Hello everybody!

I recently bought the rule book for All Things Zombie and I followed their link over to this site looking for some scenery and I was immediatley blown away by what I saw. I never knew that card stock scenery could look so good! The Mayhem set specifically caught my eye since I want a modern theme and all of the sets will work out perfectly.

But, I have to admit, I was a little turned off when I saw the prices. Sticker shock I guess. So I decided to see what other options were available. After browsing the competition, I quickly returned to WWG because the quality is just so far above and beyond anything else I came across. But I still wasn't ready to bust out my credit card.

It wasn't until I checked out these forums that I was completely sold. This seems to be a really friendly community and the fact the WWG employees actually communicate and respond to the members is amazing. I feel like I've learned so much already just from a days worth of reading that I'm going out to buy my supplies shortly and then I plan on picking out a few of the Mayhem sets.

And now for some questions:

I read all about glue and paper and knives, but I couldn't find much solid info on the transparencies. What should I be using for transparencies? Do you actually print on them or do you just need something clear to place in the windows? And do most sets require the use of transparencies or are there options to just leave a printed card stock version in place?

And my last question, does anybody have a suggestion for which Mayhem set would be best for a complete beginner? I would like to slowly work my way up from easy to difficult construction to avoid any frustration right off the bat.

And finally, thanks for listening and thanks for any help you can give. I hope to stick around for a while learning from you guys. Thanks!

DJ

Their are, indeed, printable transparencies to be had. Not the easiest thing in the world to find, though. I believe ever set has the option of just leaving the paper-printed windows intact, however.



I would get Streets of Mayhem and Bits of Mayhem. With those two, you can make plenty of outdoor city-scapes. If you want interiores, however, you will need to look into some of the other Mayhem sets.

Welcome to the community!

Welcome to the community Doosharm, and to the best value terrain, by far

I'm curious about your mention of sticker shock. What price level do you think would have had you purchase immediately?

Well, keep in mind, I never really looked into this kind of terrain before so I had no experience to build an estimated price from. I also didn't realize how high quality the WWG products are compared to the competition.

I also didn't understand exactly how much material came in one set. When I saw the Mayhem armory I thought it was just one buildings worth of content in the pack so I was expecting a price of maybe $5. But when I finally checked out the forums and saw what people were doing with them and got a better idea of what it was all like, the price immediately looked more than reasonable.

I guess the best way to say it was that before seeing the galleris and reading posts from real customers I was pretty ignorant about the products. But I do love to be proven wrong!

Anyway, I just got all of my materials from the craft store and I'm off the buy my first few sets!

Welcome to a very fun side of the hobby, Doosharm! Be sure to let us know how you get on, and if you have any questions, just ask

Thanks! I just got the Bits of Mayhem and Streets of Mayhem sets and I'm attempting the Golden Shield gas station as we speak. So far, so good.

This is certainly something different for me but I've always loved putting together scenery. My brother and I used to play the Game-Workshop Lord of the Rings game and we built a static, contoured 4'x4' board to play on and then another flat board with modular bits. I think I had more fun making some of that stuff than actually playing the game!

Here are some pictures in case anyone is interested. Click on them to see a larger version.




But for now it's back to work on the gas station.

DJ

Happens more often that you might think, imho - there's a reason GW spends as much time as they do on promoting the painting and modelling side of the hobby

Seriously, I know I've spent far more time painting my models than I have playing with them yet I still feel pretty fulfilled when I look at the figure cabinet....

Welcome aboard Doosharm! Cardstock is a pretty amazing alternative once you get used to the workflow.

Those Middle Earth builds are fantastic by the way!

Hey there, Doosharm!

About transparencies: if you have trouble finding the printable kind (or your printer doesn't do a very good job with them) you could always do what I do and print out the transparencies on regular paper, then take that page to a print shop and have them photocopy it onto a colour transparecy for you. It's a bit pricier but it's guaranteed to work.

I have done that sometimes - the color is generally deeper when done at Kinko's than when I print at home.

On the other hand printing at home is considerably cheaper. In general I find the difference worth the price, but I am often too rushed to bother. (Then I feel out of sorts, because I know that the results could have been better.)

One major advantage of transparencies that I do not make enough use of is that it can really help with answering Line of Sight questions, especially if you have a laser pointer. One of the people I play Mordheim against carries one on his keychain, it makes a difference.

Your two starting sets are a very good place to begin - giving decent variety and a lot of good tactical terrain. There is enough there to keep you busy both building and playing for a while. Do not neglect the fire escapes in Bits! I generally make a dash for those and the pedestrian bridges (in Streets) with anyone who has a decent gun. Also fun is deciding if the Propane tank can be blown up....

Another good set for fun battles is Industrial - another very flexible set. It fits in well with BoM and SoM. It also would combine well with the Junkyard or the Marina. (Oceanic zombies, rising from the deeps?)

