[Stug]

Mike wrote:

Stug wrote:

Thanks but I want to be sure that the resulting product is very similar to the Woodland Scenics clump foliage.

I thought you wanted to make it so that it is the same every time, if you use the same process and the same materials it should be very similar. Or are you wanting to make some stuff that looks like the woodlands scenic stuff?

In fact, I would like to create some clump foliage that is as good looking and realistic as the Woodland Scenics one. Is it possible? I also want to reduce the cost but realism is the most important factor for me.

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Don Glewwe wrote:

Take some cushion foam (the soft kind you can find in sheets at craft/sewing stores like https://www.joann.com/airtex-2in-x-24in-high-density-foam-sheet/2180289.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organicshopping ), rip around a couple board feet of it into semi-small bits (~1-2″ max), add around a quarter-cup or so (like making dough: it’s all about the feel) of household latex paint that matches your table’s pallet (a quart mixed up will last quite a while and will be useful across all of your terrain/basing projects), mush it all up a bit, dump it into a blender (that you won’t use for anything else, so from a thrift store?), and give it a good pulsing until the bits are the size you’d like. Spread out the mess on some wax paper and let it dry. Pulsing cubes/boxes of the foam until they’re a bit ‘wonky’, then pressing them onto toothpicks and stood up (in insulation foam?) to dry can make good-enough trees that are half-to-one-inch diameter – different shades of paint and/or a quick sprinkle of fine turf (before they dry) can serve to make a decent variety. The ‘leftover’ little scrap niblets that are created can be spread out/dried/used as with the foliage process noted. Caveat: It’s been years since I did this in bulk in a shop, so my memory is undoubtedly playing tricks on the accuracy of what I’ve described, but the gist is solid…I think ; )

Thanks but is this way of doing produce similar results? Does the newly created clump foliage looks very similar to the Woodland Scenics one?

Sane Max wrote:

What he said 🙂 there are also quite a few how-to’s on Youtube. I also make my own flock, well worth the trivial effort involved to get the colour and texture I prefer

Thanks but I want to be sure that the resulting product is very similar to the Woodland Scenics clump foliage.

[Stug]

Mike wrote:

They will warp… Some sort of insulation foam would be better: Maybe online or some sort of DIY / Home Depot type place? Plus they will be light enough to carefully store on top of each other.

Is there the equivalent foam you are suggesting on this page? Something that would be very easy to make precise cuts.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Insulation-Foam-Board-Insulation/N-5yc1vZbaxx?NCNI-5&searchRedirect=insulation%20foam%20boards&semanticToken=k27r10r00f22000000000e_2024040610272778278113893148_us-east1-rqd1%20k27r10r00f22000000000e%20%3E%20st%3A%7Binsulation%20foam%20boards%7D%3Ast%20ml%3A%7B24%7D%3Aml%20nr%3A%7Binsulation%20foam%20boards%7D%3Anr%20nf%3A%7Bn%2Fa%7D%3Anf%20qu%3A%7Binsulation%20foam%20boards%7D%3Aqu%20ie%3A%7B0%7D%3Aie%20qr%3A%7Binsulation%20foam%20boards%7D%3Aqr

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OotKust wrote:

Talk to local hardware or building supply outlets, ask for 1200×600 3mm hardboard/ MDF and they should cut it to the size you want for free! A sale is a sale and the goodwill costs them nothing. I asked a sheetmetal shop here to sell me some aluminium offcuts for terrain bases, about 20 required approx 200-300mm square and rectangles. Not only cut them, but champfered the edges and rounded the corners off for me as a good tradesman would. Got near 30 pieces (about 5kg worth) and 20 years later still haven’t used them all! Only cost $60 which I thought very reasonable for scrap (and their time)! -dave

Thank you for the tip.

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Mr. Average wrote:

https://gcmini.mybigcommerce.com/15-20mm-terrain-block-blank/ Also 20% off this weekend, apparently.

Thanks. It looks interesting but why do they say those tiles are suitable for 15mm and 20mm? I will be using 6mm scale. Is it ok too?

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Mr. Average wrote:

Use a strip of styrofoam on each side of the tile and stack on that instead of directly on the tile. Or, the more object-intensive version would be to build a rack that spaces them out for you.

Thanks. Great idea.

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Mr. Average wrote:

You can get precut hexes in dense foam from GC Miniatures in the USA. Might not be ideal for a Canadian but it’s hopefully reasonable because of the free trade agreement. I believe they also do squares premounted to MDF backer boards, which is kind of the gold standard – nine total would give you 2×2.

