Crop field scenery project for 28mm Dark Ages wargaming- Part 2

Okey doke so this is the second part of the post following my attempt at making a crop field for my 28mm dark ages gaming. After making the crop tufts earlier, I then went to my nan's for a cuppa and found she was throwing out some horrendously tacky placemats. Horrendously tacky placemats ideal for turning into scenery bases! So I'll be using one of them for this build, along with the tufts from before. Theyre about 6mm thick, fine corkboard with a card backing so shouldn't warp but are easy enough to get through.

^thats the parts I started out with + a glue gun

THE IMPORTANCE OF BUYING GOOD TOOLS. I picked this up in poundland and it broke almost right away, what crap! 

So I switched to this much more robust stanley knife. The rectangles at jaunty angles on the board were  from me testing the size of unit bases against the whole mat to check whether it would be worth making one huge field, but I decided that that would be just too big for realistic gaming. I then marked out two rectangles and cut into them. If you use a similar material for yours dont expect to get through it in a single cut, I repeatedly scored mine with quite a bit of force before I got through.

Until it reached this stage.

I hate scenery with a 'step'. What crop field has a neat step up all around it?? None Ive ever seen. So i added a rough bevelled edge around the perimeter with my craft knife.

I then remarked the size of two unit bases- one 100mm x 80mm renedra movement tray, and one war of the ring infantry movement tray full of archers. its important to mark down the size of your units or else you cant fit them in- it may seem obvious but so many people make these mistakes!

Then arrange your tufts around the base as you like! Glue them down with a hot glue gun when youre happy with their arrangement.  I have purposely left gaps between the crops for an easier time when i base and paint the model

Both pics show some of my vikings sat happily amongst the crops ready to strike!

Ready for basing & painting!

Crop field scenery project for 28mm Dark Ages wargaming- Part 1

Hi there! This is the first of many posts I'll be making to document my recent foray into the world of Dark Age wargaming in 28mm.

In this first one ill be showing the beginning stages of a field of crops ill be using during my games. 

They also make awesome tufts of long grass for individual placement on scenery and bases.

It's a really simple build, using minimal equipment, materials and skill.

^ This is everything I used. So that's a pair of modelling clippers, a hot glue gun with a few spare glue rods, an old scrubbing brush from the shower that had seen better days (dried out) and some of the paper backings from sticky labels. The cutting board was just so I didn't wreck the tablecloth.

I wanted to make some crop- like pieces to later glue on to a board to make a simple corn field.

Gradually working my way through the scrubber.

After experimenting I found that cutting the bristles off before adding glue was a nightmare and they flew everywhere, so opted to add glue to the tops of the bristle clumps in strips making it a great deal easier.

Its ok to be liberal with the hot glue, you need to make sure the sides get coated to stop the bristles coming loose and going everywhere. It doesnt matter if a bit gets on the sides as it wil be painted as wet mud and any thick glue clumps at the base will be disguised with sand later.

Smooth the back of the sticky label over the glue while it is still warm to give it a flat base. This will make it much easier to glue on our board later.

Peel back the paper and cut off the clumps either in strips, groups or singly. If you've missed any parts add a blob more glue- its worth checking! Gently rub the clumps to remove any stray bristles and keep the loose ones for later.

This is the finished product ready for applying to the board to make a field. The one on the left is left straight and the one on the right has been bent carefully for a more wild, realistic look.

This shows how many tufts I made from under half the scrubber. The bottom left shows 2 cut bails i made from putting a small dab of glue on either end then wrapped a thin piece of wire around the centre.

Will be posting again soon for the next stage!