Cities Of Death Gaming Table

Marko Paunović, 22nd August 2020

Project manager: Marko Paunović

''Special effects'' team:
- Table design and water features (waterpump and fogger) engineered and made by: Marko Paunović (left)
- Electric/electronic components engineered and made by: Davor Bokun (right)
- Landing-pad and vents made by: Tomislav Petrović (far left)

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Crew: Andrija ''Walker'' Jurišić (foreman, far right in the picture) , Tomislav Rac, Ivan Kalazić, Goran Magdić, Filip ''The Dumbo'' Dumbović, Ante Majić, Domagoj Pribanić, Igor Iliovski, Ivan Kecerin

Photographs: Marko Paunović, Igor Hamzić and Borna Kržišnik

GW components used: Cities of Death sprues, Necron Destroyer, Predator, Sentinel, Shuttle from The Battle for McCragge, Steel Legion Lieutenant, Imperial Comissar, old Necromunda building parts and several left-over heavy weapons...

THE NEWS OF THE COMPETITION

A while back, in 2006 to be exact, our club recieved the news of a competition to build a gaming table for Warhammer 40.000 from our retailer Land of Magic (which was its name at that time, it's called Carta Magica these days), so we immediately started working on ideas to put on the table. First, we had a ''brainstorming'' meeting where we all suggested various ideas for items that should go onto the table. After the list of all possible ideas was made, we decided which ones to use.

These were the following: - flowing water through a canal, - a force field (made by laser pointers going through fog/mist made by a fogger), - various street lights (both blinking and normal), - a spinning radar, - a landing pad (with running lights), - some vents to be put in an industrial part of the city, - also to make this part of the city appear more industrial we decided to put in the railroad tracks

Next step was to make blueprints of the table in such a manner that no special effect interferes with another. It is of vital importance when dealing with projects of such a magnitude to delegate and divide the work apropriately. Good organisation is crucial as well as setting strict deadlines, and abiding by them.

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TABLE FRAME

Because of all the extra features on our table we had to make at least one part of the table higher to store all the SF mumbo-jumbo inside (like the power source, electronic circuits, water pump and fogger along with two separate water tanks). To build this higher part of the frame we used 40 x 95 mm wooden planks for sturdiness and durability. The cover was made from 5 mm thick plywood that was screwed to the planks so it could be removed (if necessary). We also made a drawer where we put all the electronic circuits and switches for all of the special effects. We also left room for a canal through which the water will flow.

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WATER FEATURES

We decided to have two separate water features. One is a sewage canal coming from the factory. It consists of a water pump, hidden within the factory, a verical pipe that pumps the water into the canal. The water is dyed into green for even more repugnant effect. The other water feature is a fogger, a machine that converts water into fog and can be found in most stores dealing with lamps or garden decorations. The machine itself comes from a lamp that is made up of a bowl (that needs to be filled with water) inside which it is placed. We put the fogger underneath the city so the fog will appear to be rising from the sewers.

NOTE: When dealing with real water you must be carefull to insulate everything. Put lots of clear varnish over the terrain where the water will run. If there is even the smallest hole, water will find its way through.

IMPORTANT: It is really dangerous to put high voltage in or even near running water for obvious reasons so make sure that trained professionals do that part of the job. When you use lesser voltages (like 5V or 12V) such precautions are not necessary because of water's relatively low conductivity. This effect can be further reduced if you use distilled water whose conductivity is even lower than regular water's.

Water pump and canal

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Fogger – Water tank and effect

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ELECTRONICS

We decided to use the AT power unit from an old PC. The output voltages from the device were everything we needed, 220V AC, 24V DC, 12V DC and 5V DC. We used 220V AC to power the waterpump, 24V DC to power the fogger, 12V DC for different vents and electronic circuits with flashing and running LEDs and 5V DC for normal LEDs and servos. When we decided to use all those special effects we didn't realise how time consumig the process would be. More than half of the time spent on this project was spent on either research or engineering of these effects. So bear that in mind. However, internet helped a lot because almost all the circuits used on this project can be easily found there. Although the process was made up of a lot of trial-and-errors to make one circuit work we never wavered and it finally payed off.

IMPORTANT: Always have the device plugged out before you start working on electrical and electronic components!

