tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-916567386473323232024-03-05T23:28:25.949+13:00Scary Biscuits Studios: Hobby BlogScary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-9795500629632119542020-02-28T14:00:00.001+13:002020-02-28T14:01:24.392+13:00Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Tips for Designing GamesOk, ok, ok... I know Kurt Vonnegut never designed games (to the best of my knowledge, anyway). But he was an exceptional author who knew how to craft an entertaining experience. When I read his collection of short stories, <a href="http://amzn.to/MejQyC" target="_blank"><i>Bagombo Snuff Box</i></a>, I discovered his 8 simple tips for writing a good short story. <br />
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Reading through each point, I was struck by how relevant his advice was for game designers and I knew I had to write up an article to help connect designers with these tips. So let's dig in.<br />
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<b>1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.</b></h3>
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This is the most fundamental rule of game design, <i>especially </i>these days when players have a massive selection of games to play and only limited time to play them in. So make sure your game uses their time well and that you respect the time they give your game. Here's some follow tips in this space:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Don't waste a player's time with frivolous mechanics. Seek to streamline their actions through their experience so that they can focus on the things they want to do.</li>
<li>Think very carefully about your target play time. Not everyone wants to play 2+ hour games.</li>
<li>This also applies to rulebook writing. Make your rules concise and to the point so that the player can focus on what they really want to do: play your game.</li>
</ul>
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<b>2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.</b></h3>
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In stories, this is essential for bringing your reader through the experience without having to drag them along forcefully. This is often done through making a connection with that character. In game design, think about how you can bring your players through your experience willingly by striving to find the things in your design that connect with players. These might include things like:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Growing more powerful</li>
<li>Seeking new combinations</li>
<li>Solving puzzles</li>
<li>Teamwork</li>
</ul>
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<b>3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.</b></h3>
Characters need to have objectives, and so too do players. Make this a priority in your discovery phase of your game. What do players want to accomplish through their game? Then make sure that each player looks forward their next turn, seeking something or wanting to do something. The old showbiz addage of "always leave them wanting more" is a powerful thing in game design. Some ideas for that are:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Limited actions in a turn (don't let players do everything they want to in one turn)</li>
<li>Empower players to make meaningful choices</li>
<li>Set clear objectives in players' minds about what they are aiming for</li>
</ul>
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<b>4. Every sentence must do one of two things--reveal character or advance the action.</b></h3>
Sentences that do not do these things are exposition filler, like reading 19th Century American Literature. In games, make sure your rules are direct and to the point. Often I read rules that I'm sure are written to try and impress me with the writer's cleverness. I can't stand those, no one buys a game or reads rules for finely crafted illustrative wording. They are here to learn rules, not a piece of literature. Just get to the point and keep in mind that tip 1 above applies to rulebooks as much as it does gameplay. If you get lost in your own cleverness in your rules writing, you stand a very good chance of losing players at this stage before they even play your game. So in game design terms, every sentence should:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Advance the player's understanding of the game</li>
<li>Get the player into your game as quickly as possible</li>
<li>Write concise rules</li>
<li>Don't use assumed knowledge or terms in your writing</li>
</ul>
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<b>5. Start as close to the end as possible.</b></h3>
Unless you're JRR Tolkien, this is a critical piece across the whole spectrum of entertainment, from books to movies and TV shows. In the game design space, this is something that I learned early on in my career. When designing scenarios for players to engage in, I always wanted to start back from the action, letting the players maneuver into their starting positions. Phil Yates, the lead designer of Flames of War, taught me that starting close to (and right at the start of) the action means that things are action packed from the start to the finish of the game. Again, this goes back to tip 1, where you don't want to waste time fluffing about with stuff that ultimately doesn't matter. The words Vonnegut ends with are "as possible", which gives you some latitude in this space, but always make sure that:<br />
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<li>Players start the game making meaningful choices from the get go.</li>
<li>Make sure that the first turn is the first step on the journey, and not a Tom Bombadil moment.</li>
<li>Don't make false starts (ie the action starts on turn 2)</li>
<li>Consider Tutorial scenarios to handle learning the game.</li>
</ul>
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<b>6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them--in order that the reader may see what they are made of.</b></h3>
This is my favorite one. No one likes a story where the hero starts in a solid position and is never challenged through to the end. Even Superman is faced with challenges that he must overcome. In games, this is all about setting up challenges for your players. By going through these, players go on a journey to achieve to their objectives. You want them to walk away from your game having shared in an formative experience. And the best way to do that is to make awful things happen to them in your game so that they can grow and overcome them. In your games, be terrible to your players:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Throw your players into chaos</li>
<li>Make them earn their way out</li>
<li>Allow them space to grow more powerful</li>
</ul>
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<b>7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.</b></h3>
This is another critical piece of advice. You can't be all things to all people, so don't even try. Focus your efforts and make sure that your game really hits a certain player in the feels. Establish who this person is at the outset of your game. Really think about it and make sure you understand your intended audience. In some conditions, the "person" can be a group of people, like Star Trek fans, or a limited demographic. But be very careful not to try and please everyone because in doing so, your game will become bloated, sick, and thrown into the plague pit along with the empty corpses of other generalist games. This involves:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Choosing or understanding your playtesters' motivations and preferences</li>
<li>Identifying your "person" in others that are testing your game.</li>
<li>Saying yes to and understanding playtester's feelings and reactions to things</li>
<li>But also saying no to suggested playtester fixes</li>
<li>Always, always, always keep your "person" in your mind when you're writing, playtesting, and making changes. </li>
</ul>
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<b>8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.</b></h3>
This one ties into all of the above tips. If you've done your job right with the above tips, then a player should be able to know, roughly, how the next few turns are going to play out. Or at least they should think they know how things will play out. If a player doesn't feel like they have any control over the course of their experience, they are likely to feel like they are wasting their time (see tip 1). However, some chaos is good, and twist endings are always interesting. However, remember that the twist needs to be at least plausible within the game's logic in order to leave the player satisfied with their experience. You don't want a Game of Thrones Season 8 on your hands... Make sure that:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Player should need to be close to their objectives, if they have not completed them. Make them feel like "if only I had one more turn!", because that's a powerful motivation to play again.</li>
<li>Always have a come-back mechanism in your game so that players can have hope and a reason to play to the end. </li>
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Vonnegut finished his advice with the acknowledgement that each of these rules have their exceptions. Vonnegut concludes saying, "The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O'Connor. She broke practically every one of my rules but the first. Great writers tend to do that." As game designers we are free to make our games however we see fit, however we must, above all else, remember the first rule. Because make no mistake, the time players give us to entertain them is a truly remarkable gift and we must honor it.<br />
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...but also honor the time they give you by making horrible things happen to them in the game.<br />
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Happy designing!<br />
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<i>-Mike</i></h4>
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Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-26134873926546962182019-09-23T22:56:00.000+12:002019-09-25T06:57:59.823+12:00Dreadnought: Great War at Sea<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwokuEhxieeyTA77qQ_Xigo6kbHNZaJqmnFQUwMrFwNQqvRS8HrcX9INMvgvHswdlbhDhK4gHg0Z1xVR2MmdvbngrJ4hAFVK6iBMKNOXBjMgNiYctNR9tqgLU-_qfM-CSnmnTfKKaFF3A/s1600/box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="926" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwokuEhxieeyTA77qQ_Xigo6kbHNZaJqmnFQUwMrFwNQqvRS8HrcX9INMvgvHswdlbhDhK4gHg0Z1xVR2MmdvbngrJ4hAFVK6iBMKNOXBjMgNiYctNR9tqgLU-_qfM-CSnmnTfKKaFF3A/s640/box.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my prototype box, with the Battle of Coronel tucked away inside!</td></tr>
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Hi all, big news today!<br />
As you've no doubt been aware, I've been furiously making a scratch-built fleet of WWI-era ships. My faithful readers out there will also note that I've not put an update on those models in ages, and they're absolutely correct. I've not been building models, but what I have been doing is putting on the finishing touches on a Dreadnought-era rules set. This has been a project that I've had in the works since the mid 90s and it's stuck with me. Rebooting my scratchbuild project also rekindled my desire to reboot my rulebook.<br />
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So after two years of refactoring, designing, and laying up graphics, I'm finally ready to roll out some alpha testing on my project. I think I've got a good set of quick-play rules, but the jury (that's you!) is still out on that verdict. So I need your help to test out my game and shoot me some feedback so I can improve mechanics, rip out ones that aren't working, and generally bash these rules into shipshape, if you'll pardon the pun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSr3eLZYKij-MRnRGG9xUOoSLyrGYUjIzEYB5CHAWGRP6K1R-SYOzge72Qna9-I_2hEhS6q4q_Bw3dgJa_aJtXpbHXwauhfAyio5o7Sm4RFqOZq5gY5EQacWeX69MIWoEUCGAhg6lox0/s1600/ShipCards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1226" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSr3eLZYKij-MRnRGG9xUOoSLyrGYUjIzEYB5CHAWGRP6K1R-SYOzge72Qna9-I_2hEhS6q4q_Bw3dgJa_aJtXpbHXwauhfAyio5o7Sm4RFqOZq5gY5EQacWeX69MIWoEUCGAhg6lox0/s640/ShipCards.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ships and ship cards. My magic spreadsheet put the German four ships equal to their British counterpart, with is more fair to the British than was historically the case. So we'll see how it goes with a bit of testing!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Tx54mRgGKcQCBHvzMBww4fo5FwM8TWgzMR5JUq6x9LuQW4hH2Ts4dbpSa1iYF7_ACZDhELJUx3YjunYhj7h7KRc_BIe-vqtsCS_X0xQHYD-59TjFEK6xctru0PtcpfT-S6OcaOcBqvw/s1600/DamageCards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="745" data-original-width="1262" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Tx54mRgGKcQCBHvzMBww4fo5FwM8TWgzMR5JUq6x9LuQW4hH2Ts4dbpSa1iYF7_ACZDhELJUx3YjunYhj7h7KRc_BIe-vqtsCS_X0xQHYD-59TjFEK6xctru0PtcpfT-S6OcaOcBqvw/s640/DamageCards.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Damage decks seem to be all the rage these days and I resisted using one. But the alternative was a dusty old table, so these will have to do!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMZ4ox2BqStEVRMKyRAKQO3RcJnbTsTuIG9Qj0Byq_b5b5_g3qA_fNj-V2IBK3o7nNpskhVKW_7aSXASH99lQn1gL4muxejYIZBQ4uFXgILxSQ7hGBHmpmiWsJt9inMrEigugaple4UE/s1600/DamageChart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="1170" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMZ4ox2BqStEVRMKyRAKQO3RcJnbTsTuIG9Qj0Byq_b5b5_g3qA_fNj-V2IBK3o7nNpskhVKW_7aSXASH99lQn1gL4muxejYIZBQ4uFXgILxSQ7hGBHmpmiWsJt9inMrEigugaple4UE/s640/DamageChart.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the only major table in the game, so I've made it into a reference card.</td></tr>
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I also ran my first playtest game in today with a couple of volunteers. This was a Coronel refight at 50pts per side. Ended up with all ships sunk with the exception of an undamaged Leipzig and a crippled Monmouth. It was perhaps a bit too bloody but was a good game that lasted about an hour.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">German ships charge at the British</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMSCel_8A4J6jAmYGFZIlUvutuLg3pGYJ0j2erq7Z6YQlFStwdO96gyiDESZK6AGpLEbbl2KDaArLofyomfC9vDZRMlnLWe-aX52KXbyRblu7AT7Cv_ocfRYDZ2lUyPMuu_6NdGhkpjU/s1600/70687603_10101922101630124_9043706322138169344_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMSCel_8A4J6jAmYGFZIlUvutuLg3pGYJ0j2erq7Z6YQlFStwdO96gyiDESZK6AGpLEbbl2KDaArLofyomfC9vDZRMlnLWe-aX52KXbyRblu7AT7Cv_ocfRYDZ2lUyPMuu_6NdGhkpjU/s640/70687603_10101922101630124_9043706322138169344_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glasgow scores a catastrophic hit on the Dresden which sinks immediately.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8l-Pncedgtqx1QaplBFTcU6p5Kos-nsjy15athUCBouXL1yeR9DsJ743EqUfWvnS9cjAZ5KwZbSQYZsCWs7VpRJ1O-lVusqvvlmwptzTNUOMxqn7loANcks-2rORzm6cBzYNB5BCaIl8/s1600/IMG_20190922_172548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8l-Pncedgtqx1QaplBFTcU6p5Kos-nsjy15athUCBouXL1yeR9DsJ743EqUfWvnS9cjAZ5KwZbSQYZsCWs7VpRJ1O-lVusqvvlmwptzTNUOMxqn7loANcks-2rORzm6cBzYNB5BCaIl8/s640/IMG_20190922_172548.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ortanto takes enough damage to start sinking but it's guns score a few last hits on the Scharnhorst before the crew abandons ship</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Germans split forces to deal with the British Armoured Cruisers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTpHt6XHYGTTu31tsEs3p0elA8E4n5h0pLrLHnxeU_ScWNugM4qoCXd4ys-oaThezqxuTOLQc9vpnJWvfCKlvfsbP5x_TmHVOTtTKZy6nfHeRiuJ4VfTQvEwLBCMeduvy5Zg0oJERfBc/s1600/IMG_20190922_173850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTpHt6XHYGTTu31tsEs3p0elA8E4n5h0pLrLHnxeU_ScWNugM4qoCXd4ys-oaThezqxuTOLQc9vpnJWvfCKlvfsbP5x_TmHVOTtTKZy6nfHeRiuJ4VfTQvEwLBCMeduvy5Zg0oJERfBc/s640/IMG_20190922_173850.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monmouth finds the range on Scharnhorst</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good Hope steams against Scharnhorst</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JmsIodNObK43VNmo555BU_1s4qBBlNrouHHOUw0gvWthf4QYopwHOeIxCpfLHIb1Qh_ETJiafbGRLsRts9k1pXaaJ2_HlLr9C1n0CzQ8_uLRl6gC9ML2ZSPR8u_5dbbqB0Of-7ZGPNs/s1600/IMG_20190922_175842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JmsIodNObK43VNmo555BU_1s4qBBlNrouHHOUw0gvWthf4QYopwHOeIxCpfLHIb1Qh_ETJiafbGRLsRts9k1pXaaJ2_HlLr9C1n0CzQ8_uLRl6gC9ML2ZSPR8u_5dbbqB0Of-7ZGPNs/s640/IMG_20190922_175842.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scharnhorst destroys Good Hope's funnels causing problems for the British gunners</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main batteries all but gone, Good Hope fires it's secondary batteries at Scharnhorst, and the German cruiser starts taking on water. However, Scharnhorst similarly pummels Good Hope, ensuring mutual destruction</td></tr>
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If you're keen to help out, just follow these quick steps and I'll get you set up in my private playtest group where you can access the print-and-play files I've prepared.<br />
<br />
1. Join my SBS FB page here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ScaryBiscuitsStudios/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/ScaryBiscuitsStudios/</a><br />
2. Send me a PM asking to join the Dreadnought: Alpha playtest<br />
3. I'll add you to the private testing group<br />
4. Download rules and such from the group files.<br />
5. Play some games!<br />
6. Report back! <a href="https://forms.gle/xxhZYUmbFrMMYZqE8" target="_blank">https://forms.gle/xxhZYUmbFrMMYZqE8</a><br />
7. Discuss the game's strengths and weaknesses in the group<br />
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Thank you all so much for your support and kind words regarding my project. Hopefully this game can be a way for me to give something back to the amazing wargames community out there.<br />
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Cheers, and happy sailing,<br />
Mike</div>
Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-77774646275237797942019-04-29T22:39:00.001+12:002019-04-29T22:39:27.880+12:00Destroyers: Weapons of Mass Production<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaIbFK8hViCTFq4W381xvkiAO8VzRDpSTofr6tU67s7eO8vC8kKozTxUhZZ0ME0pBSLbr9o0F4qxc2IT8gjMUqN6WWF9iWz3oSFejdH2NWWlp9RStx_Nffb5bhvB3-0ZIwjUWpxPb0ko/s1600/20180316_215953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaIbFK8hViCTFq4W381xvkiAO8VzRDpSTofr6tU67s7eO8vC8kKozTxUhZZ0ME0pBSLbr9o0F4qxc2IT8gjMUqN6WWF9iWz3oSFejdH2NWWlp9RStx_Nffb5bhvB3-0ZIwjUWpxPb0ko/s640/20180316_215953.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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One of the more difficult things about my Jutland project was knowing that the "Destroyer Problem" was lurking just under the surface like a tethered mine...</div>
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Jellicoe's Grand Fleet had 46 Destroyers, Beatty's Battlecruisers had 27, for a total of 73 British destroyers. On the German side the High Seas Fleet had 31 and the Battlecruisers had 30 torpedo boats (roughly the equivalent to a British destroyer), for a total 61. Together these add up to 134 of these small ships! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDWAwzFl7BPZjR5Pwer2yOAUx6mGQnPLKwp7KnQOGitVF6utw6MPt69sTrKO5Q_LVakXEZ5824jaAPOJMfT9jAgUnTwdEERiVTN8Z0YQqMMTHwj0kUCITYz1aWnfA9TsYoRdC7xtS_nQ/s1600/HMS_Oracle_%25281915%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="666" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDWAwzFl7BPZjR5Pwer2yOAUx6mGQnPLKwp7KnQOGitVF6utw6MPt69sTrKO5Q_LVakXEZ5824jaAPOJMfT9jAgUnTwdEERiVTN8Z0YQqMMTHwj0kUCITYz1aWnfA9TsYoRdC7xtS_nQ/s640/HMS_Oracle_%25281915%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>HMS Oracle, an Admiralty M Class Destroyer</i></td></tr>
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And the complexity doesn't end with the sheer numbers, either. There was as huge demand for destroyers by both the German and British navies to cover convoy escort duty, anti-submarine work, establish screens, and for offensive fleet actions (massed torpedo attacks). To try and match demand, both nations' navies essentially put together their requirements for the destroyer class and then farmed out production to any shipyards not currently making capital ships or submarines. This led to a dizzying variety of destroyer types that all acted generally similar on the seas. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8tUkc_gCclqUiWYiOOqKgU98KCre_a0vQC61PdthFzD_YtNhgAKBZ5GsmG57tPDDgFfpL6LNjp6UIDK50utzf8QmWPHSYHkDv7PYXrLT9VDOxLqntmCUDrW4MOaJeu5vgMmIFUv561A/s1600/300px-SMS_V_43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="130" data-original-width="300" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8tUkc_gCclqUiWYiOOqKgU98KCre_a0vQC61PdthFzD_YtNhgAKBZ5GsmG57tPDDgFfpL6LNjp6UIDK50utzf8QmWPHSYHkDv7PYXrLT9VDOxLqntmCUDrW4MOaJeu5vgMmIFUv561A/s400/300px-SMS_V_43.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>SMS V45, a (confusingly classed) V25 Torpedo Boat</i></td></tr>
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When I started this project I didn't know the full extent of the complexities, but I did now there were a lot of types on both ends. So what I did to start with was choose a champion variant that had the most produced destroyers for each navy and then just spammed 30 of each them. Once those are done, I'll go back and make a few variants to sprinkle into my destroyer flotillas. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItVWFSUzIQ8SUHp5iqyQHiSAEc1ZFJo4PgfdfwBeOApFNMMkp8212HffFSvND-A-LAklI_frl6RRCi40h27xbxhFDafp3hWXGzJ3AFdvBNFcOlRvsvYFV12iQwDGJ4CXIOGffaO2fkqw/s1600/20180313_224137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItVWFSUzIQ8SUHp5iqyQHiSAEc1ZFJo4PgfdfwBeOApFNMMkp8212HffFSvND-A-LAklI_frl6RRCi40h27xbxhFDafp3hWXGzJ3AFdvBNFcOlRvsvYFV12iQwDGJ4CXIOGffaO2fkqw/s640/20180313_224137.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I did two pilot V25 destroyers, which you can see in my component tray here. I learned three things: </i><div style="text-align: left;">
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<i>1) Short cuts of wire is a terrible idea for torpedoes as they look wobbly. </i></div>
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<i>2) Wire 3D deck guns are a pain in the behind to handle, so better to just pen them in, especially if you're planning on installing over 200 of the little bastards. </i></div>
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<i>3) Torpedo launchers weren't brass-colored, as far as I can tell, so I went with gun metal (which is probably also wrong, but helps make them distinct on the dark grey hulls).</i></div>
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So my plan was simple. Chose one model and go for it. For the British, this was the Admiralty M Class Destroyer and for the Germans was the V25 Torpedo Boat. The Admiralty M class destroyers were armed with four torpedoes and several deck guns, whereas the German torpedo boats emphasized, obviously, torpedoes with a full complement of 6 but only one or two deck guns. So first off I knew I was going to need a lot of torpedoes. I ended up using the same plasticard rods that I used for my capital ship guns (.020 diameter). Coincidentally, the 15" Gun template on my gun jig was also the right length, so I spent an evening mass producing torpedoes, funnels, hull pieces, and bridges. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNYlRaSYi3lNwFFTJP8LbbSAk7BcTo2a7lAh9NfNK9HTRoX4poPa-XcEZHG8hRFiN9tcSHu7xdwmZksFPLtFTyf-jGbjXTWnRJ5-2lqAoecxtuPIuRQeRtFUWOjs9C1FgXLyCAdgTx0k/s1600/20180316_224841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNYlRaSYi3lNwFFTJP8LbbSAk7BcTo2a7lAh9NfNK9HTRoX4poPa-XcEZHG8hRFiN9tcSHu7xdwmZksFPLtFTyf-jGbjXTWnRJ5-2lqAoecxtuPIuRQeRtFUWOjs9C1FgXLyCAdgTx0k/s640/20180316_224841.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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For the ship models themselves, I drastically reduced their detail to just the hull, funnels, and the bridge. This made it easier to produce a lot of them at once. The rest of the details I used my technical pens to reproduce, such as the deck guns. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNb_F6NL74x2tL8cMabrzZeT5yKw6KgFs6ciQHNX-G-LFKp63urvXMdovPu72v2mBPRHfDxaGbx5cHepavXHgpCVAjIEgIhGrR4GMFZpTJS6ix0Er1kBaAWLhLwXzbahkm2VPO0uYO3po/s1600/20180317_135356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNb_F6NL74x2tL8cMabrzZeT5yKw6KgFs6ciQHNX-G-LFKp63urvXMdovPu72v2mBPRHfDxaGbx5cHepavXHgpCVAjIEgIhGrR4GMFZpTJS6ix0Er1kBaAWLhLwXzbahkm2VPO0uYO3po/s640/20180317_135356.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The dual torpedo launchers on the destroyers were on pivot mounts so they could be launched from wither broadside. So on the bulk of the boats I configured the launchers to be in what I assume to be travel position (fore-to-aft). For the remainder I spilt them up to point port and starboard for a little variety.</i></td></tr>
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Color-wise, the Germans seem to have painted the all-metal destroyers in dark grey, with anti-slip paint on the decks. The British had the usual medium Grey on the vertical surfaces, and a dark grey anti-slip color on the flat. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaKggyfEyd0E9HcPCOIsLyzPG72WXYyGJaxjU11RDFtV6jfZzMWHBCERZ25xWqQmjk7qx8YJH71S_Mo-xlCg0EkrKH5o_wNBBxRmGQNqlq82O6VPDkd44d8VNkVE6oFNQfO4RFQ0BD9o/s1600/20180610_224905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaKggyfEyd0E9HcPCOIsLyzPG72WXYyGJaxjU11RDFtV6jfZzMWHBCERZ25xWqQmjk7qx8YJH71S_Mo-xlCg0EkrKH5o_wNBBxRmGQNqlq82O6VPDkd44d8VNkVE6oFNQfO4RFQ0BD9o/s640/20180610_224905.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>For the black tops of the funnels and German superstructures, I used a felt-tip permanent marker. As you can see in this picture, they bronzed up a bit in reflection, but a hit of flat matte varnish totally eliminates it.</i></td></tr>
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The destroyer elements for the battlecruiser fleets ended up taking about a week to muddle through, but once they are done, they fill out the fleets well. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLb4VvNvjEEcWxapQJTOCACkhIkMDdPe6NhBCGWN6N9J4jL-HuV39Lxo5vCcHpVf5z_fmCWWCn1eG4BJ5Ldw6267N5cP4KL6Oxm21wpyEiv1awn-tCIk9ilV6yjHlTKbfLZwAH7X9oQMw/s1600/20180317_131554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLb4VvNvjEEcWxapQJTOCACkhIkMDdPe6NhBCGWN6N9J4jL-HuV39Lxo5vCcHpVf5z_fmCWWCn1eG4BJ5Ldw6267N5cP4KL6Oxm21wpyEiv1awn-tCIk9ilV6yjHlTKbfLZwAH7X9oQMw/s640/20180317_131554.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And that's it. The key lesson here is that it's easy to get bogged down in the details. So just remember that for a big project such as this, every bit of detail you add to your destroyers, you'll have to replicate a hundred more times. So just make sure that you find a balance that works for you!<br />
