For your toolbox

Some of the most important information a 40k modeller requires no snappy pictures. In fact, I daresay that snappy pictures are dangerous. I remember the old Heavy Metals in White Dwarf, and the tips, and I would grab the same miniatures paint them exactly as was explained to me, and it would never look like the picture in Heavy Metal. Heavy Metal aught to start their entries with the words, "First go out and get ten years of experience to go with your inherent astronomical talent. Okay, next, highlight scab red with blood red, oh, and don't look at your miniature except in full daylight or under a day lamp." Shouldn't we already know this: pictures can be deceiving. Doesn't everyone have photoshop.

Nonetheless, a toolbox recommendation does not require pictures, and so.

I have recently discovered a number of items to add to my terrain making toolbox. As many of you know, or should know, you need about 1000 popsickle sticks lieing around in order to build ANYTHING, but what I only recently realized is that in the same section of the craft store where they sell popsickle sticks they also sell thinner craft sticks (with square ends!), miniature dowells (fuck yeah!) and popsickle sticks that have knotches cut into them that make for lincoln log construction (if that's what you're into) or...look industrial (as in metal) when painted.

Here's the thing: wood looks like wood. Construct the thing anyway you'd like, but wood looks like wood. Wood is sturdy, that's a big plus. You can make foam core look like cement, but wood without a cover like spackle, will always look like wood. Also, wood is a pain in the ass to work with. You know that it can be carved, routed, sawed, etc.. but that requires tools. Foamcore only requires an exacto blade. The thing is, and we all know this, nothing says cheezy like foam core. You build scenery with foam core you have to do everything in your power to take attention away from that. Great paint job, interesting details in the scenery, but if you try to sell it on ebay, the word foam core will be your bane....now wood, that's a different story.

Which brings me to my next suggestion for your toolbox. I have been working with wood for a while now. That's how I'm converting my Thousand Sons, for instance. And to work with it, I have been using the Dremel cutting disks to sand and cut. The problem with this tool is that its not very precise. In cutting, you almost inevitably lose a milimeter to sawdust, and the cut is rarely straight, which means sanding, and sanding is a bitch when you're wood's as thin as a toothpick and glued on with hot glue. It either breaks or comes loose.

What I've realized is that WIRE CUTTERS (the very same ones that you already have) will cut flat pieces of wood without frayed edges, it will cut them straight, and in a clamping motion! In other words, no torque to tear the wood from the side of the building. Combine this with the various alternative craft sticks and wholly crap you can make serious buildings in very little time. Furthermore, they're sturdy.

Now, for the unsturdy. X-Acto has a tool that I recommend everyone out there get if they do anything with foam core. It is pretty much a blade with a guide and that's it, but the guide allows for 45 degree cuts which means that you can make cleaner joints. Normally I would say a knife is a knife is a knife, but as far as foam core goes, a good tool is golden. So far, the blade and its guides have allowed me to make clean cuts.