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TERRAIN FEATURES

Skyscraper

The skscraper itself is 70cm high. The base and the walls of the skyscraper were built from balsa wood while the windows were made form PVC see-through sheets cut into shape. When the inside of the tower was painted the side walls (PVC) were glued. Once everything was dry we cut holes in the windows and painted the rubble after which we added PVC bits as the broken glass. On the roof of the tower a small greenhouse was made to give a bit of life in the grim world of the City od Death...

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Factory

The practical purpose for factory was to house the water tank and the pump. The building itself was built around the tank with one part of the roof built in such a way so it can easily be lifted for the water to be poured inside. Note the special engine that came from an old model car in scale 1:16. After the building itself was finished, some vents (which actually rotate and the LEDs beside them light up gradually and then dim also gradually) were placed on top and around it, just to give it a more industrial feel. There is one basin filled with resin as well as a significant ''chemical'' spillage in the place where the pipelines go underground which is also made from resin.

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Warehouse and the railroad

To continue with the industrial feel of that part of the table we put some HO railroad tracks coming out of the factory and running all across the table. On the other side of the railroad tracks there is a loading terminal connected to a warehouse. The loads can be lifted from the carts onto the plateau with a crane which is also moveable. There is also a couple of LEDs which serve as street lights and one LED in the foreman's cabin inside the warehouse. The roof of the cabin can be lifted so you can play inside.

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Houses with the McCragge shuttle

Moving along the table, we now come to the raised part of the table. On one side there are a couple of ruined houses and a statue. Houses were made from balsa wood and decorated by some bits from the Cities of Death sprues. The great thing about those bits is that they can be easily interchanged and also added to other materials used to build structures like balsa wood. Among the houses we placed the shot down shuttle from the Battle for McCragge box set. We made sure that the flight path goes through at least one building where it hits and deflects from the path to the left. Underneath those houses the before mentioned water tank with the fogger is concealed. We left holes under the shuttle for the fog to pass so it appears as if the shuttle just crashed.

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Turrets

The design of the turrets was taken from Forge World. They are octagonal, two-storey concrete buildings with three firing slots per storey built exclusively from balsa wood. One of them also houses a servo motor which operates the searchlight on top of the turret. In it there are also three laser diodes which point across the street to the other turret creating a force field. Of course, untill you put your model in front of the laser beam you can not see it. And that is where the fogger comes into play! We built a small canal underneath the street where the fogger makes the fog. The fog is then lifted by a small concealed vent into the air right into the path of the laser beams, making them visible!

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Statues and posters

To add a bit of personal touch and to make the city seem more ''Imperial'' we added some statues, namely one of a Steel Legion Lieutenant and one of a Comissar. Those really lift the entire table. What we also added to the buildings is some posters. But that was not enough for us. We asked ourselves what else do you find in a city? The answer was so obvious that we didn't see it for quite a while... Road signs! So we drew them on a PC, printed and glued them in logical places (on a walkway above the road).

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Sentinel and the Predator

What kind of a battle torn city this would be if it didn't have any casualties? Therefore we sacrifised one Imperial Sentinel (slightly converted) and a Predator. The Predator was placed partly inside a building which collapsed around it. Extra care was taken in painting the interior of the Predator, and the back hatch is left moveable so you can actually hide your models inside!

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Landing pad

Our landing pad also draws its idea from Forge World's one with the octagonal design. It was hand-made from scratch. Each of the six legs has 51 separate parts! It has 8 yellow LEDs and 4 times 7 red LEDs that have their own circuit which makes them apear as if running to the middle of the pad.

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Cities of Death buildings

And finally we come to the Cities of Death buildings. We made three large buildings. One is a part of the factory exclusively made up of parts on the Manufactorium sprue. The other is a large complex that once served as a courthouse but is now a pile of rubble where the army moved in and made its HQ with a specially built landing pad and radar. This remnants of the courthouse were made of Sanctum Imperialis sprues. The third building was built from the Basilica Administratum sprues.

The great thing about Cities of Death sprues is its multiplicity. You can build as many different buildings as you like (or can afford). The painting is easy, even the beginners can paint it masterfully, just by using drybrush techniques in several shades. But the buildings really come alive if you add just a couple of details in another colour. Of course the parts are so intricate that you can easily spend a couple of hours painting and perfecting just one part of the building. It all depends on how much time and effort you are willing to put in.

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EXTRA DETAILS

Wooden Boxes

These are easily made from 2 mm thin balsa wood sheets. Just cut the sides of the boxes (ours were 2x5cm, 2x3cm and 2,5x3cm), glue them together, draw lines into the balse to represent the planks and glue thin strips of card as metal reinforcements. You may even add small dressmaker's pins as rivets.