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Also, just a quick note, I've been reading <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21822533-fighting-the-great-war-at-sea" target="_blank">Fighting the Great War at Sea: Strategy, Tactics and Technology</a> by Norman Friedman, which has a bewildering amount of context around WWI destroyers, so if you're looking for more info, Friedman's book (well all of his books) are a really good start!Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-38286600437838405772019-02-15T13:23:00.002+13:002019-02-15T13:26:38.795+13:00Project: Coronel and the Falklands 1914<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzPPYk-HkqocYE3ka_bYOqT4VDHu14Sbl_71zm-0nRArqQBqdrGJ0DKja90imIUuYq0dTpVm6KBU4o_OHDur7UespoUSqxlRj1dA1M_jao29Wur-fG10CC9zA3OF7O7rPEuUOHi-6-9A/s1600/IMG_20180422_225850_859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzPPYk-HkqocYE3ka_bYOqT4VDHu14Sbl_71zm-0nRArqQBqdrGJ0DKja90imIUuYq0dTpVm6KBU4o_OHDur7UespoUSqxlRj1dA1M_jao29Wur-fG10CC9zA3OF7O7rPEuUOHi-6-9A/s400/IMG_20180422_225850_859.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I got a little distracted during my Scratch-built Jutland project with the significantly more achievable build project based on the battles of the south Atlantic and Pacific in 1914. While Jutland had over 200 ships involved, the Battle of Coronel had 9 ships, and the Falklands had 13, six of which were also present at Coronel. So in total the goal to complete this project is 16 ships (not including a couple of auxiliaries that I might build later).<br />
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British ships at Coronel included, <i>HMS Good Hope, Monmouth Glasgow</i>, and <i>Ortanto</i>. German ships were the<i> SMS Scharnhorst, Gneisnau, Dresden, Leipzig</i>, and <i>Nurnberg</i>.<br />
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Wikipedia Article on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Coronel" target="_blank">Battle of Coronel (1914) ...</a><br />
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British ships at the Falklands included, <i>HMS Invincible, Inflexible, Carnarvon, Cornwall, Kent, Bristol</i>, and <i>Glasgow </i>(which, along with <i>Ortanto</i>, were the only British survivors of Coronel) . The armed merchant cruiser <i>HMS Macedonia</i> was also present but did not participate in the battle. The German fleet consisted of the same ships as at Coronel.<br />
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Wikipedia Article on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Falkland_Islands" target="_blank">Falklands (1914) ...</a><br />
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Here's my WIP and progress on the ships of the German East Asian Squadron and the British squadrons.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKSBv_DnsbzeZZBL3lUODzyb1PSAl6YVCQDe9CXVNIbgouPF7XGfJ1wIdrX4Pg1SnjTz3TIZIVeDGpPxF62qp5vQLKsmVfWROriBtMoxjId6AHKiYAWs-E2IyfmQT5ZeIO5N5IVClyYU/s1600/20180419_232124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKSBv_DnsbzeZZBL3lUODzyb1PSAl6YVCQDe9CXVNIbgouPF7XGfJ1wIdrX4Pg1SnjTz3TIZIVeDGpPxF62qp5vQLKsmVfWROriBtMoxjId6AHKiYAWs-E2IyfmQT5ZeIO5N5IVClyYU/s640/20180419_232124.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">British 4th Cruiser Squadron, Coronel. <i>HMS Good Hope, Monmouth Glasgow</i>, and <i>Ortanto</i>. Of these, only the <i>Glasgow </i>and the <i>Ortanto </i>survived the battle.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1EKgbA7vi4TwL1vNNXeO9UQ-75WdAO0EJapjWf9XkOW26fW371O5YFuN88QGzFgNwf_P8A8jB9vWnV_-vEtPj0VwcByLmyFqY3cgv-svr_UyMhGHGa7ONFg2hMkg6ZYmoHMWXZdg2Vw/s640/20180422_225125.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The German East Asian Squadron, including <i>SMS Scharnhorst, Gneisnau, Dresden, Leipzig, </i>and <i>Nurnberg</i>. Also pictured is the surface raider <i>SMS Emden</i>, which had split off from the squadron before Coronel to conduct its famous raid.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1EKgbA7vi4TwL1vNNXeO9UQ-75WdAO0EJapjWf9XkOW26fW371O5YFuN88QGzFgNwf_P8A8jB9vWnV_-vEtPj0VwcByLmyFqY3cgv-svr_UyMhGHGa7ONFg2hMkg6ZYmoHMWXZdg2Vw/s1600/20180422_225125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1EKgbA7vi4TwL1vNNXeO9UQ-75WdAO0EJapjWf9XkOW26fW371O5YFuN88QGzFgNwf_P8A8jB9vWnV_-vEtPj0VwcByLmyFqY3cgv-svr_UyMhGHGa7ONFg2hMkg6ZYmoHMWXZdg2Vw/s1600/20180422_225125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGKuZ2uI8e6VylF0uvLJBLdszZlQnfInWVzBKSmp5q3FLvs-JiBYsVT5pxRA-2bdP0yOSBJBlPMny9bUpwW8Z94dCdD9eLfO-AktvvDEvHqnsxZUxkXN_fvtXJQDcEWyOSGDfDKdYOpI/s1600/IMG_20190129_221341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGKuZ2uI8e6VylF0uvLJBLdszZlQnfInWVzBKSmp5q3FLvs-JiBYsVT5pxRA-2bdP0yOSBJBlPMny9bUpwW8Z94dCdD9eLfO-AktvvDEvHqnsxZUxkXN_fvtXJQDcEWyOSGDfDKdYOpI/s640/IMG_20190129_221341.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;">Ships of the Battle of Coronel</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFCm6qWiU49eAByfgGSSJcLCiC75hCQIWiV5c6uFupwIFJU4MLXlX51DD-aja5h8qEW1lDhI__UihrzRP0Z09UFhIl0A6cxJelTOaLclLP6GqIPQyyijpSHE3Irg6inwmAT30qUkX3OY/s1600/IMG_20190129_221306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFCm6qWiU49eAByfgGSSJcLCiC75hCQIWiV5c6uFupwIFJU4MLXlX51DD-aja5h8qEW1lDhI__UihrzRP0Z09UFhIl0A6cxJelTOaLclLP6GqIPQyyijpSHE3Irg6inwmAT30qUkX3OY/s640/IMG_20190129_221306.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;">Ships of the Battle of Coronel</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbAG7-7219MF2ipCDmPtBsQIVhMm7iXgr7ijjIVacJNSS6kPhj90bpa4cry2QTXcyZSHkOTnPZIEf1t8bjZk9bXuK5F9ughrtUhwCKT3v_SAEv83VEV-WHkdP_YA9YxDmh2Glsw7WhOo/s1600/IMG_20190208_000511_989.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbAG7-7219MF2ipCDmPtBsQIVhMm7iXgr7ijjIVacJNSS6kPhj90bpa4cry2QTXcyZSHkOTnPZIEf1t8bjZk9bXuK5F9ughrtUhwCKT3v_SAEv83VEV-WHkdP_YA9YxDmh2Glsw7WhOo/s640/IMG_20190208_000511_989.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HMS Kent </i>and <i>Cornwall </i>WIP</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshpLsFH_eoJEitIh4bnASASmy6LE0A-ZA1Q1zzA7NBfRThjLsob5zOzKPdGO7YpTvGSwEivZ3rMBayUPa_cyJYSypJz7HUEKT8e4h0OIwJP_d_3iHyHJYB8_Pd95cXVMZ8I9HZgis9SE/s1600/20190208_225732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshpLsFH_eoJEitIh4bnASASmy6LE0A-ZA1Q1zzA7NBfRThjLsob5zOzKPdGO7YpTvGSwEivZ3rMBayUPa_cyJYSypJz7HUEKT8e4h0OIwJP_d_3iHyHJYB8_Pd95cXVMZ8I9HZgis9SE/s640/20190208_225732.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HMS Carnavon</i> WIP</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdy6MWI4simVoV4_rdnozeogAsv6sHJb35m13ARMtI52HzruGY7fua3y0_30v9AXc17eYC0303PTeNSdmjYcxkkSLMkNKALqeSrlm2Ne-0qtZLDYKW4610g_n07SAkjpAs-nj6naQNpQc/s1600/IMG_20190128_000947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdy6MWI4simVoV4_rdnozeogAsv6sHJb35m13ARMtI52HzruGY7fua3y0_30v9AXc17eYC0303PTeNSdmjYcxkkSLMkNKALqeSrlm2Ne-0qtZLDYKW4610g_n07SAkjpAs-nj6naQNpQc/s640/IMG_20190128_000947.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>HMS Invincible</i> and <i>Inflexible </i>WIP</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2isIX2PvQqoxwcaCayIei7MmVjVd0PCLL0cPAznpyRpu75h4ANd1eLbL5Xo6iSdtWXkC50TS_-8YqL2P2hGarOd-48GP5HXKoF9RPb_3FJ_VfIAoxn-3W_2xl7B9-6Ydrf8wcxNw554/s1600/IMG_20190212_231617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2isIX2PvQqoxwcaCayIei7MmVjVd0PCLL0cPAznpyRpu75h4ANd1eLbL5Xo6iSdtWXkC50TS_-8YqL2P2hGarOd-48GP5HXKoF9RPb_3FJ_VfIAoxn-3W_2xl7B9-6Ydrf8wcxNw554/s640/IMG_20190212_231617.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>HMS Canopus</i> WIP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnRLclMDTokNDZcpzuggoLjQZgeJkt5S6v9pvU9hv7wxv0JL5tGtseZzAt5HmSkLY48CTL1XLrfIp3evCxj8LTW_lsbvxWQ7-M2a05VNeRkPDl-4dBbv4qOmaaEx_Ulzx2FEwh5hv7h8/s1600/20190213_222806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnRLclMDTokNDZcpzuggoLjQZgeJkt5S6v9pvU9hv7wxv0JL5tGtseZzAt5HmSkLY48CTL1XLrfIp3evCxj8LTW_lsbvxWQ7-M2a05VNeRkPDl-4dBbv4qOmaaEx_Ulzx2FEwh5hv7h8/s640/20190213_222806.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;">The British South Atlantic Station, complete, primed, and ready for painting</span></td></tr>
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Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-33279319130851527132019-02-09T23:48:00.000+13:002019-02-09T23:48:05.343+13:00Masts!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7cSIiaxHkCNdmE1TpRq_5eRvFY-tbWluK0tidaiUl9BrO9Yn1oLPT0oc93AnGgE6hYXhDgID0bqqX7awuKOKjTRqHknUiRwT4wuIPa98eTmeK9XKFuKQcuBHRjChP6R-jGG4vuyAlPk/s1600/20190206_170207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7cSIiaxHkCNdmE1TpRq_5eRvFY-tbWluK0tidaiUl9BrO9Yn1oLPT0oc93AnGgE6hYXhDgID0bqqX7awuKOKjTRqHknUiRwT4wuIPa98eTmeK9XKFuKQcuBHRjChP6R-jGG4vuyAlPk/s640/20190206_170207.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Its probably a bad idea to keep experimenting with mast solutions still half-way through the Jutland project, but I just couldn't settle on a good one. I started by using light wire, but they were always too thick and bendy. I also tried plastic broom bristles. These were straight and not as rigid as the wire, but they were too easy crimped and bent over. They also had inconsistent diameters, so finding a good number for all 200 ships was going to be a problem. So I needed to find something in between the wires and the bristles. </div>
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As Christmas approached I was wandering in the local mall. At this point, I need to come clean about something. I've a serious addiction of finding artificial plants at every $2 shop, I encounter. This is entirely the fault of a <a href="http://www.scarybiscuitsstudios.com/2016/02/making-jungle-terrain-pieces.html" target="_blank">terrain project</a> (or <a href="http://www.scarybiscuitsstudios.com/2016/02/making-scatter-terrain.html" target="_blank">two</a> or <a href="http://www.scarybiscuitsstudios.com/2016/04/pto-terrain-bamboo-groves.html" target="_blank">three</a>) I did several years ago. I've long since completed that project, but the condition still afflicts me terribly. So as I wandered the mall, I got sucked into a $2 shop to check out the artificial plants. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgw3quz3jXu1oTAq3h4LxLGvUZHQYbH0mPq5vPj3hmBod0h6ZVGVpQNHsHYzsiXnwIlxa0p1jlBWWXaiyVckp9sKASwEJidRvwf4sfHFDQau3dbmJtK_3RLaGSY41GBD4WOkCh1SP8zO8/s1600/IMG_20190128_161808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgw3quz3jXu1oTAq3h4LxLGvUZHQYbH0mPq5vPj3hmBod0h6ZVGVpQNHsHYzsiXnwIlxa0p1jlBWWXaiyVckp9sKASwEJidRvwf4sfHFDQau3dbmJtK_3RLaGSY41GBD4WOkCh1SP8zO8/s640/IMG_20190128_161808.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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That's when I noticed these Christmas garlands. I had a play with the bristles and they were tougher than those on the broom head. They are strong, straight and consistently the same diameter. So I bought a couple and gave them a try. After a trial on my HMS Inflexible and HMS Invincible, I'm happy to lock in a system for my masts going forward ....and (shutter) backwards....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oY5iovsOAFxnD3O6QHMhFKHR9YAvf3NGU4Su12vJ9Tdc_GxOD9kk5OQY2tSR1GApJp4OWErUL4yTJ9BJRUd0_If87vDrph_L09-D0oBT-jxI15fHBySDulrHZY0LQZypYpJVZyzsZds/s1600/IMG_20190203_211705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oY5iovsOAFxnD3O6QHMhFKHR9YAvf3NGU4Su12vJ9Tdc_GxOD9kk5OQY2tSR1GApJp4OWErUL4yTJ9BJRUd0_If87vDrph_L09-D0oBT-jxI15fHBySDulrHZY0LQZypYpJVZyzsZds/s640/IMG_20190203_211705.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So here's a quick tutorial on how I'm doing my masts these days...<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBJ7ePQldJYxMq-HXrBNSCKGjWg2EC6xVxU4uz4hODMqufRCMfOQObYC86PGYBHVnt_BFKvt2tnAnOCVVF3YiUJeNUbqozUeQwGb6zCiq8rzgPAFb4MBREzPe5Gly7pa9nDvbJms-SRo/s1600/20190206_160515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBJ7ePQldJYxMq-HXrBNSCKGjWg2EC6xVxU4uz4hODMqufRCMfOQObYC86PGYBHVnt_BFKvt2tnAnOCVVF3YiUJeNUbqozUeQwGb6zCiq8rzgPAFb4MBREzPe5Gly7pa9nDvbJms-SRo/s640/20190206_160515.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Step 1: Drill out pilot holes with a pin vice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidcITDcg2fPjsFxi_xJR4vbCUMqW4RcBgKzDvteC7LwjRyFhHjktpYnphIvTbyg3Rye6wYcBg7S4DQTtLnEBg3XFGtL_5dyJ5dWpeqU9Aaaf0MFHpjQ7azxaEtlySNj1DynRz45Za9XU/s1600/20190206_160530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidcITDcg2fPjsFxi_xJR4vbCUMqW4RcBgKzDvteC7LwjRyFhHjktpYnphIvTbyg3Rye6wYcBg7S4DQTtLnEBg3XFGtL_5dyJ5dWpeqU9Aaaf0MFHpjQ7azxaEtlySNj1DynRz45Za9XU/s640/20190206_160530.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Step 2: Bend mast anchors.<br />
I still use wire to anchor the masts. This helps keep the masts sturdy and will make sure that they don't pop out of the hull. I bend the wire up into a J and cut them to length. Just make sure that the short end of the J is not longer than the thickness of the sheet that the hull is made from. Otherwise you it'll poke through when you push it through. I then file the points to remove the barbs<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAcY6FPzZKUKtsvs2Cr9y5pDQyDn5JllHrEg90fYWaPy2_57Bh21y2DWEgMOCa3wNNJP3icV2p8848u8sFvQ86032TCS2yEBaxHokBqMlJo5yz-lWiGM6A03qLVJkJHWp-n84VtZ8BE4/s1600/20190206_160640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAcY6FPzZKUKtsvs2Cr9y5pDQyDn5JllHrEg90fYWaPy2_57Bh21y2DWEgMOCa3wNNJP3icV2p8848u8sFvQ86032TCS2yEBaxHokBqMlJo5yz-lWiGM6A03qLVJkJHWp-n84VtZ8BE4/s640/20190206_160640.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Step 3: Insert masts into the pilot holes with the hooks underside the hull.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9F1GjgXLcvB8Y5BtTDQINUEJaraiic1_7ucbZ2rMSIioFNAISIRbxw5BPbY-m46MIxlzwt4m9fQwI5Eo1si5JyVyMkHEt2jitrNaBwyTmU4H7-99ku1SndCoBnW24WgUJzJfdzKJsoU/s1600/20190206_160731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9F1GjgXLcvB8Y5BtTDQINUEJaraiic1_7ucbZ2rMSIioFNAISIRbxw5BPbY-m46MIxlzwt4m9fQwI5Eo1si5JyVyMkHEt2jitrNaBwyTmU4H7-99ku1SndCoBnW24WgUJzJfdzKJsoU/s640/20190206_160731.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Step 4: Push the J hook into the wood of the hull so that it's flush with the bottom. Then put a dab of glue on the bottom. After it dries, give it a sand to smooth out the bottom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHZNOZEBXzkw_cKgrheZqzZT7AG54OgleCT5PYfIp0eW7GgltNvAmBy9V7jq5kqNNXhyphenhyphenlusf_lZqi3wnXLokZzkMeAlSw-_9Qk1qY1pz3xutLObPxpUqBBAnuKuOfBvs2T8z0jEmvkcM/s1600/20190206_162822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHZNOZEBXzkw_cKgrheZqzZT7AG54OgleCT5PYfIp0eW7GgltNvAmBy9V7jq5kqNNXhyphenhyphenlusf_lZqi3wnXLokZzkMeAlSw-_9Qk1qY1pz3xutLObPxpUqBBAnuKuOfBvs2T8z0jEmvkcM/s640/20190206_162822.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Step 5: Add any crows nests, etc. to the masts. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0s11OX624SnfTQwCH42LMzmi8TT6DPZAplYtAB8sfuQCKN2RrmmLXIZch3R22_wxce_oY_Z6I86wdr9IFDJVv3bu6mE7YQqOOWB6in89BQIm7fwF_3ZdD6kv6DmLo5UNIbg6LXpcVPrk/s1600/20190206_163304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0s11OX624SnfTQwCH42LMzmi8TT6DPZAplYtAB8sfuQCKN2RrmmLXIZch3R22_wxce_oY_Z6I86wdr9IFDJVv3bu6mE7YQqOOWB6in89BQIm7fwF_3ZdD6kv6DmLo5UNIbg6LXpcVPrk/s640/20190206_163304.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Step 6: Cut bristles to size using the plans and photos from the web to get the dimensions right.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R1Zmqztv8tNMLI35fg7nvnnDVHoSQXMDCWZdR9DF3vWJkgJbnid_g23goQdV26T_v8XK1rRrcLA_KOjfXzywciBnlqdx2MhO_vHpKCK-lYmRoyVdcUa4Wr4mtwEPzdzBsHZxulCE_dc/s1600/20190206_165757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R1Zmqztv8tNMLI35fg7nvnnDVHoSQXMDCWZdR9DF3vWJkgJbnid_g23goQdV26T_v8XK1rRrcLA_KOjfXzywciBnlqdx2MhO_vHpKCK-lYmRoyVdcUa4Wr4mtwEPzdzBsHZxulCE_dc/s640/20190206_165757.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Step 7: Starting with the vertical masts, I use my pin tool to add a small bead of superglue on the wire mast and then apply the cut bristle. Then add the horizontal spars to the masts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMHaTOKebC4WU_BQcxjKhkAgfx_Z98X1aGGoOsMA6HDYN2X4ZgFdLv3EorWI8-LdrKXs_BBZopK_1v_KmAp8JMx0BNuJzvIR5aokR8cOwRy093d_jQGf5COpiYz68hqAOAKowMaLzpvU/s1600/20190206_170048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMHaTOKebC4WU_BQcxjKhkAgfx_Z98X1aGGoOsMA6HDYN2X4ZgFdLv3EorWI8-LdrKXs_BBZopK_1v_KmAp8JMx0BNuJzvIR5aokR8cOwRy093d_jQGf5COpiYz68hqAOAKowMaLzpvU/s640/20190206_170048.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Step 8: Add flag staffs to the bow and stern, first by poking pilot holes with a pin, then gluing in some of the bristle scraps.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUVzlcYU1K7d30tz9oz5cpuo2lzuEXrZhq-OwzClxZm71AqJTaanEoKw7XWqkT3DQ2TielbhLXZs9FnbmyMXXGRyKHPYzMQVvSwrdjNlOBmO5v-mODiqXbKHd3tXzx2a-4rpFWVY9kuw/s1600/20190206_170205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUVzlcYU1K7d30tz9oz5cpuo2lzuEXrZhq-OwzClxZm71AqJTaanEoKw7XWqkT3DQ2TielbhLXZs9FnbmyMXXGRyKHPYzMQVvSwrdjNlOBmO5v-mODiqXbKHd3tXzx2a-4rpFWVY9kuw/s640/20190206_170205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And that's it!<br />
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...now I just need to add them to my previous 100 ships and carry on adding them to my next batch of 100...Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-19451098948711764492019-02-03T15:01:00.000+13:002019-02-03T15:01:07.227+13:0050 Shades of Battleship Grey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiep6LR_5Fu00JvsDh1Hq_Dr1JJGo5ouXd6RwIiFvTrwVM03yJblhMHRlsNjQSOAhS2IjlficSuwTk8j1wPj2W0q7uXEC4iNch3LAa4VvLsw3bmBucouBn9fVxDc5TSX9CDK2_HoKasSNI/s1600/00-Intro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiep6LR_5Fu00JvsDh1Hq_Dr1JJGo5ouXd6RwIiFvTrwVM03yJblhMHRlsNjQSOAhS2IjlficSuwTk8j1wPj2W0q7uXEC4iNch3LAa4VvLsw3bmBucouBn9fVxDc5TSX9CDK2_HoKasSNI/s640/00-Intro.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In a <a href="https://www.scarybiscuitsstudios.com/2019/01/scratch-building-11500-wwi-ships.html" target="_blank">previous article</a>, I went over how I scratch build ships for my Jutland project. Once they are built, it's time to throw some paint on them. But before I get into that, I need to reiterate something important to this project. Part of what makes this project achievable in my context is by sticking to a low fidelity art style. I've stuck to the simple designs found in Jane's Ships of World War I and this spirit of lo-fi, I've adjusted my expectations during the painting and detailing phase accordingly. So what you'll see here has a level of abstraction built in to the process.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR5h9c5TaEQ7Eh_nwAba5eTsObnccTZkTIug27UPIQ80e4NZXvUEZXwz9yW7OUqyHhSoq_vpfQ7sdaZcI3VYjhQTEQbi-gIAye98Uy3UZjfsJ9Ks04VywMLuFAL69f9VS-RENVZxs4Ro/s1600/01-Priming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR5h9c5TaEQ7Eh_nwAba5eTsObnccTZkTIug27UPIQ80e4NZXvUEZXwz9yW7OUqyHhSoq_vpfQ7sdaZcI3VYjhQTEQbi-gIAye98Uy3UZjfsJ9Ks04VywMLuFAL69f9VS-RENVZxs4Ro/s640/01-Priming.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 1: Priming</b><br />
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Once the model has everything firmly glued into place, give it a really thorough dusting to get all of the sawdust off of them. After that I hit them with a primer. In the picture above, you can see I used two different primer colors. British ships used a dark grey so I chose a grey primer for them. German ones had a light grey scheme and so I decided to start with a white primer for them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvP4eJZ6sbWRcTNTebGwMbvEoXPsDxPQLp2QZLMm_qVYoqsC90UECf7mNTMS_cF6TVegsy4xg_OLjKt6pq5Q1_cWKMoGZm9D_7I1gk6eGNT3FgJoRAHg8HSCUyoPobRgII_XQ8h-K-1G8/s1600/02-HorizontalSurfaces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvP4eJZ6sbWRcTNTebGwMbvEoXPsDxPQLp2QZLMm_qVYoqsC90UECf7mNTMS_cF6TVegsy4xg_OLjKt6pq5Q1_cWKMoGZm9D_7I1gk6eGNT3FgJoRAHg8HSCUyoPobRgII_XQ8h-K-1G8/s640/02-HorizontalSurfaces.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 2: Horizontal Surfaces & Decking</b></div>
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The next thing I do are all of the horizontal surfaces. For the main decks on both German and British, I used a basecoat of Vallejo Green Ochre (No. 119). I don't worry about getting the ochre color on the hull sides as I'll clean those up later</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMHOXu9L2DFTdknSkMyAPhBhQYcP2W5Ti3y78W0hjkrmTprMlk-MVrE5CRBUbR4jzapOte9leQi8ag9WLfZ7TmQg7qjJFCAC0iBwOsDC5GKH-OXidKodHtVL8wajZu0Iv4jSD8aU4xrI/s1600/03-VerticalSurfaces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMHOXu9L2DFTdknSkMyAPhBhQYcP2W5Ti3y78W0hjkrmTprMlk-MVrE5CRBUbR4jzapOte9leQi8ag9WLfZ7TmQg7qjJFCAC0iBwOsDC5GKH-OXidKodHtVL8wajZu0Iv4jSD8aU4xrI/s400/03-VerticalSurfaces.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Next I add 25% white to my my Green Ochre to lighten it. Using a small paint brush, I start lightly painting in streaks lengthwise along the hull. Again, I'm not concerned with getting the color on the sides. </div>
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Then I add in more white for about a 50% mix with the green ochre. I get a finer brush and again make long straight streaks along the decking. At this point it should look like a wood grain pattern.</div>
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Some upper decks were painted in a darker brown. For these surfaces I start with Vallejo Flat Earth (No. 143) and work in some Green Ochre using the steps above. </div>
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Both German and British turrets were dark grey on the top, so I painted them Vallejo German Grey (No. 167).</div>
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Finally, I paint the bottom Vallejo Hull Red (No. 146), just for a spot of color, not that you can see this when the ship sits flat!</div>
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<b style="text-align: justify;">Step 3: Vertical Surfaces</b><br />
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After the decking is done I then clean up the vertical surfaces. For the British ships, I used Vallejo London Grey (No. 161) and for the German tanks, I used Vallejo Deck Tan (No. 110). I also made sure that all masts, funnels, secondary batteries, and superstructures that were metal are also painted in these colors. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPd_lj4xhe_pzIYa9KkZx8i_LYg932jjTkyVDGXExXPxwofWeCbZnfisyKYe7Hxrtz1SvhyphenhyphenerF6c5IoP2XPw2rA_8YdOqi6aZkZ4JNiRKrqhqNiFC7y_Jw0i4TtKaUAn58EE9P9By_-o8/s1600/20190131_165836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPd_lj4xhe_pzIYa9KkZx8i_LYg932jjTkyVDGXExXPxwofWeCbZnfisyKYe7Hxrtz1SvhyphenhyphenerF6c5IoP2XPw2rA_8YdOqi6aZkZ4JNiRKrqhqNiFC7y_Jw0i4TtKaUAn58EE9P9By_-o8/s640/20190131_165836.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 4: Detailing</b></div>
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Once the paint is dry, I start detailing. I use a variety of technical pens for this work. I start by using the 0.1 pen (or 0.03 depending on the ship size) for adding portholes to all of the decks. I use historical photos to verify where the most obvious portholes should go, but I don't stick to them as gospel. </div>
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Next I color in the end of the gun barrels and any other openings, such as behind secondary battery gunshields, etc.</div>
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Using the .005 pen I add a thin dashed line around the ship to simulate the railing and then add a pair (or two in the case of larger ships) of anchors in the bow. Then I draw the anchor chains in the bow.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbX4lMk5F7IkMVDrBl0mxQBjjW5zJtJ16OFFE4a5p2PCLlc1Xl8xxO-k1zmGxr0WU8NgPWR7hcJ2Cy8nS7XTHHUEl9rImQ4u2N4Bq4QEZwbNUq6JOvLFu_j8niIledYMyVnBxLH2wiQCY/s1600/20190203_134425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbX4lMk5F7IkMVDrBl0mxQBjjW5zJtJ16OFFE4a5p2PCLlc1Xl8xxO-k1zmGxr0WU8NgPWR7hcJ2Cy8nS7XTHHUEl9rImQ4u2N4Bq4QEZwbNUq6JOvLFu_j8niIledYMyVnBxLH2wiQCY/s640/20190203_134425.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The final thing to so are the the funnels. I start by putting a black dot on the top in the center using a sharpie or the thickest technical pen I have available. Then I work my way out in a slow spiral action until I'm close, but not touching the edge of the funnel. Finally, I draw a stripe around the funnel to give it some detail.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvpY3lMbW3IqUVER2HFmREkf7kL21C9H_OfqjIgtLagRwJuRtYs0do09WaJxAJFAGX-PJKcB580lDc4bPzVANeLgMoM7Aubue0jPyeGm45Evn43F9ogwEYD8Jq_IKrtcCTNI7b4TaN7I/s1600/06-Varnishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvpY3lMbW3IqUVER2HFmREkf7kL21C9H_OfqjIgtLagRwJuRtYs0do09WaJxAJFAGX-PJKcB580lDc4bPzVANeLgMoM7Aubue0jPyeGm45Evn43F9ogwEYD8Jq_IKrtcCTNI7b4TaN7I/s640/06-Varnishing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 5: Varnishing</b></div>
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I give the ink on the ships some time to dry and then I blue-tac them lightly to a large board with about an inch or so between them. Having been used to varnishing resin/metal and even plastic kits I didn't think to blue-tac the models down. They obviously went flying off the board when I started spraying! Anyway, once they are securely stuck down, I then spray varnish them all with a few coats to help seal and protect them. After a few hours of drying time, they are ready!</div>
<br />Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-72503425223027400412019-02-03T00:38:00.003+13:002019-02-03T13:00:46.434+13:00Dread Nought<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVpvOMrHfLvXTFC8uz37JMQwEN0fuD_z3eTkEt5Pfz6ggwzzyZG5OMG7yVsrAFUckTQOfTaSiaN9KD24fI-o0X1rryYpTOC9qk_Zvb1FEJpUy24ej-RIMc-tXMJHaOYXMS0cmbr87pVQ/s1600/20171224_134302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVpvOMrHfLvXTFC8uz37JMQwEN0fuD_z3eTkEt5Pfz6ggwzzyZG5OMG7yVsrAFUckTQOfTaSiaN9KD24fI-o0X1rryYpTOC9qk_Zvb1FEJpUy24ej-RIMc-tXMJHaOYXMS0cmbr87pVQ/s640/20171224_134302.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My original ships hit the living room floor as my son makes up rules for his 'ship game'.</td></tr>
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Strictly speaking 2017 ended in a bad place for me. The game project I was working on collapsed and the studio was dissolved just a few days before Christmas. Thanks to some close friends, I was able to line up some contract work that saw me through the next few months, but it was nevertheless a difficult time for me. Unable to focus, I gave up on hobby activities, and for the first time in my life I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to pick them back up again. </div>
