Latest projects- simple trees; an orchards and a crazy bus

So just a few quick bits I have been working on recently including quick and cheap trees, and apple orchard and a bus for my central america project.

My first set of trees with a 28mm figure for scale.

I recently shared on Miniature Modeling Mayhem some of the trees I have been working on. I am not an expert on terrain, modeling or anything else really, but I thought I would give making some trees a shot. If I had the funds, I would love to just go out and buy some really good looking one. But since I would rather spend my funds on figures and the periods I have chosen to game require trees, lots and lots of trees, I had to learn to make something that was halfway real looking and could be done inexpensively yet still looked good enough for the table.

I started out by searching in the craft shops for suitable dried or fake foliage that looked like trees. That was harder than it sounds until I found a package of something just called Naturals at a Michael's Craft Store. I have no idea what plant these come from, but they work great. I won't write out every little step here, to make it easier you can just watch the video I posted. Hope this helps you.

Here are my trees after I used sanded tile grout to make the trunks and ground.

 Here is the video on how I made them:

Apple Orchard:
I have also been busy making an apple orchard. I want to be able to use this for a variety of periods and scales so it is about halfway between 20mm-28mm.

Latin American buses:
If you are reading this, then you most likely know I am in the middle of creating a fictitious campaign based on a Central American drug cartel and their battle with both government and rebel forces. If you have ever traveled anywhere in Latin America you will know they love colorful buses. Preferably of the old yellow variety painted in crazy colors.

I recently found this gem in a toy shop and wish they had a few more. It might be a bit under scale for my 28mm central america stuff, closer for the 20mm stuff I do, but I think it will do the trick on the table. I can't wait to start painting it.

The Tonka school bus with a 28mm figure for scale.

Here are a few more pics I plan on using for reference and to kick my imagination.

Until next time. Carry on men.
-Bob

The Laundry Room Barracks

The Laundry Room Barracks 

Welcome to the Drums of War miniature wargame blog. I hope to use this space to share ideas with other wargamers about topics such as terrain, rules, figures, etc. It's a place for me to talk about my hobby and passion for historical miniature wargames and the history behind them. Since I'm the "new kid" on the block so to speak, please bear with me. I know my painting isn't competition standard or my game board might not be the regular 6x8, but I hope you will enjoy my posts anyway. The hobby is a way for me to de-stress my hectic daily life and to get lost in the creative aspect of the hobby and broaden my historical knowledge. As of now I am mostly gaming moderns and the French and Indian War campaigns of the Seven Years War. For my moderns, mostly 20mm, I have concentrated on topics I know about, such as the Yugoslavia Civil War and the various civil wars in Central America.

I rekindled my passion for miniature wargaming after a 20 or so year break. Jobs, kids and family commitments can do that sometimes. In December 2015 I requested a military budget and funding from the Supreme Commander of all My Forces, the feared and formidable ginger-haired General ze Wife. The General hails from The Royal Colony of South Carolina and is of Scots-Irish decent, so as you can imagine, you do not want to hear the General's war cry. Expanding the military budget had to be taken with extreme caution. Late in the month of December, as the winter chill had settled in the New England woods, I opened my first "barracks" in a corner of the mess hall. The General did not take kindly to this nonsense and soon banished my men and me to our current home deep in a basement bunker now known as The Laundry Room Barracks. This is where I will be reporting updates to you about the progress of my troops. We are happy to be here. We have heat, a beer refrigerator, and a toilet close by. We have also been provided with a fairly ok Wi-Fi signal as long as General ze Wife's spies, ie: teenagers, are not streaming endless movies. I do not complain about these orders because I know that my men and I could be banished from the main base to the heatless barn with no toilet or beer within decent range.

My first miniatures back in the day were a pack of 25mm Old Glory AWI Continentals which I had primed. I only painted a total of two soldiers from that pack. They have now been re-enlisted into service for my FIW project. I also have a rather large collection of original 25mm Ral Partha British Colonials. They have been on leave in a storage box since about 1992. I recently recalled them back to The Laundry Room Barracks for inspection and to be issued uniforms. Yes, unfortunately most of the lot had only made it to the priming stage as well. Who knew being a dad consumed so much time and energy? Now that the General's spies have aged a bit, I am finding a little more time to paint, build terrain and learn new game rules.

I am glad to be back and learning so much from the wargaming community. One of the places that has been a great help is the Tabletop Commanders group on Facebook and Google+.  I joined in on a Paint & Chat session (an international live video chat) a few months back and have learned a great deal from that community. I try to login as often as I can. I tell the General it's training. It's a laid back group of like minded individuals who are very welcoming and open to sharing knowledge of the hobby. I tend to get much more painting done because of the chat sessions than I think I would on my own. I encourage you to check it out.

Thanks for reading. Until next time.
- Bob