10 July, 2025

Stargate Project: The Stargate

 You can't have a Stargate game without a Stargate.  I have seen many versions over the years, including one where you can insert a cellphone to get the gate effect.  I ran across this one on eBay while buying a 3d-printed paint holder. The center is removable, but fits so tightly that I try to move it as little as possible to avoid scratching the paint.  I painted the event horizon with successively lighter shades of blue in smaller areas with some silver mixed in the center.

It didn't come with a DHD, the device used to activate the gate.  I bought this 3D-printed one on Etsy from Majestic Miniatures.  They also make some gate versions.  I think it would be fun to run a scenario with 2 boards and a stargate on each one so I may buy one from them in the future.

I have 2 versions of the MALP, the robotic vehicles used to perform recon and carry equipment.  The one on the left is a scratchbuilt version that I bought secondhand, repainted, and added a missile.  The tracks are metal and the rest is made of card.  The missile came with the right-hand version from Ainsty Castings which is made of resin.

Last are two firepits from Bad Goblin Games who have a variety of cool terrain accessories.  I am going to use them as temple fires in the Great Temple from my previous post.  They come with a small light and battery, though the lights are not on in these photos.  I gave the flames a red wash to tone down the orange.


A photo to show the scale.  Off to explore the universe!





 

07 July, 2025

Stargate Project: The Great Temple

With all the other terrain items painted, my attention turned to a large building that I bought at Siege of Augusta 2025 from Garrison 3D.  It has a diameter of 12 inches/30.5 cm and is 9 inches/22.9 cm tall.  When I first saw it I was instantly reminded of a classical temple or building such as the Pantheon in Rome.  It is a 3D print and consisted of the base and a separate dome.  Each of the sections was made from four pieces that had been glued together.

It is intended to be a scifi building as there are two small accessories on the exterior that appear to be electronic systems.  I painted them the same as the surrounding area to make them less noticeable.  They fit the theme given Stargate's use of advanced technology added to historical architecture.

The method I used was first to spray prime several coats of Krylon gray primer.  Next I decided that I wanted to fill the seams between the four sections.  They were partly filled by the original assembly and the primer but I wanted to get rid of the remaining gaps.  An application of superglue gel smoothed by a toothpick did the trick.

I added two coats of brushed on off-white craft paint with a very large brush.  Then I applied a thin wash of gray craft paint to darken the white. I had used red on some of the previous buildings and columns, so used Army Painter Dragon Red on different areas until it looked right to me.  After looking at it for a day I thought it needed another color, so painted some more areas gold.  I think there is enough color to break up the white.

I thought the white was still too bright.  So I applied watered-down Apothecary White GW contrast paint.  That darkened it enough that I was satisfied.  Finally, I sprayed it with two coats of Krylon Matte Varnish.  I am pleased with how it turned out.  It will serve as a good central piece on the table and I have several items that I plan on using in the interior during games.

From the front - a Roman senator speaks to the crowd (28mm Footsore miniature).

An overhead shot with the dome removed.  Plenty of space for skirmish action.

From the rear

Overhead with the dome on.

One last look inside