For those of you not on The Guild Forums. This year they have a year long build project broken into 5 tasks due throughout the year. I have decided to completely build terrain, scenics and forces for gaming the ADF in Afghanistan using AA.

For the 5 deadlines I have decided upon:

1. Terrain Boards - cork tile 1' x 1' square. In total I aim to build a 4' x 4' table and later add in complex tiles modelling a river, dry wadi, ridgelines, hills and a canal system.

2. ADF troops - a Platoon strength formation of ADF diggers with Bushmasters or ASLAVs. I may add in a SAS Special Forces group with vehicles as well.

3. Scenic items - fields, ditches, compounds, treelines, etc. I may add an OP during this phase.

4. Taliban and Insurgents. 50+ enemy fighters.

5. An after action report of a battle using all the above and Ambush Alley rules.

I am very excited about this and hopefully this time next year will be in a position to be running local AA games with all my stuff provided.

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David
http://www.wardepot.blogspot.com

The 1st deadline in The Guild 2011 Build is due on the 28/2/11.

For me this portion of the project is to build a 4' x 4' gaming board out of 1' x 1' cork tiles. The top was to be painted instead of sanded or flocked so that all the scenic items can be placed flat on the board without creating shadow lines. This had been tested a few months ago with a smaller prototype of 1 tile painted and 1 scenic item modelled on 1mm plasticard. It worked well.

So here is how I created my board:

I purchased 1' x 1' cork flooring tiles from the local carpet store. I always ring them regularly and watch out for incomplete boxes they need to offload after a job is complete. This is because the tiles themselves retail for about $5 each. A box of 50 costs around $175 or $125 direct from the distributor. Not good enough. So far I have purchased a box of 37 for $50 and a group of 18 for $25. Good stuff.

For a 4' x 4' board I need 16 x tiles. But I always double my tiles to help keep them flat and so I can model in depressions and rivers and such so I really need 32 x tiles. I tried using a cheaper material for the bottom half but even 5mm foamcore ends up dearer and needs measuring and cutting. So back to 2 tiles I went.



I always lay out the tiles 1st so I can swap and change them around and make I get the best set for the top layer. That is they are all sqaure and nice and straight cut.

The 2nd layer of tiles I then trim 10mm off 2 of the edges of each tile. This is so when they go together, the bottom tile is not slighty overhanging the edge of the top tile.



Luckily the last 2 sets of tiles I purchased were preglued and when both tiles are turned in with the glue facing each other, they stick together really well. This bypassed the need to glue and press each set of 2.

Once all the sets of 2 tiles are together, I stand them all up on their edge and with a roller brush, paint the edges the top colour of my colour scheme, in this case a light beige colour.





I then lay out all the tiles as though I am setting up for a game and apply a liberal layer of my under colour - caramel - with a roll on brush. This I leave to dry for a while.





Then I come back over the top with a light brushing of the roller brush (dry brush) of light beige. This dries for 24 hrs before I spray the whole lot with a sealer, in this case a matt painting sealer I got from the art store.





All done.

Dont worry about any appearance of gaps between the tiles as they will be covered by terrain pieces.

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David
http://www.wardepot.blogspot.com

Phase 2 of my build will be to field a platoon+ strength group of ADF troops. At the moment I only have 12 figures from Wartime but am in the process of obtaining more.

So onto the 3rd Phase I go, which is to build a number of scenic items for the table produced in Phase 1. The items will include, fields, crops, compounds, walls, woods, etc.


A sample prototype build of scaled down scenic sections from card to make sure I have measurments and the look and feel correct. I produced a number of these over a couple of days to test out different methods and this is the one I selected.


So then onto 6" x 6" 1mm plasticard for each base. I measure in 1/2" from each edge. This is to allow room for troops to move amongst the bases as they will be placed against each other as in the prototype photo.


Glued to this plasticard is a section of door mat I found at a local hardware store.


I then use putty to model dirt from the base of the crop to the flat of the "unmodellable" area (1/2" from each edge)


I then paint on a generous amount of medium sand paste right to the edge. Every single scenic item will be finished in this way, including the figure bases so everything matches. I then paint the Caramel under layer and then a heavy dry brush Light Beige over the top. This matches the boards created in Phase 1 of the build.


I then built a quick compound on another section of 1mm plasticard using 5mm foamboard, 1mm plasticard and 2mm balsawood.


I built a sample section of wall to test out the "clay" properties of using just putty or just medium sand paste to cover my models. Although the putty is smoother and quicker to apply, it sticks to my fingers more then the models. The paste is easy to apply - using a paintbrush - and can be textured once it has dried for an hour or so. Quicker to dry overall as well. Everyone I showed this sample to preferred the medium sand paste.

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David
http://www.wardepot.blogspot.com

Still waiting on Mat from Wartime to complete my ADF troops.

Spent a lot of time these past 2 weeks scouring shops and testing things for ground coverage and water but also got time to throw up a few scenic items.


These are all the ADF figs I have so far. Hoping to get a nice full Platoon formation plus MSTs and substitution figs.


My ptototype wall with ground cover of fish tank rocks and potting sand.


Most of my scenic items are on 6"x6" plasticard bases. These are 2 x 6"x12' bases. Both can act a stand alone item or combine together to form 1 large 12"x12" item.


My experiments with use a spackfilla type of stuff. I like it. Bit messier though!




All the pieces so far.


The nearly finished item with major rocks in place, a healthy crop and awaiting minor rocks and then final paintjob.

Will spend next week or so finishing these items completely. Stay tuned.

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David
http://www.wardepot.blogspot.com

So a day off in Australia to celebrate Australia Day. Started off with a beautiful cooked breaky out in the mall in the glorious sunshine of Brisbane summer. It soon reached 30 degrees C so we heading back inside and threw on the aircon and fired up the coffee machine.

