Wednesday, 30 August 2023

A German church for the Danube campaign 1809 terrain 20

 Last bit of August  terrain, can you tell I  work to last minute  deadlines! 

On the Lead adventure forum there is a chap who posts his terrain builds called Jimbibbly his blog is jimbibblyblog, he hasn't posted on his blog for a while and it's been a while since I was on LAF but I guess he's still doing stuff, he's a professional terrain builder, Oshiro models I think.  There is a thread on LAF of European builds on 300mm/1'0" square bases which are Napoleonic terrain commissions he's done which are exquisite. 

His designs are drawn up in Rhino a 3d architectural package then laser cut and are all bespoke one offs.

 I think they're great so I've decided to try and emulate them using HO railway models, broken toys that my sister was going to throw out from the charity shop in France that she works in ( only for my nephew to say Iain would like that rubbish! True enough!) oh and foamboard, cat litter, stirrers, plastic sheet, Christmas decorations and hardboard. 





The French cast offs are the last image and are combined with half built, half timbered medieval builds and some laser cut Christmas buildings I picked up cheap after the holidays one year.

The church is a Faller railway model I got up without a base or door, I fabricated a replacement door from balsa. The slate roof on the entrance to the yard is one of the few remnants of my airfix waterloo building set from my childhood so I thought I should use it, the tiles are off cuts from my renaissance Italian buildings (now that I have finally finished them!) and the charnal house is another French discarded toy that I have filled the walls in with balsa. 

I've also copied the set up being two 300mm x 150mm pieces that can be swapped around, used separately and are easier to store, which as I continue churning out terrain is going to be an issue!














The prototype was the Aspen Church and while this isn't it I'm happy that this works for the 1809 Danube campaign, I also liked the idea in another set up of a church being angled as opposed to straight up and down so I have adopted that too, here with some previously painted French for scale. 

Keith seems concerned ( quite reasonably!) about the size of the terrain I've done but at least these two slot together!



They're on top of my ongoing 28mm ruined art deco cinema box which I doubt I'll finish in August but has definitely benefited from Dave's season of scenery!

Next up,more Napoleonics probably or maybe even more terrain?

All the best 

Iain 

34 comments:

  1. A fine addition to the 1809 terrain series …. You are the king of kit-bash. Above all, I like the adoption of your Airfix slate roof, nice to get that piece in. Good decision on the two halves. I recently bought a tree lined field from The Last Valley, it is huge (for me), but sensibly comes in two parts …. much more versatile and the only way that it could be stored or moved around in reality.

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    1. Thanks Norm, it is of course an Ho/oo scale church, so a smaller scale used with 28mm figures so your kind of thing I thought! Sentimental using the piece of the old airfix model but also an efficient use of material! We do have to think about storage unfortunately!
      Best Iain

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  2. Iain, this is a very imposing church! Great job on the whole terrain tile.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan happy with how it's turned out!
      Best Iain

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  3. Wonderful complete set up Iain, I was going to say it needed some grave markers, until I saw the picture with the troops in the enclosed space, and thought I'll shut up now ! LOL You have had a real push towards the deadline, and with at least another 24 hours left, who knows what else we may see ! LOL

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    1. Thanks Dave it's been really good having an external impetus to get some terrain completed, I did consider a removable grave yard but I'll probably do a separate one for bolt action at some point, not sure I've got another post in me but never say never!
      Best Iain

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  4. Always love a bit of scratch building Iain:)! Fine work all round and a good idea to make the bases in smaller sections for ease of storage, Years ago I made loads of stuff for Mordheim, but quite simply stuggled to store it all. Possibly one of the reasons I downsized to 10mm all round and 6mm for my buildings. Harder to easily scratch build stuff in the smaller scales though:(.

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    1. Thanks Steve, I've got the space for now and enjoy doing it but sensible to consider it, must be more difficult in the smaller scales although some of the N scale railway stuff is nice but because it isn't the standard size I guess it's expensive?
      Best Iain

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    2. I now use a scale down for my buildings, so 6mm instead of 10mm (N gauge), so hard to find suitable stuff to convert that isn't solid resin. Also you don't really notice it when the buildings are this small, but still fun to try now and then.

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    3. I can see scale down being the way to go in anything except skirmish games, effectively that's what this church is and the ratio works well I think?
      Best Iain

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  5. Great work on the terrain. Anyone p
    laying 1809 could use such a build.

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    1. Thanks Joe, it would go nice with your Austrians wouldn't it?
      Best Iain

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  6. More great work on these terrain pieces Iain - and I like your storage arrangements - looks like something I would do!

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    1. Thanks Keith I'm glad you approve!
      Best Iain

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  7. I love your dedication to using scraps of old kits, junk toys and odds and ends. Make do and end.. And with such good results too!

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    1. Thanks Chris, my name is Iain, I'm a womble?
      Best Iain

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  8. Super job on this beautiful church piece, Iain!

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  9. This is all very impressive work. A credit to your planning and craftsmanship.

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  10. Oh, way to squeeze in one more before the deadline. And it looks great too! You really improved the original I think. 😀

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    1. Thanks Stew, can you tell my job is delivering projets at the last minute ?
      Best Iain

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  11. Really impressive terrain, Iain!

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  12. Great work Iain. I appreciate the Battle of Ligny is a few years later, but I couldn't help thinking of the descriptions of the French fighting the Prussians in a churchyard tooth & claw during that clash when I first saw this build. It's brilliant imho, and a great salvage job on some terrain which was otherwise going in the bin.

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    1. Thanks Simon , yes exactly the kind of thing I was thinking of too!
      Best Iain

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  13. You are doing quite interesting pieces, I have to say, I love this kind of projects!

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    1. Thanks Suber , I thought it might be up your street!
      Best Iain

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  14. A very good bit of kit-bashing especially given is origin. The church anfled as it is on a square basemakes me flinch a little (hard for its normal east-west alignment) but it does look very good.

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    1. Thanks Joe , I know what you mean about the alignment but rule if cool, I think it looks better!
      Best Iain

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  15. That church is another lovely addition to your collection. Once again, sourcing pieces from all over the shop has really paid off.

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