Valley of Isk

War Torn Ruins

2012-01-26T17:26:00.003-05:00

Welcome back to the Valley of Isk Project Blog!! After a great deal of thought and some testing of the blog on my web store, I have decided to KEEP this blog after all, as blogger has some great features that are missing in Wordpress.

It has been a loooooooong time since my last post. During this time away there has been lots of stuff going on, and stuff always has a way of distracting us from posting to our blogs. I have a new web store up, a facebook page and lots of stuff in the works!

Hopefully I can get a post up here per week or so. Also keep an eye on my Valley of Isk Facebook page and the Vallley of Isk website for more cool projects.

Up today are a few pics of the War Torn Ruins I have been working on. These started out their lives as quick and dirty ruins for a few games of Mordheim and later evolved in to something a bit more elaborate. I will be adding a lot more pictures, including "work in progress" pics to the Valley of Isk facebook page.

During the course of working on them I developed several new techniques, including the use of a new material for making shingles. The shingles were cut from a thin sheet of wood which gives them a lot more depth than heavy card and makes them easier to custom size; you can ealisy snap a wood shingle in half to fill smaller spaces when necessary.

I also perfected the use of a hot tool plugged in to a dimmer switch for controlling the heat setting, and used it to create the stonework at the base of these pieces. This method is pretty quick and creates deeper grooves between the stones than using the ball point pen on foam method.

Valley of Isk Website is Live!!

2010-12-04T10:24:00.003-05:00

I am happy to announce that the Valley of Isk now has a new web store!
Valley of Isk Miniatures

The store currently features scratch built products and examples of past custom orders.

Customers can select items to place in their cart and pay for the order securely via Paypal.

The Valley of Isk Blog has been moved over to the new site and I will be continuin to post blog entries from there. All of the content from this site (blogger) has been transferred over and I plan to shut down my blogger site in the near future; perhaps at the start of 2011.

I'll be contacting my blog followers to invite them to follow the new blog and would love to hear feedback, questions or comments about the site and Valley of Isk in general.

Thanks very much for everyone who has followed this blog and I hope to see you at the new blog site soon!

Valley of Isk is also on Facebook

Sneak Peek at the New Website!!

2010-11-12T21:55:00.004-05:00

My web designer has been working hard to get my new site up and running, which will feature a web store!!! No more backbreaking ebay fees!!! Yaaaayyy! So here is a sneak peek at the site in progress from about 2 weeks ago; since these pics were sent to me there has been even more design work created. We hope to have the site up by... third week in November... maybe! Then it will be time to fill it up with scratch built goodies for the holiday shoppin'.

More soon!
-Niko

Valley of Isk on Facebook

2010-10-18T10:33:00.003-04:00

Valley of Isk on Facebook

Howdy to All!

A few weeks ago I created a new Facebook page for Valley of Isk Miniatures.

I have been teaching a class at the Community School of Music and Arts on "Making Scenes in Miniature", and am posting pics of the student projects as we progress. The class runs through mid November.

In other news, I have a web designer creating the new site for Valley of Isk, which is set to launch before the end of October, and will feature a web-store with scratch built items available. This will be a great expansion of my little business, and allow me to close the Ebay store (which takes a BIG bite out of one's profits).

I have had quite a bit on my schedule lately and have been unable to get in to the workshop, but hope to be back on track sometime later this week, with some pics of works in progress, so stay tuned and I will see y'all soon!

-Nikolai

Valley of Isk Miniatures: New Ebay Store

2010-08-26T12:21:00.004-04:00

I am starting phase one of a long term plan to expand my scenic business: an Ebay store. Phase one will consist of scratch built items, many of which are coming from my personal collection. Phase two will introduce a standardized catalog of pieces, and will begin to incorporate some cast bits in resin and plaster. Phase three will be the unveiling of a product line of cast scenic items for a variety of genres.