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Lamp conversions

It is easy to convert the Cities of Death lamp posts with LEDs so that they actualy give light. Just remove the bottom part of the lamp, drill a hole through the lamp for the wires and attach the LEDs.

You must watch out not to connect the + and the – wires because you will short circuit the LED.

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Metal plates, hatches and mesh

Metal plates can be easily made by using card cut into squares and glued onto the base repetively one beside another. When finished, just add dressmaker's pins as rivets. Hatches are also done with card. Just cut the hatch frame and both sides of the doors and glue together. You can also add pins as rivets. Mesh is done with plastic anti-mosquito nets found in most stores. It is easy to cut, form and glue and yet it gives excellent results.

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Trussed metal constructions

Trussed constructions are a bit fidly to make but once finished they will be worth while. They are made from two strips of wood, one 2x2mm and the other 5x5mm while the length is up to you. You use the thicker ones for the frame and you put the smaller ones in between at a 45 degree angle to the frame. The finished product not only looks great but is also very sturdy and can withstand suprisingly big loads.

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CONCLUSSION

To sum it all, this table contains over 15l of water, over 100m of cables and wires, weighs around 75kg (without the water), has 2,5m of walkways, over 10m of handmade trussed structures, a dozen various electronic circuits, 63 LEDs, 3 laser diodes, 6 working vents, 2 servo motors, a waterpump, a fogger, one factory, one skyscraper, one warehouse, a railroad terminal, 3 small buildings, 2 large buildings, 2 statues, 3 wrecks (tenk, sentinel and a shuttle), 2 turrets...

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As you can see it is much more than the mere sum of its parts because over 1000 working hours after the initial sketches, the final product was before us.

Latest articles

  • Turnip28 demos at Black Queen H&MPC 2025
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    Our most important weekend of the year, the BQ competition, was packed with content and everyone could find something for themselves - with all the lectures and workshops, I was very happy that there was a chance to play and learn new games!

    Thanks to our dear friends from Slovenia, Vane and Luka from Amulet d20, we had the opportunity to learn and try out a game that has recently experienced global success, and is the dream come true for many painters and kitbashers in the hobby: Turnip28!

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    What a table looks like with the guys gathered around it

    Like most tabletop strategy games, the game is played in rounds, and during them the players change the order of activations. The player who is first in line activates one of his units or nobles, makes a move, and then the other player takes over the order, until all the units on the game board are activated. Nobles are important because they are activated first, and they issue orders to their units: attack, march, shoot. If you don't have a noble, if he is killed or missing, then your units are activated only after all the nobles have been played, which can put you in an awkward position.

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    What my demo game looked like

    For my first turnip game, I had the honor and fortune of playing with our own Anna from Gardens of Hecate - we both wanted to try the game and now we had the perfect opportunity to learn the basics of the rules with the mentorship of the Amulet guys.

    We got our regiments, which were pretty similar - we had a Snob, 2 Toffs, a large infantry unit with rifles, a smaller infantry unit with melee weapons, and a scout unit with rifles. The biggest difference was that my last unit was a cannon, while Anna's was a large hand-to-hand monster known as a Lump. I think her pink Furby Lump with glowing eyes was probably the most memorable figure on the table (kudos to the guys from Amulet on the miniatures).

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    p>The party itself started with Ana's initiative, and from the beginning started to win strategic points on the table. My response to her conquest of the field was to resolutely fire everything I had into her ranks. As I watched her troops slowly but surely fall under my fire, I got lucky and my scouts managed to get one of her Toffs in front of the firing squad - which gave me a pretty big advantage at the start.

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    Her troops continued to advance towards my side of the table, including a rogue who came uncomfortably close to me - and I tried in vain to attack him with my infantry, who were just out of powder. After failing to even scratch him, they fled, leaving room for the artillery to finish their job - and that unit definitely deserved a promotion in this game!

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    We finished the game quickly, because we had other workshops starting, but we are both excited to play a few more games, and with some other Agram members we are thinking about putting together our regiments - the number of miniatures needed is not large, and the creative possibilities are quite large!

    Btw, the guys from Amulet gave us a lecture about their association and the activities they are planning - this year they have prepared H.R.E.N. 28, a turnip28 tournament, so be sure to check out their activities and projects - they are close by and you can visit them if you find something interesting!

