Building the Grand Duchy of the Bläu.

Having completed a major rebase of my 10mm Eighteenth Century forces I decided that my terrain was sadly lacking.  The buildings I have are almost all either 6mm scale Peninsular War or scratch built Medieval hovels.  Not that I have anything against hovels, I'm sure that some denizens of the Grand Duchy reside in awful buildings, so I'm happy to use them, but I wanted the feel of Altberg in 1740, not Much Dripping in the Wold circa 1150.

I am Of course in Cyprus, and ordering anything by post from the UK has ruinous surcharges, no matter what is claimed in some quarters the Post Office here take glee in charging extra tax.  Indeed they make the figure up on the spot.  It seems that an old fashioned scratch build is on the cards then.

My Infantry bases are 5cm by 2.5.  In old money thats 2 inches by 1.  This means that each town base mush have sufficient space for a garrison base to deploy.  Given that I'm going to use 15cm square town bases that seems no problem.  Bases must also combine to create larger towns.

I revisited a 1988 Wargames Illustrated article by Pete Duckworth, and turns out I need whitewashed half timber buildings, and thatched roofing, with a few tiled roof ones.  Sounds like I'll be able to use  these for late Medieval too then.

So I'm going to need a few half timber houses, a church, a barn or perhaps granary.  A duck pond sounds good too.  I'll be able to add some resin and scenics at a later date but I want to get the figures on table, so its on with the project.

I am using artists card, for its strength, and shipped up coffee stirrers for my wooden beams.

A limited quantity of embossed stone work, or brick effect plastic card here.

and assembled church spire...

Once I get to this stage a wash of polyfilla or similar to hide the cracks.

My bases are either more artists card or hardboard, with a grass texture sheet cover.  

With the buildings drying out I began work on the first template. 

I left gaps in the grass mat, to give my roads some depth.  These will be flocked.

Foliage and coffee stick fences, added to an Irregular Minis wall and gate.

 I'll be giving that wall a dark brown wash to wear it in.

The duck pond is a piece of acetate recessed into the base covered by varnish.  Quite pleased by the little gravestones in the churchyard.

And the just about finished project.

Can't wait to get this on table!