Here is the url for the Valley of Isk ebay Store:
Valley of Isk Miniatures on Ebay

Badlands Set II

2010-08-25T23:11:00.004-04:00

A new set of Badlands has ben posted to my miniatures site, check it out for more pics:
GO TO THE BADLANDS PAGE

En Route

2010-05-26T09:29:00.007-04:00

Travellers en route to Ravenswood.

Many exciting projects are underway and many new transitions have come in to my life.

I'll be focusing intently on my comission work and other endeavors (i.e., music, writing & film) for the road that lies ahead so a brief rest will be taken from posting to the Valley of Isk. I plan to begin updates again starting in July or perhaps August, and in the meantime I'll continue to document all of the works in progress as I go.

See you all soon!

-Nikolai

The Chasm: Complete set with the Deep Woods

2010-05-14T12:59:00.002-04:00

Here are a few pics demonstrating the modular aspect of he Chasm pieces, combined with some massive redwood trees from my Deep Woods project.

I threw down some Beastmen and Wood Elf models from my collection to give a sense of the scale of the pieces, which are probably some of the largest pieces I have made to date.

The CHASM: END CAPS

2010-05-13T08:38:00.002-04:00

The CHASM: Cliff Walls

2010-05-12T09:08:00.003-04:00

The Chasm set is designed to be group of modular pieces that can form a single cliff face or a deep gorge. These two pieces are the wall sections. The front side of the walls has a beveled base, and the back surface has also been given detail in case the players need it.

These pieces would be particularly exciting with a river below and a rope bridge crossing the span... or a giant tree trunk for Kong to toss down.

the CHASM: Cave Entrance

2010-05-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

Part one of several blog entries on the CHASM project from November, 2009.

Making ROCK

2010-05-10T09:47:00.002-04:00

Back In November 2009 I made a very large batch of rocky terrain features, including a chasm, some cave pieces and badlands. Due to the cold weather setting in and the large volume of pieces required for these projects, I opted to avoid using my hot wire cutting tools, as the fumes are difficult to exhaust from my basement studio. The Cave pieces were developed by reusing scraps of foam from previous projects, which gives them a nice random appearance and allowed me to clear out some scrap from the supply yard.
A few observations on gluing EPS foam: I used wood glue to adhere the layers of foam used to make the chasm, with toothpicks to reinforce and hold them together. I had to weigh these pieces down in a large stack with a stump, and even after drying for several days, the wood glue was still damp or wet in places. I have since switched to using two or three hot glue guns for large pieces, which necessitates working quickly. There are other options, such as Liquid Nails, but I have found hot glue to give the best and quickest results so far, and it is less toxic.
Another observation about EPS foam is that is not perfectly formed, or perhaps becomes warped during storage and transport. What that results in is the surfaces of two flat sides not being flush when pressed together. In the future I am looking in to finding a good source for larger, thicker blocks of EPS to make the cliffs and chasms with, so that layering will not be necessary. Any excessive gaps were filled with a vinyl spackle.
During the sculpting the foam I experimented with some new tools and techniques as a result of opting against the hot wire cutters. The chasm pieces were textured using a power drill, by running the side of a flat bore bit along the face of the cliff. The bore bits can also work for drilling or digging deep recesses with great results. Other tools used to create contour and shape were a metal sculpting rasp and a wire brush, in addition to the usual box cutters, sheet rock saws and bread knives.
PROPANE!! A propane torch was the final element in forming the rock pieces. The rough shapes required a bit of smoothing, to add a weathered, eroded look and melt off some of the debris and lighter scraps still clinging to them. I took the pieces outside and very lightly ran a propane torch over the surfaces to slightly melt and shrink the foam a bit. I used EXTREME CAUTION to avoid creating or breathing the vapor and fumes. If you are careful enough, the foam will not be burned, and very little hazardous fumes will be created. I used a filter mask in any case, and the wind was also helping to clear fumes away during this process. I would NEVER advise using the propane torch for this method indoors.
The painting process was a big production. I set up some large tables by the grill and base coated everything in a couple of days with Interior matte latex paint. This is durable and very economical, and the best solution for large quantities of terrain features.

