New Release: 28mm 1:56 "Graveyard" 15 piece set by Debris of War September 24, 2019 09:58

I am really please to stock this superbly sculpted and cast resin set by Debris of War. Tony kindly allowed me to select from his extensive range of graveyard models and put together this set. 

Compatible with many genres of gaming and will make a great addition to the forthcoming church. I am also working on a perimeter wall, paths and gate. 

Claymore August 2019 and New Release: Debris of War Tents. July 30, 2019 08:31

Charlie Foxtrot Models will be doing the 9 1/2 hour road trip to Edinburgh for the Claymore show leaving on Thursday 1st. The return journey will take in Lindisfarne and The Jorvik Viking centre in York. 

Orders can be placed while we are away and will be actioned in date order on our return. Emails will also be responded to in turn when I am back in the workshop. 

My supply of excellent resin cast tents by Debris of War arrived in time to take to Claymore. I have also released them instore. 28mm 1:56 Ridge Tents and 19th Century Command Tent. 

New Release: 28mm 1:56 "Baggage" 13 piece set by Slug Industries June 17, 2019 08:32

Sculpted by the talented Phil Page from Slug Industries, the 28mm 1:56 Baggage set is now in store....."Oval Bases" (set of 8) are also released to compliment the Baggage. 

This 13 piece baggage set comes in unpainted resin and comprises of trunks, cases, briefcases and hat boxes. Ideal for taking your crystal decanter on campaign. 

New Release 20mm 1:72 "Eastern Front Village" June 10, 2019 12:14

This release has been in the pipeline for some time. 5 New buildings for the Eastern Front  titled:

Rural House 1, Rural House 2, Rural House 4, Wagon Shed & Tool Shed

The kits are redraws (with scale adjusted amendments) from their larger 28mm counterparts. 

To obtain the wood effects of the larger painted kits, please see the "Painting Wood Tutorial" on this website's blog. 

American Civil War 101. Not War but Murder May 28, 2019 10:45

I am spending an increasing amount of time researching models for a new period of gaming for me: ACW. I have enjoyed Sharp Practice in Napoleonics and AWI and this seems a natural next step. While I have been digging out old ACW articles in Wargames Soldiers & Strategy, watching "Gettysburg" DVD for inspiration, I was contacted by games designer Tod Kershner.

Tod has a number of Charlie Foxtrot Models "Dial Counters" and "Double Dial Counters" which he has put to good use in his latest game " American Civil War 101. Not War but Murder". I am delighted to see that the dials appear in many of the photographs that adorn this publication.

To purchase this download, and other publications by Tod, please visit:

www.wargamevault.com

New Release 28mm 1:56 "Hotel" (Desire Ingouf) May 7, 2019 09:13

Thanks goes to Michal Pokorny from Benesov in the Czech Republic. Michal has had a lot of his model kits appear in the gallery and a number of video reviews too. Michal provided the concept artwork, dimensions and critiqued my CAD drawings until we arrived at this. The model is based on a black and white picture from 1944, coupled with a lot of guesswork and a bit of artistic licence to have a playable gaming piece of terrain.

Michal, Burkhard Ezluhcs (from Germany) and Bill Jennings (UK) all confirmed (independently) the text for the main title bar which I found difficult to read. Thanks gentlemen, I take comfort in knowing I have made every effort to "get it right". 

A large kit that will compliment the other models in the Normandy Collection. With 25 windows and 5 doors this is going to be a fortress.

"Zeltbahn German Camp Set" Tutorial April 24, 2019 16:02

With the release of the Zeltbhan Set, I have produced this step by step tutorial on how I achieved the effects that appear in the product pages on this site.

This kit may provide a "Jump Off Point" for Chain of Command or a base camp for Bolt Action scenarios or simply a piece of themed scatter to enhance your table.

Nothing in the hobby is really new, the concept was one that was given to me a few years back (Thanks Brian). The raw idea has been developed through a lot of research and brainstorming. I could imagine the desired outcome; yet needed to work out the "how to".

