Ghostbusters: 1:43 Volvo S80

Just a quick update: The Volvo S80 I ordered arrived, and it looks good; I'm very happy with its size. I don't have much else to say about it since I didn't do a thing to the car except buy it off eBay (for pretty cheap!) Just wanted to share.

Ghostbusters: Ecto-Pt finished

"I need to finish my coffee before we go after another Class V free-roaming repeater."

What do I like about vacation? Being able to stay up late so I can finish something in one day. So here is my Ecto patrol car for my Ghostbusters. I decided to clean up the weathering a bit; it just wasn't doing it for me. The equipment package in the back was easy to do. It was just cobbled together with pieces of greenstuff, wood, plastic, wire and a metal piece from the bits box.

There was no real planning in this. I just grabbed a handful of tiny bits I save (I save a LOT of scraps) and started dry-placing them next to one another thinking about what worked for me and what didn't; think of it like doodling with tiny pieces of scraps. In the end, I got the "look" I was looking for. I guess I did plan to put a small rack with a few ghost traps in it, you can see the traps along the right side of the equipment package. Nothing else is meant to really be anything. Though, for my own humor, I named the tall red cylinder a nyarlathotepometer that determines how close you are to Nyarlathotep (from one of my previous posts.)

I'm really happy with this vehicle. It took almost two years since I completed my Ghostbusters to get them an Ecto vehicle. I wish I could have found something larger, another old station wagon to convert perhaps, but everything was just too expensive. This model cost $8.99 at Kmart, and all the random bits were (almost) free. So I saved myself a few dollars.
As a reminder (in case you hadn't seen the previous post), this car is named Ecto-Pt (patrol) and is meant to be a first-responder support vehicle rather than a full-sized main vehicle (such as Ecto-1.)
One car is still in transit (a Volvo for my civilian paranormal investigators ((who still have some grant money to spend.)) After the Volvo arrives, all that's left to do is paint a few more figures to represent some paranormal investigators. A couple fellas with equipment, a priest, a psychic, a professor and a couple interns/graduate assistants. This project  has definitely been one of the funnest I've done.

Ghostbusters: Ecto-Pt

Long evenings on eBay can turn up nothing, but a quick trip to Kmart turns up a 1956 Ford Thunderbird 1:43 scale diecast metal kit. Sure, it's a sports car, and the scale is indeed slightly larger than the figures' scale, but I can deal with it.

This vehicle is (of course) NOT a full-sized Ecto vehicle -- only a two-seater -- So instead of giving it a number (Ecto-2), I've named it Ecto-Pt, for Ecto-Patrol, a simple auxiliary, first-responder vehicle that arrives at the scene to analyze the situation before the main vehicle arrives.

The kit (Testor's Easy Builder) was simple to put together, though the holes in the wheels were not big enough for the axles to fit. I gave the body a coat of primer, a couple layers of paint and a little bit of weathering. I repainted the seats (which came with that Philippines factory paint job). And that was about it. Now the conversion work can begin!

I'll build a package of random equipment to sit over the trunk. It will include electronics, canisters, cables and a few ghost traps. I have no plans for proton packs to be added- that's just too much extra work I don't want to get into with the painting I have yet to do. I'll also see about adding some lights (painted, not real) on a roll bar just behind the passenger compartment. So that's the plan. We'll see how it turns out.

And yes, it took a little bit of rearranging, but the new vehicle fits in the Chessex case.

When should the project end?

Once I finish a project, I move on. Many times, I have just one or two more things I wanted to do with the project, and sometimes I get back to it. Sometimes not.

A few examples: I still have that mammoth sitting on the shelf for my 54mm cavemen; I wanted to purchase (but haven't, yet?) the 40mm scale stagecoach model from Sash and Saber for use with my 40mm cowboys (which I haven't touched in a year and a half); I had intended to build a teahouse for my 42mm samurai to fight around- I drew up plans- just haven't built it.

I guess my plans are getting bigger than my table, and some stuff is falling off the sides. I end up wanting to do too much, and what I have on the table suffers from what I want to be on the table next.
I'm going to try to start applying the philosophy I use with art to that of my minis projects: When I look at a drawing or painting I've done and feel the notion that, "It's almost there, just one more line ought to finish it," I stop, and I don't draw that last line. Usually, that last line is the one that messes up a piece of art for me.