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During the holidays I started sifting through my stuff in the garage looking for what I could cull from my collection to help cover bills. My son, Theo, was hanging out with me and pointed to a little box in the garage, wanting to know what was inside. I pulled it down from the shelf and opened it up. Inside were a dozen or so little wooden ships that I had made in my university days. He wanted to play with them, so we took the ships inside. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYKvodkSM7kULA3bGUGBbba4tDDuad8QlKg2bO5kumDEuno5dLAtD-BD578GoQMzSaW75BCcMBDZSbRxUXhNEW-buoc_Nrp3PNbTyAoXjn_vdbTUdhWT9aP87YBMMCMck9pBnamMPM7E/s1600/20171224_134156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYKvodkSM7kULA3bGUGBbba4tDDuad8QlKg2bO5kumDEuno5dLAtD-BD578GoQMzSaW75BCcMBDZSbRxUXhNEW-buoc_Nrp3PNbTyAoXjn_vdbTUdhWT9aP87YBMMCMck9pBnamMPM7E/s640/20171224_134156.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got to use D6, but Theo got a D20, because his ships "were better".</td></tr>
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Theo has a very curious mind. He asks a lot of detailed questions and whats more he retains it. So he wanted to know everything about these little ships. I told him that they were called dreadnoughts, huge battleships with lots of armor and big guns. He wanted to know which were the goodies and which were the baddies, so I told him about the British and German fleets during World War I. While he played with them I started reminiscing about those ships. </div>
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I had built them in 2006, during another hard time in my life as I struggled with my masters degree at university. One night I couldn't sleep, so I got up one night and saw my Jane's Ships of World War I on my bookshelf. I grabbed it, thinking a little technical information might send me to sleep. I flicked through to <i>HMS Dreadnought</i> and started looking at the little 3-view plan and I thought that I could make that. So I grabbed some balsa and built it from scratch. I didn't pay any mind to the scale or trying to get super detailed with it. I wanted to engage my creative side and just make something. So I did. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22CAEJvAvjUQ_MU24JoRkc-88XPXt85NFp3WE-mncZNpYfmAks41BSH02UuOXxR_7rpF7SpScluPDmWQSv3V6kUteCg1euodbkrwl20F4CZwtpSGdXbNQWUPpk1yKael5eTm5lsWkbXE/s1600/IMG_20190203_000848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22CAEJvAvjUQ_MU24JoRkc-88XPXt85NFp3WE-mncZNpYfmAks41BSH02UuOXxR_7rpF7SpScluPDmWQSv3V6kUteCg1euodbkrwl20F4CZwtpSGdXbNQWUPpk1yKael5eTm5lsWkbXE/s640/IMG_20190203_000848.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The box with my old ships.</td></tr>
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Over the next few nights I made even more ships, this time a few of the dreadnoughts from Jutland, the seaplane ship <i>HMS Engadine</i> (and a Short 184 to go with it), the famous <i>SMS Emden</i>, and even a German submarine. I also built the ironclad USS Monitor, a 17th Century trade carrack, and a 19th century British frigate. By the time I had completed those, I had literally built myself out of the slump I was in and got back to work and study. As I thought about all of this, it hit me that that's exactly what I needed right then. I needed that sort of project to help me through those terrible final days of 2017 and into the new year. So I grabbed Theo and we were off to the hobby shop to get some balsa. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvgxAjXU6Wk5Ihbj3ZqZWRs4s8fVx13DilsA5eVtduz7JPbpC4AVsVldRyKj-n0BXOOBKN6-uuz1T6MRLXunFZX95SHGxVFi6TGCglrtBk47mdN8kzzNZLsV0gn3mOF2izUbcIQTtaSM/s1600/20180111_224645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvgxAjXU6Wk5Ihbj3ZqZWRs4s8fVx13DilsA5eVtduz7JPbpC4AVsVldRyKj-n0BXOOBKN6-uuz1T6MRLXunFZX95SHGxVFi6TGCglrtBk47mdN8kzzNZLsV0gn3mOF2izUbcIQTtaSM/s640/20180111_224645.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biting off a squadron at a time makes the process a lot easier!</td></tr>
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<b>Establishing Goals</b></div>
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I needed to define the parameters of this project and this meant setting out a goal. One of the goals I wanted to achieve in 2006 was to build all of the ships at Jutland, at least all of the dreadnoughts anyway (there were like 200 ships involved). I stopped at 14 dreadnoughts when my attention was pulled away. At the time I was only building for building's sake so my commitment to finishing that goal was only so deep. However, here 11 years later things were different. </div>
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First I had been painting models for wargames for over a decade at this point, so scale suddenly held more significance than it had before. Second, I was aware that I could use these models in games other than just static pieces. Third, I wanted to improve on the craftmanship of those earlier models and come up with better solutions to various aspects. </div>
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Finally, while my 2006 Jutland goal seemed lofty, it was important to me as it gave me focus and it connected me to my earlier project. To do this, I needed to measure expectations and plan out my art style for the project. By keeping the models' aesthetics in sync with the simplistic line drawings in Jane's World War I ships, I could produce low-fidelity models at a much higher rate than if I got hung up on detail. So that was the plan: all the ships at Jutland, at a scale to be determined, with an eye toward using them in wargames in the future.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HXsKRWu-z47DSHb419fCFuwh16qMR_3De7LunOI0Fobp522LjXYVi9rTztdisVyE73NdWJRWfEBYdeBjUiPxzZDN94issnVW5Adm3Hcg-kNYKMm2ZfqtlrF_117vUapZ7MjGwSwlBV0/s1600/20180103_114201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HXsKRWu-z47DSHb419fCFuwh16qMR_3De7LunOI0Fobp522LjXYVi9rTztdisVyE73NdWJRWfEBYdeBjUiPxzZDN94issnVW5Adm3Hcg-kNYKMm2ZfqtlrF_117vUapZ7MjGwSwlBV0/s640/20180103_114201.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theo plays with some of my new ships. </td></tr>
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<b>Game System Agnostic</b></div>
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I deliberately chose not to build with any particular game in mind. It was important to me that this project only took on those pressures that I set on it myself. I didn't want game systems to put constraints on my project, such as base sizes, etc. This also freed me up to not worry about getting these ships done to some arbitrary deadline. Sometimes I get hung up on speeding to a painting deadline because I want to play a game or something very soon. I've found that this sort of race to the finish can often drain motivation as well as resulting in less than amazing results. So by freeing myself of those artificial pressures, it was time to apply my own meaningful ones. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEgOavYXkjSW85rhrkmf9FqGnTMrMl5IvChGivO_3HETZL5g2XyghVvLVFTC9SC5RdN1JRs7E72yQyz6shdORASlKOFcRvkJo-qb9VoDTdioWaWrhyiuFGPJsMlforAL46coD4l0cscc/s1600/20180308_223033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEgOavYXkjSW85rhrkmf9FqGnTMrMl5IvChGivO_3HETZL5g2XyghVvLVFTC9SC5RdN1JRs7E72yQyz6shdORASlKOFcRvkJo-qb9VoDTdioWaWrhyiuFGPJsMlforAL46coD4l0cscc/s640/20180308_223033.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Destroyers...</td></tr>
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<b>Choosing a Scale</b></div>
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I chose the scale of my ships by thinking first about the smallest ship I wanted to portray in the project. I debated about including destroyers in the project as nearly half of all the ships involved were there tiny little ships. But in the end I decided to include them because they played important roles in the battle and to leave them out would be to cut out a big part of the story of Jutland. With that decided, I simply measured out how big I wanted my destroyers to be and then rounded that measurement to the nearest number, settling on 1:1500 scale.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0LOomEunyMSAH4lo3Lyi5ZasdFXcpffWvSE3DhPELTh4vS88hLx7gueScOkBI8sF28OkyTnWZ4vL_iTdtHn9xk03sItFkjYLK8no5fBYAzeOTxc5mcyTW9Zy8WyYCKmbRwWD0PCWWgU/s1600/20180208_220522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0LOomEunyMSAH4lo3Lyi5ZasdFXcpffWvSE3DhPELTh4vS88hLx7gueScOkBI8sF28OkyTnWZ4vL_iTdtHn9xk03sItFkjYLK8no5fBYAzeOTxc5mcyTW9Zy8WyYCKmbRwWD0PCWWgU/s640/20180208_220522.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">German battlecruisers and cruisers</td></tr>
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<b>Build Order</b></div>
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Build order was also important. I wanted to dive right in as I had done with my last batch of ships starting with HMS Dreadnought (which wasn't at Jutland). I then did a random collection of ships after that. With this project I wanted to do complete squadrons before moving on to the next. I also had the idea of going chronologically through the squadrons in the order that they each entered the battle. So that meant I needed to focus on the battlecruiser fleets first and then the dreadnought fleets. By locking my order chronologically it gave me some easy milestones to work towards.</div>
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<b>Starting the Project</b></div>
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With the scale and the build order established, I got started. I scanned, scaled, and printed off all of the plans I was going to need for the project out of Jane's Ships of World War I. Next I cut out all of the hulls. All 200+ of them... I put all of the like ship-class hulls and their plans into plastic bag to keep them tidy and organised. From that point I could just grab what I need and get started.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fe4O8SNS10CICfBk6GcO0AxAvW-m7_1QS22C2cmNvytqvazsUv19uDa0gKWt6le_GPFZ69zrM1hG-8-RuER09k0xVPFHH_DvFbHVtgPt8Qnz7oE33bKr0lasMXjFQotStPfAzGNLRn8/s1600/20180103_114408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fe4O8SNS10CICfBk6GcO0AxAvW-m7_1QS22C2cmNvytqvazsUv19uDa0gKWt6le_GPFZ69zrM1hG-8-RuER09k0xVPFHH_DvFbHVtgPt8Qnz7oE33bKr0lasMXjFQotStPfAzGNLRn8/s640/20180103_114408.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First contact, from the British side.</td></tr>
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<b>First Contact</b></div>
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After a few nights, I managed to finish up the first few ships done that kicked off the battle.</div>
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<ul>
<li>HMS Galatea</li>
<li>HMS Phaeton</li>
<li>HMS Engadine + Short 184 Seaplane</li>
<li>SMS Elbing</li>
<li>Destroyers B109 and B110</li>
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And the neutral Danish steamer, <i>N J Fjord</i>. which was the ship that brought both fleets together. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwTSIhF9y9ENc26zwLegZPYVtkbhmHA2JdaD5RsAyU-q3XCAvGGYcN59DPp8hj4F4-ly5ZUCoLyMTo7vvvKJkGYAk1Y3rgDWYK5dI3pWtsCxAbc5gjsAUn0gRtoF-5QDHjsTEe7qLC_o/s1600/IMG_20190129_225559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwTSIhF9y9ENc26zwLegZPYVtkbhmHA2JdaD5RsAyU-q3XCAvGGYcN59DPp8hj4F4-ly5ZUCoLyMTo7vvvKJkGYAk1Y3rgDWYK5dI3pWtsCxAbc5gjsAUn0gRtoF-5QDHjsTEe7qLC_o/s640/IMG_20190129_225559.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fleet so far.</td></tr>
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<b>Mission Accomplished!</b></div>
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Just like last time building these little ships helped me through a hard time. They gave me focus and a creative outlet. Thinking back on this, I attribute the sustainable success of this hobby therapy to being able to set my own parameters for this project. So if you're looking to get out of a hobby slump, my recommendation is to pick a project that means something to you, set out the parameters yourself, reject external pressures, and take it as far as you feel like. </div>
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And the progress goes on! I'm still plugging away through my Jutland project. So far I've completed both battlecruiser fleets as well as a small detour into the south Pacific to cover all of the ships at the Battle of Coronel. Last week I got started on the dreadnought fleets, so we're half way through! </div>
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Read about how I <a href="https://www.scarybiscuitsstudios.com/2019/01/scratch-building-11500-wwi-ships.html" target="_blank">scratch-build these ships here...</a></div>
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Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-31230008471663950772019-01-31T22:50:00.002+13:002019-02-03T12:59:56.877+13:00Ship Building Tools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywtttgmTBMAS9IHJU5Z_IHmrAARf782MrAns1VCwdlVydhdnxkW60LTQPuYxxLUMCkzq8anRduQXmZZMdN-uYC1iW30Tlc0fSGTft2pT3VRJ1IdbTujXtB0SOTHADjawUHEz4BlUT7vg/s1600/20190131_204557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywtttgmTBMAS9IHJU5Z_IHmrAARf782MrAns1VCwdlVydhdnxkW60LTQPuYxxLUMCkzq8anRduQXmZZMdN-uYC1iW30Tlc0fSGTft2pT3VRJ1IdbTujXtB0SOTHADjawUHEz4BlUT7vg/s640/20190131_204557.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After posting my tutorial on building my 1:1500 scale ships, I got a request to quickly go over the tools that I use for my ship building project. Thinking about it, I really should have thought to include it in the tutorial, but there's enough here to get the conversation started! So here's the list...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihykv6cFJ9gRzECpLn7wJEtIFI09pPy6CGsaxiPQeUPXiPfEOhIKoLKWmObyFn0JpZUYjggYNKQ_VLjMQl6CdNxH47LMnIMaLe4e9FLosN2vn17S7Nyj2UvqYcZwSpWxSF8pvz9SaBYH0/s1600/20190131_165110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihykv6cFJ9gRzECpLn7wJEtIFI09pPy6CGsaxiPQeUPXiPfEOhIKoLKWmObyFn0JpZUYjggYNKQ_VLjMQl6CdNxH47LMnIMaLe4e9FLosN2vn17S7Nyj2UvqYcZwSpWxSF8pvz9SaBYH0/s640/20190131_165110.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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First up is the cutting mat. While essential for any modelling project, especially for cutting, I also found it helpful to have a flat surface to check that the hull bottoms are nice and flat. You can pick up one that suits your working space at any hobby or sewing shop.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpC6ne0P5tjMWQY0a86WDLnw3Zkg5xUX24u5whkfJFf7ipmCF9M2nxNwCLFt1acC_fsTCYoQ8WGZaHF8WA_wlMFyFxnGBPbp3RWqUD9_Yxu99FcBrcfXy-Lb9glpmbKG7r9UtTnT22Rbs/s1600/20190131_165154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpC6ne0P5tjMWQY0a86WDLnw3Zkg5xUX24u5whkfJFf7ipmCF9M2nxNwCLFt1acC_fsTCYoQ8WGZaHF8WA_wlMFyFxnGBPbp3RWqUD9_Yxu99FcBrcfXy-Lb9glpmbKG7r9UtTnT22Rbs/s640/20190131_165154.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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These are my cutting tools. As I mentioned in the tutorial, its really important to keep a sharp blade on your cutting tools so that you don't tear the balsa as you work with it. Hobby knives are essential for cutting out shapes, while razor blades are ideal for cutting long straight lines or chopping off lengths of balsa sticks or plastic rod. Finally, having a sharp pair of scissors is essential for clipping rigging, etc. The ones I have pictured above are a spare pair that I got from a doctor. It's curved at the end so you can really get a precise cut.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoU8cbEboVVl8yKx67LliUBaQLDUWBwKr7iUUFGksbImd1UjalbAInPw4LyZbHcgfhYh2nfjg6_6Vmsv9FJSl4QluL3IQvdh6tKxCD6c5UdBYnnBT_ropSxwgw828QM0KduBp8ARlzoI/s1600/20190131_165313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoU8cbEboVVl8yKx67LliUBaQLDUWBwKr7iUUFGksbImd1UjalbAInPw4LyZbHcgfhYh2nfjg6_6Vmsv9FJSl4QluL3IQvdh6tKxCD6c5UdBYnnBT_ropSxwgw828QM0KduBp8ARlzoI/s640/20190131_165313.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Tweezers are a must-have in this project! They are particularly essential for holding and gluing in guns to turrets, placing secondary batteries, and other small details. </div>
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Since balsa tends to suck up superglue into its pores, small things sometimes end up getting glued to the tweezers as I hold them in place. So I modified a small pin and put a glass bead on the end to help with grip. I can use this to help separate the piece and the tweezers. This little poking device is also super handy for locating holes for funnels, marking out where decks should go and more, so it was well worth the 5 seconds I took to make it!</div>
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I also have a pair of pliers and wire cutters to handle the wire elements of the ships, namely the masts.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRidBtzHWTJz6Duxu6p9zvc6g8C6Vc9nGAo3kmL98P3pyOaJKtIJ8y7jDU8hc5mutc3413lPoDOoLuUog7WI2YK-55-Q6Fj4XJwxQk3ykJPifQyjYX3-a5w8VIn_5YihB9ZHxl35qnE4w/s1600/20190131_165413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRidBtzHWTJz6Duxu6p9zvc6g8C6Vc9nGAo3kmL98P3pyOaJKtIJ8y7jDU8hc5mutc3413lPoDOoLuUog7WI2YK-55-Q6Fj4XJwxQk3ykJPifQyjYX3-a5w8VIn_5YihB9ZHxl35qnE4w/s640/20190131_165413.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I use files to bore out holes for the funnels as well as to smooth out the ends of cut wire and other tasks that require a bit more bite than sand paper.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNfYx3yYHUWNEQL3bFBVePs8UHxTJMjmbBlszTBYoPZuwv9HFmrxbnfL-MB3Chg5O_HdlSw-j6ca9O0gkE0zdQ2nZLd5k-zhE1gAYeVLsmloRLEHjFQyT8QEiRkquuJAmPKSg4xaVWtw8/s1600/20190131_165534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNfYx3yYHUWNEQL3bFBVePs8UHxTJMjmbBlszTBYoPZuwv9HFmrxbnfL-MB3Chg5O_HdlSw-j6ca9O0gkE0zdQ2nZLd5k-zhE1gAYeVLsmloRLEHjFQyT8QEiRkquuJAmPKSg4xaVWtw8/s640/20190131_165534.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sanding is a way of life in this project! Ive made a few sanding blocks. The big one is double sided with 240 grit on one side for initial sanding and 800 grit on the other for finishing. It's good to have a big surface like this so that you can get long sanding motions. This helps keep the surface even, smooth, and flat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGb7CXHGd7iidctJMcUki359N_W6NE2dKCsvlI_U0ElVF4DZAu2MslH9m0rlpxWhibshAn2XKocZZX_rLT5iOI1MsxfE0rWnTpBPa1YHXMx9irvs0OImT2T60dHfvx_6wDUx3iYm_npA/s1600/20190131_165605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGb7CXHGd7iidctJMcUki359N_W6NE2dKCsvlI_U0ElVF4DZAu2MslH9m0rlpxWhibshAn2XKocZZX_rLT5iOI1MsxfE0rWnTpBPa1YHXMx9irvs0OImT2T60dHfvx_6wDUx3iYm_npA/s640/20190131_165605.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I use the larger steel ruler to cut strips of balsa and the smaller one for measurement taking. Not much else to say about that! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWNj1e-DGdJHv0Gv9CLX1j_96K_B9qgP3NuKW_hyBRK74fOJdlXVZxQwakF8Ksx-BhuZnxUbqgUs0NtnTAxV3kIxVRvZs9PSG_-MHebY6-GrX0k7awHsZa_2-8NMGbigauTzGRLKdPxA/s1600/20190131_165746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWNj1e-DGdJHv0Gv9CLX1j_96K_B9qgP3NuKW_hyBRK74fOJdlXVZxQwakF8Ksx-BhuZnxUbqgUs0NtnTAxV3kIxVRvZs9PSG_-MHebY6-GrX0k7awHsZa_2-8NMGbigauTzGRLKdPxA/s640/20190131_165746.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Adhesives! I use the gluestick for sticking the printed plan onto the balsa sheets, the super glue is for gluing pretty much everything together. I include the PVA for any other odd jobs that need sticking. Finally, when working with super glue I always use a base to decant a bit of glue on. Using tweezers I can dip the surface I want to glue into the puddle, or alternatively I can use the little pin thing I mentioned a few photos back to locally add a small amount of glue.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQVbFCVvvwo3KAO-yvt74N4FSjvS7gus-VESAoATPl_KKOQieZBZ9SB6fqiW_aPhF5C_kF7oPQp2zKJkWqOVVD8jMjJsMXu_6Wuwj2E_4h6quUepVb-jaClRiM4ggzgfdjm0GbiI1Z7I/s1600/20190131_165836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQVbFCVvvwo3KAO-yvt74N4FSjvS7gus-VESAoATPl_KKOQieZBZ9SB6fqiW_aPhF5C_kF7oPQp2zKJkWqOVVD8jMjJsMXu_6Wuwj2E_4h6quUepVb-jaClRiM4ggzgfdjm0GbiI1Z7I/s640/20190131_165836.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Pencils are ideal for marking out where pieces need to be located. I use a variety of technical pens for adding detail to the ships that I don't actually model in 3D, such as portholes, anchors, etc.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgusujZAAm6PQxZ1UX2rZe2hQ6wDtdAJckmoqEqlVvtGQEr1vBtBA7f3u9As5Ezj0hibTxGUTNmhFnPKm-f3FrCiCIxxfiG0RcVsZuJANH1XdvcGQfFHuAZTSWFOu2qxKVIOb3JXU0pE/s1600/20190131_165946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgusujZAAm6PQxZ1UX2rZe2hQ6wDtdAJckmoqEqlVvtGQEr1vBtBA7f3u9As5Ezj0hibTxGUTNmhFnPKm-f3FrCiCIxxfiG0RcVsZuJANH1XdvcGQfFHuAZTSWFOu2qxKVIOb3JXU0pE/s640/20190131_165946.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have an old toothbrush and a makeup brush to help remove sawdust from models. It gets everywhere and makes it hard to glue things to things, so make sure that you give the model a good sweep <b><i>before </i></b>adding details like guns, etc. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFrTCmBa50RbV-GErmi9_sCl2J2OdYOhl-ghs2w6wrw4uc6auq0Eb7kfptGra46mEiAIHavSdyawzYRccjBH8OB3iK-uw3s3o9mTPnerQ8WzpkyZxPzMJlpRjCbiPqrep1SsElJusHEg/s1600/20190131_170203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFrTCmBa50RbV-GErmi9_sCl2J2OdYOhl-ghs2w6wrw4uc6auq0Eb7kfptGra46mEiAIHavSdyawzYRccjBH8OB3iK-uw3s3o9mTPnerQ8WzpkyZxPzMJlpRjCbiPqrep1SsElJusHEg/s640/20190131_170203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I use a lot of small bags to keep different wood dowels. I've used calipers to measure the diameters and put the number on the bag. I can then take measurements off the plans for the funnels and grab the right dowel. I also keep spare guns because I tend to mass cut a batch of guns with some spare as they tend to go missing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR047vdyHcjKZA7mF17uBne9K0AiZ0vtGQyo9wTwhKtfHpW3qgPsJGAAfYNIUicPJ6SDzB-QW0bV7gUr01eYr8ljFTt7cedkdoSLCwZX3ypkH6ySPkjKMa065Pa_79UoJmuVbKt_E58Ms/s1600/20190131_170623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR047vdyHcjKZA7mF17uBne9K0AiZ0vtGQyo9wTwhKtfHpW3qgPsJGAAfYNIUicPJ6SDzB-QW0bV7gUr01eYr8ljFTt7cedkdoSLCwZX3ypkH6ySPkjKMa065Pa_79UoJmuVbKt_E58Ms/s640/20190131_170623.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I made a jig to help mass produce guns of the same length. Using some matchsticks, I glued down some T-shapes and marked what each one was measured for, which can be anything from the guns to funnels, destroyer bridges, and more. For big projects like these, this sort of thing will save you time and make the things you make with them look consistent. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBedFkNATl3bY4uJIs9d_ydwv2EN2HWf_Zcwk28xKHfDhNEg-MfprmGcZGd43AYtCoXyIoJuyTnRSZqbmyIoNii7iXLw2ct4vdJkCkPIg9pO7H2GyNi7MNENckIJSeKtTinboE8GxmLs/s1600/20190131_170735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBedFkNATl3bY4uJIs9d_ydwv2EN2HWf_Zcwk28xKHfDhNEg-MfprmGcZGd43AYtCoXyIoJuyTnRSZqbmyIoNii7iXLw2ct4vdJkCkPIg9pO7H2GyNi7MNENckIJSeKtTinboE8GxmLs/s640/20190131_170735.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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One last tip before I let you go: You can actually measure up to three things on each of these T's. In this case two lengths of 6" guns from the left and right and M-class destroyer funnels from the bottom. Just make sure you label them so that when you come back to use the jig you can remember which one to use!</div>
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Alright, that's my 1:1500 toolbox! Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions, comments, or your own custom made tools for similar projects, let me know in the comments below!</div>
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Continue reading about <a href="https://www.scarybiscuitsstudios.com/2019/01/scratch-building-11500-wwi-ships.html" target="_blank">Scratch Building the fleet here...</a></div>
<br />Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-41517173810336487982019-01-31T00:59:00.000+13:002019-02-25T22:54:05.630+13:00Scratch Building 1/1500 WWI Ships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJYlzXPYorA3NaRf0YKldzii-TR16QmC3Qbs42tVQVC7Sh4WkG6uWbZkncG1AFxAURnYBWyBdoPyXPS8KPSycXJw1tak39cARUsdkuiak1R9KP_REycThOjS3RfK1QunZw7ipoZXb2eA/s1600/01-Intro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJYlzXPYorA3NaRf0YKldzii-TR16QmC3Qbs42tVQVC7Sh4WkG6uWbZkncG1AFxAURnYBWyBdoPyXPS8KPSycXJw1tak39cARUsdkuiak1R9KP_REycThOjS3RfK1QunZw7ipoZXb2eA/s640/01-Intro.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Right, so I've been busy building ships! There's a story for that, but I'll save it for later. For now I wanted to document my build process for my little scratch-built fleet of 1:1500 scale WWI-era dreadnoughts, cruisers, and more. Let's get stuck in...<br />
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<b><i>Update:</i></b><br />
I've recently done an article going over the tools I use for this project. You can find that <a href="https://www.scarybiscuitsstudios.com/2019/01/ship-building-tools.html" target="_blank">article here...</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXi2Bot8xxTPb7jjcej2oKydxR7wFHxb1BpBhi1R5S5r3ZzWwTHdUg6eLdx8xkOr_nsmOmWbyHzimxnF5OD5stea5zLTEg9uxlW5Ib8W91O_KNYwceqBepOLAvUO0tuphsuuGNNzwBSLk/s1600/02-Scale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXi2Bot8xxTPb7jjcej2oKydxR7wFHxb1BpBhi1R5S5r3ZzWwTHdUg6eLdx8xkOr_nsmOmWbyHzimxnF5OD5stea5zLTEg9uxlW5Ib8W91O_KNYwceqBepOLAvUO0tuphsuuGNNzwBSLk/s640/02-Scale.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The first thing to determine is what scale to build in. Since I didn't have a system I was building toward, I was free to choose whatever size I wanted. To make an informed choice, and to manage the potential array of ship sizes, I looked at the smallest ship I wanted to make, in this case destroyers. I settled on the size and then crunched the numbers and then rounded it to the nearest whole number. For this project, I settled on 1:1500. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEon39XRP5ieiCpv3RV_y52wc7lTnG0PwZAu7dKbZEyPYEF4j71B9OtpJ5vS_a36yPwTk4TSgZFGjQk5hZns4BxI0eHUDakhOXJ_2Pi4fyjPkESgzJm8nc0TL7IMOvRPA5-mkFQHdCpA/s1600/03-Plans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEon39XRP5ieiCpv3RV_y52wc7lTnG0PwZAu7dKbZEyPYEF4j71B9OtpJ5vS_a36yPwTk4TSgZFGjQk5hZns4BxI0eHUDakhOXJ_2Pi4fyjPkESgzJm8nc0TL7IMOvRPA5-mkFQHdCpA/s640/03-Plans.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I own a physical copy of <i>Jane's WWI Ships</i>, so I decided to stick to that book's style and level of detail. With the scale sorted, I jumped on the computer to scan, scale, and print out some top-down deck plans. When I print out the plans, I always print several extra top-downs so that I have a complete set for reference and the spares for cutting out the hull pieces. The colored bits on the plan is how I try and work out complicated layered decks, such was the case of the pre-drednought-era Scharnhorst-class armored cruisers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxF2JgaTuHksEdfDpCT_KiYXNXaGLlyWJc62dVKcR1WdGSXe0d1cCrKyNtFYRd08B3TIOlYGHeP7t-PodAeK4GxATnOGeNkUOsg1HhYfwfYpLHI80FRT3DxXo7FnRSaiI6jfEUfVzAh8/s1600/04-Sticking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxF2JgaTuHksEdfDpCT_KiYXNXaGLlyWJc62dVKcR1WdGSXe0d1cCrKyNtFYRd08B3TIOlYGHeP7t-PodAeK4GxATnOGeNkUOsg1HhYfwfYpLHI80FRT3DxXo7FnRSaiI6jfEUfVzAh8/s640/04-Sticking.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Next up, I cut out the hull pieces. I gluestick a copy of the deck plans to the sheet of balsa wood. I use a low strength gluestick so I can easily remove the paper from the wood later to re-use in the case of multi-vessel ship-classes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXp3TzheJeekFN-8a_zlrZBDCpq22oVKsUEjSthdCTbNbe7QhuJP26EY9fkKOKYPeBq291jVJZOHvfXEqI3GAg8Qa2fRiQI0mLSQhvADhXuIe6BFRh50ZVlXhGCAtdzbpzJzUPTH6nfY/s1600/05-Sticking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXp3TzheJeekFN-8a_zlrZBDCpq22oVKsUEjSthdCTbNbe7QhuJP26EY9fkKOKYPeBq291jVJZOHvfXEqI3GAg8Qa2fRiQI0mLSQhvADhXuIe6BFRh50ZVlXhGCAtdzbpzJzUPTH6nfY/s640/05-Sticking.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Choosing the right thickness for the hull is important too, depending on how far you want the boat to settle in the water. I use the waterline plan to pick the right sheet thickness, measuring from the waterline to the top of the lowest deck. For dreadnoughts and battlecruisers, this is usually 3/16ths, cruisers are 1/8th and for destroyers I use 1/16th sheet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwNOO8_nrOw4y6d-o4I8YlENLL5jn1JbYU75EeUAHFfkKiwmNvXfmMQiDZlCrHmGVuFLrGXjqQBsWD23NTovYo-Vc92Z4OpYonq12kswPW6BFVM871YRGx9fq8guIO_tq4gt2nyfwmcs/s1600/06-Cutting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwNOO8_nrOw4y6d-o4I8YlENLL5jn1JbYU75EeUAHFfkKiwmNvXfmMQiDZlCrHmGVuFLrGXjqQBsWD23NTovYo-Vc92Z4OpYonq12kswPW6BFVM871YRGx9fq8guIO_tq4gt2nyfwmcs/s640/06-Cutting.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
