Hedges - Part 1

I've embarked on a rather ambitious project - to prepare a large amount of hedge sections for my Very British Civil War game at Bayou Wars on Saturday, June 14.  So the count-down is on.

I reviewed several on-line tutorials and initially selected one that used pot scrubber pads.  I looked at my local major name grocery store but they didn't have want I needed.  Then I stopped by my local "cut-rate" grocery store and they did have them.  So I bought one package of three of scrubber pads that are about 6" x 4" x 1/4".  I folded each in half along the long axis and secured each with Aleene's tacky glue and left them to dry under weights overnight.  The next night I glued them to 6" craft sticks.  After they had dried again overnight I covered each with Elmer's glue and piled on the flock.  Here are two views of the process in progress with a couple of 28mm figures for comparison.  The tops were trimmed wit scissors to give them an uneven appearance.  These will be good for "cultured" hedges in town or around an estate house.

 

 

 

I need to pick up another pack so I can have 36" of this type of hedge.

 

 

Another tutorial used shaped and sanded dense extruded insulation foam as the base for more of a "bocage" type of hedge.  I decided to use half round architectural moulding for my bases, cut into 5-1/2" lengths and glued to 6" craft sticks.  I drilled various size holes into each so I can use tree armatures and 1/8" dowels to act a framework for the vegetation.  I plan on using the plastic stuffing from a household air filter (the flat kind) as the base vegetation and augment it with flock and foam foliage clumps.  I have all of the base sections cut out, holes drilled, and the sections glued to the craft sticks.  They will dry until tomorrow night when I'll start inserting the tree armatures and braces.  Here is a sample, again with a 28mm figure for size.

 



 

I'll eventually have 10 feet of this type of "wild" hedge, including two with gates.  Now the only question is if I can complete this project in less than two weeks.  And still paint a small number of figures and complete the build of the BUF armored truck.

 

Stay tuned!



Paint for Victory - Part 5

Although the Very British Civil War Forum's Paint for Victory campaign ended on May 16, I still have some more painting to get ready for my Bayou Wars convention game on June 14.  So, I'll keep on campaigning!!

Right now I'm working on some more troops which I currently have undercoated.  They'll start to get some paint tomorrow afternoon during the Indianapolis 500 and in the evening during the Coca-Cola 600.  Its a big racing day with the Grand Prix of Monaco in the morning and then the American races.

This evening after I undercoated the troops, I began serious work on the armored truck for the BUF Special Assault Section.  It is based on a Matchbox Models of Yestreyear Crossley.  Here are two views of the work in progress.

I removed the spare tire on the right side.  The hood (bonnet) and front grill have armored (matte board) covers and the sides and back have been built up with armored plate (folder stock).  The posts will eventually hold a mesh top to stop grenades from coming into the passenger compartment.  The driver's cab will get armored sides and an armored top.  The SAS leftenant stands beside his "chariot."

A front view of the work in progress.  I still haven't figured out when I'll start painting it, either now before I make the segments for the cab or afterwards.  Ah, decisions, decisions.

 

I've also got some additional hedges in progress using heavy duty pot scrubbers for the body of the hedge.  More on them later.

Trail of Honor 2014

Last Saturday, I went by the Mississippi Trail of Honor exhibition that is set-up in our local Harley Davidson shop and in the woods behind it.

The shop display room is cleared and local veterans groups, veterans assistance organizations, and others set up display tables, exhibits, and assistance booths.

Various veterans groups - Marines, Vietnam Veterans, etc.

The 82nd Airborne Association

Tuskegee Airman manning the Buffalo Soldiers Association table

More Tuskegee airmen

WW2 Marine Navajo code talkers

Mississippi Military Museum, Camp Shelby

Outside in the woods behind the Harley shop, groups representing America's various wars, from the French and Indian to modern, set up living history demonstrations.

My friend John H. in his Continental officer's uniform, looking rather warm and uncomfortable.

A battery of Confederate artillery

And their opposite numbers, a Union Model 1841 12-lb howitzer, getting ready to fire.

Loading the piece.

And firing.  They double charged it and the noise was palpable to my body as well as my ears.

But the highlight of the exhibition honors our fallen veterans.

The Traveling Vietnam Veterans Wall, which is escorted throughout its time in the state by the American Legion Riders.  The honor guard this year was provided by the Mississippi State Guard, I think.

The Mississippi Faces of the Fallen Wall (under the tent) honors those Mississippians who have died in our recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

The US flags stretched along the trail in both directions.

