Home Counties 1897 - War of The worlds - No place like home 2

Almost at the conclusions of a project I started back in 2018.

At times I felt I'd taken on too much at others I added more aspects to it.

Having planned and started work on the buildings I then saw work by others, so I decided to make dioramas of the house rather than just paint them and place them on the cloth.

All the building bar a scratch built pigsty are from Leven. All of the Scenic barrels & crates, sacks, carts, horses, humans and dogs are from Perfect Six Miniatures as are most of the walls gates and fences with the exception of two types from Leven. The trees and large bushes are from K & M Trees. If you can see any long nettles/tallish plant they are from Boon Town Metals who do an excellent range of plants to enhance your 6mm-28mm projects. The vegetable plots are from Time Cast 'N' scale.

The fence posts are cocktail sticks, the horse posts to tie them up to are pins; and the hedges, flocked flat green scourers.

'The Manor' is the largest though not busiest of the the buildings I have done, which I plan to spread across the gaming table. These walls are from Leven too.

The Manor

Will the churches provide sanctuary?

Windy Miller's home

As ever with an eye to transportation I have planned ahead and made sure all the bases fitted inside the three trays from Commission Figurines which fit inside my Really useful box see this article for details;  My Storage Solution.  

Bottom Tray 50mm deep

Middle tray 50mm deep. 
The middle part of the windmill is in the third tray.

Top Tray 40mm,
Some of the models are 2-3 mm higher than the 40mm, but
there is a little squeeze room in the lid that I often use..

If you wish to see all of the models here is a link  to a file with all the building codes and details of suppliers.

Previous Articles

No place like home
Assembling the forces 1

The beginning

Home Counties 1897 - War of The worlds - No place like home.

For me the biggest problem with a new army is painting the first units.
I just can't it must be like authors block or stage fright.

I will literally do anything else. Have been known to do chores, not often enough in the opinion of some, but it makes the point.

So while I research the uniforms and consider how to paint them, prep them and undercoat them, I'll find something else to do (hobby wise).

So whilst this should be about painting the Brits it is instead the buildings.

I have some 6 mm from Battle Scale and they are lovely but Normandy or Russian, the Greek Orthodox Churches will be a miss, but the hovels will do nicely, peasants need to live somewhere and the Victorian times weren't all that enlightened. If in doubt read some Dickens!

I had some more 6 mm buildings unpainted that would do and as I was at the Joy of 6 I went to see what was on offer.
I'd seen Leven Minatures, before but this time I was in 'buy mode' It's so much easier to find what you want when it's in packets in front of you and at only £3 ish a model you get good value for your money, however £50 can exchange hands quite quickly, some wasn't in stock but was receive post free quickly after the show and I've made a similar purchase since and will again.

6 mm isn't cheaper than 28 that is a canard. What you find is that rather than buying a couple of 28 mm farm buildings for £52, you sepnd the same and get 4 farm buildings plus a town, a vicarage etc. and they do have more impact.

I intend to base a few up together, farmsteads and streets, but for the moment they're painted up.

As everyone is hiding on has run away, there are no lights to be seen in the windows!


P.S. I mentioned I had more 6 mm buildings - these went in the bin, I've seen more work from the same store and TBH there are too many pits and lumps and after seeing Leven's work I'll focus my spending with him.

Home Counties 1897 - War of The worlds - No place like home 2

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Home Counties 1897 - War of The worlds - Assembling the forces 1

The Tripods



So we start with a picture from Pendraken's site .

How on Earth, or indeed Mars do you assemble a 50mm high Tripod?

Consider I don't want to base them as I want them to be able to walk over the scenery.





















Plan 'A' was lots of blu tac models upside down and a good amount of Gorilla epoxy, I don't want to be forever repairing. I did consider pinning, I may have to.

Yes it worked but for repairs it was easier to stack some MDF bases tapped with masking tape and blu tack them on that, additional blu tac as required to stabilise or hold in place.
















The six legged crawlers had to be done that way and because of that it did suggest how to repair the others.
















Assembled and curing. I guess I've repaired 4 so far superglue in one case as the gorilla glue had created the shape, the socket for the ball so to speak.








Had to show them off on a sample latex mat from Magister Militum.

(These small latex mats are all different and I love them I use them to define woodland or scrub areas. They go very well with my 'Grass' cloth from Tiny Wargames.)

Striding over Leven Minatures' 6mm Victorian terraces.












For scale I've placed some 6 mm Baccus troops.

I feel I have got what I was imagining.





Painted up, I hope the Varnish will brighten the Green glass windows/eyes

Packed safely away in their Commission Figurines' mdf tray.



Now do I face the idea of painting 6 mm Brits or duck it and go to those rather tasty Leven buildings?








No place like home!

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