When cutting out the hull, I keep the knife at 90-degrees, taking several careful passes if necessary. I also trade out the blades often to keep a clean cut. After the hull is cut, I use pin to poke a centering hole for each funnel on the deck plan (not pictured, sorry).<br />
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After that I carefully peel up the plan from the hull. I repeat this process for each deck on top of the hull. I typically cut additional decks using 1/16th sheet.<br />
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I carefully laminate the upper decks to the hull using superglue. You only get one shot at sticking them together so be careful! Its not a super big deal if there is some a small amount of overhang between the decks because I then sand the sides into a smooth side. I then use a file to drill out holes for the funnels.<br />
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I have a variety of wooden dowels that I use for the funnels. I thought about using some sort of tubing, but I had difficulty finding a good combination of scale width and thickness, so I just decided to keep it simple and stick with wood. I primarily use bamboo skewers for the funnels on cruisers and for the smaller funnels on the larger ships. I used a proper 3/16ths dowel for the main funnels on the dreadnoughts. Some of the real funnels are more oval, but I simply abstracted that out for simplicity. After setting the funnels into the hull, I'll give the keel a sand to get it all smooth.<br />
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Next I cut out the turrets. I first cut out a strip of balsa the same width as the turrets. I then section them off into squares. At that point I start shaving off corners and sand it into the right shape (in this case a circle for the Scharnhorst)<br />
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I then glue a little plasticard to the bottom of the turret to raise it up a little off the deck. On my earlier models, I just glued them straight to the deck, which works for some turrets. However, I do like the gap the plasticard offers.<br />
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Next I made a really simple T-shaped jig for cutting the guns. This helps keep each barrel the same length, which is handy when you have lots to do on a single ship and across different, but identically armed, ship classes. I used to not do this, and the mis-matched gun lengths really bothered me, so I re-gunned all of my first batch of ships. My jig now has all of the gun types from 7.2inch to 15-inch guns. The plasticard rod I use is .030" (.75mm) in diameter. When cutting on the jig I use a sharp flat razor blade to cut clean and vertical.<br />
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For 6" and smaller gun calibers, I just model the gunshields and casements, as shown here on these German light cruisers. I don't bother adding the guns, but they could easily be put on using broom bristles or some other thin monofiliment. I cut 1/16th square balsa sticks and once again I use the jig to make sure that each gun emplacement is roughly the same size. I tend to make them slightly taller than scale so that I can sand them down nice and flat at the right height.<br />
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Finally, I add the masts. I have recently come up with a better solution for my masts, so have a look at that process <a href="http://www.scarybiscuitsstudios.com/2019/02/masts.html" target="_blank">here...</a> For now, I've drilled wire anchor masts into the hull. I'm always knocking over ships by the mast and they tend to get loose, so I've started drilling through the whole ship, top to bottom. I then bend the wire into a "J" shape and push it up through the ship from underneath and then push the hook into the hull bottom. I give it a touch of superglue to seal it in and then sand the bottom smooth.<br />
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Castemates are simply a bit of balsa that I glue to the side and then sand into a semi-circle.<br />
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Sometimes you just gotta wing it. There's no deck plans for the HMS Oranto, which was an ocean liner converted into an auxiliary cruiser. In this case I used photos and guessed the shape of the hull based on the beam and overall length measurements.<br />
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And that's about it for the build process. Each ship has its own challenges and that's a big part of the fun!<br />
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I'll do some more tutorials around painting and detailing as well as document the mast process as I discussed above. Until then, thanks for stopping by and let me know in the comments if you have any questions or ideas for further articles!<br />
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Next up is painting! Read more about that <a href="https://www.scarybiscuitsstudios.com/2019/02/50-shades-of-battleship-grey.html" target="_blank">process here...</a>Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-56528167520347523942018-11-11T23:00:00.000+13:002019-01-23T23:53:01.865+13:0011: 00am, 11 November, 1918<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lest We Forget</div>
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100 years ago today, the guns of August finally fell silent. </div>
Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-63033854081427275732016-04-11T20:29:00.000+12:002019-02-01T23:17:45.179+13:00PTO Terrain: Shrine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>with Mike</i></b><br />
<b><i>(Cross-posted from <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/2016/04/pto-terrain-shrine.html" target="_blank">Behind Enemy Lines...</a>)</i></b><br />
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I've been on the hunt for a small Buddha statute to make into a jungle statue for my Vietnam terrain, but I've had little luck. However, I saw a little shrine in the aquarium section at the local pet shop and grabbed it for $10.<br />
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With my Pacific terrain project starting up in force, I've brought this out for some finishing. While shrines like these may not have been seen on the island hopping, they were certainly in southeast Asia where the Japanese empire clashed with British commonwealth forces. So, it'll certainly see use at some point!<br />
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This is how the piece came straight from the pet shop:<br />
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I decided that at this point I'm not going to spend any time on the structure itself as I thought it's pretty much tabletop ready. I might give it a touch up at some point in the future, but I'm more interested in getting terrain pieces done for some PTO games, rather than getting mired down in the details. Once I have a solid collection I'll think about upping the realism a bit more.<br />
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Anyway, the base certainly needs some attention, so I stripped out the plastic plants and repainted the thing dark brown. Then, using my earlier <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/making-jungle-terrain-pieces.html" target="_blank">jungle terrain tutorial</a>, I added some of the plastic foliage pieces and flocked the base with green static grass and some dark green and red meadow flock.<br />
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Boom, sorted.<br />
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Maybe one day I'll get a little ambitious:<br />
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Thanks for reading! Let us know what terrain projects you've got on the table!Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-60188639719193825162016-04-04T20:26:00.000+12:002019-02-01T23:18:15.790+13:00PTO Terrain: Bamboo Groves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>with Mike</i></b></div>
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<b><i>(Cross-posted from <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/2016/03/pto-terrain-bamboo-groves.html" target="_blank">Behind Enemy Lines...</a>)</i></b></div>
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As my PTO terrain project continues, one of the things I wanted to make was some bamboo groves. These should complement my <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/making-jungle-terrain-pieces.html" target="_blank">jungle pieces</a> and hopefully take a bit of the load off them in terms of tabletop coverage. I planned to do 12 pieces, but in the end I did 6... you'll see why!</div>
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As usual I start with a little visual research. Luckily I didn't need to go far:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNRRhnx7bDQWpKKqhXQ6TBW_ZVU_8I1vCxeuay_x0MUPHLdpVjNzVes4i_PLAfn7CcY0k_-GkevfyMWMEzKYP81D7XXOaJ4ruV3msT8YSApbHWfO6vPkt0lfynfRV0ypV86VUu47fBUpA/s1600/PTO-Bamboo16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNRRhnx7bDQWpKKqhXQ6TBW_ZVU_8I1vCxeuay_x0MUPHLdpVjNzVes4i_PLAfn7CcY0k_-GkevfyMWMEzKYP81D7XXOaJ4ruV3msT8YSApbHWfO6vPkt0lfynfRV0ypV86VUu47fBUpA/s640/PTO-Bamboo16.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The bamboo stalks were colored in a few shades of green and brown, so I made sure to include that in my notes. I also noted that the foliage tended to grow in groups with a stretch between them. Finally, the grove is quite dense, so I would need a lot of them.</div>
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Right, building supplies:</div>
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<ul>
<li>3mm MDF board</li>
<li>Bamboo skewers</li>
<li>Leaf tea</li>
<li>PVA/wood glue</li>
<li>Aquarium plant mats</li>
</ul>
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Tools:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Jigsaw</li>
<li>Drill</li>
<li>Sanding block</li>
<li>Hobby knife</li>
<li>Hot glue gun</li>
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Painting Supplies/Tools</div>
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<ul>
<li>Airbrush</li>
<li>Tamiya Olive Drab</li>
<li>Tamiya Khaki</li>
<li>Vallejo Iraqui Sand</li>
<li>Vallejo German Camo Bright Green</li>
<li>Vallejo English Uniform</li>
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I decided to use the standard Battlefield in a Box 'kidney' shaped bases so that I could position the groves on the larger tree bases that I use for my NW Europe trees. Alternatively, they are large enough to be stand alone groves, as with my jungle pieces. I used the Shattered Battlefield bits as my templates.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNnrsbo9rzLJNPcELmmAsk2N3Ro2z44PFdC2ZOmNVow_27oPfMNqCgguTVe0H8TeYk2qh414PUKCbnP_NDcPkQ_fOQwY8sq3ScYMEkv5VyIQlSDuRGO6nzPKKsbnCooYPyzMNph9NKL71/s1600/PTO-Bamboo50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNnrsbo9rzLJNPcELmmAsk2N3Ro2z44PFdC2ZOmNVow_27oPfMNqCgguTVe0H8TeYk2qh414PUKCbnP_NDcPkQ_fOQwY8sq3ScYMEkv5VyIQlSDuRGO6nzPKKsbnCooYPyzMNph9NKL71/s640/PTO-Bamboo50.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I cut out the bases using a jigsaw, drilled a bunch of holes in them and then sanded them flat. I went a bit overboard on the holes, just to make the bamboo as dense as possible. In the end I probably didn't use all of the holes, but it gave me some options, rather than have too few and have to drill more later.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZPnKS6jlpF6Ss5Cz_Gp2nxr9WshMApEAfOXNPoFRUuwO-PkWspAiRFVjBTaUxJIRtEDx8czjoK1Mj_4fQpgIwVKRUsgjKA-b__QkFHxHm4wXYLVCJc0HLyr3zwLZhPaHofahj1gLcoq2/s1600/PTO-Bamboo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZPnKS6jlpF6Ss5Cz_Gp2nxr9WshMApEAfOXNPoFRUuwO-PkWspAiRFVjBTaUxJIRtEDx8czjoK1Mj_4fQpgIwVKRUsgjKA-b__QkFHxHm4wXYLVCJc0HLyr3zwLZhPaHofahj1gLcoq2/s640/PTO-Bamboo1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I picked up about six packets of these bamboo skewers because they were approximately the right size for the job. Earlier packets I bought were too large and toothpicks were too small (for gluing foliage to). So when I found them, I stocked up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuKBdEmWBpiiHDLAeMFNWrAuTPqACgHUW72d4k4sEvraJ7v-Y1LdgkyZsKJyOubHuaiuROXImnSmNERRK6xxMPC00MlIN8vPHrlor2WCG7PkTrOQ_OriMmYNEq5NnGc5Mvd71Rq1uV9WO/s1600/PTO-Bamboo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuKBdEmWBpiiHDLAeMFNWrAuTPqACgHUW72d4k4sEvraJ7v-Y1LdgkyZsKJyOubHuaiuROXImnSmNERRK6xxMPC00MlIN8vPHrlor2WCG7PkTrOQ_OriMmYNEq5NnGc5Mvd71Rq1uV9WO/s640/PTO-Bamboo2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I cut the skewers into 1.5" to 2" sections. I needed about 25-30 trunks per base, so for 6 bases, that was about 150 to 180 in total.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc85fe0dygoyoUWhAeWywbFRxuRRgj1eiZyKHGIyVZDjCmC8JVt_odGHxwIHEYakv2Qp67RjkIl9MHS9X_HB9wm3VKqqPhJG3QwnEayIWwq7rPIUXMobHWTj78TYHfomxxSrP-nSRnXWo-/s1600/PTO-Bamboo7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc85fe0dygoyoUWhAeWywbFRxuRRgj1eiZyKHGIyVZDjCmC8JVt_odGHxwIHEYakv2Qp67RjkIl9MHS9X_HB9wm3VKqqPhJG3QwnEayIWwq7rPIUXMobHWTj78TYHfomxxSrP-nSRnXWo-/s640/PTO-Bamboo7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I rolled the skewers under a hobby knife to score a grove around it and then simply break it off. In this photo and the one above, you can see a failed experiment where I cut additional groves with the intention of inking out the trunk's segment. I say failed, but it would have worked fine as the experiment proved, but not economic for 150+ of the little bastards...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cewS0HvQUWgeIYX3qZ257Z4Q-itUyb_sIcVm3Y36jkEAoOU3tZnoXGbTl62J1Y93Lxcs2cULsTcEhchW2qCBoP2qygFPbzcRHu6JYE0qvBEhroR_q62yPgXq-7s6RtVZw9mdlnOmoizX/s1600/PTO-Bamboo3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cewS0HvQUWgeIYX3qZ257Z4Q-itUyb_sIcVm3Y36jkEAoOU3tZnoXGbTl62J1Y93Lxcs2cULsTcEhchW2qCBoP2qygFPbzcRHu6JYE0qvBEhroR_q62yPgXq-7s6RtVZw9mdlnOmoizX/s640/PTO-Bamboo3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Next up is the dead foliage that collects at the base of the groves. For this I used my standby ground vegetation: leaf tea. Leaf tea is courser than that of the stuff out of a teabag, but you could use that as well if you wanted to. I've liked leaf tea for a while and have used it extensively.<br />
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I covered the bases in a layer or PVA, followed by a sprinkling of leaf tea.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAvlYiBOpNlGzCron_3WdDENFH4CQXt5vjUquvoG1nf3EGb9SgJALoQnq5f6SF4M-MA2nSuGPinnGiQb3sQKyO7LqKfXJ4BLHWmGh0aXJiY6im3D2IxyKry0xwEgcc2mb34k7_8mLgA0p/s1600/PTO-Bamboo17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRAvlYiBOpNlGzCron_3WdDENFH4CQXt5vjUquvoG1nf3EGb9SgJALoQnq5f6SF4M-MA2nSuGPinnGiQb3sQKyO7LqKfXJ4BLHWmGh0aXJiY6im3D2IxyKry0xwEgcc2mb34k7_8mLgA0p/s640/PTO-Bamboo17.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Next I used a skewer to poke out the holes and clear them of leaf tea. I held them up to a white surface to see if I got them all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKPo3bhyphenhyphenRPo5begSYKRzLOVLISx2y_MA00BM-qS-fyhEDdd-BFCPHuHLtg7OG_ObP89Ek-cr-oY30n8T1TDF3U9MgWMjFa3TDqZ0qGM6FgOGnfXw5a4mA_KG5TtpQsr9NwIEPZjNehrfr/s1600/PTO-Bamboo20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKPo3bhyphenhyphenRPo5begSYKRzLOVLISx2y_MA00BM-qS-fyhEDdd-BFCPHuHLtg7OG_ObP89Ek-cr-oY30n8T1TDF3U9MgWMjFa3TDqZ0qGM6FgOGnfXw5a4mA_KG5TtpQsr9NwIEPZjNehrfr/s640/PTO-Bamboo20.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then the trunks got glued into place.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CJgGDbqAV9GTkksPQsyCAmz-nJxmInNSjXzsIZVhEgYfb1GI9rEOpbCRN0QCezk71TLefqZDS6FmmekrYOWl_ti7M-ZersSAz6hIgp7bH8mYuVpB6QQf0MbGOK15GD6Wsf2grcv7YsZH/s1600/PTO-Bamboo21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CJgGDbqAV9GTkksPQsyCAmz-nJxmInNSjXzsIZVhEgYfb1GI9rEOpbCRN0QCezk71TLefqZDS6FmmekrYOWl_ti7M-ZersSAz6hIgp7bH8mYuVpB6QQf0MbGOK15GD6Wsf2grcv7YsZH/s640/PTO-Bamboo21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The base got a coat of Tamyia Olive Drab<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb4-UQ1I-TGER5i558ZZN5rfcd3vrU9RS7glB2yA9PpQtg5pOUmrw1vvUF-6t2QiYr5wqYgR06TIqJlJ7kT6tPPgYG09RA1tm0yP2KThblVeZKPfb3AnSs-jMsF2kU9_KcQNACFLnOgQ1/s1600/PTO-Bamboo24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb4-UQ1I-TGER5i558ZZN5rfcd3vrU9RS7glB2yA9PpQtg5pOUmrw1vvUF-6t2QiYr5wqYgR06TIqJlJ7kT6tPPgYG09RA1tm0yP2KThblVeZKPfb3AnSs-jMsF2kU9_KcQNACFLnOgQ1/s640/PTO-Bamboo24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then a highlight of Tamyia Khaki<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITm4-nsdNt4B-tb25XQXgxGiaYtBRLCnFz6yLUdCfKHv-fOjJW6UgT5Fl39BNlT1cgvaFMvxKtJQ8DFURdowTUE9UvJkLivnRKLJtMKu7syuHfRpF1XnxMdzWh89-ChfpuKM0RYaac10R/s1600/PTO-Bamboo30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITm4-nsdNt4B-tb25XQXgxGiaYtBRLCnFz6yLUdCfKHv-fOjJW6UgT5Fl39BNlT1cgvaFMvxKtJQ8DFURdowTUE9UvJkLivnRKLJtMKu7syuHfRpF1XnxMdzWh89-ChfpuKM0RYaac10R/s640/PTO-Bamboo30.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Finished the base with a drybrush of Vallejo Iraqui Sand.<br />
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Bases done.<br />
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For the trunks I mixed up a watery solution of Vallejo German Camo Bright Green. It was about 40/60 paint to water. I painted about 80% with this light green color. The others I painted up with Iraqui Sand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bvdY5HIMueKzYP4FrWisKLIxkHMtPKZ_n63ufeYDe0jbXAGlynx2suMVEUT94U_-o4lF__BfYghf0LRfX8R2Qj4whNQtDd02vEIKjKBqawpGQERTCg341SQG522XhBMbDpGIGrMIC2mC/s1600/PTO-Bamboo37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bvdY5HIMueKzYP4FrWisKLIxkHMtPKZ_n63ufeYDe0jbXAGlynx2suMVEUT94U_-o4lF__BfYghf0LRfX8R2Qj4whNQtDd02vEIKjKBqawpGQERTCg341SQG522XhBMbDpGIGrMIC2mC/s640/PTO-Bamboo37.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then the tedious part! On the green trunks I painted 5-6 Iraqui Sand colored circles. On the tan colored trunks I used Vallejo English Uniform to paint the circles.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KHtWN5xAEa5G2zMjIGYZQA6CQK_fJ0QF3SjCQplZaUPNytOUZanwpCqQFuRRElGKZUeit7TI5QYTV3xOHGr66vmKOkWea2q0BkhEDsZav40SRcEL5ZB8jXlWOMhF6tM7dfzdIS-RPWx5/s1600/PTO-Bamboo39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KHtWN5xAEa5G2zMjIGYZQA6CQK_fJ0QF3SjCQplZaUPNytOUZanwpCqQFuRRElGKZUeit7TI5QYTV3xOHGr66vmKOkWea2q0BkhEDsZav40SRcEL5ZB8jXlWOMhF6tM7dfzdIS-RPWx5/s640/PTO-Bamboo39.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Next up the foliage. It's the same stuff as what I used in the <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/making-jungle-terrain-pieces.html" target="_blank">Jungle Pieces</a> tutorial as my mainstay vegetation.<br />
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I've cut the leafy parts from the cup thing, resulting in a lot of foliage!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WPRxBuCJqH3CmaKCRUNy7e37QwJm-PP16IRYRebfwcPiEErC115G5rStncOGGh8JOld2DMKsLQcw05gEdRnsJiplXHwgkUU1B80s8GFgF0lMzZVRelcCdQp1Iy5nygYveKoOvGgt-boU/s1600/PTO-Bamboo40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WPRxBuCJqH3CmaKCRUNy7e37QwJm-PP16IRYRebfwcPiEErC115G5rStncOGGh8JOld2DMKsLQcw05gEdRnsJiplXHwgkUU1B80s8GFgF0lMzZVRelcCdQp1Iy5nygYveKoOvGgt-boU/s640/PTO-Bamboo40.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Using a hot-glue gun, I've attached a layer of foliage about half-way up the green trunks (avoiding the brown ones).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZC0O0wUXJXzYzFqa7X7KhkAkcZXB6WsMyHhHtS57Lceg8C6CHSlYfH3l_oHkYxwEcq70ALxlrvySyKlbWz0R__YNgvY3vjNGmI3nF2k6eofJvgTL9L2AFfgDAIplVW_REtwcCTjXkj9Qb/s1600/PTO-Bamboo45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZC0O0wUXJXzYzFqa7X7KhkAkcZXB6WsMyHhHtS57Lceg8C6CHSlYfH3l_oHkYxwEcq70ALxlrvySyKlbWz0R__YNgvY3vjNGmI3nF2k6eofJvgTL9L2AFfgDAIplVW_REtwcCTjXkj9Qb/s640/PTO-Bamboo45.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Next I put a layer atop the trunks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbatX8NLIcgy14GlXS1Ng_FZ73pwy4wuteGR3B_bssxdX_-uUbwcvAHPhnEWF67ajLPrJFBloFF_QPkaDOEyINremYvBkkWgK-3QzQdHvCRonLKM3-qgREXt60beh5AeFGkNgLNuZzjFv/s1600/PTO-Bamboo42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbatX8NLIcgy14GlXS1Ng_FZ73pwy4wuteGR3B_bssxdX_-uUbwcvAHPhnEWF67ajLPrJFBloFF_QPkaDOEyINremYvBkkWgK-3QzQdHvCRonLKM3-qgREXt60beh5AeFGkNgLNuZzjFv/s640/PTO-Bamboo42.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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To finish it off I touched up any loose bits of the Leaf Tea, and painted any exposed areas of wood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeMnPhE2-ebddIjwqVdBzocEA6ucCQZX4VfvcZIjYEnttIRr0tTssBan083MW9C_LmQMXI3DXrZA5CvO2rJmdNOzIZt9VpL8xAAntr57JwM099ZGswACTLdq3YzGi0vTeOBBg4g5Cre9u/s1600/PTO-Bamboo44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeMnPhE2-ebddIjwqVdBzocEA6ucCQZX4VfvcZIjYEnttIRr0tTssBan083MW9C_LmQMXI3DXrZA5CvO2rJmdNOzIZt9VpL8xAAntr57JwM099ZGswACTLdq3YzGi0vTeOBBg4g5Cre9u/s640/PTO-Bamboo44.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fVa08KQlDCyJmLgq0PVWRyZT_in6HFiGhXOAPTemApMGWV_Lwi56sFqJq5tJhgnxp7c_gUk5CQeGQlADz7NbcJTcQw3rJrQWbvow5o-SzARu8P4RAF3eiYp-1zXVltlDF5JE8MxicT5S/s1600/PTO-Bamboo48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fVa08KQlDCyJmLgq0PVWRyZT_in6HFiGhXOAPTemApMGWV_Lwi56sFqJq5tJhgnxp7c_gUk5CQeGQlADz7NbcJTcQw3rJrQWbvow5o-SzARu8P4RAF3eiYp-1zXVltlDF5JE8MxicT5S/s640/PTO-Bamboo48.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My first reaction to these pieces is that the leaves are rather large, but I'm OK with that if it at least looks fine at a glance. I might also be talked into doing some taller pieces as they seem a little uniform in height. In the end, they seem to do the trick.<br />
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Right, the next thing to sort out is some bamboo scatter terrain!<br />
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Thanks for reading!Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-15426129331204469442016-03-23T20:24:00.000+13:002019-02-01T23:18:33.717+13:00Beach Basing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_iif9ApNqDO9abMUYe6FVyuDAnPgdNunmB22wBjyTEmrgAZOokDIgSWCRJfgNcxgKN1cq8dBQgQ6CY8Xtaqrvp-2guxBjHEy3RQji_JSvX1-7V6HWJaakQvlzG_x7LQ9F22dVb9oZh_k/s1600/Battle_Tarawa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_iif9ApNqDO9abMUYe6FVyuDAnPgdNunmB22wBjyTEmrgAZOokDIgSWCRJfgNcxgKN1cq8dBQgQ6CY8Xtaqrvp-2guxBjHEy3RQji_JSvX1-7V6HWJaakQvlzG_x7LQ9F22dVb9oZh_k/s400/Battle_Tarawa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><i>with Mike</i></b><br />
<b><i>(Cross-posted from <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/2016/03/beach-basing.html" target="_blank">Behind Enemy Lines...</a>)</i></b><br />
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As I draw closer to basing my Marines, I've been experimenting with some different techniques to get a good beach effect. As usual I always start with photos and there's always a lot of great South Pacific holiday pictures to look at.<br />
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My objective with this experiment is Betio Island during the Tarawa landings. Using a collection of photos, I had a go at a few different bases to try a few things.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzWclX2A8dxkitClU_gvmehErYTmScUiHCpfkPbYa6llGOnIBUahJC-n1dZwl2pu0DZIcO6g0tBCScNDHSArV6QZhylisBxGT3S4v9laQAVBHziNIMcSCCzgdzMd4yuy54vznbLFn83Tv/s1600/battle-of-tarawa-relics03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzWclX2A8dxkitClU_gvmehErYTmScUiHCpfkPbYa6llGOnIBUahJC-n1dZwl2pu0DZIcO6g0tBCScNDHSArV6QZhylisBxGT3S4v9laQAVBHziNIMcSCCzgdzMd4yuy54vznbLFn83Tv/s640/battle-of-tarawa-relics03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCo__BEAzGlPplwyL-ofE7hi_AzJS4jOVU5-tMI1LxWwO7BN0Uwu7QVtD8raNkA8sDGFztoUsXYzXNU8v5R-fuz3tZ6oKPktr3_Qva6AL63bEXpw5QZfcNfHcuv3Xp_7cgwMujngATeAig/s1600/Red+Beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCo__BEAzGlPplwyL-ofE7hi_AzJS4jOVU5-tMI1LxWwO7BN0Uwu7QVtD8raNkA8sDGFztoUsXYzXNU8v5R-fuz3tZ6oKPktr3_Qva6AL63bEXpw5QZfcNfHcuv3Xp_7cgwMujngATeAig/s640/Red+Beach.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After many years of basing with sand and trying to recreate different types of sand colors, (thanks North Africa!) I've come to the conclusion that choosing the right colors for your base hinges on three things:<br />
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<ul>
<li>picking a color photo sample, </li>
<li>choosing the right base and top colors, and </li>
<li>developing a color scheme.</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Choosing Sample Photo</b></span><br />