So I think I won't build that teahouse now, nor will I purchase that stagecoach. Though, the mammoth will eventually get finished- that one I've already committed enough resources and time to. It's a mental challenge to just know when to stop, but once I can get there, my lead mountain will stop growing- I doubt it will erode, but at least it won't grow.

Sometimes, you have to introduce a physical mechanic to help your mental challenge when you end a project: For my ghostbusters, I purchased a Chessex figure box, the one that holds 40 large figures. As of now, I have enough figures (not yet all painted), ghosts, and one diecast car in transit to fill that box. I think that will be a good stopping point. Now, there is no pressure to see what else I can add to my ghostbusters collection, because there is no more space in the figure box.

Though, there is that perfect-for-my-project 12" plastic Stay Puff Marshmallow man (piggy bank.) All I have to do is purchase it- no painting or building needed. But is that the last line?

Ghostbusters: Gettin' some wheels, but not Ecto-1

I looked up the Hallmark Ecto-1 ornament; It's just about impossible to find one cheaper than $30. If I could see one in my hand next to one of my figures, and it looked good, I'd purchase one. But I don't want to spend that much on something that just might be too small or too large.

Modelers and wargamers debate whether 1:43 scale is too large or just right. By scale, they are too large, but I have a few of Matchbox's Models of Yesteryear, and I think they "look" good. So I went tromping through eBay to see what I could see. First off, my goal was not to necessarily find a car that could be Ecto-2; I just wanted to find some modern wheels for either my Ghostbusters OR my paranormal investigators. Second, I need the car to be relatively cheap so that my purchase won't break me if I buy a lemon. Really, for now, my only use for the car will be to mark the starting area for the ghostbusters/investigators on the map or terrain. It also just helps me to complete the "set." When I do some of these sets of figures, I want to make sure everything is there that  would be needed to play a full game: Figures, accessories, vehicles, smaller pieces of themed terrain -- see this image of my 28mm cavemen for an example of what I mean by "set." The Ghostbuster's set won't be as extensive, but it includes everything I need to play a game (based on the Tusk rules.)

Well, after that long-winded intro: I decided on a 1:43 scale Volvo S80 by Minichamps. It's modern, it only cost me $14 (including shipping), and I used to drive a Volvo, not an S80, but a 1984 240 DL. I REALLY wanted a '84 240 at this scale, but, like many of the other vehicles, I couldn't find one that wasn't upwards of $50. Ugh. Anyway, here's a pic:

I'm not going to do too much to it. I might hit it with some matte varnish to kill the gloss and "age" the car a bit. Drybrush some mud spatter along the bottom half (you gotta drive through a lot of dark woods as a paranormal investigator.) Maybe I'll add a little bit of rust behind the rear wheel (just like my old Volvo.)

If I get really energetic, maybe I'll tear it up and rebuild it as a smaller "Ecto" vehicle with not as much ghostbusting equipment strapped to it, maybe just a modified cargo carrier on the roof. 

I also looked for a station wagon of any sort, but again, nothing was cheap enough for my tastes.

Ghostbusters vs. Frankenstein (AND the mummy)

Heresy makes some nice figures, me thinks!

So I have some Lovecraftian elder beings for my Ghostbusters to hunt, I figured I'd give them some old, traditional stand-bys as well. I wanted enough monsters to fill a small Chessex figure case, and I had some spaces left over. So I'm filling a couple of those spots with the mummy and Frankenstein's monster.

The mummy figure is Reaper No. 2156 Mummy of Hakir. I love painting mummies because they're so damned easy. All I did for this one (and most of the others I've painted in my day) was two or three layers of drybrushing. I decided to change things up just a bit by making his bones all red. "Why?" you might be asking. Why not? He's going up against Ghostbusters, so I'm keeping things tongue-in-cheek. Red bones it is. Just a quick note. This latest addition to the Ghostbuster project is giving me a chance to use some of the bases I've made over the past year or so. In fact, probably 99% of the bases you'll see on this blog, I custom made myself (well- the basing material- not the plastic GW or display bases themselves.). The only bases I can think of I did NOT make were some industrial bases on a few Chronoscope figures I painted up a few weeks back.

The mummy went so fast, I had time to paint up Frankenstein's monster (Heresy figure's flesh golem.) I only had a little over an hour before work, and I wanted to get him done before then, so I kept things simple. The first couple layers of flesh were painted, then one layer was drybrushed, then a few highlights were painted. I also made his jacket and pants the same color (Foundry's Bay Brown.) The hair was one quick drybrushed layer of gray. About the only thing I really took my time on was the gem on his chest. Even that was a little rushed. But he's a great figure that I think will reward any level of painting. If you happen to pick him up over at Heresy, this figure comes with three different head variants: This one; a bald version with staples all the way around (holding the brain cap on); and one with the "cap" removed and brain exposed! Damn, I wonder where I put those extra heads? I could probably find a use for those.

