Category: Modelling and Painting Articles

Work in Progress Wednesday Special – Blasted Trees!

We are having a little detour this week. Member Stephen produced some blasted trees and we thought it would be a good idea to ask Stephen to show how easy it is to create such striking scenery.

Blasted Trees DIY
This building project came about because we had a game of Clash of Rhyfles in the club diary and, with the setting being a World War One analogue, I decided to create some themed terrain items.

When I think of a WW1 battlefield what comes to mind are the stark images of trees stripped bare by constant artillery barrages.

So that is what I am going to make.

I say ‘I am going to make’ but, truth is, Mother Nature did most of the work.

A walk through the woods of the North Downs soon yielded plenty of sticks. I could have carved some balsa and painted it, but why would I? I could never do as good a job as Nature has achieved. The important thing, when selecting your twigs, is to get variety in size, shape, and features  (ed. and not to take them from the trees but the plentiful number on the ground).

Next was to stick the sticks to a base. I had some modeller’s light ply so I cut it up in 10cm squares. I used a hot glue gun. Quick tip – remove the bottom few millimetres of bark before gluing. With an old stick the bark peels off easily and if you leave it intact all you may end up doing is gluing the bark to the base and the twig comes free.

On to basing.

I know I said I wanted a WW1 appearance but I had to play this off against how I had based other terrain and the figures as well.

So rather than a muddy Somme-like basing I went with something half way between the two so they would fit in with other items and I could use them with other games.

I used my usual basing routine – paint the base (and glue) with a mid-brown, then cover with model railway ballast. When dry I then added patches of static grass. This was finished off with some clump foliage.

With that, it was all done and ready for the games’ table.

 

Work in Progress Wednesday

Welcome to another Wednesday, we start this week with something very different from Tony F, these are some sort of spirits from Games Workshop, not sure what they are but Tony did mention having to build these three bases from 24 different pieces!

Moving on and Stephen has been painting up so 15mm sci-miniatures as laser sword wielding adventurers.

He’s also been painting up this rather splendid looking Norman Warlord.

Next up and Mark J has primed some British paras for an up coming game.

And lastly for this week and Tony P has been painting the mass ranks requied for Macedonian Pikes in 6mm.

We will see you next week.

Work in Progress Wednesday

We’re here with another week of progress on our various wargaming projects.

We start this week with Alan K who has been working on some Greek Myth miniatures. More are planned, not sure on the game yet.

The membership has also recently gone a bit Quar mad. Felix has been putting together some Quar he got at the Salute wargames show.

While in preperation for a game of Clash of Rhyfles Stephen has created some blasted woods from locally sourced sticks.

And Tony F has started painting up a selection of vacuum formed shell holes.

Meanwhile Phil presents a group shot of the 10mm orc horde he has been working on. Apparently he has many more to do.

And last but not least for this week Mark J has finished panting his Jadgdpanther. Apparently this is a metal model, so a very realistic model for a beast of a tank.

And with that we will see you next week.

Work in Progress Wednesday

We’ve had a change in weather in these parts, but the sudden sunshine has not reduced productivity.

We start this week with Tony F who has succumbed to the lure of the Quar, having picked up a box set of figures at the recent Salute wargaming show.

Next up and Mark J continues with his WW2 German infantry.

And two Churchill tanks getting ready to face them. You can see in the battle report, that didn’t go quite to plan!

We move onto Stephen and Cardinal Gareth le Tookere, I don’t know if he has hs own stats or will be finding himself as an objective in future games.

And lastly for this week Chris St has made some progress on his inprovised gun platform trucks destined for a game of AK47 soon.

And with that we will see you next Wednesday for more miniature progress.

Work in Progress Wednesday

Welcome to the latest Work in Progress Wednesday.

We start this week with Mark J and some tanks, he is currently working on two Churchills and a Jagdpanther. He has also been painting up more German infantry, these are nearly finished.

Next up and Chris St with some trucks and armoured vehicles for a future game of AK47.