First you need to know what scene you're looking to recreate. It turns out that sand doesn't remain the same color throughout the day and very much depends on the position of the sun (the Sahara sands often turns pink during dusk and dawn hours, and yellow during midday), the presence of water (and what type of water? usually salt). You will sometimes find photos of the exact same piece of ground taken at different times of the day and end up with radically different colors. You'll go mad if you let this get to you! So rather than worry about these factors, I've found it easiest to just pick a color photo and go from there. For this experiment I chose this photo from Betio Island:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYYZ1z7OWaHt4imMwN37SkYhrsyTdrT1w7Il0T3DzXMRhYVlDulCLm1Kp9CXsu-ZNjdsspXJoXCE5gTjTGIHRG5bO9QS3zNOypIMfelZMZExYqbQ0WfIuDgMvNH71A9vq6ZnQ5qOcEQj0/s1600/359ba26f6d4abc0ff77a879e5514cdcc782eea36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYYZ1z7OWaHt4imMwN37SkYhrsyTdrT1w7Il0T3DzXMRhYVlDulCLm1Kp9CXsu-ZNjdsspXJoXCE5gTjTGIHRG5bO9QS3zNOypIMfelZMZExYqbQ0WfIuDgMvNH71A9vq6ZnQ5qOcEQj0/s640/359ba26f6d4abc0ff77a879e5514cdcc782eea36.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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As you can see this sample actually has a rich range from dark to light, and ends with a nice bright color that will compliment the Marine's darker green uniform. This is something else to consider. the figures that will go on the base. I'm actually looking for basing scenes that contrast or compliment the figures's uniform colors so that the base works well from a composition point of view. It's a bit counter-intuitive when it comes to camouflage, but I believe it makes for a stronger model.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzkoyP7qA16VlOWi0_xYnXLETZrcd-JaE7wOq0B66Kjg9dyhaRGPDq9_pYOKhGAfO_D2D5LiaRL3Rq1zQDtp1EplxVbaWgb4cxufNuT7mTToejK84uAk6Hw7L47PaqM0NxSYU05-P_LwP/s1600/Brown+Violet-900x900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzkoyP7qA16VlOWi0_xYnXLETZrcd-JaE7wOq0B66Kjg9dyhaRGPDq9_pYOKhGAfO_D2D5LiaRL3Rq1zQDtp1EplxVbaWgb4cxufNuT7mTToejK84uAk6Hw7L47PaqM0NxSYU05-P_LwP/s200/Brown+Violet-900x900.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Base Color</b></span><br />
The second most important thing that you need to do is select the correct base color. More than anything, the base color defines the overall tone of the base. This is pretty critical so its worth spending the time to do it properly and really have a good look at the photo for the darkest colors, being careful not to be tricked by the shadows.<br />
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In the example above I chose the Vallejo color, Brown Violet (VP887). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmFYwHW31hAqCnDw9xnzTtUcswYlY-I3WcofqMrg6SrzUC5VmRpt__XgfhIAB5zvcEWbI46ztfKfDJXVz4tH-t_WikEWxCNTiR-eO1jHgDL-oRIQ1Qzetr6DPkhChI9YHQjvVHvDYB9jZ/s1600/VAL-70-837-PALE-SANDE--FS33798-RAL1015-52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmFYwHW31hAqCnDw9xnzTtUcswYlY-I3WcofqMrg6SrzUC5VmRpt__XgfhIAB5zvcEWbI46ztfKfDJXVz4tH-t_WikEWxCNTiR-eO1jHgDL-oRIQ1Qzetr6DPkhChI9YHQjvVHvDYB9jZ/s200/VAL-70-837-PALE-SANDE--FS33798-RAL1015-52.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Top Color </b></span><br />
This is the brightest color you want on the base. It should be relatively easy to choose compared to the base color. As with the shadows, don't be fooled by the brightest reflections from the sun.<br />
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For my base I chose Pale Sand (VP837)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Color Scheme</b></span><br />
This can be the most daunting part, choosing the colors to build up from the base coat to achieve the top color. However, I've found this terrific article by Jeremy Painter to be one of the best on the subject of basing:<br />
<a href="http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=1744" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=1744" target="_blank">Desert Basing (by Jeremy Painter) ...</a><br />
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Here's his cheat sheet for choosing the right colors:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyldEb5zoK7YnDmfgHrz3_8PQuToohE0bro20BvDH6c2rmbC9yir5sx-jSvHRdEdSk7wU7EXSHq2whULLV9zXhACm_twKa8U8s78El__8ojyXQd7Hag0hpBGZn521dkTw6I0ZVDgVvVTQB/s1600/Desert-Basing-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyldEb5zoK7YnDmfgHrz3_8PQuToohE0bro20BvDH6c2rmbC9yir5sx-jSvHRdEdSk7wU7EXSHq2whULLV9zXhACm_twKa8U8s78El__8ojyXQd7Hag0hpBGZn521dkTw6I0ZVDgVvVTQB/s640/Desert-Basing-20.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Even if you don't chose the same colors that Jeremy did, you can get the impression of what the middle stepping stones are between your base and top colors. For my base I thing the example to the top right was the closest and therefore I started down that path. I ended up choosing Dark Sand (VP847) as my middle step.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Test Basing</b></span></div>
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I find this step rather important to actually put into practice my theoretical scheme and see if I like it. I grabbed some medium bases, spackled them up and glued a layer of sand to the top. A quick word about choosing your sand... </div>
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The granularity of your sand is pretty important, but the trap I see most folks fall into is trying to find the most fine sand possible. While this is totally legit, it's not something that a must-do. If you look at the photos above there is some variety between the fine sands and the rocky sands. Again, like with the color, it's all about choosing the scene you want to recreate and sticking to it. As with my selected photo above, the sand has a lot of racks and stuff in with it, so a courser sand was totally appropriate </div>
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Good sources for sand is your local beach (assuming is OK that you take some),. hardware shops (look for children's playground sand), or other powdery stuff that will show a texture that you can paint. In fact straight vinyl spackling can be smoothed out and give a terrific fine sand effect. </div>
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What I <i>don't</i> recommend are the hobby grits from Games Workshop, Army Painter, or GF9. These are typically too grainy, unusually consistent in size, and a lot more expensive.</div>
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Anyway, back to the bases...</div>
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When I applied the spackle, I built in some high points and low points to give the base some elevation, but this is totally optional, especially if your scene is more of that idyllic holiday beach. I glued a very thin layer of sand over the top.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsXKtnOrlH1fQzUXXdXoi6BuxJMRp9l3Q2djnYkPonQ2EAbDqm5HA3P8BKhld0sh3HnWpYg9-NNcKQ5RMarYCpuCJDzpkLdMpzzPknTHoWiu2gRMIhN298yB5uGiKuTsyehM7Zx3P9VkX/s1600/Basing-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsXKtnOrlH1fQzUXXdXoi6BuxJMRp9l3Q2djnYkPonQ2EAbDqm5HA3P8BKhld0sh3HnWpYg9-NNcKQ5RMarYCpuCJDzpkLdMpzzPknTHoWiu2gRMIhN298yB5uGiKuTsyehM7Zx3P9VkX/s640/Basing-06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After the sand dried I added some basing highlights, such as palm frondds (cut from plastic palm trees), rocks, and seaweed (ground tea leaves). On the seaweed, I tried to push the tea leaves into long lines to outline a tide mark.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v61Ep3zr3av6P_CHebzH48Pls1qb2pwAR-s6H5hWu2p8LvTRPr3XlVk7-Bp11nCnOodult-IdKcH2xf_JU9F1Je1yEGWVNpBjA-Sfc7VEReidPF19vOWJjPBwdv-xIF-AlYpmvyAQv5l/s1600/Basing-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5v61Ep3zr3av6P_CHebzH48Pls1qb2pwAR-s6H5hWu2p8LvTRPr3XlVk7-Bp11nCnOodult-IdKcH2xf_JU9F1Je1yEGWVNpBjA-Sfc7VEReidPF19vOWJjPBwdv-xIF-AlYpmvyAQv5l/s640/Basing-07.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Next I painted the base from bast coat to top coat using the color scheme I chose earlier. I applied a heavy base coat of Green Violet, then a medium basecoat of dark sand, then a light highlight of Pale Sand. I did the example below as a piece without basing highlights to show the color application process.<br />
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Then I painted the rocks Stone Grey (VP884) and highlighted them with Pale Sand. I added some very small beads of PVA and applied some GF9 static grass (Winter/Dead Grass). I did this sparingly.<br />
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I also painted the palm frond and seaweed, choosing a dead color scheme for the frond and dark greens for the seaweed. I also took a detail brush and picked out small grains of sand to paint white, recreating (at a distance) sea shells concentrated around the tide mark.<br />
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Finally, I experimented with wet sand. I wasn't totally happy with the results in terms of color, but I liked the technique and will improve on it. For this I used a series of dark Khaki washes, adding a little bit of dark brown as I went. <br />
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Here's the bases all together so that you can see them.I'd say a'm mostly happy with the results, but I'm going to try some other schemes before I pull the trigger and base all of my marines!</div>
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So, what do you think?</div>
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Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-7762658516672389832016-03-09T20:19:00.000+13:002016-10-23T20:20:24.591+13:00Semper Fi in the E.T.O.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSy48Ro8_F48AQcWkG278zJj8ePMX3JmpUG6sTwaK81rf7u2yIXxXAdxE_9ewz11Nh2NHzMR02vGkza4Nzro2TDh85v3wX8PbU-GmbkRhNB3LA9eRC4bdnq0JZfNmelI6cEV2DQZbVkbz4/s1600/GungHo-Cover-Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSy48Ro8_F48AQcWkG278zJj8ePMX3JmpUG6sTwaK81rf7u2yIXxXAdxE_9ewz11Nh2NHzMR02vGkza4Nzro2TDh85v3wX8PbU-GmbkRhNB3LA9eRC4bdnq0JZfNmelI6cEV2DQZbVkbz4/s320/GungHo-Cover-Web.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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<b><i>with Mike</i></b><br />
<b><i>(Cross-posted from <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/2016/03/semper-fi-in-eto.html" target="_blank">Behind Enemy Lines...</a>)</i></b></div>
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Hello and welcome to our first Behind Enemy Lines battle report! It's no secret that the PTO has us by the balls. It's new, exciting, and it's got MARINES! I was so excited to get a game in that I lept at the chance to play a quick game with friend of the crew, Patrick. Pat's an accomplished German SS player, often taking trackless armies and doing quite well with them. </div>
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As he doesn't have a PTO force (yet) we were keen to have a go with the often pondered USMC vs Waffen-SS match up. So, we settled on 1500 points using the late war points column in Gung Ho!<br />
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Pat's force was three SS-Panzergrenadier platoons, some HMGs, a battery of mortars, a pair of 8-rads, a battery of 10.5cm guns, some FlaK guns, some Nebs, and a platoon of PaK40s. Nine platoons all told.<br />
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I wanted to try out a build for LW that focused on Marine M4A3 lates. I like the concept of Fearless Veteran Shermans, but I was a bit to shy to go all in and run a tank company. So I took it as a Rifle company. Obviously I don't have all my figures ready so I used my troops were forced to use US Army issue stuff in the mean time! </div>
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Here's the list I decided on:</div>
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<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #ccc; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col width="278"></col><col width="36"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Marine Rifle Company (FV)"]" style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Marine Rifle Company (FV)</td><td style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"HQ"]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">HQ</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,55]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">55</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Marine Rifle Platoon"]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Marine Rifle Platoon</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,230]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">230</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Marine Rifle Platoon"]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Marine Rifle Platoon</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,230]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">230</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Assault Section"]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Assault Section</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,160]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">160</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Marine Tank Platoon (with 3x M4A3 Late)"]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Marine Tank Platoon (with 3x M4A3 Late)</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,340]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">340</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"Marine Tank Platoon (with 3x M4A3 Late)"]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Marine Tank Platoon (with 3x M4A3 Late)</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,340]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">340</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"NGFS - Destroyer"]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">NGFS - Destroyer</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,150]" style="padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">150</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 21px;"><td data-sheets-value="[null,2,"TOTAL"]" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">TOTAL</td><td data-sheets-value="[null,3,null,1505]" style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; padding: 2px 3px 2px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;">1505</td></tr>
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The Marine platoons and the Assault Section are all at full strength. The Assault Section was divided evenly between the rifle platoons to provide a little anti-tank coverage. This made the platoons massive at 13 stands each.<br />
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Once all the attachments were made, this is a 4-platoon force, so the only thing that'll suck is to have delayed reserves. Hey, guess what?<br />
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We rolled up Encounter! I put the tanks in reserve with the big infantry platoons on each objective. Plan was to sit tight until the tanks arrived. Pat's was to go on the defensive and wait his chance. So the first few turns were uneventful as my NGFS picked off a few Nebs and I lost a team to artillery fire.</div>
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Then the tanks arrived and pressed up the middle, careful to screen out shots from the PaK40s. </div>
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The infantry pulled up stakes and moved forward with the tanks, but were harrassed by artillery fire.</div>
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Meanwhile, Pat's infantry waited...</div>
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The PaKs opened fire on the Shermans as they came into view. Careful to limit their shots and make the target hard to hit and at long range, the Shermans were quite survivable.</div>
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Pat's infantry continued to wait...</div>
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I advanced the other flank when the other tank platoon arrived, taking a few casualties from the 10.5s (the Nebs had been neutralized by this point).</div>
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Pat's 8-rads then started to be bold, using hedges for cover they snuck around my flank. A snap shot from a Sherman dispatched one, but the other escaped.</div>
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Meanwhile, Pat's third infantry platoon arrived in the center and advanced into my vanguard. Luckily I brought up a flame-thrower!</div>
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Pat's 8-rad then assaulted the bazooka I had left behind. The pinned bazooka team bailed out the 8-rad forcing it back. But the team failed to rally from being pinned down, so I couldn't bag it.</div>
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The needing 6s to hit each other, Shermans engaged in a deadly duel with the PaKs, losing one tank, but eventually destroying all of the guns.</div>
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Pat's 8-rad continued to harrass the objective, but was finally chased off and destroyed some 3 turns later by some Shermans sent to help. By this point, my platoons were being cut to ribbons by Pat's artillery and I failed all, I repeat, all of my platoon motivation checks, losing a rifle platoon and a tank platoon. </div>
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The latter was lost when two tanks charged the pinned down artillery battery with two guns remaining. One tank was bailed out and the other whiffed the assault check. The platoon proceeded to fail it's motivation to counterattack, even with the benefit of British Bulldog, and fell back. The bailed tank was captured, triggering a motivation test that I of course failed! So that ended my hopes and dreams on the center-right flank...</div>
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Meanwhile, on the left flank, a platoon of tanks tore through Pat's infantry advancing in the center (after his SS-troopers had sliced apart half of my Marine platoon, which as you guessed, failed to hit and motivate in assaults! The tanks had their revenge, mopping up the SS and moving to the objective where some 2cm FlaK guns were causing some trouble. After crushing them they crashed into a wood to have a go at Pat's grenadiers on the objective. All went well, but the humble AT 2 stat for his infantry in assault made me cry as I rolled up a lot of 1s for saves (his faust was a bit too far back for 2 rounds of combat, which is why I went in).<br />
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Anyway, the tank platoon evaporated in an instant, The hour was late and Pat and I had work in the morning, so we called it there for the Germans. Still, the damage was high on both sides. I had a lot of bad luck, but I gave as much as I got, destroying four fearless platoons, and nearly forcing a company morale test. But it wasn't to be, this time.<br />
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<b>Lessons Learned</b><br />
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I didn't play this game to field a competitive list. Rather I wanted to test how how things worked and what didn't work. Top of the list for things that worked are USMC Shermans. FV tanks with protected ammo and British Bulldog are really, really good. Yes platoons are small at 3 tanks, but fearless *should* help with that!</div>
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Top of the Didn't Work List was large marine platoons. The platoon I lost in the center was down to 6 teams, barely under half when it ran away. When you get that many points sunk into a large unit, it hurts to test and then lose a platoon that still basically combat effective. In the future I'll likely run 2/3 platoons with attachments.</div>
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Jury is out on NGFS. At 150 points, at Trained, the bombardments were usually hitting on 5s or 6s, which was not optimal. I would probably have been better served with limited F4U Corsairs at the same points value.</div>
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Anyway, that's enough from me! Stay tuned as I'll have a really quick report from a followup USMC game I played at TCOW last weekend!</div>
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Until then,</div>
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Semper Fi.</div>
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Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-77301546853031623832016-03-07T20:16:00.000+13:002019-02-01T23:19:54.394+13:00Sugarfields: A Terrain Tutorial<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQdVs6P_OZKz_2JM1wLamHTtmF7vymesUv1HfjYCIp4TCWf_AoVIYAz77gyc_qmX07BxWvDaODpZs4KY5IbuU6xiWHNMpGILvrB7pVGpFOvTDBDMdiGPtNDJ441U1ZICnipz6v2s2f6OV/s1600/tinian+japanese5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQdVs6P_OZKz_2JM1wLamHTtmF7vymesUv1HfjYCIp4TCWf_AoVIYAz77gyc_qmX07BxWvDaODpZs4KY5IbuU6xiWHNMpGILvrB7pVGpFOvTDBDMdiGPtNDJ441U1ZICnipz6v2s2f6OV/s400/tinian+japanese5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sugar fields ablaze on Tinian</td></tr>
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<b><i>by Mike</i></b><br />
<b><i>(Cross-posted from <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/sugarfields-terrain-tutorial.html" target="_blank">Behind Enemy Lines...</a>)</i></b><br />
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One of the major features of the Battles of Saipan and Tinian were sugar cane fields and the refinery facility. Plantations such as these are common in the Pacific islands and on the Asian mainland.<br />
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The fields are wide, square and open, rather reminiscent of Normandy fields. They are even edged by hedges, so you could look into using hedgerow terrain pieces to frame your fields.<br />
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Furthermore, one iconic photo stick in my mind. It’s of a 75mm SPG half-track. I’m fairly confident that this photo was the genesis of my desire to play the PTO on the table top....<br />
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The vehicle is fully loaded with gear, extra machine-guns, a floppy radio antennae, and it sat in the middle of a sugar field. It’s a great shot and as such I wanted to make sure I had a sugarcane field for my battlefield.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8Qv6VjqCVlGbvvxgkBgOCln8hGCVPOQIuDst5pp0aUiOgjel36951OQLN5tDMwQssPLfOzBwPSBvYT28XAkdDAvqisuYxIlaoSyzaUxHSh2vn9y3BV80quTfYPjdCKsktGwMqlg-0vzg/s1600/halftrack_tinian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8Qv6VjqCVlGbvvxgkBgOCln8hGCVPOQIuDst5pp0aUiOgjel36951OQLN5tDMwQssPLfOzBwPSBvYT28XAkdDAvqisuYxIlaoSyzaUxHSh2vn9y3BV80quTfYPjdCKsktGwMqlg-0vzg/s1600/halftrack_tinian.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Building the thing...</b></span><br />
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Anyway, building a sugarcane field all begins with a cheap welcome mat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip186GqecKnMmRmve40GwBTN27I63ypVnQVqisDwMgw4PJZ8ouKc-b-wQK8N2pefSxfrxIjyQ_FZuQwy4TdTZorp9iA27V3_DOqr1ALrRm6cpoII22Hx5e59Foavci1W-iGV1IKXZYOMKe/s1600/2016-02-06+17.10.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip186GqecKnMmRmve40GwBTN27I63ypVnQVqisDwMgw4PJZ8ouKc-b-wQK8N2pefSxfrxIjyQ_FZuQwy4TdTZorp9iA27V3_DOqr1ALrRm6cpoII22Hx5e59Foavci1W-iGV1IKXZYOMKe/s640/2016-02-06+17.10.52.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I found this one for $10 NZD at Bunnings. It’s plain with no lettering. Finding a welcome mat that actually doesn't welcome anyone was the hardest thing to accomplish! So if you see one, snap it up!<br />
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Using my sharpest knife, I cut into the field and made sure that there were trails, tracks, open areas, and irregular edges. The bristles are set in a rubber base, so as you cut in, the rubber will be exposed. I was happy with the color, actually as it looks like dark soil, so I left it as-is.<br />
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I spent a bit of time going over the areas I wasn't intending to clear completely, just to give the crops some irregularity to the height.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPacb3B3NNVpUxXBoePAbhW6silheyc4hUUbny3OfrXADmkPCuQWU0VMUbIN-mHbj0rRjZ0bC2gHfbpJWLgSVLZwWk-_Mz60zIBhTcVM97PhTduscM6rEakeFmsf7ZAgchOu9BizbNzpR/s1600/2016-02-06+17.17.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPacb3B3NNVpUxXBoePAbhW6silheyc4hUUbny3OfrXADmkPCuQWU0VMUbIN-mHbj0rRjZ0bC2gHfbpJWLgSVLZwWk-_Mz60zIBhTcVM97PhTduscM6rEakeFmsf7ZAgchOu9BizbNzpR/s640/2016-02-06+17.17.34.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I thought it only appropriate that I test it a lot with a 75mm GMC.<br />
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In the end you’ll end up with a crazy amount of this stuff…<br />
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In a future tutorial. I’ll show you some ways to use it to build more scatter terrain.<br />
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Also, as I cut into it, several of these bunches of bristles came out. I set them aside for potential basing purposes. I'll have more on whether that was a successful experiment as soon as I give it a whirl! Until then, keep your eyes peeled for unwelcoming welcome mats... Thanks for reading!<br />
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Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-33981048743925815672016-02-26T20:11:00.000+13:002019-02-01T23:20:30.245+13:00Making Scatter Terrain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>by Mike</i></b><br />
<b><i>(Cross-posted from <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/jungle-scatter-terrain-rules.html" target="_blank">Behind Enemy Lines...</a>)</i></b><br />
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Using the method I described in the <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.com/2016/02/making-jungle-terrain-pieces.html" target="_blank">Jungle Patches and Woods article</a> earlier this week, I made up some scatter terrain using the same bits of foliage. This time, instead of using the larger bases, I put them all on small Flames of War command bases so that I could spread them out a bit further.<br />
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The concept of scatter terrain is an interesting one. Unlike normal terrain, it’s meant to represent ambient terrain, that is to say the common terrain that most tables just take for granted and not display. Sometimes, but not always, scatter terrain in Flames Of War is purely cosmetic and has no impact on the battlefield, such as telegraph poles, single trees, or sign posts, etc. But in the jungle, scatter terrain can be made to be more important.<br />
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Furthermore scatter terrain serves an important role as a terrain amplifier. So, for my terrain collection, I decided to have a go at some scatter jungle bits. Not only can I use the Elephant Grass rules on my table, it also serves as a way to “fill out” the table in a much more realistic way, taking some of the pressure off the larger Jungle Patches, crops, and rice paddies.<br />
