WWI Project

Several months ago I started a WWI project, collecting figures for small forces of French, Belgian, British and Germans for use in 1914. I completed a company each of French and Germans, together with heavy machine guns and a German 7.7cm field gun. I also began work on a company of Belgian infantry, and have completed all but one platoon of the infantry, one HMG and a singe Minerva Armour Car.

This project was put on hold while I finished the Russo-Japanese armies for the Tarawera weekend, but now that those armies are complete (for now), I am getting back into the WWI.

I have ordered the the remaining Belgian infantry, two French 75mm guns and crews, along with a platoon of French dragoons. Apart from the  Belgian cavalry and a machine gun dog team, this will complete those two forces. The remaining Germans and the British will be ordered in the New Year.

However, judging from the last delivery, I am not expecting these figures to arrive quickly. So to fill in the  time until they arrive I have begun to work on some buildings for the Belgian/Northerh France area. The series will be based on some work I did some twenty-five years ago when I designed all of the buildings for Military Miniatures. Within that body of work I did a series in 1:300 scale that consisted of 16 gabled row houses that could be stood side by side to make street rows. The front and back of these were different so that they could be arranged in a large variety of combinations. This series will largely repeat that, but in 25mm. 

The intention is to make perhaps 14 houses that will be used in street rows, with a further six that can be ends - that is textured on three sides and not two. I have made the first four cardboard forms up and begun texturing the faces of some. One also has it roof tiles in place. The pictires below show those first four structures in a couple of combinations. There will also be some buildings in ruins.

Most of the buildings will have a standard frontage of 60mm, although some will be 80mm, and all with have a standard depth of 70mm with the total measurement from the front to back edge of the pavement of 135mm. Height will vary between 100mm and 140mm.

The building below shows  gabled building with the front and back texturing complete. All that need to be done is add the roof crest, chimneys and complete the pavements, perhaps another hour's work.

I was hoping to get a bit further on with these - I wanted to get the first four completed before the miniatures  order arrives - but I have a business trip that will take me away from home for the next week. I will post more images as the project progresses.