Space Junk

2010-05-06T09:47:00.004-04:00

Space Junk is a set of obstacles for the Flash Gordon Rocket Ship project; a pulp sci-fi space opera extravaganza!!! There are six pieces of space junk, cobbled together using the scrap materials from dozens of other projects. I am happy to minimize the amount of waste in my workshop by reusing almost all of the scrap at various times.

I first mentioned the Space Junk in October 2009, and am finally getting around to posting the pics... better late than never! Between juggling the many projects I am working on, having a laptop crash and misplacing a flash drive, I was set back a bit in processing the photos for the Valley of Isk, but now all is back on track and I hope to be catching up.

Probably the first question that will come up is "how big is this stuff?". Each piece is approximately 1' tall including the stand, and between 6"-12" wide. Here is a quick preview pic with some rockets and asteroids to give an idea of scale; the rockets are made using plastic Drink cups from Denny's.

There are more space pics on the way, of new rockets, asteroids and gas clouds, so stay tuned!

Spanish Caribbean Set

2010-05-05T08:26:00.005-04:00

I completed the Spanish Caribbean set on commission in March, 2010. They are assembled from resin kits made by Brigade Games

The Hacienda is part of a set of buildings for Spanish Caribbean miniatures gaming and would be great for games such as Gloire and Legends of the High Seas.

The scale of these are close to 25mm, and would be a bit small along side 28mm scale miniatures, but still passable. The quality of the kits are good, but I would be very very careful around the railings and posts on the Hacienda terrace. I opted to have the roof tops removable for the second floors and terrace. To do this for the terrace I installed two support posts on the wall (painted white in the photos) and used a strip of balsa on the underside of the roof as a guide rail. The roof tops are a bit thin so I reinforced them with foam core to keep them from breaking during heated battles.

The bases are MDF. Glues used are epoxy, hot glue and super glue. I filled any gaps with a vinyl spackle.

The Docks: Finished!

2010-04-28T13:24:00.006-04:00

The Docks are finally complete, and I am pretty happy with the results. I have some revised wharf pieces underway now and will be posting them soon. These are pictured here in their new home on a blue felt water mat. The next step here will be to build the stuff for the basement, including a variety of modular walls and such to make a tavern , warehouse space or dungeon or prison cells.

Killer Cacti

2010-04-07T08:44:00.004-04:00

These vicious plants were cobbled together in about three hours for the game “Armageddon Hour” by Ganesha Games.
I used Apoxie Sculpt and toothpicks, the holes for the spikes were made with a dremel. The toothpicks were glued in with super glue.
These pics were snapped prior to finishing the highlights on the bases; there is some desert terrain behind them that is still in 2nd stage painting .
I have heard that Armageddon Hour is a brutal game that is very difficult to win; I’ll be making 3D boards for it this month so stop back for more on that…

Bocage

2010-03-30T09:41:00.003-04:00

Here are some pics of 15mm scale Bocage (French Hedgerows in Normandy) recently finished on commission. There are 35 pieces of Bocage in this first set. I will be making additional pieces soon with the ground at a higher level, as I feel these were just a bit on the low side. All of the fences are scratch built from bass wood. I used a low temp glue gun to attach the tree foliage, and a normal glue gun for the hedges.

These are a variation on the bocage tutorial from the D-Day Flames of War supplement. I modified the design by making them a bit wider and rounding off the ends instead of doing a straight cut (90 degree). I felt this would allow them to blend with the table better, and also discovered that corners, t-sections and such are really not necessary; with a rounded end you can but these up against each other with ease. Just make sure the hedge material comes all the way to the end of each piece.

We played a quick game of "Song of Drums and Shakos” by Ganesha Games using 15mm Napoleonics on this table and had a great time!

You may notice a few other scenic items here: vineyards, a villa, and some extra trees, a couple of fields and swamp pieces; these were made by various other terrain artists. Great looking table methinks!

