Sacks and Crates, Freight, Groceries.

Introduction

Scatter terrain is something that we all need in our wargames, yet it's something I tend to forget when making purchases or scratchbuilding.  Just occasionally, though, I build a few pieces.  Here are some that I've used many times in Old West games, usually placed just outside the grocer's store.  [What, outside, in the street?  Yes, that's right: in the open air.  I dunno, maybe the grocery store just got a delivery and hasn't yet unpacked everything...]

Groceries

Groceries for an Old West town.  Hmm, I wonder whether the fish is still fresh?

This photo shows 3 pieces that might loosely be termed "groceries".  The upper two are composite items, built up from multiple models, whilst the lower item comes as a single cast.  So, clockwise from the top left:

• The crates of fish and apples come from Ainsty Castings, specifically from the Trade Goods section of their catalogue.  I'm pretty sure that the sacks are from the same source as well.
  
• Again, the crates of vegetables are Ainsty trade goods.  The barrels are from a Renedra plastic kit, however.
  
• The pile of packing cases, large jars in wicker sleeves and sacks is a single casting from Ainsty.  Note that such a piece is slightly harder to paint than separate items because of the close proximity of different colours, though on the other hand, unlike an assemblage of separates, it doesn't need to be based.
  
  Also note that it's hard to use multiples of such a single-piece casting without it looking peculiar.  The human eye and brain is exceptionally good at spotting patterns, so duplicates will stand out like a sore thumb!

 Here are another 3 pieces; for this article I'll call them "containers".  Again, clockwise from the top:

• The stack of crates is a single piece casting from the Void 1.1 "Ammo cases and crates" set.  Since this model came in a collection of 4 bits, I must have the other ammo cases &c around somewhere - but they've become separated temporarily from this one.
  
  Note that a stack of wooden crates like this is very easy to paint.  I've chosen to depict them as fresh pine wood; I doubt that many packing cases were ever old enough to become heavily weathered.  After the base wood colour and a simple wash, I've added some "stencilled" lettering, a few white chalk crosses and a scrawled, semi-literate "Orl Korrect" from the freight company (one of the possibly origins of the well-known phrase "O.K.").
  
  This set of ammo cases and crates is still available from Scotia Grendel.
  
• The stack of barrels and a cartwheel is another of my composite pieces.  The barrels are Renedra plastics, while the wheel is from the long-defunct Amazon Miniatures (nothing to do with the much more recent book company called "Amazon" that some of you may have come across).
  
• Finally, the 2 barrels, wheel and bale is a very mixed piece, but from the same set of manufacturers as before.  The main distinguishing feature here is that one of the barrels is open (and empty).  That's quite easy to achieve with a plastic model, though as I recall there were some substantial internal supports which I had to carve away from the barrel first.

Finally, here are some sacks (and a pile of bales of cotton, or maybe wool).  The sacks are all from Ainsty, as before.  What makes these unique, though, is that I've researched the labels that might have been found on goods sacks in the USA of the late 19th century.  I then made these brand labels into waterslide transfers and applied them to each sack in the top layer.

In this picture, you should be able to make out the following: "R.G.M. 1878", "Wheat", "Coffee Trading Company" and "Produce".  There are also a couple of sacks in the first picture of this article with "PRAIRIE".  Hands up if you noticed them before reading this far!

I'm somewhat annoyed with these sacks, though.  When I painted them, I applied the transfers before giving the models a black wash.  The result is that the wash has outlined each decal faintly; it's quite easy to spot this mistake.  Moral: always apply decals after washes!

Conclusion

All of these goods could be used in many settings as well as Old West, of course.  To me, the most obvious alternative would be Darkest Africa, at some riverhead trading post.  Or perhaps they could fill a warehouse or some market stalls in some pulp adventure?  The possibilities are many and varied...