Desert Fort & Town Walls - painting & finishing ....

Filling gaps with fine wood filler ...

Once filler dried, after sanding down as needed a base coat of paint applied..

A wash of white to tone down the base colour ...

Finishing the Town Walls...

All the wall sections were given some texture by sponging dilute white paint on ...

then added doors in towers and firing slits (paper images stuck on) and a main gate from cardboard

To finish off a variable light wash of light brown to make it look a bit weathered.....

Finishing the Desert Fort...

Used the same finishing scheme for the fort, but left off the final variable light brown wash. Instead I used the light brown wash on the interior ground surface. Added a small well made up using a spare resin casting. A flagpole holder was added, and a removal flagpole made from a wooden hibachi skewer.  

The fort with a garrison of some French colonial troops (and suitable flag)...

Now all the basic desert scenery is done, I ought to get a game going using it - I have just enough suitable figs so we'll see what I can come up with ....😊

Desert Fort .... The Build....

Sketched out ideas for the desert fort structure, similar in look to the old Airfix Fort Sahara.

 The base done, on the table - enough space round it all sides for someone to attack it. (When its finished) ...

Added the core of the walls, and then the walkways ...

Assembling the tower...

tower fixed in place ....

walls finished, with initial gateway...

added some steps up to the wall and reworked the gateway ...

setting out the basic walls for the interior buildings

command office and guardhouse by gate

the barracks...(thought I better paint the inaccessible part before I added the second storey..)

The basic construction is complete, will need to move on to the final finishing - gap filling, painting etc...

Desert Town Walls ....the build ....

While working on a desert fort, I thought that while I was in 'construction mode' I would also make some walls for a large desert town.  The wall set to go across the table or in one corner.

As usual I started with a quick sketch plan of the sections to be built .....

first up - do the bases (4mm thick heavy duty card)

wall cores added...

added the towers... 

then finished the walls off,   gateway done too ....

final finishing to do then paint etc....

Tinkering with desert table setup (5) .... rocky outcrops and scatter pieces

completed the rocky outcrops...

also been altering the scatter pieces so they weren't so dark, look somewhat better ....

continuing.on.

Ser stood, machette in hand to defend the boat just as the first hippo charged into the boat.

He stood little chance and was knocked off his feet and into the river by the impact between hippo, boat and shore.
   Ser stood quickly, even in his dazed state he knew how dangerous the water could be.
The machette was still in his hand and he raised it against the hippos, who, having apparently made their displeasure known calmly swam off downstream.




Junior and Sophia moved alongside,

Ser was obviously shaken but unharmed, the professor lay comatose as he had for the day.

Quickly the party moved on.

The river seemed quiet but still .they  proceeded with care.

Danger was  still around them, as the rivers edge showed.

As if from nowhere, shots rang out.

Figures could be seen on the river bank and a white building half hidden by the jungle came into view.

This had to be the mission, but why was a nun standing waving them on whilst holding a smoking pistol.

The reason became obvious as they moved towards the bank.

There was little chance of hitting a crocodile at that range with a handgun, but the beasts moved warily away.

 Experience had taught them that.

Quickly the professor was lifted from the boat and carried into the Hospital.

Sister Sarah, arranged for food and refreshments even as she hurried inside to examine the patient.



All wondered if he would survive.

Time will tell.

Tinkering with desert table setup (4) .... oasis, well - WIP on rocky bits

A simple job done to finish 'the pond' for the oasis, a swish of bluish paint and two coats of gloss varnish..

The finished simple desert well 

Used up the last of some offcuts of foam floor mats and bits of foam packing material to make some more rock formations pieces on cardboard bases... a bit of painting etc to do ....

Tinkering with desert table setup (3) .... ruins & new items

Enough bits of roman/greek style ruins to use for a lost city of sorts...

Working on a couple of new items... a pond for a little oasis and a small desert well...

and just bashed together a low rocky outcrop using some old packing foam...

The journey continues.

          Dawns rosy fingers were barely brushing the morning sky as the party boarded the boats for what promised to be a long days travel.

   All had had a restless night, and the best that could be said for the Professors condition was that it seemed no worse.
    They could only hope that the days travel would cause him no further distress.

Ser took the first boat with the professor, some of their stores had to be left behind to make room.
Sophia and Junior took the second.




Moving cautiously off in the half light, the party rounded a bend in the river to find the way ahead blocked by a series of sandbars with only narrow channels visible between.

Warily they proceeded, expecting at any moment to run aground (1 or 2 on a D6)






In the shallows beyond Native cattle had been brought down to the riverbank to drink.
 A village must be nearby.
Hopefully not aggressive.


Watching the herdboys for any signs,they failed to spot a young hippo in the water.
When they did spot it, Ser began to worry.
Where was the mother?
The last thing he wanted was to be caught between mother and child.





As they scanned the surface of the river, the young hippo turned upstream, keeping pace with the boats.




On and on, it swam before them.

Where was the mother?





All eyes  scanned the water and the banks for any sign.

A native village passed unheeded as they began to overtake the hippo.




Ahead, a small herd of Wildebeast had come to the river to drink, it seemed unlikely that the parent hippo was nearby.








Laving theyoung hippo behind they increased speed and headed on, determined to make up lost time.

The jungle was coming alive with sound and many diverse animals could be seen.




Ahead the could see smoke rising above the jungle canopy.





A native village, deserted and smouldering was quickly passed.

Everyones eyes were scanning every bush and tree for danger natural or human.





Although much wildlife was seen nothing threatened the party and they motored on for several hours in the heat of the day.











Other inhabitants had not been as lucky.




 A small tributary appeared on the right, Their journey led straight on, and they passed the Juju signs with barely little notice.






A herd of Elephants lined the bank,

The old bull eyed them warily as they motored on.





But ahead in the water Ser had spotted hippo.





 They couldn't stop, but slowed and steered to clear them.


Disturbed from their midday snooze the giant beasts turned and attacked the lead boat.







To be continued.