Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => Workbench => "Build Something" Archiv => Topic started by: Mick_in_Switzerland on April 07, 2021, 04:18:22 PM
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I have been collecting stuff (figures, vehicles and terrain) for the Vietnam War for about a year.
I will do a difficult terrain piece - possibly a 60 cm board or two using a base of XPS foam.
These will be sculpted and textured and planted with vegetation.
I have two possibilities in mind.
a) Rice paddies in front of a village.
b) A wooded hillside which has been battered by artillery and airstrikes as in the battle of Hamburger Hill.
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Both sound like a lot of fun to make.... less fun for the grunts having to slog their way across :)
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For the rice paddies, I am thinking of the Battle of Ap Bac in January 1963.
A company ARVN were airlifted with 10 helicopters and dropped at a landing zone in rice paddies in front of Ap Bac village.
The village and surrounding woodland were occupied by 350 VC who had prepared defensive foxholes along an irrigation dyke.
These foxholes contained 30 Cal machine guns and a 60 mm Mortar.
As the helicopters landed the VC ambushed them and 5 helicopters were shot down or destroyed on the ground.
Reinforcements (paratroops and infantry in M113) were sent in but all were pinned down.
The battle raged all day and at night the VC withdrew and escaped.
This was the first big success of the VC against elite ARVN units.
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Brilliant idea!
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I have been experimenting with layouts for this project.
Here is the landing zone for the Battle of Ap Bac sketched out on two sheets of XPS foam.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51106964233_e52d414ca3_k.jpg)
As you can see, the difficult terrain is rice paddies and the walkways in between.
This does not seem worthy of a build something competition.
I still like the idea and will try this one day, but not now.
My second idea is a steep wooded hillside.
I made a wooden easel which holds XPS tiles. I have then started to sculpt the XPS foam.
I think this has more potential to make an interesting competition piece.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51107846415_cf67ca474b_k.jpg)
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Ooooh! :o I'm looking forward to seeing how that steeped hill turns out. :o When I first looked at it, I thought you were doing a tunnel system. lol
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Today I modified the easel to add a top tile to the hill and cut out XPS Foam to make a rough hill top.
I carried on carving with the hot wire cutter.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51109298691_045b0fc8ce_k.jpg)
Here is an aerial view showing the whole thing 120 cm x 60 cm by 40 cm high.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51109047684_0fda6168e7_k.jpg)
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Very cool. It's going to be very interesting to see how this turns out. I have never seen anything like it.
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Thats going to be good. It reminds me of a WWII game I seen at Salute. I think they were supposed to be representing an attack on a hill in Malta.
Are you going to rough up the rest of the ground some how, or texture it with paste or something?
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Dear Andy & Hammers,
I am still exploring the idea.
This is quite new to me and I do a bit, then get a new idea, and do a bit more, etc.
I have been thinking about this last night, and real hillsides feature ridges and gullies.
I need to rework the sloping tile to get get that effect.
The top of the hill will be rounded but with more layers than now.
Somehow I will link this to the ridge so that they flow together. (Not sure how yet)
If I do find a way to make a ridge, this will also extend onto the flat ground.
Everything will be textured with sand (or possibly ground cork).
There will be broken trees, tree stumps and logs.
The WW2 game from Salute in 2014 is here. Their hill is much steeper.
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=130730.0 (https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=130730.0)
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Very striking idea...look forward to seeing evolve
8)
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good start
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I decided that rather than one tile, I need a hill top, a slope tile and a bottom tile.
I remade the wooden easel to accommodate this.
This is simple construction using 28mmx 13mm Pine with M5 coach bolts and wing nuts.
I remade some of the wooden bars until I was happy with the layout.
Later the three tiles will be mounted on hardboard or plywood.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51129789249_bc56bec44a_k.jpg)
I decided that the slope needed to have ridges and gullies.
I could have decided to carve a new one out to thick XPS foam, but instead I cut the original into 6 strips.
I glued these together so that I have a W profile with three ridges and two gullies.
This looks a lot better.
I am still in the process of carving the landscape but I think you can see the concept.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51129789199_b16aaeee65_k.jpg)
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:o
It will be hard to make a choice when it's time to vote. So many amazing builds.
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That is going to be really impressive once it’s finished and painted
8)
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This is going to make a really substantial and unusual (but very playable) surface. The question is, will that tank be able to make it up to the top?
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The tank is for fire support. It will stay at the bottom lol
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Wow, this has such a huge potential!
And the idea with the easel is quite innovative 8)
Will this be a one-off, or will it eventually be merged into other terrain on a larger table?
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At the moment it is a one off. I live in Switzerland and don't have a club or even a regular opponent. I do plan to play test it with my son when he is home from university.
However, I have a long term project to do a book about Painting & Modelling the Vietnam War for wargamers, so I will photograph everything and make a tutorial.
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After a month of learning to do 3D printing, I came back to my big XPS foam project.
I finished carving the top and bottom sections.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51194828727_16cd063a2b_k.jpg)
I started to build up texture with cork rocks and sand.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51196613995_bf54158fe4_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2m152Fi)
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Yesterday, I finished the foam carving, and applied the first sand and cork texture.
Today, I have a dress rehearsal with some figures to see if the cut outs and paths work.
I have butchered my woodland - I snapped the bases off 14 trees and replaced them with brass wire pins to stick in the foam.
I am planning to have lush green jungle to about half way up then burned shattered forest for the top half.
There will be rocks, tree stumps, and fallen logs as cover.
I will add grass, dried leaves etc.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51198071909_2b6717fc0c_k.jpg)
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That is just so cool.
Makes my long flat field look so boring in comparison.
How wide is it? Judging by the bases I'd guess around 40 cm?
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Dear Vanvlack,
It is 120 cm x 60 cm (4ft x 2ft) and 40 cm high
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Bigger than I thought!
Cool 8)
Thanks,
John
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With all the vegetation you're going to add, thats going to look great! 8)
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Photo sent.
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Photo sent.
Looking forward to the final photo as it’s an ambitious project from start to finish
:)
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Looking forward to the final photo as it’s an ambitious project from start to finish
:)
No kidding- that is a big chunk of difficult ground.
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Looking forward to seeing final pics :)
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.
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That DOES look so much like Hamburger Hill from the movie...love it! :-*
Mike Demana
http://leadlegionaries.blogspot.com/
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I think you will like the finished thing ;)
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looks great michael ..
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When the difficult terrain competition is finished (or rather, when I am knocked out) I will post more pictures here.
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Here are pictures from 6th June which I forgot to post.
Here is my entry for BSC 2021 Hamburger Hill.
This is approximatly 120cm x 60cm (4ft x 2ft). Three XPS foam panels are mounted on a wooden easel.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51413346441_cd46ee660e_o.jpg)
Here is the view from the US side. Figures are Empress and Gringos
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51414099059_2da1f94ba7_o.jpg)
The to section has MG bunkers with removable lids.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51412602452_423ec7e144_o.jpg)
Here two US soldiers in the centre try to make their way up the hill. Around the edges there are 4 NVA.(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51413346616_d21a1f2d6d_o.jpg)
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Good to see it used Mick. Must have made for an interesting game.
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Outstanding terrain
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Spectacular slope!
I have no idea how you'd manage to game on that though, but I am sure you did. :)
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Brilliant idea and execution! :-*
Did you ever get any games on it?
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I have not played a game on it yet. I do not have an opponent locally and there are few international visitors. I will do a solo test game - I will play the US Army and The NVA will be on some sort of random activation with simple programmed actions.
I am going to improve the grass. I recently bought a flocking machine and various types of static grass fibre-I will post more pictures when that is completed,.