Sunday 28 August 2011

Microtactix Deli and Dry Cleaners

It has been such a long time since I did a review of a card building I've made. Sadly, I suffered burnout making my WWG Police Station. For that, the exterior is 95% complete and the interior about 50% complete. Making furniture for it became such a chore, I came to a complete halt. Now though, I've got my mojo back and I thought I'd share with you a pair of buildings I've just made - the Microtactix 28mm scale Horseman's Deli and Magic Clean Dry Cleaners.
Microtactix offer a building called the Horseman's Deli. However, it comes with signage for an alternative establishment - the Magic Clean Dry Cleaners. Rather than choose which one to build I decided to make them both, side by side.
The dry cleaners is a mirror image of the deli's, although as you can see I have omitted the store room from the roof of it. I'd have prefered the roofs to be gridless but that's just a minor criticism.
This front view nicely shows off the large windows and glass doors. I printed the windows and doors onto transparency paper to give the model that realistic glass look. If you're not into that kind of super detailing, just use the ordinary printed version. For me, the doors were quite a challenge to make. I hinge my doors with masking tape sandwiched in between two thin pieces of card, upon which I glue the image of the door, which I print out on matte photo paper (roughly around 120 -130 gm). The problem with these doors is that I had such a thin strip of card to work with at the side of the door to stick the masking tape to. However, there was enough and the hinge worked fine. These doors do open and close and I'm happy with how they turned out.
 This is the boring right hand side of the dry cleaners. When I scanned in the original printouts so that I could flip the images for a mirror versions the colours didn't print out true when I printed them out. It isn't a big difference but it is noticable, more so inside than out.
 Here's the back of the buildings and you have to look very closely to see that the colours don't quite match. The dry cleaners has more of a blue tinge to the deli's. The windows were printed onto transparency paper and the doors do open and close. These doors were a doddle to make.
The left side of the deli's has been adorned with three advertising posters that Microtactix provide with this set. They add a bit of colour.
This overhead shot of the interior shows all of the additional work I've done to these models. It must be noted that the Microtactix models come without any interior detail. What you see in the photo above and those below are stuff that I've added myself. The wooden floor came from the record store found in the WWG Mayhem Mega Mall set. It was 9" by 7" so I only had to cut off 1" to make it fit the 9" by 6" footprint of these two buildings.
The interior walls are just the same as the exterior walls but reversed so that they fit in properly. To keep things simple, I was originally going to leave both shops unfurnished, but I soon realised I could furnish the dry cleaners with items from the clothing store found in the WWG Mayhem Mega Mall set. Here you see two clothes racks and a shelf unit stocked with folded clothing.
The only item of furnishing in the deli's is the step ladders, which lead up to a deserted storage room. Until I can find some decent furnishing for my deli it will remain as is. At present the store is either in the process of opening or closing down. The poster on the wall of the dry cleaners was provided by Microtactix and was meant to be stuck in the front window. I decided against that and stuck it behind the cashier's desk.
 At the front of the dry cleaners are three more props from the clothes store found in the WWG Mayhem Mega Mall set. They are the cash till, the cash desk (much cut down from the original) and the cashier's stool. There should be more furniture in here like for example, a steam press and sewing machine, but what I have is enough to show that this looks vaguely like a dry cleaners.
And finally, the right side view of the interior. I forgot to mention that the step ladders in the deli are a WWG kitbash, that are still available from the Mayhem City kitbash page of the website. A word of warning, I found making mine an incredibly fiddly experience when I reinforced them with mounting card. WWG provide a new set of step ladders in the TLX Mayhem Under Construction set, but to be honest, I find them a bit naff. They are much smaller and nothing more than a box shape with all the gaps between the steps blacked in.
So, now I have two new buildings to add to Mayhem City and for once, they aren't WWG models. These were easy models to make, despite my super detailing like the opening doors, transparent windows and interior design. From a personal perspective, I've regained my enthusiasm for card modelling. I'm going to make some vehicles next, but after that I'm not sure if I should start a new model building or try and finish my police station. Any thoughts?
I've deliberately kept the best bit about these models to last. They are free. Yep, you can download them for free from http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=29057&it=1 They fit in well with the WWG scenery, even if they don't come with interior detail. All told, it took me roughly two weeks to make these shops. They will make an appearance in my next ATZ batrep, which I'm playing right now. Yes, I have this weekend free to play ATZ. Woot, woot and double woot!

