Industrial buildings part 2

I said last week that I would have more photos of the factories including an even bigger one. I have finally got round to the photography (I photograph outside using natural light and it has been a bit of a challenge to find a gap in the rain to do the camera work).
I thought I would also add a bit more detail on the models.
There are three in total so far, two of which have already been photographed but I thought I would show them again just for continuity.
The smallest one is the one story white factory unit:

This model has a footprint of 20" long and 8" wide and is 7" high at the roof apex.
The smaller of the red brick factories:

This factory has a similar footprint to the white building- 20"x9" but is 10" high to the top of the vent on the roof and the chimney is just over 12" tall.

The third factory is the biggest with an area covering 21"x 18" and is over 12" at its highest point.

The windows are all resin but I think when I do it again I will get them laser cut. The crane in at the rear of the factory comes from Skytrex's range of O gauge railway. They do a number of different ones and are well worth the money- it adds that special bit of detail that you would be very tricky to scratch build.
The rest of it was built in a similar way to the other units. The walls are embossed plasticard stuck onto a framework made from foam board. The roof is also embossed plasticard, to look like corrugated iron sheets.
The brickwork was painted using a raw sienna base and then washed in burnt umber followed by another wash of black. More washes may be needed after this depending on the look you are after. I then dry brush with a cream just to highlight the bricks and blend everything together. The final touch is to add water streaks and damp patches using raw umber and black if you are looking for a less subtle effect.

I have also taken a few shots of the buildings together. I was very short of space so not the greatest but they give you an idea of how they look together.

That is it for this project for a few weeks. I do still have quite a few more buildings to make but these are the biggest. There will be more updates when I have built a few more.

Pegasus bridge- part 2

One week into the project and things have moved on. I started on the buildings straight away as they will probably be the most time consuming things to make, other than the two bridges. Also, once the buildings are made I know exactly what space to leave them on the board.
The first post showed you the three buildings I had chosen to copy and all three models are just about recognisable as those structures.
Cafe Gondaree is nearly complete except for the roof and painting it. This is the third or forth time I have made this cafe and I have lost count how many times I have painted the 20mm resin version from Ravensthorpe miniatures but I think this latest version is the one I am most happy with.

I have had the windows laser cut to match the real things, I have some good looking louvred shutters and I think I have got the proportions of the model just about right. I also took time getting the brick patterns as close as I could to the original. It is great what you can do with imaginative cutting of brick plasticard.
The detail doesn't show up too well on the photo as I haven't started painting but it is recognisable as the cafe.The model is about 10" long.

The smaller, more decorative structure was great fun to make. I again had to use some imaginative cutting of the brick plasticard as there is quite alot of decorative brickwork on this house. It also has an interesting little protruding room at the side which makes it a bit different. This is now complete except painting and the roof.

I have used laser cut windows again, but in a different style to the cafe.I think this one will look pretty good when it is finished.
The third building, the town hall, I think, still needs some work doing to it. I am in the middle of rendering it's walls but once that is done it will just need painting and the roof adding.

This is the largest building of the three but probably the least interesting. I think it's size will be the eye catching feature of this one. I think it will be a key building in the game.
The boards have also been started but not by much. The wooden carcasses have arrived and I have filled them with polystyrene. They are stacked and drying for a few days ready to be worked on. This picture shows just where they are in the process but it really isn't the most inspiring piece of photography I have ever done!

That is week one complete and I am just about where I wanted to be. Next week will see the bridges complete (just about), the boards sculpted into shape with maybe the beginnings of some texture on them. The buildings won't have moved on much as they are ahead of the game. I don't expect to have had any paint brush touching the job until the week after. So far so good I think.

Trostle Farm- the last installment

This is just a quick one.
I have downloaded some photos that Bob Jones took using the farm model. Bob is a wonder with the camera and he has a great eye for composing an exciting diorama.
I don't think there is much else to be said, other than what reason do you need for lots of eye candy!

Pegasus Bridge in 28mm-Pt1

This is an exciting and time sensitive commission. I have to get Pegasus bridge and its surroundings done and delivered for a re fight on 6th June- 68 years to the day of the real action.
The finished board is to be 8 feet long and 4 feet wide with Pegasus bridge as the centre piece but with the river bridge as well along with room for a German counter attack.

This was the original map I was working to but it seemed the right thing to do to extend it to take into account the Orne river bridge.
In 28mm, it is impossible to do more than just a few buildings to represent any built up areas so we decided on just 3 in the end. I had no choice but to make Cafe Gondaree

This is such a well known landmark for anyone who has an interest in the D Day landings that it would be a crime to leave it off.
The other buildings were harder to decide on but in the end I went for these two:

Both buildings are still there (these images come from Google maps) but they were both around during the fighting so in the end were obvious choices.

I may find that once I have layed out the table then there may be room for more structures but I doubt it.
The two bridges are very functional bridges but I love them. Pegasus bridge itself is just a straight forward iron girder lifting bridge but I just love looking at it.

 This is a photo of the bridge as it was in 1944. Since then, a new bridge has replaced it and the original has been moved to the museum just to the right of where this photo was taken.

the bridge in the museum today

The Orne river bridge is less complicated but has an interesting girder pattern supporting the road way. I am getting this laser cut as the more precise I can do it the better.

The rest of the landscape will be planned as I go although the river bank will be raised a little and the final board must be suitable for it to go to wargaming shows with participation games run on it- so robust but eye catching.

To finish off this first post covering the development of this project, here is the promotional leaflet the club has designed:

I expect another 2 or 3 posts to cover the project with a final one full of photos from the game itself.