The Moon's a Diarylea carton (Part 2)..... and relax

Well as you may remember just 5-6 days ago I posted (Part 1) and this is part 2 the final part. Well at least final for now.

Most of the rest is repetitive to do and needs to be left alone overnight. Perhaps longer if you applied the sand paint and glue mixture to thickly. THEREFORE do it somewhere it will not et disturbed, that is dry and no one  else wants to use and NO ONE minds if it gets dirty. IT WILL>

You will need 3 or preferably 4 (or more ) coats. It all depends on how much repair you are willing to do and how roughly they are to be treated.

Mix up the paint, glue and a small drop of water. You will know how much water with experience, and the only way to get experience is to do it! As a staring place I would suggest a LITTLE water. As it is just to thin the paint and the glue. I Try to use about 1 part water to 6-8 parts paint, it all depends on how much glue is already in the mix.

Paint the boards with this mixture. And then using a sieve sprinkle sand on the boards, making sure to cover all of the boards with first the paint/glue mixture and then again with the sand.
DO NOT try to brush the sand off!
Wait overnight (at least 25 hours preferred). For some people (Author looks sheepish) this is the hardest part

Repeat as mentioned above a MINIMUM of 3 times. (each time does make it stronger, BUT you do lose a little definition. So Plan on it taking 4 days  MINIMYM.


Remove excess sand at each coat. I find simply tipping it works very well. Repeat the tipping on all sides to make sure you have all the excess sand off before starting the next coat.

Keep the sand safe and use again on later coats.

If it is clumpy It has not had long enough to dry. Which means It has had too much water in the mix! If it is clumpy leave it alone for 2 more days (Perhaps longer is the weather is wet>.

While each step only takes 30 minutes or so, but drying time is MUCH longer.

When you are satisfied (remember a minimum of 3 coats and ample drying time). Paint it with emulsion paint your base colour. feel free to water the emulsion down a LITTLE as it then gives better coverage. If you water it down to much it will need 2 or perhaps more coats. (But usually not)

Leave it to dry (Again) overnight.

The final stage is to dry brush the op colours on. I use a 3"  or 4" brush for speed Bought in a pack from Poundland.

You will need to work up through the layers until you get to the highlight coat. So while you do TRY to keep brush marks out it is not a complete disaster if some occasionally show in the early stages.

Later coats will make any brush strokes less visible. feel free to work the colour into each and every contour. The boards if done properly should at this stage be strong enough, unless you are very heavy handed or super strong and determined.  But if you are maybe making terrain is not for you.

This stage should not take long if you have all the preparation done. If you start to early the sand will clump and you will struggle to get a good result. But I honestly finished the painting of both boards at this stage within 30 minutes. Preparation is the key and waiting for it to dry properly is VITAL.

DESIGN: When I made my first boards I had too many craters. So be aware of that. These boards have far fewer and are designed to allow other terrain features to be added later.

I decided on some open areas for 2 reasons. Firstly I did need some additional terrain , such as buildings (I will start a Farm in a week or 2), 2 because not every inch of the moon has been hit by a meteor, 3) some open spaces make a better game I have found.  (too much cover leads to a certain type of game and too little cover also leads to a certain type of game.

Finally:These 2 boards bring my moonscape (as I call it) up to an area of 6 foot by 4 foot. And if need be I could make it MUCH larger, limited only by time, storage and money. Ido not at this stage need a larger area so 6x4' is where (at least for now) I will stop.

Thanks for looking. All the best Clint

More Gruntz. 15mm sci fi

Let me start by saying I thought I had lost my camera, but instead It was put somewhere "Safe!" And we  all know  what that means.

Yes I know the line is not perfectly straight. BUT it is close enough for me on a small vehicle. All the figures are 15mm Sci Fi. Look away now if you only like historical.  First up a specialist Medic in an ambulance or as I am going to call it a MASH vehicle. Mostly I will just say MASH, (Mobile Army Surgical Hover-Vehicle). You wil I am sure note te French roundals on the  door. (A common theme on all my Sci Fi Gruntz  French Interstellar Legion (FIL) Troops. He also has a medical robot with him but still has to carry a couple of (No doubt) both heavy and delicate cases. Things do not change.

Ok the Specialist Medic is as follows.

Base cost 1 Point
Wounds 5 ( he's a non-combatant) 5 Points
Guard Average +3 points
Soak 10 +0 points
Shoot green +0 points
Assualt Green +0 points
Mental (veteran =5 Points)
Skill Green +0 points
Total 14/2= 7 points

Perks Medic +4 Points =11 points.

