This is my second year participating in the In Rust We Trust Kitbash Secret Santa. I had a really great time last year, so I was looking forward to this year's entry, as I'm sure many of us were. And while it is excellent to receive, for me I'm most excited to receive my prompts and to see where the inspiration takes me, and to send my little creation off to its new owner. I was even lucky enough last year to hang out with the recipient of my project a couple of times.
If you're not familiar, the Hive Scum crew hosts a Discord server called In Rust We Trust. I'm going to guess that if you're here, you're probably there, but for those who don't, here's the breakdown.
Participants are invited to fill out a form with their names and addresses, and three or so keywords to act as prompts for your Secret Santa - something that gives them an idea what you'd enjoy receiving in the mail. Prompts are kept secret, and we each kitbash a model and send it to its intended recipient. Painting is not necessary, though it does seem that folks like to prime their creations before parting with them. Priming really makes a build come together, so I most definitely prime before calling it done.
I'm not much of a kitbasher myself, probably because most of my models are either cast in resin or 3D printed - I just don't have kits and bits to choose from. I do like to sculpt and scratch-build, however, so that's what I do. Last year, my recipient got from me a model and a bit of a diorama, all on a 60mm base. This year, I really leaned into the diorama. You'll see what I mean.
My recipient's prompts were Gothic, Skull, Forest. This resonated with me right away. I started with a cast of a tree stump I sculpted earlier this year. I cut a fairly large base from a piece of masonite, I think about 6" long and 3" wide. I traced the footprint of the tree onto a scrap of XPS foam and cut it to shape. This I used to lift the tree a bit, so I could build around and perhaps under it. This gave me space to extend the roots of the tree out and down, and right away I decided to brick around the sides.
The roots I shaped with aliminum foil, then covered in Milliput. I built out the roots before finishing the brick work, so that it looked like the roots had grown between and displaced them. I also wasn't quite sure what I would do in the open space between the two largest branches. This gave me time to think about it. At this point, I still didn't know what kind of model would live on this base, if any.
At this point things were coming together in my mind. I decided the space I'd created could be the entrance to a dungeon or mine. I cut some craft sticks and glued them in place. Then I covered the open horizontal space with more foil before coating it in CA glue and baking soda. If I was going to call this a "bash", I was going to need to add some bits, so I scrounged some loose skulls and lanterns to add to the tableau, as well as a little rat peeking out of the door. Also, to add character and to fulfill another of the prompts, I sculpted a crude skull into the trunk of the tree. On all the raised surfaces, I spread PVA glue and sand.
Satisfied with the build, I covered the ground of the base with PVA and sand as well, and committed to priming, plus zenithal. Ultimately I decided, the diorama is the model! I sincerely hope whomever receives my gift will enjoy it and I hope to see it painted one day.
