Scenery Trees 15mm / 1/72 / 28mm "Foamys"

In addition to the very nice Lemax trees that can be viewed in
previous posts I bring you, "The Foamy". Sourced from foam
from a bed mattress these trees are cheap to make and very sturdy.
They allow conflict in forests and can be attached securely to hillsides.

 A band of orcs make their way towards a ford in panic mode.

Having no visible trunk they have a very low center of gravity.
The stability allows them to be placed on gentle hills or pinned
to steeper contours. Placing figures within a forest is much
simpler and battles can be fought in heavier wooded areas.

Getting suitable foam to be able to pluck with tweezers is essential.
The base needs to be a flat side for balance. Cut with a hacksaw
blade into tall rectangles you work from the bottom corners cutting
with scissors towards the center of the top. This should give you a
cone shape. You then trim around the bottom to give a slight chamfer
at the base.

Then with tweezers pluck fully the external layer
to variable depths. This can create quite a residual
of foam so have a bin handy.

Painting the trees by dipping in a suitable green before
squeezing any residual out. I mixed water with PVA
in equal proportions and sprayed to allowing flocking
with scenic grass to give a nice finish. To stop any flaking
a spray with odourless hairspray sets the tree and gives it
a firm exterior. Go for the cheapest plain packed brands.

Those Orcs seem happy enough to risk their lives
on a river crossing.

My next article will cover how to make a giant stuffed
cat using your common home variety. Again we will
be employing tweezers and a hacksaw.

Zombie - Visit to Smallville Alabama

Another game on my New Zealand trip. This time
Brad a redneck and Brenda of questionable morals
are road tripping to Smallville Alabama. A quiet
township which is guaranteed to be a safer experience
than  urban Malling. Mission, pull up to the safest
looking house, break in and ransack as quickly as
possible. Just like taking Brad back to his pre zombie
days.

Traveling at 70k with the CD blaring, the occasion
horn blast to get a lone zombies attention before he
is sheared off at the ankles. We see a cop and fireman
off to our left. Redneck Brad shouts something
racist and we continue traveling.

Another cop, officer Adrian is in retreat from a pack
of flesh eaters. We probably wouldn't have picked
the shop if we could have heard his shots over the
sound of Thunderstruck by Steve'n'Seagulls.

Vincenza enters the house with her katana at the 
ready. She goes upstairs to find a small child hiding 
in a closet. Unfortuantely a zombie was upstairs, 
She dispatches it with her blade.

A lone walker is attracted to the sound of hillbilly
music from the car.

"Brad the doors open back here you idiot" -
"Shut up Brenda and get off the roof of the car"

Adrian enters the back just as we break in the front.
A small crowd of locals gathers to welcome the visitors.

Looks like the party guests are following us upstairs.
Elsewhere the small girl leaves the house and the
Police and fire service do a routine looting of the shop.

Adrian managers in his panic to nail a couple of zeds
on the stairs. Nothing like gnashy teeth to encourage
accuracy. Prior to this his four shots had taken out a
fence and a street light, which weren't causing any
immediate danger

Myself and Brad decide to vacate the building by
using my chainsaw on the wall.

The move through the wall pays off as zombies invade
our previous residence. Next door  is much safer with
A single zombie. Which I deal to with hardly a scratch.

Unfortunately a scratch is sort of lethal so my next
goal is to ingest any external bits of Brad I can get
my teeth into. So I sneak up behind him.

After some unnecessary sexual innuendo Brad ends
our defacto relationship with gunfire. And makes off
before the police take offense at his previously
yelled abuse.

The buildings were 4Ground, figures from Hasslefree.
And the zombies were from the local retirement village.

Samurai - Bodyguards Ambushed

Recently while in New Zealand my brother put on a samurai
skirmish game to test out some new rules. The scenery was
Lemax Xmas trees which look excellent soaked in a watered
down PVA and flocked. The Buildings were 4Ground and
the figures Perrys Minatures beautifully painted by Nathan.

The game starts with a small detachment of bodyguards
stationed around a small inn and out building

 My Taisho, Sony Hitachi inspects his loyal retainers.

While his wife Akira and her entourage stays out of
harms way

My evil brother Sanyo Kawasaki uses the cover of

a wood to approach undetected from the North.

Another force covers the South.

And a further the East.

After reports of movement Eastward Akira
and her entourage are evacuated to the other
building while the guards take up a central
position

A steady showering of arrows and arquebusier shots
start to pick off the defenders. As a red samurai and
ashigaru become the first causalities.

Yet another ashigaru casualty for red. Returning fire
a blue bowman goes down.

The battle rages on. While  I manage a few hits the
poor throws to kill fail to slow the blue advance. The bows
fire every turn. They are less likely to kill. While the
arquebusier have a slower rate of fire but are deadly.
The green markers show if they are loaded.

My throwing is terrible. It starting to look like Suppuku,
or the more radical change of dice are my only options.

Sanyo Kawasaki's blue wave swarms over my red. 
In desperation Akira and a few remaining loyal
bodyguards try to make a run for it.

My Taisho, Sony Hitachi goes down  ironically sliced open on
the sharpened edge of a six sided die. As I bleed out
on the green turf all I can wonder is if my warranty
is still current.

While my ego took a major battering in inter brother
conflict I was impressed with the rules. The flow was
excellent and the balance between unit types seemed
realistic. Apart from one of my ashigaru who took two
samurai out in individual combats there wasn't any
irregular results.A very picturesque battle.