Latest custom made camps just off the bench:

15mm Chinese - DBx/FOG size camp (120x80mm) using two 15CHI, one each of LGS6 and LGS7 and some plastic bamboo that will soon be available in the RTP Trees page of the online shop...

15mm Norman - DBx/FOG size camp (120x80mm) using two 15ASX, one each of LGS5 and LGS8 and a section of 15WFN wattle fence...

15mm Late Imperial Roman fortified camp - DBx/FOG size (120x80mm) using a FOG1 kit, just assembled and painted... could also be used as a BUA, plenty of space for followers, citizens, baggage and/or garrison on this one!

In case you wonder, a camp like this would set you back around 75.00 euros and would involve at least a couple of months waiting... :)

15mm ready to play baggage

Latest custom order: 15mm ready to play baggage

Four bases, one each of LGS5, LGS6, LGS7 and LGS8 mounted on Litko 3 mm thick, laser cut plywood 40 x 80 mm.

Ive added just a sprinkle of extra stuff from the LGS series and some pile of firewood

and this is what a Republican Roman Century encamped would look like, there would be at least 60 of these in a single consular legion and there would normally be 2 roman + 2 allied legions in a camp, so 240 of these... would take me a while to paint them all... :)

15mm fortified camp (part 3)

Painting started!

This is what I call "foundation painting", basically flat colors using miniature colors, followed by a heavy dark wash and a light drybrush.

This sets the general tone and it helps with seeing how each color work with the others and fits in the overall contest... now all is left to do is detail painting, for this I use mainly artist's acrylics.

Watch this space for the last episode! :)

Ciao,

Claudio

15mm fortified camp (part 2)

This is the completed model, all assembled and ready to paint!

Here you can see some detail of the layered plywood construction, the final 2mm MDF top layer to create a recess for the removable Impetus size base (80x60mm) and the embankment and palisade realized using our 15mm Hoppidus modular fortification system.
MDF is not a very strong material so all exposed edges have been reinforced by soaking them with cyanoacrylate (superglue) this turns it into a much harder, resin-like material.
The insert show some of the camp figures and baggage used, these are going to be released very soon!
 

Here you can see the insert removed and replaced by an Impetus size base of troops to garrison the camp.
The gate is removable, I usually mount it on a separate base, but here there is a slope underneath that prevent this, so instead I made two brass guides which are mounted to the side and allow the gate to slid in and out as needed...
Watch this space for part 3!

Ciao,

Claudio

15mm fortified camp (part1)

This is a custom order for a fortified camp, made into an open ended circuit, u shaped, without the back side, all realized using our 15mm Hoppidus modular fortification system.
The front of the fortification is 20cm wide (5 x 40mm wide modules, the middle one being the gate opening) and the sides are 12cm (3 x 40mm modules) in depth. This is mounted on a wider sloped base with a 15mm wide ditch cut into it.

The base is made of three layers of 4mm thick plywood topped by a 2mm thick MDF sheet, cut to shape, glued together with generous amounts of extra-strong PVA and left to dry for three weeks under press.
All this to endure the best possible stability of the finished piece and minimize warping with age. The thickness is the minimum necessary to allow for the ditch to be cut into the actual base depth. The inner courtyard is 140mm wide by 90mm deep and has a 80mm x 60mm recess cut into it, 2mm deep. There is no 2mm plywood commercially available here but I managed to scavenge some from the back of an old frame! There is an insert to fit into this recess (shown in place in the picture) which has 2 x 15LEG 15mm legionary tents on it. The tents are not mounted yet, they'll be based with a few supplies to make a nice lively scene...
The third tent is permanently attached to the base. The insert can be removed and replaced by an Impetus size base of troops to garrison the camp.
The green stuff showing in the picture is some squadron putty used to hide the tiny gaps that would otherwise remain at the junction with two pieces...

Now that the main structural work is complete will finish the outer terrain, there is still a gap to cover around the ditch and also the access ramp need to be level. I also going to apply an appropriate finish to the face of the plywood still visible under the embankment and texture the terrain. All this will be done before mounting the palisade, so I can leave the glue to set with the whole piece under press, again to avoid warping due to the tension generated by the glue hardening... once is all set the palisade will go up and then the whole piece will be ready to paint!

WIP field kitchen

I just wanted to share a first look at another WIP: field kitchen for Roman and Medieval armies!

 

This is a test cast of the two scenic sets with the metal details in place, each comprise four individual pieces that can be used in a great number of different settings. (The thin square base is just a left over of the casting process, it's very easy to separate the parts from it).

Marco should soon start working on some figures for them; the two packs will include one of the sets above plus themed figures for it; but the resin on their own can be used for a much wider variety of armies...

The thing that look like a modern stove in the top left corner of the cast on the right is of course a Roman craticula, a combined broiler, boiler and stove based on original size and dimensions of the Pompeii craticula shown in Naples' National museum. 

Unlikely to ever had been a standard army issue admittedly but it would certainly make an officer life more comfortable, especially in colder climates!