I Used To Make Tanks...It's Time To Make Tonks!
Guess who's back? Back again Milgeek's Back!
I'm really pleased to be writing this particular post as it marks a kinda turning point for me. If you've been following any of my social media you cannot be unaware of the 'dreaded evet' that struck me (well, actually a few times) a year or so ago.
Mostly you can't help being aware because I kept banging on about it! 😄
Anyway, you might possibly forgive me bringing this up yet again because I feel that I am actually making go headway, to a point where 'it's' not a thing!!!
Long story short, I've been beavering away over the past months, working 'hard' (relative, I know) to rehabilitate my manual dexterity so that I could get back to doing some of the arts, crafts and model making that I used to love doing. Well, I'm glad to say that I've been quite pleased with some of my recent projects and I think - while I have lost some fine precision abilities - I can at least produce things that aren't too embarrassing!
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| Above: Where I am now, I never thought I get beck to here! |
Where to Begin....Again!?
SO... I actually feel good. Even though my stuff isn't as good as it was. And I'm thinking that it's time to get back to some old time kit-bashing. I just accepting of the fact that they wont be of the standard that I used to be able to achieve pre-stroke. Yeah, that's OK, I'm at that place. 😊
But, where should I begin?
I have ongoing projects that I'm happy with, I just want to take the challenge up a notch. So I was thinking, how about trying to make one of my peg soldiers. Not to complex, but something I really enjoyed...
And then, I was browsing Bill Making Stuff's Discord and his latest Patreon challenge jumped out at me...
~ BUILD A TONK.
What's a 'tonk'? Well, basically it's a 1/72 scale(ish) tank model for use in a tabletop game called (predictably) Tonks. Sounding familiar? Well, if it puts you in mind of a the game 'GF9 Tanks' - which is now sadly defunct - then you won't be on the wrong track...(Get it? Hee hee!)
I used to make models for and played Tanks (cue old photos) and so I thought this challenge would be ideal for giving me a like-for-like reference point on where my abilities lay now.
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| Above: Me playing GF9 Tanks, I even fondly remember this game as my Sherman tank managed to sneak up behind the German Panther and shot it in the ass! LOL |
Anyway, the difference between 'Tonks' and 'Tanks' is that - basically - while 'Tank's was historically based (in WW2), Tonks is very much an 'anything' goes kinda game where you can make your own imaginary tank...
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| Above: Tanks meets Whacky Racers? Tonks can be as silly as you like. |
Bill's Build a Tonk Challenge...
Now, where does Bill come in? Well, I mentioned Bill's YouTube crafting channel in my 'Upcycle Model Making - Models from Junk' post. Bill Making Stuff is a firm favourite due to it's mix of whacky build, dry humour and interesting 'story time' lore!
It's the lore part that a major component of this build challenge as Bill has woven his own fantasy world around his builds, a dystopian world called Tapu- a sort of mix between Borderlands and Mad Max (right up my street)...
So any Tonk build for Bill's challenge must meet the criteria of his 'world'...
I rolled a 2, so I must design and build a 'Rusters' tonk... Rusters are kind like a cross between Warhammer's Ork Boyz, Borderland's crazed psycho scavengers and Mad Max's War Boyz.
The aesthetic for this can be described as rusty junk mixed with aboriginal native shamanistic art???
....I need to break some more ice...And start sketching again! 🧐 (Another challenge!)
For inspiration I couldn't help thinking about Whacky Racers as a starting point....
.....But, more Mad Max looking! 😂
I'll post up the sketches for my ideas when I'm done. The deadline for this challenge is 14 August so I better get cracking!
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