Laser Turrets and Power Generator

I ordered these ages ago as they’re rarely in stock for long. Anyway they arrived the other day, much to my delight. All from the GF9 Battlefield in a Box range.

Here’s a couple of closer pics.

They really are ready to go on the battlefield straight from the box, although I may add a little more weathering etc. I intend to leave them un-based so that they’ll look fine on any type of battlefield from the lush woodlands of the forest moon of Endor, or the ice fields of Hoth to the arid deserts of Tatooine.

More WW2 Scatter

A petrol pump and a few barrels of fuel are the start of a Mediterranean themed rural ‘gas station’. Need to add a dilapidated shed and some piles of junk, rusty car, etc.

Spare gravestones (Debris of War, Ainsty Castings) and an unused medieval figure make ideal scatter to enhance graveyards or perhaps as roadside shrines or statues.

A pair of brick columns (Debris of War again) and a spare ornate gate (Warbases) make for a handy entrance in a walled garden.

Converted Charlie Foxtrot Pantile Stable

The Charlie Foxtrot pantile kits are very versatile, so here I’ve done a very simple adaptation of the stable converted to make a larger store house or perhaps a small dwelling.

As you can see, I’ve blocked off one of the stable doors and replaced the other two-part door with a single piece door from my spares box. A while back I asked Colin to cut some extra doors, shutters and window frames, etc as I knew they’d prove useful.

The side door remains as is, but on the back I’ve added a pair of closed shutters. Painting is the same as for all of my pantile models, please see the “How to” tab above.

A Little Bit of Gardening

A very quick post to show a garden I’ve built from scraps of MDF and plasticard in between working on a larger project. It’s approx 4” x 2.5” so ideal for a miniature backyard.

This sort of thing is super easy to make given the huge range of tufts, flowers and foliage available these days and I feel they add a bit of extra character to a battlefield. Plus they can represent broken ground or, if taller plants are used, could be soft cover. Anyway, thanks for looking!

Charlie Foxtrot Pantile Church

I’ve been intending to add one of these splendid kits to my collection for some time. Good mate Colin and I were watching the Sharpe series after a busy weekend of gaming when he said he fancied making a kit based on the chapel in the little town of Torrecastro where Sharpe and his men raise the gonfalon of Santiago. He began furiously sketching out plans and designs whilst I supplied tea and biscuits and, if I recall correctly, got on with some ironing! Anyway, here it is.

My earlier efforts with a CFM church painted for a friend can can be found here, including the painting recipe. Only slight changes were giving the entire church a coat of textured masonry paint (for better texture) and swapping Foundry Boneyard light for Americana Bleached Sand.

For extra interest I’ve added a little “shrine” using a small piece of resin from Hovels. I may add some clump foliage to represent a creeper growing up the stonework.

One feature of the kit that Colin was keen to include was being able to put figures, based on 2p’s, on to the roof. Looks like the chapel is still under French control…

… not any more! Bonaparte will not be pleased!

Buildings for North Africa

The only significant items missing from my North African scenery collection were some buildings so when I saw the Middle Eastern range produced by Simon at Blotz (very nice chap), I knew they’d be ideal. They’re good value and neatly designed too. I’ve bought and built three so far but will definitely add a few more, particularly the buildings with enclosed yards.

Here, some DAK troops are clearing the village.

This building has been built exactly as per the kit instructions.

This building has an added dome roof (not part of the kit). I made this from a polystyrene ball from which I sliced a “spherical cap”. Glue it to the roof and use some wet polyfilla to blend it in and hide the polystyrene texture.

The largest of the three kits, again with added dome. The flat roofs lift out to allow models to be placed inside and for this kit the upper storey lifts off too.

Highly recommended! Before painting I used a little all purpose filler to smooth over any joins. Painting was very easy: two or three layers of a masonry paint labelled as “cinnamon” followed by highlights of VMC Dark Sand and Foundry Boneyard light. The wooden beams were simply a dark brown with some sand coloured highlights.

British Desert Transport

A very quick post to show the latest painting for my Desert War collection.

Both resin vehicles from Warlord. Needed quite a bit of cleaning but nice models. Simple paint scheme: VMC Iraqi Sand, GW Agrax wash, then highlights of VMC Iraqi Sand, VMC Dark Sand and Foundry Boneyard light. Tyres painted in VMC German Grey followed by sand highlights. The canvas cover is Foundry British Canvas mid/light.