The Grey Harbour House

Introduction

As part of my ongoing efforts to produce terrain for games of Pulp Alley and Congo, I decided that I need a small, coastal village or port.  Obviously that'll require an extensive water feature and some boats (such as the steam launch which was the subject of my last article) - but that isn't my immediate focus.  For now, a village just isn't going to work without some houses or huts...

The Missionary's House

The first building is simple: it could be either the house for a missionary or a local trader.  This MDF kit comes from TTCombat, where it is sold as "Grey Harbor House A" for £10 (note the U.S. spelling of "Harbor", even though TTCombat is, I believe, a UK-based company).  It's a fairly basic MDF and greyboard kit of a planked, wooden house set on brick foundations.

I've scratch-built a thatched roof for the building; this seems more versatile than the kit's original roof for the relatively uncivilised parts of the world in which I'm likely to set games.  It's the first time that I've used teddy-bear fur in a model and I'm not sure I combed it out as well as I might.  One side is much flatter than the other; the fur fabric seems to have a "grain" or direction and I was combing against it on the near side you can see in the picture and with the grain on the far side.

As an aside, TTCombat also sells Grey Harbor "B" and "C" models which have a similar style but which are a bit larger (the "C" house has 2 storeys).  It would be entirely possible to build a complete settlement from just these types.

Now here's something of a mess.  I've tried twice to fit the interior of the building with a plank texture, printed once on paper and then (when that failed miserably) printed onto cardboard.  The glued-down result has been as you can see: wrinkled, shrunken and with extremely poor colour retention.

I really don't understand why this has been such a disaster (twice!), but I'll have to do something to remedy it; I cannot leave it as it is.  The floor of the model did have scribed planks, but I thought it would be awkward to paint these and I chose the printed paper route instead.  I'm wishing that I hadn't gone down this route now...

As sold, the model has a simple, MDF, tiled roof.  I painted this up as well; you can see it in the photo above.  This gives me the option of making the building more or less "civilised" to fit in with the setting for a particular game.  Indeed, the tiled roof could probably be used for games set in the present day for many of the warmer parts of the world.

Conclusion

I'm sure that this will be a very useful building, especially with the choice of roofs, but it's not enough on its own!  And I'll need to fix the flooring; it's really awful...

Warbases 28mm MDF Land Rovers

Introduction

If you're a regular reader then you may remember that I visited the Claymore 2016 show recently.  Amongst my purchases were a couple of Land Rover kits from Warbases, a local(-ish) Scottish company.

I've been on the lookout for some early Land Rover models for quite a while; these could be used as British farm vehicles or as light army transports (especially for the Brigadier and his UNIT troops from Doctor Who).  Alternatively, with a different paint job and a lot of stowage, they could be part of some long-range, cross-continent expedition.  A Land Rover painted with white and black zebra stripes could be the wheels for game wardens in the savannah (anyone remember "Daktari", I wonder?).  In fact, they are very versatile & rugged vehicles and could be used for almost anything from the 1950s onwards!

The Kits

I was delighted to find that Warbases makes Land Rover MK1 kits; I'm guessing that these are a new addition to their catalogue since I don't remember hearing about them until recently.  The vehicles come in SWB (short wheelbase) and LWB (long wheelbase) versions; both kits are priced at £7.00 .  They're the right vintage for my purposes and they don't cost too much - but how well do they work?

The LWB Land Rover kit has a somewhat surprising 53 parts, laser cut from a variety of materials including strong MDF for the body shell, thinner card for the skin and textured card for the floor.

Note that the door window frames (not attached) are not part of the Warbases kit

So, how was this model to build?  Firstly, the instructions: there aren't any in the kit.  Instead the company's website is given, along with the information that the instructions can be downloaded from there.  That's fine; it saves paper and packaging cost.

Now, you can call me stupid if you like, but I had some difficulty in finding the downloadable instructions on the Warbases site.  They are there, but it took me a while to find the link, though it seems obvious in hindsight.  Another disappointment was that once downloaded, the instruction document wasn't very easy to follow.  It consists of a large number of small, slightly blurry photographs following the stages of construction.  I had some difficulty in deciding which pieces were needed for each stage, particularly for the early steps.

