Monday 27 April 2020

Quick Crate Pile Detailing

I picked up an ebay lot of 16 pre-painted resin crates last week for under £10. Although completely usable as they were, I decided to spend a little time to add a little bit of weathering and detail.




Step 1: Sub-assemblies

As much fun as 16 individual crates can be, the reality is that most of the time I want more sturdy piles. Having some glued together means they're quicker to set up and more stable during a game.


I glued the crates into some useful blocks:



These can be stacked in a variety of different ways:






Step 2: Details & weathering

I added some stencils to give the sense that these have been marked up by the shipping company or merchant. The rectangle and triangle were cut out of a piece of scrap paper with a hobby knife, and then I stippled onto random surfaces with red paint using an old big brush.




I did the same thing on some crates with an off-white into a circle stencil (made using a hole punch). After the stencils, I used a scrap of blister foam to dab dark grey paint at random onto the crate surfaces, paying particular attention to the corners and edges.


Finally, I roughly stippled a dark brown on the bottom third of the crates to suggest some dirt and grime.


Finished Crates

The finished crates aren't going to win any painting competitions, but for a time investment of around 15 minutes, I'm pretty happy with the results.






Expect to see these appearing in scenic shots in the near future!

14 comments:

  1. They're never going to be the most exciting sculpts in the world but they do look a lot better now. The grey sponging and the shipping markings make them look much more realistic and used. They'll make good cover in future battles!

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    Replies
    1. That's the key thing really - enough detail and functionality, without detracting from the miniatures that are gaming over them! Cheers Toby

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  2. That's so clever! I love the results!

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  3. They certainly look better with the markings and weathering.

    Tony

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  4. Replies
    1. Thanks Riot! A bit of detail never hurts.

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  5. 'Crate' work.

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  6. The "After" photos show that your efforts were well worth it. They look so much better with the weathering.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks very much! I think a little extra detailing really can go a long way.

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  7. Hurst Molds sells the mold to make these.

    https://hirstarts.com/molds/moldssci.html

    Cargo Bay Accessories

    Mold #302

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