Rather than the usual green trees that you get on your wargames table I fancied something with a bit more colour and so asked Ralph Spencer to make me some Autumn trees with reds, golds and browns. He has done an excellent job as you can see and is available for commissions at ralphspencer1@hotmail.com
I have been on the lookout for some suitable carpet tiles for making fields and yesterday I found a doormat in Pound land (Sorry, the name of the shop was Pound Stretcher)that they sell for the bargain price of 49p. It is approx. 13 x 23 inches in size, brown in colour, felt backed, thin and has a ribbed effect that would make a suitable ploughed field.
UPDATE: The name of the shop is POUND STRETCHER, not POUND LAND. The carpet is listed as Value Indoor Mat 40cm x 60cm cost 49p. I went and bought another two today.
I cut the mat into two smaller fields and cut a few wiggly lines as I think this looks more realistic than perfectly square/oblong fields.
I did consider painting the mat brown but decided to leave it its original colour as I was going to be covering it in dried tea anyway. For this, I brushed PVA glue onto the mat and then using a sieve, spread used tea all over it. (The tea is used tea from the teapot which has been dried out)
I left this to dry overnight and then this morning shook all the excess off, then gave it a light coating of brown spray (as I think I put the PVA on a little too thick as there was a hint of the white glue still showing through) and then spray varnish to hold the remaining tea in place. This has given the mat a good texture and helped to make it look more like a muddy ploughed field with an aroma of tea.
The good thing with using flexible tiles rather than fixing to a base, (although I do like the look of fields fixed to a base) is that you can then place them so they follow the contours of your terrain.
I have set the fields up with some walling to show it off at its best along with some of my new Autumn trees and a couple of 28mm figures in their appropriate camo for the season, to give you an idea of scale.
And to finish a WIP of my latest batch of vehicles.
The fields look ace. I'm on the outlook for such mats for quite some time now but somehow I can't get my hands on any.
ReplyDeleteSame here!
DeleteThat looks fantastic! Great colours both on the trees and on the fields. /Mattias
ReplyDeleteThe fields work a treat and look very effective. Obviously been spending some hard earned cash on vehicles. But is that a Scimitar/scorpion I see tucked away in the group?
ReplyDeleteThanks chaps.
ReplyDeleteWell spotted Mark with the Scimitar, just makes sense to prep them all at the same time.
the trees look great and the fields are perfect and seem pretty simple. one thing i don't understand is how did you get something for 49p in poundland?? ;)
ReplyDeletekeep drinking the tea!
A bargain Steve at half the price.
DeleteRealistic and fantastic job on fields and trees Pat!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil.
DeleteMy word Pat, that is sensational! Such a great idea and beautifully realised.
ReplyDeleteThose fields are perfect! I need some of them!
ReplyDeleteNow that was a bargain for a field.
ReplyDeleteThanks again chaps. I guess this is the only time you can get away with spilling tea on the carpet.
ReplyDeleteExcellent work :)
ReplyDeleteWarburton
Always inspiring Pat. I really like the lo-profile look the rug provides over 'based' fields (which I also enjoy the look of). I wish I had a 'Pound Land' nearby! :)
ReplyDeleteSorry Curt, I got the name wrong, it's Pound Stretcher.
DeleteVery good as usual Pat - excellent work and as always, consider the best ideas pinched!!
ReplyDeleteJust superb looking terrain!
ReplyDeleteWonderful work on the fields Pat! Those trees look very cool too. The autumn colours are very nice for a change.
ReplyDeleteAs always excellent terrain work Pat and wonderful tips!
ReplyDeleteChristopher
What an outstanding setup. Chapeau, Sir!
ReplyDeleteExcellent work on the fields, wonderful trees and your usual, brilliant table. I'm green with envy. ;-)
"a muddy Brown field which smells of tea"...that made me laugh :-D They really do look like muddy fields ..neat idea.
ReplyDeleteand , after looking again I´ve just noticed someone else who buys industrial quantities of PVA. :-D
DeleteMy tip..for when small doses are needed, get an old washing up liquid bottle, tone with a flip cap and decant some PVA into it (with a funnel)..it reduces the exposed surface area and stops it going thick.
Thanks again chaps for your comments.
ReplyDeletePaul, thanks for the tip re the thick PVA.
The fields do look the biz Pat, nice one!
ReplyDeleteSo realistic!!! Very impressive work! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThanks again men.
ReplyDeleteI have updated the main page with the correct name of the shop that I bought the mat from, the exact size and what it is labelled as in the store if you are interested in buying one yourself.
Looks excellent. Very realistic indeed.
ReplyDelete