    Just some of the miniatures that the Amulet team prepared for the demo game - sugar at the end: Furby Lump!

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    Naš najvažniji vikend godine, natjecanje Black Queen H&MPC 2025, bilo je krcato sadržajem i svatko je mogao pronaći nešto za sebe - uz sva predavanja i radionice, jako me razveselilo da je bilo prilike igrati i naučiti nove igre!

    Zahvaljujući našim dragim prijateljima iz Slovenije, Vane i Luka iz Amulet d20, imali smo priliku naučiti i isprobati igru koja je nedavno doživjela globalni uspjeh, a predstavlja ostvarenje sna brojnih paintera i kitbashera u hobby: Turnip28!

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    Sama igra je dovoljno jednostavna za početnike: na stolu se sukobljavaju dvije vojske (regimente), koju predvode 3 plemića - jedan Snob, koji je najbitniji dio vojske, i 2 Toffa, koji su nešto slabiji. Svaki plemić sa sobom donosi jedinice - Snob donosi dvije, dok svaki Toff donosi po jednu jedinicu na stol. Ukupno se svaka vojska sastoji od 3 plemića i 4 jedinice.

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    Kako izgleda postavljeni stol s ekipom okupljenom oko njega

    Poput većine stolno strateških igara, igra se na runde, te igrači tokom njih izmjenju redoslijed aktivacija. Igrač koji je prvi na redu aktivira jednu svoju jedinicu ili plemića, povuče potez, i onda drugi igrač prezume redoslijed, dok se ne aktiviraju sve jedinice na igraćoj ploči. Plemići su bitni jer se oni aktiviraju prvi, te oni izdaju naredbe svojim jedinicama: napadni, marširaj, pucaj. Ukoliko nemate plemića, ako je poginuo ili nestao, onda se vaše jedinice aktiviraju tek nakon što su odigrani svi plemići, što vas može postaviti u nezgodnu situaciju.

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    Kako je moja demo partija izgledala

    Za svoju prvi partiju turnipa, imao sam čast i sreću igrati s našom Anom iz Gardens of Hecate - oboje smo htjeli probati igru te smo sada dobili savršenu priliku da usvojimo osnove pravila uz mentorstvo Amuletovaca.

    Dobili smo svoje regimente, koje su bile poprilično slične - imali smo Snoba, 2 Toffa, veliku jedinicu pješaka s puškama, manju jedinicu pješaka s oružjem za blisku borbu, te jedinicu izviđača s puškama. Najveća razlika je bila u tome što je moja zadnja jedinica bila top, dok je Anina bila veliko čudovište za borbu prsa o prsa, poznatija kao Lump. Mislim da je njen roza furby Lump sa svijetlećim očima bila vjerojatno najupečatljivija figura na stolu (svaka čast dečkima iz Amuleta na minijaturi).

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    Sama partija je krenula s Aninom inicijativom, i od početka je krenula osvajati strateške točke na stolu, Moj odgovor na njeno osvajanje terena je bilo odlučno ispaljivanje svega što imam u njene redove. Dok sam gledao kako njene trupe polako ali sigurno padaju pod mojih pucanjem, posrećilo mi se pa su moji izviđači uspjeli dovesti jednog od njenih Toffova pred streljački vod - što mi je u startu dalo dosta veliku prednost.

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    Njene trupe su dalje napredovale prema mojoj strani stola, uključujući lumpa koji mi je došao neugodno blizu - te sam ga uzaludno pokušao napasti sa svojim pješacima koji su taman ostali bez baruta. Nakon što ga nisu uspjeli ni ogrebati, pobjegli su i ostavili prostora da artiljerija dovrši njihov posao - a ta jedinica je definitivno zaslužila promaknuće u ovoj partiji!

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    Ubrzo smo završili igru, jer su nam krenula druge radionice, no oboje smo uzbuđeni odigrati još koju partiju, te uz još neke članove Agrama razmišljamo o slaganju svojih regimenti - broj potrebnih minijatura nije velik, a kreativne mogućnosti su poprilično velike!

    Btw, dečki iz Amuleta su nam držali predavanje o svojoj udruzi i aktivnostima koje planiraju - ove godine su pripremili H.R.E.N. 28, turnip28 turnir, te svakako bacite oko na njihove aktivnosti i projekte - blizu su i možete ih posjetiti ako nađete nešto zanimljivo!

    Samo neke od minijatura koje su Amuletovci pripremili za demo partije - šećer na kraju: Furby Lump!

