Pendraken Miniatures Forum

Wider Wargaming => Genre/Period Discussion => Dungeons => Topic started by: Germy on 17 October 2011, 07:40:05 PM

Title: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Germy on 17 October 2011, 07:40:05 PM
When I get a chance I'll do a proper article on how I made it but thought I'd have a go at making a Gelatinous Cube  8)
(http://germy.co.uk/images/projects/Gelatinouscube.jpg)
I made it with my hot glue gun  :o
Made a square mould and simply filled it with glue. Did it in stages to let the glue dry and it took about 8 glue sticks. Cost probably £1.60.
It didn't set as clear as I would have liked but not bad for about 30 mins work!

Also made some slime monsters with the same hot glue gun.
(http://germy.co.uk/images/projects/Dungeonslime.jpg)

Cheers

Germy
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Blaker on 17 October 2011, 07:50:00 PM
Very cool ideas there Germy!!   :D
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 17 October 2011, 08:22:14 PM
HOT STUFF GERMY! :D
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: sixsideddice on 17 October 2011, 10:35:14 PM
Thats so cool Germy, I`d buy me one of those  :x

I made myself a Gelatinous Blob (which is now included in the DW rules), but it was very basic - but it worked fine for what I wanted.

Yours is really D&D-ish  :)

Love it.


Six.
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Leon on 18 October 2011, 12:35:51 AM
I like those, especially the smaller ones.  I wonder how well one of the clear gel types would work, like the Vallejo one designed for rivers?
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: sixsideddice on 18 October 2011, 08:24:22 AM
Reason I went with Genatinoue Blob was.... well, would we be able to get away with calling it a Cube? I mean, its probably one of the most iconic D&D monster in the book?

Traditionally, the GC is meant to be see through/clear and pretty much fills the dimensions of what ever passage wherein it lurks and slithers - very cool `clean up crew`Monster indeed.

My Blob is a bit smaller, any colour the owner choses (I chose light blue or vibrant green for mine); but is obviously heavily based on the GC.

Germy`s  version of this `thing`really hits the spot, and I`d love to be able to add one to my games (too rare and powerful to use more than one at a time). The smaller ones would be great for babies; but the big Daddy would have to be THE one, because it simply wouldn`t be a GC otherwise.

Exciting addition.... you`ve created a... erm... monster here Germy  ;)


Six  :)
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: capthugeca on 18 October 2011, 08:48:55 AM
Love the little ones, Germy.

The big one does look a little strange having such square sides but not touching the walls. Like Six, I have always pictured them filling a passageway.
I wonder if there is a way of creating one possibly by lining a piece of passageway with some aluminium foil.

But good stuff.


Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Germy on 18 October 2011, 09:25:39 AM
Yeah, it should really be wall to wall. But as with all gaming I was looking at the practical side of having it occupy four dungeon squares so combat was easier.
You can buy clear resin to make them out of. Otherworld miniatures make one which is 4cm square Otherworld Cube (http://www.otherworld.me.uk/dmseries2.html)

But this was just me not being able to put my hot glue gun down  :D
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: goat major on 18 October 2011, 09:41:14 AM
Thats fantastic!!! i havent played D&D for 20 years but this idea alone is making me reconsider!!!!



I'm already starting to think what can other uses hot glue can be put to (other than glueing of course because its rubbish at that!)
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: sixsideddice on 18 October 2011, 10:08:37 AM
QuoteBut as with all gaming I was looking at the practical side of having it occupy four dungeon squares so combat was easier.

I`m totally with you there Germy, and I don`t mind the dimensions at all....  I think what you have there is perfect as a 10mm skulpt :-)
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Aart Brouwer on 18 October 2011, 11:09:37 AM
Quote from: Germy on 17 October 2011, 07:40:05 PM
When I get a chance I'll do a proper article on how I made it

Um, from gelatine?    B)

Cheers,
Aart
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Germy on 18 October 2011, 12:34:22 PM
Hmmm an edible version ...  ;)
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Aart Brouwer on 18 October 2011, 01:36:35 PM
Quote from: Germy on 18 October 2011, 12:34:22 PM
Hmmm an edible version ...  ;)

Holy mackerel, Batman. It's ... da Yummy Cube!  :P

Cheers,
Aart
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 18 October 2011, 03:56:39 PM
Quote from: Aart Brouwer on 18 October 2011, 01:36:35 PM
Holy mackerel, Batman. It's ... da Yummy Cube!  :P

Cheers,
Aart

Surley "Holy Jello Batman....."
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Luddite on 18 October 2011, 05:38:28 PM
Excellent Germy!

