GREG'S WARGAMING BLOG

Operation Squad Supplement

2012-02-14T11:31:00.000+02:00

Operation Squad have just released their latest supplement: Reinforcements

Available at Warlord Games

http://store.warlordgames.com/operation-squad---reinforcements-supplement-8190-p.asp

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T11:09:00.000+02:00

To all my family,friends and visitors may you and your family have prosperous 2012. God bless!

2011-12-25T21:24:00.000+02:00

To all my followers and fellow bloggers!

Italeri Railway Station

2011-12-23T11:50:00.000+02:00

This is a nice surprise, I was not aware of this new addition to their buildings.

Hope to invest in some railway real estate in the near future.

The Combat Tank Collection Update

2011-12-13T11:33:00.000+02:00

Here are the tanks I have collected thus far.

I only collect the WW2 tanks as it could be expensive to collect the entire collection.

Operation Squad

2011-12-12T10:11:00.001+02:00

I have received copies of Massimo Torriani and Valentino DelCastello's Operation Squad World War Two and its Vehicles supplement. A greatset of rules for beginners to miniature WW2 gaming. As the introduction statesit is a war game for two or more players that lets simulate battles at skirmishlevel. Battles are squad sized with each figure\model receiving individual orders.

Here is a review and a AAR of the rules.

http://surfshackgames.blogspot.com/2011/01/operation-squad-dodgy-name-brilliant.html

http://pcjohnstone.wordpress.com/category/wargame-periods/operation-squad-ww2/

Stone Walls Update 2

2011-11-06T08:36:00.000+02:00

I have finally got some stone walls painted. Not complete yet but some progress.

I know there are many that don't like the grey and feel it is not realistic, but I like the visual look on the table. I will paint up another set in the brown sand colour a bit later.

Eastern Front Fence Update

2011-10-08T15:34:00.000+02:00

I have just completed the gate section of these fences. Here are a few photos.

Thanos, I hope this is what you meant. I am quit pleased with the result.

Armour Museum Open Day

2011-10-04T12:12:00.000+02:00

Two weekends ago the Armour Museum had an open day. The family and I had a walk throught. Here are a few photos.

SA being a part of the Commonwealth during WW2 we only have allied Armour, a pity I would have liked some German Armour too.

Eastern Front Fences

2011-09-19T10:33:00.000+02:00

I have put a few wooden fence sections together for eastern front scenarios but I am unsure how to make the gate sections. Any advice is welcome.

Grass to follow later.

New releases from Caesar

2011-09-08T10:53:00.000+02:00

Here are a few photos of box art and figures of Caesar's latest releases.

Miniature Wargames

2011-07-19T13:21:00.001+02:00

Miniature Wargames have released a smaller, free version of the magazine. Here are the June and July editions.

http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/443/1286/9109/1/1
http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/443/1286/8915/1/1

Happy reading!

Re-enactment 2011 Extra

2011-06-23T16:09:00.000+02:00

Here are a few more photos of the Re-enactment day.

Re-enactment 2011

2011-06-21T12:29:00.000+02:00

The past weekend a few re-enactment enthusiasts got together for some fun. I was not able to attend but got some photos from a friend. The action photos had to many modern vehicles in the background so I did not include them.

The Combat Tank Collection

2011-06-13T13:13:00.001+02:00

This is a very interesting site I thought I would share it with you all. http://tanks.deagostini.co.za/ or http://tanks.deagostini.co.uk/default.aspx

10 000 Hits

2011-05-31T09:48:00.000+02:00

With my latest contribution my blog has raced past 10 000 hits. I would like to thank each and every one for viewing but especially to the loyal followers that frequent it on a regular basis. You know who you are..

Making Flock

2011-05-30T10:32:00.000+02:00

I have just completed an experiment and I am very please with the result. I have just made a batch of flock\ground cover using saw dust and food colouring. The next few photos will show the process.

Normal saw dust.

A bottle of green food colouring.

I dropped 4 teaspoons of colouring in a glass bowl and then added the about 40 grams saw dust.This mixture is stirred until desired effect is obtained.

You then set it aside to dry, when dry it might be a bit lighter in colour.

I hope Flock 101 has been useful.

Stylish Blog Award Nomination

2011-05-03T11:00:00.000+02:00

Wow this is a great honor!!!!

Now the rules of this award are to:

There are four rules attached to the award:
1. Thank and link back to the person giving you the award.
2. Share seven things about yourself
3. Select 10-15 blogs who you think deserve this award
4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award

1. A great thank you to Thanos http://miniaturesterrainpage.blogspot.com/ and Raoul and Joao http://garageexclusivemodels.blogspot.com/ for their nominations.