Less flexible, in one sense, but incredibly table grabbing is the Cathedrae Noctis set, with or without expansion. Plenty of cover, some great elevated (shooting) galleries, and a Hell of a lot of atmosphere. Makes a great centerpiece for Where the Trouble All Begins. One of the best games of Mordheim I ever lost took place in the Cathedral. (Goblins... with bows... on high places... with cover.... )

The Auld Grump

Thank you very much. I appreciate the compliment.



I checked one office supply store for them today but had no luck. My girlfriend works at a local university and has access to the office supplies so I'll see if she can acquire some for me. If not I think I read in another post that you cen get them at Amazon. But its good to know that I have options.

@The Auld Grump
Thanks for the great suggestions. I'm still trying to figure out how I'd like to set my board up. I love the look of the junkyard and I know for sure that I'll be buying the police station and the armory, but I would like a strong focal point for the board. I haven't checked out the Cathedrae Noctis set yet but I'll look into it.

Thanks everybody.

DJ

Welcome aboard, Doosharm. This is one of the friendliest and most helpful forums on the Interweb, so don't be afraid to ask for help and advice. The first WWG model that I made was also the Mayhem Petrol Station. I recently ran a review of it on my blog-site, which you can see by clicking on the address in my signature below. You might find it useful.

One thing about transparencies is that they need to match the type of printer you have. I tried using plain paper copier ones on my ink jet and the ink had zero adherence.

I get some at Walmart I think its a 10 pack for like $7.50

And another tip for the budget conscious. Make sure your printer has separate color cartridges. Using generic inks are another item to look at. I can get a 4 cartridge set of ink for under $20.

For further inspiration check out Vampifan's utterly mindblowing work on Mayhem: http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogsp ... -dead.html . These are some of the best and most fully realized Mayhem builds to date. We'll have to get you to a CON with us, terrain in hand, somehow Vampifan!

Vampi,

Your blog is an incredible testament to your detail, a source of inspiration to our fanbase and its a terrific advertising mechanism for us as well. I may even do some official linking to keep peoples attention on it (when I have time).

-D

Thanks a lot Vampifan but I'm one step ahead of you. It was because I spent a significant amount of time at your blog that I opted to start with the gas station. I even followed your advice and got the free port-a-potty (portaloo) from the Two Hour Wargames site. I bought their rule book (ATZ) and followed their advice to come here but I somehow missed their freebie.




I have a Canon Pixma MP620 All-in-one printer. I get amazing picture quality with it and it actually has 5 ink cartridges (Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, Black, and another bigger Black). It is an ink jet so I guess I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for transparencies made specificall for inkjets. I'm taking a trip to Staples today to see if I can find some, and if not to price out how much it would cost for them to do it for me.



You are absolutely correct. I was totally blown away when I saw Vampifan's work. I mean, all of the stuff looks great here in the preview sections but seeing it all come together like that to make one completely believeable environment is something else. For me personally, Vampifan set the quality bar. I'm pretty sure I won't exceed the quality but I'm doing my best to get close.

Again, thanks for all the comments and suggestions guys. I'm really excited about all of this modeling and I'm glad to be a part of the community.

DJ

Shucks!

New review tomorrow - the warehouse from Mayhem Industrial.

I'm looking forward to it!

By the way, I have one question about your gas station build... I'm not trying to pick on you but did you put the propane tank together upside down? When I was looking at the instructions it looks to me like the little "cap" you have on top is really the stand that goes on bottom and then the regulator goes on the side to balance it. Is there a reason you did it differently? It looks like your way is probably much more stable. I'm considering leaving the stand out for just that reason. Just wondering, don't mean to be picky.

DJ

@Doosharm. Nope, you're not being picky and yes, you're right, that little cylinder that I've put on the top of the tank should be the base. The tank itself is not upside down but I put the small base cylinder on the top precisely for stability, as you suggested. Well spotted, mate! You could just as easily leave it out altogether. It's such a small part only the eagle-eyed will notice its missing, lol!

@Vampifan

I think I will leave it out then. By the way, I enjoyed reading through your warehouse build. I have a couple more questions though...

When you cut out the small details like the time clock, glue them to mounting board and then glue them back in place, are you cutting them right out of the pieces you're using or do you print out an extra copy and glue it over the untouched wall panel? I imagine if I was to try cutting it right out of the background I would end up with some spaces around the object.

And when you're doing doors, do you cut the entire door out, glue it to a cereal box with a tab and then glue the tab in so it can swing? Or do you cut three sides and slide a piece of cereal box inbetween the two door panels?

I opted to just leave my gas station closed up until I get better at all of this. Thanks for your help. And again, another nice build on your blog.