OK, I'm an experienced model-maker.  Using the instruction sheet, I worked it out and despite the large number of pieces, the kit went together very rapidly.  Note that I did the build over several sessions, as I found it necessary to clamp some of the curved parts around the front of the vehicle (and leave them to dry) before proceeding with the next stage.

Good points:

• All the parts were very well cut and only required a little nick to separate them from their sheets.
• The use of a cardboard skin (especially on the sides and rear) covers over the otherwise obvious MDF slots and joints very nicely.  It also allows for some extra detailing, such as the door handles & hinges.  A nice touch.
• More generally, the mixture of types of material in the kit allows for the necessary curves and thinner parts (e.g. windshield), whilst still maintaining a good, rigid base structure.

Not so good:

• The instructions, whilst better than nothing, were poor.
• The cardboard sides were cut slightly short, I felt.  I needed to use a little filler  to neaten up the corners.
• The bonnet (the hood, if you're American) was a bit awkward, as the cardboard needed quite a tight curve around the edges.  Although the part was scored for this, it still took some effort to get it to fit neatly.  I'm not sure how this could have been done differently, mind.
• The joints (tabs & slots) between the MDF parts were slightly loose.  I'd have preferred these to have a little less play in them, though they worked well enough once glued.

Extending the model

I decided even before I started on the first of my pair of Land Rovers that I wanted to make them quite distinct from each other.  The most obvious way to do this was to give one of them a soft top, but there was a problem: the Warbases model has a windshield but doesn't come with any windows for the driver's or passenger's doors.

I've looked at a number of photos of Mk1 Land Rovers over the last week or so and they do come in a number of configurations.  The Warbases version with no door windows  is certainly a valid version, though it seems to me that it's less common than vehicles which do have them.

Click on the image above to download the PDF containing the correctly-scaled pattern

To fill this void, I constructed some door windows (cut from thick plastic card) for both of my Land Rovers and added a frame for a canopy to one of them.  These are fairly crude and probably not particularly accurate with respect to any Land Rover blueprints, but they work for me.  I used some cloth to cover the hooped frame; this was actually quite difficult as I wanted to be able to remove the canopy during painting so as to be able to paint the inside of the vehicle.

Painting

I didn't put a lot of effort into painting the 2 Land Rovers.  They were primed, then coated all over with olive.  Details were picked out in dark grey or silver (tan for the seats, lichen grey for the canvas canopy) and then each model was given a black wash.

Finally, a couple of tiny orange and red dots were added to the rear, as indicator & stop lights.  Job done!

Conclusion

I'm very happy with the way that these kits have turned out.  They were models that I had wanted for some time (though I'm now mildly irritated to discover that 1970s UNIT used an SWB Land Rover, not the LWB versions that I have here).  I'd be very happy to buy further Warbases kits, if there were any that suited my gaming genres.

Cost: 4/5.  Not too expensive, but I've seen other kits of similar size that are cheaper.  Then again, those have less complexity...

Construction: 3.5/5:  Poor instructions, slightly loose parts, some filling needed.  Despite these caveats, finishes into a well-detailed model with little hint of its internal MDF construction.

Usefulness: 5/5.  Land Rovers can be used for almost any setting, almost any time from 1948 onwards and for almost any purpose (military, domestic, wilderness, rural...).

Overall: 4/5.  A very nice piece once built, though you might wish to add some extra details.

Billboards from TTCombat

Introduction

There are some very impressive MDF kits available for gamers these days.  Not only are the various vendors producing the obvious models of buildings, but increasingly they are also making vehicles, crates, pylons and other "scatter" elements.

TTCombat is one such manufacturer; they have a huge range of model kits that I might describe as "gamer friendly" or perhaps "cheap and cheerful".  Their buildings often have useful interior fittings, yet they are clearly designed for use in wargames as they are not totally faithful to real world sizes and layouts.