    " ["created"]=> string(19) "2025-03-03 09:04:25" ["modified"]=> string(19) "2025-03-03 09:04:25" } ["Member"]=> array(10) { ["id"]=> string(2) "56" ["group_id"]=> string(1) "2" ["first_name"]=> string(7) "Domagoj" ["last_name"]=> string(5) "Krpan" ["first_name_mask"]=> string(7) "domagoj" ["last_name_mask"]=> string(5) "krpan" ["username"]=> string(7) "Domagoj" ["password"]=> string(40) "fbad52c567fc2f837e1625e28f8b6c4aaa707d8a" ["born"]=> string(19) "2035-05-07 22:33:00" ["created"]=> string(19) "2014-05-07 22:33:57" } }
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  • AGRAM LEGO SECTION - Leonardo da Vinci's Flying Machine
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    Izrada makete je rezervirana za članove Agram Lego Sekcije. 

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    Ukoliko se želite uključiti u sljedeće projekte, javite se za više informacija na ums.agram@gmail.com .

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    Sljedeći projekt bit će u travnju, a tema će biti Orient Express. Očekuju vas predavanja o parnim strojevima, parnim lokomotivama te o povijesti Orient Expressa, kao i o Orient Expressu u pop kulturi.

    Vidimo se!

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  • Star Wars Legion - Separatists Basing Article
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    For the last year I’ve been trying to get my Star Wars Legion Separatists army ready for the table, so I can play a few games. One of the reasons I chose this faction (other than the fact that SW droids are great), is because droids paint, up quickly. I don’t need my army for this game to look display ready, I just want to get them ready fast, match their look from the films and be happy when I see them from a distance. To achieve this I’ve been fine-tuning their basing scheme throughout the year, and I’ve found a recipe that to me looks good enough, is relatively quick, and very easy to do (no brush control needed here). As I’m finishing my last unit for the game, I thought to share it. The scheme was originally supposed to look like Geonosis, but with time I’ve made it my own. But still this is fitting as the last unit I’m painting is the Star Wars Legion Geonosian Warriors (I love these sculpts - fiddly, but fantastic!)

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    I start out with a small ball of milliput that I place down in some random areas with my fingers. This is to create elevation. For me a flat base is always more boring than an uneven, elevated base.

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    I crumple up a small piece of tin foil and poke it at the uncured milliput to create some texture.

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    Now the rocks will get fixed in place as I put a small amount of superglue all over the cured milliput, and the rest of the base as well. Then I use a teaspoon to sprinkle some baking powder all over the superglue. A minute later I wash the whole model under the sink, to get rid of excess baking powder.

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    I use a crackle paint from Citadel (Agrellan Earth) and cover the flatter area of the base with a good chunk of it.

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    When the crackle paint is dry I prime the model.

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    I paint the base using a combination of reddish and brownish, earthly tones. I just slap them all over the base haphazardly and without thinking, as later they will be brought together with a shade and some drybrushing. Paints I used here were Mephiston Red, Mournfang Brown and XV-88 from Citadel, as well as Burnt Sienna from Golden SoFlat.

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    Shade with Agrax Earthshade.

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    Lightly drybrush with a beige/grey/whitish color. I use Tyrant Skull and Wrack White as these are actual Dry paints from Citadel, and I still have them lying around.

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    I finish off the base with a few grass tufts. The drier they look the better. I also put a bit of Seraphim Sepia wash into the middle of the tufts to bring their color tone down a notch. And of course finish with a black base rim.

    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(6658) "

    Posljednjih godinu dana pokušavao sam pripremiti svoju vojsku Separatista iz Star Wars Legion, tako da mogu odigrati nekoliko partija. Jedan od razloga zašto sam odabrao ovu frakciju (osim činjenice da su SW droidi sjajni) je taj što droidi brzo bojaju. Ne treba mi vojska biti na visokom nivou obojana, samo ih želim brzo pripremiti, da odgovaraju izgledu iz filmova i biti sretan kad ih vidim iz daljine. Kako bih to postigao, fino sam prilagođavao njihovu shemu baziranja tijekom cijele godine i pronašao sam recept koji mi se čini dovoljno dobrim, relativno je brz i vrlo jednostavan za izvođenje (ovdje nije potrebna kontrola kista). Dok završavam svoju posljednju jedinicu za igru, mislio sam je podijeliti s vama. Shema je izvorno trebala izgledati kao Geonosis, ali s vremenom sam je napravio svojom. Ali ovo je ipak prikladno jer je posljednja jedinica koju bojam Star Wars Legion Geonosian Warriors (obožavam ove skulpture - nezgodne, ali fantastične!)

