The Making of Gemioncourt Farm

 Purchasing terrain is one thing, but maintaining a 'look' compatible to other pieces of terrain is another. I find that most 6mm purchased terrain is a little small in stature compared to the size of the Adler miniatures I regularly game with. I am aware of many discussions regarding built up areas and how they can be represented on the tabletop. Personally, I feel that the scale adopted should be in proportion to the figure scale used irrespective of the space it occupies. Conveyance of the actual building size relative to the troops is more important to me than the abstract notion of ground scale. It's an aesthetic thing!

That's not to say these are scale models, but more an impression of the buildings.

To that end I decided some time ago to scratch build a few of the Waterloo buildings to suit this aesthetic, starting with Hougomont and La Haye Sainte, these were constructed before I started this blog.

Next up was Quatre Bras farmhouse, the construction of which has featured in an earlier post - Quatre Bras

Gemioncourt farm.

The initial framework was prepared using photo-mount board available quite cheaply from local craft shops and from one board you can make several buildings and their bases in 6mm.

The floor-plan was sketched out on the base first and then the building sides were cut out, bearing in mind the relevant height as well as width. To do this I placed a figure flat against the 'wall' of the building and approximated the height depending on one, two or three stories were required. Once all the pieces were cut they were glued together with standard wood glue and left to dry overnight.

They now solid construction could be handled more roughly, allowing the next phase of roof application to begin. This was a time consuming process of pressing on a thin coated layer of 'Milliput' and lining out the roof tiles before it dried. I say time consuming because each roof needed to dry completely before starting the next, so as not to ruin previous work. Consequently, this took several days.

Once the whole structure was hard dried, the best bits could now begin - the paintwork. But before this, (I almost forgot), the doors and windows were made from a thin, rolled sheet of 'Milliput' and pressed int shape. When dry they were glued into place.

Finally, the whole structure was painted in block colours and then thin washes applied to 'age' it. Then flock textured groundwork was applied and any imperfections 'touched up'. 

Although I started this project really close to June 16th 2021, I managed to finish on time so I could enjoy a great battle day on the Quatre Bras Anniversary.