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Often you'll see wargames tables that have a lot of open spaces, and for some games that's important (like ancients), but the tables end up looking very unrealistic with smooth flat surfaces between terrain features. The great thing about scatter terrain is that it breaks that up so that the table looks full and interesting, even if, by the rules definition, it's not. Here's a quick before-and-after of a Pacific/Vietnam battlefield first with no scatter terrain, then with some.<br />
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The above uses about 75 pieces of scatter terrain, about half of what I'd like to see on there. Rather than make more of the same, I will instead make some different types of scatter terrain, including battle wreckage, sugar cane, bamboo groves, etc.<br />
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Once I have more larger terrain pieces I can adjust the amount of scatter terrain up or down depending on what I'm going for. In the meantime I feel as though the table is ready for some preliminary PTO or Nam games, especially if I use the Elephant Grass rules from Flames of War: Vietnam.<br />
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Using the Elephant Grass special rules from Vietnam, you can add some interesting flavor to your battles by checking to see if the open spaces on the table are indeed as open as you think. Roll a die and find out!<br />
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So at this point you can just play the game without the scatter terrain, but after playing a lot of Nam games with elephant grass terrain markers on the table, it just adds that extra level of realism as well as serves as a very important visual reminder that that open field isn’t so open and perhaps you should put a bit more firepower over there!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Elephant Grass Rules</b></span><br />
Source:<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=109&art_id=4112">http://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=109&art_id=4112</a><br />
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If you want to add further interest to your early war battles in Asia, try playing your games with the Elephant Grass rules from Tour of Duty (FW901). As a side note the FoW: Vietnam book: Brown Water Navy (FW903) has even more jungle and riverine related rules for those interested.<br />
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Away from the villages, and even in gaps in the jungle, rice paddies give way to ‘elephant grass’—the soldier’s universal catchall for tall grasses. This ranges in height from knee high to well over a man’s head. The ground beneath can range from hard-packed earth to flooded and muddy depending on the season.<br />
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When present, elephant grass usually covers the areas of the table that aren’t covered by other terrain. It is easiest to have the elephant grass the same height across the whole table. You can either select the height of elephant grass at the start of the game, or roll a die and use the Elephant Grass Table (an option we found added an extra challenge!) Make up some patches of elephant grass and scatter them across the table to indicate the nature of the terrain.<br />
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<center>
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Elephant Grass Table</span></b></center>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><b><span style="font-size: large;">Die Roll</span></b></td>
<td><b><span style="font-size: large;">Elephant Grass Height </span></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b><i>1
</i></b></td>
<td><b><i>Knee High</i></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b><i>2 or 3</i></b></td>
<td><b><i>Waist High</i></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b><i>4 or 5</i></b></td>
<td><b><i>Head High</i></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><b><i>6
</i></b></td>
<td><b><i>Taller</i></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</center>
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All elephant grass is Slow Going.<br />
<ul>
<li>Knee-high grass has no effect on visibility whatsoever.</li>
<li>Waist-high elephant grass does not limit visibility, but is Concealment for troops and guns moving on foot (although not vehicles).</li>
<li>Head-high elephant grass allows vehicles to see and be seen, although everything is Concealed, but limits visibility to 6”/15cm between troops on the ground.</li>
<li>Taller elephant grass hides vehicles and limits visibility to 6”/15cm like a wood.</li>
</ul>
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Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-85071183367691063462016-02-24T20:02:00.000+13:002019-02-01T23:21:00.900+13:00Making Jungle Terrain Pieces<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysLZvnI3Xc-wGHBFl6KfWE2OTFImu0yb1LQalkj9WN6EyYJozPcD3SMXJowxwXOMgE3jacMPoJGRJLAkeUIlTAY3SyDc38esfmDtcjn9S5UpaMJMpjaDfBBt-a8uFVNVyWSLnEAqjEM5I/s1600/IMG_2573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysLZvnI3Xc-wGHBFl6KfWE2OTFImu0yb1LQalkj9WN6EyYJozPcD3SMXJowxwXOMgE3jacMPoJGRJLAkeUIlTAY3SyDc38esfmDtcjn9S5UpaMJMpjaDfBBt-a8uFVNVyWSLnEAqjEM5I/s320/IMG_2573.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><i>by Mike</i></b><br />
<b><i>(Cross-posted from <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/making-jungle-terrain-pieces.html" target="_blank">Behind Enemy Lines...</a>)</i></b><br />
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When I was getting into Brown Water Navy for Vietnam, I knew I was going to need a lot of jungle terrain. It’s a rather iconic piece of terrain for the region, so I wanted to make sure I had a lot that I could spread out across the battlefield.<br />
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After looking around online I found some good tutorials out there, so be sure to have a look at those as well as this one and take the bits that work for you and your project.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step 1: Gather Foliage</b></span><br />
Most projects seemed to use plastic aquarium plants so I decided to give that a try. So after many trips to the local (and not-so-local) $2 shops, AliExpress, and pet stores, I gathered samples of all different types, including palm tree cake decorations, artificial seaweed, floral accents, and aquarium tank mats. But that’s not the only sources. I’ve seen people use lichens, clump foliage, and more. Here’s a few examples of artificial plants I found.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIr6-Y0cXA051Yslwz3Hlnb-60dU0udIbDRHArrIRre7I-oXGVYVE3dMTAhyphenhyphen_QMRZ2dq8kOovCnBDs871fhnin_rUo1A1sIqI9_HAV484YwfYGizHCJuVBi-pTcDUp2MuWeyTritggUNGq/s1600/IMG_2577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIr6-Y0cXA051Yslwz3Hlnb-60dU0udIbDRHArrIRre7I-oXGVYVE3dMTAhyphenhyphen_QMRZ2dq8kOovCnBDs871fhnin_rUo1A1sIqI9_HAV484YwfYGizHCJuVBi-pTcDUp2MuWeyTritggUNGq/s640/IMG_2577.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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When you’re shopping for plants, there are three things to keep in mind. First some of the more complicated looking plants can be broken down. Have a close inspection of them and see if they can be broken up into smaller pieces. Second, some of the larger ones might be cut down to smaller pieces manually, such as ferns. Finally, the last thing to consider is how you’re going to actually fix it to the base.<br />
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Another thing to consider is color. I chose to go 95% green with a few highlights of bizarre colors here and there like purple and white. These help keep things interesting, but be careful or your pieces will end up looking more like a sci-fi jungle than a real one.<br />
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When gathering your foliage, it’s a good idea to choose a single type that will be the common base plant for all the pieces. I chose a leafy bush that I could get enmasse on aquarium mats. This ensured I had a large supply of common plants that I could use across the collection that would ultimately tie them all together visually.<br />
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">Step 2: Make Bases</b><br />
Next I carved a bunch of different shapes and sizes of bases. I made sure that the bulk of them are small enough to fit in the kidney-shaped forest bases from the Battlefield in a Box range. That way I can use the option to put a couple jungle pieces on a base and use the normal forest rules (that’s not to say there weren’t fir or deciduous trees in the PTO).<br />
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Also, another trick is to use the pegs from the aquarium mats to fix some plants onto the pieces. This is useful for large clump vegetation. My recommendation is to cover the green “cups” up with smaller vegetation and clump foliage.<br />
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The goal here is to make sure that the bases can be used independently as well so that there’s got some versatility in their use. I made some round bits as well as some long narrow river-side bits for Nam. In Vietnam, the jungle was cleared up to the river with agricultural fields right behind, leaving a small strip of jungle between the fields and the river. This was also true elsewhere in the Pacific, but it’s also good for roadside linear terrain on plantations. So those will be good for my Pacific tables as well. In the end, choose the shapes and sizes that works best for you and your table!<br />
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I added some vinyl spackle for texture and painted the bases brown. I then applied some GF9 and Woodland Scenics flock and static grass to them. I did this because I made the n00b mistake of attempting to do that after the plastic plants were in place. It was a nightmare trying to get into the middle of that jungle (who would have guessed!).<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step 3: Drill Holes and Install Plants</b></span><br />
Then I drilled a billion holes into the base. I’ll then cut up the vegetation into smaller single plants and just start gluing them into the holes using a hot glue gun. It’s a tedious process, but after a while you get into a rhythm.<br />
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One thing to consider at this step is that you should think about clumping like plants together, like these nippa palm fronds that I cut from a palm tree that was waaay to big for 15mm terrain. These re-purposed fronds work well together and form a sort of palm-wall.<br />
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Spread out the sections of unique plants and concentrate them inside the jungle base. In doing so, make sure that you leave space for your basic plant.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step 4: Thicken Foliage</b></span><br />
As you might recall I chose the leafy bush plant to be the common plant across all of my pieces. The primary function of these pieces is to thicken out the piece so that you get a lot more mileage out of your more unique plants (and favorite plants. Bizarrely, you’ll bond with some and be sad when you use the last of them). First I installed plants, cups and all, along the centerline of the piece where I left some of their original pegs. Then I took some more of the bushes and separated them from the cups and glued the smaller sections into the holes around the edge of the piece to conceal the center cups and any deformities.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step 5: Clean Up</b></span><br />
Once all the glue has dried it’s worth giving all the plants a tug to test their durability. Remove any hot glue hairs you might find and cut the stems from under the base so it sits flat. Then you’re done!<br />
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Well, almost.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Step 6: Dust Up</b></span><br />
The final step is one I credit to James Brown at Battlefront. I was not happy with the bright waxy texture of the plastic plants, so he suggested that I dust them with a khaki spray paint. So holding the aerosol about a 16”/40cm higher than the piece, I sprayed over them, letting the paint fall onto the plants. This created a marvelous effect in the end, so thanks James!<br />
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And now you’re done. One down, 60 more to go...<br />
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Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-59802906064930065812016-02-22T20:02:00.000+13:002019-02-01T23:21:33.763+13:00Specific Pacific Terrain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>with Mike</i></b><br />
<b><i>(Cross posted from: <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/2016/02/specific-pacific-terrain-ideas.html" target="_blank">Behind Enemy Lines..</a>.)</i></b><br />
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The Pacific is finally here, which means I’ve got some terrain building to do! I’m one of those odd people who really enjoys a big terrain project to work on. Now that I’ve got a gamer garage up and running, I can finally take on some more ambitious projects, which is just as well since the Pacific is a unique battlefield from my typical array of European houses, hedgerows, and wheat fields!<br />
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As we anxiously await the arrival of the new figures, let's have a look and see what’s going to be needed to get some Pacific terrain rolling. <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">From Existing Collections</span></b><br />
You might not think that you’ve got a lot of ready made terrain in your collection for the Pacific. Well, apart from some Vietnam terrain, I didn’t anyway. But it turns out I’ve actually got a good start on the collection and could start playing straight away. Here’s some terrain pieces that you may have in your <a href="http://www.flamesofwar.com/online_store.aspx?CategoryID=2484" target="_blank">Battlefield in a Box</a> collection already that will work for your Pacific games.<br />
<ul>
<li>Dug-In Markers (specifically Log Emplacements)</li>
<li>Desert Palms</li>
<li>Desert Minefields</li>
<li>Desert Barbed Wire</li>
<li>Desert Entrenchments</li>
<li>Craters</li>
<li>Large Craters (Great War)</li>
<li>Shattered Battlefields (Great War)</li>
<li>Italian Houses</li>
<li>Italian Walls</li>
<li>Village Huts (Vietnam)</li>
<li>Paddy Fields (Vietnam)</li>
<li>Jungle Bushes (Vietnam)</li>
<li>Rivers</li>
<li>Streams</li>
<li>Tributaries</li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Gung Ho! Suggestions</span></b><br />
Gung Ho! has a list of terrain to create Pacific battlefields. I always find these pages very useful places to start on my terrain projects. Once I’ve got these things sorted I’ll move into my further suggestions, creating a terrain plan on how to prioritize and tackle them.<br />
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Here’s what the book suggests:<br />
<ul>
<li>Dense Jungle</li>
<li>Woods and Clearings</li>
<li>Streams</li>
<li>Dry Stream Beds</li>
<li>Caves and Mountains</li>
<li>Plantations and Open Woods</li>
<li>Tracks, Roads, and Bridges</li>
<li>Native Houses</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b>
<b>Mike’s Further Suggestions</b></span><br />
As always, I start with a short list of essentials (listed above) but after that the list rapidly grows wildly out of control. To keep things manageable, I organise the terrain ideas into subcategories that I’ve established a loose ‘story’ around, such as an airfield. I then prioritize the list again because I want to make sure I hit the important stuff first while my motivation is high. Here’s my terrain list for the Pacific.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">“The Airfield”</span></b><br />
Airfields (or potential airfield locations) were usually the main objectives for the island campaigns because of their proximity to enemy military targets or supply chains. As such an airfield is a must-have for Pacific island campaigns.<br />
<ul>
<li>Burnt out Betty bombers</li>
<li>Crashed Hellcat</li>
<li>Burning oil dumps</li>
<li>Control tower</li>
<li>Aircraft Hanger</li>
<li>Airstrip</li>
</ul>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQixiStVZ922GSFoH1s6P_WOs4QtOkqHRotPdRBbOnyFQl0AuEmpj2KX8qbHxXDUCjvZSmGKAQxg_GWB7RpXCzquU7DsUTvOozk98dxtjQmsBgm2H6I6sslkh20jnLarqngnMVMLj6P6G/s1600/betioEarly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQixiStVZ922GSFoH1s6P_WOs4QtOkqHRotPdRBbOnyFQl0AuEmpj2KX8qbHxXDUCjvZSmGKAQxg_GWB7RpXCzquU7DsUTvOozk98dxtjQmsBgm2H6I6sslkh20jnLarqngnMVMLj6P6G/s320/betioEarly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">“Paradise Island”</span></b><br />
The South Pacific is well known for its tropical paradise islands. The sun shines year-round and palm trees provide shade to relax under. However, the reality is that it was a hot and humid place to have a battle.<br />
<ul>
<li>Shattered Palms</li>
<li>Reef strips</li>
<li>Long Pier (stone/coral)</li>
<li>Short Piers (wood)</li>
<li>Raised seaside houses/buildings</li>
<li>Old shipwreck (lagoon zone)</li>
</ul>
<div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">“Paradise Fortified”</span></b><br />
Both US and Japanese forces wasted no time fortifying islands that were of strategic value. Islands like Wake, Midway, Betio, Okinawa and Iwo Jima, to name just a few, were heavily fortified against amphibious assaults. Local stone, rock, and timber were typically used to build the fortifications with the important buildings being but from the more limited concrete supplies.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JIiw5aUrrybNu0OEYf9hzSBnmEqNSIH5gcl_Mmnl_OLN8X2ZoOhlMs6ML19JaZIVT1_e6aGNRALPZd3IOoHgA4Ub4On4juc3mid_vuuJ4vSpuzsZ5e6r4vHSNHxkNzdEALHKIz37HRnL/s1600/tarawa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JIiw5aUrrybNu0OEYf9hzSBnmEqNSIH5gcl_Mmnl_OLN8X2ZoOhlMs6ML19JaZIVT1_e6aGNRALPZd3IOoHgA4Ub4On4juc3mid_vuuJ4vSpuzsZ5e6r4vHSNHxkNzdEALHKIz37HRnL/s1600/tarawa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JIiw5aUrrybNu0OEYf9hzSBnmEqNSIH5gcl_Mmnl_OLN8X2ZoOhlMs6ML19JaZIVT1_e6aGNRALPZd3IOoHgA4Ub4On4juc3mid_vuuJ4vSpuzsZ5e6r4vHSNHxkNzdEALHKIz37HRnL/s320/tarawa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4_XuwI4tOX9i8mMRZDQXLtA5BZZygsFhZS-2oX74PhwBjOzWaNoGYO-PGEZScC6LjdBSY8CPw6pQHRL-ID59BBbqu-ezLiXJqSIsYf0Eo2hqhORy4geW0b6CsSQy1pE5HxGo73SUEhfm/s1600/USA-P-Gilberts-p66b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
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<ul>
<li>Palm seawalls & embrasures</li>
<li>Palm Bunkers</li>
<li>Palm log barbed wire</li>
<li>Mound command bunker</li>
<li>Aid station bunker</li>
<li>Administration center ruins</li>
<li>Reinforced building ruins</li>
<li>Firing pits</li>
<li>Prefab tetrahedron command bunkers</li>
<li>Beachside firing position (naval guns)</li>
<li>Anti-tank ditch</li>
<li>Flag pole (Japan)</li>
<li>Flag pole (USA)</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtNOusLWeXUnHvuEOxohuToIZwv0dVV71kUYVP3q9030gmahnjoDkdDEfylBIYOUuV3mPfdzPZIrEkyRmjdNLC3CVZxq8UJABcxr6_aGepiWC3FIXD7N5_5r7-1f3F-0ZETOd3rQXLWrT/s1600/tarawa-betio-island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtNOusLWeXUnHvuEOxohuToIZwv0dVV71kUYVP3q9030gmahnjoDkdDEfylBIYOUuV3mPfdzPZIrEkyRmjdNLC3CVZxq8UJABcxr6_aGepiWC3FIXD7N5_5r7-1f3F-0ZETOd3rQXLWrT/s640/tarawa-betio-island.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This map is practically a massive and detailed "To Do List"</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">“The Scrapyard”</span></b><br />
Battles on the small islands generated a large amount of destroyed vehicles concentrated in a small physical area. During the fighting, these sometimes offered shelter from incoming fire. In some rare cases, bold Japanese soldiers would climb aboard knocked out US vehicles and turn the fixed machine-guns on the American troops, making any wrecks possibly dangerous.<br />
<ul>
<li>Swamped Sherman</li>
<li>Knocked out Amtrac</li>
<li>Knocked out Type 95 </li>
<li>Knocked out gun emplacement</li>
</ul>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJQrzfoEyaL7TCjBlRa4FJKgXqBU6-55uuieGqAvrTsWJ3QZk63PRJN1FGZv9-T0AvhXvPzNjitTE6oaDgSzt_533PFYHiM_szSJ1PomCM_oImdaVaTUCh5XeTi9Xf54OpBKeINon93Jp/s1600/Tank_at_Tarawa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJQrzfoEyaL7TCjBlRa4FJKgXqBU6-55uuieGqAvrTsWJ3QZk63PRJN1FGZv9-T0AvhXvPzNjitTE6oaDgSzt_533PFYHiM_szSJ1PomCM_oImdaVaTUCh5XeTi9Xf54OpBKeINon93Jp/s640/Tank_at_Tarawa.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Hit the Workbench!</span></b></div>
<div>
Over the next few months I hope to have most of this stuff done to an extent. I'm also going to focus on tutorials for some of them as well, so stay tuned! In the meantime, I'm curious to know what's on your terrain list? Post your ideas below! </div>
Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-9954240807146782192016-02-14T22:46:00.003+13:002016-10-23T20:05:22.537+13:00And We're Back!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Hello!</b></span></div>
<br />
Yes, it's been 6 months, but let's face it you've been having a great time without my ramblings! There's been some interesting changes in the wargame world, new games, new communities, new things to explore in the hobby. After some time in the wilderness, I've make it a priorty to get this blog back on its feet.<br />
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I've had a lot on in the last year but I've not been slack on the hobby front. Chief among my hobby efforts has been out podcast <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Behind Enemy Lines</a>. Dan, Greg, Damian, and I have been pretty busy cranking out a fortnightly-ish podcast and blog, so a lot of my energy is going there.<br />
<br />
The big news on that front is that we're covering the new upcoming Flames Of War expansion into the Pacific, a theatre I've been wishing for for over a decade. I couldn't be more excited to dive into that! You can follow that progress on the <a href="http://bel-podcast.blogspot.co.nz/" target="_blank">Behind Enemy Lines</a> blog and check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/FoWPacific/" target="_blank">Flames of War: Pacific group</a> on facebook. I'm doing a lot of reading and writing for the BEL blog, however I'll cross post my own articles here as well as they come up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5w3IFr-BONoK5JPIi2Ps5WDeAUTkgQDPZQ_wIVBBXMNvgdd62wws5QuTXDcTa1Eq7O-Nl0IJDymoKR4rGdhIiuB1-MQwbUmjLw5Ep0_vNs8gNkGHK0IEC0-mGwx8R1pI4bInEoYyc6g/s1600/20160214_222132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5w3IFr-BONoK5JPIi2Ps5WDeAUTkgQDPZQ_wIVBBXMNvgdd62wws5QuTXDcTa1Eq7O-Nl0IJDymoKR4rGdhIiuB1-MQwbUmjLw5Ep0_vNs8gNkGHK0IEC0-mGwx8R1pI4bInEoYyc6g/s640/20160214_222132.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work Bench!</td></tr>
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The other major development on the hobby front is a new hobby garage. Since my last post, we've moved and I was sure to secure a hobby space for myself. The garage fits a game table, my armies, and a big work bench.... plus a beer fridge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79HtupT2mKcGpd-7AboDRuENKl8ipjfYQd6o1IBFLg081aRLJy7CV1sAtE0Czo8uZ3TNQDitsqsvyuGxtnpu0Z1Pq67kF5bIfTXJBBulP9sKFA4NPpxvKsbxinVVNXrIMCA6Aw7fnghs/s1600/20160105_210338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79HtupT2mKcGpd-7AboDRuENKl8ipjfYQd6o1IBFLg081aRLJy7CV1sAtE0Czo8uZ3TNQDitsqsvyuGxtnpu0Z1Pq67kF5bIfTXJBBulP9sKFA4NPpxvKsbxinVVNXrIMCA6Aw7fnghs/s640/20160105_210338.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Churchills...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7nsvR8GgBK0Ot7qTp39ACtuEU71zimcG8PEtB2QzUyJhnqykv3eokW1MbYtY7gu2dy846PNJopm9PitY6EhyphenhyphenUQGTjcGEITrV2gNaN8q9v8fd0vNEWYsPvFP4A-f-VWRU93hwZD7qqCI/s1600/20151017_190150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7nsvR8GgBK0Ot7qTp39ACtuEU71zimcG8PEtB2QzUyJhnqykv3eokW1MbYtY7gu2dy846PNJopm9PitY6EhyphenhyphenUQGTjcGEITrV2gNaN8q9v8fd0vNEWYsPvFP4A-f-VWRU93hwZD7qqCI/s640/20151017_190150.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#BeerFridge</td></tr>
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I've hosted several games so far and I hope to get some quick AARs up at some point, but the real upshot of the garage is terrain making space! Yes, I've been busy on terrain building so I'll have some tutorials coming soon on some building projects.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOarKENQupzP8aGefUoMhhPIcDK6OjMkTf4jD1SyztxkHIKUbLoeWc7p3-m5chYn1bm9_YaFFOmK0onTSJqUR21yp9O9Zj_N_NfRQfBpNJ_32b2rWbnBEWqEh7fpUNht3y_gHozzXELfM/s1600/20151229_165849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOarKENQupzP8aGefUoMhhPIcDK6OjMkTf4jD1SyztxkHIKUbLoeWc7p3-m5chYn1bm9_YaFFOmK0onTSJqUR21yp9O9Zj_N_NfRQfBpNJ_32b2rWbnBEWqEh7fpUNht3y_gHozzXELfM/s640/20151229_165849.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bocage...</td></tr>
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Anyway, just a short post for today. I hope to see you all back here soon as I try and get some real content rolling!<br />
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Thanks for stopping by!</div>
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-M</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#DidIMentionBeerFridge?</td></tr>
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Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-73605463718748860622015-07-16T23:58:00.001+12:002015-07-17T00:02:07.701+12:00Closing Time ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This Age of Sigmar thing is really, <i>really </i>interesting to follow. I can't think of another time where a AAA game system has plunged itself into it's own End Times and then reinvented itself (for better or worse). Like it or hate it, you have to recognize this as major event in our collective wargaming hobby.<br />
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Now, I'm the least qualified person to actually speak with any authority on the world of Warhammer. I know exactly jack shit about the history and fluff, other than enough to name the various factions. I had a Vampire Counts army back in '03, but gave it up shortly thereafter for a more rewarding experience playing Confrontation 3.0 and it's brilliant Dogs of War narrative/semi-RPG campaign system (to this day, I believe it remains the best in the genre).<br />
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But something about the boldness of this shift was intriguing. When the internets exploded with rage and love (but mostly rage) over the new Age of Sigmar release, there were a few sore points with veteran players, chief among them that this new set of rules replaces Warhammer 8th Edition (something I still don't think is exactly true). There were also some 'interesting' rules like one about dancing while rolling a die to get re-rolls on misses or some such madness. Basically, the noise I was getting (and there was s shit ton of noise) was basically that this new game was too simple, it's stupid, and how could they replace the time-honored WHFB with this tripe?<br />