2. 39 years old
    Married to a beautiful and understanding wife
Have a daughter and son.
    War gaming since 2003 ( very slow progress)
    Favorite movie Saving Private Ryan.
    Favorite TV series Band of Brothers.
    Enjoy family and friends.

3. Here is my list and for you that have been nominated again you deserve it.....In no particular order.

Thanos http://miniaturesterrainpage.blogspot.com/

Andreas http://mork6969.blogspot.com/

Raoul/Joao http://garageexclusivemodels.blogspot.com/

Paul http://paulsbods.blogspot.com/

Paul http://plasticwarriors.blogspot.com/

Yori http://yori-hobby.blogspot.com/

Bunkermeister http://bunkermeister.blogspot.com/

Olivier http://olivier-wwii-20mmfigures.blogspot.com/

Al http://20thcenturywargames.blogspot.com/

John http://www.miniaturezone.co.uk/

Samy http://fantasy-gelaende.blogspot.com/

Alex http://wargamestenerife.blogspot.com/

Cheers

Church Windows

2011-04-22T18:38:00.000+02:00

I thought I would add some character to my village church, so I added some stain glass windows. After printing some stain glass windows on plastic film I was ready to start..

Windows glued into place.

A complete shot of the church.

An evening shot.

A simple idea that adds so much character.

JapaneseTsunami

2011-03-14T09:29:00.000+02:00

Due to a busy schedule I am only now getting the opportunity to offer all my Japanese visitors who were affected by the Tsunami on Friday, my sincere condolences and sympathy. May God be with you, your family and friends during these trying times.

Christchurch Earthquake

2011-02-23T08:07:00.000+02:00

To all my New Zealand visitors who were affected by the quake, my sincere condolences and sympathy. May God be with you, your family and friends during these trying times.

Yard 1 Update

2011-02-12T18:51:00.000+02:00

Here are a few photos showing my progress as well as a few with the various houses inserted.

The last photo shows a possible combination of two houses and yards. All that remains is to dry brush and flock with ground cover. As you may have noticed I am having difficulty in choosing a ground cover mix for all my terrain pieces, any suggestions are welcome. I am thinking of a type of flock static grass mix that suits any general type of surface.

Yard 1

2011-02-07T10:33:00.000+02:00

The following was inspired by Byzantium and Thanos. My houses need a bit more body so I decided to create a few interchangeable yards\gardens to resolve this issue. The next few photos show the making of the first one, a wooden panel fence with a gate at the back.

These yards\gardens will be interchangeable and will fit any of the four houses. As I progress I will upload W.I.P. photos.

Flak Nest

2011-01-27T10:37:00.000+02:00

Finally I have had some time to get something done. Here are few photos of a flak nest I made, a short tutorial follows.

Here is the tutorial.

I use a hexagonal MDF base as I want it to fit in my forest.

Dill holes for the upright support poles.

Lay the floor planks (coffee sticks).

Glue in the upright support poles (BBQ skewers).

Glue the horizontal logs to desired height.

Cut upright support poles to desired height.

Add gravel for ground surface.

Prime black.

Paint all the logs.

Paint all ground surfaces.

The following photos are for size comparison. A few Airfix Germans added.

The flak will follow as soon as it is complete. Dry brushing and flocking will be done later.

Hope you like and that it was useful.

Mold Making

2010-12-20T10:15:00.000+02:00

After posting the walls someone requested I do a tutorial on how to make the molds. So here goes.

I start by getting aquarium stones and a suitable base on which to build the master wall.

After wall has been constructed seal it with a layer of PVA glue. If there are any bigger holes in the wall close them with some wall filler.

I stick the masters onto a flat surface, a floor tile works well for this.

Next I construct a frame with Lego blocks and hot glue it to the tile. The inside of the frame containing the master is then sealed with a layer of rubber latex.

When dry the rubber latex is poured into the frame covering the masters. This is then set aside to dry. When all is dry remove the frame to expose the molds, remove the masters from mold and start casting.

Stone Walls Update

2010-11-13T11:09:00.000+02:00

I have just completed the molds of the gate section and two different straight sections. These photos will show each new section.

The gate section. The gate will be added later and will be made from wood strips.

The first straight section.

The second straight section. This section differs from the first section.

A small walled field created using the different sections.

A few Airfix Germans added for scale comparison.

Now I need to get back to casting!!

