*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 09:17:06 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 1686447
  • Total Topics: 118100
  • Online Today: 811
  • Online Ever: 2235
  • (October 29, 2023, 12:32:45 AM)
Users Online

Recent

Author Topic: Generic Middle East Village in 20mm (24-10-2015 Gift for a friend)  (Read 17500 times)

Offline joroas

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 7803
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #15 on: January 08, 2013, 11:32:11 AM »
Matakishi has a wonderful series of Afghan buildings on his site.
'So do all who see such times. But that is not for us to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that we are given.'

Offline itchy

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 686
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #16 on: January 08, 2013, 01:03:58 PM »
Great stuff really enjoy your projects ,

Offline 6milPhil

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 4789
    • Slug Industries
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #17 on: January 08, 2013, 03:03:18 PM »
Good luck with it, but from this thread alone looks like you don't need it.  8)

Obviously you're doing Taliban but which Allies are you going for? I've done Brits and Germans. For figures I've used TAG, Eureka, LAM, Brooks and Empress, typically to get a "full set" you'll have to mix, and all those mix well.

I did quite a bit of Afghanistan last year, might be worth having a search on my blog, but for "Jihadistan"; http://6milphil.wordpress.com/?s=jihadistan might give you a few ideas. This year I'm doing a "Generation Kill" ( http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=49450.0 ) project which is Iraq rather than Afghanistan but that's why I have a fictional "Jihadistan" - I can use non-accurate units together for the sh*ts and giggles.











... and don't forget your goats.





« Last Edit: January 08, 2013, 04:40:40 PM by 6milPhil »

Offline Gunbird

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 2297
  • With miniatures, anything is possible!
    • 20mm and then some
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #18 on: January 08, 2013, 03:24:26 PM »
Phil, no allies for me, just Talibs and Mudjahedeen. 2 of my mates have fully equipped Dutch forces for Afghanistan and that is who I will fight. Oh, and in 20mm scale, not 28. And don't worry about the goats  ;)
Who is Gunbird? Johan van Ooij, Dutch, Mercenary Gamer, no longer mobile and happy to live life while it lasts >> http://20mmandthensome.blogspot.com/

Offline 6milPhil

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 4789
    • Slug Industries
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #19 on: January 08, 2013, 04:41:34 PM »
Oh excellent, good to see someone else playing forces which aren't US. The goats are vital...

Offline Splod

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 676
  • Flittering from one project to another
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #20 on: January 09, 2013, 07:52:00 AM »
Goats are definitely vital. I've got some Britannia ones that repeatedly turn up in my games.

Offline Gunbird

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 2297
  • With miniatures, anything is possible!
    • 20mm and then some
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #21 on: January 17, 2013, 08:25:35 PM »
And the final testpiece. Just needs a final copat of Gesso and a sprinkling of sand around the base.





Doors will be painted a weathered metal and no, I left the doorknobs off on purpose. Or maybe not.

I've experimented a bit with damaging the model on purpose and seeing what it will look like with a coat of 2 of Gesso. Doors and windows are cardboard, with slivers of coardboard for the windowframe. K.I.S.S. as always.

Bit of a bare open spot at the back, but it does create a nice back alley when joined to the other 2.

Next up, finishing, basing and then painting.

Offline 6milPhil

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 4789
    • Slug Industries
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #22 on: January 18, 2013, 02:07:47 AM »
Sweet stuff.

Offline Brummie

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1358
  • Incoming!
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #23 on: January 18, 2013, 10:20:19 AM »
Phil, no allies for me, just Talibs and Mudjahedeen. 2 of my mates have fully equipped Dutch forces for Afghanistan and that is who I will fight. Oh, and in 20mm scale, not 28. And don't worry about the goats  ;)

Which company are the Dutch troopers from? S&S?

Offline Gunbird

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 2297
  • With miniatures, anything is possible!
    • 20mm and then some
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #24 on: January 20, 2013, 06:34:19 PM »
Good question. I'll ask them.

Offline MajorTalon

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 334
  • Talon Company!
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #25 on: January 20, 2013, 06:46:45 PM »

Offline Gunbird

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 2297
  • With miniatures, anything is possible!
    • 20mm and then some
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #26 on: January 21, 2013, 02:03:40 PM »
It sure was. Some nice compounds and wallstructures I want to copy at a later date.

Did not feel like painting but did feel like modelling, so added another residence to the pile. A bit more height in this one, but sparce on windows. For me, a wargames building is just a representation of the real thing and not 100% accurate, so when people occupy a building they can shoot from it on all sides...even if it is a blind wall. Keeps things consistent really.







The house is basically made of 3 premade blocks stuck together, of which the seams I hope to remove with another coat or 2 of Gesso.

