Ten mil trees - 1

Modelling therapy was the order of the day yesterday. For a while now I've been looking at using teazels for some kind of scenic modelling project. A blog I read recently showed what could be done using them for sci-fi gaming scenery. Plenty of thistles grow along the course of the trail near us, so supply wasn't going to be a problem. I collected a few - using secateurs as the stalks are spiny.

I already had the image in mind for what I wanted to achieve. As it happened everything went according to plan. The hot-glue gun came in handy at this point. 

I took the teazel, snipped off the spiny stalk and replaced it with a "trunk" cut from a thick twig. A quick trim of some of the longer spines at the top was also done. Applying streaks of hot glue through the spines, I stuck on small offcuts of foam rubber packing material left over from my previous hedgerow project. Once the whole surface of the teazel had been covered and the glue set, I gave it a thick coat of ordinary household paint in a fetching shade of brown and heavily sprinkled it with used green tealeaves.
  

In the space of an hour I made a dozen trees for ten mil gaming. The photos show their current appearance. I intend to give them coats of different shades of green, but I'm debating whether to use rattle cans or use craft acrylics for best effect. The bases are temporary card, which I'll replace with something better and permanent. I'll post more photos of the finished result.
  

Württemberg 10mil figures

Some more 10mm figures here, again from Pendraken. I have permission from the owner of these figures, Sam Scott, to post the pictures he took of his new Württemberg army. Superb work!

The flag is by Warflags. Sorry, no idea who makes the buildings, but they are nice.

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Following on from the sewer disaster last week, I started making some N-scale trees as a means of taking my mind off the stress we're going through right now. They'll go with my new 10mm AVBCW stuff.

Steps are being taken to deal with the problem, and our plans to move are firming-up. We're looking into moving out of St. Louis altogether. It means a lot of packing and sorting stuff, not least of which is dealing with our contaminated belongings in the basement storage area. I'll post here about hobby fun when I can, but there may well be long gaps.    

The Effluent Society

Everything has ground to a halt due to the sewer backing-up in the basement of our four-apartment block to a depth of several inches. There is fecal matter lying on the floor where people, including a young child with special needs, have to pass. Some of our possessions, including washing machine and dryer have been affected. Some items have been utterly ruined. 

The landlord is inept, and will probably follow his established pattern and attempt to clean up human effluent himself without taking proper precautions, let alone hire professionals to do the task. 

Attempts to get the local authorities involved in ensuring the place is properly cleaned have led to a bureaucratic ring-around-the-roses. No one will take responsibility. Our township has apparently fallen into a black hole as far as jurisdiction is concerned. Private landlords around here could literally have fecal matter floating about their basements waist-deep, and no-one in authority will take notice. Our local Alderman has tried his best, but we're still left in limbo. 

Our desire to move has now become an urgent issue.

I know this isn't wargames or modelling related. Sorry to have bored anyone with this, but I really, really need to let off steam.     

Gaming interlude.

Not much in the way of gaming or modelling going on at the moment. I'm working on stuff to show at Archon 36 in a month's time. After that, the prospect of a house move looks more likely. In the scant spare time I have, I'm noodling with making some 1/150th scale trees to suit my 10mm figures. 

In the meantime, I'm being horribly tempted to dabble in Napoleonics. Temptation in the shape of this chap's Little Tin Men blog is not helping matters. Go there to see some very nicely done Austrian and French infantry, some equally nice terrain, and a great little game fought to Sharp Practice rules.

Some AVBCW buildings

Here are a couple of buildings I made for the VBCW in 10mm. First up is a blockhouse, built of corrugated iron and field stone, with a plank and turf roof. It can house up to eight fighters, and a machine gun could set up shop on the roof quite comfortably with a few sandbags for protection. 

Next is a typical British semi-detached council house, of the type built in the hundreds of thousands all over the UK from 1920 onwards as part of the "Homes for Heroes" campaign. The program gave employment to troops returning from WW1, boosted the post-war economy and, indeed, provided inexpensive housing for millions.

The lighting wasn't quite right when I took the photo. It looks a great deal more orange than it does in real life. I'll build another one of these days to use as a master- model and cast a few in resin. A few more houses and cottages, a pub and a church to go...
  

Can you tell what it is yet?

A small GASLIGHT project I've had on the slipway for quite a few months has finally begun to take proper shape. In the immortal words of Rolf Harris, "Can you tell what it is yet?"

AVBCW - The assembled forces

Here are a couple of photos of the combined LDV and Socialist Militia companies. Both units have integral armor and artillery, along with support weapons in the shape of the sturdy Vickers MG.

The LDV favor ten-man sections including a Lewis LMG and second. Mostly composed of rural laborers, they have a leavening of "old sweats" from the Great War and some TA members who decided the keep their military skills at home. 

