Electrical Box Shelter WIP Part 2 - Theory and Primer

The Christmas break offered me the opportunity to catch up on ongoing projects. The weather was neither too humid nor too cold for spray priming and painting. And it wasn't like I was going anywhere for the holidays in 2020.

Nothing like a coat of primer to tie everything together.

But let's back up a little.

My initial post for this project only touched on the concept of using an electrical box for terrain. Plenty on what to do and how to do it, but not much about discussion about the general idea or why an electrical box is a good choice for a project like this one.

The oldest references to electrical box terrain projects that I can find date back to 2009-2010. I have the feeling that the idea is older than that based on the familiarity that these references have when discussing the topic. I also haven't been able to find out who first came up with the notion of taking one of these boxes of blue plastic, gluing on some bits, painting it up, and putting it on the table. It might be one of those things that doesn't have a single, definitive source. There is the possibility that multiple people independently came up with the concept around the same time.

These things already look like industrial structures. I'm kinda surprised that folks haven't done more with the insides of these things. Something to keep in mind for a future project.

Electrical boxes appeal for sci-fi terrain projects for a number of reasons:

• Initial appearance. The blocky shape already has enough details to suggest an industrial building.
• Customizing the look. The flat surfaces offer large areas to add details. Want something that can be used in a variety of games? Use generic details. Does it need to fit into an existing collection of terrain for a specific game? Tie it in by adding details specific to that setting. Skulls, for example.
• The ability to determine scale. A box could be made into a shed (28mm), a light industrial building (15mm), or a warehouse (6mm). The scale depends on the size of the doors, windows, and other details added to the box.
• Durability. These boxes are made of tough plastic. The ones I tend to use are PVC. They certainly won't shatter if they fall off a table or get crushed while being transported. The details glued on to them are another story, of course.
• Cost. These are mass produced products made of molded plastic. The ones I favor run from $2-3 USD. There are more expensive ones, but there are also reasons to avoid them.

The sticker and that protrusion need to go.

It's not all smooth sailing with a project like this. There are some disadvantages to using electrical boxes for sci-fi terrain:

• They need preparation. Most of these boxes have stickers and protrusions that need to be removed. In fact, the more expensive boxes tend to have more things that get in the way. A contractor might find a nail built into a box handy for mounting it, but a terrain maker might feel differently. I would also recommend sanding the surfaces to allow adhesive and primer to bond better to the surface of the box.
• Sloped sides. The sides of these boxes - the ones I've seen, at least - aren't at right angles to each other. The subtle slopes can complicate a build. See my comments on gluing on the airlock in my previous post.

Overall, a terrain piece using an electrical box as its core is a good project regardless of skill level. It does require some basic tools and a fair sized collection of bits and parts. The first couple I did taught me quite a bit. For example, a high speed cutting tool does not work well on a plastic with a low melting point. This project is teaching me new things. How to get an even layer of primer on a complex surface is one of them.

What would be a good color for this?

Returning to this project, I finished priming everything this past weekend.

I primed the underside of the "shelter" piece and inside of the electrical box black. This keeps the blue plastic on the inside from showing through the openings. It also provides some basic shading effects that will be handy later.

Not painting the inside of the clear plastic piece I used for the airlock body might be something I come to regret. Any scratches or wear on the paint covering it will look weird. Unfortunately, the idea didn't occur to me until after assembly.

The main layer of primer is a flat gray. I'm not quite sure what colors I'll be using and priming it a neutral color keeps my options open. Areas like under the ladder ended up needing a little touching up.

Now I just need to figure out what colors to use on the shelter. Maybe an industrial color like yellow?

Reaper Bones 77065 Norgol, Irongrave Knight

This was an unplanned Saturday morning speed paint. I was looking forward to spending Saturday spraying primer and paint on some ongoing projects. Those plans went into the bin when I woke up to the sound of rain hitting the roof. I figured that painting this figure would be a good way to help fill a cold, gray morning.

I'm pretty sure that Norgol doesn't use that ax on wood.

Primer Layer

Norgol got the mix of FolkArt Glass & Tile Medium and an appropriately colored paint that I generally use for Reaper Bones miniatures. In this case, black for the armor and brown for everything else.

Base Layer

I decided to go old school for the armor on this chaotic-looking fellow with some of my surviving Citadel Colour paints. The armor, ax blade, and pommel got a coat of Codex Grey. All other areas were painted with Reaper 09284 Lonestar Leather. The furs did not receive any further layers of paint except for the wash.

