Hello to all my wargaming friends. yes its me again. Paul T. Trapani from sunny Southern Poplarville, Ms. Where the deer, skunks, armadillos and domestic cows roam. just wanted to let you all know that the "Boxer Rebellion" has become a reality for me for the last 3 months. And the scale is 54mm from all over the place. Let me dive right in.
I now have a 6'8" x 20' long table with all portable terrain. This is set up in my own private shed out back. Well, let me get to the details about the project. I used hunters green colored king size sheets for ground cover. I have constructed an 8 foot long Peking wall made of corrugated board boxes in 12" sections. These are approximately 13" high with ramps and enough room for cannons and men. It has an entrance in the center piece and water-gate at the far end where felt river runs along the edge of the table.
I also have felt roads and streets in the city. The walls were glued together with Elmers yellow Wood Glue by the gallon. I used masking tape to hold parts together while they dry. I then sprayed with a stone look paint available from Wal-Mart. The wall stretches diagonally at the end of the table across the 6'8" span. Really looks good.
I bought 2 San Juan Hill play sets and got them cheap. I built a stone wall 4 1/2" high by using cardboard and pea-gravel. I buttered the cardboard with dark gray Silicone and piled the gravel on top. I let this dry for about 3 days. I then took the two Hacienda buildings and spray painted with Krylon flat white. The roof was painted a dark blue satin Krylon, and sealed with Krylon matte finish. I made a two story palace on top of rock walls along with stone and wood back and front steps. I also stained the stone floors with a burnt umber wash.
I also have a doll house that my daughter had when she was little. Perfect scale for 54's. It has two floors with an open back. I plan to use this for another building in Peking City. And yet another building - a "My Little Pony Barn." I am going to make a Chinese dock and warehouse market to go alongside the river. Good sturdy plastics.
Now for the figures for the set, I used the Spanish for Chinese. I trimmed all the cuffs off the pants using an X-Acto knife. I used concave washers for instant coolies along with some Squadron putty. There are 5 bands of 6 figures each. These painted up well because the uniforms were very plain. Each band has a different color. All the other figures from the playset were used for American infantry, Marines, and British Navy. All have gatling guns and machine guns to go with each group. I used Call to Arms British 24 1h Foot for Italians, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, French Marines and German Sea Battalion. The hats or helmets all lend themselves to be similar. The belts cross the chest but, who cares, they still look good.
I purchased two ECW cannons to use for Chinese guns. These are perfect. Armies In Plastic just came out with the Boxers. I am now grateful for that. I purchased 8 boxes. I wrote a letter to the company and suggested they produce artillery, artillerists, and rockets.
Again bought some cheap ACW figures from a toy rack in a grocery store, of all places. To my surprise there were 2 cannons, limbers & horses, along with lots of command figures. Flag bearers also. I used some ACW for Gurkas. I use corks for small hats. I use 5 minute epoxy for all conversions and basing.
Basing: I use 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" cardboard squares. Patch the edges of the cardboard with wood putty. Not the kind that you mix with water, use the other kind of pre-mixed that smells like airplane glue. When this stuff dries, it strengthens the cardboard. Had some around the house in about a quart can.
I got hold of some naval cannons from Barzso. Great stuff. I am building a Chinese junk gunboat to compliment the game. Plan to build other ships later. I used cardboard for the ships also with wood masts and cloth sails. The scale that I use for ships is called Squat 54. This means wider rather than longer, to be able to fit figures. You don't need a full scale boat unless you have a table as big as a house.
Figure formula: wash figure in detergent. Dry. Prime with flat white Krylon spray paint. Paint with desired colors. Seal with Modge Podge from a craft store. Then final spray with Krylon matte finish. This makes for a sturdy durable figure.
The reason that I acquired this collection is that I sold all of my lead. I would like to tell you all that 54mm is the way to go. Especially because there is more and more available now than ever. I hope my progress report helps you out on your 54mm projects. 54's are coming back in a big way. You can use more things from around your place or hardware store and craft stores for buildings. Much more than the small scale lead. As I make new discoveries I will pass them along in my next progress report. If anyone can add or just wants to chat, call me or write. 'Til next time remember, "Open them doors to 54's."
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© Copyright 2000 Hal Thinglum
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