STONKING! More; lazy, cheap, easy: shelling

Well I've had a couple of days off and managed to do all sorts of bits. Why on earth I took up a full time job when I retired I will never understand! Hindsight is always 20/20.

Reacquainted myself with a good book.

Well worth the read if you haven't before. However it takes a bit of prior military knowledge and can get a bit complex and confusing at times. It's worth the read and I fancy doing a similar account for a VCBW conflict.

Did some cellar work in my club.

Celebrated the youngest heir's 12th Birthday.

And managed to make some battlefield markers for 'shot and shell.'

There are plenty of 'how to's' on the web. But here's my photos anyway.

The kit you'll need. Cotton wool balls, pipe cleaners and glue.

Half way through

Finished and undercoated in grey primer

Bit of a close up

Once they're dry, I'll tart them up with some black spray and flick some brighter reds & yellows.

Back at it tomorrow, with luck more VBCW goodness at the weekend.

 Take care out there.

Rob.

Lazy, cheap, easy tracks.

Well another tough week. Wanted to some gaming or some modelling and couldn't get around to it. The training job is getting less training and more battling with the management and pastoral. Why do adults pass on their problems and not take responsibility for themselves? My alternate skills as a cellar man have been in demand as my club's manager packed in expectantly leaving us in the lurch. So it's all hands to the pumps (quite literally).

Anyway to relax I thought I'd lay some roads. So here they are.

The stuff you'll need.

Sticky back floor tiles and sandpaper sheets. All from the pound shop.

Peel off the backing and stick down the sandpaper sheets.

Cut to size and shape.

I rubbed some ruts with an off cut of sandpaper but it didn't photo well.
Maybe a bit of wash would help.

  Viola, cheap, quick, lazy and I've got my modelling fix for the week.

Have a good time out there. Thanks for popping by.

Rob.

Catch up.

Real life took over last week, well that and one of the best days of rugby I've ever witnessed! So I didn't get time to blog.

The last couple of weeks have been utilised tidying up my BUF cavalry squadron and finishing off some terrain pieces, which took a lot longer them I imagined.

Cavalry Squadron

I've not yet named them, although I do have a pennant, which needs to be printed and added. 

Terrain

Where I work requires a thirty-five mile trip through the Cheshire countryside. Since the last thirty years I've spent in an urban environment this has been a pleasant change.What it has done, as well as being able to marvel at beauty of the English countryside, has allowed me to study it in a bit more detail. This is good as a VCBW campaign is fought over it. What struck me most is the vast amount of hedge/field boundaries. Therefore I chose to construct some more. So here they are. 

There are many others and the means of making them can be found on my now silent blog, here: http://lrqan.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/building-fences-1-and-weird-year.html and here; http://lrqan.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/fences-2-end.html

The only difference is that I used polystyrene 'pizza' bases for these ones.

Now I'm fully prepped my campaign may start. At last!  (38fest15, prep is still ongoing).

Thanks for reading. Have a good time until next time and enjoy the spring.

Rob.

On the 'blackstuff' (not Guiness! Road building).

Firstly, welcome to Stuart. Thanks for following.

I've always struggled with roads and highways on my tables. Consequently I've tried tens of ideas. This is my latest trial, which I particularly like. NB It is a lift from someone else, but I can't find it again. I think it ma be on pintrest (facebook).

Step I

Collecting supplies. A trip to the pound shop and I picked up a pack of self-adhesive floor tiles. All for you guessed it 'a pound'.

Then off to a pet shop to purchase some 'fish tank gravel'. About £5.00. There are plenty of different styles and colours. I just chose this one, there's even some muti-coloured ones for you fantasy players out there ('Follow the yellow brick road!').

Step II

Using a coupe of models I measured what width I wanted. There are two; a wide one allowing for two vehicles; a narrow one, half that size. Which were then cut to size. The nature of the tiles means that you can do it with scissors.

Step III

Pour out the gravel into a suitable container. Top Tip: Get a container big enough to fit the biggest piece. I'm still awaiting the ramifications of the Viscountess when she finds tiny black and grey pebbles in the dining room.

Step IV

Peel off the backing and immerse 'roadway' in gravel. Tip: I found that laying them 'sticky side' up and the covering the strips better then pushing the strips 'sticky side' down onto the gravel.

Step V

Apply some pressure to the newly laid surface, then shake/stroke of excess pebbles. Then viola!

Narrow

Wide

Some WIP BUF cavalry on a narrow strip.

To do:

I think I'll finish them off by by coating them with a solution of PVA glue and water and or a spray of varnish.


Thanks for popping by. (Cheers to whoever out me onto this, also).

Rob.

A bit of something and 38 FEST 2015.

