Red Vectors Fences

To add to the scenery selection for Dracula's America I picked up the Fences pack by Red Vectors from Minibits - part of their Wild West range.

The pack included two small sheets of MDF, with punching out being very easy as the connections were minimal and well thought out.  The set includes a selection of fences (as you'd hope) - three long sections, four small and a gate:

But that's not all - the pack also includes some additional elements that are even more Wild West-y - a Tall Gate, a trough and a hitching post(does it have another name? I don't know):

The Tall Gate and the Trough were the only elements featuring more than two pieces to glue - but both very simple to do.

As you can see, I've used my standard texture dip on the bases across the set - these I'll paint to match the Dracula's America collection in due course.

Overall I'm really happy with the pack - and intend to pick up a couple more pieces from the range for our little town of Bethany, Nevada.  

Cacti and Wares

I've been on a bit of a brain-hype thing about Dracula's America again recently (got a homebrew posse in the works that I'll share when a first draft is ready!) - so had a look around for some suitable scenery bits, namely cacti!

I came across a seller on eBay - chcha_5648 who was offering a range of 3d printed items, including a selection of cacti.  I opted for a mixed pack of 8 different plants to use as scatter in games of Dracula's America.

Of course the main draw was a couple of iconic tree-like cacti - these are a little taller than the others so will give some nice height to the scatter pieces:

The pack also included a couple of columnar cacti, one being a small cluster for added variety:

Finally on the cacti front, there was a globular style cactus and an Opuntia (Prickly Pear) style one:

But the pack also included a couple of leaf succulent style plants too which really adds to the variety:

These all just need some very minor cleaning up (you can see it mostly on the succulents) but I'm very happy with them.  The print quality is good and the integral bases make it easier to get to the table.  These were just what I was looking for!

At the same time I picked up a pack of Bazaar Props - I figured these would work for games set anywhere around the Mediterranean, the Middle East or North Africa.

First up a selection of woven baskets and a tall-necked vessel:

I'm not so happy about this - the vessel's neck is broken (an easy fix) but the tall woven basket (in the front of this pic) looks half-finished and the base is very 'spooly' for want of a better word.  I'm not sure I will bother trying to salvage this particular piece.

Thankfully the others in the set are a little better - the highlight of this piece is the rolled fabric in the pot:

This piece has a rectangular basket to give increased variety:

Finally this piece has a stack of rolled fabric in addition to the usual baskets and vessels:

The grain of all these pieces is much coarser than the cacti pack - which is ok on the woven baskets, but will look rather rough on the other items.  The basing sections are all pretty bad so I'll have to try to do something with those on any I plan to try to make work.  A bit frustrating and overall I can't really recommend the Bazaar Props pack.

A mixed bag overall - but those cacti (and their leaf succulent buddies) are perfect so I'll chalk it up as a minor victory 😅

More future-friendly planters

I think more tables need planters to bring a little colour to urban settings - and while Bazza_18 had already done a range of large ones with built in benches, he recently offered up a set of smaller futuristic planters - so of course I picked up a set (well two, but I'll only show on set here as they are the same!).

The pack contains three planters - a hexagonal one, a rectangular one and a three-section rectangular one:

Here's Domaru-chan to show you the size and scale of these planters:

I'm currently thinking about putting quite exotic plants in these to add a little height and texture to the ground-level of our Neo-Shinjuku table for Infinity and Cyberpunk games like Reality's Edge and Hardwired.

I'm really happy with these planters - clean prints and the futuristic texture on the sides sets them apart from the flatter MDF options out there for this setting.

Don't fence me in...

I picked up some fencing from Bazza_18 to provide some additional detailing to the streets of Neo-Shinjuku - the pack contained four sections with posts at either end and four with the single post.  This allows for a range of set-ups from just the one pack which is pretty cool.

Here's a shot with Domaru-kun to give you an idea of size.

These are a useful addition to the scenery collection and would work for anything from Moderns up to Sci-Fi. Very versatile!

All aboard!

 

I picked up another Bazza_18 item to add to the Neo-Shinjuku collection - a bus!  This comes in two pieces (OK, so the listing included a hovering stand too but I don't plan on using that - but it is useful for those who might want their bus to hover, it's got two pegs that fit easily into the underneath of the bus):

As you can see, really simple to assemble - just glue the roof (and windows) section to the body of the vehicle and done.  Here's a pic with Domaru-kun to give you an idea of size and scale:

I'm really happy with this piece - it'll look great alongside the other vehicles I have from Antenocitis Workshop and will represent the little Isetan buses shuttling shoppers back and forth around Neo-Shinjuku!

OSHIROmodels - Japanese Buildings

I knew I wanted some scenery for games of Sengoku Monster Hunter so was on the lookout for suitable options and quickly came across OSHIROmodels.  

I decided to start with a selection of homes - the three Medium Dwellings from the 15mm Village range and the Large Dwelling from the same range:

I thought it might be good to have a couple of non-dwelling options too, so I picked up a Small Kura (storehouse) again from the 15mm Village range and a Shimeii Torii from the 15mm Religious range:

I've filled a few small gaps on these using Vallejo Plastic Putty - the stones on the rooves are seemingly a little prone to bubbles, but nothing major or you wouldn't expect from resin pieces.  I already know I want more from OSHIRO - the Odou (roadside shrine), Kajiya (blacksmiths) and Yadoya (inn) are certain purchases when funds allow, probably more though 😉

I can definitely recommend OSHIRO for value, quality and service.  These will really provide the perfect setting for our yokai hunting shenanigans!

