Brécourt Manor - Part 6 - Flocking, vegetable patches and a truck

It’s been a while since my last update on Brécourt Manor but there has been a lot going on worldwide. Hopefully this will pass shortly. I have managed to make some progress on the board so here goes.

Flocking

I decided to switch flocks for this model. Previously I have used the sawdust type flocks by Jarvis and others. This time I switched to the foam type using Woodland Scenics fine turf. The fine turf is, well finer, than the sawdust flocks and gives a better representation of grass at the ground scale I’m working at. Whilst I’d use the fine turf before I had only ever used it for highlights so this was a bit of an experiment for me.

Taking advantage of the rest of the family heading off for a few days I was able to secure the dining room table giving me plenty of space to work in.

The whole board was covered in a layer of earth and tile grout mix to act as a base layer and given 24 hours to dry.

I used grease proof paper to cover the vegetable patch and trenches and coins to cover the machine gun pits

The whole flocking was a frustrating learning experience but having completed it I am very pleased with how things turned out. I just needed to try things out and find out what worked and what didn’t.

I purchased the woodland scenics glue and their spray bottle specifically for this project but unfortunately the spray failed fairly quickly. Maybe I hadn't shaken it enough but the nozzle got blocked and no matter how much it soaked, it wouldn't unblock. I switched to a back up spray bottle and sprinkled my flock, darker layers first, gradually lightening up. I failed to spray glue after each switch of flock - my bad - and so my flock wasn’t properly glued down.

I tried spraying more woodlands scenics glue and then a diluted PVA mix and whilst I got the turf in place it just wasn’t war games secure coming off easily when rubbed. After an internet search Luke APS offered a way forward. I had some 100% isopropanol alcohol cleaning solution. I mixed this about 50/50 with water and sprayed this onto the board. It quickly soaked into the flock and acts as a flow aid. I followed this up with the War World Scenics glue. I sprayed lots and lots of the glue which hit the flow aid and dispersed quickly. I sprayed until the board was a pale white. Then I just had to wait - about 36 hours - for the glue to dry and clear which was quite unnerving.

Finally the last of the white bits dried and the foam turf was solidly glued to the board.

So next time I do this I will

 start with a PVA/ water mix

 spray after each flock layer

 follow it with the alcohol mix flow aid

 liberally spray  WWS glue as a final glue layer

 leave it for 48 hours to dry

Vegetable Patch

I have created a large vegetable garden. A vegetable patch is clearly indicated on the various maps of the battle. It also briefly features in the Band of Brothers episode as Winters and the Easy co advance towards the guns. I am not sure how big this was historically but I have made it quite large - covering most of a field. The board is otherwise all grass and so this helps break up the terrain and is a nice feature.

I kept this area bare when flocking and then added a number of grassed paths around the various beds.

I laid additional lines of glue down and added more of my earth and tile grout base mix to create furrows.

Additional furrows created by adding additional lines of base mix.

I couldn’t find much in the way of 6mm products designed specifically for vegetables so it was a case of adapting other things. I have only a vague knowledge of crops and vegetables so my adaptations are very much representational.

I cut the tops off bushes to give me individual stands. I cut static grass and trimmed it down. I repurposed bushes and strips and I glued down some light foam.

I also used some cut down and snipped apart staples to create wooden frames for growing beans.

The Rusting Truck

The end of the vegetable patch seems to have been used as a bit of a dump. There is a rusting truck marked on the maps and again visible in the TV episode. I selected a GHQ Russian truck. I painted it white and then added a variety of rust colours. I also half buried it in the board and surrounded it with longer grass.

Nearby was a garbage dump made from my earth/ tile mix. I painted it white and then added a watered down fur brown in patches before giving it a dark tone wash. It looks like building rubble and I was quite pleased with the result. I used a remaining bit of the corrugated iron from the trenches and cost a wheel off another model to add more variety to the rubbish pile. 

Finally I figured the small holder would also use this area to dump grass and other excess plant cuttings so placed some dead grass static grass in piles. I also put in the remains of a bonfire and various other bushes to  complete the scene.

With that all done it’s onto the hedgerows and trees!

Everybody stay safe.

Charles the Modeller

V1 Launch Site Model

A quick diversion from my Brecourt Manor project to a small diorama/ terrain piece I entered into a light hearted competition in one of my Facebook groups, 6mm wargaming and terrain. The challenge was to create a terrain piece on a credit card/ store card inspired by some outstanding work done originally by Ben Fiene.

Ben Fiene's original which inspired the whole thing

After casting around for a while I came across this image and page linked to Flames of War for a V1 launch site. 

The FoW build which inspired my copy

It’s a simplified model of a genuine site which would have had more buildings nearby but I thought I could recreate it fairly easily and it could provide a neat objective for a WW2 game. The one I built is not true 6mm scale but it’s a terrain piece and it fits with my approach to buildings (and indeed with Ben Fiene’s approach which is about 2mm scale).

I started with the V1 itself. I wondered if I could make it out of a long grain of rice but decided instead to use a cocktail stick. I found one with more rounded ends and smoothed them a bit more before cutting them off and glueing them together. I applied liquid green stuff to over joins in several thin coats and smoothed it down. The fins came from plastic are strips and were glued on. Finally a thin point section from another cocktail stick was added as the jet burner.

The base consisted of an Icelandic card obtained I think to pay for fuel on a holiday some years ago. I used air drying clay to make the concrete paving with a small amount of PVA folded into it. I rolled it flat on top of grease proof paper and then cut the T shape to the correct dimensions for the card. I then impressed plasterers scrim tape into the clay to get the outlines of paving squares.