Now I realise they are not Afghani per se, but have more of a generic Arab feel to them. Being pragmatic, I can see them getting used for Iran-Iraq, Lebanon, WW2 North Africa and whatever I think is appropriate. Keeping them geneic is a good thing in my book, and financially sound as well as I don't have the dosh to spend on buildings for each period I want to get involved in. And don't get me started about the lack of room :)

Offline Gunbird

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 2297
  • With miniatures, anything is possible!
    • 20mm and then some
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #27 on: January 23, 2013, 10:07:58 PM »
I just want to take some time to tell you that making buildings this way is a quick and cost effective way, and all you need are some basic tools.

Let me show you what I mean.



The current building I am/was working on is made up out of 3 blocks, of which the largest is show in the photo. In the back is the 2nd, smaller block, already made, glued and wrapped with 2 rubber bands to keep it all tight while drying. It also shows 2 of the 3 basic tools you need, a sharp knife (which needs to be replaced a lot) and woodglue. A metal ruler would be the third.

At the moment I'm not using templates, but make it up as I go along while looking at one or several pictures, or off a sketch I made. In the future I might make some templates, but since I'm doing everything of a basic set of measurements there is no current need.

A doorway is 15mm wide and 25mm high. A window for this particular set of houses is 10mm x 10mm. A normal level house is 40mm high per level.

Anyway, 4 blocks of 10x8cm form the basis for this house. The roof is a seperate piece of non standard size, but in this case 10cm x 9,4 cm (as you lose 3mm per wall). Scrap pieces are used to form a line on the inside 10mm from the top of the wall. This will become the support for the roof.

In the back of the photo you can see a H column made of strips of foam. This is used to support the roof of houses of a certain size or height. The roof is perfectly capable of supporting a full assortment of metal models, but to prevent the floor from sagging too much this ads extra strength for something that is made in seconds.

How this works is shown here:



And when reversed and glued to its base, it will give full support to the roof area.


I also add strips to the sides of 2 of the 4 walls, just for extra grip. Since I use very thin layers, 30-60 minutes of drying time is all you need, so if I have little time I just make the basic parts one night and glue them together on the next, or try and cram it all in one go. And by cramming I mean 90 minutes tops for one or more blocks.

Now windows and doors I do differently then most. When I look at others making these buildings I see removable floors and open windows, but I'm not part of that school, lovely as it looks though. I'm more cautious and want my stuff to be durable, modular and light weight. Open windows and doors tend to weaken a structure, so I glue doors and windows shut with bits cut from a cereal box.

This looks like this:



I put glue on the foam, press the cardboard on it and then use a toothpick to fold the woodglue over the paper, covering the sides and sometimes all of it. This soaks it in well and makes for a durable bond. But if you really need to, you can take a sharp knife and slide it between the glue and foam and then rip it all off, carefully. But a bit of planning makes sure you never have to do that.

 

Doors and windows can be made with just one sheet and painted black or like glass, and doors can be the same, black, weatherd metal, or, if you layer it with strips of cardboard first, (weathered) wood.

So now everything has dried, you got 5 parts, you just glue the sides, put them together and add a rubber band across the top where the roof goes first and then one at the lower end. Don't make them too tight though cuase they will damage the foam. I then leave these overnight to fully dry, or, when they need it, I add some more glue to the seams on the inside, and spread that out with a toothpick.

The next day I cut out a base, trim the sides, sand them a bit, score them with a sharp knife and apply glue to the underside of the model. Set down and wait another night. Give it time to set and don't be too hasty, you don't want to ruin them. Especially with the limited time that I have.

The next evening, or weekend, whatever comes first, I sand down the corners of the buildings with a cheap disposable nailfile and then coat them in Gesso with a big brush. Then use a smaller brush and fill in the sides and corners of the windows and doors. I use thin coats so 30 minutes later you can add another. I use thicker coats where buildings meet to strenghten corners or to cover seams. Set aside to dry while you work on something else, or read up on a forum, or what not, and I give them another coat before going to bed. Only takes a few minutes to do them properly.

Next day, sand the base, just plain woodglue over scored plasticcard coated with sand, and you are set for the next stage, paint. But thats for next time.

Offline Donogh

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 174
    • Land War in Asia
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #28 on: January 24, 2013, 01:35:00 PM »
Nice work on that Johan - good idea with the H-column

Cheers
Donogh
My Wargaming Blog:  Land War in Asia

Offline Sangennaru

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 5779
  • The Lazy One
    • The Lazy Forger
Re: 2013 Project - Afghanistan
« Reply #29 on: January 24, 2013, 01:53:13 PM »
veeery nice pieces! But i think you can achieve the same result with more solid materials. I'm saying that not for the structural factor, but more for the painting and the filler, they will likely crack if the budilding get deformed.

 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
3 Replies
1424 Views
Last post February 08, 2013, 11:14:55 PM
by Rob_bresnen
6 Replies
2178 Views
Last post February 15, 2013, 08:39:27 PM
by Turbo-Ben
7 Replies
2207 Views
Last post March 09, 2023, 09:47:46 AM
by nozza_uk
3 Replies
2171 Views
Last post August 01, 2013, 10:54:55 PM
by von Lucky
15 Replies
1450 Views
Last post April 24, 2022, 10:09:52 PM
by CapnJim