Research: FRAG has chosen a Normandy theme, so we first locate a picture of a building we like. Usually this is of 1 or 2 side views and from this we estimate what the other two sides may look like. We sketch out the rough dimensions on a sheet of plywood to see if it looks in proportion. In some cases we may first made a mock up of the building from cardboard, to see how it looks on the battlefield.
Another source of building mock-ups is to check out various WWII paper building products offered on the web. Paper Terrain is one such company……. http://paperterrain.mybisi.com/product/ ... age-pack-2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
A third choice is to take digital pics from TV or Videos/DVD of World War II movies. This may often give you 2 to 3 side views if not all 4, and it also provides insight to the exterior colors. However, be careful to check for accuracy if it is a movie recreating some past scene.
Construction: We use ½” thick plywood, butt joint the sides (not bevel joint as this is way too much work), screw and glue the wood with a strong wood glue. Here in Colorado we use a product called “Liquid Nails for Projects”. Sometimes we use 1" brads from a staple gun instead of screws. You should pre-drill all screw holes, as this helps to keep the wood from splitting. We then run a bead of glue along the inside joints. You can also insert a 12” long ½” x ½” stick into each corner when you run the bead of glue, if you want added strength.
At one time we considered casting walls out of a reinforced concrete and gluing them together. We had planned to leave them out year round, so we would not have to set up each month. But the idea was hard to execute and of course the sample was very heavy. That idea was dropped. If others of you have success, let me know.
Wall Coverings: Over this frame work we glue plastic sheets of brick, stone, wood siding, etc or we paint the walls stucco. The plastic sheets come from most doll house or hobby shops. You can see what one manufacturer offers at http://www.modelbuilderssupply.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. These come in a variety of scales, but the 1/12 and 1/24 sizes work pretty good. Sheets run between $8 and $16 each, and are usually 24”x14” so they go along ways. Our stucco is made out of a “sand paint” product from home improvement stores. We had used a product called “Rough Stuff”, but it is now only available on the east coast. Any sand textured paint will do. This product is usually acrylic or latex based paint and you can have them mix it to any color. It is gritty which creates the stucco effect.
Details: Chimney's are just wood pieces covered with sand paint, brick, stone, etc. Where the chimney joins a roof, you will find flashing. To recreate this effect, go to a Golfer’s store and purchase lead foil. It comes in a roll and is usually ½” wide. It is very flexible and can be glued easily. You can also create an illusion that the chimney has a flue running down from top, by building up bricks around the top of the wood piece 9in this case a 2x2 stud).
We use strips of redwood, cedar or basswood for trim and edging around the buildings. The windows have clear plastic glued inside to make glass. We get clear plastic potting trays at a nursery and cut the plastic big enough to cover the window. This is a lot cheaper than clear plastic sheets from a hobby shop. The roof is laid up with 1/8th" thick “Luan Board” (also called Mahogany veneer) and over this is glued the plastic roof sheets for shingles, slate, etc. You can also glue on individual ½” cedar shingles (from a doll house supply) if you are up to the effort. We don't think many Normandy houses had tile roofs, but Italian ones did. For greater emphasis you can show roof joists in blown up areas of roofs, which makes one think that the entire roof is made this way.
Some buildings have thatched roofs which can be made from Wisk Brooms, but this takes a lot of time. Downspouts and gutters are made from various sized styrene tubes, cut to fit, painted silver, and installed with glue and a ½” long silver colored brad driven thru the gutter or downspout, into the roof, about every 4”. Be sure to pre-drill those spots for the brads. Doll house supplies come in handy for basic detail sources, but unfortunately most come in 1” and ½” scale. 1" scale items can be adapted, but only a little of ½” is useable.
Scale: 1/16th scale is the same as ¾” = 1 foot. 1/16th scale is also known as 120mm. The basic dimensions of a FRAG building are: Floor heights are 9" (this works out to 12’ height in ¾” scale which is about the max height of one story back in the WWII era). You can use 7” and 8” heights as well. Window openings are typically 2.5" x 3&5/8" and the bottom of this opening is 2&1/8th" above the floor. Doors are 2.5" x 5&1/8". Frame around the outside of the opening and also on the inside edges with bass wood strips. This covers up the plywood thickness and rough edges. To cut out windows, we usually drill a number of holes inside the area to be removed and cut it out with a hand held jig saw. Window sizes and shapes can vary depending on what the building looks like that you are making, but doll house wood shutters fit the above basic dimensions. In some cases we have made RTV castings of window frames and the shutters, as we got tired of making them from scratch. This allows for much repetition of identical windows. To do this, we took a window frame purchased from the dollhouse shop and re-worked it to fit our needs (usually cutting its dimensions down), and then made a simple RTV mold. A product called Alumilite is a good resin casting material, but there are many others to choose from. Get one that takes about 10 mins to set up. A 2-3 min cure time is just too short to work with. Be sure to wash the casting thoroughly before you paint it.
Foundations: At our battlefield we elected to pour concrete bases for each building (about 3” deep by the dimension of the building). This is done so that they all set level with the earth and so that all buildings set correctly to the flow of the land. It also enables us to emphasize street and sidewalk contours and elevations in the village. Be sure to leave space between buildings (pads) so that tanks can fire at the enemy. This enhances the IR Battle Unit game.
Misc: Don’t forget to make some buildings with a “blown up” look to them. Lots of debris laying in the street as well as in the building itself, adds considerable realism. For all the burnt rafters, we take bass wood or red wood strips and burn them lightly with a blow torch. Rubble can be made of ground up actual bricks, miniature bricks, misc. miniature household items (damaged), burnt and undamaged boards, and smashed up bits of casting plaster (colored dark brown). Hydrocal is a type plaster that dries extra hard and is better than regular casting plaster. Don’t forget to add some white plaster bits in the piles for emphasis. For explosion effects you can light smoke pots or small smoke grenades inside the buildings when doing battle, or carefully use dry ice.
Some of our buildings have street names attached or signs pointing out that so and so city is X kilometers that way, and some have advertisements painted on a side, etc etc. These are usually decals that are burnished onto the wall material, but you can also take an actual picture that is the right size, and sand it till you can almost see thru it. Glue this on and spray Testor’s Dullcoat over it to seal. Take a look at the battle scenes in: The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers for some ideas about what and where signs were installed.
That’s about all there is to what we do. Good luck with your efforts and remember that any design of building is correct because there were infinite varieties to choose from.