Metallic Layers

The armor and other metal areas were painted with Citadel Colour Boltgun Metal and highlighted with Citadel Colour Mithril Silver. I applied a layer of Secret Weapon W003 Armor Wash to bring out the details and tone down the contrast between the two metallic colors.

Cape, Ax Shaft, and Horns

I used Reaper 09292 Bathalian Chitin to provide some contrast with the rest of the color scheme.

Gloves

Reaper 09110 Oiled Leather was used as a highlight to make the gloves stand out from the rest of the browns.

Wash Layer

Secret Weapon W010 Dark Sepia was applied over the cape, ax shaft, horns, gloves, and furs. It worked well, but it is more runny than I'm used to.

Basing

A one-inch steel washer glued under the integral base gives the figure a little more heft. Reaper Bones figures tend to tip over otherwise. Glued on sand provides texture and a couple of earth tone craft paints gives the basing the appearance of dry ground.

That cape and those furs would normally keep in the warmth, but I'm not sure how helpful they could be over all that metal armor.

Norgol is another figure from the first Reaper Bones Kickstarter. I'm planning on picking up the pace on my unpainted miniatures pile in general and my Reaper Bones collection in particular during the coming year. At my current rate, my grandkids will be inheriting unpainted plastic miniatures.

Not my best work, but a fun figure to knock out on a weekend morning.

Electrical Box Sci-Fi Shelter WIP Part 1

I decided to give a classic of scratch-built sci-fi terrain - the electrical box building - another try. My previous attempt was way back in 2012. I'm looking forward to applying what I've learned since then.

Test fit with the parts held together with putty.

The concept is a hostile environment shelter with an airlock and external workspace in 28mm scale. The functional and futuristic structures in movies like "The Martian" and video games such as "No Man's Sky" inspired this project. The details represent external equipment that can be monitored from inside the shelter. They could be experiment packages, sensors, or communications gear.

A PVC electrical box is an inexpensive core for a project like this. It looks like an industrial structure straight off the shelf. The flat sides are a blank canvas for adding the details needed to convey whatever look the maker is going for.

Step #1 - Diving into the Bits Bins

This step was mostly digging around my bits collection for the kind of parts that suggest some technical function. I also wanted a consistent appearance - a few bits went back into the collection because they were too detailed. They would stand out from the rest and throw off the look I wanted.

Step #2 - Test Fitting

Next was some trial and error. I used the kind of putty used to mount a poster on a wall to temporarily attach everything. This allowed me to rearrange the parts to find the best fit. A fair number of parts went back to the bins because they just didn't work for this project. I also had to move some things around to accommodate the "garage" piece.

The ladder raised an issue - simply attaching it to the side didn't look right. There's no place for anyone using the ladder to step onto. Cutting down a plastic gift card provided a platform and made the ladder look more plausible.

Test fit rear view with "garage" detached. Note that I already started surface preparation on the garage piece.

Step #3 - Surface Preparation

Electrical boxes need work for a project like this - stickers and unneeded protrusions need to be removed. I sanded all the parts and cleaned them with soap and water. This step makes gluing and painting much easier.

Step #4 - Assembly

I used the photos of Step #2 as a reference when gluing everything together. This is when a couple of previously undetected issues came up. The sides of this particular electrical box slope slightly. This made the "airlock" jut up rather than run parallel with the surface. I used a couple of foam bits and another cut down plastic gift card to create a "porch" to go under the airlock. I also added a few cut down straws to represent pipes and cabling to connect some of the details.

Assembled shelter. Note the "porch" added to support the airlock. The garage piece was already in the priming stage.

Parts List

Laundry detergent cap/measuring cup for the airlock body.
Ladder from Hexagon Construction Kit.
Door from Brian Roe's Trash Bash Bits: Sci-Fi Doors Kickstarter.
Pill bottle cap.
Pull tabs.
Cut down plastic gift cards.
Foam bits from packaging.
Various printer parts.

Upcoming - Priming and Painting

The next step is spraying on a layer of primer. Unfortunately, that depends on the weather. It's been varying between "too humid" and "too cold" if what the label on the can states is true.

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Haul 2020

As with last year, I took advantage of the post-Thanksgiving sales to pick up a few gaming-related items. This year's sales-inspired online shopping spree was more restrained than previous occasions. Adding to the project pile didn't interest me, so I focused on things that would aid me in finishing the projects I already have lying around.