Stone Walls

2010-11-06T16:37:00.000+02:00

I created a master of a broken stone wall. It was created from aquarium stones on a wooden base. I then made a mold of the master. The master was destroyed in the removal process. Here are a few photos of the cast wall.

This is the production line at present.

This is the mold.

Here I have combined the wall section with the wooden fences for reference.

I am now waiting for the gate section and 2 different straight section molds to set. Will keep you posted.

Trees Update

2010-11-06T16:05:00.000+02:00

Trees sprayed green and inserted into bases.

The tree trunks still need to be painted and the trees still need to be flocked.

Trees

2010-10-24T19:31:00.000+02:00

I am currently busy making trees as seen on the following blog http://paulsmodelrailroad.blogspot.com/2010/08/trees.html I base all my tree on Hexagonal bases and will be showing you these as well.

The hexagonal base is 3mm thick MDF board and the tree trunk is a 6.5mm plastic tube cut to various heights.

Here the trunk has been inserted and the base covered with gravel.

Here are the various shapes single, double and triple painted in brown. The tree trunks still need to be textured and painted and the bases still need to dry brushed and flocked.

This is how the tree looks after shaping.

With this tree I experimented with tea leaves as the flocking material, I must say I am quit pleased with the outcome. An excellent looking Autumn tree!

Here is another experiment, I have just sprayed this tree green and I think it looks good for Summer.

This is my forest in waiting.

and another...

I will keep you posted as I go along.

Wooden Fence Update

2010-10-02T13:23:00.000+02:00

Painted the wooden fences.

Once again the flocking remains..

Wooden Fence

2010-09-22T09:12:00.000+02:00

Most battlefields need fences so I thought I would make some.

The photos are self explanatory.

All that remains now is to undercoat, paint and flock. I ran out of undercoat spray therefore I'll be stopping here for now.

Roof

2010-09-14T09:11:00.000+02:00

I am busy completing my row of townhouses roof and thought to share some photos of the process.

I start off with the frame of the roof. These are the roofs for the dormer windows which are on top of the main roof.

I then cut strips of cereal box to required size.

I then glue them to the base frame.

After all has dried I trim the edges.

The next photo shows the main roof, made in the same way with the dormer windows roofs attached.

Here is a front view.

Here is a front view of the townhouse with roof attached.

Here is the rear view.

The dormer window frames still need to be inserted and the roof needs to be sprayed black and then dry brushed with the various shades of grey.

Roads

2010-08-28T11:38:00.000+02:00

The following is my road system. 3mm MDF board cut with interlinking notches to prevent movement during play. I have not decided on a type of flock\static grass to use and therefore the dry brushing and flocking still need to be done.

Cross Section

T Sections

Y Sections

Long Turns with starts and ends.

Short Turns with starts and ends.

Straight Sections with long, medium, short, starts and ends.

Any road setup can be created with these sections.

Church

2010-08-28T11:19:00.000+02:00

Here are a few photos of my scratch built church. It was built from 3mm laser cut MDF board, painted with PVA glue, sprinkled with fine sand and painted. The roof was made from cereal box cut into strips and then glued to the MDF roof base. All roofs are removable.

I will post a photo showing all the houses and church as a village setup as soon as I have completed my row of town houses.

Houses

2010-08-16T12:08:00.000+02:00

Here are a few houses I built. They were designed before I knew how to calculate the proper scale. Their sizes were calculated from the Italeri Houses and therefore might be on the larger side\scale.

House 1

House 2

House 3

House 4

Still a few finishing touches remain, but I'll still get to those..

Log Bunkers Update

2010-08-16T11:56:00.000+02:00

Here is a pic of the hexagonal bunker in a small pine forest.

Log Bunkers

2010-08-06T16:31:00.000+02:00

Here are a few log bunkers created from skewer sticks. Once again a few Airfix Germans added for scale.

And another

The last one is based on a hexagonal base, it will fit into my hexagonal based forest.

I hope they meet with all your expectations.

More Obstacles

2010-08-04T09:05:00.000+02:00

Here are a few more obstacles, I have added a Airfix rifleman for scale reference.

Once again they still need to be flocked.

Barbwire Obstacles

2010-07-30T08:43:00.000+02:00

Here is a short tutorial on making barbwire obstacles.

Start of with a piece of plastic mesh cut to size.

Form a cylindrical shape and glue the ends.

Cut so that you have your individual wire strands.

Glue to your base.

Add your base cover, I used gravel.

Paint the base.

All that remains is the dry brushing and flocking, ENJOY!