"Dollar Store Christmas scenery" Topic

Besides the usual pine trees which are surprisingly more :realistic" than more expensive ones, they have nice street lamps, suitable for 28mm Pulp or IWI or what-not gaming. 4 for a buck! Can't beat that. Glue them to washers and they ain't tipping over.
I didn't have a figure in my pocket for comparison, but the carolers and Christmas revellers look pretty close to 28mm scale also. If not 28mm, just a tad larger. Hey, again it's 4 for a buck!

Not to mention my monthly restock of cheap super glue and super glue gel. OMG! The price has shot up! They used to be 3 tubes for a buck, and now it's only 2!

Unofficial inflation.

You're the man with his finger on the pulse of The Dollar Store!!!!

I picked some lamp posts up a couple weeks ago, but need to go back and get more. They also have park benches that are perfect for 28mm. (And I agree about the trees -- they look better than some of the pricier ones I have seen.)

I have bought 5 packages of trees and some brick looking sections I still don't know what I might use for.

I love the dollar store!

I'm convinced there is a sustainable business model for tapping into those dollar store distributors and only buying the stuff that is applicable to gaming. Call it Toys for Gaming or something and run with it. I don't have time to manage the inventory and shipping or I'd be doing it. Could also tap into aquarium suppliers as well.

I expect CorSec is correct. Someone should do it. (Besides the regulars at the HMGS flea markets.)

The Christmas scenery we see in New Zealand stores is rarely suited for gaming. Not unless you want to cover your table in tinsel and shiny glass balls.

I didn't realize they sold super glue…2 for a buck???? I've been forking out at least 5 for one! Thanks for the heads up John

Another thing to keep you eye out for (and not just in Dollar Stores) are ceramic buildings. They come in various sizes, some of which are great for gaming.

You will often have to repaint the snowy roofs and some of the other Christmas stuff . . . but then they work well for many periods.

Also if you want to make "hedges", there are dark green "scrubbers" that are easily cut by scissors and the larger sort of "craft sticks". Both of these are about 6" long . . . and the sticks make great bases for the scrubber hedges attached with white glue, of course.

Happy terraining, people.

-- Jeff

-- Jeff

Our local one has Christmas tree balls of various sizes that are made of thin polystyrene (not glass) and came in VERY handy when I needed to make my son a Dalek costume the other week. At AUD$2.00 for ten, I may pick another pack up for future projects that might need spheres or spherical sections.

Brian, you may want to check those "glass" balls more closely. I'd be surprised if the Kiwi ones were sourcing from different suppliers than the ones here in Oz.

A pack of plastic shot glasses provided the light covers and a AUD$6.00 mop supplied the manipulator arm and various other tubing requirements.

And the superglue thing, yeah :) AUD$2.00 for eight here.

Strange,but I was in the Dollar Tree today for superglue as well.Picked up a couple of plastic tubs for storage as well.Everythings $1 USD!

Thanks for posting this John;
I've been wanting to get some scenery for .45 Adventures and Pulp Gaming.
I'll be visiting a Dollar Store near by soon.
Joe

I was planning on making a couple of HOTT armies out of all those dollar store figurines (Christmas trees, people, trains, snowmen, Santa on a sleigh, etc. all rated up as lurkers, knights, hordes, behemoths, etc). I've got a big box of stuff up in the attic that I bought a year or two ago. Now you've got me thinking about dragging it out…

I saw those earlier, now my DollarTree stores only have the figures, no lamposts! And I doubt if they'll be restocking! Curses!

Stopped at the dollar store tonight.
Got some super glue, 3 trees not evergreens something different but same company, a bunch of wall sections, 4 lamp posts

less than $10 USD

great deals!

I plan on using the mini spotlights for sci fi searchlights mounted on top of poles and the roof of a building or two.

And let's not forget the dinosaurs and other toys. A bit off topic, but you could always put santa hats on them.

The Super glue I bought at the local dollar store doesn't work worth a . I'm going back to a name brand.

I found that Lowes has four tubes for 1.97, so far it seems to work ok.

bunkermeister.blogspot.com

I have photos of all the buildings from Dollar Tree for the last four or five years on my blog. This year they were okay, but not has good for multiple purchases as last year. I got one of each. Re-paint the snow as dirt, ash, or plants and the look better.

The buildings work great for 15mm, HO, 1/72nd scale. The accessories are larger and so are the figures.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

Didn't we have this conversation last year, OFM? :)

TMP link

Worth a look for scale with 28mm minitaures, anyway.

Last year Mike Creek told me about the Cobblestone Corners figures at Dollar Tree, and I bought a lot of them to help fill my 28mm Victorian streets. They painted up really well. You can see them with their new paint jobs in pics 8, 13, 19, 43, and 55 of my Victorian Gallery at link

Gotta agree on the dollar-store superglue. It is dookie. Buy some made by Loctite for comparison and you will see an immense difference in quality.

Don't forget your local Goodwill & Salvation Army thrift shops. At this time of year, they're a treasure trove of ceramic buildings and other Christmas gee-gaws suitable for conversion into pieces of terrain.

Lots of great stuff at the dollar store. I have been buying trees and Christmas scenery for years. Also check out all the 50% closeouts of decorations after the Holidays. Tons of stuff is still there and it is very cheap.