Adventures on the Wargames Table

The British Platoon Command Group are complete! :o) Here's the Lieutenant - with trusty Webley revolver - and his platoon Sergeant (with a possibly less trusty Sten). As with other leaders, I've based them on octagonal bases and added a clump of red flowers to make them a bit easier for me to find on the table. The 2" Mortar team. And again. The PIAT team. To get what I felt was a suitable colour for the PIAT I started with Foundry Dragoon Green Shade (70A) - as per the helmet - then after the wash I applied some more 70A, followed by a mix of the shade and some Vallejo Russian Green, followed by a final highlight of Russian green. Not sure how well it comes out in the photo but I was pleased with the effect. Another couple of pics of the PIAT. So that's the core platoon of Command, plus three sections completed (I forgot to take a 'group' photo - doh!?). So it's on to the supports next. These will include another PIAT and 2"...

What better way to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the world's most famous battle than by re-creating it in miniature with a group of friends! Steve and Simon have a huge collection of suitable figures, so along with a few others, we set about having a day of splendid fun. The rules in use were the (rather good) Blackpowder set from Warlord. Here's a shot of most of the table... I simply cannot guess at how many figures there are. On the left in the foreground in the French 1st Corps, with the Allied ridge on the right. To decide who was commanding each Corps, Steve and Simon had made suitable badges which we drew from a bag. My first go saw me pull out none other than the Emperor himself! However, as I knew I couldn't stay all day I returned the badge... Next draw... It was Wellington! A third draw and I got Reille, commanding second Corps and tasked with taking Hougomont! The main roles went to Steve (Wellington), Jez (Boney) and Simon (Blucher). The Allied...

Here's the latest addition to the scenery collection, approx 10 feet of 28mm scale country road. Making this was really easy. Here's how. Purchase some cork tiles from your local DIY or hardware store. The tiles in the pack I bought were 30cm x 30xm and around 3mm thick. Next, decide on how wide you want your road to be (mine is 9cm) and what shapes, i.e. bends, T-junctions, etc, you want. This is best done by sketching some diagrams or even cutting out some shapes and seeing how they fit together. Bear in mind your existing scenery collection too. Most of the road sections are 12 inches long, so my hedge/walls (at approx 6 inches) align nicely. Then draw out the shapes you need on the tiles and cut with a very sharp modelling knife - cork tile can be quite resistant to cutting so take care. Try to avoid any shapes that are too 'geometric' or 'angular' - real roads (especially older country roads) tend to have more natural curves. Trim the road-s...