Recent Acquisitions

I've been pretty busy the past couple of days so I have not made much substantial progress on any of my on going projects.  So just like they do with TV shows this is just a filler episode before we can get back to the actual plot.  I've found that whenever I am lacking in content to post I can always fall back on admitting...errr... I mean showing what I've acquired for the hobby recently.  As you can see I ordered and received my copy of Warrior Heroes: Armies and Adventures from Two Hour Wargames.  I also downloaded and printed out the Age of Blood: 2nd Edition rules.  I put these in a handy three ring binder that I will use to keep track of my campaign.  Like I mentioned in a previous post I will be using a combination of these two rule sets to run my Dark Ages campaign.
You can also see that I bought some more 28mm Vikings.  I saw a great deal on the TMP marketplace and could not pass it up.  (You all know what I'm talking about)
Finally believe it or not I finally purchased my first Osprey book US Infantryman in WWII.  Yes, that means I have not forgotten my WWII gaming, I've just been a bit distract as of late by getting together my Dark Age campaign.

Scratch Built Viking A-Frame House

Now that I have several figures painted and more on the way its time to start gathering terrain.  We all know that Vikings need buildings to live in and store their loot as well as buildings to raid, loot and burn.  So after seeing some great Dark Age buildings for inspiration over at the Man Cave, specifically his A-frame house as well as finding a good tutorial by the Kamloopian about making thatched roofs, it was time to make my own.  I again have fallen victim to getting caught up in the project and forgetting to take more pictures, so I apologize for the lack of pictures.

The basic concept I am going for is a small A-frame thatched roof building.  Having one my minis handy I went to my scrap cardboard pile and cut out the A-frame roof to a suitable size.  Then upending the A-frame I traced out the shapes of the walls on either end from more cardboard.  Then taking trusty hot glue gun I glue the walls and roof together.  Next using the method from the video tutorial I linked to above I found some cheap scouring pads and cut them in roughly 1 inch wide strips.  It worked out well that the length of the strips was just a bit longer than the building,  I would love to say I planned this but I did not.  In the end I trimmed off the overhanging parts of the thatch.  Next I took each strip at the top and pulled it apart down the middle creating two 1 inch wide strips that were much less dense than the original and looked closer to thatching.

Next starting at the bottom of each side of the roof I glued the strips on leaving a little overlap as I went up the roof.  One final slightly wider piece was used to cap the roof top.  The glue was left to dry and I began working on cutting some craft sticks to add some detail.  On the backside wall which you can not see in any of the pictures I made a T shape from the sticks and glued them on to represent support beams in the wall.  Then in the front I put the 'beams' around the door and then cut the doorway out of the cardboard.  Finally the last bit of detail was to glue two long overlapping sticks on the front and back of the building to give it a more Viking feel.  Next because I was out of black primer I primed the whole structure with a 'ruddy brown' primer.

After the primer had dried all I had to do was paint the building.  I tried to give the wood parts a weathered look with limited success and the wall I painted an off white color and then gave them a wash with some of the brown water I had from cleaning my brushes.  Finally I gave the thatching a couple drybrusing coats.  Overall I am very happy with the finished product.  It was very easy to make and did not cost much in the way of materials and time.

Minor Blog Remodel

As my regular visitors may notice there a few minor changes here at The Command Tent.  I've been seeing alot of different blogs recently and have been impressed by how alot of them look.  To that end I had some time today so I used it to do a bit of clean up here on the blog.  Have a look around and let me know if something isn't working or just looks bad.  My only problem so far is that I cannot seem to get my header centered over the rest of the blog.  That might just have to be a problem for another night.  Also if anyone has comments, suggestions, or constructive criticism on how to improve The Command Tent I am all for it.  Thanks again for all those who follow, read and comment as it is very encouraging.  Be sure to stay tuned for your regularly scheduled programing.

First 4 Viking Bondi

As you can see above I finished my first four 28mm Viking Bondi from Wargames Factory.  Like I mentioned in a previous post I'll be using these figures to fill out the Viking warbands so as of right now none of these will characters in my up coming campaign.

As for the figures themselves I found they went together well enough, but as someone had commented on an earlier post they are a bit fiddly.  However, with some quick bonding glue they assembled fairly quickly.  The hardest thing for me was to figure out which arms and weapons to use with which body and head.   It is not really possible to get a dry fit to see how it will look, so I have just the seconds it takes the glue to dry to change my mind or the position of a limb.  Overall the painting went well but yet again I struggled with color schemes.  I also had a bit of a problem with the primer which did not dry with a smooth even finish, that might have something to do with the humidity.  With the lack of detail on the figures I see these as poor Viking Carls called upon by their Hersir to fight.  Now its on to 4 more Viking Bondi before I switch over and do two groups of 4 Saxon Fyrd figures.

