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Hellboy and Fallout – Manual Labor

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There is a lot to discuss this week so I won’t waste any time. I managed to finish some more doors for Hellboy today. These haven’t been varnished so they look a little more matte than they will when all is said and done but I’m happy to have eight out of fifteen doors done already. I decided that I would try and mix up the colors on the doors as much as possible. These look a bit darker and more gothic then the previous set which fits Hellboy just fine.

I’ve also managed to work on the Fallout terrain as I promised last week. This is one big experiment and one I hope isn’t destined to fail. More on that in a minute. First, let me show you where things stand now.

If you can’t tell, this is going to be a damaged/collapsed concrete pillar for a highway overpass. While it looks pretty concrete-like already, its going to get weathered further next week when I get a paint I need and I think it will look quite a bit better and more realistic when that is done. I’m proud of my idea for this one as I don’t think this has been done before, so let me explain a bit about how I made it. This is a piece from the Black Site Studio Highway Ramp set (the piece I have been working on is at the bottom of the ramp in the picture below) which has been sitting around for too long on my hobby desk.

What I did was take the MDF and glue that together and then smooth out the flat edges with some greenstuff and then I covered it all with concrete paste from AK Interactive. Afterwards, I carefully and methodically carved in the patterning and cracks you see above. While it isn’t easy to do the concrete patterning and cracks, I think it is coming together pretty well. I’m not sure how durable the paste will be so I’ll have to be careful with how I store this but you can’t argue with the realistic look of it. This is also typical of me with terrain. I want it to look like a diorama and probably will end up with something that isn’t as functional or durable as I want in the end. I intend to add more concrete with the road and the pillars on the sides of the ramp as I work my way up to that though I have to admit, I am a little concerned because the paste is fairly heavy and that will add weight to the MDF. Hopefully the sides will be sturdy and well supported enough that this will all work. This project is going to take a long time and be a major time commitment but I can and will take breaks on it whenever I need to and it should be a statement terrain piece IF (and that is a big if) it all comes together and isn’t a time consuming and moderately expensive disaster! Only time will tell on that part.

Finally, I got another game of Hellboy in this week and had a good time. And that was in spite of realizing that I am missing one of Lobster Johnson’s cards so I couldn’t use him even though I just got him painted up. This was certainly deflating and I’ve contacted Mantic’s Support in the hopes that they can help. It sounds like they might be able to which is really cool if it works out.

I decided to replay “Hunting Party” which I lost last time I played it and I got some rules wrong so I wanted to see if I could do better on a replay. And I did but still didn’t win. That’s okay because it is a Hard difficulty case and I will try an easier one next time I play. I did get further this time than last so that was encouraging anyway. Here is a look at where the game was shortly before it ended. You can start to get an idea of why I lost from this picture, I’d imagine.

On the upside the doors looked and functioned great. They’re a really nice upgrade from the cardboard counters exactly as I had hoped and I’m already looking forward to my next game, once I get the doors at the top of this post varnished of course!

36 thoughts on “Hellboy and Fallout – Manual Labor”

  1. The doors look great Jeff, and also look the part in the game shot, so worked out perfectly. The concrete paste looks good so far, as does your work to add effects. When you do the road, try painting on liquid greenstuff, and stippling it ( make sure it’s an old brush, as this will kill it) that will be a lot lighter then the concrete paste, and give you another texture between road and columns. Good news that you enjoyed the game more this time, and hope Mantic can sort out the missing card for you.

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    1. Cheers, Dave! You’re spot-on with the liquid green stuff idea. I was going to add some dirt to the concrete and this is a good reminder to do that before I call the terrain done. It sounds like Mantic is going to help me out so I’m glad, especially since I bought the copy of Hellboy second-hand.

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  3. Concrete paste sounds very interesting. I would think that if it all gets too heavy you should be able to support the mdf from underneath where it wouldn’t be visible.

    Your doors are coming along nicely and add quite a bit to your game.

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    1. I have no idea what this paste is made from but it looks really convincing. It seems fairly sturdy and not prone to chipping too (but you never know on that until it happens). I’m hoping the MDF can support it and there hasn’t been any warping so I take that as a positive sign. I’m glad you like the doors as well. As you know, I’ll do just about anything to make my games look visually appealing!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words on the doors! I figured some different colors will help keep my attention while painting too. I’ve been thinking about sealing the concrete with some PVA as well so it sounds like we’re of similar minds on this one 🙂

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    1. Thank you, mate. I was looking forward to the project too but unfortunately, the overpass project has already unraveled and it will likely be a long time before I revisit it. I’ll explain more next week and will be trying to figure out where to go next to bring the wasteland to life as well.

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      1. Adversity makes us stronger. I have no doubt you will overcome the problems and really… would it be Fallout if it was easy? By the way Preston Garvey wants a word with you about another settlement…

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      2. It certainly does, mate. If nothing else, I’m trying to think about what I’m learning from this and how I might apply it in the future as well. I need to get some terrain done soon as I feel a little stuck and unsatisfied with my current collection. And that is keeping me from wanting to paint more Fallout minis in turn so this is something I will be working hard to try and solve.

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    1. Thank you, John! I’m eager to see how the concrete looks when weathered as I plan on doing plenty more concrete or asphalt textures in the near future. A little gaming never goes amiss either 🙂

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  8. The doors are perfect mate. I know what you mean about wanting to stuff look like a diorama. As I don’t game much and started out building dioramas I always aim for somewhere between realistic and playable. If it ends up being more realistic than playable then so be it and vice versa. Looking great though man.

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    1. Cheers, mate! I’m glad you understand the desire to make diorama-terrain too. I think it gets me in trouble but whatever I do complete ends up looking good so I guess that is some solace anyway 🙂

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      2. Me too (obviously!). Looking good on the pillar and ditto on the PVA comment by TIM. as for warping, straight PVA should be ok. I’d add some rusty looking bendy wire as rebar sticking out too.

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      3. Thanks, Mark! Now rebar would really take the detail to the next level. I hadn’t thought about that before getting started but I should definitely look into that for future pieces. Thank you for the suggestion!

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  9. Great looking doors, cool idea to make these different, adds a nice amount of variety. All the pieces together look great on the board in the game shots. Must be very rewarding seeing everything together!

    Really keen to see how that concrete comes out painted, adding that on top of the mdf is a really cool idea. I’ll have to experiment with texturing mdf terrain like that.

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    1. Thanks, mate! It is definitely nice to see the game look better and better. I will have to do some more doors to finish the job, but I’m getting there anyway. I look forward to seeing the final results as well. I’ve had some issues pop up with the project but I think the piece I showed will be a good test of the concept anyway.

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  11. That pillar looks like it will be some work, but I trust you will pull it off nicely. Now those doors…I’m simply envious! I said it before, mine have been sitting around collecting some dust because they are just DOORS and I have a million things to paint anyways. But the ones you did are just beautiful! Very inspiring and hopefully those will move up in my paint queue someday too.

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    1. Thank you, Faust! I’m really glad you like the doors and find them inspiring. For me, it was mostly a question of a how quickly can I get ’em done and move on to something more exciting so I’m that much more surprised and delighted that people like them. I’ll be excited to see your take on the doors when you get around to them too!

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  12. Wow, Hellboy’s got his hands full there doesn’t he! That really shows off the fire effect at its best though, it looks real! Top work on the doors and fingers crossed Mantic are able to help you with the Lobster’s card. 🙂

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    1. Cheers, mate! I hadn’t thought about it, but you’re right, the fire doesn’t look bad at all in those pictures 🙂 I’m still waiting on the replacement but it sounds like they are sending it so I’ll keep waiting patiently!

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