Modular Riverbanks

2010-03-25T09:03:00.002-04:00

These Riverbank sections are designed to allow players a flexible system for creating either a wide variety of layouts. Each section is made of EPS foam mounted on MDF and painted with interior matte latex paints. I have illustrated just a few of the possible layouts using these pieces, and included a 28mm scale fantasy ruin (in progress) for scale.

The panels beneath the riverbanks are 2'x4' water and grass boards.

Slums of Bogenhafen WIP (Mordheim)

2010-02-27T10:09:00.002-05:00

Here are a few Morheim style ruined buildings I am working on to add to the Bogenhafen Layout.

I have started a few new techniques with my buildings worth noting:

1. Roof Shingles are now made from a thin wood veneer. I cut them in to strips, stack the strips and use a mini-mitre saw to produce them. This gives the shingles a meatier look, plus I can snap them on the fly if I need to fill gaps.

2. Tight Bases: I am now cutting the bases of each building to the exact contour of the footprint (or as close as possible). I noticed in a recent game that we had trouble positioning a model on a corner due to the base sticking out about 1 cm, so I am going to eliminate the excess base material.

3. Banisters / Railings: I have developed a fast technique for railings and banisters. The bottom is foam core, with toothpicks poked in to the foam edge, followed by 2 or three thin strips at the top.

The slums of Bogenhafen are the aftermath of a brutal siege by the Axebite orc tribe. Fierce combat spilled through the North wall of the city and greenskins occupied the neighborhoods on the north side of the river Bogen for nearly three weeks before reinforcements from Altdorf finally arrived to drive the orcs back to their lair in the Grey Mountains.

Efforts to rebuild these devastated areas have been slowed by the expansion of the docklands, leaving the majority of Bogenhafen’s peasantry homeless or living in squalid conditions of ruined homes. There have been numerous requests for relief aid sent to Emperor Karl Franz, but so far Altdorf has been slow to respond.

Modular Wargaming Hills

2010-02-25T09:27:00.005-05:00

These hills are designed for maximum battlefield efficiency! Each hill is made to last, mounted on beveled MDF bases, completely textured with sand and light gravel, painted in three shades of latex matte interior paint and flocked with some green stuff.

The hills were cut from pink polystyrene using a jigsaw set at an approximate 30 degree angle, beveled mdf bases ate at 45 degrees. The hills are attached to the mdf via hot glue; I used two hot glue guns simultaneously and you have to work quickly before the glue cools.

The sand and gravel texture is applied by brushing out wood glue then sprinkling the sand over the hills. A roller was used to apply the first shade of dark brown then two lighter shades were dry brushed over the base coat. The flock is applied in the same manner as the sand; glue then sprinkle flock.

A note on angle and texture: I kept the edges of the hills at a fairly sharp angle, as a gaming compromise. Low angle / gradually sloping hills look great, but are nearly impossible to balance miniatures on. I also kept large rocks and pebbles out of my texture so that hills would lay flat on each other when stacked.

Terrain philosophy: I always balance game play with aesthetic value in my terrain pieces. What makes for a great diorama does not always make for a playable piece of terrain that minis can be placed on. I also go for durability as this stuff gets a lot of use and tends to be clunked around during transport and set up.

Spider Mines

2010-02-23T08:13:00.003-05:00

These Spider Mines were built on commission inspired by those pictured on the Combat Zone Chronicles site.

Materials used: wood plug, steel wire, cylindrical shaped beads. I used a dremel tool to drill holes for the legs, eyes, and antennae, and super glue for all bonds. If you look closely you may see the black post supporting each Spider Mine from below.

Spider Mines can scale virtually any terrain feature and are ideal for infiltration missions. Their main drawback is their slow speed (max 7 mph) and the soft whirring sound of the drive shaft powering the legs, which can alert enemy troops to their impending attack…

ROBOT FACTORY WIP

2010-02-22T12:43:00.007-05:00

ROBOT FACTORY

Ahh, styrofoam packing material; it has been years since I used this stuff as inspiration for a terrain piece (the SCI FI INDUSTRIAL JUNGLE).

This is the beginning of a larger set which will include 4 building structures, 2 raised bridges and a walled courtyard.

