Mountains!

It's taken me a while to upgrade my desert terrain with mountains.  Last summer I cut and coated the bases and painted the peaks in the reorganised workshop.  With warmer weather I have used evenings to finish the texturing - I think I could do more but I've got the look I was wanting to achieve. 

The terrain for the next Thursday night try out for the Iran-Iraq War is ready.

I'm only half way through creating enough terrain to go fully operational but I should have it completed by the end of Summer - I might organise a half table operational game just to make sure the mountain rules work effectively.

Saddam's Mig 21s bomb suspected Kurdish positions in Northern Iraq.  Change the markings and it could be Afghanistan. Change the armies and it could be the Northwest Frontier, Tunisia, Italian East Africa......

Meanwhile I need to concentrate on JoS and then hopefully we might get some temperate terrain completed.

Just in case you wondered how it was done - I like to think it is therapeutic.

The Iran-Iraq project is moving along nicely and the mountain terrain allows me to put on another further Thursday night game.  Thanks to everyone for bearing with me as I develop new formations, rules and scenarios.  This is helping me create an operational game that has the unique flavour of this war but should give us a balanced game between two quite different armies, in-spite of all the 1980's equipment.  Although the scenarios are quite brutal for one side, I do think this is the nature of modern combat - I'm planning on the operational game giving us more pause and sense that either side can win.

Mark does have good ideas!

The first of 22.  This represents a British Infantry Brigade with HQ, 3 x Infantry, 1 x AT and 1x mortar.

A few weeks ago Mark and I pretested the operational game for the JoS.  He suggested using a large movement tray on which a number of individual bases can be temporarily stuck to quicken the game and give a better impression of a unit that will be representing a brigade.  I initially pooh-poohed his idea as this would require extra prep which I was trying to avoid.

Well, I gave it some thought and came around to agreeing with him.  I had some mounting card which I cut to 6" x 4", glued on some sandpaper, painted, dry brushed and washed - and there you go!

I think this might be a good process for doing town sectors, minefields etc.

.....and the moral of that story is never pooh-pooh Mr Shakespeare!

Ruined city

 This is more what i had in mind when thinking of city fighting

 The large factory and the red destroyed building base would be classed as woods with the BUA modifier for vehicles added.

All other sectors whether joined or separate are village sectors with a max stand limit equal to the longest block edge.

That would mean the line of buildings in the top left are 5No joined village sectors which are allowed to fire out of every edge, even the one edge in base contact with another.

 -1 for cover.

 The board will need to be grey/black / grey brown which are classed as open areas.

I don't think you should be stopped from moving from block to block across open ground 

though the enemy will be allowed to use disappearing fire.

 Artillery to be as per rules for city blocks ?

Looks ;like i'm going to need a lot more buildings to cover both boards,

although a park with shell holes and stripped trees will fit in.

D Day Beach Boards - First Attempt!

I have some leftover 5mm foamex pieces that I mainly use to prime minis on but thought to try out an experiment on creating a scaled down D day beach board.

Sand effect is Baccus basing scatter with a mix of sharp sand.

I decided to try out Ian's tissue method with PVA.

After applying a base coat of Vallejo deep sea blue I liberally applied pva to torn of pieces of tissue.

Left to dry I then dry brushed some deep green and white to try to simulate the waves effect at the beach.

This shows a better looking picture

 I have painted on the clear gel here which is not quite dry.

 Job done

Afterthoughts.....

It's a starting point if anything and you have to have a go to build on the concept. I am sure this can be developed into something that will work.

I was just trying to create a visual here so nothing precise! the techniques used are nothing groundbreaking and we have used them before.

Happy that I spent a few hours on this as it's something I will bring along to the Jan Workshop.

Dremell Multi Tool Set

Recently there has been a lot of discussion in the group about using 5/10mm foamex boards to create new more visually appealing gaming boards.

Unlike foam the Foamex is a compressed PVC foam board so is inherently more rigid and sturdy.

This is not to say it cannot be fabricated to create rivers/roads and other features.