From Secret Weapons Miniatures

I developed a liking for washes put out by Secret Weapon Miniatures over the past year. Their washes offer specialized effects for specific projects. They act as glazes - shading and providing an additional tint over the base color.

Brighter than I thought they would be.

W015 Acrylic Wash - Blue
W016 Acrylic Wash - Green
W017 Acrylic Wash - Purple
W025 Acrylic Wash - Just Red

Many projects use these colors as a base. I purchased these washes as potential replacements for the old Citadel products Asurmen Blue, Thraka Green, Leviathan Purple, and Baal Red. The name of W025 - Just Red - reflects the number of red washes on offer from Secret Weapon Miniatures. These washes are much brighter than I expected and the Green is more of an aqua - more towards blue than yellow. We will see how these turn out.

A couple of things that looked interesting.

W001 Acrylic Wash - Soft Body Black
W006 Acrylic Wash - Parchment

Soft Body Black is intended to provide shading without too much of a change to the overall color. The other "soft" washes I've encountered tend to be browns, so I'm interested in seeing how it turns out. I got Parchment to fill a niche that used to be filled by watering down Citadel Washes Gryphonne Sepia - shading a color representing paper or an off-white cloth like undyed linen.

Do I own a base big enough for what's in the box?

W008 Acrylic Wash - Baby Poop

I got a couple bottles of Baby Poop with a specific project in mind. This product worked great for the Reaper Bones #77113 Eldritch Demon I finished early this year. The particular green/brown/orange color over a green base provided the "cosmic horror awakened from a long nap in a pit of deep sea slime" appearance that I was looking for. That project tested the color scheme for something I'm planning on tackling next year - Reaper Bones #77194 C'thulhu. I hope that two bottles (plus what's left of the one I already had) will be enough!


From Warsenal

These look a little dull due to the packaging. Note the one on the right where I removed the protective backing.

Fluorescent Scifi Screens - Communication Array in Blue, Green, and Red

I purchased these to provide more detail for the various "bash bits together" projects I have in the works. These were originally made by Warsenal for their Communications Array (the original one, not the one currently available from their site) and they also offer the screens used for their Tech Console. Note that the dull appearance in my photo is due to the protective backing - I removed it from one screen to show the piece's transparent appearance. I have to commend Warsenal for making these available for scratch building.


Kudos to both Secret Weapons Miniatures and Warsenal - both for offering their products for sale and for their customer service. My orders were filled and shipped promptly.

Five Turbolift Pitches for Star Trek Adventure Missions

Our Star Trek Adventures campaign is still in hiatus. Bad news for us, but maybe not for y'all. Here are some more mission ideas I've dusted off from my notes. Let me know if these ideas see use in your campaign!

My well loved copy of the STA Core Rulebook, one of my many notebooks, and a starship model from Eaglemoss for inspiration.

Would Anyone on a Federation Starship Know What a Ponzi Scheme Is?

A Federation cultural survey team studying a pre-warp culture sends out a distress signal. The culture they are monitoring is suffering economic collapse. It was triggered by "The Visitors" - aliens that arrived in orbit months ago and only communicate by a mathematical code broadcast by radio. Analysis indicates that the code is similar to various "universal" methods of communications developed for first contact such as linguacode. The Visitors made promises of technology, wealth, and power to various nations, corporations, and influential individuals. All they asked for were certain "trade goods" - refined materials, cultural artifacts, and specific technology. More and more of the planet's economy was tied up with providing the Visitors with what they demanded. However, what the Visitors offered in return was only just enough to fulfill the letter of their promises and keep the flow of trade goods going. The crew must investigate and find a way to undo the cultural contamination while playing lip service to the Prime Directive. Otherwise, the economic disaster will set the development of the planet back decades or even centuries.

How this plays out depends on who the Visitors are. The Ferengi and Orion Syndicate are the obvious choices, but that makes them the first the players will suspect. Independent criminals running a scam are fairly common in Star Trek. Or they could be members of the Obsidian Order or Tal Sh'iar up to something needlessly complicated. They could even be a Klingon House fallen on hard times and needing an infusion of wealth and resources.


"New Life" is Part of the Captain's Oath, After All

A panicked report from a Federation colony states the impossible - one of the local mountain ranges/deserts/forests/oceans/otherwise relatively immobile terrain features has started migrating. The colony's leaders are calling on Starfleet to intervene before it gets to the colony.

