Back of Beyond Troops Bases Enhanced

After my test game last Saturday, it was quickly apparent that although I could tell my units apart, my gaming buddies were having trouble.  So after some constructive comments from them, I spent today enhancing the bases so the different units of the same type of figure could be distinguished from each other.

I added dark green or brownish green flock, fine sand, fine talus, combinations, and additions to all the bases.  Now we'll be able to distinguish between the British, American, and Chinese troop units.  The bases aren't quite completed as I still need to fix the "flocking" and add the officer and sergeant rank insignias.

The entire group of units after basing enhancements have been added.

Front row are the missionary and his daughters (both their passive and action figures).  Front right corner contains the Marine headquarters element.  Both Marine sections are behind the missionaries.  One of the German-equipped Chinese units is behind the Marine HQ element.

Front left unit is one of the Chinese warlord units, while the Ghurkhas are to the front right.  Across behind them (from left to right) are two Chinese commanders (one in German outfit and the other the Warlord himself), then the senior British sergeant and officer, and the two British Vickers machinegun teams with their sergeant.

Finally the two British infantry sections are in front with a German-equipped Chinese unit (left rear) and a warlord Chinese unit (right rear) behind them.  On the far left are the Chinese mortar team and heavy machinegun team.

I was pleased with the way the enhancements added to the basing of the figures and helped to distinguish one national unit from another.

Disaster Averted

As I was working on my unit of Beja camelry, a disaster struck! I was using a container of Aleene's Tacky Glue to secure the riders to the camels. Everything was going OK until I felt glue on my hand holding the bottle. The bottle was old and the plastic had deteriorated, causing a large crack to open. I immediately summoned assistance from my wife and was able to get almost all the tacky glue into a medium sized margarine container. But I knew that it won't last very long and there was a lot of glue. So, I got my bucket of fine sand and bucket of spackle and mixed some basing material, using the tacky glue, sand, and spackle.

I used it to add basing effects to the 12 Beja camels, a Beja foot leader, and a whole batch of imagi-nation SYW era troops.

These are the Ral Partha Beja camelry after the bases had been augmented with the mix and then painted a base coat of burnt sienna. I'll do some dry brushing of tan and cream and finish the bases by adding some small rocks and grass. The riders still have to have their shields and weapons added and the leader (third from left, front row) his banner.

Here is my improvised work station on the dining room table with two battalions of Eureka Saxons. Their bases have been prepped with the mix. They are awaiting a coat of white glue prior to being dunked into my flocking mix.

And here are some completed figures, all Eureka Saxons, drying on some newspaper.

I'll have to admit I was discombobulated (that's "all shook up" in Southernese) by the tacky glue bottle splitting. I didn't realize at the time that it was that old. But later when I tried to recall when I purchased it, all I could remember was it was a long time ago.