2mm WWI battlefields

[The Waxed Moustache]

Greetings. I have finally succumbed to the temptations of 2mm gaming, and the First World War in particular. Does anyone have advice on making 2mm scale trench systems, wire, and other WWI Wester Front-type scenics?

I have 15mm experience so am not a newbie, so happy for a challenge.

With wire, I was thinking posts but no actual wire, yet how on earth do I even find posts in 2mm?

Many thanks in advance!

[Tony Hughes]

Not quite 2mm (but I did other periods in 2mm) but I did some WW2 stuff in 3mm (1/600th) and used the fine wire from an old cable as the wire – just coiled around a barbeque skewer. I didn’t bother with posts, just a few drops of superglue on the base along the line of the wire and hold the wire down for a few seconds until it sets enough to hold.

I know early WW1 wire was not laid in rolls line that but, if you want the linear entanglements you can drill the base and put in florist’s wire a few mm apart and then entangle the wires randomly through the maze of posts, trimming off any post that are too long afterwards. Fiddly but it works OK in 6mm.

Tony of TTT

 

 

[Darkest Star Games]

I think it would depend upon if you want the trenches to look realistic or be able to put your troop bases inside the trench or not, and what size the bases are.  If your bases are 1″ deep then a trench system will look very odd and as if it is for another scale.  Do you want the trenches to be modular, or have a static board type setup?

"I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

[Mr. Average]

Something I’ve seen done is to have the battlefield begin at the inside face of each side’s trench line, so there’s no back to either trench. That way your figures just rest on a flat up to the trench line, then go over the top.

[Mr. Average]

Also let me congratulate you on taking a shot at the smaller scales. As Jeeves said, “It’ll be a jolt at first, but you’ll feel better for it.”

[Mike Headden]

The best 3mm scale trenches I’ve seen were top down images of complete trench systems glued to MDF rectangles. No attempt made to sink entrenched troops into the landscape. Simple, basic but effective and practical. Not to mention easy to store!

I don’t know what the dimensions of the MDF was but I’d guess around 100mm by 50mm. There or thereabouts.

Barbed wire was thin fuse wire wrapped around thin transparent plastic tubing to make coiled wire. Two or three rows to a base. The tubing stopped fat fingers crushing the wire. I’d guess these were around 100mm by 20 or 25mm.

A more artistic version of this hastily created daub 🙂

Growing old is mandatory, growing up is entirely optional!

[McKinstry]

A couple of years ago a gentleman from Denver put on gorgeous 6mm WW1 game at Historicon. Perhaps some pictures from then are still around and might provide some ideas?

The tree of Life is self pruning.

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Go with O8’s 3mm line instead. Much more detailed and so many more options than Irregular’s 2mm line.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Steelonsand]

Throwing in a curve ball here – but Timecast in the UK do some excellent items in their 6mm ranges, that for my money are scaled too small for the 6, but would work well with the 2 ……

http://www.timecastmodels.co.uk/range_13/range_13.html#greatwartrenchsystem

 

scratch-building wise, I think the idea of posts On their own representing the wire entanglement would be good – maybe cut down pins ?

[MartinR]

I made a bunch of trenches in 12,6 and 3 inch lengths using thin MDF bases with a layer of filler on them, and the trenches scraped out using a piece wood. Painted the whole lot mud coloured, did the trench depressions a darker brown and flocked the upper sides. Job done. I use them with 2mm and 6mm stuff.

They can be arranged in various configurations.

 

"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

[The Waxed Moustache]

Darkest Star: won’t put bases in them as I’m looking at 1 base = company and/or battalion

All: thanks for the great suggestions. Plenty of food for thought!

I have some 6mm ACW but 2mm seems another world again. Fun though. Will consider the 3mm

[Author]

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