Dealing with the strange and weird is part of what Starfleet does. Much depends on what terrain feature is on the move. Mountains or deserts could indicate previously dormant silicon based life - although the mountains might be organic life forms with thick shells. Mobile plants and life forms suspended in water could explain migrating forests or oceans. Or the whole planet could be alive in some sense with different terrain features moving as the adventure upfolds. In any event, the crew has to figure out what they are dealing with and how to either talk to them (if they are sentient) or influence their behavior (if they are not).


Echoes from Minos

Starfleet Security began a records review after the Battle of Wolf 359 and other encounters with the Borg. Their intent was to find any indicators of earlier Borg incursions and opportunities to acquire information on the Borg threat. Rumors from the Lorenze Cluster suggest that the Minosians incorporated some newly acquired technology in their Echo Papa 607 before their own creation destroyed them. The source of that technology is unclear, but the similarities between the Echo Papa 607's ability to counter the means used against it and Borg adaptation are unsettling.

Starfleet left the planet Minos alone since USS Enterprise-D's search for USS Drake ("The Arsenal of Freedom" - TNG season one). A version of the Echo Papa 607 was used during the Ersalrope Wars as a reconnaissance system. The Echo Papa 607 that destroyed the Minosians and was encountered by USS Enterprise-D automatically deployed drones to gather intelligence, capture personnel, and attack targets. The system adapted to any tactics or weapons used to destroy a drone by deploying an improved drone capable of countering the means used to destroy the previous one. The system could manufacture and deploy an improved drone in twelve minutes. An Away Team from USS Enterprise-D was able to deactivate the Echo Papa 607, but not before the system had produced a drone capable of threatening a Galaxy-class starship.

Starfleet sends a starship to Minos with orders to recover any Borg technology incorporated into the Echo Papa 607 for analysis. There might be other autonomous weapon systems still active on Minos, so the starship chosen will either be well armed or have an escort. Even worse, the Federation aren't the only ones with an interest in Minosian weapons or Borg technology.


The Early Distress Call

The crew responds to a degraded distress call with a timestamp indicating that it will be sent hours from now. Subspace communications with the origin of the distress call - a Federation botanical research outpost - indicates that nothing is wrong. Did someone falsify the transmission or does the crew need to brush up on their temporal mechanics?

Is someone trying to lure the crew away from where they are supposed to be with a false distress call? Is something about to happen to the research outpost? If so, what does it have to do with botany?


No Prey, No Pay

The player characters are assigned to deal with pirates operating on the frontier. The pirates have been hitting all shipping in their area of operation. This has made them many enemies, including a few who are willing to overcome any distaste for working with Starfleet to shut the pirates down.

The players are faced with two challenges - finding a way to take down the pirates and dealing with all of the others who also want the pirates gone, but are prepared to be much more ruthless than Starfleet. A successful pirate operation depends on finding easy pickings and selling the loot. Making their targets harder to attack makes turning a profit more risky. Finding out who the pirates are selling to cuts off their profits until they can locate a new buyer. Cunning players may try to set a trap with a tempting target or by ambushing the pirates when they arrive at their buyer. Finally, the pirates will likely have a base of operations to rest, make repairs, and store their loot until they can sell it off.

Who the other enemies of the pirates are depends on the era. While the Federation has many rivals who are willing to ignore or even support raids on Federation targets, even they will not tolerate attacks on their own shipping. Unfortunately, the Klingons, Romulans, or Cardassians won't be too concerned with the risk to innocents in their efforts to wipe the pirates out. One twist is for the Orion Syndicate to aid Starfleet by providing clues and other covert support in dealing with the pirates. The pirates are hindering the movement of all goods in the area - including those shipments belonging to the Orions. Accepting their aid may mean that the Orions will be able to expand their operations after the pirates are gone.

My Favorite Stuff - 2020 (and 2019)

The end of any year is a time for looking back. The nature of 2020 makes it challenging to find the good among all the bad. Here are some things that I've found helpful in pursuing the hobbies that provided some respite from a hard year. This post is a sequel to a previous post back in 2018. I'm including a couple of things from 2019 since I forgot a follow up post last December. We'll see if I remember to post something like this in 2021. I hope that you find something new to try and find useful.

Some of my favorite things from 2019-2020.

