An Interlude Filler

I will be posting soon about my new project for 2016 (ooh exciting!). But until then here are some very simple fields I made before Xmas 2015 for use with 20mm figures.

Each is about 20cm square. I used the old favourite of the doormat. Gave the top half a rough spray of Vallejo Air Light Camo Green. The row of crops are from Mininatur/Silfor. The goats come from the Pegasus 1/72 scale Farm Set.

The main ground covering is ready mixed filler but at the edges I mixed filler with PVA and that set rock hard. So should protect the edges from any hard knocks.

With a T54 to give an idea of scale. The T54 is from a previous post but slightly modified.

That's it for now more to follow soon...

Eat yer heart out 'Grand Designs'!*

This has kept me occupied for for the last couple of weeks. Another building for my Modern games, but with a slight twist.

Been collecting the bits and pieces to make this scene for a while. The building accoutrement's and paraphernalia come from 1/72 wargaming and OO scale railway sources. The building itself is 2mm MDF for the floors. The ground floor mounted on 3mm cork tile. The walls are 3mm cork sandwiched between embossed plasticard. The concrete uprights are 8mm square pine dowel cut to 80mm lengths and are covered in base render. 0.5mm copper wire used to represent the steel reinforcing bars.

To make up for the lack of walls building materials have been 'strategically' placed to provide cover.

The first floor can be removed to allow access to the ground floor. The ladder being used in lieu of a proper staircase is glued in place to the first floor, but will require careful handling. The oil drums at the back are there to provide some cover but I wanted much of the building to be open to make an interesting feature on the gaming table.

Since my background is not in the building trade or architecture I can only apologise if anyone believes that the structure would fall down in the reality. I did some research to get an idea of materials used in building houses in the Middle East, and used reference photos as a basis for the model. But it's for wargaming so as long as it's practical for  gaming purposes then it's a success. 

I may add in a few more small features at a later date but for now it's complete.

That's it for now more to follow.....

*Grand Designs is a UK TV show about people who build generally large and unusual homes. I don't tend to watch it. Pretentious nonsense!

USMC Fireteam and BIG Bins

Finally completed another fireteam to represent USMC in MOPP gear.

These are once again from the excellent Elhiem range. I should now be able to field two full squads of USMC in NBC suits (part of). One more squad for a full platoon and then onto USMC/US Army in three colour camo DCU's.

Also added couple of terrain features. These are large waste/recycling bins.

These are from Hornby. Which I managed to pick up cheaply. Repainted and weathered them accordingly. To give an idea of size here they are next to a 20mm figure.

Should provide cover in those desperate firefights!

If you notice a slightly different green poking through on the green bin, perfectly reasonable explanation. The first colour I used I decided was not too my taste so I dabbed it off while still wet,with a old rag, trying not to remove the hairspray applied underneath to aid with the chipping effect. Not all the paint came off straight away So I was left with a mottled effect, which I quite liked and sprayed the new colour over the top. Then chipped away, which left the older colour showing through in parts. (Riveting wasn't it!?)

Thats it for now more to follow.....

     

It doesn't get any more exciting than......

Telegraph poles! A selection for your viewing pleasure.....

These have all been placed on old MDF gaming bases, with the edges bevelled. The actual poles are from Ratio in HO scale. The pieces on them are from Bachmann, Modelscene, Knightwing Models, 20mm Zone and Sgt's Mess. So a mix of railway (HO scale) and wargaming scenery.

The bases vary in size from 25x25mm to about 80x40mm. The dog is from Dart Castings, the bin from Bachmann and the sheep from Pegasus Hobbies.  The sheep have been painted to represent Awassi sheep, a breed native to the region.

The skip is from The Scene again. The rubbish inside is home made from off cuts of balsa wood and wire spears. The chair is from Faller and is OOscale so comes out a little small. But one of the legs have been cut off and with a bit of weathering it looks okay. The stool with the dog is also from Faller but that looks more in scale than the chair. All non-animal pieces have been weathered.

The idea behind these was to make the telegraph pole bases more interesting. To add a bit of character to the gaming board and where appropriate provide some cover. The Ratio pack comes with two sprues of eight poles. The next batch will be done similar but I may just base a few with foliage around the base, so nothing to fancy or time consuming. The only thing I would do different is place some of poles centrally on the bases. I got a bit drill happy when placing the holes and it was only after the poles had been placed did I realise I should have varied the positions.

Next up is a break from terrain. I have another USMC fireteam to complete, some more 1/285th FV432's and a plastic kit to build which I'm hoping will turn out well.

That's it for now more to follow........soon-ish.....   

Fedayeen, Skips and a Well

Gosh! Over a month since my last post. Time does fly by even if you are not a driver of  a train!

Change to life plans took up a lot of the last few weeks and also a stock check. Decided to delve into dark corners to discover what was squirrelled away. No gold doubloons, but lots of unpainted lead. A lot of unpainted lead, I even found stuff I forgot I had bought and some items I thought I had given away. Not sure what I'm going to do with it all other than hide it in some other dark corner, to avoid embarrassing cross examination from Mrs G.!! Of course I could paint it all; don't make me laugh!

