I wanted a project that tied into May the Fourth Be With You, but I also didn't want to just pick up a Star Wars miniature or model. Instead, I looked through my mess to see if there was anything Star Wars inspired I could do. While last year's Atmospheric Water Condenser Scatter Terrain didn't start as such a project, it went that way after I slapped on a worn desert themed paint job. So I decided to make a couple more.
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| Original terrain piece in the middle for comparison. Rosie included for scale. |
And I immediately ran into the problem of not having all the parts and paint to replicate the original Atmospheric Water Condenser exactly. The others could represent different models or field modifications using after market parts. In any event, discussing the original parts and their replacements might be instructional for those tackling their own projects.
The circular section of the original terrain piece was assembled from a selector dial, a pull tab, a ballpoint pen part, and an upside down keyboard button. I had more dials and pull tabs, but didn't have the same pen parts or buttons. What I used instead were alternate pen parts and cylindrical bits that I can't remember the origins of. It was fortunate that I had some left, but I was prepared to use plastic lids, bottle caps, or other round parts for the dial.
The central tower is the hub of a paper feed roller from some model of printer. I found more in my collection. However, I had the idea of substituting the pump from a liquid soap dispenser or spray bottle while digging around for the hubs. All that was really needed was a tall section for the middle of the piece.
I built the circular sections, but did not attach the towers to make spray priming and painting easier. After priming everything in black, I ran into the next issue. My supply of Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Khaki was down to a single, almost empty can that I've been reserving for another project. I substituted a gray for the khaki on the circular sections. This ultimately resulted in a less earthy tone to the finished pieces. It works fine, but I prefer the warmer color of the original. They were looking a little flat, so I brushed on some FolkArt 480 Titanium White over them to produce some highlights and weathering. For the towers, I went in an entirely different direction - metallic. A coat of Krylon ColorMaster Paint + Primer Metallic Aluminum over the black primer contrasted nicely with the dull gray circular assemblies.
Next, I attached the towers to the circular assemblies. Gorilla Super Glue wouldn't be enough to keep the towers in place by itself. The original used a mechanical solution that I repeated here. I drilled out the bottoms of the hubs and used an existing hole in the dials for a screw. I still applied a little glue to the hub as a backup.
I applied a dark wash. Unfortunately, it turned out to be way too dark, even after wiping off the excess. Correcting the colors involved brushing on some Citadel Colour Mithril Silver over the tower and more FolkArt 480 Titanium White over the circular assembly. I left the wash still showing in the recesses.
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| Core parts from left to right: dial, hub, pull tab. Original terrain piece in background for comparison. |
The circular section of the original terrain piece was assembled from a selector dial, a pull tab, a ballpoint pen part, and an upside down keyboard button. I had more dials and pull tabs, but didn't have the same pen parts or buttons. What I used instead were alternate pen parts and cylindrical bits that I can't remember the origins of. It was fortunate that I had some left, but I was prepared to use plastic lids, bottle caps, or other round parts for the dial.
The central tower is the hub of a paper feed roller from some model of printer. I found more in my collection. However, I had the idea of substituting the pump from a liquid soap dispenser or spray bottle while digging around for the hubs. All that was really needed was a tall section for the middle of the piece.
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| Alternatives to the core parts that I considered, but didn't have to use. |
I built the circular sections, but did not attach the towers to make spray priming and painting easier. After priming everything in black, I ran into the next issue. My supply of Krylon Camouflage Ultra-Flat Khaki was down to a single, almost empty can that I've been reserving for another project. I substituted a gray for the khaki on the circular sections. This ultimately resulted in a less earthy tone to the finished pieces. It works fine, but I prefer the warmer color of the original. They were looking a little flat, so I brushed on some FolkArt 480 Titanium White over them to produce some highlights and weathering. For the towers, I went in an entirely different direction - metallic. A coat of Krylon ColorMaster Paint + Primer Metallic Aluminum over the black primer contrasted nicely with the dull gray circular assemblies.
Next, I attached the towers to the circular assemblies. Gorilla Super Glue wouldn't be enough to keep the towers in place by itself. The original used a mechanical solution that I repeated here. I drilled out the bottoms of the hubs and used an existing hole in the dials for a screw. I still applied a little glue to the hub as a backup.
I applied a dark wash. Unfortunately, it turned out to be way too dark, even after wiping off the excess. Correcting the colors involved brushing on some Citadel Colour Mithril Silver over the tower and more FolkArt 480 Titanium White over the circular assembly. I left the wash still showing in the recesses.
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| Original terrain piece in the middle. |
And there they are. Some more scatter terrain that is reminiscent of Star Wars while not directly copying anything from the franchise. Doing Star Wars stuff was fun! Maybe I could do more this month?
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