31 comments:

  1. That is really good looking mate! And I for one is looking forward to see Team Vampifan in action again!

    Good work!

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  2. great job, i love it, you should try some props from vankers of mayhem mall in the deli,their is allso some food tables with the mall set that might suit. i cant wait to see your next batrep, do you have an idea when that will be???

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  3. Good work vampifan, they look good enough to play on, Bring on the Batrep....

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  4. Those came out very nicely. I oticed the subtle color difference on the walls, right away. I like it. I think i adds the realism. Nice o see you making buildings again.

    As far as your next project,I'd love to see our Police Station, if you can find the enthusiasm again to continue it.

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  5. Thanks all, I'm just taking a short break from slaughtering zombies. Oh, such fun!

    @Kobayachimaru. Many thanks.

    @Johnny. Many thanks, again.

    @Shintokamikaze. I did think of the food hall from the Mayhem Mega Mall but it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Next batrep should be posted a week from today.

    @The Extraordinarii. Just a week to wait for the batrep. It'll soon come around.

    @Luckyjoe. I really should finish the police station. Most of the hard work is done and I have my enthusiasm back.

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  6. Very nice. Mr V. Looking forward to the Batrep.

    I always wanted to try some of these card building. I have now downloaded and will have a go myself.

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  7. Thanks, Brummie. Card modelling isn't something for everyone, but if you can master it, you can pull of some spectacular results. I wish you all the best in your endeavours.

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  8. Nice build, nice idea combining them into one building. A "For Sale" sign looselsly attached to the Deli with a bit of bluetackand you're sorted ! Doors and windows may have beenfiddly, but well worth it!
    Like the others, can't wait to see the batrep the buildings are involved with and your finished Police Station.

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  9. Very nice post Bryan. Those shops look great, and their colours will contrast with most of the other Mayhem buildings.
    I've tackled a bit of cardstock building in my preparations for ATZ, and I must say I do not enjoy it all (as compared to painting in prep. for ATZ). I'm not very good at it, but I am still putting together a few buildings at a slow pace. In the end, I hope it pays off, as the terrain can look great (yours does).

    As for what to do next, I'd suggest you try to finish the Police Station. That looks like a great set once complete, but you would be among the few to have a complete one I think (there's not a lot of pics of it on the WWG forums).
    Can't wait for the battle report.

    Adam
    http://adam-mph.blogspot.com/

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  10. @Zabadak. Alternatively, a simple open/closed sign with the closed message facing outwards stuck on the front door would work. I haven't thought this through enough, have I?
    Another vote for the police station. Hmm, I see a pattern emerging already!

    @Adam. If you haven't tried card modelling before it can be daunting. I've been making card buildings for a very long time so have lots of experience to draw upon. When WWG arrived on the scene it was a marriage made in heaven. I repeat what I said to Brummie, I wish you well in your terrain making projects.
    What you say about the police station is true, I haven't seen anyone else make one. If they have, they haven't shared photos on the WWG forum. It looks like I'm going to have to crack on get it finished.

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  11. a quick question,what printer do you use for your card stock??

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  12. I use an Epson Stylus Photo R285. I've always been a fan of Epson printers.

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  13. Wow, this Rock!

    Really Card modelling can be awesome!

    Can you give us some advice? Like, how you avoid blending, what glue you use...

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  14. Thanks, Zerloon. Yeah, card modelling can be awesome! There are loads of hints and tips on how I make my buildings littered throughout my WWG reviews. To answer your two specific questions, I use UHU clear adhesive glue unless I have a large area to glue, like a floor tile. For that I use Scotch 3M Photospray. To avoid bending (I'm sure you didn't mean blending) I reinforce my printouts with mounting board, a very thick card that gives my models great strength and durability. It more than doubles the build time but the results are well worth it.

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  15. Burnout you say? That's one of the reasons why I avoided getting into modeling all those rooms, furniture and stuff. Sure, they look cool, but I was afraid I might get bored and tired way too fast.

    Well done, keep it up! :)

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  16. Hey zampifan,

    I saw ATZ somewhere online, and thought it was awesome. I really like that you can play by yourself... I heard there were great bloggers, and found yours. Indeed, they are right, great bloggers do indeed exist :) I read through your whole campaign, and think it's awesome! I definetly want to get ATZ:BDTZ. However, from what i understand, when you buy it, all you get is the rulebook... you don't get any figures or terrain or any of that stuff. I was wondering if this was indeed the case, and if so, how much do i think i need to start playing? And what figures and terrain would you reccomend i get to start?