    Kliknite za uvećanu sliku

    Započinjem s malom kuglicom miliputa koju stavljam prstima u neka nasumična područja. Ovo je za stvaranje uzvisina. Za mene je ravna podloga uvijek dosadnija od neravne, uzdignute podloge.

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    Zatim upotrijebim alat za oblikovanje (koji god imam pri ruci, zapravo nije važno jer ništa ne oblikujem) s malo vode da izravnam miliput i napravim nekoliko povišenih područja.

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    Gurnem nekoliko malih kamenčića u miliput prije nego se stvrdne. Ovdje nema potrebe za ljepilom, to dolazi kasnije. Također sam naučio da je nestvrdnuti milliput i superljepilo vrlo loša kombinacija.

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    Zgužvam mali komadić limene folije i ubodem ga u nestvrdnuti miliput kako bih stvorio malo teksture.

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    Sada će se kamenje učvrstiti na svoje mjesto jer stavljam malu količinu superljepila po cijelom stvrdnutom miliputu, kao i ostatku baze. Zatim čajnom žličicom posipam malo praška za pecivo po superljepilu. Minutu kasnije operem cijeli model u sudoperu, da se riješim viška praška za pecivo.

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    Koristim crackle boju od Citadela (Agrellan Earth) i pokrivam ravnije područje baze s debelim premazom.

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    Kad se crackle boja osuši, stavim primer na model.

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    Podlogu bojam kombinacijom crvenkastih i smećkastih, zemljanih tonova. Samo ih nasumično i bez razmišljanja udarim po cijeloj podlozi, jer će se kasnije spojiti s nijansom i malo suhog četkanja. Boje koje sam ovdje koristio bile su Mephiston Red, Mournfang Brown i XV-88 od Citadela, kao i Burnt Sienna od Golden SoFlata.

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    Zasjenim s Agrax Earthshade.

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    Lagano stavite sloj drybrusha bež/sive/bjelkaste boje. Koristim Tyrant Skull i Wrack White jer su to stvarne dry boje od Citadela i još uvijek ih imam uokolo.

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    Bazu dovršavam s nekoliko busenova trave. Što suše izgledaju to bolje. Također sam stavio malo Seraphim Sepia wash u sredinu busenova kako bih smanjio ton njihove boje. I naravno završiti s crnom bojom po rubu.

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    Sebastian Søgård, 13th February 2025
  • We visited: Imp’s Shop in Ulm
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        string(34) "Posjetili smo: Imp’s Shop u Ulmu"
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    Last year I had the opportunity to visit Ulm, Germany again, and I wanted to take the opportunity to visit a hobby shop that is significantly different from most I have had the opportunity to visit in other places.

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    The store itself is located in the very center of the city, about 5 minutes walk from the Cathedral in the heart of the pedestrian zone. Passing through the old town, I strolled through a neighborhood where an incredible number of old houses and buildings have been preserved, and it looks like the architecture was straight out of GW's Old World. Arriving at the store, I was very surprised by the content on offer - like most hobby stores, they had a range of new goods, but they also had a range of second-hand products, some of them vintage by all standards. In glass cases stood painted, used figures for sale, some of them have been out of production for a long time. Shelves with old books and games that are real treasures for collectors, and some items are new, packaged, but again not something I would expect on the shelves of a typical hobby store.

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    New and Unexpected

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    Two full cabinets with shelves and boxes dedicated to DnD editions from the past

    A large part of the store was dedicated to the local community, in my time During the visit, Magic was played, and the store is filled with players and hobbyists from different systems on different days.

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    The set was complete, I believe many people would benefit from having it in their collection

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    A large selection of miniatures of lesser-known games, including Schwartzes Auge RPG

    After digging through the antiques in search of treasure, I filled my shopping bags and had very pleasant conversation with the owner. He was extremely kind throughout the visit, and helped me find things that I was interested in. My favorite part of the shopping was getting an Imp at Imp's Shop - if you're interested in seeing what it looks like when painted - visit our Black Queen Hobby and Miniature Painting Competition!

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    Imp from Imp's Shop!