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Well, not all the noise is negative. There's a ground swell of support for the system among the 40k crowd. Interestingly AoS after-action reports looks more like a 40k game than an old-school WHFB game with loose formations as opposed to rank-and-file. The rules have been streamlined into something vaguely more familiar to a 40k player (and dare I say, a FoW player such as myself). So it's a big change for traditional Warhammer players to swallow.<br />
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Or is it?<br />
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Chatting with my old friends back in the states, who are well-respected WHFB players and whose pedigree in the system is unchallenged, I was surprised to find a very reasonable outlook on AoS. Expecting to hear staunch opposition, what they actually thought greatly impacted me. I've taken in what they and others have said and after some internal reflection and potentially misplaced optimism, have come to some conclusions:<br />
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<b>1. I'd like to try Age of Sigmar out for myself.</b><br />
This is pretty huge considering my history with GW games, but I really want to have a genuine try with the rules and see if its rubbish, ingenious, or neither.<br />
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<b>2. Warhammer is now more accessible for me.</b><br />
It's well known that Warhammer has been cost prohibitive for a very long time. I'm not about to go out and drop a paycheck or two on a new army. The financial cost for building an army is huge and is only going up as we press on toward our own earthly End Times. However, I'm still free to use my old miniatures from my collection. Where before my collection struggled to top 1000 points (at the comparative cost of 3 or 4 Flames of War 1500pt armies), I can now use everything I have and play some games (even if they have square bases, because this honey badger don't even care...).<br />
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Furthermore, they have made the rule set and army-specific war scrolls totally <a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/age-of-sigmar-compendiums" target="_blank">free to download online</a> (and soon on an app), and contrary to the rumors and fears, all of the classic factions are represented. So for the low, low price of free, I'm able to start playing with my old VC army. I can take that collection of old figures, break it up into smaller interesting skirmish groups and get some potentially fun, quick games in.<br />
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<b>3. Warhammer lore is now accessible for me.</b><br />
I feel as though now I can become involved with Warhammer tradition The whole fluff world itself is more accessible. The fluff of Warhammer is often touted as an amazingly woven tapestry of rich backstory, and I'm sure it really is that great. But frankly I find that intimidating to learn. I feel confronted with a huge world, and a host of bards that will always know more than me. But that was chapter 1 and we've just started chapter 2 where the old stories are still relevant, but new fluff is being created. I'm kinda keen on having a chance to be a part of these new beginnings.<br />
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<b>4. The rules are more accessible.</b><br />
I've said it before, I've said it a thousand times, my brain has limited hard drive space remaining for wargames. I can't fit another epic set of wargames rules in my brain without deleting something first. I'm not going to uninstall Flames Of War and I like Warmachine just enough to play it now and again. I've got lots of space for small things like AoS's 4-page rulebook and a VC war scroll, so I'll just delete my old Malifaux 1.0 files and start installing AoS. It is a faster game and it fits more with my busy wargames schedule.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrCd6YnvKWIyuYK4_pinkxe-QVF072CaCcQ9m6SoFOXC8t6Pd8dN2nDbYvFOV9KpoCScKRaXpbjRpJZBQbEy-IGmETSvUf2KhlyJayrO-zb0lH94y-7dFLEms5qqBUTGG0I4p24Wniwo/s1600/Skeletons-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrCd6YnvKWIyuYK4_pinkxe-QVF072CaCcQ9m6SoFOXC8t6Pd8dN2nDbYvFOV9KpoCScKRaXpbjRpJZBQbEy-IGmETSvUf2KhlyJayrO-zb0lH94y-7dFLEms5qqBUTGG0I4p24Wniwo/s400/Skeletons-05.jpg" width="400" /></a>I'm totally prepared for this game to be total rubbish. I've not invested a dime into this, other than a few hours of getting my WHFB figures out of the box and tidied up after 12 years of being packed away. So if it turns out to be a bust, I'll put them away again and that'll be that. You can bet an AAR and some follow-ups will be forthcoming on this!<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Time will tell, but it's a big moment in wargaming and one that everyone who's got a passing interest should be appreciating. As the immortal band Semisonic once put it, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." </span><br />
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And here we are.......<br />
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<br />Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-86561511985570512002015-07-07T16:53:00.004+12:002015-07-08T17:43:02.562+12:00How to Hate a Game, Properly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"Hate" is a strong word. It's got a lot of polarizing connotations associated with it, but the truth is that you are (sometimes) allowed to just not like something so much that no other word would suffice, like with raisins and grocer's apostrophes. But I don't believe for a second that there's ever a legitimate reason to use that word in the context of wargaming due to the nature of being a totally voluntary activity. If you're driven to hate, then you should probably stop wargaming.<br />
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This week in the wargaming world, there's certainly been a lot of "hate" being thrown around due to the release of the Age of Sigmar (AoS) ruleset for Warhammer (Fantasy) from Games Workshop. Now, if you're looking for my opinion on this ruleset, you're going to be sorely disappointed no matter what AoS camp you're in because I don't have one. So where is this going? Well I thought this as good a time as any to actually talk about why it's OK to not like a game and how I go about trying to be respectful when expressing it to others.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Know what I don't like</span></b><br />
Before I can go down that road of not liking a thing, I need to be damn sure what it is, specifically, that I don't like. I need to accurately identify the target because otherwise I can quickly become confused and conflicted, and my arguments come across as mindless whinging.<br />
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For example, I don't like GW games. However, what exactly don't I like? Is it the company or its games (and which games)? Those are two very different entities. Its perfectly OK to not like both, but I need to separate those two things before I assign my reasons why to the right party.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Know why I don't like it</span></b><br />
I realize straight off the bat that the reasons why I don't like a thing are highly subjective and rarely objective. I don't have to verbally justify why I don't like a thing if I don't want to, but mentally I need to know why I don't like it if I want to speak from a position of knowledge.<br />
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For example, I don't like GW because I feel they have abandoned their community. I don't like Warhammer because I don't like their "to-hit" mechanics. I don't like games that have a terrain-building phase because I feel it creates unrealistic battlefields. Those examples are my opinions and I frankly don't give a shit about what anyone else thinks of them. They're mine to do with as I please, but I need to understand them and then attribute those dislikes to the right target. It would be unfair to blame 40k on the fact that GW doesn't support it's community well.<br />
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Being very deliberate and honest about choosing why I don't like a thing means that I can like it to a lesser or greater degree depending on the total number and the weight of those gripes. It's not necessarily a black-and-white world. This makes it easier to find common ground and not let those dislikes get in the way of opening my mind to new possibilities.<br />
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Again, for example, when the so-called End Times came to Warhammer Fantasy Battles, I was actually pretty keen on the idea, despite the fact I'm not a fan either GW or WHFB. I felt that it was a bold and refreshing move and provided an opportunity for GW to reconnect with it's community in a new way and possibly address my other concerns. Don't get me wrong, there remains a fair amount of skepticism in my mind that they can pull it off, but as a non-GW fan, I'm curious to see where this thing goes, and more than a little bit tempted to actually try AoS out.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Know when to fold 'em</span></b><br />
I try and know when I'm outgunned by a more knowledgeable (or slightly unhinged) opponent. My opinions are my own and nothing the other party can do will force me to change them, but it's not worth the effort to press on when I'm facing serious opposition. My honor is not on the line because in the end we're talking about toy soldiers. It's important to know when to deploy that good old standby: "agree to disagree" and leave it at that. If they won't leave it at that, that's their problem, but I've got to be prepared to walk away. Similarly, when someone plays the Agree to Disagree card on me, I try to accept it, move on, and get back to having fun with toy soldiers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UDtQi_MyU_wU5TImGRDiuX9nn0e3y1y5l1K5UEIre54drTzWQH-z_dE2CA2PmJeWfGajqEK6waGOA419hbbfr6Md41-gZ078FTnN425IYvllXy-lhX9FtIq3DJfgS8Je2ytzD-BfOgI/s1600/stay-classy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UDtQi_MyU_wU5TImGRDiuX9nn0e3y1y5l1K5UEIre54drTzWQH-z_dE2CA2PmJeWfGajqEK6waGOA419hbbfr6Md41-gZ078FTnN425IYvllXy-lhX9FtIq3DJfgS8Je2ytzD-BfOgI/s320/stay-classy.png" width="216" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Stay classy</span></b><br />
This is the hardest part, and I'm not always successful. I try and remember that behind every opinion and every line in a rulebook, there's a person that is at least passionate enough about the thing to have taken the time to express or write about it. That thought or text could be totally batshit crazy but there's still a person on the other end. We're a community, and communities live and die on the respect and integrity of its members. So say we all (hopefully).<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Bottom Line</span></b><br />
If you only take away only thing from this article, please let it be this:<br />
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It's OK to dislike a game, but don't dislike a person because they like the thing you dislike. In the wise words of the Offspring, you gotta keep 'em separated.<br />
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Thanks for reading, and happy gaming!Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-36873952248536451032015-04-27T16:56:00.000+12:002015-04-27T16:56:03.775+12:00April Shenanigans<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theo wanted a poppy to "Remember the soldiers" <br />on this special centennial ANZAC Day.</td></tr>
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April is nearly over and I've been remiss about posting things to the blog. This is mostly due to the fact that I'm still sorting out a new hobby schedule around the new job and a slightly more active 3yr old...<br />
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At any rate, I thought I didn't have much to report, but when I flicked through my phone's pictures for hobby-related stuff, I was surprised there was actually quite a lot. Over the past few weeks I've had some FoW games, several Saga matches, tried out Netrunner, bought a new Warmachine army, expanded my X-Wing collection, and even got a neato Lego set for my birthday.<br />
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Also, before we get started, I just wanted to mark the passing of the 100-year anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. Here in New Zealand and Australia we hold annual memorial services on that day commemorating ANZAC Day. Like Veteran's and Memorial Days in the US, it's meant to be a time to acknowledge the sacrifices of those who have gone before us. It has been very moving to see NZ remember, and I am honored to have witnessed it.<br />
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<i>Lest we forget. </i></div>
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So, here's a quick run through of what's been happening since last I posted...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">1. Saga </span></h2>
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These past few weeks has seen me play, think, and hobby up a lot of Saga. The reason for this is that it's still a fun game and I really like the period. It also helps that my wife and I have been watching History Channel's drama series Vikings, so it really puts me in the mood to play and paint dark age warriors, in particular my Danes, which have been WIP for about a year now.</div>
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Several weeks ago I got a game with my Normans in with Wayne and his Vikings. It's always a pleasure to play against Wayne as he's a fun player and his miniatures are fantastically painted. Here's a few shots from the game:</div>
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The game ended in a draw as we totally lost track of turns and how much we had killed, so we were happy to call it after having a lot of fun in the process!</div>
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I also got a game in with Jonathan, who also plays Vikings. He has an interesting twist in his army in that he took Harlod Hardrada, a warrior for his warlord. I've not faced him before and they were tough! We played a standard match, and once again we lost track of turns and kills, but the game ended on a Warlord v. Warlord fight. We both died in the dual, but as I had to toss a hapless heathguard to take a hit, we agreed Jonathan's heroic stand was more glorious and worthy of the sagas, so the battle was given to the Vikings.</div>
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With these games and the premier of Vikings in our house hold, I've dusted off my WIP Anglo-Danes and began work once again on my Senlac Hill shield wall. </div>
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The list is pretty simple:</div>
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<li>Hearthguard (with swords)</li>
<li>Hearthguard (with swords)</li>
<li>Hearthguard (with Dane Axes)</li>
<li>Hearthguard (with Dane Axes)</li>
<li>Warriors</li>
<li>Warriors</li>
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As a break in tradition from the round lipped bases, I've gone with square ones to help rank them up into a believable shield wall. I have positioned them carefully to make sure that they can interlink their shields and really give the impression of a tough-as-nails shield wall, fit for the top of Senlac Hill. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">2. Android-Netrunner</span></h3>
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I've been meaning to play this game for a while now and with the living card game model taking off and reaching critical mass across the globe, I thought it was time to jump in. I was tempted by the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings games, but to be honest, after having played the Decipher CCGs of both back in the days, I'm a little reluctant to give them a try, especially LotR, which I maintain was Decipher's best. So, Android: Netrunner fit the bill with an IP I hadn't explored before and a system originally developed by game design legend, Richard Garfield. </div>
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I bought the starter and Greg offered to give me a game, he also being a newb. We threw down a game with me as the runner and Greg as the Corp. It was a singularly intense game, that literally kept me at the edge of my seat. I think I won it in the end, but it was so close and the action never left a dull moment. The game justly deserves credit, but the lion's share must go to Greg who always makes our games fun and engaging!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">3. Flames of War</span></h3>
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I got two games of Flames of War in, both also against Greg and both within about 90 minutes. The match up was Greg's RV heavy tanks from Remagen and my 4AD Shermans from BGG. The games went quickly with some very luck rolls on my part to bag cheap veteran heavy tanks. Two fast and furious 6-1s, but still fun!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">4. Warmachine</span></h3>
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The club launched a Journeyman's league for Warmachine and I thought it was a good time to pick up a new army (I usually play pirates) and actually learn the game once again (lat I played was back during V1). So I picked up a Convergeance of Cyriss army. </div>
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I got most of my stuff secondhand, but the required heavy vectors were coming from the States, so I killed time working on Aurora. She's still got a ways to go.</div>
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When the vectors arrived I was eager to get started and busted them open as soon as I could. There my enthusiasm ran dry instantly as I was confronted by some of the worst resin casting I have ever seen. Research proved that these models were notorious for bad casts, so a note to PP quality control was not going to help. Neither was the fact that I needed them on the table ASAP and PP's customer service to this part of the world is notoriously slow. Check and mate. </div>
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I gave it a try, carving away the worst flash I've ever seen positioned across highly detailed areas. I persevered for three nights but then quit, literally throwing the model back into the box and tossing it over my shoulder. So much for the journeyman league...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">5. X-Wing</span></h3>
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Of all games, X-Wing has occupied my thoughts the most lately. This is in part due to the new Scum and Villany ships out there, but also because I finally got one of these:</div>
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It's been a long time in coming and it only leaves Slave 1 and I'll finally have caught up by back catalog with the exception of the Tantive IV (which is in my sights as soon as I get Slave 1). </div>
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The S&V set is one I've been looking forward to for a while. As a huge fan of the book Shadows of the Empire, I've been wanting to pitch Dash, Lando, and Rogue Squadron against Xixor's Black Sun. So, I've been noodling up some Z-95 and Starviper lists... especially since my son bought me both for my birthday!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. Birthday Shenanigans</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's actually <i style="font-weight: bold;">my </i>Arctic base...</td></tr>
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April is both Theo's and my birthday month, so we got up to a lot of adventures. We're a museum family, so we went to the local War Memorial Museum as well as MOTAT, a transportation and technology museum. At MOTAT, we saw a Sunderland flying boat being restored, one of my favorite planes of WWII, and quite rare as well.</div>
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The War Memorial Museum was pretty good as well, especially through the eyes of a 3 year old. But what really struck me was this grass mat I saw in the gift shop. It looked like a mat of Silfor tufts. </div>
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I've never felt like breaking a glass display case and making off with its contents, but I have to admit a museum caper did cross my mind to acquire this material for wargaming use. The shop people didn't know what it was or where to get it, so I thought I'd ask you to keep your eyes out and report back if you discover anything about this stuff! I fully intend to find out and make a wargames table out of it!</div>
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Meanwhile, looking sadly at me ...</div>
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Well, that's all I got for you this post! I've got the Anglo-Danes on the work bench, as well as some Vietnam jungle (upcoming photos and tutorial on that). Hope you all have had a pleasant April and thanks for stopping by!</div>
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-M</div>
Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-18538360316528118282015-03-10T22:19:00.000+13:002015-03-10T22:29:26.602+13:00So Long, and THANKS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, this post has been a long time in coming, possibly because I didn't know what or how to say it, but here it goes! About four weeks ago I resigned my position as a writer at Battlefront to join an emerging computer game design studio here in Auckland. It's been a big move in my life and now that I have officially started at my new work. it's all sinking in and I'm ready to unpack this a bit more for those interested to read on.<br />
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So, you may be asking, why leave? Well, decisions such as these never have a simple answer and require a lot of meditation. I don't want to belabor the point with a full a discussion. But I will say that this new job is important to me today in the same way that Battlefront was to me in 2007. In the past 7.5 years, my priorities have changed, namely the arrival of my son in 2012.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItaMV6MB84ocN3rnLcwnYxL5-k2NpmNHYgW7e3gIaGZBVIJw4AoJa4dOy6j2Fpo6hUyrxWTi0OkWQ4NyKuM-7qm-eSBbK1y2v81O1NSxoY_ZwzearIH1tmPd64FyruPKhWphax9RTc6M/s1600/Theoville.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItaMV6MB84ocN3rnLcwnYxL5-k2NpmNHYgW7e3gIaGZBVIJw4AoJa4dOy6j2Fpo6hUyrxWTi0OkWQ4NyKuM-7qm-eSBbK1y2v81O1NSxoY_ZwzearIH1tmPd64FyruPKhWphax9RTc6M/s1600/Theoville.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theoville, population: 1</td></tr>
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He's becoming a much bigger part of my family life, and I felt compelled to begin using my talents toward that direction. I didn't know how to do that until I found this new job, which is producing a safe and engaging game for pre-teen children. While Theo has a ways to go before that time, I wanted to begin working on game design aimed at our younger generation because that is important to me.<br />
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So that's why. I've had some interesting conversations with people thinking there was some sort of walk-out conspiracy (there have been three of us leave simultaneously, which is totally and honestly coincidental), bad blood, or something else nefarious. It's none of those things.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">There's something I want you to know...</span></b><br />
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Someone asked me in all of this, what was the best thing about working for Battlefront? It sounds so cliche, but here's my honest answer: the community. You. This ranges from my comrades in the studio to the players in the field. I'd like to pick out an example (there are actually several to chose from), just to highlight why.<br />
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The Market Garden compilation was perhaps my favorite project to work on. I say I worked on it, but really that project owes everything to the man, the legend, Joe Abrisz. You would not have those books if it was not for his efforts and contributions. From the combined total of 120 pages of Hell's Highway and A Bridge Too Far, he was key in expanding that out into 350 pages, from about 10 lists into 50. They are arguably the most flavorful lists and complete histories in the game, thanks to Joe's passion and knowledge about Operation Market Garden.<br />
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Joe is a man of pure hobby passion. After spending many hours on the phone with Joe during the process, I came to understand that his passion stems from his love of the gaming community. He throws great 'parties', know elsewhere as events. It was his interaction with players that gave him the impetus to be the superman he was during the Market Garden compilation project.<br />
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Ultimately, and I think Joe would agree, the Market Garden books are a legacy of the Flames of War community. That's what made that book project so special and for me personally, it changed everything. You all were with us, whether you knew it or not!<br />
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So if there's one last thing I would ask you, as a community, to do, it's to keep on being passionate about your hobby in your own way. Encourage and support those people, like Joe and so many others, that pour their passions into providing experiences, because it honestly feeds back to the game development process and makes everything better.<br />
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Everyone wins 7-0.<br />
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I've been very fortunate to have had the opportunity that I did for as long as I did and for that I have you to thank for it. So, I'd like to give a big shout out to everyone who I am honored to have worked with. I won't name names, because the list is long and I'm bound to miss people from it. But suffice to know that I have been deeply touched to have the privilege of spending the last seven years with you all, from my closest friends and fellow studio members to each and every player, playtester, proofreader, and contributor.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Thank you!</b></span></div>
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I ain't goin' no where! It sounds silly, but for me Flames of War was here before Battlefront and it will remain after Battlefront. I'm still rules-tinkering, painting, playing, and having fun when and where I can. So I'll see you around!