Also took the opportunity to tidy up my work stations. Having been subjected to the torture of viewing photo's of very tidy painting desks e.g. Loki's, Mr Awdry's to name but a few. I felt compelled in the best British spirit to pull my self together, and tidy! I now actually have room to swing a cat! Marvellous (try saying that in your best Brian Blessed voice)! Any way enough of the boring real life adult world....

Did manage to squeeze in time to paint a few pieces of terrain and some more Insurgents/Fedayeen Saddam for the OIF project. First up the terrain;

A well. This is one of the pieces I found hiding at the bottom of  a box. It's 20+yrs old! The well was part a 20mm Vietnam range, and came molded onto a scenic base with pots. I smoothed the base down slightly, to lower the height and mounted it onto an old MDF base (pre-laser cutting). Built up the edges with DAS clay, textured and painted. The rope is a piece of broken metal chain I found lying on the floor in my girl's room. I'm guessing it came off some costume jewellery. So I spirited it away until I could find a use for it. I realised that when I came to paint the well, there was no bucket or similar receptacle modeled on it. So the rope/chain is meant to represent the bucket having been lowered into the well.

I purchased this item from a shop which used to be in Towcester, and was run by a chap called Mick (I think?). He started to produce some resin terrain in 20mm-Vietnam and 15mm-ACW. They were nice pieces, but I don't recall what happened to the shop or owner. Anybody else remember it?

Next up some Skips which are resin from the 'The Scene';

These are the empty ones. I added the rubble myself, which is made up from cork, balsa wood and sand. Not much to say about these. Nice little models which I have painted and weathered in the usual way. These are available in 15mm and I think 28mm. I have to my knowledge only seen one photo of a skip in Iraq which was actually painted white. But I decided to go with UK yellow!

Now a photo of one of the skips in front of one of homemade houses with a couple of insurgents to give an idea of scale. Followed by a photo of all three terrain pieces together again to give idea of scale;

Also finished a few more insurgents and the first of my Fedayeen Saddam (Saddam's Men of Sacrifice).

 

These figures are all from 'Elhiem'. The Fedayeen are nice figures but since they wore a black uniform not more I can say. Struggled with the photo's of these. For some reason the camera did not seem to like the all black figures. They also look darker than they actually are. The skin on the Fedayeen may appear darker since after painting the basic colours I put a wash on them to shade, but forgot to highlight them again! I intend to use the figures in civilian clothes to represent the Fedayeen along those in the uniform.

On the workbench more Fedayeen, another T-72 and something old, something new, something borrowed (?) and something yellow!

That's it for now more to follow..... 

   

Hot Spots!

For those of you expecting top tips for hip night spots...sorry!

Those of you who play Force on Force, then you will know what I'm referring to. Hot Spot markers;

These are used in FoF/Ambush Alley games to represent 'spawning' areas for insurgent reinforcements. Numbered one to five, they are located on the playing area, and when ever the insurgent/irregular player roles for reinforcements they then make a further die role to find out where the group will arrive on table.

I have used oil drums, to represent the number of each base. Went with an animal theme, and used red (dish) colour for the oil drums to signify a hot spot!  In game terms I never count Hot Spots as intervening terrain but wanted them to fit in with the ramshackle/worn look I'm attempting to create for all the terrain I'm building for this project. 

They can make an important objective for the regular player during asymmetrical engagements. By occupying and removing the Hot Spot then no reinforcements can appear there, but the marker still has to be rolled for. If unlucky enough to role the corresponding number for the 'captured' location then the reinforcements are lost! 

Now I'm really going to turn up the heat!

Jersey barriers. An item of terrain no self respecting modern gamer should be without!

Front

Back

These are resin pieces from Brengun, available from Lone Wulf Models.

Stop!

    

  

More buildings for the OIF project

Completed two more buildings/structures for my ongoing 20mm OIF project. First up another scratchbuilt house;

Decided to build this one as a single storey dwelling since I wanted to have ago at making external stairs. The stairwell was constructed from an off cut of blue styrofoam. Had to use Milliput on the steps to even them out here and there, but otherwise a sharp scalpel did the trick to carve out the steps. Also had to add a piece of cork tile to raise it up slightly. The actual house is mounted on 3mm MDF base before added to the base proper. I forget to allow for the first base when measuring the dimensions for the stairs. Once again the roof mounted aircon unit and satellite dish are from S&S Models. Built the satellite dish correctly this time!

Next a diesel/oil depot;

A slight flight of fancy with this one. I could not find a any actual examples of such a facility in Iraq. I've imagined it to be a small oil/diesel supply station for domestic use. The design is based more on the small electrical substations you find tucked away in residential areas here in the UK.

Not much actual scratchbuilding on this one, except for the base and wall. The fencing and storage tanks are from a company called Knightwing. They are HO kits for model railways. Lots of very useful pieces, so I'm fairly confident they will be obtaining more of my money, over the coming year! The wall is made from Depron.

Now despite lots of internet searches I'm struggling to find any good sites on architecture, dwellings in Iraq in particular or the Middle East. I'm not constructing these models as true copies of any particular buildings, but the more reference material the better. So if anyone reading this post can point me the right direction I would be grateful. Literature I have helps, plus lots of photos taken by media etc are good starting points. Yet it would be nice to have a little more detail, particularly plans.

That's it for now more to follow.....