The Socialists favor twelve comrade sections, with the exception of the Socialist Women's Alliance section (nearest camera) which has fourteen. All sections include a Lewis gun team. The Company HQ numbers ten, including the CO and Lewis, which acts as a reserve force immediately to hand.

Mostly composed of workers and unemployed folk from the towns and cities, like their rivals in the LDV they also have a number of former soldiers and TA in their ranks. 

Both sides have acquired their heavier weapons from a number of sources - ex-military stock and materiel donated by various supporters.  

* * *

All figures and models are mounted on plasticard. Infantry bases are 1" front by 1/2" deep. Artillery and cavalry are 1" square. The Vickers guns are 1" by 3/4" deep. All vehicles have 3/4" width and are 1/4" longer than the model. Two vehicles can pass each other on the roads I use. 

I have a copy of Went the Day Well rules, which I'll adapt to this scale and see how they play. I intend to build roughly comparable forces for the BUF and Anglican League sometime in the future.

On the Colonial front, I upgraded the chance cards used in Sharp Practice, printing them out in color and sticking them to old playing cards for greater durability and ease of use. As mentioned before I hope to get the heliograph section from Black Tree Designs sometime soon. Watch this space. 
 

A spot of attribution

Some visitors to this blog inquired about the origins of the medical and cookhouse figures shown in the masthead photo. I bought them from eBay and the seller didn't know, but I've since found they come from Black Tree Designs (US). 

The medical team are the appropriately titled "Kill or Cure" vignette, and the Cookhouse team may be found here. 

I have had good results from Black Tree, with their reasonable prices and quick dispatch of orders. Some time in the future I hope to buy their heliograph team, which would make a splendid addition to the garrison and field force of British Ukraziland. 

I'm a bit busy making commissions and getting ready for the upcoming Archon convention in Fall, but I should get a wargame or two in soon. The next scenario for Ukraziland is stirring in my mind. I need to work out a few details, but it should be a challenge for the garrison.

* * *  

I did manage to finish the Pendraken AVBCW figures bought recently. Here are the Vickers MG teams (one each for the LDV, Socialist Militia and BUF), and two period lorries.

The above shows the LDV cavalry, with the armored lorry Black Shuck on the road, supported by the new Vickers team. The road itself is cut from a tar shingle, and the photo shows how flexible it is where it follows the contours of the cloth. Time permitting I'll take a couple of photos of the entire force of LDV and militia soon.
 

AVBCW Mobile Forces

My current batch of VBCW figures from Pendraken Miniatures is almost done. Here are a few photos of the mobile forces for the Flegg Fencibles LDV and the Socialist Militia.

These are the mounted contingent of the LDV - the Rollesby Roughriders. Based in stables close by the village of Rollesby on the main road between Great Yarmouth and Norwich, these fellows act as the Fencibles' quick-response unit.

 Armoured might - On the left "Black Shuck." On the right "Strike."

The armored component of the two forces consists of a lorry with improvised armor in SCW fashion. It's been given the name "Black Shuck" after the legendary Devil's dog which is supposed to haunt parts of Norfolk during the hours of darkness. Supposedly any who see the dog will die a horrible death. In actual fact, the legend came out of the smuggling industry along the coast. The "Gentlemen" spread the tale around to keep folks at home at night so they could work unobserved. Still, the LDV think the name seems appropriate - all who see the vehicle will die a horrible death!   

The Socialists have fixed their calloused working-class hands on a WW1 vintage Austin armored car. It has been given the name "Strike," to reflect the right of the worker to withhold labor and the hard-hitting punch of twin Vickers MGs.

I found vehicles and cavalry easy to paint, and that's coming from someone who normally finds painting cavalry a chore, no matter which scale. The mounted troops are on bases with rough grassland effect, but the vehicle bases are modeled to resemble road surfaces, since they'll spend more time than not on roads. 

I have two more lorries to paint, and three Vickers teams, one each for LDV, Militia and BUF. Photos to come, time and other commitments permitting. 

AVBCW Artillery

A sad and hectic few days have ended with my wife and I finding calmer times in which to return to an even keel. Getting back to the hobby is quite a relief. I took some photos of the recently-completed artillery component of my 10mm AVBCW collection last week, and have posted them below. 

These are British 18-pounder guns from Pendraken Miniatures' WW1 range. One of my favorite artillery pieces, I believe it was the gun-type used by my great uncle's battery of the Royal Field Artillery during the Great War.

The center and right pieces will fight alongside the LDV and Socialist factions. The piece on the left I painted in a Black & Tan fashion to serve the BUF faction, when I get around to building it. The solitary figure to the far right is an as yet unnamed command figure for the Socialists. 

I have more figures in the shape of cavalry and infantry in the works. More photos to come once they're painted and based.