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The weekend past was a busy one in terms of hobby fun. Between BattleCry, the Howick Military Tattoo, and a TCOW meeting, there were a lot of reenacters firing weapons either by using dice or black powder.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BattleCry 2015</b></span><br />
The big hobby event of the weekend was BattleCry. The event has a lot of interesting games being played and this year it was in a new, smaller venue. This pushed all of the games together into a smaller space, which was difficult on the players, but made it easier for photo taking!<br />
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I didn't end up playing this year because I had a lot on all weekend. But I did want to make it in to score one of these bad boys from the <a href="https://www.mightyape.co.nz/" target="_blank">Mighty Ape</a> show stand.<br />
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Dave, the main hobby ape, mentioned that he'd have some for sale, but numbers were limited. Since I've missed out on the Falcon for a few years now, I was really quite desperate to get one. I set my alarm clock for nice and early and managed to pick one up at the show! Of the four David had, three were purchased by studio members, and the fourth was scored by a TCOW member. So, they went pretty fast!<br />
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Anyway, the upstairs was packed with Warhammer, 40k, Malifaux, and X-Wing. Downstairs hosted the historical stuff, including Flames Of War, Bolt Action, some Napoleonics, pike and shot, ancients and moderns.<br />
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Gav ran the Flames tournament and it was good to see both familiar and new faces.<br />
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I was impressed with the Bolt Action tables. To be honest, this is the sort of thing that sucks me in, good terrain. I have to be honest, I've read the rules and looked through the army books, and after years of writing for FOW, I have a real hard time with the historical liberties the game takes when forming armies and determining stats. Nevertheless, you can't deny that the game is popular, looks good, and has some awesome scenery!<br />
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There were some nice looking Napoleonic and Pike and Shot armies to look at. I do love how Napoleonics look, but the same reason the Bolt Action tables drew me in, the Nappy and ancient tables pushed me away. I want to love Napoleonics and maybe one day I'll pull together my British peninsular campaign army that's been sitting in my storage for over 10 years...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Howick Military Tattoo</b></span><br />
I missed this last year, so having never been to one before I made sure that it was on the calendar this year. I packed the family up and off we went, arriving just in time to see the combined piper marching band. It was pretty awesome to see that many pipers wailing away. It's something I never got to see stateside (or in Scotland, for that matter), so it was pretty cool to watch.<br />
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There was a lot of cool re-enactment gear and soldiers to talk to and Theo was especially interested in the "Yelling Bird" unit, also known as the 101st "Screaming Eagles" Airborne Division. He was also fascinated with the Vietnam reenactor that was cooking up some beans and franks over a fire.<br />
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It was a fun event and we all had fun, but it was back home at 1pm to kick the wife and kid out of the car and go play some games at TCOW! Actually, it was me that was kicked out so they could each have naps. :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TCOW!</b></span><br />
I arranged a game with Greg for meeting day, 1600 points, Late War. I had no idea what to take, but I wanted to play Americans. So I drafted up some lists and couldn't decide which to take. In the end I took none of them and resurrected one of my old favorites, CV US Tanks!<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); font-family: arial, sans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; table-layout: fixed; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"><div>
Tank Company </div>
<div>
(Confident Veteran)</div>
</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;"></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">HQ (2x Shermans)</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
165</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; font-style: italic; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">upgrade CiC to M4A3 76mm</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
55</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; font-style: italic; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">upgrade 2iC to M4A3E2 Jumbo</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
60</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Tank Platoon (4x Shermans)</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
335</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; font-style: italic; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">upgrade 2x M4A3 76mm</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
110</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; font-style: italic; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">upgrade 2x M4A3 (Late)</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
40</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Tank Platoon (4x Shermans)</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
335</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; font-style: italic; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">upgrade 2x M4A3 76mm</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
110</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; font-style: italic; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">upgrade 2x M4A3 (Late)</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
40</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Cavalry Patrol</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
90</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Armored Field Artillery Battery<br />
(3x M7 Priests)</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
220</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; font-style: italic; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">upgrade OP to M4A3 (Late)</td><td style="padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
15</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 17px;"><td style="direction: ltr; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; vertical-align: bottom;">Total</td><td style="font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 3px; text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;"><div style="text-align: left;">
1575</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Greg took a 506 sPzAbt from Bridge at Remagen, with something like:<br />
<br />
1x CIC King Tiger<br />
1x King Tiger<br />
2x Tiger I E<br />
3x Nebelwerfers<br />
1x Jagdtiger (CV)<br />
<br />
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<br />
We played a game of Breakthrough, which went quickly. The Shermans focused fire on the Tiger Is and knocked them out on the move. The Priests managed to bail his CiC and, being Reluctant, it was practically a death sentence as the Shermans moved up over the course of two turns and overwhelmed it. The Nebs were shot up as well, and with my recon arriving from the march move to secure an objective and a Sherman platoon on the other, there was little left but a quick mop up to score a brutally fast 6-1 for the US Tankers.<br />
<br />
With that game lasting 30 minutes, we played a FFA straight away. The table had some great lines of fire, so I resigned myself to impaling my tanks on the heavy AT guns of Greg's army.<br />
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Again, I focused on the Tiger Is and knocked them out first, which was good because they had ROF3, re-rolling misses and had a Sherman platoon dead to rights! Luckily the weight of fire was too much and the platoon was destroyed.<br />
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<br />
The King Tigers looped around my flank as did the Jagdtiger. The former destroyed a 75mm M4 and the latter killed my CiC. Taking those few losses as good luck, I went all in and rushed out for some flank shots, bagging the JT and one KT. The Priests bailed his CiC and my recon shot up the Nebelwerfers with .50cal and mortar fire.<br />
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<br />
Once again, there was a little to mop up as Greg's reluctant troops were over it, scoring my tanks another 6-1.<br />
<br />
Though fast, the games were fun, and there was some amazing luck being generated in my dice. I chalk that up to my brother not being there so I didn't have to share any of it.<br />
<br />
I stuck around and chatted with the guys about Bolt Action. There's a lot of interest, especially for 28mm scale, but I'm keen to try in 15mm for a few reasons. First, though the models are cool, I'm not up for adding WWII to my 28mm painting schedule - that's tied up with Muskets & Tomahawks and Saga. Secondly, I don't want to make 28mm WWII terrain. Third, I've already got some individually based 15mm FOW models complete that will give me a head start in the skirmish realm.<br />
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<br />
I'm keen to try out a small-scale game. Bolt Action may not be what I settle on and Chain of Command comes with some highly regarded recommendations, so I'll try both and see from there.<br />
<br />
Anyway, one last bit of news....<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Behind Enemy Lines: Podcast!</b></span><br />
<br />
If you haven't already, try out the new Behind Enemy Lines Podcast. I've been involved with Greg and Dan to help produce the show and thanks to the dudes at WWPD, it's being distributed world wide. It's a podcast about wargaming news, so there's lots of interesting things in there for multiple game systems. Be sure to check it out!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://wwpd.libsyn.com/podcast/behind-enemy-lines-episode-1" target="_blank">Behind Enemy Lines, Episode 1 ...</a><br />
<br />Scary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91656738647332323.post-83670758386484907552015-02-15T20:10:00.000+13:002015-02-22T09:40:14.063+13:00Liri Valley Counterattack: An AAR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After too long a break, Patrick and I threw down a game last weekend. Pat was keen to give a tournament list a try and I wanted to get my German medium tanks on the table.<br />
<br />
I also wanted to have the excuse to put some new terrain on the table. I've been spending some time working on my terrain collection, fixing it up, etc. I've also made up a couple of more forest bases and based up some pine trees I had lying about. Finally, I wanted to make sure that my new railroad pieces made it on the table, including my new curves and switches pack and the switching tower. I love these little sets adn would highly recommend them if you haven't got them already!<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Lists</b></span><br />
Patrick is gearing up for BattleCry, a local gaming convention here next weekend. It's a de-escalation format and he's taking his new Kiwi Rifle company and wanted to test out the top tier at 1600 points. Quickly off the top of my head he had:<br />
<br />
3x Rifle Platoons<br />
1x HMG Platoon<br />
1x Mortar Platoon (4x mortars)<br />
2x Carrier Patrols (3x ea)<br />
1x AT Platoon (4x 6pdr)<br />
1x Light AA Platoon (2x Bofors)<br />
2x RA Batteries (8x 25pdrs)<br />
<br />
With a lot of family stuff on that weekend, I can't make it to the event, but I can certainly help Pat test out his Kiwis. I grabbed a standard Panzergrenadier force from Atlantik Wall. I had:<br />
<br />
2x Panzergrenadier Platoons (trucked)<br />
1x Heavy Platoon (2x HMGs)<br />
1x Panzerjager Platoon (4x StuG standing in for jPzIVs)<br />
1x Panzer Platoon (4x Panzer IV)<br />
1x Tracked Panzerspah Platoon (3x Pz II Luchs)<br />
<br />
We rolled up Counterattack as our mission and I won the roll to attack (Pat decided not to night attack). Patrick chose some ground with good fields of fire. Meanwhile, I too wanted those open areas to drive my tanks through, so I deployed opposite near the switching tower.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASaUSFyHEoFlzYAognHtFkeEg2FF_4dYihPuvcRgY0QvRj2rUcmU6XkVKhWoNKMJFLAsjx8dXoQHh_kNQyupzBv2rsx-J_37tyAf9RX7coKDu95N9PMENjtc305k_NUK3BUQ-_wEGeb8/s1600/IMG_3607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASaUSFyHEoFlzYAognHtFkeEg2FF_4dYihPuvcRgY0QvRj2rUcmU6XkVKhWoNKMJFLAsjx8dXoQHh_kNQyupzBv2rsx-J_37tyAf9RX7coKDu95N9PMENjtc305k_NUK3BUQ-_wEGeb8/s1600/IMG_3607.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The battlefield.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patrick's deployment on the right. A rifle platoon is poised to secure the open objective.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxSf5SDYWiJRtVf8ukL14-JQZzXkzMyGnsQ5efhyyn0DxRUcZ4mEsEla2G7MiMgAeZikklxu477hj1FvhTATiihaP-jrJqQGiM4STsy9gecrLuE7ZlOzlLxVg85EhI7wfMHWIqDtNHKM/s1600/IMG_3613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxSf5SDYWiJRtVf8ukL14-JQZzXkzMyGnsQ5efhyyn0DxRUcZ4mEsEla2G7MiMgAeZikklxu477hj1FvhTATiihaP-jrJqQGiM4STsy9gecrLuE7ZlOzlLxVg85EhI7wfMHWIqDtNHKM/s1600/IMG_3613.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mass my firepower against the left objective, with my Luchs positioned to hop over the stream in a shallow flank maneuver, destined to swing toward the train station and wedge themselves between the rifle platoons.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYtDYqOVuEikteRVOzOSFzNRh1ui73Mqrw4fKI_OK1H1A6ENCrEsNI_xRX2-DbVBDoFxtnHUehYhe9Y0LUZxUyQPH143eUkNeGJScyexsDUhv0D4GJsYhyphenhyphenDvZPKKeiCRM5FJvZBr_GAk/s1600/IMG_3614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYtDYqOVuEikteRVOzOSFzNRh1ui73Mqrw4fKI_OK1H1A6ENCrEsNI_xRX2-DbVBDoFxtnHUehYhe9Y0LUZxUyQPH143eUkNeGJScyexsDUhv0D4GJsYhyphenhyphenDvZPKKeiCRM5FJvZBr_GAk/s1600/IMG_3614.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oof. Recon moves discover that the embankment is a bit tall!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhradsAuyxMK0PVLHtoeHHBWaHH2l4n9bqkhz1tF4R9zT_r63mUPWAvmUSyN2H_mNvxOfbFN12tVDmA6syY_l5nNYOQpp37JhHOEFm7Oj_wkDcbGiH0RCt_25oXdwMocWicmOrrO8_ZOo/s1600/IMG_3616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhradsAuyxMK0PVLHtoeHHBWaHH2l4n9bqkhz1tF4R9zT_r63mUPWAvmUSyN2H_mNvxOfbFN12tVDmA6syY_l5nNYOQpp37JhHOEFm7Oj_wkDcbGiH0RCt_25oXdwMocWicmOrrO8_ZOo/s1600/IMG_3616.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panzers marsch!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffZGCxFXOYluFnepF10_yMHRY0RR4hsDtItCCQKobFMVro9qUbHpbEjlVc_e1nloO4nsNCIZyUDxNzFBYaPGDvXx_9VDwEPqkv7-no_cpXPVPJwZkkzdSpT-AxmrDKw15o5XCENUt5bY/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffZGCxFXOYluFnepF10_yMHRY0RR4hsDtItCCQKobFMVro9qUbHpbEjlVc_e1nloO4nsNCIZyUDxNzFBYaPGDvXx_9VDwEPqkv7-no_cpXPVPJwZkkzdSpT-AxmrDKw15o5XCENUt5bY/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Panzer IVs assault into the flank of a rifle platoon, eliminating several teams and opening up a corridor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWNs6VaoGlgjYb_sA4MHCzxw0jtI012_SJIJ79HtsdaMaw8DyziCfQTS_CHRe2dLq91gLReR8Vd9Wsznehnt9k7AMHlsNwK9jylLkNlnY-hskdzXteUPR2cnIoqqUYsRlCwgQW4JTRUA/s1600/IMG_3623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWNs6VaoGlgjYb_sA4MHCzxw0jtI012_SJIJ79HtsdaMaw8DyziCfQTS_CHRe2dLq91gLReR8Vd9Wsznehnt9k7AMHlsNwK9jylLkNlnY-hskdzXteUPR2cnIoqqUYsRlCwgQW4JTRUA/s1600/IMG_3623.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Panzer IIs remount, but immediately bog down again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhxEL4mkRyDCSwcBOnHZdhn5x8txQ324Z1LLunsjnVtObkSuuXCN6tlLb4ZqP0IE2KDMTvu3UvnCwG4m_F86iPjG2gmKwHSIOn5Tl0h53qEG_EMwSv2yWSkCHMKDHR0WlJcF2RsitSz8/s1600/IMG_3629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhxEL4mkRyDCSwcBOnHZdhn5x8txQ324Z1LLunsjnVtObkSuuXCN6tlLb4ZqP0IE2KDMTvu3UvnCwG4m_F86iPjG2gmKwHSIOn5Tl0h53qEG_EMwSv2yWSkCHMKDHR0WlJcF2RsitSz8/s1600/IMG_3629.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The StuGs push into the Kiwi lines, wiping out the first Rifle Platoon and getting in close to the HMGs. Meanwhile, Pat's 6pdrs ambush and manage to bail out all of the Panzer IVs and the 25pdrs bail out all but one StuG assault gun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vrA1GoGoQ9x98SxZ4Uj9Bgjsnf-dlXFu9iEh80zeAfpbG7vXLx22e4hRM5aeRwQ94oyR7iHYhdA9ihOH72aDT25byD2V86LrYJLqDF5091OPUg1O5WMQPdZYqX6woxuA8WQFQLxalQo/s1600/IMG_3630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vrA1GoGoQ9x98SxZ4Uj9Bgjsnf-dlXFu9iEh80zeAfpbG7vXLx22e4hRM5aeRwQ94oyR7iHYhdA9ihOH72aDT25byD2V86LrYJLqDF5091OPUg1O5WMQPdZYqX6woxuA8WQFQLxalQo/s1600/IMG_3630.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pat's infantry bags the Panzer IVs, but the StuGs are just out of reach. Lucky for me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU64UN1LofYxi6Dbs1N4pX6ihS22DLjiOruSzlRWXuN3Gqwde_RbDhUjQtafJdcVPfxSKwDdX6jf92Xhs4pE7Xq2aqxXH_I_XnjtvcO9vGVDJoJ_6GfWGvrJPlaLtlZFHVPNRNE3yO0DE/s1600/IMG_3634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU64UN1LofYxi6Dbs1N4pX6ihS22DLjiOruSzlRWXuN3Gqwde_RbDhUjQtafJdcVPfxSKwDdX6jf92Xhs4pE7Xq2aqxXH_I_XnjtvcO9vGVDJoJ_6GfWGvrJPlaLtlZFHVPNRNE3yO0DE/s1600/IMG_3634.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The deadly 6pdrs that bailed everyone.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptBBUv8jz6xCTFjqs-yhjcabGIdRr3gdvhegHWVyCJNCGtkhQfK9TDIz7MZwSG1HEIB_f6u_Ia59_VMr3RYereZiC9Zgh1mfyU1pvpbi5AbTKFPm_7Bl3Kloon4mJAnGfXJo3sNFpwqg/s1600/IMG_3641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptBBUv8jz6xCTFjqs-yhjcabGIdRr3gdvhegHWVyCJNCGtkhQfK9TDIz7MZwSG1HEIB_f6u_Ia59_VMr3RYereZiC9Zgh1mfyU1pvpbi5AbTKFPm_7Bl3Kloon4mJAnGfXJo3sNFpwqg/s1600/IMG_3641.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The StuGs remount and press through the HMGs and the infantry follows up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyF_M173_89qT5vl9YvbdmpI55bhSlzWuw-rD-nPwzoObG06AZsgvwIdnUTlUQibf-o-26wkG2xpQs867vqZRlh_0qQDKjXGXjO8CJ4do5-yDGeF6IJUjYhY5aMO2dX7ptQVt_PF4Fbg0/s1600/IMG_3644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyF_M173_89qT5vl9YvbdmpI55bhSlzWuw-rD-nPwzoObG06AZsgvwIdnUTlUQibf-o-26wkG2xpQs867vqZRlh_0qQDKjXGXjO8CJ4do5-yDGeF6IJUjYhY5aMO2dX7ptQVt_PF4Fbg0/s1600/IMG_3644.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinned by mortar fire, the infantry falls back. The StuGs are again all bailed out by the 25pdrs. Luckily Pat's infantry stays put in their foxholes, and all of the StuGs remount and press on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJJkLsxfegS3NxC6TgeobgGmONNQxz5PPx6hqDxMPrKMJTt3K0g6iPjLKTIgA849Cz0Cu5sB9C3lFjTkxPljYszvzABzc2TAiBxAFudUGz1hGBcloTouzYeo7sjymF5eA_6sT1g12siI/s1600/IMG_3647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJJkLsxfegS3NxC6TgeobgGmONNQxz5PPx6hqDxMPrKMJTt3K0g6iPjLKTIgA849Cz0Cu5sB9C3lFjTkxPljYszvzABzc2TAiBxAFudUGz1hGBcloTouzYeo7sjymF5eA_6sT1g12siI/s1600/IMG_3647.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Panzer IIs, finally unstuck after three turns of bogged down results, engage Pat's reserves; a carrier platoon bearing down on the Nebs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj6n7PRgjQ5MBjfyA8dNmeJ08SMgDgQ3Ptrgq01id82oulSIC5Fz9CxSqPkrbtSoo8wnmdYOW2vWkSKFEvD_tAh9llxCUdxZTzlNxU0tzysxayXh91pqnczotziMX39x-roK78Dxf4bM/s1600/IMG_3650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj6n7PRgjQ5MBjfyA8dNmeJ08SMgDgQ3Ptrgq01id82oulSIC5Fz9CxSqPkrbtSoo8wnmdYOW2vWkSKFEvD_tAh9llxCUdxZTzlNxU0tzysxayXh91pqnczotziMX39x-roK78Dxf4bM/s1600/IMG_3650.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Through weight of fire, the Stugs eliminate the mortars and one 25pdr battery and assault the remaining infantry command teams there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkZQwlQw7queM6kFXWtmR4-dqHNpBv0czROuHwplTwXgMPSGPnhj_oAOCxTpGdi5oT89VbQQ8baVgGm8kQPW2W3tlThJblr9GLJOvKNpSXgt0gCjPHwinrGMqIMDmylxnjJjKdV2A_eo/s1600/IMG_3653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkZQwlQw7queM6kFXWtmR4-dqHNpBv0czROuHwplTwXgMPSGPnhj_oAOCxTpGdi5oT89VbQQ8baVgGm8kQPW2W3tlThJblr9GLJOvKNpSXgt0gCjPHwinrGMqIMDmylxnjJjKdV2A_eo/s1600/IMG_3653.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With nothing to contest the objecctive, the StuGs crunch their way to victory!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The result was a 4-3 German Victory. I need to seriously consider pausing my Panzer IV project for a StuG company! They were brilliant! Pat learned a few things about his list and I think he'll do well at the competition. He's one of the best offensive trackless infantry commanders I know, and he'll be sure to surprise more than a few opponents next weekend!<br />
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Thanks for stopping by!<br />
-MScary Biscuitshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15656629992772131123noreply@blogger.com0