DJ

@Doosharm. With regard to objects that appear on a wall, like the "clocking-in" board you mentioned I only print the wall out once. I then carefully cut out any items that I want raising from the wall. Then I glue the wall to the mounting card with holes in it from where I've cut out the items. The items are then stuck onto mounting card, usually a bit bigger, which is then trimmed to size. That piece is stuck back onto the wall where the "hole" appears. Seriously, there is no need to print out a second sheet just to cut out small items. Patience, care, a sharp blade and a steady hand are all that are required.
I mentioned in one of my previous reviews how I make doors that open and close but for your benefit, here's my technique again. Assuming the door is part of the wall I first cut it out along the outside of the door frame. Then I cut the door out from the frame. The door frame is very thin so be careful with your cutting here but if you do cut too far and it ends up in two or three pieces don't worry. Stick the door and the frame to two separate pieces of thin card. Cut a hole out of your mounting card the same size as the door. If you started with the outer wall, now cut out the door and frame for the inner wall. Stick the outer wall to the mounting card. For the door hinges I use masking tape but you could use a strip of your printer paper. I stick the masking paper to the back of the door that is stuck to the piece of thin card, leaving about half an inch to an inch to stick to the blank side of the mounting card. Now stick the inner door piece to the door that has the masking tape on. Next, stick your inner wall piece to the back of the mounting card. Finally, stick both door frames in place. I hope that makes sense. You will usually find the door will open one way but not the other. Whether you want it to open inwards or outwards is determined by whether you stick the masking tape next to the inner wall or outer wall respectively.
Oh, and thanks for looking at my warehouse review. If you have any more questions to ask, don't hesitate in posting them and I'll answer as best I can.

Thank you for your answers. I've just finished my gas station build and I want to move on to something with an interior so I was considering picking up the armory set. But before I get started I wanted to hear about those techniques so I can try them out myself. I must have missed that part in your blog, or otherwise forgotten, but thank you for repeating it for me. I will try to do a little more research before asking questions in the future.

Never apologise for asking questions, Doosharm! It's the only way you'll learn. Besides which, I gave you a much fuller description for making doors than I wrote on my blog.
Mayhem Armoury is a great set for beginners. The armoury itself is very easy to make, although it does have one potentially fiddly bit - the "glass" topped and fronted cases for the pistols. The armoury shop was the first WWG review that I posted on my blog, so check it out for useful tips. If you decide to limit it to just the ground floor, you should manage fine. I pushed the envelope a lot by all the work I did on the upper floor. The garage that comes with the Armoury set is even easier to build unless you copy my method for making a real sliding door. (I think that was where I posted my technique for making normal doors as well.) I've made the apartment building from the Armoury set but haven't got round to reviewing it yet. Nonetheless, you can see quite a few photos of it (including interior shots) in my Zombie Rescue battle report on my blog.
Congrats on completing your first model and let us know how you get on with your next one. Best of luck to you!

Well I just grabbed the armory set and I'm re-reading your blog posts to get as many tips as possible. Here are a few pics from my completed builds. They certainly aren't perfect but I sure did learn a lot about what NOT to do. I have high hopes for the new set though.

Click for larger versions.

"Not perfect"? Dude, they look pretty good to me! Clean, neat lines - for a first go around, those are nice! Good job!

As an aside, I do like the way WWG uses transparencies, though, it's one of the things I really like about the First Light set and the HUDs on the bridge and turret windows....and as for the stained glass windows in the Cathedrae Noctis set? I was blown away. Those things look AWESOME. Check it out if you haven't already

Haha. Thanks Bob.

I took a long look at all of the other sets from WWG today so I just saw the space craft for the first time. But I did check out the stained glass windows before. I like the look of the transparencies so much that I'm halting production on the armory until I can find some. They seem to make a huge difference.

Hi Doosharm

Transparencies do make a difference to the look of the armory. I have almost finished putting together the ground floor of my shops/apartment block and am happy that I went with Transparencies now.

* edit, I have just added some photos of the front of the armory with Transparencies.

@Doosharm. Just seen your photos of your first builds and I'm very impressed! As Bob said, they are nice clean builds and believe me, I've seen a lot worse. Yeah, learning what NOT to do is just as important as learning what to do. Regarding transparencies I can only echo the previous comments - they make a world of difference. On the petrol station kiosk you have managed the folds in the window very well indeed. I fluffed my first attempt, when I applied too much pressure on my craftknife when scoring the transparency for the folds and cut instead of scored. On my second attempt I got it right. You learn from your mistakes. Keep up the good work. You seem to have got the hang of cardcraft modelling very well.

Hey Doosharm,
Like you, I was new to these types of build and I must say that they are the best around. I have the Mayhem sets and check out what I have done for my ATZ clan. These were done with the Mayhem series. The Armory shows what a transperancy can do. As you can tell, I made my modular so that I can easily transport it in my car.

Nice builds. I bought the new ATZ a while back--havent had a chance to play yet, but I see my old Mayhem builds coming back out when I do. Your own builds actually inspire me to go more modular like you have. Thanks for the ideas!