Harbour raid game - ready to go ....

A few things re-arranged and a dock area surface made up on a piece of thin MDF using some printer paper sheets. So now ready to play the game....

Figures to be located and placed start positions, then can play the game.....

Hide that Railway gun ...

 The railway gun needs to be stored way when not being fired, rather than concrete bunker I decided on a simple structure covered in camouflage netting

A basic structure for the netting built from scrap cardboard, with workshop building

A quick spray with some acrylic dark grey paint..

check for fit over the railway gun...

mesh from a laundry bag used for the netting ...

a coat of green paint for the netting with some dabbed on other shades of green; base painted and some dull grass scatter added. Railway gun inside ...

The last scenic item completed, so ready to play the game ...

Railway Gun ... turntable, ammo store etc

 For the game scenario the German railway gun setup is using a turntable for aiming, rather than firing 'off the curve'; the turn table itself is best shown in this box art from 5STAR models.

I've had to approximate to the above using a cheap plastic kit, so my model is a quick knock-up to make up the scenic item for the game. I've added some extra robustness to the deck and put a simulate end-stop with motor using card and bits.

plus a suitable ramp piece added....

After studying the layout of the railway gun sites, I've changed the way the game table is setup and started to get the scenery sorted out.... have put on an ammo store building....

Looking through boxes of WW2 scenics, have a suitable barrack building and air raid shelter...

plus some netting to cover small dumps of supplies....

The turntable and ramp painted and finished off with a simple look to fit into the scenic 'greens'.

Camouflage netting to cover the gun in its 'storage siding' to be done then I'll be ready to play the game. 

Railway gun .... working towards a game...

 Trying out a table setup for the railway tracks before adding anything else

Diesel shunter (Dapol plastic kit) and ammo wagon (old Hornby van wagon) have been painted....

The firing turntable for the gun - initial version; will have to add some more detail then paint etc..(I used the Dapol plastic kit as a basis for the turntable).

Something to push a railway gun....

 Trying to work out a scenario for Resistance to attack a German railway gun.  The railway guns were usually positioned by a diesel loco, so I opted for the old Dapol/Kitmaster 0-6-0 BR Diesel kit.  Its sort of about right - and will do as a game piece.

The railway gun and diesel loco (actually OO/HO), more suitable for 1/72 - but as backdrop items they don't look to out of scale with a German sentry 28mm figure.

Dockside Crane ...

 For harbour set ups I didn't have a suitable crane; on a visit to a local Toy&Train fair last weekend I got an already built unpainted OO/HO Dapol crane. I gave it a wash over with some light grey paint and it works quite nicely on the dockside.

Radio Detector Truck..

I've made up a german radio detection truck, using an old Lledo diecast WW2 vehicle and some thin wire to make the aerial. 

I based the model on this picture found on the internet...

The conversion ...

On duty ...

Frogmen ...

 I wanted some frogmen for future games,  difficult to see them as they would be underwater or just bobbing up on surface, possibly one on land ?

Anyhow I had dig through what I had, a modern mini action pose frogmen - will do for on land. For divers in the water I cut up some 1/72 Atlantic frogmen to have a couple with heads above water. Also made some gaming markers of disturbed surface water.  Air bubbles would be unlikely as rebreather equipment was in use.

At a cafe in ...

In a little cafe somewhere in Nouvion, a lady in a beret speaking in hushed tones tries to persuade the proprieter to help her ... the cafe is is moderately busy ...

[a quick setup to see if I had a enough items for the interior of the cafe...; the upright piano in the corner is from Petite Properties 1/48th range]

British Landing Craft ....[LCAs + LCM(s)]

For use to pick up off a beach or part of a small coastal raid on France, have put together enough for a small landing ...I bought 3 resin LCAs from Grubby Tanks (Britannia Miniatures range), 

while looking at historical pics of LCAs came across the small LCM(S),  armed with mortar and dual machine guns. I thought it would be a nice addition, so made one up from cardboard, foam board and oddment bits of plastic....

Finished it off in the same paint scheme as the LCAs

 For troops in the landing craft I have painted up some Airfix commandos...

Oil Storage Terminal ...

For a possible target for a raid,  a small oil storage area and docking point for a tanker....

I struggled initially to find something for the fuel tanks, I had a spare tall'ish one - for a couple more I used large reels of sticky tape and cut some tops for them from cardboard.  

all items painted up....

Work in the shipyard ....(3) Launches & ships finished

A number of items finished this week...

Two small cargo ships...

a small tug....

Harbour Defence Motor Launch,  added side machine guns and depth charges before painting. Crew are on Sally 4th 15mm clear bases..

A harbour patrol boat ...

A basic launch ... 

The quay surface spruced up from green to cobbles using Metcalfe O/HO Cobblestone sheets...

I have most of what I need for harbour based games - a few more things to add - a couple standalone warehouses perhaps; then best to add items for specific scenarios.

Work in the shipyard ....(2)...Small Cargo Ship & Tug

Still ship & boat building ... on a bit of a 'build it bender'.

I made a sort of sail barge a couple of years ago, it always looked wrong, so I decided to convert it into another small cargo ship...  sail replaced with derrick and a new cabin/wheelhouse added...

I made up three generic harbour launches, too many for what I needed, so I decided to rework one to be a tug...

Next on my list are some fishing boats and a small trawler; with those and what I've built I've got enough to cover most harbour setups. An added advantage is that most items can be re-used on my 1920/30s adventure games as well.

Work in the shipyard ....

Finished first build on armed motor lauch

 a little coastal puffer ship, modified styrene kit from Sarik Hobbies

also arrived are three LCAs and a sinking one ( Britannia Miniatures, sold by Grubby Tanks)

Making motor launches...

 I've been building a couple of basic motor launches; hulls under construction with 3mm thick card for bottom and thin card for sides...

Nearly done, built to suit 20mm and 28mm figs, along with my basic scribble plan and card templates used

Roof added, check that 20mm figs on bases look about right

On the left side of the above pic are a couple of scratch built small guns for my next build - a Harbour Defence Motor Launch (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbour_Defence_Motor_Launch); it won't be fully detailed model but just a game piece so will truncate the length and keep the essential features

Submarine model - hull and deck improvements

After thinking carefully on how best to improve the submarine model I made some time back, I decided on the following
- raising the out of water height by 3mm
- add a wider curved shape to the central section to represent the top of the ballast tanks.
- improving the look of the deck

I got the sub out for modification, plus a couple of reference photos ....

 I used some paper and a bendy ruler to mark out a template for the new central part shape...

New parts cut out of 3mm card and stuck to the underside, the height 'out of water' look is much better

 new side shape created using plastic wood followed by a light sanding down...

deck given a new surface using some strips of textured wallpaper...

New deck painted and the hull given a new coat of grey paint

I'll have to think of a game I could use it in ....