There are many examples of Zeltbahn from memorabilia sites online and I even found original line drawings with dimensions. I scaled the zeltbahn panel to 1/56. I had considered "heroic" scale yet decided to go "true" as the tents would suit the smaller sculpts like the excellent Perry and Foundry ranges too.

A laser cut MDF frame, filled with polyfilla and when dry, clad with greenstuff achieved the look was after.

When the three green masters were complete, I sent them to Slug Industries to make the mould and cast a small batch. I have to confess to being apprehensive at getting the casts back as I was unsure how much fine detail would be picked up in the mould making process.

Phil (from Slug Industries) skilfully sculpted the campfire as I wanted to produce an overall diorama effect rather than three loose tents.

The older I get, the more important scenery is to me. Many people invest a lot of money and time into getting armies on the table with terrain as an afterthought. I feel that in recent years however the tide has turned and more attention is being given to the look of the table as a whole. The overall immersive gaming experience is enhanced by having a cinematic backdrop for any game.

My first task in preparing the kit was to give it the obligatory soapy wash to remove any mould release agent on the resin. None was apparent, but I believe it is a good habit to get into.

Once spray primed with cheap grey primer bought from a car shop, the details came to the fore. While the rattle can was out, I sprayed the MDF base on both sides. This provides an effective seal against atmospheric moisture and eliminates shrinkage, preventing the thin wood warping. In  10 -15 minutes, I had a flat, stable surface to work on which is easy to mark with a pencil. More on this later.

Onto the painting! Before picking up a brush; I looked online at numerous examples of  zeltbahn fabric from originals to reproduction outfitters. I revisited the splittermuster (splinter pattern) painting guides by Artizan Designs and an excellent guide by James Brown which appears in "The Art of War Wermacht Edition" (published by Battlefront Miniatures 2008). The colours used are as recommended by James although the technique differs slightly, adapting to a larger scale.

Starting with a base coat of German Camouflage Beige, I used German Camo Medium Brown to make the angular pattern. The "green infills" are Luftwaffe Camo Green and seem to always sit alongside brown on 2 or 3 sides. On close inspection there does not seen to be any green islands surrounded by beige. When painting, I replicated some of the shapes, not paying too much attention to accurately match more so to speed up the process and not having to think about the pattern. Besides, the printing of the fabric was originally done on a roller and had a relatively short repeat in design. As each panel progressed, I checked to ensure that the pattern was uniform in size and not getting larger and out of scale.

The neck hole, button hems and centre seam appear in subtle relief in the resin and to enhance this, I changed the pattern direction. I did not want to give the impression that the tent was draped from one piece of fabric.

The next step was my usual "go to," a wash of Games Workshop Agrax Earthshade to bring out the details. Once the wash was dry, I repainted the beige in vertical strokes to enhance the effect of the forthcoming splinters. I used a 0.1mm black fine line pen for the splinters. The splinters appear around the edges of the beige slightly overlapping the brown and green. Leave some beige in random areas splinter-free.

For the fire, I started deep into the model and worked towards myself. I used a bright yellow, then added a white and dabbed inbetween the logs. I repeated the process and added vermillion to the yellow for an orange hue.

The logs were painted charred brown, tipped with black and highlighted with a couple of greys. Each layer of paint being lighter and applied to a progressively smaller area. I was tempted to drybrush but did not want to obscure the inner yellow orange areas. The rocks and ashes were painted in greys, washed with Nuln Oil and then highlighted with a very pale grey. I was after a well used firepit look where the fire had died down over time and has been kept small. Painting ashes to the  difficult bit between the logs and stone surround was a simple solution.

The helmets were painted in German Camo Dark Green and also benefitted from a light wash of GW Nuln Oil. A highlight of the green followed by a final, fine highlight was done by adding a little German Fieldgrey to the base colour.

