Shell Shattered Woods

If I'm going to have Quar running around WW1 battlefields then I really need shell blasted trees, and lots more craters, to be honest.

Verdun

James Mogsymakes has been doing some really lovely looking Great War Chain of Command. His terrain is rather inspirational.

While rummaging about in the basement looking for something else, I found some old, abandoned attempts at making 15mm field positions out of old gift cards and CDs as bases, with plasticene to build up the banks. I thought, "Why not combine this with my use of Gorilla Glue and sand?"

Striking while the creative madness was upon me I set to, trying to ignore the Quar squawking about getting painted.

Sticks from the garden were broken roughly at one end and cut straight at the other. Flat end was hot glued to the base. I also used hot glue to build up some crater shapes before adding Gorilla Glue over top. I let the hot glue set up and then brushed water over everything. I then applied beads of Gorilla Glue, leaving the center of the craters free, and spread it around with a Q-Tip.

Before the sand

I made sure I reinforced the tree joins with more Gorilla Glue over the hot glue. I then covered each base in a deep layer of sand as the glue was applied.

In a second batch I made craters from plasticene, glued those in place and then covered them with more Gorilla Glue and sand to try and get deeper craters.

Notice foaming blob of Gorilla Glue at base of closest tree trunk. Covered with some more sand after taking picture. It happens. You just add a bit more sand to cover.

Excess sand shaken off. Awkwardly located pieces of gravel removed.

Base coat of Burnt Umber applied.

After dry brushing with tan and grey-green

Even after all that, there was still some bits of DVD base and bright plasticene not covered by paint, so those were fixed with some burnt umber and a medium pointed brush.

I then poured some Woodland Scenics Realistic Water Resin into the craters that I had deliberately left smooth and dark brown, making sure I had a level surface to leave the pieces on to dry. Two layers were needed.

Finished bases

24 hours are needed to cure after each layer of water effects. I made sure the cure was done before flocking, because that green stuff gets everywhere.

While I was at it, I also found these two hasty defensive works made with twigs and sand glued to old iTunes cards. They just needed a bit of paint and flock to make them usable for Quar HSG teams

I am so pleased with the result I started on another batch of nine more iTunes gift cards. I'm running out of sand!

7th Cadier Mounted Rhyflers

Another snowy long weekend with no errands(!) means a lot of painting while listening to 80s music on YouTube.

After finishing with the tractors, I bashed on with the cavalry. First up the Crusaders. As a nod to friends who served in the local Reserve Force Armoured Regiment, the  1st Hussars, which during the First World War were mobilized initially as the 7th Canadian Mounted Rifles, I am calling these fellows the 7th Cadier Mounted Rhyflers.

The modern, mobile doctrine of the Crusade still has a place for cavalry, acting as mounted infantry and operating in cooperation with kites and light tractors to scout ahead of the tractor wedges, as well as providing vital security screening to the flanks and rear areas. In mountainous areas, the CMR are the only mobile force available to commanders.

Troopers with carbines

The Crusader cavalry have traded in the lances and bright uniforms of their royalist past for khaki and carbines, but they still retain some traditions; the blue stable belts and blue shoulder patches of the 7CMR harken back to their predecessors, the 1st Tok Hussars. I'm sure if we could zoom in, the brass buttons and belt buckles have the rearing cadier emblem of the 1st Toks.

Officers naturally still carry sabers, and they're always looking for a charge.

Big Quar with saber

7CMR were the Divisional Cavalry cawtrad for the 4th Tractor Division during the initial battles for Maer Braech, engaging in swirling cavalry battles with Croftyran cavalry. Their ability to fire their carbines from the saddle while at the gallop balancing out the Croftyran lancers advantage in close combat. Afterwards the cawtrad performed gallantly during the pursuit to the Wall, relentlessly scouting ahead and finding gaps in the Croftyran defenses.