I'll be painting this up in the style of the Desert Badlands I finished recently.

Orc Boss-Hut (WIP)

2010-02-18T10:19:00.003-05:00

"IT BETTER BE DA BIGGEST FING IN DA CAMP!!!"

This is the first stage of the Lair of Urktash Axebite, the biggest baddest Black Orc Warboss ever to roam the Grey Mountains!!

Every morning when Urktash wakes up he stands at the door of his hut and bellows a challenge to any orc that thinks he has what it takes to be boss. This inevitably results in a bit of a mess but is great entertainment for the rest of the tribe...

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

Docks: project update

2010-02-15T09:16:00.002-05:00

The Docks are coming along nicely, and I decided that a water table was needed to determine the color pallette before the docks (small ones) and piers (large ones)could be finished.

I have built three piers (and five docks so far. There are a few more designs I may try in the next wave, but these will do for now. Once they are given the x bracing below and the deck has been scratched up for weathering, I'll be able to finish the painting.I will most likely add barnacles to all of them so that they hava an ocean look, even though Bogenhafen is a river town. Ropes are another detail I plan to add as well.

Water Table Finished

2010-02-14T12:40:00.005-05:00

I have just completed work on a two panel water table. Here are the details on how they were made:

The basic table sections are constructed with 2'x4' masonite, braced on a frame made of 1"x2" boards. They are heald together during game with two c clamps.

These table sections were recycled; that is to say the original surface was done as a grassland board, textured with cat liter. I own 5 of these panels and don't often have a need for a 10' long table so I decided to scrape two of them down with a rasp to refurbish them as water tables. The original texture of the tables was reinforced with a thin layer of fine sand, primed with gesso, given a thick coat of black latex, then the final waves were painted using matte latex interior paints. After the colors were finished, the table was then sealed with Minwax acrylic gloss varnish.

Foggy Bog

2010-02-13T22:37:00.002-05:00

A bog piece for War in the Age of Magic

Although this Foggy Bog is made for 15mm stuff, I could not resist using the pic with one of my 28mm zombies...

I don't own any 15mm models to shoot these pics with. That is a good thing; I have more minis than a sane person needs.

Sacred Shrine

2010-02-13T22:33:00.004-05:00

This is a shrine in 15mm for the game War in the Age of Magic.

Storm Cloud 15mm

2010-02-09T16:05:00.001-05:00

War in the Age of Magic: STORM CLOUD

This Storm Cloud was made using a can of spray foam insulation, which is messy stuf!!! My first atempt was disastrous. I reccommend latex gloves and newspapers to help contain the mess. The foam was layered over a foam core piece, mounted on a wooden dowel. The lightning is also foam core. The cloud is painted with black matte Latex undercoat, then acrylics.

Chasm of DOOM

2010-02-09T15:15:00.003-05:00

More terrain for the War in the Age of Magic 15mm fantasy miniatures game. This piece is the Chasm of Doom, in which unlucky troops may fall to their DOOM while atempting to cross.

Made of Pink Foam and Masonite, painted with acrylics.

Illusions

2010-02-08T10:40:00.005-05:00

These are the Illusion Markers for War in the Age of Magic, a 15mm scale Fantasy miniatures game. The controlling player places three of these on existing terrain sections to indicate that they may be an illusion.

The Illusions are a set of three, made with foamcore, pink insulation foam, MDF and painted with acrylics. The cotton is used to represent clouds over a mountain range. The illusions are not really meant to be in 15mm scale, but a flat representation of something the soldiers might see off in the distance when viewd from their point of view on the table top. My goal was to create something that did not look quite real, to give it a flat quality befitting an illusion or mirage.

Graveyard

2010-02-05T09:31:00.006-05:00

The Graveyard is part of a 6 piece set I produced on commission inJanuary 2010, for the game War in the Age of Magic, a fantasy ruleset for 15mm miniatures.

