Pegasus bridge part 3

This project was finished for June 6th this year so I am way behind getting this last piece posted. The first two posts were going very nicely explaining how I was doing things. Unfortunately, shortly after posting part two my back went so all I was concentrating on was finishing the job in time for D day and I totally forgot to take any more WIP photos. This is the last in the series about the project and therefore is just covering the day of the re fight. York club very kindly sent me some photos of it in action. I always like getting these as I hardly ever see my work being played with so these photos are great.

This was how the whole table looked. The two bridges were scratch built along with all the boards and buildings. The trees were supplied by the Model Tree shop (http://themodeltreeshop.co.uk/). They have a massive selection of trees to cover most budgets.

Here is a good view of Pegasus bridge. I used a mix of plasticard, laser cut mdf and plastic strip for the bridge. I had to make it shorter than the real thing as we were very short of space so compromises had to be made.

This is the whole bridge. The original bridge is a lift bridge. The model didn't move! You can just see Cafe Gondaree on the right of the photo.

This is a better shot of it on the banks of the canal. The roof comes off and the windows are laser cut so you can get figures in the windows and work out line of site etc.

The other bridge on the layout was over the river. Both bridges were taken by the paras on the night of 6th June and were vital for the success of the invasion. The model's detail is all laser cut- the lattice work below the road way and the railings are all laser cut. I am finding laser cutting to be indispensable.

The game didn't just revolve around the bridges. This is the ground between the bridges. The game had this area alot smaller than the real space but again gaming limits dictated what we could do.
Of course the game wouldn't be complete without lots of British paras..

The gliders are resin from Grand Manner. I don't know whose the para figures are.
That is it for this one. A nice quick one to finish off the month.

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.

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.