One terrain feature that keeps showing up on my gaming table is churches. I have several models in various scales and periods, and I like to think of it as a bit of a trademark.
I found this little 15mm model of a ruined church with courtyard from JR Miniatures at Sentry Box West in Calgary last fall and jumped it ahead in the painting queue, since I don't have enough ruined stuff for Normandy, and Normandy was rather ruined by the time everyone was done with it. So was my first civilian parish, come to think of it, but that's another story.
The model appears to be made of some sort of plaster rather than resin, as it is on the heavy side. I have a few JR models already, and like them. They are easy to paint, clean, and fairly detailed. They also look better than anything I am likely to scratch build, and they augment the Paper Terrain models I have.
My normal default note for painting brick and stonework has been to do various shades of gray, but lately I've been trying to vary that with a sandstone look, so I used a lot of yellow ochre and maple tan drybrushing on the church. The roof is my attempt to do the blue slate commonly seen in Normandy, or at least, commonly seen on models of wargaming terrain shown in wargaming blogs about battles set in Normandy. Seeing as I've never been to Normandy, that's as close as I can get for now.
As far as who desecrated this church, I blame the beastly hun, since I painted the two fuel drums outside the church in a German dunkelgelb colour. If Jerry hadn't set up in it as an OP, this would never have happened.
I have a couple of churches in my collection, including a huge effort from Italeri which I use in my Peninsular games. Churches are extremely important tactically because they most often built at the centre of build up areas, usually in a square with good fields of fire and are more stoutly built than the average building.
ReplyDeleteMy own church has avoided being fought over, though it was subjected to some Cromwellian excesses in the 17th century.
It might be ruined Mike, but that tower can still fit a sniper, can't it? :)
ReplyDeleteMy dear Kinch: Thank you for giving me such an erudite excuse to plop a church down on my gaming table. God save us from Cromwellian excess.
ReplyDeleteSidney: I am sure there is a sniper up there in the belfry along with the bats.