Thanks but I dont want hexes, just square tiles.

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Logain wrote:

I cut mine on a tablesaw – most big lumber/hardware will cut them for you if you ask. I use 1/8 mdf with a piece of foam insulation glued on top, both cut to the same size. I’ve seen both mdf and foam sold as 2×2 pieces here in the States, labelled as “project panels”. But I’d bet you could buy a full sheet (4×8) of each and have them cut for a fraction of buying pre-cut panels. Storage is in a stack in the closet with a piece of fabric in between to minimize scratches.

When storing a tile that has trees and buildings glued on top, how can you prevent those trees and buildings to break when you add another tile on top?

[Stug]

The problem is that I want to use them for a 2×2 feet tile and I have never seen anything this size.

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Mr. Average wrote:

Of course I do! I have a special drawer for them in my game table.

Can I see some pictures of your drawer? I would like to know how to store tiles safely.

[Stug]

Thanks everyone.

Thomaston wrote:

This looks very good. How did you make it? Is it heavy?

I cut a piece of styrofoam and carved it. Then, when I was satisfied with the look, I rolled an aluminium foil ball on every surface to add texture.

For the painting, I began with mixing Mod Podge with black primer paint to make my rock more resistant. After that, I painted most of the rock with a dark grey acrylic paint. Then, I drybrushed it with a lighter grey and finally I lightly drybrushed with a light beige color.

After the painting was completed, I add a black wash on all its surface and let it dry.

I then decided to sprinkle some clay on the top. To make sure the clay stayed in place, I use an eardropper to cover the clay with a mix of 50% water and 50% white glue. I let it dry and add another layer of this diluted glue. Once everything was rock solid, I added some static grasses. I mixed different colors of static grasses because in nature all the grasses are not from the same species.

And that’s about it. I am now building a second rock, a little bit different this time.

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Darkest Star Games wrote:

That looks really good. I think it will even be of use with other scales if you want.

Thanks. Yes I also think this could work but I want to focus only on 6mm scale.

[Stug]

Thanks guys. I think the thing that helped me the most is that I have built a few model railroad N scale  buildings. When I want to build a new structure, there is a list of things I have to do to make it looks more realistic.

Example;

– Before building the structure, apply texture so it’s not flat.

– Fill the joints between walls.

– Choose your colors wisely. Use neutral tones and avoid danger colors (primary and secondary colors).

– There is no such thing like orange rust.

– Apply wash everywhere.

– Apply pigments in some places.

And a lot more.

[Stug]

Hi everyone. A few weeks ago, I began to play with the rest of an Amazon cardboard box. I then decided to try to build my first 6 mm wargaming building. In fact, it’s a ruin.

I used cardboard for the walls. I then tried to scratch the surface of the cardboard to give the impression that those are brick walls. Then, I measured and cut the windows, created some destruction on the building.

Then, I cut a small piece of balsa wood and glued the ruin on top. For the painting, I use a brush for the first layer and a little sponges for the other layers of different colors. I had to be extra careful about not using too much water during painting because cardboard and water, well not so great.

I also used pigments to remove the brightness from the walls, dig some little holes to mimic machine gun holes on the walls and added lots of debris around and inside the ruin. For the debris, I just cut very small pieces of cardboard and added small gravel. Once this was in place, I added white glue everywhere. Before the white glue was dried, I sprinkled very small rectangular shape pieces of cardboard to make it looks like bricks and some clay on the glue.

Materials used for this building;

– cardboard
– balsa wood
– small gravel
– clay
– paint
– pigments
– white glue

Cost to build this building; almost none but it took me probably around 20 hours to do.

Here are a few photos of the finished ruin. What do you think?

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Don Glewwe wrote:

…what should I do with all the other windows? I don’t want the players to be able to shoot from every direction so I don’t know if I should still carve the other windows or painting dark in those windows

If the objective is to not allow troops in the building to fire then there shouldn’t be any windows – needs will must, as they say. If there isn’t a floor for them to stand on then just painting them on would work game-wise, but -visually- would look odd for a blown-out building to have intact glass? The work you’ve done on the ruined side looks very good, and not matching it with the other walls would, I think, detract from it.