    And if your journey ever takes you to Ulm, be sure to visit this shop! If Ulm is not in your area, and you are interested in games and miniatures that are perhaps a little more mainstream or represented here, you can see Imp's offering on their website and web shop!

    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(4646) "

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    Prošle godine imao sam priliku ponovno posjetiti Ulm u Njemačkoj, te sam htio iskoristiti priliku da posjetim jedan hobby dućan koji se bitno razlikuje od većine koju sam imao priliku posjetiti u drugim mjestima.

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    Sam dućan nalazi se u strogom centru grada, jedno 5 minuta pješice od Katedrale u srcu pješačke zone. Prolazeći starim gradom šetao sam se kvartom gdje je nevjerojatan broj starih kuća i zgrada očuvan, te izgleda kao arhitektura ravno preuzeta iz GW-ovog Old World-a. Dolaskom u dućan, bio sam jako iznenađen sadržajem koji se nudi - poput većine hobby dućana, imali su asortiman nove robe, no imali su i asortiman second hand proizvoda, neki od njih po svim mjerilima vintage. U staklenim vitrinama stajale su obojane, rabljene figure na prodaju, neke od njih već dugo vremena nisu u proizvodnji. Police sa starim knjigama i igrama koje kolekcijonarima predstavljaju pravo blago, a neki predmeti su novi, zapakirani, ali opet nisu nešto što bih očekivao na policama tipičnog hobby dućana.

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    Novo i Neočekivano

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    Dva puna ormara s policama i kutijama posvećeni edicijama DnD-a iz prošlih vremena

    Veliki dio dućana je bio posvećen lokalnom community-u, u vrijeme moje posjete igrao se Magic, a u dućanu se tokom različitih dana nalaze igraći i hobisti iz različitih sustava.

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    Set je bio kompletan, vjerujem da bi mnogima dobro došlo u kolekciji

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    Veliki izbor miniatura manje poznatih igara, ukljućujući Schwartzes Auge RPG

    Nakon što sam prekopao starine u potrazi za blagom, napunio sam vrećice za kupovinu i imao jako ugodan razgovor s vlasnikom. Tokom cijelog posjeta bio je izuzetno ljubazan, te mi je pomogao pronaći stvari koje bi me zanimale. Najdraži dio shopping mi je bila nabavka Imp-a u Imp’s Shopu - ukoliko vas zanima kako izgleda kad je obojan - posjetite našu Izložbu minijatura i maketa Agram 2025!

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    Imp iz Impove Trgovine!

    A ukoliko vas put ikad odnese u Ulm, svakako posjetite ovaj dućan! Ukoliko vam Ulm nije usput, a zanimaju vas igre i minijature koje su možda malo main stream ili zastupljene kod nas, Impovu ponudu možete vidjeti i na njihovim web stranicama i web shopu!

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    Domagoj Krpan, 4th February 2025
  • Preparation and painting with contrast/speedpaint paints – Cthulhu Wars
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        string(73) "Preparation and painting with contrast/speedpaint paints – Cthulhu Wars"
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    In this article I describe my process of painting figurines with contrast and speedpaint paints. This is how I painted all the figurines I made for Cthulhu wars. I made them to be "tabletop ready", but I think that with these techniques, a higher quality figure can be achieved, with proper preparation and attention to the precision of details. An example from the pictures is an Acolyte model from the game.

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    The painting process was almost always the same, with slight variations in the primer and initial shading. The first step is of course the spray primer, which I started with white paint. This is where I did the most variation in the process because after a few tries, I ran out of white spray cans, then light gray, and ended up with a plain gray paint. I realized that the optimal color for this type of painting is light gray spray can – you want to emphasize the hollows of the figure, but not kill the shadow color (like you would with a black or dark gray primer). The light gray spray provides a good base for the shade colors that I apply in the second step, emphasizes the contrast with the white drybrush, and leaves me with the dark color that I apply in the later stages.

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    The next step, regardless of the tone of the primer I applied, was to apply the shade colors from GW. Which color it was, depended on the primary color I wanted to achieve. For example, for red, blue, and yellow, I prefer a purple, or at least an approximate purple shade. In the example of this model, I used Carroburg Crimson, which is a purple-red tone. Likewise, for green, I used Athonian Camoshade, but in retrospect I should have gone for a warm shade (like red), I like the difference in warmth between contrasting tones better. I colored the leather and books/papers with Seraphim Sepia, the easiest way to contrast the skin color later.

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    After the shade paint dried, I applied a white drybrush over the entire figure. This is the final step to prepare the figure for painting diluted colors such as contrast.

