East Africa - Armoured Train....

Working on an armoured train to hold about 10+ figures...

Using some old OO/HO wagons, plus some scribed cardboard for the flooring

simple armoured exterior made using cardboard...

roof and supports assembled, plus a step for the doors...

start of an armoured loco body sleeve to fit over an OO/HO tank loco

all assembled and awaiting paint ....

all items painted with Tamiya Khaki, then put firing slits onto the armoured trucks with black ink pen and a simple stencil.

An old Hornby OO/HO 4-wheel coach, slight modified and painted to match added to the train.  All finished and ready for action.....

Tinkering with the passenger coach ....

The train is late, partly as I'm painting some extra FFL figures for the train guard and also that I'm tinkering with the passenger coach. I wanted to be able to get figures on the end verandas and also inside.

I removed the stuck on roof and replaced the verandas with larger ones, then started adding padding strips to the top of the coach body to allow for the height of a figure..

padding strips added and a new roof made from card, which can be taken off when needed...

end veranda, with figure - just about OK...

back in the train....

Loco Cab change for 28mm figure...

Aim: modify loco cab to fit 28mm driver and look as close as possible to that of the loco in the film North-West Frontier.

Old non-runner loco taken apart and the motor removed ... 

Cab removed and saved the front part, add a lift of about 1cm and new back of cab. In mid-bodge, checking the fit of a 28mm figure in the cab ..

bodge done,  

Ready for use in a game .....

Building a desert nomad tent ...

Some generic nomads' tents needed for desert games, so made one up up using a cardboard frame, covered with some suitable fabric...

it'll do for a game piece... I'll make a couple more.

10/11/23, made a couple more tents, did a little set-up

Building a large warehouse/factory

Started with a part built item, based on an old box folder, which was in use as part of my underground passage/room setup. Sorted out some paper sheets of stonework and simple windows...

Covered inside and out with stone paper and with windows added

A new front made up from scrap MDF, with doors in slots so can remove them during games...

The front given its stone look and the doors painted.

trying it out for size in a potential game setup ...

Lift off roof construction... simple card frame and covering on an old box folder lid.

built and in place .... 

With some suitable paper sheet design printed on 160g paper stuck to the roof, all finished ..........

this is going to be a useful building as a factory/warehouse ...

Villains Lair (WIP)... nefarious device (2) ... ancillary equipment ...

 Scouting various spare items (thermostat top, pen tops etc) and bits from the 'bits box' bashed to use as ancillary equipment plus a couple of purchased items of Pulp lab equipment.

Evil Villains Lair .. making a start ....basic table layout

Table split in half with a scenic break.....

The above ground approach side ..

underground side ...

I will have to scribble a few layout ideas so that the connection between both sides is sensible with at least four ways in/out; then work out the layout of both sides plus the scenario design to ensure the game is playable.

Evil Villains Lair .. making a start ....underground dock

 A list of items under consideration to include in the secret base is:

• Meeting Room
• Villains appartment
• Operations/Control room
• Test Facility
• Machine Room (generators..)
• Warehouse (with admin office)
• Garage
• Minion's Barracks
• Firing range
• Prisoner control office and cells
• W.C. and showers ?
• Villains escape route
• Underground dock (or submarine pen)

I decided to start on the underground dock as I can re-use my harbour modules and add some new walls.

The walls are 2 inches high to match my other underground passageways and rooms - some of these can be used as well.  

New arrivals for East Africa (WIP)

 A couple of orders recently arrived to add to stuff for East Africa....

A detachment of Kings African Rifles (from Underfire Miniatures)

these had to be assembled - rifles and heads had to be stuck on - a bit fiddly, worth it as they are very nice figures .

A radio carried by mule; this from Empress Miniatures. I swapped the head of the muleteer

Also from Empress Miniatures, a Model T ford with crew (not easy to assemble); in addition I bought a second crew and have fitted them to a Matchbox Models of Yesteryear Crossley 1918; the machine gunners are removable so both can carry loads.

something more to paint 😀 .....

New deck-gun

 Up-gunned the deck gun for my river boat ... a metal casting from a pulp range

Larger Hangar (WIP)

 Still stuck on aerodromes and suchlike 😀 ...

I was wondering how they re-fuelled aircraft in early 1930's,  found this interesting picture

basically a small fuel tank on wheels with a hand-pump on it;  I bashed one together, which looks similar, from some spare bits I had ...

I've started making the larger hangar;  using a reworked ~A4 sized cardboard storage box 

Rather than sliding doors I went with folding doors (some fascinating old Esavian adverts here ) I can get a medium sized aircraft in it or two smaller ones...

Storage, the small hangar fits inside the big one...

Will just have enough room (?) to fit them in the storage box with the other associated buildings..  

.....better not build anything else 😜