Now usually if I want a piece of terrain I'd scratch build it. However, last year I got a gift card for a local hobby store. Sadly, this place was geared really to trains and RC models. As such I picked up a couple of Dalpol packs (I'm sure they're old Airfix molds so there was a nostalgic element involved). I spent last week sorting them out. I think this little building will appear in many of my scenarios. It has that 'I can be anything quality'; an Inn, a cottage, a farmhouse etc.

I thought I'd have a plunge into PazerKaput's http://panzerkaput.blogspot.co.uk/ ,VCBW 38FEST2015 details below. I have an idea for a scenario, so I'll be building up the terrain and troops for this table and playing the game come May.

When and Where is this Taking Place
38Fest2015: This Spectred Isle is going to take place over the whole month of May, actually the last game need to be finished by 30th May, to enable us to prepare for the Partizan game, and it is open to everyone, no matter how large or small your VBCW forces are and whatever scale you fight in. There are no sets of rules that we are going to say you have to play with, play with what you like. All anyone needs to do is to play the scenario in the month of May and notify me of the result of the game, Red win or Blue Win, Which Farms were control of who and who found some of the Crown Jewels. You can do this by either posting to Very British Civil Forum, http://vbcf.freeforums.org/ or email me personally. Also if you can take photos of the game and post them on the Very British Civil Forum with a bit of a write up of the battle, that would be nice but it is not a requirement to play the game. 

So please pop by again to see how I'm getting on.

TTFN

Rob.

Artillery Templates, terrain markers.

In an attempt to kick start my VCBW campaign I re-read the 'Yuletide' edition of Miniature Wargames.

There was a very interesting scenario about a mini-campaign revolving around a river crossing. It is written in such a way that it is easily adapted to any period. After a little thought I shoehorned it into my concept for the 'Wirral Campaign'
I want this ready by Easter so a concerted effort to build up my forces must start now.

As a preamble, and as arty plays such a role, I wanted to get some templates up and running. So here is my concepts. 

The stuff needed.

Sealing the central hole

Although the 'World in Flames' rule set has a smaller diameter for arty. I've used CDs as they are convenient and cheap. A suitable 'saving throw' house rule for those on the edge should get over the extra coverage. 

Plasticine Sausages 

Rolled into circles.

Hot Glue to Bases

All three experiments

PVA glue wash to harden

Filler covering

Hot glue for puddling

Now leave to dry paint and base. They appear OK but not too happy with them. Let's see what happens in the future. I have some further ideas for these and others.

Catch you all soon.

LRQ.

FIBUA, OBUA, FISH Terrain.

If ever I get this project moving (which I hope to this year) I imagine doing quite a bit of FIBUA (fighting in built up areas.) Now I believe called OBUA (operations in built up areas.) My first idea for a scenario is a 'bumped' patrol at a pub. Hence this post.

I was surfing through 'YOU TUBE' the other day and I came across this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_2114248595&feature=iv&src_vid=HfM2LNIIcao&v=B4a4m_FPuww

It's a video by a character called 'DMScotty' (http://dmscraft.proboards.com/) OK I know it's D&D but the terrain techniques can be adapted.

This got me to thinking and I thought that interior action has always been difficult as the usual, papercraft, building interiors tend to be too cramped for figures once they are based. So came this project, Build a cardboard interior tile for your buildings and move the action there when appropriate.

The plan: The experiment was set on my backwoods cabin. I increased the dimensions by 1/3rd for the tile and away I went. (I had a write error  on my camera and didn't realise 'til now so the photo tutorial is a bit bare.)

Tools Required, minus hot glue gun and cardboard.

1. Draw outline on cardboard (c.f. video link for discussion on c.board).

2. Cut out pattern. 

These will be the walls.

 3. Glue the walls down

The beauty of cardboard cutting with scissors

 4. Unlike DM Scotty's idea I've built the walls up two layers. This has opportunity of giving the tile a slightly more realistic window element. It's hard to see in the picture but I hope that you get the idea.

The external and internal views.

 5. Undercoat, couldn't find my black tin.

6. Whilst it was drying I knocked up some doors, a bed and a stove.

7. Check it out, prior to painting.

Thanks for popping by and stay dry out there.

Lorcan.

Meanwhile on the Welsh/Cheshire Border

Well over the last week I built a camp for whichever unit decides to occupy it.

The buildings are from a 'print and play' Stalg Luft kit that's available for free on the web somewhere, just can't find it again.

Some progress, but not a lot.

Well I've struggled with this blog. But Nils Desperandum, I'll plow on.

Finished off my Anglican League.

Command Team

I need to get to get to grips with with my close up photos.

Peoples Army

Peoples Army 2



Field Fences (WIP)

There are other bits kicking around.