This is the first series of pieces I have done in the 15mm scale, and it was alot of fun! I'll be posting pics of the rest of the set soon; it consists of the following:
1. Graveyard
2. Illusions
3. Storm Cloud
4. Chasm of Doom
5. Foggy Swamp
6. Sacred Shrine

The Docks WIP shots

2010-02-02T09:56:00.004-05:00

Aquisition of a mini miter saw from Micro Mark has significantly accelerated production time for the docks of Bogenhafen. I have 3 piers and 5 dock sections assembled. Here are some wip pics to show the progression of the whole layout including the quay. Questions and comments are always welcome. More coming soooooon

The Goblin Caves

2009-12-15T14:21:00.002-05:00

Deep beneath the Dwarven mines lurk all manner of strange beasts, and woe to the foolhardy miner who wanders off alone.

Here are a couple pics from the cave set I just finished, modular scatter terrain for underground battling.

Badlands Complete

2009-12-13T11:38:00.002-05:00

The Badlands scenery set for Wild West battles is complete. I developed a new technique for creating natural stone and rock formations using a sheet rock knife, bread knife, box cutter sculpting rasp and propane torch. Behold the results here: a table full of inhospitable scenery for your gunfighters and Gorkamorka / post apocalyptic mayhem.

Coming next: Caves and Chasms.

Badlands WIP

2009-11-29T09:33:00.004-05:00

In the works: Badlands desert terrain set for the Wild West and anywhere else you'd find inhospitable arid rock formations...

This stuff is made of EPS foam, glued in layers with wood glue, shaped with bread knives and sculpting tools, then lightly shrunk with a propane torch. Paint comes next.

Painting the Quay

2009-11-13T13:26:00.001-05:00

The 4th phase of the quay was painting and adding water fx. I also used Apoxie Sculpt to add some final stonework in the sewer and over the tunnel openings on the outside. The water fx is acrylic heavy gloss gel medium. It appears milky upon application, but later dries clear. I mixed a bit of green in to give it some mrukiness. Prior to adding it I painted a dark greenish blue on the water areas.

The Quay, phases 2 & 3: Stonework

2009-11-12T22:23:00.000-05:00

There is a small corner in hell where they send you to cut tiny pieces of card to make the stonework for my quay project. Don't EVER get sent there.

Phase 2 & 3 of the quay involved the addition of masonry to the surface and the sewer. Why did I choose to use card for the flagstones? Durability and speed. I had no desire to get in to casting in plaster, which is the other way I had wanted to do the street, and foam would have been too delicate. I make my stuff as pretty as possible while still being tough and gameable, as that's what it's for.

The big scissors are tin snips, which I also use to make magnetic movement trays. Those two little buildings are a sneak peek at the modern zombie apocalypse stuff I am designing; it's acouple of warehouse pieces. More on that much later... for now, the docks.

Building the Model Quay: Phase One

2009-11-08T14:03:00.000-05:00

I've been eager to build docks for Bogenhafen for a long time. After some scavenging in my basement "Mordheim style" I was unable to uncover any Warpstone, but did discover a bunch of musty old lumber. A day of power saw usage converted the best of it in to several game table surfaces, and the Quay for the docks of Bogenhafen. This piece is in truth a prototype for my future design: a modern day 4x4' city table, with underground sewer and subway along the outside edge. More on that later.

The basic concept for the quay was to have it run the edge of a standard 4x6 Warhammer table, and have it be as versatile and modular as possible. The overall size is roughly 4'x15", with a height of about 6". This piece could be combined with a duplicate to form a canal, or longer riverside section along a table edge. With additional raised table pieces, it could be placed with the river-edge facing the outside end, with the large, flat battlefield covering the majority of the table. I think you get the idea...

Wooden Pier Model in Progress

2009-11-07T15:24:00.001-05:00

After a great deal of research I have begun to construct the first pier for the docks of Bogenhafen. The pier will be comprised of individual sections that can be moved around to create various configurations. This first pier is the prototype, and stands the same height as the quay pictured in the previous post. After several weeks of searching the web in vain for clear reference on the construction of wooden piers, I finally checked out some books on deck building and dock building, which proved invaluable.

