Autumn woods & scrap pile

[chump-change]

First entry WIP thread & post of my first competition on the new site.

So, even though it isn't Halloween, it's an autumn piece (so it still fits with the competition), that I'd like to make a functional piece of wargame terrain, specifically Ork Mek themed.

Yes, junk piles seem like a dime-a-ton in terrain, but how many of those have been in a deciduous cluster of trees that are getting ready to shed their foliage?

I'd like to have a tree or two growing up through the actual junk as well as already shed foliage littering the ground.

[Painteddrum]

Sounds awesome.  Let's get to work. 

[MellyMonkey]

Very cool idea, I can't wait to see how you do your leaves!

[chump-change]

The leaves will be a learning experience for sure.

In my terrain workspace, the garage, the temperature has been too high lately for me to work out there. It should cool down in my neck of the woods later this week so I can then start on at least making the wire armatures and the scrap of the pile without succumbing to heat stroke.

[Asdel]

(09-07-2015, 10:39 PM)chump-change Wrote: The leaves will be a learning experience for sure.

I've heard of using birch seed pods.

http://www.reapermini.com/Thecraft/24

I tried to collect a few from my neighbor's birch, but I go so covered in little brown bugs I gave up. I think the bugs here in the pods I was trying to collect. In the end, I had a bag of bugs and birch seeds I tossed out in disgust. The bugs luckily didn't bite or crawl on me ...much... or anything, but it really damped my enthusiasm for birch see pods.

I've hear dried oregano can make decent leaves as well.

[BlueMeander]

(09-09-2015, 05:43 PM)Asdel Wrote: I've heard of using birch seed pods.

http://www.reapermini.com/Thecraft/24

I tried to collect a few from my neighbor's birch, but I go so covered in little brown bugs I gave up. I think the bugs here in the pods I was trying to collect. In the end, I had a bag of bugs and birch seeds I tossed out in disgust. The bugs luckily didn't bite or crawl on me ...much... or anything, but it really damped my enthusiasm for birch see pods.

I've hear dried oregano can make decent leaves as well.

I have wanted to try this technique but don't have that kind of tree around me. I figured for sure someone must sell them. So far all I have found is this. Seems a bit extreme to get them all the way from China, but at least you could figure they probably wouldn't have bugs all in them! http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Scale-Models-Simulation-leaf-birch-leaves-scene-seed-15g-Free-Shipping-resin-kit/32455703013.html

[pendrake]

(09-04-2015, 08:27 PM)chump-change Wrote: So, even though it isn't Halloween, it's an autumn piece (so it still fits with the competition), that I'd like to make a functional piece of wargame terrain, specifically Ork Mek themed.

Throw an old rusty orange fuel tank (sphere) on top of the heap that some grot painted a jack-o-lantern face on and you would be gold for the theme.

[Mangouste]

(09-09-2015, 05:43 PM)Asdel Wrote: I tried to collect a few from my neighbor's birch, but I go so covered in little brown bugs I gave up. I think the bugs here in the pods I was trying to collect. In the end, I had a bag of bugs and birch seeds I tossed out in disgust. The bugs luckily didn't bite or crawl on me ...much... or anything, but it really damped my enthusiasm for birch see pods.

Bugs? What kind of bugs? I like bugs! (They were probably stink/shield bugs).


Is this ^ the guilty bug?

More seriously, you could have picked up bunch of seeds (maybe using a tool if you don't like bugs) and put them in a freezer in a plastic container.
Bugs don't like cold so much, so depending on the bugs, the season and the time spent below 0°C it would have killed them or just put them into hibernation. No more crawling, time to harvest seeds!

[chump-change]

(09-17-2015, 03:06 AM)pendrake Wrote: Throw an old rusty orange fuel tank (sphere) on top of the heap that some grot painted a jack-o-lantern face on and you would be gold for the theme.

Ya know, now I'ma have to do that. Glad I didn't finish the scrap pile (but I regret not starting it yet, still unseasonably warm where I live).

I do have a possible idea for the leaves though: tiny pieces of brown, red, orange, and yellow tissue paper, especially since the leaves' shape are nearly indistinguishable at that scale.

[chump-change]

I have actually started making a couple trees: floral wire armature, millput covering trunk and most of branches except the tips (since those will be covered with foliage).