Here is what I read in a book from Mel Bose the Terrain Tutor;

« Don’t think all your buildings have to have the maximum number of fire points. Changing the amount from build to build, or altering the side of the building they’re on, can make a building easier to defend from one direction than another. This adds tactical considerations to make gameplay more interesting. Thing about creating strong sides and weak sides. »

Darkest Star Games wrote:

Not every wall needs windows. If you feel you need a reason to not have the windows then perhaps one end of the building has elevator shafts on the exterior wall, no need for windows into/out of there. Or, maybe the old windows were bricked-in because another building was built against/up close to it. Really though, just build it how you want to, no need to worry about the “whys”. (I struggled with this very thing, as I do architecture and had a lot of trouble separating the need for realism from “hey, it’s just for a game…”)

Thanks for the tip.

Aethelflaeda was framed wrote:

Very nice. What’s the source of the floor’s texturing?

I have cut tiny pieces of cardboard of different shapes (mainly little rectangles to mimic bricks and long and narrow pieces of cardboard to represent wood boards, pipes …

So after dropping lots of these tiny pieces of cardboard, I sprinked a little bit of ballast and some clay. When I was happy with what I saw, I prepared a mix of around 50% white glue and 50% water. Then, I used a dropper or eardrop (I don’t know if it’s the proper name) and drop the glue on the floor with all the debris. Because it’s made of cardboard, I have been very careful to let it dry completely before adding more debris, more glue …

When everything was dried, I took a paintbrush and add a layer of black primer on those floors. Once dried, I just used a smaller paintbrush and added some colors to the debris (like reddish-pink for bricks …). I should have put more debris in the corners of the buildings but my building is not finished yet.

I hope this help.

willz wrote:

Cool, simple and effective.

Thanks.

Mike wrote:

If you need to cover up those window etchings / marks… Boards/Shutters?

Sorry, my first language is french. What do you mean exactly? If you have a picture it will help me understand 🙂

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Cacique Caribe wrote:

Wow, I like how it looks so far. Personally, I wouldn’t change a thing. I would use magnets on the bottoms, to remove them from forest bases as needed, but they look amazing right now.

Thanks but I would like to know what I should do to make the central metallic part appear brown instead of … metallic 😉

Do you have some pictures of the magnets I should glue on the bottom? I am curious to know what kind of magnet I would need.

[Stug]

Mike wrote:

Welcome back!

That’s what I call a very fast answer 😉

[Stug]

John D Salt wrote:

Looks very Shermany — I can’t make out the rear deck, is this an M4 or and M4A3? I agree with Tony S that the tracks look mud-encrusted, and it is practically impossible to overdo the mud and crud that accumulates on AFV running gear. What has happened to the gunshield, though? All the best, John.

I am not a specialist so I can’t tell if it’s a M4 or a M4A3.

What do you mean about the gunshield?

[Stug]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate all your comments and suggestions 🙂

[Stug]

Rod Robertson wrote:

A very nice job there StuG. Well done. 25/28mm I presume? I liked your Sherman too! Cheers and good gaming. Rod Robertson.

Thanks. It’s in 28mm for Bolt Action game.

[Stug]

Tony S wrote:

Like the addition of the foliage. Looks quite realistic.

Thanks. The only thing is that the foliage was all in the same light green color. So I took my brush and tried to color leaves with burnt umber, dark green, light green and olive. And after that, I took all the package of foliage and did the same thing all at once. So next time, my leaves will already have different color variation.

[Stug]

Tony S wrote:

I think it looks fantastic! You’re probably right that perhaps there’s a bit too much rust, but unless you look closely, it looks like lots of mud to me. And you can never have too much mud on tank tracks!

Ok next time, I will try to add lots of mud instead of rust 😉

[Stug]

irishserb wrote:

When I made my 6mm African buildings a few years back, I believe that I used this Evergreen sheet for corrugated metal sheet roofing: https://evergreenscalemodels.com/collections/0401-0mm-opaque-white-polystyrene-corrugated-metal-siding/products/4526-040-x-040-opaque-white-polystyrene-corrugated-siding In this scale, I think it is a matter of creating the illusion of the corrugated sheeting, rather than actually making a scale representation of it. Here links to some pics of the buildings I made. Sorry that the photography doesn’t show the roof material better. http://irishserb.blogspot.com/2018/11/more-progress-on-modern-6mm-african.html http://irishserb.blogspot.com/2019/10/a-funny-thing-happened.html Here is a pic from one of my imagi-africa AARs, still not very helpful, but hopefully conveys some idea of the effect: The buildings were constructed from various sheet and strip styrene, solvent welded using a disposable syringe and fine tip to apply the solvent. A brush can be used as well. If you use a syringe, be sure to file down the tip, so that you don’t accidently inject yourself with solvent. Hope this might be of some help.

