I ENJOY WARGAMING IN A WIDE RANGE OF PERIODS AND I HAVE A SHORT ATTENTION SPAN SO THERE ARE CONSTANT DEMANDS BEING MADE ON MY LIMITED TIME ENERGY AND MONEY. THE FOLLOWING PRESENTS SOME WAYS I'VE FOUND TO WORK AROUND THE PROBLEM.
1) MONGOLS
I'VE RECENTLY PURCHASED A 15mm MONGOL ARMY AND THEN REALIZED TO MY DISMAY THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PRINT 120 MEN AND THEIR HORSES!WITHIN A WEEK THE ARMY WAS READY TO USE. I FIRST SPENT SEVERAL HOURS CLEANING ALL THE CASTINGS WHILE WATCHING A GOOD MOVIE ON THE CABLE. I HAD ALREADY CUT THE STANDARD SIZE WRG 7TH EDITION BASES OUT OF HARDBOARD ON THE DAY I ORDERED THE ARMY. IT TOOK LESS THAN I HOUR AND DIDN'T SEEM LIKE A CHORE BECAUSE OF THE INITIAL RUSH OF ENTHUSIASM. IF, LIKE ME, YOU ARE EASILY FOOLED IT HELPS TO TIME YOUR WARGAMING CHORES FOR HIGH ENTHUSIASM TIMES LIKE THESE. OTHERWISE YOUR NEW FIGURES ARE LIKELY TO WIND UP WITH ALL THE OTHER STUFF YOU BOUGHT AND HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO YET.
ANYWAY, I MOUNTED THE UNPAINTED HORSES TO THE BASES AND THEN SPRAY PRINTED THE HORSES AND RIDERS WITH A RUST BROWN PRIMER. AT THIS POINT JAY HADLEY IS PROBABLY PUTTING OUT A CONTRACT ON MOUNTING ON BASES AND SPRAY PAINTING TOOK LESS THAN 1 HOUR. I LET THEM DRY OVERNIGHT. THE NEXT DAY I WASHED ALL THE HORSES WITH VARIOUS SHADES OF BLACK AND BROWN. THIS ALSO WAS VERY FAST. I GAVE EACH HORSE FOUR WHACKS WITH A CHEAP PRINT BRUSH (SIX FOR $1.59). WHEN THEY DRIED THEY LOOKED GOOD. THE REST OF THE WEEK WAS SPENT ADDING VARIOUS OTHER COLORS TO THE HORSES AND RIDERS AND TERRAIN TO THE BASES.
WHAT RESULTED WAS A GOOD BASIC PRINT JOB. I INTEND TO EVENTUALLY ADD FURTHER DETAILS BUT IN THE MEANTIME THE ARMY IS USABLE. THIS TECHNIQUE WONT WIN ANY PAINTING AWARDS BUT THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN IT AGREE THAT IT IS SUCCESSFUL IN TERMS OF EFFECT VS TIME AND EFFORT INVESTED.
2. HARDBOARD
I GOT THIS IDEA FROM A PREVIOUS ISSUE OF MWAN. I VISITED THE LOCAL LUMBER STORE AND GOT A VERY LARGE SHEET OF HARDBOARD FOR THE PRICE I WOULD HAVE PAID FOR A SMALL SHEET OF BALSA WOOD. THE HARDBOARD IS ABOUT 1/10 THE COST OF BALSA AND MUCH STURDIER. ON THE DOWNSIDE, IT IS VERY HARD TO CUT. SOME SORT OF POWERSAW IS A MUST.
3. CASTLES
BORROW YOUR CHILDS SANDCASTLE MOLDS. THERE ARE TOWER AND WALL SECTIONS AVAILABLE. IF YOU HAVE TO YOU CAN BUY THE MOLDS AT ANY FIVE AND DIME FOR ABOUT A BUCK. MAKE MINOR CHANGES TO TASTE TO THE INSIDE OF THE MOLD USING CLAY BORROWED FROM THE KIDS. BUY A 50lb. SACK OF PLASTER OF PARIS FOR ABOUT $10. LUBRICATE THE INSIDE OF THE MOLD WITH SOMETHING FROM THE PANTRY LIKE CRISCO, AND THEN START CRANKING OUT VERY SOLID TOWERS AND WALL SECTIONS. THEY ARE JUST RIGHT FOR 15mm. I CAME UP WITH THIS AFTER REACHING INTO MY POCKET FOR MONEY TO BUY A GEDEMCO NORMAN KEEP AND COMING UP SHORT.
BASE FLOCKING
I LIKE TO MIX BROWN AND GREEN RAILROAD GRASS TO TERRAIN MY BASES. I RECENTLY RAN OUT OF BROWN AND WAS TOO LAZY TO GO GET SOME MORE, SO I WENT INTO THE BACK YARD AND COLLECTED SAND AND DIRT. MIXED WITH THE GREEN GRASS, IT WAS QUITE EFFECTIVE. IT IS ALSO FREE, LOCATED ONLY A FEW STEPS FROM WHERE THE READER IS LOCATED AND IS AVAILABLE IN UNLIMITED QUANTITIES.