This Dremel tool set from Amazon is perhaps an essential buy for the group as it contains a lot of different tools such as grinders that can be used to cut into the foamex and then milling tools to remove excess areas of foam so as to create depressions for rivers.

Anyway, just an idea. There is not really any other easy way to fabricate the Foamex. A sharp stanley knife will cut through it but the precision of these tools could allow much more creative results.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dremel-4000-1-45-Corded-Multitool/dp/B0033UWLXI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1545998857&sr=8-5&keywords=dremel+tools

6mm paper terrain buildings

I found this rather nice link to some paper 6mm buildings.

I could well be tempted here as there is a lot on offer including 18th Century Star forts and  European WW2 building for Normandy games.

Check the site out. The buildings come in kits and don't need painting! just assembly with glue.

These have to be the future. I wonder how much this village would set you back if you bought if from timecast?



https://www.paperterrain.com/

Latest terrain pieces

 I got some more desert enhancement terrain pieces finished over the weekend.  I wanted to achieve an arid finish to use as village/close terrain around the Mediterranean.

Field sectors - I can add crops to give more variety.

By adding buildings I can use them as village sectors in a number or periods and situations, including the suburbs for the city boards.  I think these are more flexible than the town/village sector bases made by Totalbattles Miniatures.

The walls are from Steve's baggage train.

 I also wanted to see if these pieces could be use with a more temperate background base and use in Southern Europe for even more variety.

Could these be used in Spain, Italy or even on the Ukrainian steppe?

Russ and I looked at a colour scheme for temperate battlefield boards and this influenced the making of these pieces - hopefully this is the first tentative step to creating new battle boards for Europe/Jungle!

Cityscape Terrain Board part II

I was a bit jealous on Saturday hearing everyone else on WhatsApp getting on with projects but I managed to find some time on Sunday and Monday in my all new workshop!  Also, I ordered some ruined buildings from Gamecraft (looking forward to seeing Mark's Stalingrad factory) and thought I should get ahead with the base boards for the cityscape.

I was aiming for an effect that looked like a fought over urban area with dust and debris subtly turfing up the desert ground but blending into my other boards.  Generally, desert scenics require a consistency regardless of the ground type but I wanted something a little more dynamic for our urban fights.  I thought I would make one 1'x2' section with separate town sectors to see if I could achieve the "look" and create something to game on and try out a few rules ideas.

The base boarding using a 1'x2' section alongside two other boards.  This would be an urban strip within one half of a standard operational board. 

The same board giving a variant on the above set up.  Of course, I could use three boards and make the entire table urban.  But one section could be open cultivated simulating debris with some visibility limitations (like a marshalling yard) whilst another section could be more difficult ground like woodland simulating a variety of light destroyed buildings..  The third section only may  contain buildings.  This would give maximum flexibility.

Added town sectors blend in with the background and allow infinite variations.  I just need to add buildings to complete the overall look.

I'm quite happy with the finished result, and for me, it didn't take very long.  I will knock up another one or two boards but I think I will need more town sectors - Mark do you have any more wardrobe panels?

Just waiting for the delivery of my ruined Mid-East buildings and I will post more pictures.

First Board Experiment - PVA and Static Grass

These initial tests of methods and materials will lead me on to get the table done for the Somme game.

I have placed an order for a 4ft x 2ft Noch grass mat from ebay so will have a better idea on how this looks in the week.

Here are some photos of the first trial samples done earlier today..........

I sealed this board and let the PVA dry before applying a second neat coat.

The static has stuck well but you can see a few bald spots. Not bad and the colour is pretty good too and includes a fine mix of sharp sand. The board was airbrushed first with brown.

This is one of my high density blue foam boards that I will be using to make the base table for the Somme. The grass seems to have stuck a bit better to this material than the PVC board above.

Again a base coat of Vallejo Earth brown was applied before the PVA was applied. I did not use two coats of glue here as there was no surface tension like the PVC board above.

This is just a better photo of the PVC board.

