Thursday 31 October 2013

SITREP- Mechanised Infantry Platoon Command.

Work has continued on the platoon command for the BAOR force. Figures are once again from the ever dependable Elhiem 20mm range.

In the process of finishing the basing for the Signaller, medic and mortarman, and just doing the webbing now on the subaltern and platoon sergeant. Hopefully they should be finished in the coming days, and I can crack on with the MILAN teams, and also the Soviets (one of which I've made a start on... just a colour test, honest!)





I'm quite pleased with managing to get a decent looking red cross on both the medic's armband and his rucksack!



These will all go towards the current Guild "Friend & Foe"  groupbuild.

Cheers
Iain

Sunday 20 October 2013

More BAOR

Well that's the S&S Ferret finished off and hit with a shot of Daler-Rowney matt varnish. I've been left with one or two little pin-pricks of white, just in the deep recesses where a lot of the varnish has gathered. I can live with that (I think), but may go over them at some point in the future...

The decals for the number plates are spares from the old JB (now Airfix) Bedford MK refueller, and the "4" on the bridge classification plate is just a random "4" denoting a decal number cut from a 1/35 Warrior kit... All that's missing (and again, might be added in the future) are a Union flag on the front mudguard and a convoy marker on the rear centre line.

Quite chuffed with how this has turned out, I'll add a base when I source a suitable one from Warbases.







Over on The Guild, there's another group build on the go on the theme of Friend and Foe, which requires either two opposing sets of 3 vehicles or 10 figures, so I've decided to use it as an excuse to get some more of the BAOR infantry done, and make a start on the Soviet opposition.

So far, nearly finished these three from the BAOR platoon Command; Signaller, 51mm mortarman and Combat Medical Technician



Got the Platoon commander and his sergeant undercoated, and the remaining 5 on the British side will be made up of a MILAN team and an observer/ command base for the MILAN Section.

The Russians I'm still waiting on arriving from Elhiem, and will be composed of a Motor Rifle command element and a Motor Rifle squad.

Cheers
Iain

Friday 18 October 2013

Ferret Scout Car Latest

Just about finished the S&S Models Ferret, just need to re-do the headlights and vision blocks, add some ariels, find some appropriate decals and maybe do a bit of weathering and we're done. A base will probably follow later.











Certainly looking a bit better now, I think!

Cheers
Iain

Muskets and Tomahawks Battle Report 2

Last week Dave and I crossed swords again in the Canadian wilderness. OK, the East Kilbride Wargames Club, but the two have their similarities...

The latest developments in the saga of Major Robertson, Chef d'Battalion Stewart and Skulking Badger can be found over on Bobinantes Boreales here.

Cheers
Iain

Monday 14 October 2013

Affordable Homes… Mediaeval Style- Part 2



So… when we left off, we had the basic houses stuck together and made a start on the detailing. Now we’ll pick up, and start off with the floors.

Again, doing this isn’t entirely necessary, but I figure if you’re going to do the fire-pit, and have the nice painted internal walls anyway, you might as well finish it, and do a beaten earth floor; after all it’s not difficult!

First of all, I looked out black paints and some nice earthy browns (Humbrols 29, 62, 98 and 189). First, paint the floor with heavily thinned black paint, you want this to stay wet;

now open all the browns, and while the black is still wet, start splodging them all on at the same time, so you get the colours all blending into each other. Adding further thinners and swirling them about helps a bit, and you should end up with something like this

Now leave it to dry, and while it’s drying you can crack on with the roof. First of all, look out the teddy-pelt, and you’ll find it’s already been cut into three sections. These are the exact size required for the roof, trust me! The two larger sections do each side, and the slimmer strip goes over the join.

Now paint the roof sections with plenty of PVA; make sure it’s quite thick, ‘cos you don’t want it running off! (this is why it’s important to key the roof well, as previously pointed out…!)

Now add the big sections to each side, like so

And then stick the narrow strip over the apex, covering the join between the two sections of thatch

You’ll now have something like this

NOW LEAVE THESE TO DRY OVERNIGHT! Seriously, you do not want to try and attempt the next step while the glue’s still wet! That said, you probably could just leave it at that (and I’m sure some will), and just have all your battles fought in the midst of a particularly fierce gale… This will also let the painted floor dry properly.

Now, once you return to your DRY roof, you should find you have something like this; wee hairy hooses!

Before you crack on with the roof, it’s a good idea to finish the floor. You’ll need to sit the floor off of whatever surface you work on later, so won’t be able to access the inside for another 24 hours once you replace it on the walls after the next stage.

Take the roof off, and your painted floor should have dried to look a bit like this

Now, paint the floor with PVA, and dump on some brown flock.  Set it aside to dry, and just before you go onto to do the roof, tip out the excess, and you’ll have something like this

If you have gaps where the glue had run away and no flock has stuck, the earth effect you painted on earlier should disguise it adequately. You can put the roof back on now, ready for the next step.

Now, it’s time to trust the instructions and start brushing the roof thatch with PVA from a toothbrush. I admit, I was highly sceptical about this too, I just could not see it working! However, be brave, and go for it; it works, trust me!

You’ll end up with this sort of thing
And yes it looks gopping, but you can see sort of where this is going now…

Leave it for another day to dry, and you’ll end up with this

How good does that look?!

The only slight problem id your apex may have gone a bit bald where the fur has been pulled away to either side.

We’ll take a look at how to sort that out next time round, and finish off all the other little details that will just lift the house out from being just another piece of terrain to block line of sight and hinder movement, to being a beautiful piece of scenery that really looks the part.

Cheers
Iain

Ferreting About...

After a spell of backshifts, I've been able to get some more done on the Ferret. I've applied the black camouflage bands, and done the tyres, so just ready for a final highlight and the detail painting now. Certainly looking a bit more like it now!





Also, I've just recieved my latest S&S order, so I've now got the Ferret's big brother, the CVR(W) Fox, to be getting on with, along with some other bits and pieces, which will be revealed soon...

Cheers
Iain

Tuesday 8 October 2013

BAOR Latest

Currently taking a break from the infantry and working on a Ferret Scout Car from S&S Models. It's a resin and white metal kit, and very well done it is to. I've added some extra stowage in the shape of some ammo boxes and canvas rolls from Kingfisher (the old CMSC line) and a rucksack from Elhiem.

As it's on the central front, it'll be finished in the standard British two-tone green and black scheme, which for me translates as Humbrol 86 for the NATO IRR green and 33 for the black. After the basecoat of H86, I gave it a wash with a thinned down mix of H86 darkened with H33. Unfortunately this didn't work out quite as well as I was hoping. Some of the wash in the deepest crevices (fnaarr) dried with a matt white finish (manky old thinners probably to blame) and the tone of the green went a bit too dark and too much of a blue tint to the hue.

I then went over the central panels with some straight H86, and after that had dried, some H86 lightened with some H34 matt white. Starting to look a wee bit better now...

Hopefully once the black patches go on and the detail paining  is done it should look a bit better.

Cheers
Iain.