W(ater)40K (Terrain)

Beryl Refectory. Uncowed Reluctance. Sump Prince. Spirit Serf. Terror of the Ballista. Broker of the Spirit. Trident Organ.  All are great names for a boat, and now that I have a ship in the making, I am going to have to choose one!


My Sump Dock is coming along very nicely.  Yesterday I made some more platforms using paddle pop sticks and other bits-and-bobs.  Mucking around as one does, I arranged the docks, and it occurred to me: all these docks and no boat!  Now there's an opportunity to add to the mix.

So today* I laid down the keel (?) and... well let's not beat around the bush, I know zero about shipbuilding.  I basically cut out a heap of cardboard and started gluing it together.  Here are some work in progress shots for your viewtainment.

*For those of us in Melbourne, Victoria, the first Tuesday of November marks the Melbourne Cup -  a festival of horsies and Mammon,  It is traditional to take the Monday off as well, making for a 4-day weekend.  The perfect time for kicking off a hobby project or ten.

I started with a basic deck pattern, glued it onto some cardboard and cut it out.

Using that basic template, I cut another 4 'decks' out of the same cardboard.
Also, I created the hull, using some thinner card.

Using tape, I joined the hull to the deck - it wasn't flush, but it didn't have to be.

I had plenty of scrap cardboard - I used this to fill the inside some.
With that done, I just added layers.

Boats always have rails... so I made a rail using some of my trusty wire mesh.
This wire is terrain building gold, I tell you.

A couple more layers at the bow (sailor talk for front)

I actually drilled into the cardboard and stuck the wire ends inside.
Using superglue and some dust, they stuck in nice and tight.

A few layers of thinner card on the hull to give it a more realistic look.
The grill is from an old dishwasher cutlery caddy.   I'm not sure about the mast just yet... 

Now you can see the size with a Sea Marine for scale - joke!
The driver's bit bridge or wheelhouse is also layered card - I've got some way to go yet.

There you have it - a fair bit of progress and more fun than I had anticipated.  I wanted to make a sinking wreck but decided that I'd try an intact vessel first and see how it goes.

The bridge looks a lot better in that picture than in real life.  I'm going to keep it removable and try putting a cardboard skin over the top before applying the usual collection of gubbins.  Once all that's done, I'll undercoat and start painting it, sorry "her" up.

And only then I can name her...

Here's a shot of her amongst some of my sump dock pieces - I think it's going to work.

Do you like the shack on the left?  I tried to give it a nautical feel with the addition of the life bouy.

Those half corks should make for some good barrels for something in the sump.

It won't take much to turn this into a plausible dock - now just have to work
on the sump sea itself.

Speaking of the sump sea, I almost forgot - I tried something.  I tried mixing some green acrylic ink with a silicone sealant (why?  because it dries clear) and just spread the whole mix over one of my new terrain boards.  Yes, the sacrifices one makes in the name of hobby science.

So the result wasn't really what I was hoping for.  It is more translucent than transparent and certainly bumpier than I had intended.  Not a total failure - I'll put it down as another learning experience.

There's an optical illusion for you - no it's not huge, only a 12-inch square board!