Irrational Number Line Games, LLChome stuff-to-buy idea archive about-us contactAquarium BridgesMuch like the cheap 'Clix bins at my FLGSs, I also like to prowl the clearance sales at pet stores. Aquaria. Terraria. Chew toys. I got these two on major sale. The bridge was clearance priced to $5.00. They had BOGO going in the aquarium, which compounded with the sale. And my son got me the employee discount on top of that. $2.00 each. You can see the scale with the two figures. With the one lying down on the felt, I am trying ton convey that because of the slick surface that is great for underwater, inside an aquarium, you can only get figures to tenuously stand on the top of the arch. Everything else slides off. Enter felt. I cut a strip a bit longer and wider than the bridge surface, then laid it in and cut out the divots for the bridge's stantions. This will let the felt hang over the side a bit, covering the seam and being a little raggedy. I'm going for raggedy. Fit measuring and cutting is a pain, so I used the first one as a template for the second. The fit for the second one was fine. A bit of wood glue later, and the felt is in there to give figures something with a bit of friction to stand on. We help the friction with paint. This is a gloppy, sloppy coat of dark brown (nutmeg) which very nicely matches the felt color. Sloppy gloppy painting give us more raggedy and helps the paint adhere to the unprimed, slick surface. While this first coat is drying, I set up the table for the game today ... did I mention I am doing these at ~0900 for a noon game? The board is set up with all the terrain (except these), and the first coat is dry. The second coat is a heavy drybrush of lighter brown. I use vertical strokes to give some wood grain effect. The second coat dries while I pull armies, dice, and rulers for the game. That coat was thinner, so it dried faster. Once that was dry, I drybrush the bridge a little with white. That gives the wood fungus, bird poop, weathered veneer to the top. And here is the final effect, dry and spanning my Pegasus hobbies plastic river quite nicely for a good game of Rednecks 'n' Revenuers!
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