Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: Fanis on June 26, 2014, 01:50:37 PM
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Hello all,
I was the always the sort who admired those who could scratchbuild beautiful terrain from a distance never venturing to do it myself, prefering instead to buy ready made pieces and simply paint them.
I have no idea what sort of bug bit me but these past 10 days or so I got it into my head to build on my own the bits of terrain I would need for my 10mm AWI project and in particular the battle of Bunker hill.
I began with the three fleches running at a 90 angle from the north end of the breastworks to the south end of the rail fences. I know that the existence of the fleches is debatable but I decided to go ahead and portray them in the battle.
Here was my first attempt using aluminum foil to give some body/height to the works on top of which I could stick the toothpicks. You can see the other two starting to take form in the background.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3141_zpsc190c854.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3141_zpsc190c854.jpg.html)
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3142_zps80b9c401.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3142_zps80b9c401.jpg.html)
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3143_zps4b96ba85.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3143_zps4b96ba85.jpg.html)
And a pic of all three fleches finished:
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3147_zps3fafc8f1.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3147_zps3fafc8f1.jpg.html)
With the fleches done (for better or worse :P) I started on the breastwork which ran from the north end of the redoubt.
blue foam glued on the base and crudely shaped with an xacto knife.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3150_zpsef3dfda5.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3150_zpsef3dfda5.jpg.html)
and one where it has progressed a bit more:
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3157_zps99d86fa7.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3157_zps99d86fa7.jpg.html)
I will probably finish the breastwork by tonight or tomorrow at the latest and then the big challenge i.e the redoubt itself awaits.
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Great start that man! Keep up the good work! 8) 8)
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Looking pretty good. Terrain is basically just big miniatures without faces.*
*Unless you're Deafnala.
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Thanks for the kind words lads; here is the finished breastwork. Now for the redoubt.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3159_zpsc1361ad0.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3159_zpsc1361ad0.jpg.html)
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3158_zpsab38540f.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3158_zpsab38540f.jpg.html)
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My first attempt at terrain certainly did not look this good! Excellent work. Please keep us posted.
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Sat down when I got home today and sketched out the outline of the redoubt on the very mdf board on which I am going to build it on. Hopefully this will enable me to build it a tad more easily given that all I have to do now is to glue the requisite bits within the outlined areas.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3161_zpsbbc52bce.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3161_zpsbbc52bce.jpg.html)
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The basic outline is now down and quite a bit of the hard knife sculpting work done. It has a lot of things still left to do and putting the walls and firing step down should prove quite challenging but it's starting to take shape which is pleasing.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3163_zps951f4834.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3163_zps951f4834.jpg.html)
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3164_zpsf5bfafea.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3164_zpsf5bfafea.jpg.html)
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Looking good.
You mentioned this is 10mm - what rules/basing will you be using?
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I am going to use the British Grenadier rules mate; I have played them and thorougly enjoyed them so thankfully the rules issue is settled for this particular project.
Re basing, my infantry will be on 20x20 bases (4 figures in two ranks), my artillery on 30x30 and I am still deciding what to do with the skirmishers and cavalry.
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The redoubt so far; unfortunately I am out of matchsticks so I can't continue for now. I knew I should have bought more! :-)
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j92/Teo97/DSCF3168_zpsd0cfab91.jpg) (http://s78.photobucket.com/user/Teo97/media/DSCF3168_zpsd0cfab91.jpg.html)
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For a first go that's very good 8)
cheers
James
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Looking good.
Not familiar with the rules. Maybe cavalry and skirmishers on 30x30mm bases?
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Looks good. Perhaps on the breastwork, a touch more static grass round the edges will help in blend into the table a touch more.
As to basing - 20x20 is quite small to get a nice spread of cavalry on, all you can really do is get 2 side by side horses on. I'm liking bigger bases more and more lately.
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Forgot to ask, which range of figures are you using?
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Thanks for the encouragement lads; Once I have finished doing the interior fire step I will then add sand, paint, and then flock. I am also considering adding some embrasures in the berm (the triangular bit) but I am as of yet undecided.
20x20 is for the infantry. As I said I am still considering the cavalry. It will probably be on a frontage of 40mm with three figures in a row. Lucky has the right of it re artillery; 30x30 it will be. I glued together a 10mm gun from the range and it looks good on a 30x30 base indeed.
Figures will be from the Pendraken AWI range mate.
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I meant cavalry (it's a little early here). But if the rules allow some flexibility then I guess go with what looks good.
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Very nice work. Though I'd like to see you 'rough' up the matchsticks a bit more - looks just a tad 'toy' like with them so carefully round. But that is a lot of extra work, especially in so small a scale - might be the effect of such large images of so small a model, really.
So, what is next on your scratch build journey now that you've started down the road? We all want to see more since you've started out so fine. Right, lads?