“Fire in the hole!” - time to kick some ass!

[Digits]

A few years ago I modelled a few 20mm Vietnam figures and played around a bit.  My modelling skills were not that great and I soon got rid of them.

However, in yet another of my many brash moments of madness, I find myself this last few days yearning to cover the conflict once again.




I'm totally dinky dau!


Why?  Well simply this, I am currently enjoying a holiday around the South China Sea, the last few days in Vietnam and have been visiting among other places, Saigon in the South ( one seriously mad city with what has to be the CRAZIEST streets I've ever witnessed!)! Da Nang / My Son (loved this place) in the centre of the country and Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin(North)  near Hanoi.  I have loved chatting with and listening to our tour guides who have given us a different side to the story and I've loved seeing places I've only ever heard of in war movies.  There is still evidence if you look for it of the conflict.  Many of the buildings of the US airbase by China Beach in Da Nang are still there, I've seen the Rex hotel in Saigon, a place the press frequented and bomb craters around the ancient ruins at My Son and photographed the very tanks that rolled into the palace grounds as the South surrendered.


The countryside in the middle of the country is beautiful but I can well imagine how unforgiving it could be to fight over....


Anyway, whilst I've been sat in my stateroom trawling through various wargames supplier sites and figure manufacturers. I have settled on 28mm and have ordered just a couple of dozen figures from TAG to start me off. 

Oh, and two hooches, a fishing boat, a pair of Revell 1:48 Hueys, two Eureka civilians, two standing ox, a generic "boy", rooster & chickens, green peacocks and egrets (lots of them over here) and an ox and cart!

I have also picked up a couple of cheap ornaments here to distress and convert into scenery and I want to concentrate on making realistic jungle scenery, rice paddies and boobie traps!

Ultimately I just want this to be a bit of fun, playing simple skirmishes with no more than about 20 - 30 figures.  I haven't chosen a rule set, but whatever I choose I would probably want to bastardise them.   Will be concentrating on regular grunts and VC.  No NVA at this point. 

More soon....

[Digits]

Well the end of my holiday here is upon me and I will be making my way back to Blighty where I can make a start on this.  I'm pumped up and have already ordered lots of bits to start the jungle pieces.  I've ordered palms, banana plants, different tufts and grasses, a few jungle looking plants and a particularly pleasing find, scale bamboo!  This stuff looks awesome but will need painting I think as I need it to look less fish tank and more ..... well realistic.

I know the three packs I've ordered have been despatched already so I will be making those my first priority.

Pictures in a few days.

[von Lucky]

Good luck - I love the smell of a new project, it's like the new car smell, only better.

[Elk101]

Check out Easy Model for pre-painted helicopters too. Force of Arms are great if you can find any. Parkfield is worth a look too.

[vodkafan]

Good luck - I love the smell of a new project, it's like the new car smell, only better.

It soon turns into the primer and paint smell, and sometimes the resin smell....

[Agis]

Whoahh, what a coincidence.
I came back last Monday from a 3 week southeast asia trip.
Singapore, Vietnam, Thailnad and Brunei.
Saigon had the same effect on me.

That was the reason for my posting:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=98305.msg1219187#msg1219187

I ordered too some TAG, they have not arrived yet.

[Digits]

Yup definitely a very evocative place!  I look forward to watching  your take on it too.

I had seen your thread and pretty much come to the same conclusion as everyone else re TAG.  My biggest disappointment is the lack of female civilians....astonishing seeing as most farmers I see working in the paddies are women!  Perhaps some kindly soul will sculpt a few for us?

[NurgleHH]

Whoahh, what a coincidence.
I came back last Monday from a 3 week southeast asia trip.
Singapore, Vietnam, Thailnad and Brunei.
Saigon had the same effect on me.

That was the reason for my posting:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=98305.msg1219187#msg1219187

I ordered too some TAG, they have not arrived yet.

I also ordered something from tag, still wait. They are very slow. Disappointing slow

[Digits]

Ok we are off to the races.  Starting on the first two boards.  I want to keep them reasonably flat, to allow for adding vegetation sections.  Front edge will be river front.

[p

[Silent Invader]

I've a similar project that am presently working on so following with a great deal of interest. 

Will the cutouts be paddy fields?

[Digits]

Yes sir.  I intend these two boards to be agricultural whereas the next two will be more jungle looking. 

The bund wall would typically be more narrow between the paddys but I want figure bases to be able to stand on them.

[Silent Invader]

The bund wall would typically be more narrow between the paddys but I want figure bases to be able to stand on them.

Absolutely the right decision 

[Digits]

Ok so a thread title change as I've decided on a name for my village, Hu'o'ng Bò which I hope means " Fragrant Ox". Appeals to my warped sense of humour anyway!

I just ordered myself an etched brass banyan tree which if it's any good will form the centre of the hamlet, providing much needed shade for the villagers.  

Nice surprise was the inclusion of a woman with carried child in the ox and cart set from Eureka!

[c0cky30]

Nice

[Digits]

Woah, wait a minute Mr Postman!

Lots of parcels turned up at once, some from China, others not, but as you can see, I'm going for a palm forrest and bamboo thickets.  Three hundred bamboo  and a few more coming!  Over 70 palms (three different types) The palms will get re painted for sure but I'm not sure about the bamboo.  If I start painting it's a lot of work.  If I just dry brush the leaves, it may work, I will have to wait and see.

The three larger packs of light green tufts will be for my paddy fields, though I may also do one with taller (ripe) yellow tufts if I find ones I like.

Some various grasses, ground foliage, leaf litter and water effect.  Enough to start on the jungle pieces I think!  This lot will take me quite a while I should imagine....




I already had a set of Pegasus Banana plants which I'm in the process of giving a quick paint job to.  Also shown here...lots of cheap service place mats and coasters from Sainsbury's!  These mats are ideal for terrain making, they will be the jungle piece bases...cork backed, don't warp and this lot only cost me £9!