I STILL have a couple spots left in the figure case. I could fill them with zombies, or I can finish the cadre of classic movie monsters and get a dracula and wolfman. Reaper makes classic versions of both, I believe.

But first, I guess it's on to the investigators. They should be pretty easy; it's just a few modern civilians. I also have a Rat King figure from Copplestone Castings that I need to get painted up for Joe. Joe has been waiting patiently for weeks for me to get that figure finished. I may just do that one next.

Ghostbusters: Treyentacle and shoggoth, done and done

"Mom, I found it on another plane of reality! Can we keep it? Please? Pleeease?"

Believe me, you, the treyentacle looks a lot better in person. The flesh turned out just about how I wanted. The protoplasm is a touch cartoony, but then again, this figure is meant to be another supernatural being for my Ghostbusters to hunt.

Note to self: I know how to make tentacles now.

I also painted up the shoggoth. It's ok. I gave it green eyes to give it's tar-like body a little bit of variety in color. I also added glass varnish for that wet tar look, though tar isn't necessarily THAT shiny. Oh well, I could matte varnish over it, or just try something different later ... I'll leave it and try something different later.

Note to self: My first Lovecraftian creature. Neato.

"Poor penguin never knew what hit him. Or, he knew only too well."

I think if I get into the greenstuff like this again, I'll try to make a flying polyp. It shouldn't be too difficult; I can make it using the same techniques I used with the shoggoth and the treyentacle. But it will probably take a while; I'd want to work on it in layers, and I haven't sculpted much, if anything, in multiple layers.

Ghostbusters: Treyentacle sculpting finished; also a shoggoth

Treyentacle with separately based tentacles. 

I finished sculpting my treyentacle. It turned out about as good as I figured it would with only a couple day's worth of work. Right now, with the green of the kneadatite, the beast looks like a carnivorous plant. That will change when I paint it flesh colored.

I also threw together a shoggoth. It was as easy as I thought it would be. A black tar with a bunch of floating eyes on it, yep, easy. Though, I textured mine a lot more and didn't add any extra organs or tentacles, just a few extra eyes and mouths.
Now that I have the basic shoggoth down, I think for my next one, I will try to add some movement to it, perhaps having it crushing some giant white penguins.

Though, I've sculpted these as some beasts for my Ghostbusters and paranormal investigators to go hunt, these will work just as good in my Gamma World RPG.

Ghostbusters: Treyentacle! (What? Yeah, that's what I thought, too.)

And sometimes, you just have that random Sunday morning with nothing to do, so you break off a gob of greenstuff and go to town. I actually rolled out this tentacle a few days ago for no reason; I just wanted to roll out some greenstuff (But, Carmen, isn't that a little expensive? Not when you buy it in 36" strips from Troll Forged Miniatures for $12 and some change.)

"Listen! Do you smell something?"

Little pats of greenstuff place into a cured tentacle.

This morning, I was looking at the tentacle, happy with my simple work, and I decided to add sucker cups, as all should tentacles should have. The cups were easy; I just rolled bits of greenstuff into tiny little balls and pushed them onto the tentacle. Then I used one of my clay pusher tools (I have the soft versions; I'd really like to get the firm versions) and I pushed into the squished ball and worked the greenstuff around a bit to create the concave hollow of the sucker. I used my finger first, then a greenstuff tool (the one with the wide "spoon") and pulled and blended the edges of the squished ball into the tentacle. Sucker!

Using a clay pusher tool to form the hole;
work it around to widen the hole

Well, I had to take it a little further, so I rolled up even tinier balls of greenstuff and dropped them into the suckers and made eyes! Yuck, I love it.

I have another tentacle curing; I'll add three more eyes to that one in a few hours and call it a day. I may yet sculpt up a quick chaotic beast of some sort that the tentacles attach to (a beast who burrows his tentacles underground to surprise its prey from behind or beneath.) Of course, I could go further and add sucker cups, more eyes, maybe some mouths, but I'm just too damn lazy- Hey- whaddya expect? I just sculpted three eyes- that's all I can handle at once! :)

Drop in tiny balls of greenstuff for eyes. Use a needle
or other sculpting tool to add some wrinkles. Done!

