The first part of this edition is for Bill W, you know who you are! It shows the construction, I use the term loosely of the farmhouse element of our model of La It'aint. As I said in an earlier posting we are not building an accurate representation of La Haye Sainte, it would be too big and need too many little plastic men to defend it.
Basically it is a large oblong made from foam board braced with balsa wood at the corners. The windows are intended for dolls houses and are obtainable at reasonable prices via Ebay. The doors and other wooden bits are from the stirrers used in Starbucks, other coffee retailers are available. The roof is thick card and balsa, "plastered" with household filler, and the "roof tiles" are from my old business cards, having recently retired this was a cathartic if long-winded exercise. There are around 2,500 on this roof, and the barn, which I have just started, will need even more, however my chequered career history means that I have plenty more to draw upon.
We feel it important that men are able to poke their rifles and firelocks through the windows so the first floor is just a couple of pieces of card glued to balsa supports which also allows access to the ground floor, as in the third picture. The dormer window is a dummy.
Hope all this makes sense, there is nothing difficult or complex going on here, it just needs a lot of time...........
Finally two pictures showing a fusilier company from a French line regiment, getting ready to attack the building once complete. They are converted from a number of sources and I have chosen to depict this regiment in campaign dress with covered shakos and other paraphernalia.
If you do drop by and read this nonsense, please say hello and where you are from and perhaps leave a comment.
Thanks
Eric
Excellent stuff Eric- next stop Hougoumont? Liked the comment about the cathartic exercise of using your old business cards - much better than just shredding them!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bill, A definite no to Hougoumont, too big, we are going to concentrate on the area around the elm tree crossroads and La It'aint. As to the business cards, it's great to see them go in this way, I always viewed them as a vanity item, I probably gave out a total of less than twelve in a somewhat chequered career.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bill, A definite no to Hougoumont, too big, we are going to concentrate on the area around the elm tree crossroads and La It'aint. As to the business cards, it's great to see them go in this way, I always viewed them as a vanity item, I probably gave out a total of less than twelve in a somewhat chequered career.
ReplyDeleteOnce had a set printed up at college with my contact details - within about a month my phone number had changed, I'd moved staff room and my job title was different! On a slightly different note, I recently purchased some old Military Modelling mags from 1973 and there's a 2 page spread in one of them about a new company called Helmet Soldiers! If you let me know the best email address to contact you on, I'll send you a scan of the article if you want.
DeleteHa ha, only good for tiling then?
ReplyDeleteThe article sounds interesting and I'd be grateful if you could scan and send to ericckemp@aol.com.
Many thanks - Eric
hi Eric - trying to spot which makers you have utilised for the French Infantry - can spot some BMC Mexicans, great conversion work and attention to detail, cheers, Dave
ReplyDelete