Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Arnhem Bridge - Part 2 - Modelling the city

In Arnhem Bridge part 1 I put up photos showing a the bare bridge and a selection of buildings I was using to represent the city area around the end of the bridge captured by John Frost and the paras. In this update I'm able to show the city outline and the relative position of the buildings within the city landscape.
I've put together a basic layout that's just short of 1m by 1m and this will form the area we'll use to fight over.
However, before I get into the detail I want to talk about my approach and some of the constraints I'm under otherwise some of my choices will seem a bit odd.
The object is to create a scale model of the Arnhem bridge area. Any fighting is going to be done with 6mm figures. Using a 1/300 ground scale though would require a huge model.
I don't have anywhere to store a large model, so it needs to be modular and stackable.
Consequently I went with a ground scale of 1:1000 and have used Hexon boards as a base, representing an area about 1km square.
Next, the city is going to require hundreds of buildings, and the fight for the bridge is not the most exciting - first the British destroy the Germans, then there is a brief stalemate, then the Germans overwhelm the British. Any refight is likely to be a one off or pretty infrequent.
Consequently pretty much anything not glued to the board needs to be reusable elsewhere and the buildings used are sourced from my existing (although very large) collection of Brigade Models buildings. I have used the best fit for the buildings from my available figures. With the exception of the bridge the buildings are not scratch built.

I have used photos of Arnhem during and before the battle to help guide the build. Its not exact but I'm pretty pleased with the look.
Initial layout, with river sections inverted
Plasticard used to raise the base level
Level of the main board raised slightly using an abundant, cheap handy material. Other large scale, global sales and logistics suppliers may exist.
Papered and painted. Now the real work can begin
River bed inserted and base colouring begins
Aerial view with river, bridge and initial building layout
View of the bridge from the east
Frosts HQ is the large building with the grey roof on the left with a good view of the ramp.
Eastern side of the ramp


View along the road
Close up of the bridge. Just got a base primer on it for now.

More detailing and supports to be added to the road
Parts of the milk factory and industrial buildings close to the river
I'm pretty pleased with the concrete embankments.
Most of the buildings are painted, but some still left to do.
Buildings are based on plasticard sections so I can lift the on and off the board and use them in other games.
View of the ramp from the west
View of the bridge from the terraces of Arnhem
 


 Here are some of the photos and pictures I've been using as a guide



Still quite a bit of work to do! But the basics are there now, ground cover and trees need adding.
Oh and the river needs repainting. Its the wrong colour and you can see my pen marks and writing through it. Tips on painting over varnish appreciated!
Let me know how you think I've done.
Happy gaming!
Charles the Modeller



Wednesday, April 10, 2019

US Infantry - Battle of the Bulge

Spring is here, summer is around the corner so that can only mean its time for the Battle of the Bulge. Planning is well underway for a game loosely based on the battles around Rocherath-Krinkelt and the Elsenborn Heights. Here are my newly painted Adler US infantry, as well as some Timecast trenches. My thanks to Roland Grime the Painter for advice and comments. Next up tanks, TDs and guns.




















Keep the dice rolling
Charles the Modeller

Battle of Scarif - adding all the bushes and trees

In previous posts I’ve covered the building of the boards, the seas, the islands and the transit systems for my battle of Scarif board. In t...