Tabletop World Stone Bridge WiP

 
 Here is the fabulous new Stone Bridge from Tabletop World.  It's still under construction as you can see but its a great model... just as you've come to expect from these guys!

It was also a good opportunity to knock some rust off the painting by walking through a process piece that should be familiar and easy... famous last words!  I got off to a rocky start by priming the model in a dark brown... this hasn't worked our bad but I want to sit it next to the rest of the village to see if the hues are a good match... have to wait for them to show up to see.







Normally... I now recall... I work up through the greys and then line with Secret Weapon Sewer Water to  cover holes and add some definition.  This time I discovered quite a lot more primer holes than usual and, after the base grey coat ended up washing the whole model, except the shingles for some odd reason) with Sewer Water!  Take that pin holes!

I then repeated the stone grey base (Reaper Stone Grey) as a medium coverage dry(ish) brush and move on to Reaper Weathered Stone for a light high light brushing.  You can see the two steps side by side on these guard huts.  I kinda like doing the green this way as it takes way less time.

I'll have to find and get me foldio 2 set up and see about controlling some of the light a bit better... the huts kinda washed out a bit but hopefully the difference between steps is visible.





















On to the whitewash process.  Watered down GW Deneb Stone followed by a brush up of P3 Menoth White Base and finally a Menoth white Highlight top brush... all this over the brown primer coat liberally washed with Sewer Water.

I'm not sure but I feel like this came out with a little bit warmer tone I the whitewash process... I'll have to look and see if I've changed something...

Next I'll move on to the roofs followed by widows and details... then tidy up the over brush and placing the loose bits round.  I think I'll leave the lamps socket-able for transport and add a magnet for the winch over the loading doors.

 Anyway... feels good to be working on the tiny toys again!

Tabletop World Stone Bridge Unboxed and Primed

 Getting things started in the new digs with a project from Tabletop World!  The brand new Stone Bridge just arrived this week so here it is.

As you can see the box has been dropped on a corner and looked like it had gotten wet as well.  Needless to say I approached opening this with some trepidation.  I did notice right away that this was a sturdier box than TTW usually uses.  There regular boxes are thin with a lot of give but the packing method compensated for that as you will notice.

As per usual with TTW the box is well stuffed with old newspapers wadded into balls and used as very effective shock absorbers.











You can the bridge emerging from the newsprint wadding.  Completely cocooned and well protected from shock.

 It needed that protection this time and it worked very well.  No damage to the model at all.

One of the big reasons I'm a total TTW fanboy... aside from how cool all there stuff looks... is the amazing care and attention to detail in the model prep and shipping.  Here you see the pieces right out of the box come pre-cleaned and pre-fit.


 I literally just placed these guard shacks into their snug fit slots... no gap, no irregular surfaces to file.... heck... it might even have made a small "click" as it sat into its position.

The lanterns for the bridge lighting fit the same way looks like I'll be able to leave them as separate components for transport purposes.

This is exactly what I want when I buy a premium kit... no tools required, especially no power tools, to beat the kit into shape...... BooM! There it is!





The roofs come taped onto their building structure and it seems to help with the transport survival.   It also makes a great box for the fiddly bits!

                                                                               


 The small parts are bagged and placed inside one of the building sections which is then taped shut with packing tape.

  The smaller parts are expertly cleaned and pre-fit just like the big parts.   This step save you some serious time and moves the risk of breaking a part during cleaning away from the purchaser and onto TTW...just WoW!







So the unboxing went well and its time for the Primer.  Yep... from previous experience I know that these things have already been washed and have practically zero mold release residue... I've occasionally given myself an adhesion problem with a sub par wash job so well just shake up the can and let it rip!

.... aaaaand FAIL! 

Your fabulous host is demonstrating just how rusty you can get when you step away from the bench for a couple of months....  I was certain that I was spraying these black!   Guess again.... its a dark camo brown... AAAiiiieeee!!! I had to spray ALL of it.... seriously!?!...  ack!  

Ok , ok, breathe.... Imma go with:

"I primered the model this brown color instead of black because its a water feature and it would have a different tint to the weathering due to all that muddy water being splashed all over it during every day and night of its working life.... not to mention storms!  Did I mention storm surge and .....browwwwwn?"

Yep THAT is my story and I'm sticking to it!  Yep... I suuuuure am..... really.... it's true, I say,  TRUE!

The new Studio Swelter

 I've finally managed to move into the new place and have started setting up the new painting studio/game space.  This will be the work and play space for the next three years unless something changes dramatically.

The main game room in all its empty glory! 

Complete with its own attached bathroom.

 




 The sun room.  Great light.  It'll likely be the lounge.
















There is a balcony with great views and a lot of space.  Likely for scheming with allies or just having a cold one outside.

The entrance to the balcony and the bedroom.

The bedroom will serve as a storage area for active projects and the walk in closet becomes a marshalling area for finished armies in their transport cases.  Storage for completed armies in their cases has become a significant issue so the dedicated space for it is a great feature








The kitchen will become the painting space which may be expanded with the addition of a desk.  Most the cabinets will help organize my tools and supplies but I'll make sure it remains an operational kitchen for snacks and light meals.  Can't go to war... even in miniature... on an empty stomach!

Hidden behind the kitchen is a space I call 'Cousin It's Closet'  this area will house legacy projects that are not currently active and some large terrain items.







I'm still waiting on my main household goods to arrive but I think I'll be able to start putting paint to the tiny models, on a limited basis, in about a week.  The dust still hasn't settled from the whirlwind trans-Atlantic move but that is....'the plan'...








... and just to full the spot where the dishwasher used to be... a small party fridge, equipped with controls that go up to 11 ... just because!