Now then, shouldn't there be a few skulls, or the odd sword suspended in the cube?

(http://www.headinjurytheater.com/images/d&D%20beasts%20gelatinous%20cube.jpg)
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Germy on 18 October 2011, 07:46:43 PM
There are 3 skeletons in it!
But as mentioned it didn't set clear enough  :(
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: nikharwood on 19 October 2011, 12:07:35 AM
Very nicely done Jeremey - as six says, this is an iconic dungeon adversary & I think your method here is fantastic & easily replicated [I'm going to try to do a couple / variants this weekend] - thanks for posting!
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Annatar on 19 October 2011, 05:13:55 AM
Great !!! Must try this myself !!!

Hmmm.... what kind of i'am going to use ?  :-\
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Fenton on 19 October 2011, 04:14:17 PM
Very nice

I remember in an adventure years ago looking round the corner and sticking my head into a cube...Oh how the rest of the party laughed...Oh how my character died
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: sixsideddice on 17 February 2012, 12:46:39 PM
QuoteI remember in an adventure years ago looking round the corner and sticking my head into a cube...Oh how the rest of the party laughed...Oh how my character died


HAHAHAHA  ;D  =O

Oh Gosh the the fun you can have with a Cube.


Hmmmm, I think I`ll deviate a wee bit with my "Blob" idea. My original thinking was to make something everyone knew as a cube but without copying D&Ds word for the thing; however, experimenting with my own sculpted pieces and coming up with interesting colour schemes, I`ve kinda made up my own ecology and mythology for this beastie now at this stage... as I have for most of my DW 10mm monsters and races.

Hmmmm, maybe I need to put together a proper Dungeon World Bestuary  :-\


Six



Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: sixsideddice on 17 February 2012, 12:50:45 PM
... would help if I could actually spell it


                                          """Bestiary"""
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Squirrel on 17 February 2012, 08:03:01 PM
Quote from: sixsideddice on 17 February 2012, 12:50:45 PM
... would help if I could actually spell it


                                          """Bestiary"""

=O =O

Good idea actually :-bd

Cheers,

Kev
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: O Dinas Powys on 21 August 2012, 08:47:10 PM
Ok, time to resurrect this ancient beast!

I was in Hobbycraft the other day and spotted this stuff:

(http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/images/NewWSWeb/C1206_f_1.jpg)

Looks like it might be just the ticket, from the Woodland Scenics website http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/Item/C1206/page/1 (http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/Item/C1206/page/1):
QuoteEasy to use. Good for deep, single pours. No measuring or mixing. Just heat and pour E-Z Water according to package directions, to form ponds, streams, rivers and harbors. Non-toxic, low-odor product that hardens in minutes.

If I ever have the need for a swarm of cubes I shall let you know the results! ;)
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 21 August 2012, 08:52:29 PM
Nice resurrection, as the assassin said to the cleric!

They also sell it in the Model Zone shops, I noticed it the other day and did wonder if it was any good...
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: O Dinas Powys on 21 August 2012, 09:05:06 PM
Quote from: mad lemmey on 21 August 2012, 08:52:29 PM
Nice resurrection, as the assassin said to the cleric!
Thank you!  :-bd

Quote from: mad lemmey on 21 August 2012, 08:52:29 PM
They also sell it in the Model Zone shops, I noticed it the other day and did wonder if it was any good...
I suppose when it comes in roughly pint bags, you could treat them as disposable if they are too fragile or clagg up horribly with dust!   ;)
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: far4ngn on 22 August 2012, 02:31:37 AM
I lost loads of good adventurers to those damn things!
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Poggle on 24 August 2012, 01:16:59 AM
I didn't find EZ Water that easy, to be honest. It needs heating up to melt the nodules. It isn't a whole lot of fun on a bun to handle scalding hot material quickly enough to be effective before it solidifies. Great care is needed.
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: O Dinas Powys on 24 August 2012, 08:24:42 PM
Quote from: Poggle on 24 August 2012, 01:16:59 AM
I didn't find EZ Water that easy, to be honest. It needs heating up to melt the nodules. It isn't a whole lot of fun on a bun to handle scalding hot material quickly enough to be effective before it solidifies. Great care is needed.