Trooper firing double barreled pistol

I had to add this character, even if it does mean I've got seven instead of an even six figures. Oh well, so sad, it's my army. Perhaps I should get another for the Croftyrans, and swap out his carbine for a saber?

The biggest of Big Quar

Their mounts look like something dreamed up by the French artist Jean Giraud (aka Moebius). The off-white "hood" on their heads is a boney growth to protect them as they aggressively head-butt each other, for reasons known only to them. 

I've also made good progress on their Royalist counterparts this weekend. They should, God willing, be ready for their glamour shots by the end of the week.

Crusader War Tractors

 

Caerten class Main Battle Tractor

It's taken a while to get these armoured vehicles done for my Crusaders. But I've dug through my bits to find stowage left over from my 20mm Canadian battlegroup, because all tanks need stowage. 

The big turret bustles on the Centurion tanks were a puzzle. How to make them look full, without burning a fortune in resin and metal bits?

Big empty rack. From my game last month. 

I hit upon the idea to use blocks of balsa wood covered in squares if shop rag, to make tarp covered supplies. 

Getting stowage ready to paint. Normally I attach stowage before painting, but indecision etc....

Making a filler

First attempts turned out too big, because I forgot that folds of cloth to make the tarp added extra bulk. Fortunately, the glue hadn't stuck too well,  so I was able to trim the balsa down and reglue the cloth in place. 

A few shades of green and some ink, and things were ready to attach to make my tractors look lived in.

I have a third Centurion model, waiting on bits from Zombiesmith to give me a crew commander head.

I like the stowage to have variation between each vehicle. Which is a big problem with cast on stowage, every vehicle looks the same. Stowage is a way to make each vehicle unique.

I also finished off these two light recce tanks that Don printed for me. I'm calling them Pykpyks, after the small, intelligent squirrels that the Quar use to carry messages.

Turret bin is from a 15mm Sherman Firefly

Plastic Quar! Oh, Wait....

 

So the long anticipated plastic Quar starter set is now available to order.

I confess that I suffered considerable sticker shock and disappointment at the price of USD$79/Cdn$108! After all I need 3 or 4 sets for what I've got planned. 

As a crusty old we-used-to-convert-our-miniatures-with-plasticene grognard, who's always looked at boxed sets with suspicion and distrust, I was dismayed.

But after some comparisons with other games (Test of Honour, Infinity, Judge Dredd etc) it seems that this is actually a pretty good deal. If I needed the rules, dice, and bases, that is.

So I'll just have to be patient, trust in the Ancestors, paint my metal figures, and wait for a plastic figures only option.

Unboxing Video 

It's A Charge Lads!

I bought a unit of cavalry for each side during the Black Friday Sale. Joshua Qualtieri was very accommodating and gave me Crusader and Croftyran helmet heads, since I want more of a 1918-interwar look, rather than a 1914 look. All his cavalry figures use the same bodies, so this was a very easy conversion once I selected the basic figures.

The Crusaders are inspired by Canadian Mounted Rifle regiments during the First World War. During the Hundred Days, the Canadian Cavalry Brigade performed valuable service leading the Corps advance in cooperation with armoured car units (significantly,  the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade, the first fully motorized combat unit in history) and aircraft. 

Crusader cavalry trooper firing derringer 

All the pieces! Before...

After, firing a carbine from the saddle 

The Croftyran cavalry are inspired by French late First World War lancers. Because I like lance armed cavalry. And it helps them look more traditional than the Crusaders. 

Royalist cavalry. Before...

After

Weekend's progress, 4 of each. 5 more to go. Then the infantry and weapons teams!

Noticed a proper tractor crew head on one of the head sprues, so that's a second Centurion ready to paint!

Progress is slow, because the little fiddly bits need to set properly before gluing the next piece on. And spending time over the weekend organizing Hot Lead as well. But I'm just taking my time and enjoying the process. The infantry and weapons teams will be faster, I'm sure.