Yeah, I know, it's been a while since I last wrote in here. But the thing is I am studying at the moment and the last two months have been really hectic with all the exams and written assignments and presentations and what-have-yous... But hey, I'm back.
Every once in a while I have had time to build something, but not to finish - until now. During last about three months I have created an US Fire Direction Centre. The vignet can work either as Fire Direction Centre included in some Flames of War lists (can't remember any) or I could play it as a normal staff team. I also have this idea about some huge Total War game, where I would play US Artillery Company created on the principles of Battlefront's Total War PDF and have the Fire Direction Centre as a second in command. Or something.
Anyway, let's get to business and see how I made this.
First off, I built the frame of somewhat fortified hut on a large base and placed artillery command and staff team figures and accessories in there. I made the hut out of matchsticks and PVA-glue.
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| "We don't have a map, see." "I think the Krauts stole it. They are in the direction I'm pointing at, see." |
I am a bit lazy, so I didn't use any filler, but just glued sand to the base. I have realised that only sand, paint and static grass make enough landbase, so I usually don't bother more.
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| "This shampoo or..?" Glue added for sand. |
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| Sand added. |
After the adding of the sand I primed the whole vignet with brown spray and over that with dunkelgelb. So I did same as with my trenches.
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| Primed vignet with canopy frame on the side. |
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| Primed vignet. |
The fire direction centre wouldn't be fortified(ish) if there wasn't any sand bags, so I molded some with modelling clay. At first, I made thin strips out of the clay, then cut it to small pieces and molded sandbaggy shapes out of them.
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| Counter clockwise from the top left: Strips, cut pieces, and finished sandbaggy shapes. |
Then I added the sandbaggy shapes around the hut.
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| "I feel a lot more safe now that the sandbaggy shapes are there, see." |
With the tarp canopy I cut out a fitting piece of newspaper, soaked it in waterded down PVA-glue and molded it to the matchstick frame of the canopy.
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| Newspaper piece molded to be the tarp canopy. |
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| Painted tarp canopy. |
I finished the painting of the vignet in normal way, painting the figures and accessories in their places - I always do that. Lazy, remember. Last off, I washed all of it with black.
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| Painted and washed vignet. |
I then added the static grass to the base...
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| Glue for grass added with other elements of the artillery. Also, with Jerry infiltrators. |
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| Set to dry. |
...and finished.
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| "We still don't have a map, see." "I think it was those Nazi infiltrators, that took it. They went to the direction I'm pointing with my finger, see." "I'm calling for help, see." "I'm calling too, see." |
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| Finished vignet. Some some reason the wash dried to be black-gray spot here and there, but I think it just looks crappier that way. In a good(ish) way. |
Now, how about that US Artillery Company..?