Worth knowing, thanks  :)

If anyone were mad enough to try, how do you think it would work?  On a quick websearch I found a tutorial on making dolls house water features.  There were pictures of cast E-Z water free-standing, but it said it was quite brittle.  Do you think it would survive table-top use?

Cheers,

Meirion
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Poggle on 24 August 2012, 09:04:02 PM
Quote from: O Dinas Powys on 24 August 2012, 08:24:42 PM
Worth knowing, thanks  :)

If anyone were mad enough to try, how do you think it would work?  On a quick websearch I found a tutorial on making dolls house water features.  There were pictures of cast E-Z water free-standing, but it said it was quite brittle.  Do you think it would survive table-top use?

Cheers,

Meirion

EZ Water is brittle. For tabletop use I'll say a provisional 'yes,' but I'd go with depth and compactness - no thin or shallow streams or river sections, or marshy patches; they simply wouldn't survive much handling. As mentioned it is a bugger to work with, due to the need to heat it, and you have to work fast for it to be any use as it solidifies very quickly. Personally I'd go with Envirotex Lite, or, failing that, several coats of varnish.
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: O Dinas Powys on 24 August 2012, 09:59:23 PM
Quote from: Poggle on 24 August 2012, 09:04:02 PM
EZ Water is brittle. For tabletop use I'll say a provisional 'yes,' but I'd go with depth and compactness - no thin or shallow streams or river sections, or marshy patches; they simply wouldn't survive much handling. As mentioned it is a bugger to work with, due to the need to heat it, and you have to work fast for it to be any use as it solidifies very quickly. Personally I'd go with Envirotex Lite, or, failing that, several coats of varnish.

Ok, cheers.  However, talking specifically about a Gelatinous Cube(which would be about 30mm an edge to fit in with the resin dungeon pieces), how do you think it would fare then?

Since you mention it, how would Envirotex Lite fare?

The chief selling feature of the E-Z water was that I'd seen it in Hobbycraft, its purported easy of use and relative cheapness.  Envirotex Lite seems readily available on-line.  How easy is it to use?

Cheers,

Meirion
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Luddite on 24 August 2012, 10:32:35 PM
Wouldn't it be easier to simply use real gelatinous cubes?

(http://graeme.woaf.net/otherbits/jellypics/jelly_cubes_full.jpg)

(http://notjustagranny.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/jelly-squares1.jpg)

With a bit of trimming you could make them look ok, and it'd be easy to push a skeleton figure or other detritus into it.

And afterwards, assuming it doesn't melt, it'll make a nice dessert.

:)

EDIT: Pic resized.
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Leon on 24 August 2012, 10:34:22 PM
Hehe, I bought some strawberry jelly chunks the other day to munch on, great source of energy!

:D
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: O Dinas Powys on 24 August 2012, 10:35:46 PM
Quote from: Luddite on 24 August 2012, 10:32:35 PM
Wouldn't it be easier to simply use real gelatinous cubes?

(http://graeme.woaf.net/otherbits/jellypics/jelly_cubes_full.jpg)



Obviously, but where's the fun in that?  ;)

...and it makes your dungeon non-vegetarian over prolonged use!  :D
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Poggle on 24 August 2012, 10:54:35 PM
Envirotex Lite is very easy to use. It's an epoxy varnish, meant to give the same coverage effect as fifty coats of regular varnish, but it works fine for water effects too. You mix equal parts of A and B and pour or brush it onto the surface. Use a cheap brush, because you'll have to throw it away afterwards. It dries in about 24 hours. It is a bit expensive, but you don't need a lot to get a good result.