River Barnacles: Bogenhafen is situated on the river Bogen, miles away from the sea. So why the barnacles? Just an experiment with this prototype, I may or may not apply barnacles to all of the pier pieces.

The Docks of Bogenhafen

2009-11-02T08:15:00.001-05:00

The city of Bogenhafen is one of the richest in The Empire. I thought it only fitting that the docks be the next thing on my personal project list. This one features removable street panels to reveal the basements, as well as a sewer running beneath the outside edge. Once the quay is finished, modular wharf pieces will be added. The first progress pic shows a wood frame measuring 4' by 16" by 8", on which the stonework and everything else was attached.

(For anyone reading this blog who doesn't already know Bogenhafen and the Empire are part of Warhammer, a miniatures game by Games Workshop.)

SPACE JUNK preview

2009-10-06T23:38:00.001-04:00

I'm just stopping by to say that I have been too busy to blog! I've been making a lot of terrain and have had no time to post pics on me site. The good part about that is I'll have a stockpile of pics to release periodically in the coming weeks.

What is to come: the completed Pygmy Islands, Deep Space Sci-Fi Pulp, a Wood Elf Mighty Forest, and the beginning of ZOMBIE HELL, an urban terrain project based heavily on the level design concepts from the video game "Left 4 Dead". There are also a few dozen more pics of "The Bing" that will eventually appear.

I need some minions or oompa-loompas to help build all o' this stuff, and a web designer to work with. :)

For those of you who have signed up to this blog, thanks a lot, and tell all yer friends.

"Shoot it in the head!!"

2009-06-14T21:50:00.000-04:00

I'm starting to update the individual sections of The Bing web pages, starting with the Stairwell page. While editing pics I made a couple of quick Photoshop web comics using some of the pics and had way too much fun; time to get back to writing fiction again!!

The Bing

2009-06-07T01:12:00.000-04:00

"The Bing" was created on commission by Nikolai Ruskin in June, 2009 as a terrain piece for miniatures gaming

http://nikolairuskin.com/miniatures_pages/the_bing.htm

The design is an interior for use in a "bar brawl" type miniatures game using 28mm scale miniatures. The Real "Bada Bing" is a strip bar from the popular HBO series "The Sopranos", and became a big source of inspiration for this project about half way through building it. What began as a run down bar / pub suddenly evolved in to a Jersey strip joint while I was tinkering around with the layout for the stage. There is a staff only area for the dancers and an office for the mobsters that will be pictured here soon- check back again shortly.

MORE PICS of "The Bing" COMING SOON; Check back again

SCI FI scenery updated

2009-06-03T12:02:00.000-04:00

Sci Fi Scenery section updated; lots of new pics!!

http://nikolairuskin.com/miniatures_pages/sci_fi_platformers.htm

http://nikolairuskin.com/miniatures_pages/chem_plant.htm

http://nikolairuskin.com/miniatures_pages/power_plant.htm

http://nikolairuskin.com/miniatures_pages/launch_pad.htm

http://nikolairuskin.com/miniatures_pages/cliff_door.htm

Cargo Bay

2009-06-02T22:02:00.001-04:00

http://nikolairuskin.com/miniatures_pages/cargo_bay.htm

Cargo Bay page added. This is part of a set of sci fi pieces done on commission, assembled from kits by Pegasus Hobbies. These kits are incredibly tedious and time consuming to build, but pretty flexible and look nice when finished. They would also be great for kit bashing (looting the kit for parts to use in scratch built terrain).

More of the sci fi set coming soon!

Flash Gordon Rocket Ship

2009-05-22T11:35:00.002-04:00

"FLASH! BOOOOOM AAAAAAH!"

http://nikolairuskin.com/miniatures_pages/rockets.htm

Flash Gordon Rocket Ships and new sci fi terrain pieces have been added to the Valley of Isk.

These were done on commission in April 2009. The Cargo Bay, Cliff Door, Chem Plant, Launch Pad, and Power Plant pages will be posted in the beginning of June.