Grekwood Miniatures

Tuesday, 22 December 2015

Dragons Teeth Tank Traps

A month or so ago I used some 3D software to design some tank traps aka "Dragon's Teeth" and I gave some to my dad who built some scenic pieces.  I've been casting those up and I must say they look pretty cool when all stuck together!

There are straight sections, and corner sections. Each corner section is made up of 3 pieces, one being 15 degrees, another being 30 degrees and the final one being a 45 degree angle. There is also an outside corner piece for curving the other way (makes sense when you see it).


The Casting Bore...
I get bored of casting as the first cast is always held back as a "master" as the original piece sometimes gets broken when de-moulding. I then need to cast up a set for painting/displays, and then I need some to "destroy" a bit with weathering, war stuff etc. Finally after all those are cast I can start casting for selling... It's a lengthy process and not too bad if only one cast is needed, but when a set include 4 or 5 of the same item, it means I have to cast up tons before I can even start casting items to sell. Gahhhhhh... gotta get done!

Season Greetings!
Finally I'd just like to wish everyone who stumbles across this page a Merry Christmas or happy holidays for whatever you celebrate this time of year. ...and if you don't celebrate anything this time of year, then I hope you have a great few days anyway!

Saturday, 14 November 2015

Barriers, Barrels and a Vacuum Chamber

I'm back! Not sure for how long as stuff seems to get in the way, but I'll try and do updates again as much as I can.

Ok, so over at Grekwood Miniatures I've been learning to use 3D design programs as I thought it would be a good thing to get into. I started off with basic shape items that I thought would work well for an apocalyptic style world and therefore came up with the below items.



Before I write about these items, I just want it noted that most of these items have been done by other companies over and over. So while it's nothing "new", the dimensions will be different, plus what I plan to do with them (and their prices) will also make them unique.

Tall concrete walls - I made walls which are 55 (or 60cm, can't remember!) high. I plan to destroy some to have bullet holes, cracks etc. I also plan to do extreme damage, like broken ones which can all be replaced as and when they are destroyed in games.

Jersey Barriers -  I originally made these to scale, but realised that since the figures are on bases, it made them look small. So I scaled them up a bit to compensate the base, and now they look more "correct". I have made the main barrier and a sloping end piece.

Tank Traps (Dragons Teeth) - I decided to do these as they were simple shapes to get used to using the 3D programs. I also noticed that many companies only do one or two shapes which can look a bit boring. After some quick research I saw that there were many shapes and sizes, so I thought, why not do them all! Variety is good, right? There are 6 varieties.

Oil Barrel - I have always wanted to create some cool scenery, like supply dumps, barricades etc, so I thought an oil barrel would be a perfect addition into those things. I plan to do a lot of different scenic items with them.

Good news is, everything is casting up well, so hopefully they will all be available later this month as I need to build up a large enough stock. 

15mm
Other good news is all these items will be available in 15mm scale. Again, I thought I may as well produce stuff in 15mm if I can.

Pinzguaer
Oh it's probably worth mentioning, for those that don't know, I've been making a Pinzguaer model (6x6). I also plan to make a shorter 4x4 version. Hopefully these will be available soon too. Depending how they sell, I may make more as the vehicles I used to stock from S and S Models have all been discontinued.

Vacuum Cegassing Chamber
I bought one! After a few years of struggling with air bubbles in resin, I finally had the funds to buy a vacuum chamber. It's basically a glorified cooking pot, with a thick acrylic lid, some funky pipes/gages and a pump. The good news is it seems to work really well!

I used to have tons of trouble with the hospital beds I made. Casting them was a pain as there was always an air bubble somewhere because of the fine detail. But after a few tests, the chamber seems to solve the problem!

Right Oh, as always thanks for stopping by, and apologies for the absence of posts!