GameCraft Miniatures Afghan Hovel - Upgraded

The GameCraft Miniatures Tomorrow's War structures are definitely ready for 15mm sci fi games right out of the box. But what about their modern buildings? Are there any simple-yet-effective ways to take their MDF Afghanistan and Middle East buildings and turn them into science fiction structures?

You bet!

I started with one of the MDF two-part Afghan hovels:

I figured a building like this would have tons of applications in a space colony. It could combine a small one-man residence with some office or work space. Maybe the colony's doctor lives in one side, and his examination/procedure room is on the other part. Or a planetologist - replace the exam room with a research lab. The colony's mechanic could use this design - an open workbay in the middle, a fabrication shop on one end, and a retail counter on the other. Even the security forces could use one side as a basic patrol station, with the other holding the colony's brig.

No matter the application - this building would need just a bit of work. I decided to start simple - by covering the square openings. So I fired up the old CAD program and whipped up some futuristic two-layer doors and windows. 

I printed these on cardstock, cut them out, and glued the layers together. They aren't remotely as nice as the building accessories available from The Scene, GZG, or Brigade, but they were good enough for a basic proof-of-concept. 

A few bits of scrap made for some decent roof accessories. The solar array is made from four tiny scaps of Evergreen Plastics 1/8" grid plasticard, a lid from an old film can, and a few scraps of plastic sprue from my Games Workshop days. A kebab skewer became two lengths of power conduit, capped by another scrap of plastic sprue and based on a scrap of leftover cardstock. 

Finally I hit the whole model with some black spray primer. Then it was just a simple matter of finishing it with cheap craft paint. 

For a few hours' worth of effort, it's really not a bad little building. A little texture on the roof would probably help - extra fine black gravel, or even flock to represent a "green roof." The results have definitely convinced me that any of GameCraft's buildings can be useful in 15mm sci fi games.

Cheers,

Chris