For example, the TTCombat "Sovereign" cinema has just 20 seats and no toilets or projection booth.  However, it does have plenty of open spaces where one could place figures during a game.  Not many movie theatres in the real world would fit this profile - and yet it's a lovely model that could play a central role in many tables set in urban USA or UK over the last 100 years or so.  Anyway, I digress...

Billboards

So, I bought a very simple TTCombat kit to start with: the billboard set.  This contains 2 identical billboard models for the princely sum of £3.95, postage free.  Yes, that's right; these models are cheaper than a takeaway meal for one!

Construction

Early stages of construction.  I found it easiest to start by fitting the legs to the underside of the platform

There were no instructions in the billboard kit and I didn't bother to look online to see if there are any available for download.  These are reasonably simple models and I put them together very easily with intuition alone.  Just remember that most of the parts plug into the long, rectangular "platform" piece.

On the whole, the pieces of the model went together very well indeed:

• The fit was typically firm enough to hold in position, but not so tight that the pieces couldn't be separated again after dry-fitting.
• I did use some filler on the upper side of the platform to hide the leg joints, though you could manage without this.
• The overhanging lights didn't match their sockets quite as I expected; it seemed as if the sockets weren't quite deep enough.

Finishing

These were incredibly easy to paint, at least in part because I wanted to see how they would turn out with minimal effort:

• Undercoat in grey primer.
• Paint white around the edge of the poster "frame".
• Use a black wash all over.
• Paint the undersides of the lights in pale yellow (though it's actually quite hard to see this detail, so it could be omitted).
• Print a suitable advert onto paper (12cm x 6cm) and glue it to the billboard.
• Seal.  I used a spray varnish, so this only took a few seconds.

Verdict

These billboards are so cheap that your time and effort to build and store them are probably more significant than the material cost.  How do they do that?  For me, the low price actually had the unexpected effect of making me want to finish the billboards as simply as possible, on the principle that they weren't "worth" putting in a lot of work.  Don't be taken in by this; just because they are cheap and easy does not mean that these models are worthless!

Cost: 5/5.  I don't see how these could be much cheaper unless TTCombat gave them away.

Construction: 4/5.  No instructions, but parts fitted together well.

Usefulness: 4/5.  A good scenic element, though the billboards are a bit top-heavy and might need to be based.

Overall: 5/5.  Inexpensive, useful, easy to build, excellent value for both time and money.

Supreme Littleness: In the Potting Shed

Introduction

I've been wondering how to make mode flower pots and seed trays for some time now.  Why, I hear you ask?  Well, I've got a part-finished 28mm  greenhouse from Blotz and I don't want the benches inside it to appear bare and sterile.  Small details perhaps, but it matters to me...

Now, I could have just scratch-built some model seed trays - but I never seemed to have enough time (or maybe it was the inspiration that was lacking?) and so nothing happened.

Supreme Littleness

As it happens, I also found myself in need of a small crate for a 7TV2 base I'm planning to make (I'll have to leave you guessing on this one, though here's a probably useless hint: S.I.G.).  So, small crates and trays: I wonder if anyone sells such models already?

Once the idea to hunt the web had formed, a quick Google search came up with a company that I hadn't heard about before: Supreme Littleness.  They have quite a variety of MDF clutter, including all manner of different boxes, crates and barrels.  A small order was fulfilled very rapidly and at low cost (it helps that these small sheets of MDF and fibreboard can be sent cheaply, by letter post).

So, what did I get?

Medium crates (19mm) and Long crates

 Firstly, a minor word of caution about ordering from Supreme Littleness's web site.  The pictures of their packaging kits and the (text) descriptions are in 2 columns on the ordering page, but the text in each column doesn't necessarily align with the correct picture.  I had intended to order the "Assorted boxes" packet, but ended up with the "Shallow boxes" instead.  It's not a disaster, but it's not quite what I wanted.  My mistake, through not being careful enough.