No weapons at all. His job is to heal NOT fight)

MASH
base Cost 1
Scout  size +8 points
Hover motion +2
NO weapons at all

Total points cost 10 points .It's just a run about for the medic. All it does is transport te medic and his equipment. Nothing more. But I am sure some players will target it you know what they are like.

Not sure where the Robot came from, but the medic is part of Brigade games crew pack and the MASH is a Brigade games Mercenary hover jeep (A nice kit modified but costs £3)

 Next uip are some Ground zero games figures that were NOT part of the French Interstellar Legion But they needed a lick of paint. in my head (only) they are corporate mercenaries set to  guard a site. What they are aculally is a mystery. I must have either bought them while feeling flush of they were given to me I do not recall at this time.

Autumn Skirmish from my bit of heaven!

Yesterday I was at a small and local show. So I shall do a show report later, but first the loot. Not the biggest haul I grant you and Only 1 "Impulse Buy" . I say Impulse buy as it was pre-ordered but following the show I am not sure it is needed. Oh well I am sure It shall find a home in a project at sometime.
Here's what I got.

• Spray Varnish. I had nearly run out so as easy to stock up at the show as to get anywhere else.
• 4 Pots of Paint. All replacement colours except the Purple. Ony the 2nd Purple I have bought in my life and the first one (an old GW one) dried up in the hot weather.
• 50mmx50mm mdf Bases. Yes I do need these and not for cavalry as has been suggested. Ray dis ask and I said I need them for Medic stands. (See later in the week)
• And a Victorian Photographer. (This now turn out to be an impulse buy as I scrap some plans and move forward with others.

Things arising: Well this is out of Order. But following the show I was relieved to be left with a feeling of wargaming Brotherly love. But also some disappointment. I did have plans for games at shows next year but they have been quashed. However I do have New ideas. Victorian Photographer is no longer needed, but back to the 6mm scale which I love!

The games:


Medway wargames Society
Dave and Paul
Playing a 28mm Fantasy game

15mm Dragon Rampant.
This is my kind of game.
Would have quite happily swapped.
"The Old Guard"

Another game I would quite like to be involved in.
28mm Crusades "Soldiers of God "Rules
I forgot the club name
 

A Roman Skirmish game
Sorry I forget the rules and the club.
28mm if that helps at all.
(Think Broken Legions but not sure)

Maidstone Wargames Club
28mm WW1
Much more Info on "Whisperin Al's Blog"
I say this without checking as he was one of the players.

28mm Skirmish wargames Club.
North Africa 1918 French Foreign Legion against Berbers
Using their own rules.

"Privateers of London club
For once NOT doing a naval game which they tend to.
20mm, Unknown rules.

Milton Hundreds Club
(You meet in Sittingbourne so why you do not call yourself the
Sittingbourne Wargames Club, I do not know)
15mm Team Yankee Rules.

Herne Bay/Whistable club.
20mm WW2 Using Rules of Engagement (I think)
Larry and Dave
2 nicer wargamers it is hard to meet.



Gravesend (I think) put on a couple of games
Blood bowl or the right
and "0mm Rapid Fire (I think) on the left.

Our club Game. Yes it was 28mm Napolionic (A period I dislike because of the way others feel it is both important to get the details right (You cannot use that figure as it has the wrong colour buttons, they were Brass and not bronze!). You get the idea!

28mm Black Powder rules French vs Prussian

My start area
Peter and Alex opposite me
Graham on the right

Bob and later Gary were also playing French.
All tarrain and Troops were supplied by Tim

I got of to a good start and all my units could move in my first turn.
And then the Dice gods failed me!
I had about 3 turns in a row of doing nothing!

See Positions exactly the  same for me.
Luckily  Peter opposite was also luck with the dice.
And while he was at times able to shoot the Majority
of his Landwere did about as much as my French
Which is to say NOTHING!

Finally able to move my Hussars they charged the Skirmishers.
Which held!
Not sure that would have been a real life outcome but the dice gods hate me at times.
Nothing else to say.

 Overall this is about as far as I got with the game. partially as the show was winding down and partially because I lost interest.

Napolionics... Hmm I would rather play tiddly winks.

Thanks for looking More in 2 days as I work on some terrain and some Gruntz specialists. very tempted to get side tracked, thinking Renaissance Italians! But do not hold me to that!

All the best and thanks for looking!