Setting The Scene, The Ardennes. (part 1) Flexible terrain mat & roads

WW2 The Ardennes 1944 or Battle of the Bulge.

INTRODUCTION.

This is the start of my new project for 2016, although I started researching and collecting for this during the autumn of 2015.  I plan on making and painting lots of different terrain and figures and vehicles specific for this winter conflict.

Each blog entry I will show a few pictures of the finished article but will keep back the information on how I did this until a later date. All being well, I would like to put all the information with lots of pictures together in a small reference book for a step by step guide for wargamers interested in wanting to game this period.

There is a fair amount of information scattered out there on how to make/paint winter terrain/vehicles/figures and I have been trying to sift through what I think gives good results for minimum effort and aimed at wargamers, rather than techniques that a model maker might use for a detailed diorama, although, that would be the ultimate way to go, depending on how much time and effort you were prepared to dedicate and if the end result was robust enough for wargaming.

That is not what I am aiming for with this project but instead, sharing with you what has worked for me and hopefully striking a balance at what looks good with minimum effort, skill and cost and being robust enough for the wargames table and having all this information at hand and in one place.

I have no idea of costs for publishing or if this would even be a worthwhile adventure, depending on if there is a market out there for this with wargamers, so I will just carry on with the project regardless and cross that bridge when finished.

Over the Christmas holidays I was able to make a start on the project, kicking off with the biggest item, a flexible terrain mat for my 10ft x 5ft table, along with 39 x pieces of flexible road. The great thing about using a mat is that you can place suitable objects underneath to give you your natural looking hills and slopes.

I have placed some 28mm figures and a vehicle on the table to give you an idea of scale but as mentioned above, I will be painting specific figures and vehicles that will be more suitable and will blend into the terrain, along with lots of scenery.

      
      

The above pictures are a bit bare at the moment but will become more interesting as the project progresses.

The start of my reading collection for the conflict.