I'll give these a proper testing tomorrow when the glue has dried and see how durable they are.

Depending on the grass mat I will decide between the two methods for the Somme table.

Bull Run Update

I'm about 40% of the way to completing the table for Joy of six and as requested it's probably time for a few photos. I've started at the Stone Bridge/Manassas end of the table (where Ian's Union forces entered the table during the xmas game).. The pictures show boards that are either finished,need a little touching up or are at plastering or flocking stage. All the hot wire cutting has been done so I know the lay of the land. I need to paint the wooden bridge and the ends of the rivers need sanding where the resin has expanded so that the boards sit flush and after some research I have discovered that North American river grass is green so I'm going to change that and I'm going to flock the board edges so that if there are any small gaps between boards hopefully they won't be as obvious.

Mary doesn't think the photos do the boards justice ,especially the water effect but here goes.

Black areas are either undercoat for roads, rivers or woods

Union left flank entry point looking from the middle of the Bull Run river toward the confederate positions (Henry Hill is the white unpainted polystyrene at top right), the stone bridge is round the bend in the river behind the woods. I am going to replace the yellow river grass with green since every picture I have found is that colour.  (Yes Mark, those are stormtroopers still in there boxes in the display cabinet). The wooden bridge in the centre needs painting.

The Stone Bridge crossing the Bull Run. The river needs sanding at the end as the resin leaked slightly from the dam I placed at the end during setting, but once that's done the two boards should sit flush and the gap disappear . Youngs Branch the smaller water course that runs through the centre of the battlefield can just been seen through the trees at middle left .The board in the center just need the roads and river preparing and then i will add the water effects to it. The crossroads that the figures are approaching has been created with plaster of paris, painted black, then sprinkled with small ballast to give it texture. It will then be painted with two shades of brown and a light dusting of dirty white. 

Youngs Branch. Unfortunately my camera hasn't done this justice as the river is shallower than the Bull Run and you can therefore see the river bed

The Confederate entry point. Manassas (the Federal objective is behind you. Henry Hill ,scene of the worst of the fighting is directly ahead through the trees. The Stone Bridge is to your right.

View from the Confederate positions . Henry Hill is to your left and the Stone bridge is on the other side of the trees to your front

This pretty much shows how each board is developed. I'm getting better with each board and revisiting the first ones each time I learn something new.

A slightly better shot of the Branch, but still lots of light reflecting from the surface so you don't really get the full effect. You will just have to see it in the flesh

No table is complete until some boots have marched across it and these guys are about to get their feet wet. See how the felt fields blend so nicely into the flock. I also need some single trees basing on 15mm diameter stands so that they sit better on the tables. The bigger stands are okay for large woods but many of the wooded areas are quite small.

Next section of the Branch ready for painting ,dry brushing and then the addition of river bed, vegetation and water. In the centre of the picture is a piece of raised river bed that will become another of the fords. Again ,I also need some single trees basing on 15mm diameter stands so that they sit better on the tables. The bigger stands are okay for large woods but many of the wooded areas are quite small.

Early stage of board development. Painted undercoat for fields, woods and roads. The roads have been created by laying down strips of Plaster of Paris which can be laid across contours. The edges have been folded over to create a verge.

Basic stage. This is Henry Hill. Ready for PVA to stick hills down, application of Plaster of Paris to create the smooth contours and roads. The board to the top left is drying after application of green flock and dark shades and light highlights .Next stage is to flock the areas that are wooded and then finish the roads.

You can only just see it in the picture but the parallel pen lines that run from the sticker at bottom left to the bottom right are where the Bull Run re-emerges at the rear of the Federal positions and runs almost two thirds of the way across the back of the table. This is the reason that the Federal forces attempting to outflank the confederates had to go on such an extended march. 

Operational Game - Table Layout Photos

Photos of the tables for reference. I think 1A is going to change?

2B

2A

1B

2D

 1A

3B

1D

1C

 3A

Sorry - missed 2C but Jon has already nearly finished this board now.