Today's goal - finish the 1st batch of Afghanistan scenic items for my terrain.

So off I went. They really just needed the ground cover finalised and as I had never done much in this area, I was a little apprehensive. I decided on a system of large rock, small rock, a few clusters of bush, 2 colour flock not quite to the edge and a small random pocket of water or puddle.


The result later in the day with all pieces complete and drying.




US troops use fire and manouver to advance through hostile crops.


Other US troops use the roofs of compounds to provide overwatch for their advancing comrades.


Moving through open ground is always a risk. US troops prepare to provide overwatch while their buddies get ready to move out.

Anyone to knows me knows I am always my own worst critic and a pedantic SOB! While I think these look okay, and they are my 1st real attempt and such a project, they are still not quite what I have pictured in my mind. I am by no means a very creative person. I am as logical and analytical as they come and have always struggled getting an image in my mind down on paper or even into words. I know what I want and these are not it. But at the same time I have only recently come to the realisation that most things in life are the result of an "evolution". That is, a development of a skill or situation till it becomes what we see at the forefront. Like learning to play the guitar. So I will continue with my scenic building and trust that my skills and my ability to put what I see or imagine onto the table will develop or evolve. Soon! I am also not a patient person.

Stay tuned!

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David
http://www.wardepot.blogspot.com

Very nice!!!

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I could agree with you...but then we'd BOTH be wrong.

great stuff mate

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owner of the yahoo group for WW1 ,WW2 and Modern TO&Es
(Tables of organisation & equipment or Unit of action )

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/TOandEs/

http://falkirkwargamesclub.org.uk/

David,

Now that I'm at home (and not at work)...I had a bit more free time to admire your work.

I wanted to mention that I, also, prefered the "sand paste" version of the wall (over the putty version). I like it so much, I wanted to ask for more details about it. Did you make it yourself or is it "spackle"?

The one thing that I didn't care for was the grass/flock you used. I felt it was a bit too "green"/bright. Just my opinion.

Thanks for sharing! I'm feeling motivated to try something like this myself!

- Jim

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I could agree with you...but then we'd BOTH be wrong.

Thanks for the comments.

The paste is a painting paste labelled Medium Grain Modelling Paste that I got from an art supplies store.

The flock is a simple 2 shade fine flock mixed 50:50 that I use for my European terrain as well. I want to make sure all the scenic items reflect the Greenzone. These are placed on my desert boards therefore making the outer edges of the playing area more arid than the centre. When reading and researching, most of the contacts happen in amongst the fields and compounds of the greenzone anyhow. And some of it is more lush than most of Australia.

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David
http://www.wardepot.blogspot.com

Excellent job. You can see why they call it the green zone from those photos.

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http://pdesplace.blogspot.com/

http://www.empressminiatures.com/

David,

I never let things like facts get in the way.

I guess I must have been thinking of a different part of the country. I forgot that the terrain in Afghanistan is so varied!

Maybe the reason why I think thatit looks "too" green is b/c the crops you have that are brown? Of course, this is probably realistic too.

Thanks for sharing. I'll have to keep an eye out for that "paste". Heck, I even just received a 40% off coupon for a local craft store!

Cheers,

- Jim

P.S. I really do like the table and will be shamelesly "borrowing" some of your ideas/methods!

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I could agree with you...but then we'd BOTH be wrong.

This week I have been mostly trying to source cheap plasticard, which no one seems to be able to find here in Australia. $3 - $4 per sheet is too much. Got a couple of leads I am now following up. Someone suggested signs from hardware stores and such but all the stores I went to had either really really thick signs or really really small signs. Watch this space.

A lot of time this week was spent sourcing trees. Another item no ones seems to be able to purchase cheaply. I checked ebay and hobby stores. Eventually I went back to my idea of using left over grape stems.


Trim them down and cut off the tips of each "branch".


Glue on clump folage.


Hey presto!

Also tried cutting out a cone in card and gluing it and then cutting upside down "V"s into the bottom edge. Then glue, flock or paint, and then flock with a large flock.


Tree from card "cone" and large flock.

I also found a tutorial using round sections of scouring pads from the kitchen. Cut different diameters and then punch a toothpick through a few of them on top of each other. Then trim and flock. Will try it this week. Stay tuned.

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David
http://www.wardepot.blogspot.com

More terrain building.

Over the past few weeks I have been contemplating trees. Not only trees for the Afghanistan Build but for my 6mm European projects as well.

I played around with making trees from grape branches and toothpicks which worked okay but took a bit of time.


Trees from grape branches and clump foliage

See the rest of the post on The Guild at http://www.guildwargamers.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=104&t=16169&start=45#p184685

or

On my blog at http://wardepot.blogspot.com/2011/03/2011-adf-in-afghanistan-guild-build.html

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David
http://www.wardepot.blogspot.com

So here I am. The vehicle track is complete and sealed with water and PVA and bushes and trees have been added to the track and to all existing terrain pieces.

Here are some set up shots with some US troops staged for pics.





















What's next?

Still looking for a nice place to get Vallejo paints for painting my ADF and waiting for the recasts at Wartime. Until then I will work on painting up my Afghan fighters and civilians and create a few more compounds, fields and hopefully a water canal. Busy Busy Busy

Thanks for all the comments so far. Subscribing to The Guild Build has certainly added that extra layer of accountability to the project. It's hard to move away from it and do something else. Plus checking out what other people have done is always inspiring and drives me on to more and greater things.

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David
http://www.wardepot.blogspot.com

Lovely stuff. It gets better and better. I think you recreate Afghanistan's look quite well.

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Sgt. Screams 28mm/20mm/15mm Wargaming Blog (Modern, Sci-Fi)