Temporary Gaming Table

As many of you know near the beginning of the year Mrs. Command Tent and I moved into a new place.  I was blessed enough to find a place the Mrs. allowed me to set up my painting table and even luckier to have been allowed to take over the kitchen table to play a few games.  As I am sure many who have moved before know, during the move and afterwards there is always a small room, closet, or space where boxes and things are put 'temporarily' with the intention of getting to later.  In our case this was a backroom optimistically classified as a small bedroom by the landlord.  At best it would be enough to fit a crib or a small child's bed and at worst it is just a large closet.  (It measures about 11ft x 5.5ft)  Needless to say this room was filled with things we did not know where to put yet and boxes that we would 'get to later.'  In short the room was a mess of packed and half unpacked boxes that could be forgotten about by just shutting the door.  That was in March and it is now July so something had to be done.  Since getting into the hobby I have dreamed, as I am sure most wargamers do, about having a dedicated surface to game on.  I have always been a bit jealous of those blessed enough to have space to leave up a full wargaming table and even more so of those who have an entire room dedicated to wargaming.  With that in mind I humbly approached the Mrs. with a modest proposal.  I would clean up and organize the 'backroom' in exchange for the possibility of setting up a temporary gaming table.  Nothing to big just enough to roll out my gaming mat and be able to leave terrain and figures up in mid-battle.

Much to my surprise I was given the go ahead to clean and organize the room and then put in place my idea of a temporary table, which would then have to meet the approval of the Mrs.  Like any good wargamer would do I got right to work, not thinking in my excitement this could just be a ruse by the Mrs. to get to me to clean up the room with an inevitable veto of the gaming table.  A day later I had the room looking better and my temporary table in place.  Then the moment of truth arrived as I brought the Mrs. into the room for final approval.  Much to my delight in a way only a loving and very understanding wife could do she gave her consent with only the stipulation that it would come down if the room was needed for other purposes.  Below are some pictures of my new but temporary gaming table.

By using some of the boxes and a small shelving unit I was able to make a surface across which I laid a long skinny piece of insulation foam.  Then I took two wide pieces and put them on top to create a 2ft 9in. x 7ft table.  (A bit smaller then my 4ft x 8ft gaming mat but it will do perfectly)

Here you can see the table with the mat laid out on it and some of my terrain I started to bring in.  This should be a versatile surface as I can create hills by either making them to put on top or by placing items under the mat to form them.  I would also like to get a scenic backdrop to place on the backside against the wall to give the mat some depth.  If anyone knows where I could find some good options for backdrops I would appreciate the help.

3 farmers and a Monk walk into a bar...

Just a quick update today, I finished some more of the free figures I was given.  We have here three village farmers and a monk.  I have a feeling these fellows are going to have some rough times ahead with some Vikings, although I might not want to mess with the on on the left.

As an aside, the guy who sent me these figures was not sure who made them so I was wondering if any of you recognized them.  They were great sculpts and I would be interested in see what else was made by this manufacturer.

I have also begun to assemble a couple of the Wargames factory Vikings.  They are nice figures when they get together and I look forward to starting to paint some.

The Workbench - July 2011

While the completed projects list does not necessarily reflect it, this month was far more productive than last.  I did work on several projects and started several new but only manage to complete the first four 28mm Dark Age test figures.  I did alot of work on the stockade fort but it still needs the finishing touches and some interior structures.  I added the two boxes of Vikings and Saxons to the list and I'm sure that will make a steady run on the incomplete project list as I'll finish only several at a time.  I haven't done much with my 15mm stuff or WWII figures as I am on such a big Dark Age kick right now and for the foreseeable future.  However, that does not mean I have abandoned them.  Those I will use when I need a quick change of pace.  This next month will hopefully see lots of work done on figures and hopefully not to many new projects.  I hope this new month finds all my readers well and I wish you the best of progress in your wargaming endeavors.


Completed Projects:

-4 28mm Viking test figures


Current Incomplete Projects:

-Viking stockade fort (built, painted, dry brushed: needs more flocking and sealing)

-2 boxes of 28mm Vikings and Saxons (need to build, prime, paint, base and seal)

-15mm gas station (built, details added: needs painting, flocking and sealing)

-15mm ruined buildings (built: needs details, painting, and sealing)

-15mm test FOW command stands (primed: started painting, basing and sealing)

-2nd batch of Post-Apoc figures (primed: needs painting, basing and sealing)

-1/72 WWII figures (primed: started painting, basing, and sealing)

-1/72 scale country house (primed: needs painting and sealing)

-4 more 28mm Viking test figures (primed,painted: basing and sealing)

-1/72 vikings (primed and painted: needs basing and sealing)