A question about Old West towns (and a quick pic of my new 15mm building)

[CPBelt]

I've always used Colorado as my setting. Plus you can have wonderful yellow aspens if you like autumn. You also get the rail wars with plenty of hired guns on all sides. I guess I use CO due to my love of narrow gauge railroading.

Kansas was the wild west as well. Dodge City is in Kansas.

If you have a bank, the sheriff and jail usually was across the street. Assay office will be close to the sheriff as well. Think about how much sense that makes. Bank will be first building to be brick or heavy stone work. Bank robberies in real life were rare.

If the town doesn't have a sheriff, there will be a vigilance committee for rough justice.

Building facades will not be the drab look of spaghetti westerns and modern film/TV. Colors were bright to the point of garish to attract customers. Sides and rear often would be left unpainted or painted but faded.

Don't forget houses!

A ranch is a great and inexpensive way to start.

Early towns had many tent buildings with a wooden facade to look like buildings back East.

Smithsonian used to have a large photo collection online.

[torus]

Excellent, thank you Fifteens. Going to peruse stone mountain now. I’ve owned some QRF vehicles in the past and they were some of the worst casts I’ve ever seen - I couldn’t make it look ok, no matter what I tried. I will investigate their buildings.

I don’t have many miniatures overall so it is very tempting to use blue moon minis as their range has a good number of civilians and everything else - just wish I’d seen them in the flesh.

The blue moon models are very nice.  A bit larger than 15mm but should be fine with most 15mm buildings and terrain.

[BeneathALeadMountain]

Building facades will not be the drab look of spaghetti westerns and modern film/TV. Colors were bright to the point of garish to attract customers.

Thank you CPBelt: I had presumed that they weren’t as drab and grimy (as some shows looked), I was slightly hesitant but your comments are reassuring.

Thanks Torus I need to check those out. I intend to get all of my west bits together to see how many models I’ve actually got and have a good think about using blue moon instead….

Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain

[FifteensAway]

I think a bit of color goes a long way in an Old West setting - some of the towns that get created look a bit too 'cartoonish' for my tastes.  Yeah, advertise - with a sign - but painting the whole building other than white or red (red more expensive than white) was likely a pretty expensive proposition.  And, if not a colorful sign, maybe colorful trim to keep the overall cost down.  Them thar buildings were getting painted by (or for) businessmen after all; some of those folk are renowned skin flints.  Then again, those who've 'struck it rich' could go really lavish - witness the "painted ladies" of San Francisco (and other Victorians). 

I wonder if bordellos were the most colorful of all?  Quick, someone do a dissertation on this for the benefit of us all.  (No, not me - and how dare you even consider it!  ) 

My personal plan is to keep my towns fairly muted in tone.  I'll get most of my 'color' from advertising signs on the buildings.  If you do some searching, you can find 19th century signs meant for HO scale model railroading which works well for 15 mm, my size of choice.

[FifteensAway]

If you missed it, I highly recommend you check out this thread to get a good look at what can be done with Bluemoon's 15/18 mm figures:

https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=96500.390

Go page 27 and work back a few pages.  His work, as always, is superb.

And, NO, they are NOT 20 mm (always seems to be some misinformed person saying they are - they are not, I own some of all of them, large, yes, but not THAT large!) 

[BeneathALeadMountain]

Fifteens you’re not helping (to reduce my miniature collection)  That is a great thread with some vibrant painting, I’m very impressed and now tempted by Blue Moon…..

I can’t seem to find the buildings on the OldGloryUK site so maybe they don’t carry the full range in Blighty. I’m ever increasingly tempted by Blue Moon though due to the civilians and all the other options (Chinese from the boxer rebellion may make their prescience known) from the other ranges aswell. I may have found my crimbo present from my good lady.

Thanks

Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain

[FifteensAway]

Delighted to cause you the 'anxiety' relating to Bluemoon Old West figures.

Regarding the Boxer figures civilians, I was able to pull 12 figures from the extras I had to create my "track gang" with at least four of them being the figures with the pole and baskets at each end.  Would be nice if more were actually in 'working' poses but it is the best option I am aware of in 15 mm.  There are 3-4 figures in the Old West set of civilians that are Chinese as well - though I used those in other groupings.

Another source, but A LOT smaller, is Peter Pigs Vietnam range.  If memory serves, that was a significant source of figures for my Chinese laundry setup (been collecting my Old West so long I forget where some of them are from).  Also, they have some casualty figures that work better than most for dead women or children being smallish in size.  I mix in figures from every Old West 15 mm range out there I know of.

And speaking of dead figures, Peter Pig has - by far and away - the best selection/variety of dead figures for the Old West (with some useable in other periods, even).

One other set for you to track down, the Minifigs set that has matching mounted and dismounted figures.  And make sure you look into CP models Old West figures, very nice figures.

[BeneathALeadMountain]

Thank you Fifteens, I’m now considering that the old west may be a bigger project than I intended and I should make more room in my lead mountain to accommodate it. I do love the Peter Pig range but the variety and range by Blue Moon is impressive (even if I don’t think the sculpts are as nice as the PP). Maybe I’ll keep my few PP for playing Gunslinger and plan a (slightly) bigger than intended project with the Blue Moon minis.

Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain

[Khusru2]

And I went and bought the 15mm Sarissa buildings for a newtown build. It's all your fault!

[BeneathALeadMountain]

And I went and bought the 15mm Sarissa buildings for a newtown build. It's all your fault!

 

I’m OK with that!    I’m starting to think LAF isn’t a support group for people wishing to reduce their hobby backlogs….

Excellent choice Khusru2. I’ve had a very expensive month or two (oh yay and now here comes my wife’s b’day and Christmas) but as soon as I have some spare cash I intend to get some. Please feel free to post any pics of them here - I’ve just put the other two Blotz buildings together, I’ll try and get some more pics up soon.

The more I think about the old west the more I realise I’d like it to be a substantial (for me) project and I’m going to have to make some room. I think I’m going to go more Hollywood than closer to true life to allow me to fudge a few things. Currently making a big list of Blue Moon things I’d like, to optimistically leave near my wife….

Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain

[snitcythedog]

Currently making a big list of Blue Moon things I’d like, to optimistically leave near my wife….

Mine told me that she will no longer feed my addiction until I clear out some space.  Time to look for a bigger place. 

[carlos marighela]

Intrigued by the name, I just did a Google maps 'tour' through Angel's Camp.  Much of the streetscape in that photo is still in place. That's very useful, if you have a discerning eye for change as it gives you a 3D view of many those buildings and the street layout beyond. Google maps can be a useful tool when looking to plan out terrain.

[BeneathALeadMountain]

Thank you Carlos, that’s something I hadn’t thought of doing. Added to my WIP/plan for my old west project.

Going to start re-reading the Legends of the Old West rules as I have them all and I could aim to put on group games either at my old club or the new one (I’m about to investigate). Once I’m more flush I’ll investigate Fistful of Lead aswell (plus the Sci-fi version for my Star Wars stuff). Going to fire up Red Dead 2 to get my cogs clunking…

New Question: What businesses in an expanding town would be dual function/purpose?

Barber/Surgeon (doctor)
Newspaper/sign writer?

Suggestions?

Thanks,

Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain

[FifteensAway]

Veteranarian/Doctor

Blacksmith-wheelwright/Cooper (barrel maker)

Chinese Laundry/Opium den

Those come quick to mind.