2019

Every Tool's a Hammer by Adam Savage

Adam Savage is best known for his role in the long-running television show Mythbusters. However, he wouldn't gotten that role without a long career behind the scenes in prop making and special effects. He continues to produce videos and podcasts as a member of Tested, which I recommended previously. This is his first book - an effort to impart his experiences as a maker.

The book does present practical knowledge - tools, techniques, and materials. It's a fascinating read just for that, but it's not the thrust of the work.

The real value of the book is Adam Savage's descriptions of the mental processes of handling a project from idea to completion. Using lists, drawings, and mock-ups during planning. Working with deadlines. The value of cooperating and sharing knowledge with others. Maintaining a level of organization that promotes working efficiently.

I got the sense that Adam Savage was doing his best to impart his hard won experience. It would have been easy to just present his successes and triumphs, but he tells of lessons learned the hardest way - bitter and embarrassing failure. The book is the distillation of a lifelong career of making things, but I got the sense that there might be more to tell.


Small Scenes From a Big Galaxy by Vesa Lethimaki

Who knew that anyone could shoot stunning scenes of Star Wars Lego figures?

This is a coffee table book of Vesa Lethimaki's dynamic photos. Falling snow on Hoth. Flying sand on Tatooine. Mist. Fog. The illusion of moving action. I'd love to try my hand at something similar with tabletop gaming miniatures and terrain, but some of his techniques for snow seem a little messy. Of more immediate value are Vesa Lethimaki's comments on lighting and setting up shots on a small scale. Much of it is relatable to shooting miniatures.


2020

Fiskars Fingertip Detail Knife (Loop Design) 163050-1001

Three issues I've long had with craft knives are comfort, control, and setting one down. I always feel like I'm going to loose my grip on the handle or that the blade is going to go flying. And a craft knife isn't something that needs to take flight. Even worse, the pen-like design of many craft knives means that they tend to roll off a work surface if set aside for a moment. This unusual design took a little getting used to, but the grip quickly became comfortable with good control. It doesn't entirely replace the other craft knives I own - there are certain angles that it can't quite get into - but it is the first one I reach for these days.


TaoTronics Dimmable Touch Eye-Protection LED Desk Lamp TT-DL13

A birthday gift from my wife after I decided that I needed a desk lamp for detail work - things like assembling and painting terrain and miniatures. I've grabbed it off the desk a few times when I needed a strong light for photos.

The design is compact and folds out of the way when not in use. The brightness levels range from "dim, but better than what comes out of the overhead room lighting" to "high noon on a summer day" with five levels in between. I generally use the middle couple of the seven brightness settings. The color is also adjustable, ranging from a bluish-white and adding more red for a total of five settings. The USB power port doesn't see much use since it sits in the same area as my PC, but it might be handy if I ever set it up next to a comfortable chair as a proper reading lamp.


Canon EOS Rebel T7i

This was a gift I bought for myself. It is my first digital camera that isn't a point-and-shoot or built into a phone. I got it partly for shooting better photos for this blog, but mostly to do something about my long smoldering interest in photography. The Rebel T7i is a good camera to grow into - I started with the automatic settings and began experimenting with the manual settings as I've grown in confidence. It's been rewarding to build a new skill and learn about ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.


Gorilla Super Glue

So much in this hobby relies on bonding dissimilar materials together. I've developed some preferences:

Bonds quickly, but not instantly. This is a hobby I pursue in my free time. I need to squeeze in as much progress as I can in as little time as possible. Spending minutes holding pieces together as they bond doesn't help with that goal. On the other hand, I also need a little time to adjust the positioning of the parts if they are a little off.

Strong. The finished project has to stand up to regular handling during play, transport, storage, and accidents.

Reliable. Some adhesives work great, but on on specific materials or in certain conditions. I prefer something that works for a variety of projects.

Doesn't go bad in the bottle. Certain brands of cyanoacrylate have the nasty habit of solidifying between one use and the next if the seal isn't quite airtight.

This stuff meets all of those preferences. It works fast, but still gives me a little time for adjustments. The bonds are holding up, but the real test will come when we're all back to face-to-face gaming again. It's glued together everything I've tried it on to date. And the stuff remaining in the bottle is still fluid every time I've reached for it so far. That's a better showing than some super glues I've tried - some didn't even make it through a single project!

Note: This is NOT the polyurethane adhesive that Gorilla Glue Company is better known for. Gorilla Super Glue is a cyanoacrylate like most "super" glues.