With the bulk of the painting done I turned my attention to the base. I experimented with positioning the zeltbahn and fire until I was happy with the composition. I then sought small stones and dead twigs from the garden and raided my bits box to enhance the narrative of the scene. Plastic parts from Warlord Games Germans reinforce the story. I pencilled around the resin and logs to ensure I superglued them into the correct place. It is very easy to get carried away at this stage and forget what goes where.

Using cheap thin superglue, I washed the logs to seal the natural material from the atmosphere and provide a good base to paint over. I then used a thin layer of greenstuff to "bed in" the logs, fire and open tent. Any surplus mix was used to make the ground slightly rougher. I used Tamiya Earth Brown all over the base and logs and Bleached Bone at the cut log ends. Washing the logs with watery Charred Earth completed the look.

To complete the set, I used a variety of tufts, flower tufts and clump foliage. I used a static grass applicator with shorter strands to give a trodden down look in the camp centre. I felt that the flower tufts were too "tidy" so I sprayed the whole model with hairspray and carefully sprinkled on some white coloured sand for the dispersed "daisy effect". A final spray of varnish took the shine from the model and the project was almost complete. The finishing touch was to tease out some grey Warlord Games polyester (that came with a tank) and fix in place with a dab of superglue. The smoke gives the camp a lived in look and adds a vertical dimension to balance the tents.

I feel certain whenever I game with this piece, the smoke will drift towards where I am sitting. It always does when I go camping.

Foot note: I painted the tents in splittermuster as it was by far the most common pattern used throughout the war. If painting splinter pattern is too daunting, the good news is that up to 1930, zeltbahn were made from plain field grey to match the uniforms and may be suited to early war tables.

I have also viewed a much rarer plain tan which was used (reportedly) by DAK in North Africa and in 1943, zeltbahn werer produced in Italian pattern (Telo mimetico) using captured fabric and camouflage  printing rollers. Gamers who field SS troops can paint the zeltbahn in: plane tree or oak leaf pattern. I have not come across any in "pea dot" but cannot rule it out as, on a war setting, items were frequently made with what was available at the time of manufacture.

Colin

Holiday Notice and Postal Charge Increase March 14, 2019 10:43

Charlie Foxtrot Models will be away on holiday from 20th March to 5th April.

The last post before our break will be late on 19th March. All orders placed while we are away will be dealt with in date order. The first date of posting on our return will be Monday 8th April.

Emails will be responded to, again in date order on our return.

UK Royal Mail are increasing their prices on 25th March 2019. Orders placed while we are away will be charged at the current rates and the increase will be applied on our return for future orders.

New Release: Warlords of Erehwon "Spell Token Set" February 19, 2019 11:43

Cut in 3mm clear acrylic, this eight piece set contains the following tokens:

 Endow Strength, Enchanted Shield, Sorcerer's Shield, Enfeeble Foe, Toad, No Casting, Vortex & Familair.

The first 4 are "remain in play" effects while the secnd 4 are "miscast effects".

Why not team this with acrylic or MDF skulls for pin markers? (I use small for 1 pin and large for 5)

Tutorial "Paddy Fields" January 31, 2019 10:39

During the development of the 28mm 1/56 "Paddy Fields" I took some pictures to share my modelling experiences.

Here is the final image, the steps are listed below.

The "Paddy Fields" come as a 2 part simple kit with optional acrylic inserts (more on this later). Please see the tutorial on "Ponds" for a very simple and quick still water effect. On this occasion I though I would experiment. I have a blank canvas of three sections and wanted to portray three different crop stages: Newly planted, cleared for planting and ready to harvest.

Prior to applying water effects, I built up the top frame with a firm mix of tile grout (as this was to hand, polyfilla would have equally been suitable). I used an old table knife to "butter" the top making a raised curved area.

I was concerned that the filler may warp the 2mm top frame so did an incomplete job, purposly leaving gaps allowing me to weight the frame down as it dried.

I completed the top frame once the first application of filler was dry and glued this to the base. As a precaution I applied weight to each of the corners to keep everyting flat as the glue dried.