Thanks for the info. I really appreciate.

[Stug]

willz wrote:

I use this style of Corrugated Card Rib, available at art shops. Either using black or brown and paint it with oily steel / metal and dry brush rust on.

Do you know if it’s small enough to use on a 6mm building?

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willz wrote:

Stugg for WW2 ruined buildings, no plans needed just some imagination. I use the “for sale” sign boards that estate agents use to make modern buildings. Also I base them on cheap cup coasters, I will get some photos to show the style.

What are cup coasters exactly? Sorry, my first language is french and I have never seen this world before.

I am really impressed by your buildings. I will keep the photos for inspiration. Thanks.

[Stug]

Mike Headden wrote:

Lots of companies do WW2 buildings in a range of different scales. It won’t give you plans but browsing what’s out there should provide ideas. Off the top of my head, try Leven Miniatures, Battlescale, Pendraken, Tymeagain, Sarissa – that should get you started.

Thanks for the ideas. I will check that.

Steve Johnson wrote:

These are for 6mm, but of course can be scaled up and used as templates: https://www.ghqmodels.com/pages/modeling-guides-paper-buildings

Thanks for the link. I’m working in 6mm. This will be very helpful.

 

ian pillay wrote:

Stung sorry to hear your having a down period, glad to hear you are doing something about it. There are some good building plans over on Wargames Vault, https://www.wargamevault.com/product/109440/Secret-German-Base?src=hottest_filtered https://www.wargamevault.com/product/109050/Carentan?manufacturers_id=4957 The carentan is pay what you want. These are all by Matakishi Tea House. If you get stuck you can check them out on his excellent website. Have fun and may your dice roll favourably.

Thank you very much for your help. I really appreciate. If you also know of good Youtube videos that explain simple to build buildings, just let me know.

[Stug]

Where do I go to transform my 3mbs photos into a smaller format that could be added here? All the photos I take with my iPad are not under 3mbs.

[Stug]

Bizarre, I want to include photos but they always say they are too large and can’t download it. I always use my iPad and never had this issue before.

Do you know what should be the preferred dimensions for the photos?

[Stug]

Thanks everyone. You suggested to me that I play solo. Do you have tips to help me play solo and still have fun?

Jim Webster wrote:

Just to agree with Willz, I’ve played some games. There are rule sets I like better but it’s not a bad set and we’ve had a lot of fun with it. You’ve got two sides in the box, I’d play some solo games. I don’t know about anybody else, but whilst I can read wargames rules, it’s only after I’ve tried playing a game that they come together and start making sense

You are like me. I need to play a few times to learn and understand all the rules.

ian pillay wrote:

I bought the band of brothers box set as I found it cheap in a shop in Lincoln, £40 unopened. I’ve build most of the miniatures but never played a game. I like the new starter set they have recently released.

One question for you. What kind of glue do you use to glue your Bolt Action miniatures? I have used Tamiya Extra Thin Cement but it’s not working.

[Stug]

Hi everyone. I am getting back at this hobby. My summer vacation sucks and I need a little project to focus on something positive because I am going downhill recently 🙁

I need more inspiration to create a World War II cloth terrain. What kind of tissue do you use, how to you create your terrain cloth, your roads, your buildings, your rivers, your hills and forests? If you can add a few photos, I will be very grateful.

Thanks for your help!

[Stug]

Geof Downton wrote:

Stug wrote:

How long do you keep your models in acetone?

Usually overnight, sometimes longer, scrub with a toothbrush, put them back in the jar if necessary. Like you, I’ve often had to use a toothpick for stubborn bits, I’m not sure, but the stubbornness seems to be dependant on how long the paint has been there. I’m not sure why you’re having such difficulty, you’re doing what I would.

Now my miniatures have been in 100% acetone for at least 55 hours. There is not much progress since.

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Wicked Wargames wrote:

I’ve always used white spirits, white spirits alternatives or Paint remover from Wilko’s. Soak in chosen liquid for half hour minimum and brush well with a toothbrush. Guaranteed to work with a bit of effort and the right amount of patience. In a pinch nail polish remover can work. But can sometimes produce stringy leftover bits. Whatever happens don’t panic because an overnight bath in white spirits will tear anything off the model for sure. It might also melt glue joins. So keep an eye on that and let it dry thoroughly before washing with warm soap if you need to re paint or reassemble. Good luck

Geof Downton wrote:

I use acetone, but I’m weird enough to like the smell of Detol, so I may change in future…

Finally, I think I will have to try another technique, maybe white spirit. A few weeks ago, I put some of my miniatures in a closed jar and added isopopylic alcohol. A lot of the paint disappeared after brushing my miniatures with a toothbrush but most of the black primer remained even after more than two weeks.

