Bearwoodman does Ladies! To the Barricades! (VBCW Modelling Challenge)

[FramFramson]

Sorry for not chiming in earlier, but IIRC you need to add salt to the hairspray layer and paint over that, then you scrape the salt away.

[Bearwoodman]

@FramFramson Ah yes I can see that salt is mentioned in some blog posts that use the technique.  Next time!

I got my rusty coloured paints out (again) and applied them without thinking about it too much (I have no understanding of why some bits of a burnt tank go orange and others brown or black or even white so I just did it in a way that looked ok to me).






In terms of basing I went with a piece of plasticard 6 inches by 4.  The 6 inches was to fit with the Challenge rule/request for a 6 inch length of barricade, and it also left room for some unspooled track.  I stuck some sandpaper to it to look like tarmac as it was meant to be an urban barricade.


I also added a few bits of debris to the base (although not too much as I am conscious this is a playing piece and the intention is that figures can take shelter behind the wreak).

While taking photos I thought I would have a go with my book of backdrops:





As mentioned the piece is designed to be used in an urban setting, but clearly a burnt out tank could also cause great inconvenience on the narrow country roads of Herefordshire, particularly to a (self)important visitor who is already running late for some very important rabble-rousing:



"Get this tank off the road! If I am not on stage in the Church Hall in Eaton Bishop in 45 minutes the whole village might fall to the Communists!"

Demonstrating the use of the use of the tank as a barricade:




"As you can see from the smouldering remains behind me, the Irish Lilliputian Leprechaun Legion have again attempted to dislodge us from our positions, and once again they have come up short!"


"You halfwit! Why didn't you tell me the in-built cigar lighter is not to be used while refuelling?!"

[has.been]

Job well done Bearwoodman.

[Roo]

Love that…certainly my experience of Shoddy Tanks!

[Moriarty]

“That’s Leprechaun Legion, ye sapleen!”

Nice job, Bear. But as the tank is unlikely to move in the foreseeable future, and is going to be an inconvenience, are you sure it’s not a Council tank, rather than Irish?

[Doug ex-em4]

That’s an excellent job and some entertaining photos as well. And what the heck is this "hairspray" business. Is it a euphemism? I’m agog.

Doug

[leadboy]

Truly excellent Bearwoodman. Blogpost coming up!

[CapnJim]

That thrown track looks good.  I speak with authority here, having put my share of broken tracks back on tanks...

[Moriarty]

That thrown track looks good.  I speak with authority here, having put my share of broken tracks back on tanks...

Hand-brake turns?

[Moriarty]

Cantiniere serving drinks to the brave boys - it’s hot work out there at the barricades.
6” barricade inspired by the SCW trick of hanging bedsheets across the street to block the view of tank crew and hold up advances. Bedsheets obviously not the best (or even second best), more likely the painting cloths - there are standards, after all.

[Moriarty]

Also one corner barricade and a 12” barricade, in two parts. Where do you want these, Bearwoodman?

[Bearwoodman]

Thanks for all the compliments, they are much appreciated!

@Doug - the "hairspray technique" is a method for creating chipped paint effects on vehicles. I failed to make it work for this project, probably because I only used one layer of hairspray. Here is a description I found for how to do it properly:
https://finescale.com/how-to/articles/2022/03/weather-paint-on-a-scale-model-with-hair-spray

@leadboy - looking forward to it!

@CapnJim - thank you that is very gratifying. I have no remotely comparable experience and I struggled to find a photo that I could copy exactly, so I just laid it out until it looked ok to me.

@Moriarty - nice barricades! Especially the bed sheets/painting cloths. Your Cantinieri is very well done too, although my understanding of the challenge rules is that a bit of a backstory for your female personality is required. Is she a straightforward patriotic English type, or do the cups of coffee on her tray smell rather strongly of Whiskey, betraying her alligiance to a certain band of wild but diminutive warriors from the Emerald Isles?

As for where the barricades should go, their ultimate destination should be the Autumn Big Game (which sadly I am unable to attend). If you are going to it then just bring them with you, otherwise maybe they could be posted to @leadboy? That is what I intend to do with the burnt out SHODDY.

I also now have some ideas for a more conventional barricade, and have started work on my own female VBCW personality. Update with photos to follow!

[Moriarty]

Thanks, will get it sorted.

[leadboy]

Hello Bearwoodman and Moriarty,

Would be utterly delighted to receive the tank etc via the post Bearwoodman
and we can sort it out via PM whenever you're ready. Will definitely have pride
of place on our "barricade" table when we play the game! V.glad you're adding
a female and backstory for a complete entry and look forward to it!

Moriarty love the cantiniere and washing line and happy to have "special rules"
for its deployment/play whenever you're ready (must be on back of envelope,
obviously) (or you can do what Roo has done in the past, and make them v.
complicated, but only available on his own mobile phone) Look forward to a
fiendishly imaginative backstory!

[Bearwoodman]

So while I was quite pleased with how the burnt out tank had come out, I had started to think that making a small section of barricade made from items found in and about nearby nearby houses (i.e. what the judges actually wanted) might be fun.  I had a couple of 3d printed mis-prints that I had picked up cheaply at the UK Games Expo last year that I thought could be used; one was a grandfather clock and the other was a lady Elf reclining in a bath.  The clock was a versatile piece but I had a duplicate so I did not mind using that.  The bathing figure on the other hand was an item I had never managed to think of a use for so I added her to the pile of barricade materials (or at least I added her bath - it is amazing the variety of people who apparently turned up in Herefordshire in 1938 but I thought the judges with their famed historical rigour might raise an eyebrow at the sight of a barricade been manned by a naked female with pointy ears mid way through a relaxing soak).

The 3d prints were not enough on their own to cover the required 6 inches so I decided to use a plastic Jenga block to create a large piece of furniture to bulk up the obstacle:


I have used these blacks in the past to make very tall bookcases but this time I needed something with width, so I decided on a large mahogany Art Deco sideboard, something like this:



My version, because it is based on the Jenga block, is in fact ridiculously oversized.  Still, 28mm figures can still see over it and it would certainly provide a challenge for any engineers charged with breaching it (let alone removal men should the owner move house). 


Other additions to the barricade include:

a) corrugated cardboard for corrugated metal sheet;
b) chopped ice lolly sticks for planks of wood;
c) mdf square base and match sticks to make a small table;
d) a hanna bead as a plant pot.




Now for some paint...