OK, here's a look at some of the final products. I added some "grass tufts" to help integrate the plastic foliage with the natural, and to provide a visual transition with the grass on the terrain squares.
I won't bother you with any more progress updates on the Strips until they're completed, at which point I hope to be able to share some pics of them in use in actual games.
See ya!
Yup. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. "That's hardly a new book," I hear you say. OK, A Princess of Mars was originally published in 1917, so the story is not new, but this book featuring illustrations by Michael Kaluta IS new. And handsome.
Frank Frazetta's Barsoom will always have a special place in my heart, as his illustrations in the Science Fiction Book Club editions provided my first "fevered" glimpse into the world of Burroughs' alternate-Mars. Even so, I found this new Kaluta edition a great way to re-experience the first - and arguably the best - of the "John Carter of Mars" novels.
There are some "marginal" - IMNSHO - re-hashings of Burroughs' Martian stories publishing now. John Carter's love interest, the "incomparable" Dejah Thoris, in particular, has been re-invented - though not "re-clothed," I note - for a new audience. I am not against updating per se, but I recommend instead this fine new presentation of the original "story that started them all."
Enjoy.
For those of you (like Hitman on TMP) interested in what particular "plants" my trip to Michaels yielded, here's a photo.
UPC codes are :
86946 36462 4
86946 36354 2
86946 36345 0
86946 41429 9
See ya!
2.0? What gives? Although the "wispy bits" that I used to fill in spaces between the bushes and trees look really good, they dry out quickly and become brittle. . . and well. . . they just won't hold up to the rigors of gaming and transport. And despite the fact that I was a bit over half-finished with the Forest Edge Strip project, I decided to look for an alternative to the wispy bits that might prove more durable.
So I went to my local Michaels craft store and scoured the aisles of plastic and silk plants for suitable "scrub and fernage." I found 4 varieties that I thought would work. I decided to experiment on one of the "filler" 8" sections of Forest Edge Strip before going full steam ahead.
Here are two photos of the result. I am warming to the look, even though the scale of the plants may not work now for 28mm. Plastic definitely meets the durability requirement.
Whaddyathink?
I so enjoyed Steven Pressfield's story of Alexander the Great, Virtues of War, that I immediately launched into The Afghan Campaign. Where Virtue deals directly with Alexander and his personal mission of conquest, The Afghan Campaign tells the story of new "Mack" recruits joining Alexander's army as it tries to pacify the ancient Afghan frontier.
This is more of a book "recommendation" than my typical "book like." The story is unrelenting and often grim, and I was struck by the modern tone of this work of historical fiction - set in the world of 2,000 years ago! I was intrigued enough to actually seek out Mr. Pressfield's website in search of some insight into his motivation to tell this story. I found this interview really satisfying. Some of the contemporary parallels are obvious; what I found compelling was Mr. Pressfield's take on "the tribe."
I recommend you read the book and the interview.
See ya!
So the Forest Edge Strips are looking pretty good, but they look like they might not be the sturdiest terrain ever built. "How are you going to store the pretty Strips, not to mention travel to "away" games, without destroying them?". . . I hear you say. I heard you.
I plan to "file" them in Forest File Boxes! The final step of the design process for all of the components of this 54mm project has focused on protection - how to store and transport from Home to Game and Home again. The Forest Edge Strips get their own boxes.
I was already using these watertight hanging file storage boxes (from the friendly local Container Store) for the single large tree trunks and the JG Miniatures trees, so was hoping I would be able to draft more of the same for Strip Service. Turns out I can fit three of the 12" Strips side by side - with room to keep the assorted foliage of the Strips from bumping into their neighbors - with a fourth 10" Strip "crossing the 'T.'"
The 1" foam lining the bottom of the box "grips" the bottoms of the Strips and prevent their sliding around during transport. The 1" foam provided a "happy accident" in that it raised the height of the Strips within the box so that the tops of the "sticks" were just about even with the "slots" originally intended for hanging the file folders.
This allowed the use of 10" bungee cords (from Menard's, 20 to a box for $5) to "trap" the tops of the sticks to keep the Strips from falling over. I just had to drill holes in the slots with my handy Dremel for the bungees. The little white graphic with the "rubber band" type represents a . . . um, rubber band added to the bungees to hold the 10" Strip in place. Just add the lid and we're ready for the trip to Recruits!
Only 5 more Forest File Boxes to fill!
All of the trees and major shrubberies (Ni!) have been attached to the Forest Edge Strips. The "ground cover" assembly line has been initiated, too, for the full 12" Strips as well as some shorter "filler" pieces.
And in case you're wondering how Jack's doing. . . he's doing just fine. Here's the Happy Monster out and about on Housecleaning Day. That's Jack on the left : )
See ya!
