Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Kardstadt am Eder

Followers of this blog might note that when it comes to obtaining wargaming toys and accessories, my attitude can be best described as cheap and impatient.   Having looked over my terrain and buildings,  I decided that I needed buildings that would be appropriate for my SYW Kleine Kreig project.  A quick flip through tourism guides and photos on the web showed me that the period architecture of Western Germany looked a lot like those beautiful model railway buildings sold by Faller et al.  However a mass mail order of plastic kits wasn't going to meet my budget or attention span.

A better option would be home scratch builds.  I consider myself reasonably proficient with foam core, artist board and scrap cardboard and feel that I can turn out a workman-like final product.  Unlike some members of the fraternity I quite enjoy this type of modelling project.  I will likely turn to this option down the road.  I find that January and February are good times for building construction - a good project when the budget is tight, the nights are freezing and Christmas packaging is a ready source of materials. 

But in the interim cheap and fast gave me a clarion call in the form of emails from Wargames Vault about free samples of Dave Graffam card model kits and deep discounts on Graffam kits.  So off I went.

A completed model of the freebie hovel in the foreground and a work in progress Carriage house in the background.
What you get  are a set of PDF files that you can print out and assemble as buidlings.   The hovel and carriage house above were two of the freebis.  FOr the hovel I rpinted the templates on regular paper and glued them to a cut up cereal box (Gluten Free Chocolate Chex)  with the spray adhesive visible in the background.   I believe that the section of the Leader Post that I used has an article on Canadian Literary icon Margaret Attwood, who is a second or similar cousin on my mother's side.  My maternal grandmother had a regular correspondence with "Peggy" right up to her death at 99 and received signed copies of all of Atwood's works.


Same buildings, different angle.  Note the flaps on the carriage house to attach the roofs.
Given the small size of the model and the stiffness of the cereal box, the hovel is quite sturdy and set to be used on table.  I glued the carriage house onto light card stock, which is less rigid.  Combined with the bigger size, this one will need more support.  I figure on using foam core inside the walls to give it some bulk.  We have a good supply of slightly used foam core thanks to my wife's time as a Brownie and Guide leader.

From another angle.
The carriage house comes with two roof pieces and an optional dormer winder which I will mount in the white rectangle visible above.  This kit is a marvel of options.  It is a layered PDF file that let's you pick wall types (brick, stone or wood), roof options, window and door positions, weathering (see the cracks in the shot above) etc.  You can reuse the same kit many times and get different results on each one. 
A different arrangement of walls, windows and doors on the carriage house

So far I am having fun and am pleased on the results.  More posts to follow.

The finished hovel looks suitable to house Hansel and Gretel.

Close up of the Carriage House.  You can see the need for internal support.

13 comments:

  1. Cheap and impatient, now there is a combination that could get you into trouble. These look great though.

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    1. Michael
      There is no "could" only "can and do"! But thanks, I am pleased with the results.
      Peter

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  2. Nice buildings Peter! Now, will they survive flattening by our local miscreants, er, players? Time will tell...

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    1. I'll be wary of Jeremy and his wine glasses. Thanks Curt

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  4. Excellent buildings! Nothing wrong with thrifty impetuosity either. I used to use a couple of Margaret Atwood short stories in a world literature course I taught about 13 years ago. Most students enjoyed them and had quite a bit to discuss during class after reading.

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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    1. Your style strikes me as neither cheap or hasty, Stoke! Thanks

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  5. Nice stuff Peter - they look great. Suitably chocolate boxy and Germanic.

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  6. I'm with you on cheap and impatient, I might even be rated as impulsive at times. The ones you have assembled look really good thus far. Hopefully they don't have a lot of 18th/19thC Canadian architecture or I might have to see how they look with crooked corners and gaps.

    Having made several failed attempts on Atwood I will say no more on the subject.

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    1. Well the good/bad news is that the Graffam models with multilayered PDFs could easuily be reworked for those periods. On the the plus side they're cheap. Atwood is not to everyone's taste I will grant you.
      Peter

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  7. They look quite serviceable. I have been a fan of similar products from a company called Paper Terrain, which have seen long service in my games. I suggest creating some MDF bases with flocking, shrubs, hedges, etc and put the paper building in the center of the base, it will really punch them up in visual appeal. There are some examples on my blog.

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    1. Thanks for the tips Mike. I've seen your buildings and they look mighty fine to me.
      Cheers, PD

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