Next up and Stephen as been building and painting something a little different. He couldn’t resist a couple of Star Wars Revell fighter kits. First an x-wing.

And a Tie fighter that he’s managed to get on that nice blue/grey look.

And lastly for this week I’ve started painting up some 10mm Lord of the Rings style Easterlings.

And with that we will see you next week.

Work in Progress Wednesday

Work in Progress Wednesday is back after a short break to showcase other things we get up to at the society.

We start this week with a scratch building theme, and a pen holder piece of plastic that I’ve turned into some sort of refinery, I didn’t have to do anything other than paint it and use a bit of stuffing material as smoke.

Next up and Peter M has been converting more Star Wars toys as various vessels for his Ships of Mars game.

And sticking with Mars, Marcus W has used the lid from a Lego kit as a Mars type Skif for the current show game Labyrinths of Mars.

Marcus W has also been working on some towers for the game, that will include a sky bridge!

Back to some miniatures now, and Stephen has modified both this Necron and 3D printed character, no doubt for Stargrave.

And not to feel left out for this weeks theme, he has also painted up another piece of packaging as a Sci-Fi building.

And with that we will see you next week.

Work in Progress Wednesday (1st April repost)

We had an Aprils fools clich so let’s post this one again!

It’s Work in Progress Wednesday time and we start with mark J who has returned to painting more WW2 German infanty.

Next up and Marcus W has been busy painting some additions for the current society show game The Labyrinths of Mars for the upcoming Salute wargames show.

Jumping back to WW2 and Chris St has painted up more german armour and other vehicles.

As for me, it’s slow progress by still progress on my robot army, they’ve now have a silver dry brush and contrast colour.

I have some bigger robots from an unreleased range, where I’ve taken the arms off and added an assortment of guns.

And with that we will see you next week.

Work in Progress Wednesday

It’s Wednesday and we start this week with Mark J and some progress on his WW2 British infantry. I think there’s still quite a few to go to match the number of German infantry already completed.

Moving on and I’ve finished the sci-fi base in a crater terrain piece I was making.

As I was in a terrain mood I decided to put my loose rubble pieces made from unwanted plasterboard, together on a base and add flock and plants to make it look like a post apocalyptic or long abandoned ruin. I have another 5 of these to finish up.

Next up and although not strickly for wargaming Stephen had a space on the shelf so decided to build and paint the Revell Millennium Falcon ship.

And last but not least, but buried at the bottom of this post (sorry) we have Tony F who has painted some grave stones from Debris of War.

And with that we will see you next week with some more wargaming visual delights.

Work in Progress Wednesday

Welcome to another Work in Progress Wednesday post, we start this week with Chris St and some 20mm German armoured cars, not sure if this was on a whim or part of a larger force. Wil definitely be in good company with the amount of 20mm WW2 miniatures owned by the members.

Sticking with the WW2 theme and Mark J has done some more work on his German Flak38.

And some progress on his WW2 British infantry.

Progressing to a more modern era and Stephen has some vehicles to add to his Vietnam collection, this time a PBR, M48 and M577. The only vehicles I’ve seen in games are planes or choppers so will be interested if he is planning a game with more armour.

And lastly this week, a quick trip into Sci-Fi, where I’ve finished painting my scratch built Technoliths (copyright Mr Wheeler).

And with that we will see you next week.

Work in Progress Wednesday

We start this week with Stephen and his now complete early medieval castle. We can see some Norman lord has already moved in.

We stay with Stephen and something that Norman Lord would probably have appreciated. Two porta loos and a tent. I can see the porta loos turning up as an objective in a game!

Moving on and Mark J has started work on a WW2 German Flak38

I’ve also been busy finishing off the 3mm sci-fi buildings I got from Brigade Models. I’ve created two small settlements with the desert buildings.

And little groupings of the colony buildings, with a rare splash of colour from me.

And last but by no means least this week Tony F has painted up a Gothic Crypt from Debris of War.

We will see you again next week.