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    Let's start with contrasting colors. Given the simplicity of this model, I applied maybe two colors in total, but I did the same thing on more complicated figures. Red over the dress, paying attention to the separate parts I wanted more beige, skin color on skin, brown on the book and Skeleton horde for the beige parts (to get the dirty fabric effect). I used speedpaint medium on many of the dark contrasting colors to thin them out, but sometimes it didn't work very well. On large areas, such thinned paint leaves stains that need to be cleaned up.

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    The last step is to define the details of the model and potentially add highlights. In this case, I subtly touched up the red stain with a lighter red drybrush, painted the dagger with off-white, painted the belt, and added patterns to the open pages of the book. The model is now tabletop ready and the entire process takes about 20 minutes of painting. The only downside is that you have to wait for the various thinned layers to dry, but I usually plan on painting other models in that time.

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    " ["content_hrv"]=> string(5829) "

    U ovom članku opisujem svoj proces bojanja figurica sa contrast i speedpaint bojama. Na ovaj način sam obojao sve figurice koje sam radio za Cthulhu wars. Ja sam ih radio da budu „tabletop ready“, no mislim da se ovim tehnikama može postići i veća kvaliteta figure, sa pravilnom pripremom i pažnjom na preciznost detalja. Primjer iz slika je jedan Acolyte model iz igre.

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    Postupak bojanja je skoro uvijek bio isti, sa blagim varijacijama u primeru i početnom sjenčanju. Prvi korak je naravno primer u spreju, koji sam počeo sa bijelom bojom. Tu sam radio najviše varijacija u procesu zbog toga što su mi se nakon par vojski ispraznili prvo bijeli sprej, pa onda svijetlo sivi i time sam završio na običnom sivoj boji. Shvatio sam da je optimalna boja za ovaj tip bojanja svijetlosivi sprej – želite da se naglase udubine figure, no ne i da se ubije boja sjene (kao što bi bilo sa crnim ili tamnosivim primerom). Svijetlosivi sprej daje dobru podlogu za shade boje koje stavljam u drugom koraku, naglašava kontrast sa bijelim drybrushem i ostaje mi tamna boja koju nanosim u kasnijim fazama.

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    Sljedeći korak, nevezano za ton primera koji sam nanio, je primjena shade boja od GW-a. Koja boja je bila, ovisilo je o primarnoj boji koju sam htio postići. Npr. Za crvenu, plavu, i žutu, preferiram ljubičasti, ili barem aproksimativno ljubičasti shade. U primjeru ovog modela koristio sam Carroburg Crimson, što je ljubičasto-crveni ton. Isto tako, za zelenu sam koristio Athonian Camoshade, no u retrospektivi sam trebao isto ići na topao ton sjene (poput crvenog), više mi paše raditi razliku u toplini između kontrastnih tonova. Kožu i knjige/papire sam bojao sam seraphim sepiom, najjednostavnije za odnos contrasta boje kože kasnije.

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    Nakon sušenja shade boje, nanio sam bijeli drybrush po cijeloj figuri. To je zadnji korak za pripremu figure za bojanje razrijeđenih boja poput contrasta.

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    Počinjemo sa contrast bojama. S obzirom na jednostavnost ovog modela, nanio sam možda dvije boje sveukupno, no istu stvar sam radio i na kompliciranijim figurama. Crvena preko halje, pazeći na odvojene dijelove koje sam htio više bež, boja kože na koži, smeđa na knjizi i Skeleton horde za bež dijelove (da bi se dobio efekt prljave tkanine). Koristio sam speedpaint medium za mnoge tamne contrast boje da bi ih razrijedio, no nekad nije najbolje upalilo. Na velikim površinama takva razrijeđena boja ostavi mrlje koje se trebaju sanirati.

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    Zadnji korak je definiranje detalja modela i potencijalno dodatno naglašavanje highlighta. U ovom slučaju suptilno sam popravljao mrljavu crvenu sa drybrushem svijetlije crvene, obojao bodež sa offwhite, obojao remen i dodao šare na otvorenim stranicama knjige. Model je time tabletop ready i sveukupni proces traje nekih 20ak minuta samog bojanja. Jedina mana je što čekate da se razni razrijeđeni slojevi osuše, no u tom vremenu najčešće planiram bojanje drugih modela.

    Click for enlarged picture

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    Mario Grgurev, 4th February 2025

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