I started to speak about these two projects a long time ago. Now I can give you some updates. The former is the project for an arena for my gladiators, the latter is the viaduct for Flyton, the fictional town where I want to set my battles with miniatures.

At the last Hellana I could meet some friends of mine, as Filippo, that gave me this present, a prêt-à-porter arena made of cardboard from a box for computer equipment, a sheet for railway modelling with engraved regular stones, a touch of spray paint that create the stone effect. And his skills for assembling all in this attractive form. Three doors are made with toothpicks or other little wood bars. The final touch is the waterproof wood-like coating of the external surface with some sort of adhesive sleeve. I will utilise this arena for presentations or other similar contexts, because it is built to be portable. I have to give it some final touches to complete the global aspect. Now all is flattened on a single tone. I want a sand colour for the base, the same of the gladiator bases used for my fighters. I must buy more Vallejo “dark sand”, I suppose. And I wish a reddish brown for the walls. When I will do it? I’m thinking to bring with me this arena to explain the rules to my future playtesters. So very quickly! I’m almost in the external playtest phase.

Do you remember the viaduct? Fabio was building it with his family help, but he is always so busy with his job (and the TB Line, and Anticamente) that these polystyrene blocks were remained at the bottom of the to do list. Finally he gave me the unfinished materials so I can realise the model. Fabio printed some sheets with the brick motive to create the missing parts. The work is not so complicated to complete, there are some pieces to be glued. Flyton city is still without houses and gladiators are more urgent, so this viaduct is something that now must wait for better times. Maybe next year, this is the year of “Zen Garden”, “Ferrum et Gloria” and “Song of Spears and Shields”, only to mention the main Ganesha Games rulesets on the works where I am “slightly involved”…

How to find some vehicles for my armies? Well, go to a train modelling convention, buy a cheap car from car collector, re-paint it.

Here you can see a Bounduelle van. I don’t want a salad but war, so a touch of dark grey-green paint and it is ready for my BUF army. I don’t know what kind of van it is, but it appears to me like a design that fit in VBCW 1938 scenario, even if it is more probably from later years, around late ’50s I suppose. I don’t care about cars or vans, I prefer tanks.

It is a little small in scale, maybe 1:65 instead of 1:56, but it is good to the eye. I painted red crosses on it because I wanted an ambulance to give to the play another variation. Rules about pick up of wounded…

And speaking about me, I have problems with my ADSL connection since Friday, so I can use only an emergency substitute (steal not protected WiFi from neighbourhood, briefly and only when I find it). I need an ambulance too because I’m addicted to lead and to internet…

If you can remember, I’m building a city for my 28mm soldiers, Flyton. Well, a city is a big prospective, I’m only thinking about a wargame table saturated by buildings for an urban set. I like the design of British cities, as I like Very British Civil War scenario, so I wish to reconstruct a part of them for my gaming goals. Since a couple of years I’m looking for the right terraced houses models in 1:56 (28mm) scale. I found cardboard designs for railway modelling, resin blocks, shaped MDF. But I haven’t reached a decision yet. In the meantime I started other projects, but I want to build this one once for all. Maybe in the following months I will take bricks and wood to start my city.

Here I want to show you some real masterpieces, inspiring art for my Flyton. I found these images on two posts on two forums:
Pendraken Forum
Gentlemens Wargame Parlour

Taken from Smoggycon 2011. 28mm

The same convention. Irish Civil War by Border Reiver Club. 28mm

From Phalanx 2011. 20mm

Another game with almost the same buildings. 20mm

Most of our 3D games are bi-dimensional. You play with miniatures, that you chose with attention and painted with skill, but at the end it results as some sort of boardgame without squares for the movement. Why? Because there isn’t an adequate scene, all is limited to a flat ground with some sparse ruins around. All the fight is horizontal, bounded to the flat ground. But this is not like the real world. If you have got miniatures in a 3D world you have to fight even in vertical. Yep, it is difficult, because we have rigid pieces of lead on a base and not flexible characters. Think only to stairs and how it is impossible to place a miniature on them. But we must to do something, develop our scenarios even with a vertical prospect.

I’m building my personal little town for my little boys, Flyton. I don’t want the same flat setting, I want something more creative. So, among other things, I bought this armoured watch tower from Quantum Gothic. It is thought to support a futuristic or better a WH40k scenario, but it fits good even to my intents, because it is designed as a steel bar with a metal sentry-box, a representation good for 20th or 21th century scenarios too.

The resin pieces are solid and well made. The price is reasonably, so now I have my armoured watch tower for Flyton. Painted by blue, a dark colour, good for Britain and urban construct, I suppose.

Take a look at Quantum Gothic range, it is very good. Oh, pity! Now the website is under re-construction!

When I saw a railway crane at Happy Model (see the convention section) I thought about something for my Flyton. It was for HO scale, but I could modify it for my 28mm world. I used a reed of ribbon for gifts, a large base from a Japanese gashapoon, some cutted toothpicks, a thin copper wire, little pieces of cardboard for the door and the upper trap door. And after some work I had got this one. Simple and handmade, except the crane obviously.

The fair is ended. Like all finished parties, the mood is a little bad. The other days the hotel was full of people and friends (and late night games were setted in the hall), this morning we are alone in the breakfast room. I see the desk and only 7 keys aren’t in position on 114 rooms. Mondays are always empty of holidays mood.

We want some souvenir of Modena’s food so we find a local supermarket and spent 150 euros in aceto, gnocchi fritti and other cholesterol sources.

On the road to home there is Bologna and the Museo Memoriale della Libertà (Memoir of Liberty Museum). It is a place with a private collection of vehicles like this Sherman (it is still in order) that you maybe watched in “La vita è bella” flick.
There is even a place with sequential rooms where was in action animated scenes about WWII in Bologna. Very suggestive and with real deactivated weapons.
The museum was closed but it opened for us. The guardian is a picturesque ex soldier of fortune of Algeria and Indochina wars. We woke him after a night shift…
More here

Near the museum there is Fabio and his headquarters.

I took some pictures in his office. Instead of the real work about software and pharmacology you can see little soldiers everywhere. And some previews about his TB Line. They are real photos, the office is invaded by these little things.

And here there is my viaduct, blocked. Too many things to do in these days. I told it goodbye, I will see you in the following months.

After this visit, Fabio offered us a heavy dinner on the hills around Bologna. I ate crescentine until my stomach permitted it. Thanks Fabio!

Five hours after I was at home, a little tired… next stop is for Agliana, next Sunday!

Fabio is a little busy with a new project he will present at Play Modena (and after to Hellana), a huge scenario for Anticamente about Romans. So he has forgot my viaduct. Shame on him! This is the last image that he sent me. I hope I see the final result at Modena at the end of March…

Chess? What means…

It’s time to cook! Oh, no, it’s time to put some weight on the arches to straighten them. You can see the result here.

Too much weight and the arches could open wide. Beware of this!

Here you can see three pieces of the viaduct with the printed surface on the upper part. This can strengthen the polystyrene brick.

And here the first piece with the printed sides. The work goes on…