The body I'm thinking about adding (as a separate piece) will have a giant mouth and large round bits that look like eyes, but will actually be "sonic" organs that I will paint in either bone or a crystal color. The two tentacles will extend from the "front" of the body into the ground. The ends of those tentacles are what I've sculpted today; they will be separately based for gaming purposes (Which game? I dunno.)

There are also plans for a third tentacle extending from behind/beneath the body. It will not have eye. Instead, it will have some sort of opening in the end. For what? Hey, even monsters have to poop.

For colors, I think I will go with a nice cliche storm green with some smooth-blended patches of purple here and there. Eyes will be black, though, I may paint them as you would paint a gem, instead of going solid black with gloss varnish.  In the end, I may also cover this thing in slime. To make the slime, I will probably just mix some green paint into some epoxy resin before it sets, then drip/drain/pour the resin all over the tentacles and other bits.
On second thought, I might paint it using caucasian flesh colors; when you paint something with human colors, we connect to it more. But since its form is in no way human, we are even more revolted by it. For example, if I painted this in marine colors, you would say, "Oh, I am reminded of an octopus or a squid." But if I painted it in human colors, you would say, "Dear God, that thing wants to make out with my sister!!"

So, why "treyentacle?"
Three eyes = "Tri" and "Eye."
Tentacle = "entacle"
Put that all together and you have "Treyentacle."
Feel free to pronounce it whichever way is easier for you. I pronounce it two ways: Tri-n-ta-kul (long "i" sound), and Tri-yin-ta-kul (first "i" is long, second is short.)

Or we can just pronounce it, "Bob."

Ghostbusters: A few bases to cover

The paranormal investigators haven't arrived yet, but that's given me time to throw together a few modern bases using greenstuff, spit and and a needle. Greenstuff is the medium, spit is the lubricant and the needle is the tool.
They're a little rough this time around, but I don't mind. I made a little variety: brick, tile, wood, concrete, and one with the end of a carpet runner. Lucky for me, I had just enough bases left over for the new figures coming.

Another idea for a game I could use the Ghostbuster figures in: Doom. Hell, I don't have to change a thing.

Ghostbusters: Civilian clothing

These aren't the figures I ordered (those are still on their way); these are a couple figures I ordered when I originally purchased my to-be-converted Ghostbuster figures. My intention from the start with these was to make them the non-uniformed Ghostbusters. I only now got around to painting them.

There wasn't much conversion work needed. I made a PKE meter for figure to the left, and a pair of glasses for the figure on the right (He had bigger hair, so that figure is more or less my Egon Spengler figure.)

Last week, I was looking through Artizan's Thrilling Tales range, thinking about painting up a group of Cthulhu Mythos investigators. Then I remembered I had my Ghostbusters tucked away. Well, heck, why couldn't they also investigate the rumblings of the Elder Ones, too? A couple purchases later, and I have a couple weeks of work going on my table.

I'm still thinking about getting an Ecto-1. The Hallmark ornament version seemed the best candidate, though, I'd still like to see the size of it compared to the figures before I commit. I've also thought about just getting some random 1/43 scale ambulance or hearse or luxury car and making my own Ecto vehicle (Ecto-3). It's not like my figures are exact representations of the characters from the movies, so why should the vehicle have to be? Making my own would be fun in its own right, anyway.

As for using these figures; I've settled on a modified version of Tusk (mammoth and dinosaur hunting rules). I've also modified Tusk's movement rules so that these figures can be used on a floorplan, a Kill Dr. Lucky board, for example. I could also use dungeon tiles, Tannhauser boards or FFG's upcoming Mansions of Madness. But first, paint.

Friends of the Ghostbusters: Paranormal investigators on the horizon

I've put in a couple orders for some modern civilian figures which I intend to paint up as paranormal investigators to go alongside my Ghostbuster figures. I picked up a bunch of Heresy's scientists and civvies (their "not-Dr Who" figures). I also picked up a priest and some college students (to be interns) from Reaper's Chronoscope line. Still not sure what game to use these in, though (Avalon Hill's) Betrayal in House on Haunted Hill, and (FFG's) Mansion of Madness might be appropriate.

In the meantime, I have my friend Joe's Rat King from Copplestone Castings to paint up. I'll have to pick up some new primer first, but I have the next few painting weeks planned now. Modern civilians. Yep.