When I first developed an interest in the Mexican-American War, I spent the vast majority of time buying figures, converting figures and painting figures. I became so involved in the task of building the wargame armies that I gave very little thought to anything else. Once the armies grew to a respectable size I began to have some simple, straight ahead confrontational style battles. But like every wargamer, I needed more. It was then that I realized that the battles I was fighting lacked something distinctive about them to let everyone know that these weren't everyday type armies; these were armies fighting in Mexico.
For those of you who have never tried, let me clue you in, you cannot go down to the local hobby shop ormodel train store and find buildings suitable for Mexico. There are some beautiful buildings there, but not one that can be used "South of the Border". Now I will concede that there are some gaming buildings that may be used of the middle east styles, but these are limited in number and not entirely satisfactory. What I felt was needed were some buildings that truly reflected the climate and flavor of Mexico. What follows are some ideas that I wish to share on some different means of producing the required buildings without a large output of time, effort and money.
I am fully aware that not every building in Mexico is made of adobe construction. But put an adobe style building on the table and immediately visions of the Cisco Kid and Poncho Villa begin dancing in everyone's head. Therefore, for my purpose of giving a distinctly Mexican flavor to the tabletop, I am very liberal in spreading around the adobe haciendas. So I will begin by explaining the mechanics of a very simple adobe building.
I have found that the simplest method for this style of building is to find a block of wood in the appropriate size you wish the structure to be. On this block of wood, pencil in all the doors and windows you want represented. It has been my experience that cardboard templates are useful in maintaining equal sized doors and windows in the model structures. Decorative trim may be added using basla wood strips and white glue. Additionally, wooden braces may be included on the model using'/4 inch dowels. This bracing is the distinctive wooden poles that are often seen along the roof lines of Hollywood adobe style buildings. It appears these bracings tend to be exposed in the border areas and frontier regions more so than in the more developed city areas where a more finished appearance would exist. To place these braces, cut the dowels to a length of approximately 1/2 inch. Then, using a 1/4 inch drill bit, bore a series of holes approximately 1/2 inch from the top of the roof line an equal distance apart around the entire circumference of the building. The depth of these bores should be only 1/4 inch to allow for a portion of the dowel to remain exposed.
After all the trim and pencilled-in features are completed, the "adobe" may be applied. There are two methods of applying the model adobe that I have found to be effective. The first method is by far the faster, but leaves a rougher look to the finished product -- possibly ideal for lower social class dwellings and structures.
The first method requires a small container of very fine sandbox or beach quality sand and white glue. With your finger or brush apply a thin coat of white glue to the building, making sure that those parts of the structure where windows or doors will be remain free of glue. Do not apply glue to the top or the bottom of the structure or to any bracing that you installed. After the sides have been coated, gently "roll" the structure into a medium size pan that contains approximately one inch of sand. When sand has adhered to every location where you have applied white glue, set the buildingaside and allow itto dry. Once the building has dried, dry brush the entire structure with a pinkish, tan coloring. Afterwards, using the templates used for the windows and doorways, re-pencil in the openings in the areas allowed for them. At this stage you may choose to either model miniature doors and windows or, do as I have done on mine and simply colorthem in using dark brown magic markers with accents of shading in black. Around the top of the structure, approximately 1/4 inch from the outside edge, draw a solid line which will give the impression of an edge between the walls and the roof section of the building. This roof section may be painted as if covered with boards or leftthe same coloras the adobe walls. The bracings, if added, will be painted in natural wood tones. Ideas for finishing touches may include painting exposed brick areas where the adobe finish has fallen off, painting business names or operations on the building, graffiti scrawled on the walls, etc. One popularform of decoration was the painting of one or two brightly colored stripes around the base area of the building (Figure A). On several of my own buildings I have used light gauge wire to construct wrought iron grill and decorative work (possibly a little too time consuming, but effective). For those of a more industrious nature, model railroad shops often carry sheets of plastic roofing materials for scratch built structures. One type available is of red tile design. This is perfect for the addition of tiled roof sections or tiled awnings. A simple wedge of balsa cut to the appropriate size and attached to the structure acts as a suitable base upon which to secure the tiled roof section (Figure B).
The second method by which the adobe finish maybe added is with the use of pre-mixed spackling compound used for repairs to plaster walls. A small container of this mixture is priced under $3.00 and includes enough compound for several buildings. This mixture is simply smoothed onto the structure in the desired areas, again avoiding those areas where windows and doorways are designated to be placed. I found that for the easiest method of application, a slightly damp forefinger works best. Do not apply too thickly, but just thin enough to leave an impression of texturing. When the mixture is dried on the building, finish as described above.
Comments by returning Mexican-American War veterans told us that the Mexican buildings were frequently surrounded by a wall or had an attached courtyard surrounded by an adobe wall. These walls may be either attached to the building structure itself and the whole placed onto a terrained piece of tile, plastic or bass wood, or done separately to allow for greater flexibility of use. For walls, buy strips of balsa wood of desired height, cut to length and secure them. Round off all the top edges with a file to give a worn appearance. Extra care will be needed to join comers in a natural fashion (small mitre boxes are available in most hobby shops). Archways and games may be included as needed using the same techniques. All gates, archways and wall sections will be finished off in similar manner as the buildings.
A simple trick of use in making straight wall sections is to attach the base of the wall section to a very thin piece of sheet plastic which is then terrained so as to blend in with the game table surface. This small piece gives the wall section greater stability and reduces the likelihood of wall sections repeatedly falling over during the course of the game (Figure C).
Finally, to give the impression of an arid, lonely Mexican countryside, place one or two cactus plant models on the table, in strategic locations. Usually not kept in stock, these models may be ordered from model railroad shops and are minimal in price (Geo-Hex also sells them - ED).
Often, with a small mount of effort, the true flavor of an era may be augmented by the appropriate buildings and foliage. It is hoped that the construction ideas just detailed prove useful for any gamer refighting conflicts in "South of the Border" areas. If your enjoyment is increased with these hints, this article's purpose has been served.
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