Trees for free!

A great idea I came across about 3 years ago on the Gentlemen's Wargames Parlour forum. Posted by a member going under the name of "jaeger". Trees made from a plant named Sedum Telephium. Which we have growing on the estate. This year I finally got around to harvesting the dead sedums before the weather totally trashed them. Just got to them before the snow arrived, I did keep the link to the post on GWP but the pictures have gone, with just the dreaded photo bucket icon in their place.

The harvest has been gathered in and is currently in storage drying out. The very rough outline of the technique involves using 2-3 stems glued together, or in my version bound together with masking tape and covered in PVA and sand. I think I'll then spray them with a water and PVA mixture all over to strengthen them some more, and then I'll experiment with saw dust and PVA past applied to the seed pods at the top to create the leaf cover of the trees.

These trees will be a key part of my French India Wars skirmish project in 10mm scale, and the idea is to produce a board with lots of tree cover, the sedum trees being the biggest, but also involving some pine trees based on this great tutorial from the invaluable Matakishi's Tea House. One of the best gaming resources out there. Finally a big thanks to Jaeger for posting the original idea.

Mod Rock - Rocks

A project to extend the usability of my soft hills using mod - rock (Gauze bandage impregnated with plaster). The idea is to create a moulded section of terrain which will be shaped to fit the top of the hill. And will be able to be positioned on top of the soft hill and have a small wood or cops on it.

I started with a basic soft hill as made in my post from June 2009 I then covered this with cooking foil and then wrapped it in cling film, this protects the base soft hill model. I then placed the wet mod - Rock over the top in multiple layers and left it to dry. More to follow on this project.

TTFN Airhead

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Happy Christmas to all of you out there in Blog land, and all the best for the new year. Not sure what or who the robbo-santa picture is but I thought it was quite cool and seasonal at the same time. The 1/35th scale model of the "BEEP" a heavier version of the Jeep, is a Christmas present for my Dad, who fought in the Malayan emergency in the early 1950's and learnt to drive on a Beep while in Malaya.

Next year my aim is to up my posting rate on this year, and try for at least 3 posts per month. Lots of plans in my head, its just getting the work bench time to actually produce the stuff that is the issue at the moment. Big ideas/plans for next year are based around 10mm WW1 terrain, early on 1914 style, so no sea of mud and endless trench line. Also going into the micro world of 2-3mm stuff and hoping to produce the battle in a box idea.

All the best from me and the Airhead family, have a good Christmas and all the best for 2012.

TTFN

Airhead

R.I.P Glue Gun

My old glue gun has finally given up the ghost, after over 3 years of dedicated service, during which it contributed to the vast majority of the projects on this Blog. So I'm of to find a new one. Its my number one priority at the moment. If you have never used one, go and get one its my number one terrain making tool.

On other fronts very little progress at the moment, thanks to daughters university application on going /uni visits/Job/life in general. But still planning in the spare moments I get. The above sketches of 15mm scale helicopters were done on a Cross Country Train from Southampton central to Birmingham new street, running 50 minutes late last week (train in front of ours ran into a tree). The sketches show me working out how to mount my Israeli gun ships on wire, which is hidden within the terrain on the base. Click on the pictures for bigger versions

WW2 Terrain making in action

Found this great picture on the web today, brilliantly realistic looking terrain making from the past. The caption with the photo below.

"Photo by Marjory Collins. A “camouflage class” at New York University, where men and women are preparing for jobs in the Army or in industry by making models from aerial photographs and work out camouflage schemes, 1943."

Still looking into making micro terrain for a 2mm set up based around Bob Corderys great Portable Wargaming rules. I'm hoping to make a completer wargame in a box, with all terrain, soldiers and rules contained within the box. Not sure what sort of box yet, I'm still looking for inspiration in the box area. I have some Irregular miniatures samples of their 2mm range which look ideal for the project. The above photograph perfectly illustrates the type of effect I want to aim for. Great inspiration/reference.

15mm Helicopters 3

More progress on the helicopter front, the middle picture shows the start of the Vietnam Loaches with the craft broken down into their component parts, I have rubbed down the fuselages on the right hand side with wet and dry paper ready to undercoat them with grey primer spray. I have also cut out the back doors ready to take a peter pig door gunner with an M60 machine gun. I drilled the door with a power drill and then used the rat tail files in the top picture to finish of the doors.

The bottom picture shows progress on the Israeli gun ships, the painting of the window supports was made a lot easier by using masking tape to mask of the strut areas. It worked quite well. They will deed a bit of tidying up with a brush, but on the hole it worked well.

I'm currently reading "Low level hell" the biography of an Aero scout pilot flying loaches in Vietnam. A great book, packed with incidents and events. Giving lots of inspiration for scenarios for gaming. TTFN Airhead.

15mm Helicopters 2

Good progress on the Israeli 500MD TOW armed gun ships, They are shown with new tail assemblies made from plastic card replacing the original ones. Also plastic card was used for the small radio aerials along the tail booms. The small stub exhausts are made from cut down sections of cotton bud sticks. Also shown in the top picture is a test Tow pod shown along side the Helos made from two cotton bud tubes with green stuff used to create the casing.

The bottom picture shows one of the main rotter blades in position, with dry brushed on yellow high visibility rotter tips. Quite pleased with how this has turned out so far.

Things I have found out so far from this project, Its very difficult to get the paint I'm using to give a good covering of the body work. Im using a Humbrol enamel paint and it has taken at least 3 coats so far to get a good flat coverage. It would also be much easier to paint the body work If I had taken the models apart first. So for my Vietnam Helicopters I have got some matt Grey enamel spray paint to give them a base coat first. And as they will be having internal detail and crews added they will be taken apart first.