FIGURE BASING
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST TO MOUNT 100 FIGURES INDIVIDUALLY ON BALSA WOOD? HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE TO CUT THE BASES? BY MOUNTING THE FIGURES ON PENNIES YOU CUT THE COST TO $1.00 AND THE BASE CUTTING TIME TO 0. EACH PENNY HAS A 20mm FRONTAGE. I HAVE BEEN MEANING TO TRY METAL WASHERS BUT SO FAR I'VE BEEN TOO LAZY TO GET TO THE HARDWARE STORE TO GET SOME. I HAVE ABOUT 1500 SEVEN YEAR WAR FIGURES THAT I'M SLOWLY CONVERTING TO INDIVIDUAL BASES. DUE TO THEIR NUMBERS I HAVE SUPPLEMENTED THIS WITH COMPANY SIZE MOVEMENT TRAYS CUT FROM HARDBOARD. THIS ALLOWS THE BEST OF BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND MULTIPLE MOVEMENT.
TREES, HEDGES ETC.
THESE CAN BE EASILY AND CHEAPLY MADE. THE FOLIAGE IS MADE OF A COTTON LIKE SYNTHETIC FIBER. YOU CAN BUY A LIFETIME SUPPLY FOR NEXT TO NOTHING FROM A CRAFT SHOP. SPRAY PAINT IT GREEN AFTER PULLING IT INTO THE DESIRED SHAPE. INDIVIDUAL TREE TRUNKS CAN BE MADE OF WIRE OR PIPE CLEANER. LARGE PATCHES OF FOREST CAN BE MADE BY FASTENING THE FIBER TO A STYROFORM SHEET OF 'THE DESIRED SIZE AND SHAPE. THE STYROFORM IS SUPPORTED ON WOODEN DOWELS AND THE PERIMETER OF THE FOREST IS BUILT UP WITH LICHEN. THIS HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF CONCEALING TROOPS HIDDEN IN THAT FOREST FROM THE OTHER PLAYERS. AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME THE LID CAN BE REMOVED AND ALL INTERIOR ACTION RESOLVED. SMALL STONES AND TWIGS FROM YOUR BACK YARD CAN BE ADDED FOR EFFECT.I GOT THIS IDEA FROM A FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR GAME GREG NOVAK RAN AT LAST YEAR'S SEVEN YEARS WAR CONVENTION. WHEN I WALKED INTO THE GAME ROOM AND SAW THE HEAVILY WOODED TABLE WITH THE NARROW WINDING "ROAD TO FORT WILLIAM HENRY" RUNNING THROUGH THE MIDDLE, I WAS INSPIRED.
PAINTING HALF NAKED PEOPLE
ESCI AND ATLANTIC HAVE MARKETED PLASTIC FIGURES AT EXTREMELY REASONABLE PRICES IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. SOME OF THE ANCIENT SETS ARE MOLDED IN FLESH COLORED PLASTIC. A FEW YEARS AGO I BOUGHT A FEW HUNDRED ATLANTIC ANCIENT EGYPTIANS FOR ONLY A COUPLE OF BUCKS AND PRIMED THEM IN ONE NIGHT. ALL OF THE VERY NICE FIGURES WERE CAST FLESH COLORED WEARING ONLY A LOINCLOTH. I LEFT THE FLESH ALONE. FIRST I PRIMED EVERYBODY'S SHIELDS AND LOIN CLOTHS WHITE. THEN I PRIMED EVERYBODY'S HAIR AND SPEAR SHAFTS BLACK. BY THIS TIME THE SHIELDS WERE DRY AND A BLACK COW HIDE MOTTLE WAS ADDED. THE BASES WERE PRINTED GREEN AND THE ARMY WAS DONE. ALL FIGURES WERE MOUNTED ON CHEAP CARDBOARD BASES BEFORE I STARTED. THAT WAY ONE HAND MOTION MOVED FOUR FIGURES INSTEAD OF ONLY ONE. MY ONLY OBJECTION TO PLASTIC FIGURES HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT THE PAINT FLAKES OFF THE FLEXABLE PARTS TOO EASILY. PROBLEM AREAS ARE THE WEAPONS AND THE LIMBS. THERE IS NO PAINT TO FLAKE OFF THE EGYPTIANS LIMBS.
MY POOR EARLY EGYPTIANS LACKED HISTORICAL OPPONENTS UNTIL RECENTLY. ESCI RELEASED A SET OF GENERIC BARBARIANS AGAIN CAST IN FLESH COLORED PLASTIC. THESE GUYS ARE PURE HOLLYWOOD ABOUT HALF ARE IN CAVEMAN STYLE ANIMAL SKINS AND THE REST ARE IN TROUSERS, NAKED FROM THE WAIST UP. I LEFT THE ANIMAL SKIN PEOPLE AS THEY WERE AND PAINTED THE TROUSERED VARIETY AS COMPLETELY NAKED BY PRIMING IN BODY HAIR WHERE APPROPRIATE. EN MASSE IT IS EFFECTIVE. AXES ARE BEING PRINTED AS STONE AXES, SPEARS AS FLINT TIPPED, AND SWORDS AS HARDWOOD CLUBS. WHEN I GET THREE HOURS TO SPARE I WILL FINISH UP MY NEOLITHIC HUNTER GATHERERS AND MIGRATE THEN INTO THE NILE DELTA FOR A 3000B.C. BATTLE. I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF BOTH ARMIES TOGETHER COST OVER $20.
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© Copyright 1986 Hal Thinglum
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