Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => The Second World War => Topic started by: Ultravanillasmurf on May 09, 2017, 06:58:07 PM
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Sally 4th have recently brought out a range of British field defences, AKA Pillboxes.
At Salute, I bought two (a type 22 and a type 24). This is my build of the type 22.
The kit is constructed of slices with pillars for alignment. As some pillboxes were constructed with either a brick facing or brick formers, I thought this would be an interesting appearances.
The method of construction gave me an idea on how to represent the bricks.
I numbered each of the slices then divided them into piles of odd and even slices. Using a razor saw I then scored representations of the vertical mortar lines. The two piles are shown below, stacked on top of each other.
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bFdgxFPsIEs/WRH3cO1ojHI/AAAAAAAACK0/-kmcwD_qx087Uiq5f_LvKsWP9MYAYdNcwCLcB/s1600/pillbox1-01.png)
A glass plate was used for levelling the slices. An engineers square is useful. You can see the numbers identifying the slices. Slice 8 is the last one before the window slices are added.
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zXjuryBGl-o/WRH3cMjshzI/AAAAAAAACKw/bwvO5BTo0L8oQlf28l9INGw7x2AVSHz4ACLcB/s1600/pillbox1-03.png)
The body and the top were first undercoated with Halfords grey primer. The inside of the top and the top of the box were masked, as was the door and windows. The two parts were then sprayed with Citadel Roughcoat textured paint. The final coat was Humbrol 237 for the top and Halfords Red Primer.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nk9m8Odoe7w/WRH3dVjItwI/AAAAAAAACLQ/IaabphBX_0smXnn9e2bNvilya23_jzCKACLcB/s1600/pillbox1-9.png)
Two coats of Citadel Agrax Earthshade toned and darkened the rather alarmingly bright colours.
The door was painted with Citadel Deathworld Forest. Citadel Golgfag Brown was dry brushed over the brickwork. The corners were also edge highlighted, Citadel Terminatus Stone provided a top level highlight. This was applied both to the brickwork and the concrete.
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yMXlcd0464A/WRH3oxBewDI/AAAAAAAACLk/N_-GWq0OJNYrurMCYhNPxkaodT7CleFigCLcB/s1600/pillbox1-13.png)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSlqmJDZ9nA/WRH3pBreE1I/AAAAAAAACLs/XhidAS4tB2M2v4OXdRaNiPfc8ZMX1GxMwCLcB/s1600/pillbox1-17.png)
An Empress FT tank for scale.
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_Y_ze8UVE9E/WRH3pigj2cI/AAAAAAAACL8/zv1zkbf5SQIbnxJtM5ukDSOEEdvZtg1bQCLcB/s1600/pillbox1-21.png)
Now in real life, the pillboxes were supposed to be painted. After 77 years, very little trace of the camouflage remains.
I decided to leave the pillbox in brick colours *, maybe there was a shortage of paint or it had not been painted yet. I can then also use it for modern games.
* - hence the topic title.
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So after a rather long wait, here is the type 24 box from Sally 4th.
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EaUo2BmMgUQ/W6u-5jO9CeI/AAAAAAAAEKE/WcbmBzuj23ksr0ABEyMnRKgiJeQLgv3jQCLcBGAs/s1600/pillbox2-2.png)
The pillbox is made of layers of laser cut MDF stacked, same as the type 22 box.
This one has been given a concrete effect by smoothing the layers with Milliput.
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AkLEFifGhZ0/W6u-5n3TLTI/AAAAAAAAEJ8/hlLwNMHcKO4am8iU7JqAUk7d_HQj_yQOgCLcBGAs/s1600/pillbox2-3.png)
The texture is Rustoleum Rust effect textured spray paint. This was then painted with Army Painter Stone Golem and washed with Citadel Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil. A final dry brush with Citadel Terminatus Stone finished it off.
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VhayuLZag3g/W6u-7rtp9zI/AAAAAAAAEKY/wyiefggNeW0MkzHLPrBa_B_9pMOnUjWIQCLcBGAs/s1600/pillbox2-texture2.png)
Of course when they were built they were painted, but I have left mine in concrete.
If you went to Colours by train via Reading, you might have seen a pillbox on the south side of Thatcham station, it turns out to be another design.
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Terrific work and bang on target for me!👍
I get stuck with that same question ...... Cammo pattern or brick. You have not helped as I had decided Cammo but now ...... 😁
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There's a huge amount of local variation in pillbox design and construction, despite what the Dept of Fortications and Works stated. Brick shuttering was often left in place, some were built of brick (usually with a concrete roof), and not all seem to have been painted. I spent 3 months surveying and cataloging pillboxes once and I never actually encountered one built exactly as per the official designs! That does kind of mean there's not really a right or wrong approach, within reason.
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If you're ever up in Lincolnshire I recommend you pay a visit to a small museum in Fishtoft called We'll Meet Again Museum. After you've looked round you can walk out towards the sea bank and out there you'll find up to 80 pill boxes, OP's, small barrack rooms and 6 inch gun emplacements left from the invasion scare of 1940. Nothing was camouflaged with paint, all were brick and concrete construction and apart from losing any timber doors and fittings they are pretty much as built. The gun mountings were just cut off so there are circles of metal studs sticking out the floors of the emplacements, which were basically a 3 sided flat roofed building with a completely open front. You pill boxes wouldn't look out of place.
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looks great - nice idea on the brickwork!
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Definitely the right way to go . It often works much better on a table when it contrasts with the background.
Rustoleum.gotta love the stuff such a time saver.
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They’ve turned out rather well :)
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Nicely done, the steaking effects on the red one are very effective.
There's a couple of pill boxes I regularly pass, one in Roehampton Vale & one on Putney Bridge Tube Station (listed as a type 22) - it looks quite precarious from the road below.