Once the paddy fileds were dry, I set to work painting with earth brown colours. In this case Homebase tester pot "Chocolat". I added a bit of Vallejo "Charred Brown" and, using a large brush, stippled a bit at the base of the large field. The mud banks were lightly drybrushed with Vallejo "Earth".

I used a tip from Luke Fellows (fromLukes APS) and mixed clear two part epoxy resin directly in one of the small fields. Working quickly, I used the spreader that came with the glue to get a reasonably flat surface. Gravity did the rest. I then, before the glue set, used a static grass applicator to give a light dusting of 6mm grass. This field has recently been harvested and the stubble is left prior to clearing. The two part epoxy on this small field worked really well. The effect is good, clear and held the static grass well. The glue does have a smell however it goes rapidly as it sets. £1.00 spent and a bit of spatic grass. All is going well so far.

For the second field, I went for a fully grown look with a crop about to be harvested. I liberally coated the recess with carpet glue (PVA woud have worked just the same) and applied static grass to completely fill the area.

When this first layer had dried, I used the glue nozzle and carefully ran a series of parallel lines across the field. I then reapplied static grass to cover the glue giving the appearance of repeated rows of rice plants.

For the large field, I encountered some problems. My initial thought was to use acrylic (like in my pond tutorial) however this was to be an experimental piece. I started with clear epoxy resin having enjoyed the success of the first field. This field, being that much bigger, provided a greater challenge. One tube of pound shop glue was not enough, it had only covered approximately half of the field. I quickly opened another tube and emptied the contents into the recess. Disaster! As I was mixing the fresh glue in situ, the previously poured glue was going off....I worked as quickly as I could and tried to belnd the seam between the two glue packs. I put the paddy field aside and allowed it to dry overnight. Unfortunately, in my haste to get the second epoxy resin spread, I must have failed to mix it fully and had a few small sticky areas where the glue had not set.

Undeterred, I bought some MIG Ammo "Water Effects" on the tub it states it is self levelling and dries clear. Not in my experience. Using the product straight out of the tub, I had to use a spoon as the effect was too viscous to pour. I used the back of the spoon to try to smooth the surface also without much success.

The water effects went on like double cream and was set aside to dry.

Fearing that the water effects may shrink, I weighted down each corner whilst setting. As you can see from the picture, the water effects does shrink as cracks appeared in the surface. After 4 days the approximately 1.5mm thickness had failed to clear and I was left with milky white areas. This coud not have been a reaction with the unmixed epoxy as the cloudiness was uniformover the whole field.

When dry, I had to paint over the water effects with a stippling action using mud brown colours and brace myself for "round three".

This time, I spooned a very small amount of water effects into the field and mixed it in situ with equal parts water. I spread this watery mix evenly over the re-painted field. Success! after 3-4 hours, the glue had dried and a second layer was applied. I repeated this until 4 layers had dried.

The final stage was to apply static grass tufts of different lengths and colours to represent weeds growing on the mud field banks.

In summary, the static from Lukes APS worked well for both flocking direct onto the fields and making the tufts which I applied later. The MIG water effects I will use again however, remember, it does not pour, self level or dry clear. Unless it is mixed with a lot of water. Another disadvantage apart from the price (£9.95 for 250ml) is the prolonged drying time.

I would use this product for small bases, but avoid larger water expanses.

In hindsight, I would have had a lot less trouble using sheet acrylic placed in dry and used caulk or more filler to cover any minor gaps. I would have ended up with this effect with very little effort or prolonged drying time.

Wargames Soldiers & Strategy: Review and article January 15, 2019 10:45

Really happy to receive my copy of WS&S issue 100. Not only is it thicker than usual and crammed with German Paras and more....it has a review and painting guide for the 28mm Charlie Foxtrot Models "Zeltbahn Camp Set". I still get a buzz being in this publication. Great too to see so many familiar people contributing interesting articles.

New Release: "Battlegroup" Fall of the Reich Tokens December 17, 2018 16:46

Done as a customer request and now instore. The full 96 token set cut in 3mm MDF with images for clarity on some of the "special" tokens.