I glued the clay onto the card and waited for it to dry. Results were mixed as it shrunk slightly and I got two cracks. A bit of liquid green stuff later and I wasn’t massively disappointed as it helped break up the pristine look. Earth and tile grout mix gave me the full base layer

I dabbled with the launch ramp and made several unsatisfactory versions before I added a thin cable tie to a strip of plasticard, with a number of plasticard supports to give the ramp its correct launch angle. I created the blockhouse using some MDF bases glued together and sanded smooth. The walls were plasticard strips.

I created the blast walls from some N-Gauge brick card glued back to back.

The V1 was painted and glued in place.
Finally I added a fine turf covering for grass, added bushes and a few trees.

I was pretty pleased with the result.

I didn’t win the contest - there was a beautiful Napoleonic diorama of the aftermath of the battle of Vitoria and an awesome Californian skate park - but it was fun to get involved and to have to think small.

Stay safe everybody

Charles the Modeller

Brécourt Manor - Part 5 - The Guns

This is a quick post in my series on my build of Brécourt Manor. Earlier posts have covered the trenches. This time I’m covering the guns themselves.
I’m using GHQ models, G54 105mm Howitzer to represent the guns. The models are pretty pricey - 2 deployed guns, 2 towed guns and 2 tractors in each £12 pack. For the 4 guns I needed two packs. Costly but very detailed and quite beautiful. I also can’t justify gluing them permanently on the model - I need them for my other battles.

GHQ model and painting, copyright GHQ and Magister Militum

To use them on the model I cut bases to fit into each of the gun pits. I used 1.5mm plasticard cut exactly. To represent the prepared position I decided the guns would be mounted on top of wooden planks. I had a quick go at scoring balsa wood but the narrowness of the lines made the whole thing very tricky.

However I found a pack of staples in our stationary drawer. I simply cut the staples into 3 and using some gorilla glue and laid them out roughly on the bases.

These were then painted with desert yellow and a strong tone ink wash. I used Adler extras including spent shell casings and ammo boxes. The base was then covered in an earth and grout mix.

The guns themselves were sprayed with a sand undercoat, heavy desert yellow drybrush, military shade with skeleton bone highlights.

Next time I’ll look at the rusted truck and vegetable patch.

Roll dice responsibly

Charles the Modeller

Brécourt Manor - Part 4 Corrugated Iron, Dug Outs and Sandbags

Welcome to another blog post on my model of Brécourt Manor, based heavily on the look from the TV show Band of Brothers. In the last post I talked about building plank and wicker walls, this post will look at corrugated iron, the dug outs and sandbags.

To make the corrugated iron palisade walls I used cut down toothpicks as posts and aluminium foil for the corrugated sheets. I found a really helpful video online which started me off.

Whilst the youtuber was using tin from a take out tray, I didn't have any to hand so I substituted aluminium foil instead. I folded some foil over until it was about 8 ply. I adjusted the height to size, about 5mm high. Then I used a cocktail stick to score lines in the foil. I painted it completely with rust coloured paint and then gave a heavy dry brush up and down with platemail. I used a strong tone wash and added the odd ash grey highlight. By going up and down this hopefully conveys the idea of rust and water running down the sheet. I then glued the posts to the foil and placed them in the model trench.

I included two dug outs in the trench system, the command/ radio bunker where Lt. Winters found the map recording all the German artillery positions and an ammo store. 

The command/ radio bunker I made larger. I decided to wall this as if it was lined with logs, just to add variety to the model. The logs are simulated by 1mm diameter leather cord strands which I laid next to each other and then used PVA to glue together. I covered the cord with Oak Brown paint and gave a Desert Yellow drybrush.

I used the spoil on the sides to raise the overall height of the bunker and for there to be an opening on the south side looking out into the field.

I intend to create an ersatz desk and radio station but that will be later in the build.

I cut out the ammo store and just covered the walls with the earth layer. The ammo crates are from Perfect Six Miniatures.

I built removable roofs for both bunkers. Again I decided to simulate logs laid side by side. This time though I used cocktail style toothpicks just over 1mm in diameter. These were laid side by side, PVA'd and then covered in the earth mix and flocked with Woodland Scenics fine turf. 

I put the sandbags on the model in place last. Outside the trench I used a bead of flexible filler covered with the base mix to simulate the spoil from the trench. I set this back from the trench edge by a couple of mm. 

Between this spoil I put a single depth, single width line of sandbags. The TV episode showed sandbags on the edge of the trench and it helps give the model trench definition. I also thought they might be being stored there for when needed or were bolstering the defence and preventing the spoil being washed back into the trench.

I made my sandbags using air drying clay. Mel the Terrain Tutor has a really good video on making sandbags. He’s working at a bigger scale but the principle was spot on. I made my sausage 1.5mm wide and gently flattened it to 2mm before using a cocktail stick to mark the individual bags 3mm apart.

I found the lengths would often split after about 4 to 6 sandbags. Once dry, again the lengths would easily break apart at joins if you weren’t careful. However this often worked to my advantage as the ground changed direction and was uneven. I just placed a little PVA down and then gently pushed with my finger. The lengths generally broke at a sandbag join and could then be easily adjusted.

Once in place I coated them with PVA to harden then and a quick coat of skeleton bone and a strong tone wash gave me a great result.

Finally I used several sandbag lengths from Perfect Six Miniatures on the entrance to the trenches at the western edge.

Next time I'll look post a quick update on the guns themselves.

Happy gaming!

Charles the Modeller