunderstood me there. I didn’t mean I used new investigators and carried on from where I got to. I was thinking along the lines of starting the campaign again with different characters and as a player you can recall what other characters did and the stories they created, like you’ve put together your own lore.
Well done on beating Dunwich, did it feel like a victory or just that you’d survived by the skin of your teeth?
I really should play the game more often, but I need to buy some new scenarios rather than replay everything again. I might try some of the standalone ones, that way it doesn’t require so much commitment.
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It sounds like I did! What you’re saying sounds good to me 🙂 It is interesting to see how characters do and if the characters you use end up being thematic choices for the scenarios, etc. There is a story that emerges from Arkham which is part of the fun.
The last two scenarios were both close and came down to the last 2-3 turns each so that was nice. The final scenario, Lost in Time and Space, has a bit of luck to it because of how locations work (not sure if you’ve played it so I don’t want to spoil anything!) but it worked out well enough for me and the final part was pretty intense too. So I suppose I would say I felt a bit lucky, relieved, and satisfied to bring the narrative to its conclusion. Of course, now I’m itching to play some more 🙂 I can’t decide whether to pick up Edge of the Earth or some one-off scenarios next myself. I figure I can’t go wrong with either one really 🙂
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I think we’ve always lost during Blood on the Alter, if I remember rightly.
I’m sure whichever you choose you’ll get bangs of enjoyment from it, and I’m looking forward to you keeping me informed so I know what to buy next😁
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Hey mate this turned really well even though the varnish wasn’t up to it! I use there Matt varnish all the time and haven’t had any problems with it and I have used about four 400ml cans. I did buy some Humbrol Matt varnish some years back and it made the figures look like they had been in a snow storm!!! Lucky I used it on them and not something I had worked on for some time like you said!
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It sounds like you ran into frosting with the Humbrol varnish! I’ve had that happen too which is why I mostly brush on varnish now, though airbrushes are also a good option if you can make them work. I personally had a lot of trouble with the ones I owned and finally gave them up. There’s no doubt that frosting is the worst thing that can happen to a painter! I feel fortunate to have only dealt with it once myself.
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I started brushing on the Matt varnish and did so for some time but when I discovered null oil it tender to smear🤔that’s when I discovered Humbrol spray which worked fine but was hard to get. Last year I changed to acrylics and now use Vallejo Acrylic Matt varnish And haven’t had any problems since 😃🤓
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I have had some issues with oil paints and brush on varnish too. Just the last week or so, as a matter of fact. I haven’t solved that one yet but I may ask around and see if I can find a solution because it is driving me mad!
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The way I do mine now is, paint, then I spray with a cheap satin acrylic, do a wash if needed then spray with the Vallejo Acrylic Matt varnish. I did this as if I did the wash just over the paint it sometimes bled😳, it will be interesting to see if others have a solution 🤔🤓
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I forgot to say that I agree with you about airbrushes🥴for the little I use it I spend to much time cleaning the retched thing 😡
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I don’t like tinkering with things so for me, the cleaning becomes frustrating quickly. I think you either have a knack for that sort of thing or not… I’m sorry to hear you’re like me! 😉
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😅😅, yep peas in a pod, twenty minutes is me being patient, after that 😡, 😉
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