I haven't used it for gelatinous cubes, but it's perfectly possible. Rather than go into a lot of detail here, I'll provide this link to this chap...

http://www.hirstarts.com/tips19/tips19.html#tube

Go a quarter way down the page. He shows how to use Envirotex to make a SF stasis tube. Same principle could be used for a gelatinous cube.  ;)
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: O Dinas Powys on 14 September 2012, 08:56:02 PM
Quote from: Poggle on 24 August 2012, 10:54:35 PM
Envirotex Lite is very easy to use. It's an epoxy varnish, meant to give the same coverage effect as fifty coats of regular varnish, but it works fine for water effects too. You mix equal parts of A and B and pour or brush it onto the surface. Use a cheap brush, because you'll have to throw it away afterwards. It dries in about 24 hours. It is a bit expensive, but you don't need a lot to get a good result.

I haven't used it for gelatinous cubes, but it's perfectly possible. Rather than go into a lot of detail here, I'll provide this link to this chap...

http://www.hirstarts.com/tips19/tips19.html#tube

Go a quarter way down the page. He shows how to use Envirotex to make a SF stasis tube. Same principle could be used for a gelatinous cube.  ;)


Thanks for the info.  :-bd
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: arabianknight on 24 September 2012, 01:01:14 PM
Here's a tutorial link for you to try: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kylemay/2045290249/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kylemay/2045290249/)

I had intended to give it a bash myself before posting up here, but never got round to it. Thought I'd best get it posted up during the threads second incarnation  ;)

I'd thought that maybe you could build it up in stages if you needed to put skeletons in the middle.
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: sixsideddice on 01 October 2012, 12:22:04 PM
Love this thread... full of great ideas. I`m still trying to come up with the ideal Cube, have made a few of my own, but they`re just not right somehow.

.... now the jelly idea sounds yummy. Quite delicious infact.
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: O Dinas Powys on 24 October 2012, 11:03:25 PM
Quote from: arabianknight on 24 September 2012, 01:01:14 PM
Here's a tutorial link for you to try: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kylemay/2045290249/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kylemay/2045290249/)

I had intended to give it a bash myself before posting up here, but never got round to it. Thought I'd best get it posted up during the threads second incarnation  ;)

I'd thought that maybe you could build it up in stages if you needed to put skeletons in the middle.

Another great suggestion, cheers!  :-bd
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: O Dinas Powys on 17 February 2016, 01:33:46 PM
Time for another spot of thread necromancy...  :d

Spotted recently in the Pendraken Dungeon  X_X

(http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l602/Meirion_Hopkins/10mm%20Minis/Dungeon/d9836fc1-634a-41b9-9521-9706c8d30b9a.jpg)



Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Roy on 17 February 2016, 02:38:21 PM
Quote from: O Dinas Powys on 17 February 2016, 01:33:46 PM
(http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l602/Meirion_Hopkins/10mm%20Minis/Dungeon/d9836fc1-634a-41b9-9521-9706c8d30b9a.jpg)

Did a Foxes Glacier Mint, that someone was sucking, fall out of their mouth mid-game and land on the board?  :D

(https://starstruckworld.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/foxs-glacier-mints.jpg)

Blooming 'eck! I've just been promoted to a Lt. Colonel  :d
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Techno on 17 February 2016, 02:43:20 PM
That's really rather spiffy, Meirion !  8)

Do Fox's glacier mints still exist ?.....Decades ago, they always seemed to advertising those on the TV.

Finally.....Congratulations, Roy !!

Cheers - Phil
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 17 February 2016, 03:50:02 PM
Yes they do......

IanS
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 17 February 2016, 06:24:55 PM
Great work!
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: O Dinas Powys on 17 February 2016, 06:34:26 PM
Quote from: mad lemmey on 17 February 2016, 06:24:55 PM
Great work!

:-[

I have to admit, great find more like ;)

It's a 3cm fake ice cube from China/eBay - I'll see if I can post a link later.

Cheers!

Meirion
Title: Re: Gelatinous Cube
Post by: Wulf on 18 February 2016, 10:49:06 AM
Fake ice cube... now that really is cost cutting, non-disposable ice cubes...