going underground - black underlay...

I had an old projector screen to be disposed of, the screen is black on the back so I removed it from the housing - about 3ft square overall. It makes a good underlay for the underground sections (better than a black sheet)...

The scheme for games allows for an underground game space on one half of the table and the above ground equivalent on the other half of the table.

Low temple/statue platform ...

The low stone platform from the previous post, now painted up -

another useful addition to my scenics...

low temple platform - WIP

Another temple platform - not too big, just something low to put a single statue on.

I picked up a board game in a local charity shop, a few bits in it were useful; there were four sort of low walled rooms, one of which I have started converting for use ....

 a padding piece of 3mm card was put in the centre, then the original thin bit of card was cut up and stuck on top ....

next job - quick paint job ...

von Tiddenheim sightseeing (3)

Some of the expedition went down with a bad fever just before leaving India, so it was decided to wait for them to get better then continue with the onward journey. After a couple of weeks all were well and they were off again flying off down via Burma, Siam and Malaya to their final destination of Batavia in the Dutch East Indies.

While in Siam they had a short layover and went to see some of the ancient temples ..

 After having settled into their hotel in Batavia they went out for a walk round ...

and to enquire at one of the harbour shipping offices whether their private yacht was ready ...

A late addition for British south seas expedition ...

HMS Winscombe had stopped off at Darwin to pick up the British south-seas expedition members; a late addition to the expedition was flying in by sea plane - the rendezvous would be an island off Papua ...

The pilot flew over the edge of the island and prepared to land ...

 and put down the sea plane, the launch soon arrived to pick up a passenger ....

 as the sea-plane took off, the launch returned to HMS Winscombe ....

Naval landing party ...

Naval landing party from HMS Winscombe ...

[ Empress Miniatures figures]

HMS Winscombe ....

Captain Henry Odd-Fellowes supervises 'action stations' drill on HMS Winscombe, somewhere off the coast of Australia....

They have just received to provide logistical support to an geographical and achaelogical expedition organised by the Royal Society. They are due in port to pick up members of the expedition ....

[new items: ships deck crew using british deck crew from Pulp Figures, some modified to give them tin hats - the ship was scratch-built for my WW2 games but is being pressed into service for the inter-war period]

a few more adventurers...

six more adventurers added ...

A couple out doing some hunting...

 While the rest discuss the next day's route ...

going underground - initial set of pieces completed

I've finished the initial set of pieces for underground passages/tombs. For a finish I used paper sheets, cut as required and stuck to the cardboard sections. I went with a lighter shade of grey so the figures would show up better. There are enough sections for a good range of basic setups.

A couple of pictures of a small setup...

going underground ... passages etc - WIP(2)

Having used up another of the A4 cardboard boxes to double up the number of sections, I have enough to make up a reasonable sized setup (about half the table)..

I've bought another cardboard box so I have some material to build door sections and other 'rooms'.

going underground ... passages etc - WIP

sketching out some ideas, two pages of jottings and scribbling ....

raw materials - I got a couple of these A4 cardboard storage boxes to use, nice stiff cardboard...

 One box cut up and made into pieces, based on a 2inch (50mm) grid system. In general the concept is for individual pieces to be open from the viewing/playing side so the figures can be seen and photos taken.

 a layout of a possible tomb ... with an additional small gothic style  chamber (borrowed from my 18C Witttenberg palace stuff)

well the basic schema seems to work nicely, I'll cut up the other box to make some more sections then go on to think about tomb entrances, internal doors and the final finish (probably using printed paper sheets).

Jungle Journey... Somewhere in Cambodia....

Crichton Odd had been on an expedition investigating ruins and such like in Brunei, on their way back to India, they stopped off in the French Protectorate of Cambodia. While there, they heard that a small party of female archaeologists had gone missing. Odd volunteered to help find them and after getting permission from the authorities he went into the jungle with his fiancee and a small detachment of Indian soldiers... 

---oXo---

 After searching for a couple of days near where the missing archaeologists had been last reported he found them and led them back to safety, as they reached a small rise next to an old ruin they could just see in the distance a farmstead.

the moved down into the valley and alongside the river towards a rope bridge ....

as they started to cross the bridge a small group of natives approached; a shot from a pistol scared them off and they slipped back into the jungle....

as they got across the bridge and moved through the ruined building they were attacked by another small group of natives....

a stiff volley and a brisk hand-to-hand fight saw them off, however one of the escorting soldiers was killed. As they made their way onwards a few arrows were fired at them, but didn't hit them ....

they crossed a small stream towards a little village, which seemed deserted ...

as they passed the village, they could see a group of natives following them .....

they made good progress, occasionally they thought they caught sight of a native in the undergrowth nearby .....

when they arrived at a ruined temple, natives from a neraby village moved towards them ....

and then attacked them .....

the little party fired frantically at the charging natives with their pistols and rifles, some got close in but they fended them off ....

the natives fell back and kept away from Odd and his party as they moved away from the temple....

safety at last ! they reach the farmstead....

some ladies ... and emus ...

first a selection of ladies, ready for trips into the jungle etc....

and to add to my selection of animals, some emus...

Boulders ....

A recent bag of stuff I bought in a charity shop contained some plastic boulders. The moulding seams were sanded away...

 and then then were cut up in various ways ......

 then based in twos & threes, plus some round a pond..

all painted up and ready for intrepid explorers to pass by , or through etc....

... yet another temple platform..

Another delve into the bottom of the box of stuff, the last few things put to one side are now used up. I made up another temple platform using some Mega Construx pieces, Jenga blocks and cardboard.

As constructed

 Finished and ready for use...

 added bonus on this one - a doorway round the back ...

with a selection of small statues and buildings to place on this one and the one made previously (see last post) - should be able to have enough variety for future games.

... rope bridge .. and temple platform...

A delve into the box of bits put by yielded some things to work on...

A small resin rope bridge altered slightly to fit my standard river sections, with two sets of 'steps' either side made up with card and foam board along with some mega-blocks pieces.

 a quick paint job, plus some scatter - ready for use .....

A generic temple platform made up on a cardboard base using a small plastic tray and some modified mega-blocks pieces and bricks. Painted in grey and dry brushed in a darker grey with some bits of scatter .... ready for a suitable statue ....

... into the pacific .... some more animals...

Added some typical animals that could be used... a few chickens and a dog (Pegasus 1/48 plastics); seen here with some native huts that may be useable

 and some wild pigs ...

and finally something a bit more dangerous - a nice large lizard (Komdo dragon or the like) from Otherworld Miniatures

I need some more suitable native huts and the right sort of natives for Micronesia/Melanesia/Polynesia ....