5 Days to go until switchover...

Just a reminder that if you're a follower of Fimm McCool's you might want to be on the alert that from the 1st December it will be moving URLs to  FimmMcCools.Blogspot.co.uk

5 Days to go until switchover...

Tripods attack Leicester!

It's all been a bit quiet on the Martian front lately...

No, not the Android's Dungeon game, the Oakbound Games board game Tripods! We took the game to the UK Games Expo back in April where it was very positively received despite being pipped to 'New Game of the Year' by Asmodee's "Splendour". That hasn't deterred us, since Asmodee themselves are now reviewing Tripods! with the possibility of becoming involved at some point in the future.

Well there are a few copies left from our original print run, and your last chance to pick one up may be coming up in the next few weeks. First up there's

STEAMPUNKS IN SPACE!
Leicester, National Space Centre
29-30th November

and then

DRAGONMEET
London, Earl's Court
6th December


If you can't make it to either but would like to know some more about this War of the Worlds boardgame you can find us on Facebook and at the Oakbound website.

Tripods attack Leicester!

Changes afoot for Fimm McCools... If you're a follower PLEASE NOTE!

It has been a few years now that Fimm McCools- formerly Fimm McCool's Games Orkshop has been running. About a year ago what was purely a hobby became a hobby/business with the creation of Oakbound Games- intended to be a way of making the hobby cash-neutral, doing some interesting things with our creations and working towards uniting small, independent games designers, sculptors, painters, and enthusiasts to create magic worlds of our own which couldn't be managed apart.


What with the commercial side becoming blurred with the hobby I want to be able to continue to post (in hopefully increasing amounts) on this blog with modelling, painting and gaming projects but also need to be able to reference the doings of Oakbound and other independents safely within it. For this reason I have decided that whilst 'Games Orkshop' was a funny play on the name of a former favourite company it is too close to keep whilst promoting other miniatures companies. Therefore


FROM THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER FIMM MCCOOL'S WILL BE RELOCATING TO:


FimmMcCools.Blogspot.co.uk


The site isn't live at present, and hopefully this will just be a URL switch so all followers should be preserved, but any links to the blog will need updating from December 1st.


Thank you for your continued visits and I hope to see you all on the other side after the switch.


Fimm

Changes afoot for Fimm McCools... If you're a follower PLEASE NOTE!

Lost in the Oakbound woods part 3- Can't see the wood for the... paint?

Another Thursday, and my last clear day to work on the scenic slopes. Today's task- trees and shrubbery! Yes, shrubbery!

Plants had been causing me some problems. There are lots of ferns and the like on these slopes which give them quite a distinctive look, but to buy enough etched ferns to cover the slopes would be very expensive. I did laser cut a few from paper and have scattered a couple across the lower slopes, but I don't really like the look of them and they were taking ages to cut. They do give that nice semi-tropical look to the lower slopes though. In the end I settled on the combination above- green felt, pulled into strands and glued at the very top, then dragged down the slope to give fine fronds, and the tips of a fake Christmas tree branch. With the needles cut off I grabbed a selection (making sure they were the right way round) and stuck them in a dab of hot glue. I sprinkled some green flock onto the visible glue to accentuate the base of the plant (and hide the glue) and tweaked the fronds into a pleasing array.

 

Next I had the trees to deal with. I used a 1mm drill bit to drill into the twigs at appropriate intervals and insert paper clip branches. With this it's a combination of studying real trees to get the arrangement of the branches looking natural (for example- on these trees the branches tend to go in opposite directions at the same height, alternating side to side and front and back up the trunk) and going with what looks good on the miniature. The twigs also give you some knots and clefts to work with. I added a dab of PVA to the ends of the paperclips before sticking them into the holes to give them a secure base. Once this had dried I used Milliput to thicken out the branches. Not being too careful about getting it smooth or neat since the texture helps the look of it, but making sure the branches taper to the ends. Then I painted the trees with a grey-brown colour. This lighter tone helps distinguish them from the banks, I'll work over them in a lighter shade and some inks when I next have a chance. The branches are also not finished yet, I have a plan involving twine, super glue and more fake leaves for them!

 

 

So, getting nearly there. I need to do the water in the pools and waterfall, finish the trees and paint the MDF sides and backs to neaten it up. Oh, and finish the river modules to go in front. Just a bit more work then!

Lost in the Oakbound woods part 3- Can't see the wood for the... paint?