As it happens, these crates and boxes are rather too large for my current project, but they'll find a use for something in due course.  Perhaps the long crates might be cases of rifles being trafficked by gun-runners in a game of Pulp Alley?

Shallow Boxes.  The one on the left is made up as the manufacturer intended; the other 4 have been converted.

As well as the crates, I also got some "Shallow Boxes", which come in 2 lengths.  The shorter version is very close in size to the open boxes that I'd intended to purchase, so I decided to convert some of them into seed trays rather than putting in another order.  The conversion was very simple: use just the lower layer of MDF, add the pre-cut ends (with the carrying handles) and add some straight sides cut from scrap fibreboard.  Sand has been glued in 3 of them to model dirt; once this has been painted then I'll add some flock to represent seedlings.

Conclusion

Could I have made these myself?  Of course I could - I've got all the raw materials and the tools & skills necessary to build such items from scratch.  But that would have taken time and, what with family and job, I don't have as much of that as I'd like.  For me, the investment of a small amount of money instead is a very obvious decision!

Now if only I could find a way to make flower pots in 1:56th scale!

Petite Properties

Introduction

Very recently, someone posted a link to their blog article on The Miniatures Page.  That's not unusual, of course (done it myself a few times!), but what caught my attention was that the author had collected links to a number of dolls' house manufacturers who made smaller-scale items.  I'm annoyed that I cannot remember the original author, in order to give him proper credit for inspiring me!  [Edit: Zabadak has correctly identified the original post as coming from Shedwars.  Thanks to both Zabadak and the author of Shedwars]  Here's what happened next...

I looked through the catalogues for the various dolls' house manufacturers and filtered out most of them.  Either they were too expensive or they only had a very small range in a scale that might suit me.  However, one company really caught my eye: Petite Properties.  They have a large range of cottages, houses, churches and the like in 1:48 scale.  They also sell a lot of smaller items with which to furnish these houses or their gardens and surroundings.  Since the prices were fairly cheap, I thought that I'd buy a few kits as testers.

The remainder of this article describes the 3 kits I've build (or part-built) so far, though none of them are painted yet.  I've shown them with some half-painted "28mm" figures beside them so that you can judge the size and decide whether the 1:48 items are too large.  Note that I've used quotes around "28mm"; the young man with the suitcase (from Reaper) is more like 31mm base-to-eye.  The woman with the golf club (Wargames Factory) is a digital sculpt and is probably the truest shape and size of the 3 figures.

The Hen House

This is a sweet little kit with a surprising number of parts to it.  I don't think I'd recommend it for raw beginners (some of the pieces are very small), but it should be straightforward for most modellers.

Amazingly, the hen house even has a removable roof and detailed interior - a roosting bar and divided nest box!  The cost of this kit is £1.75.

The Old Lych Gate

A lych gate is a covered, gated passage often found at the entrance to churchyards in England (and elsewhere?).  I plan to use this as the way into a "gothic" graveyard - when I eventually get round to that project.

This is a much more substantial structure than the other pieces in this article, but for all that it wasn't too hard to build.  The walls were probably the most tricky - and that only because some blocks of 3mm MDF needed to be "doubled up" to produce 6mm thick parts.  Cost: £5.99

The Cold Frame

I haven't finished building this model, for the obvious reason that I need to paint some or all of it before sticking the windows together.  Acetate squares are supplied for the glazing, though I haven't shown them in this picture.

This was probably the simplest of the 3 kits to build; it's certainly the one with the fewest parts!  Once again, the cost is £1.75

Conclusion

I'm very happy with the way these models so far.  They're a touch big for 28mm figures, but of course the figures have a base which adds to their height and this helps to hide the difference.

As well as entire buildings and the outdoor elements that I've shown here, Petite Properties also make plenty of indoor furnishings including packs to furnish an entire schoolhouse or church.  I can see these being very useful!  The style of their ranges is very definitely centred around a slightly romantic 1930s English village, but I don't see why much of their product couldn't be used in other time periods or other geographical areas.  Have a look for yourself!