All in all it is a grand way to honor and memorialize our American veterans (of whom I am one).  I was able to meet and thank a number of older veterans and renew a few acquaintances from previous years.

Paint for Victory - Part 4

I just completed by third, and final, rifle section for the Cambridge Fencibles (Anglican League).

 

This is the "firing line" pack from Battle Honors.  For the most part they seem to be better sculpted and moulded than the "skirmish" packs that I have for the other two sections.  But the standing and kneeling figures are holding their rifles in a most awkward position, rather too far forward to my eye instead of a good positioning against the shoulder.  But from 3 or 4 feet away they look OK.

Now, where does that leave me for my goal when we (Ok, Ok, I) started this "Paint for Victory" madness.  Well, I've painted the two rifle sections, the two mounted officers, and the fillers for my headquarters section so that's good.  But, I didn't get the film crew finished and I haven't completed the armored truck for the BUF special assault section so that's not good.  Oh, well, we can't all be perfect I guess.  Kinda takes the fun out of life.

My game is still on for Saturday.  For a while today I felt like I had scheduled a war and no one was showing up.  But enough of our group will be there that I'll at least have two players per side.  A report with pictures will be forthcoming.

Then it is on to the additional figures that are on their way from Brigade Games - more armed civilians, more headquarters wallahs, and a Maxim machinegun team for my revolutionary sailors.  I am going to try to paint most of these for my convention game next month.



Paint for Victory - Part 3

Today I completed the second of three batches of Battle Honours figures for my Very British Civil War game on Saturday, May 17.

All of these figures are part of the Anglican League's Cambridge Fencibles, raised by the Bishop of Cambridge from veterans of the Great War, recently demobilized troops of the Cambridgeshire Regiment, and volunteers.

The senior headquarters section for the West Suffolk district of the Bury St. Edmonds command area.  The mounted and dismounted Leftenant Colonel are on the photo left while the mounted and dismounted major are on the right.  The "regimental" colour sergeant is in the center.  In the rear right and left are the two signal teams.

 

The command element for No. 2 Company, Cambridge Fencibles, consists of the captain (center), leftenent (with swagger stick), company colour sergeant (to left of captain), and two privates.



 

 

The company has attached to it a Vickers machinegun team.  This two has two "modes."  On the left they are set up and ready to fire while on the right they are moving to a new location.

 

I also did some work on the goods wagon (boxcar to us Americans) that was featured in my game last month.   Fight for the Supplies .

 



 

The goods wagon as it originally came with the toy train set I bought some years ago.  I took it apart and sprayed it first with Krylon plastic primer then with Krylon flat black camouflage paint.



 

Then I painted the body in the livery of the London and North Eastern Railway whose mainline runs through Essex and Suffolk on its way north.  To the left is another open goods wagon that will get a further treatment in the future, maybe as an armored gun car.  It shows the difference in the original toy train set cars and the partially detained car I just did.



Now I only have 10 more figures, Rifle Section No. 2, of the company to paint this week before my game.



Paint for Victory - Part 2

Last night I completed the first of two rifle sections for the Anglican League reinforcements.  These ten Battle Honours figures will join their brethern of the 1st Section as part of No. 2 Company, Cambridge Fencibles, defending western Suffolk from the depredations of the Royalists and their British Union of Fascists allies.

The figure on the front right shows how I mark the rear of the bases to distinguish the various commands.  Anglicans get this nice medium blue with one, two, or three slashes for the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Sections.  Other colors used are white for Royalist, black for BUF, red for revolutionary Naval, orange for socialists, and green for local defense.

I still have to paint another rifle section, a heavy machinegun team, and a number of command figures before my game on Saturday, May 17.

Paint for Victory - Part 1

In a thread on the Very British Civil War Forum, "Taking a Swing at Lead Mountain," the original poster suggested a communal effort to make a concerted effort to get some of our laggard VBCW projects completed.  I posted that I had a number of figures just undercoated that needed to be completed before my game on May 17.  So it looks like we have a target!

Here is the first picture of the progress:

Last night I painted the shoes and puttees or riding boots on 22 infantry, 2 mounted officers, 3 foot officers, and 2 3-man heavy machine gun teams.  They'll get their pants tonight.

These are Battle Honours figures from Old Glory 15s/19th Century Miniatures ( link ) here in the US.  Some of the figures sculpting is a little crude but they look very nice when painted, plus the price and shipping was very reasonable.  They are glued to roofing nails that have large flat heads and held in a block of Styrofoam.  The nails give me a good purchase and I can angle them just about anyway I need to paint the various bits.

More later!