A figure painting therapy project.: Flames of War update.

I have now reached the stage where I can begin to relax and enjoy building some suitable terrain for FoW. My Normandy village now comprises several single and double buildings, shops and houses. Having started with the Laser Craft Art model featured below, most are now by 'Arcane Scenery'. Both match well, being designed specifically for FoW base sizes, but the latter models are probably more detailed in that they also provide a laser cut card sheet featuring window and door frames etc that really help to bring the models to life once constructed. The 'Arcane' double shop kit that you can see below took me just slightly under an hour to build, start to finish and I enjoyed it immensely. I decided not to paint the bulk of this one, just a wash on the roof and a bit of paint on the shop signs for contrast. Signs will be printed and added as suitable.

'Hedgerow Hell'.
No representation of the fighting for the Normandy countryside would be complete without areas of the dreaded bocage, hedgerow so dense and tall that it was impossible to see what was lurking behind it. I thought long and hard about how best to do this before deciding upon a combination of front doormat and hedge foliage! I'd seen it done using just the matting, but I wanted to build it up a bit more using clump foliage. The result is as you see so far, but I intend to continue working on it. The matting was cut into thin strips, a thick bead of PVA was then applied to the length of it and it was built up before being allowed to dry thoroughly. I then sprayed everything dark green, after which lighter shades were drybrushed across the upper parts. I'm fairly happy with it overall. Model railway telegraph poles and a few trees would complete the look, maybe that's for the future as for now I just want to get playing.

Ah...'Concealment', plus 1 to hit!

Wheatfield!
I cut a fairly large wheatfield from the matting, as said before I want to keep everything to scale as much as possible so no tiny fields the middle of a vast expanse of green table here, fields will hold a full platoon of tanks or infantry. This field has absorbed no less than THREE bottles of Vallejo paint to get it to this stage, it will be fully based on 3mm MDF and edged to finish it.

Father to teenage daughter "Tell me what you see now?" Teenage daughter "a doormat with paint on it" Jesus!

The battlefield.
Plan had been to make the 6 x 4 table by flocking the bare boards. I had searched everywhere for another of the old Citadel mats as they were a fantastic product, not to be confused with felt mats as sold by S&A scenics, but now long OOP sadly. However, I think I have found another source of a similar high quality grass mat, I'll be ordering one today and will report back on quality. Roads will be cut from 3mm MDF and textured, if anyone has a suggestion for applying tank track marks to roads I'd be grateful to hear it? Trees will be bought from TimeCast as they sell some fine trees, not cheap but very well made and durable. Wood bases will be 3mm MDF thanks to the ever reliable Tony Barr at East Riding Miniatures who has had a few issues with his laser cutter recently, but continues to offer an excellent friendly service.

....and finally.
I have got a few of the new bits together for a few pics, I must say I'm incredibly proud of this collection, I know it will expand into other lists and campaigns, the Russian front beckons for example. I'm just one M10 tank destroyer short as Poppy the pup decided to eat the turret overnight, my fault for leaving it on the table, a replacement should be here tomorrow. The infantry bases you can see are about to be 'decorated' with some fine silfor/mininatur grass tufts, weeds and blossoms that will transform them I hope. I'll do some comparison pics when finished, not to everyone's taste I know, but they are such fine products. I removed all tanks from their bases! I retain the option of using the bases though, it was just when I sat one on the cornfield visually it bothered me, but I'm still not sure yet.