20MM Buildings from Cheap Foam.

Hi Chaps,

Due to a run on the Solo Wargamers pound I have had to improvise in order to get any hobby time in this week. My 28MM zombie project is done and sat proudly in my cabinet and so it was time to look around for a replacement period........until I checked my bank balance and then a rethink was in order!

20MM certainly helps the financially challenged to overcome the costs involved in the hobby-if you have the eyesight it is a great scale. So-after checking I could still see these little guys- I ordered a box of Orion Israeli infantry and a few Grubby tanks packs and began to wait.

Whilst waiting I gathered some extruded styrene and a few pizza bases, tacks, cheap childs white glue and other odds and ends found around the house. An internet search of Pakistani city pictures gave me a clue as too what to build and it was Blue Peter time!

These buildings are far from finished as they need air con units (does anyone make these?) and a lot of signs, dangling wires and more rubbish! I have a longer row of even slummier buildings planned but for now I will take a break....who knows the figures may arrive?

Keep blogging Guys I need your ideas!

Where to buy 28mm windows and doors?

Hi Chaps,

It seems that asking questions on blogger is becoming a bit of a habit but I am rather stuck and the internet in general is throwing almost nothing up.

I am intending to start a scratch build session of epic proportions-well 2 full days but I would like to amass all the bits I need to maximise my build time. An attempt at miniature project management to save time and pennies.

The items I am looking for are 28mm scale windows and doors suitable for the Victorian era. Whilst  could scratch build for the poorer buildings I feel that a machined look is in order for the better areas of town just like in this pic

The amazing model town can be found on this link...world class war gaming stuff on there as well (I do hope that the owner is cool about me sharing this pic).

http://www.warin15mm.com/Victorian-Gallery.html

I was hoping that someone may produce mdf windows, doors, guttering that I could stick onto or into my brickwork that has been carved into foam.

Thanks in advance for any help....my miniature building site needs a final fix!

1/72 Scale Transport....and girls

Hi Chaps,

It has been a busy time but unfortunately not on the hobby front. Christmas shopping and general life duties have interfered greatly with the miniature life I like to lead. At last though I have had time to delve into my stash of toy cars (that does sound so sad) to produce some more 20mm transport.

The Lesney owners club will have a price on my head for destroying their historic little models but to be fair this lot must have had a hard life. Mud was still caked inside the wheel arches on these little vehicles which are now almost as old as myself...knocking 49!

The toy cars scale up rather well with the Landrover and Unimog being the best fit but to be honest will anyone notice when they are on the table? Obviously that was a rhetorical question as I play solo....

Die cast cars are easy to take apart, just drill out the rivet with a 5mm metal drill bit but do wear glasses or goggles, mazak is nasty stuff that is best kept away from your eyeballs. The Unimog and Landrover will be military green and the wagon the usual gaudy/effeminate Elton John finish.

You may have noticed the "Girls with Guns" in the first photo, I have had them for years and I have never known what to do with them...until I visited this webpage...

http://www.morvalearth.co.uk/Morvalonga/Morvalonga_Armed_Forces.htm

After more than 30 years of war gaming I am delighted to say that this was something that entertained and inspired me. Actually a breathe of fresh air! This man may just be living my miniature dream! Toy cars, aeroplanes and helicoptors have been recruited into his world and a damn good job he has made of it too! When not trying to become serious students/gamers/analysts this is what we should be doing-having fun.

The webpage above was chanced upon because I asked a question regarding the war in Rhodesia on the Lead adventure forum.

http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php

Whatever your gaming interests are please do visit this site the knowledge and the friendliness of the members on this site is humbling.

OK Chaps, a lot to read and think about, have a few beers over the weekend and enjoy Morvalonga....and have fun!

Civilian trucks in 20mm and a VW Camper....for pennies

Hi Chaps,

Its been rather busy on the hobby front but I was determined to see how a few toy cars that I picked up at a car boot for a pound would turn out with a new coat of paint. The models were stripped down and the metal (it is actually Mazak a cheap monkey metal) placed in boiling water which then had caustic added.

A wash and dry later they had a new undercoat of white acrylic paint over which normal hobby paints were used. The insides of the models were also painted but you can hardly spot it so this may have been a waste of time. The yellow trucks are 1:80 scale which is a little small for the huge trucks but they will work as 10 tonne 10 wheelers of the sort that trundle around the awkward small tracks of Afghanistan and Africa. I have resisted painting the Afghan patterns on them that would make Elton John yell GAY as I want to use them in Africa were the truckers are far more manly.