Yesterday, I tried a new technique and added some of my metal miniatures in a closed jar filled with 100% acetone. Twenty four hours later, most of the paint and the primer are still there. If I brush with a toothbrush, it removes a littble bit of the paint but not the primer. I have to use a toothpick to be able to remove the primer. And using a toothpick in the little cracks is very time consuming.

So acetone doesn’t work so far.

Geof Downton wrote:

I use acetone, but I’m weird enough to like the smell of Detol, so I may change in future…

How long do you keep your models in acetone? It’s been twenty four hours and most of my paint and primer are still there even if I used 100% acetone.

[Stug]

Norm S wrote:

Would something like ‘GROUPS IO’ meet all your needs? Might be an easier path.

What is this exactly? Do you have a link?

[Stug]

fairoaks024 wrote:

As others have said, only when the Germans had air superiority, so it’s pretty much confined to early war and was going out of use completely by mid war, but it dies add an eye catching splash of colour to otherwise dull panzer grey vehicles

By early war, you are talking about which year precisely?

[Stug]

Thanks everyone for your help. Finally, someone told me to use isopropyl alcohol. I already had a bottle of 99% of isopropyl alcohol so I made a try. My models are still in the bottle and the paint is removing fast since I added them about eight hours ago. I will let them for maybe one complete day to see the results.

[Stug]

deephorse wrote:

A good effort, but I think that the red needs to be brighter. As to when & where you would see these ….. I haven’t made a study of their use, but from my memory of looking at gazillions of photos, you tend to see them mostly on AFVs in the early to mid war period, particularly on the Russian front. Probably North Africa too, but I don’t take much notice of that theatre. Once the Allies get air superiority, carrying a massive, brightly coloured swastika on your tank becomes somewhat counter-productive. Hence I wouldn’t expect to see them displayed on vehicles such as your Sturmtiger. When you apply them, remember not to cover up vital areas such as turret hatches etc. Engine decks and turret bins were common places to drape them.

Thanks for the info. I have just brighten the red a little bit.

What do you mean exactly by AFV?

I have been careful to not apply it on turret hatches.

John D Salt wrote:

As far as I’m aware, this is much more of an early war practice for the Germans. By the time the Sturmtiger was produced, Luftwaffe air superiority was a long-vanished memory, and wearing such a prominent symbol would have been saying “Here’s your target” to marauding Typhoons, Thunderbolts or Sturmoviks.

Thanks for the info. I didn’t know that. I will try not to put to many flags on my german vehicules.

[Stug]

Darkest Star Games wrote:

Thuseld wrote:

They look good, but my questions is what on earth do you need four Sturmtigers for?

For more bigger BOOM!

All the miniatures I buy are from GHQ and they always come in package of five or sometimes four vehicules. That’s why.

[Stug]

Finally, I have repainted the four of them and, for the first time, I have been able to add the tiny decals. The vehicules appear glossy but that’s because I have just added a layer of matt varnish and it’s not dry yet.

[Stug]

Whirlwind wrote:

Sorry, bit puzzled – are you asking for our favourite blogs, podcasts and whatnot? Or recommendations for those who are interested mainly in WW2? My lists for those questions are quite different, but the ones who make both are (although it is very possible I have missed a couple out inadvertently). There are lots of other ones I really like (e.g. Polemarch, Wargaming for Grown Ups, Wargames Miscellany and Battle Game of the Month) but they don’t cover WW2 all that much, or at all. I listen to Gods Own Scale and Henry Hyde’s podcasts regularly but they aren’t WW2 focused. I listen to other podcasts from time-to-time but I don’t have time to listen to them regularly. Anyway, recommended blogs for WW2 stuff: This. Plus this thread on TMP for Mark 1s stuff. The Games We Play. Shaun’s blog. Steve Jones’ blog. Just Jack’s Blogs (you have to follow the links to get to all the WW2 stuff, it tends to be scattered over several themed blogs). Wargaming Addict. Battlefields & Warriors

Thanks for your recommandations.

Sorry, I was not precise enough. I only wanted WWII related blogs, podcasts and Youtube channels. I changed my title and description.

Thanks again!

[Stug]

Mike wrote:

Like this.

Ok I will try that next time. Thanks for the tip.

[Author]

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