10mm Scenery - Battlescale

As I planned out the rest of this project I quickly realised I needed some scenery pieces that would work at this new (to me) scale.  I looked around and discovered Battlescale - they offer a range of scales and settings/periods, but a quick look at the 10mm offerings firmed up my plans!

I opted for a couple of the 10mm Crofts, to represent simple homes that will work for rural Ireland.  

There are a variety of agricultural buildings that match perfectly with the Crofts - so I picked up the Cattle Byre, Pig Pen and Thatched Stone Barn:

I also picked up a selection of hedge pieces - went for mostly straights with a couple each of corners and gated sections.  Here's one of each to give you an idea:

Finally I spotted a set of Hasty Earthworks - a pack of four felled trees/rocks that I think are generic enough to work for a range of settings. There are two different designs that you get at random - I got lucky and ended up with two of each!

The sculpts are all really nicely detailed and the casts were very clean - requiring next to no tidy up or prep beyond the usual bath! The prices are really good value too, and the pieces have a pleasing weight to boot.  This was my first time buying from Battlescale, but it won't be the last - and I can definitely recommend not just the quality, but the service too.

Fenris Games triple bill

I've spread my hobby funds around this period and one of the first I knew I wanted to buy from was Fenris Games.

I knew I needed something to use as a Sacred Ground scenery piece for Saga Age of Magic for one or more of the armies I have for it - I spotted the Spiral Glyph Stones set  (4 pieces) and thought this could work superbly for Albainn, but also for Érainn if I don't get a better idea!  When done it will also work well for Broken Legions too, as well as other fantasy games no doubt!

I took a picture with old Flavius from my Broken Legions collection as he was to hand:

I'll arrange these on an MDF base of a suitable size with some ground texturing.  If I'm careful with the tufts/grass choices it could work well-enough in a range of our games.

I know that I want some columns for games like Broken Legions and Mortal Gods so picked up a pack of Scrolltop Doric columns as a taster.  I have no doubt that I'll end up getting more from Fenris' extensive column range!  Flavius again serves as a guide to scale:

Not entirely sure how to approach using these - but I am sure they'll prove useful once I get my thinking cap on!

Finally for this order I added the Rubble City caryatid columns (square) - these are really nice.  I plan to put these on suitable MDF bases and keep them quite simple.  Like the other columns these'll work great for Broken Legions and Mortal Gods - but could have other uses depending on where future projects take me!  Here's Flavius striking a pose with them:

Hmm, think a ruined bit of roof section would make a nice bit of difficult ground to place between the two columns... Fenris stuff always has me thinking!

As these items were all available in stock they came quick - and as you can see only minimal clean up is required.  All of them were great value too, so I can definitely recommend them.

At your convenience...

 

Something a little different today on the Bazza_18 scenery front - a public convenience! 

"Who is taking so long in there?!"

But that's not all - the door section is removable!

"Oh! What were you doing in there Domaru-kun?!"

And yes, the interior does feature detailing...

It was a little difficult to take a pic of the inside - but there's a sink and toilet in there!

Gimme Shelter

 

I've got another terrain piece from Bazza_18 today - a shelter.  It's a versatile piece providing some cover at the street level.  It also comes with a piece of clear plastic to add a roof, as well as some printed ad posters to add that authentic futuristic vibe (made for the rectangle on the right side you can see below - but spares can be used on other scenery!)

Our friendly Domaru have helpfully posed to give you a sense of scale with Infinity minis:

I really like this shelter - the cut outs and the space for an ad poster add some detail to tie the piece into the setting.  Of course, this will work well for Cyberpunk games too!

Keep on Keeping Neo-Shinjuku Tidy!

Got another scatter terrain item from Bazza_18 today - a set of recycling bins to detail the streets of our Neo-Shinjuku:

Here's Domaru-chan to show you their size:

"Now which one am I supposed to put my empty Mitsuya Cider bottle in?"

These'll look great next to the vending machines we have in our collection!

Neo-Shinjuku Love

So, in Shinjuku there is one of the famous Love statues...

Better half and a (young) Alex

Well, I took a chance and suggested it to Bazza_18 and he managed to sort us out with one for our Neo-Shinjuku scenery collection!

He even printed it in red!

Domaru-chan and Domaru-kun couldn't resist posing with it to show everyone how it looks with Infinity minis😉

Now there might not be many out there that would fit this kind of thing into their terrain collections - but it shows you just how up for a challenge and helpful that Bazza_18 is! 

As I intend to use Neo-Shinjuku as the setting for Infinity and any cyberpunk games we play (Hardwired, maybe Reality's Edge) this will see action in a few different games and will look really different and really take the table to the next level of detail!

UFOキャッチャー for Neo-Shinjuku

One of the Neo-Shinjuku wishlist items we put to Bazza_18 was the UFO Catcher (you know, teddy picker arcade machine) - we've won so much playing these machines across Tokyo during our trips we really wanted one on the tabletop! Well, after trying some stuff out, the main man Bazza_18 has come up trumps!  

The main structure comes in four parts (with some additional clear plastic screens to cut to size for the windows - not pictured):

The listing also included a great selection of toys to fill the machine with... (wait, one of those looks like a deadly prize!) - as I understand it these were printed in resin for the improved detail too:

Of course, I couldn't resist dryfitting this set to give you an idea of how it'll look - and Domaru-chan fancied trying her luck:

"If I can't get a Pompompurin charm, I'm gonna go for that kawaii plush instead! <3"

This kit is, simply put, absolutely amazing - it's turned out even better than I'd have dared hope! As with everything else from Bazza_18, I can totally recommend it - and this will work from modern through near-future and cyberpunk and beyond.  It's an incredibly fun and characterful kit and I'm really proud to have it in our collection!