The Volks Wagon Camper is much more the correct scale (1/76?) and I really liked painting this one as I recently watched Blood Diamond and one of these Campers features for a while. In fact the next one I find is being painted the same colours as the one in the film!

Cost wise these things are cheap and when gaming in 20 MM our town boards should be full of them...if we can find the time that is.

Next up is an African street made from a frozen pizza base....my defence budget is squeezed but that is not going to stop me playing games all over the world!

Keep blogging Chaps this hobby is amazing!

Turning Old Toys into 20 MM Gold (almost)

Hi Chaps,


This week has been fairly productive with 20 painted US modern soldiers and half a dozen bad guys. A street plan has been drawn and reading material sourced. It was whilst looking in a drawer for an Osprey book that I came across a few old toy cars-perfect candidates to occupy my time on a rainy Sunday afternoon!

The cars came apart easily and were tipped in hot water and caustic soda....always add the caustic to the boiling water to avoid a nasty bubbly surprise.

Once stripped the little cars were under coated and then given their final coat of white. Re assembly is straight forward with everything being held in place with a Bostik type glue. Final touches included the lights and a guy hanging out of the window doing a 20 MM drive by.

With their bases now finished these cars were great (cheap) fun to mess around with......I will need many more to grace my little table.

The Bradley is a cheap Fabbri (I think) that was won on ebay....it may yet receive the caustic treatment.

Keep blogging Chaps!

Molds for miniature Air Con units and Grubby Tanks

Hi Chaps,

It's been all go here, I have been having a clear out (again) and decided to concentrate on just one or two periods. Now the decks are clear I have more room for yet more figures and also a bit of time to experiment with scratch building. Being on a budget means that I have to try to find ways of making my hobby as cheap as possible though to be fair I think it is a pretty cheap hobby anyway...especially when you start to compare the costs of other pastimes.

Anyway I dug out an old tin of Sili Put...a cheap putty that when mixed together makes a putty that you can then make a mold with. This stuff is a cheaper alternative to "real" mold making which can become expensive and for me at the moment it would be overkill.

I made a "master" of an air conditioning unit that looks something like what you see stuck all over every building in Asia and Africa and possibly the middle east as well. This only needed to be simple as the item is or decoration and not a feature.

Next I glued the master into a MacDonalds ketchup container and covered it with the Sili Put....this stage was actually flawed as a few air bubbles spoiled the mold and is now reflected in every piece! I am sure that you chaps will do better but this was a first attempt..

The final mold is cut from the ketchup case and Miliput was used to create the air con units...they look a little odd but hopefully a coat of paint will hide their more obvious imperfections. Next time I will invest in a real mold making kit and a better master! Still these are the right price as they probably cost around 20 pence each to mold...if plaster was used it would be literally pennies.

Keep blogging!

Cannot Sleep Sunday...shipping containers

Hi Chaps,

Sunday morning arrived early and I was up with the bird call....no idea why I just could not sleep. So with a little extra free time I made a couple of shipping containers for 28 MM skirmish gaming.

The containers are 12 CM long and 5 CM square and were very easy to produce....they are hardly scale models but if you don't look too close they are fine. The doors have cotton bud tubes for the working parts and they were sprayed using random car paint tins that I had hanging around but any house paint would do....in all they probably cost 50 p to make so they are the right price!

Scratch Build and the Plastic Soldier Company

Hi Chaps,

A rare Monday morning post but I just wanted to pop a few pictures of the scratch build from Friday night onto the blog and also mention the Plastic Soldier Company.

having only recently discovered the excellent Bolt Action rule set I am in the (expensive for me) process of building two opposing forces, German and Russian. The Russians have come via The Plastic Soldier Company and are amazing value for money. I was expecting very dodgy models because they were so cheap but actually the quality and quantity is just amazing-probably the best money I have ever spent in this hobby.

http://theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_2_43

This company deserve to do well and maybe they will even release other nations in time?

As for the drunken scratch build it is a very simple foam card shape with a pair of pillars that I bought from ebay...they were literally pennies...the paint used on this are all tester pots from the DIY stores, chocolate brown being the most useful as I use it on all my bases. There are still a few spots to repaint and I will put some dull colours on the interior walls. I plan to make a few more as they should help fill up my table nicely.

Back in Blighty

Hi Chaps,

just a quick hello! I have missed my hobby and being able to read about your exploits but that will all change in the coming weeks. I will post a few pics of Asian architecture but these reference photos will stand for Sierra Leone and probably a lot more of Africa as well....

What rules would you chaps use for modern small scale wars? I have Force on Force but I do not like them at all....any other options? Does any company still carry At Close Quarters?

Thanks in advance....