For a Few Dollars - More Junk Building

Junk building again!

This time I will not be diagramming the build like I did last time, but giving a brief commentary on each build so you can see what I used. When it all comes down to it, it's about collecting the right stuff as you go through your day to day and applying a little basic modelling skill. In all of these projects, pre-made parts have been combined with junk and craft materials for some very basic, but effective designs.

The image above show a couple of angles on an industrial piece that I put together. The central component of this piece was a piece of plastic electrical housing (the orange parts). I built two levels of flat playable surface on to this using stiff card. The railing is plastic cross stitch canvas. the posts holding it up are plastic tubing from an architectural modelling supply. 

Various model parts, wooden blocks, dice cubes, pill bottles, candy and juice mix containers complete the build. The base is a section of old board game board that I painted with textured paint before putting it all together. Only pre-made bits are two doors from GZG that I used on the dice cubes to simulate an enclosed staircase.

Small pieces, like the communications hub (above), can be made from simple card stock for a base and discarded packaging. In this case it was the packaging for some sort of Iphone accessory or something along those lines. Add GZG doors and roof fitting and a few plastic model parts (hatches, etc.) and a quick and dirty objective marker is born. 

Which brings me to another simple point - functionality. If you are building something, it's best if you have a concept in mined. In this case, this makes for a fine objective to be defended or taken.

Plumbing parts, pill bottles, drinking straws, an electrical junction
 box and a few other bits of plastic. Plastic architectural model stairs.

Continuing on the theme of functionality, another thing to consider is playable space or surfaces. Both the industrial piece to the right and the one at the top of this post are left with plenty of usable space. Open ground and flat surfaces allow for the movement of miniatures through the terrain feature as well as leaving you the option of customising your terrain a bit by adding pieces of spot clutter or other components (shown below). 

A little thought on composition and the right bits of trash will go a long way. Soon you'll have everything you need for an industrial sprawl, alien mining operation, remote colony, or anything you can imagine.

Mechwarrior Clix miniatures cut and posed.
Model parts, balsa, cut sprue for junk.

Rattle can lid, plastic ladder and GZG satellite parts.