    And lastly, do they come painted?

    I know I've asked a TON of questions, but this is something i'm really looking forward to.

    Thanks a ton!

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  17. as always great job your modeling ability is amazing, especially with these card buildings. ive tried a couple and they dont come close to what you do with yours. you bring great inspiration every week.

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  18. @Mahon. I thought my enthusiasm would be enough to sustain me to finish my police station. But with so many rooms to furnish the task of making such a large amount of furniture became more and more of a chore. Hence, burnout. Getting my mojo back is great and I'm determined to finish the police station now. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

    @Zing. Welcome aboard. ATZ:BDTZ is a great game but you're right, when you buy it all you get is the rulebook. Figures and scenery must be bought separately. Unless you can get hold of the now out of production Horrorclix figures, which came pre-painted, you'll have to paint your figures yourself. As for recommending what figures and terrain to buy it largely depends on what kind of budget you have.
    For 28mm scale zombies I'd recommend companies like Studio Miniatures, Cold War Miniatures and Zombiesmith just for starters. There so many firms making zombies now that you're spoilt for choice.
    For scenery, if you want to follow my lead and stick with card modelling then check out World Works Games. They make the finest card models available. However, you can also use model railway buildings as well as resin wargaming terrain. Once again, you have so much choice.
    I wish you well if you do decide to get into this hobby. Just remember, Rome wasn't built in a day and it will take a while before you're ready to game.

    @Mikestarfighter. I thank you kindly for the compliment. If just one person is inspired by what I do then I've done my job.

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  19. @Vampifan, Definetly something i want to get into.... however, I doubt I can paint anything. From what i saw online for Horrorclix, it's all blind purchase, which i won't do... so that sucks :( Card modeling sounds cool, and i'd definetly try it, however, if i can't get miniatures, and unless i decide to try painting, i probably can't.... There's no need to make scenery. I have some miniatures that might work.... sucks that no one makes them pre painted though :(

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  20. Zing, something you might want to consider if you can't paint is to use card figures. Admittedly, they are only 2D but quite a few folk swear by them, especially those who can't paint figures. WWG are just one of a number of companies who sell them. Most card figures come pre-coloured so that gets round your major hurdle of not being able to paint. I merely mention this as a suggestion.

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  21. I know that is ask for more, but can you make an article about card modelling?

    It can be incredibly useful, I can see the potential of card building, but lacking experience a mess is in sight! :D

    P.S.
    Yes, I mean bending :D

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  22. Zerloon, you're not the first to ask this and I can say that it is something I plan on doing. A painting tutorial on how I paint zombies is something else I've often been asked to do. Again, it is something I'd like to do. The card modelling tutorials will have to be split into multiple parts, simply because there is so much to tell. I can't say when I'll post the tutorials but they are definitely on my list of things to do for my blog.

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  23. I would like to see pics of the Police Station. I have that model too, I want to make it when I have planned out the layout I want.

    I do like WWG terrain. I own quite a few packs. The one problem I have with it is basing. I tried card and it warped. I tried 3mm MDF, and this bent a little,(but perhaps its down to using PVA glue??) plus it is hard to cut accurately, as even a couple of mm starts to make the tiling look bad. Especially with roads, as I want them to fit a flush together as possible.
    What do you use for basing? Especially the basing of roads?

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  24. Hi, Salacious. For my ground tiles (i.e. those found in the WWG TLX Streets of Legend) I use foamboard sandwiched between a sheet of mounting board (on top) and a sheet of thin card (on the bottom) Foamboard on its own is 4mm thick. TLX tiles should be 5mm thick so by adding the extra layers of card I'm able to achieve this. Also, by making the tiles triple thick as it were, I've had no trouble with warping and my tiles are much stronger than if I'd just used foamboard.

    The police station is back on track and I'll take loads of photos of it when I get it finished.

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  25. More great models Vampifan! you almost make me want to try card buildings again!

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  26. Thanks, Colin. I notice you said "almost." Good idea to keep your options open.

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  27. Bryan, awesome build, love the way you have combined them side by side, great idea. most importantly, great to hear you have your mojo back.

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  28. Thanks for sharing such informative things.

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