More years ago than I care to think about, I remember buying my first ever Mick Sewell building. Mick had been on the "Rapid Fire" scene as it were for a while, along with Colin Rumford, Richard Marsh and Tony Chadburn of Raventhorpe Miniatures. Their demo games and later Rapid Fire supplements were an early and enduring inspiration for me to try and improve my own modelling and painting skills, especially in the field of 20mm WWII. After Mick sadly retired from model making, I was fortunate enough to get a one-to-one tutorial from the master himself on how he did things. I have been trying ever since, with varying degrees of success, to produce buildings (and other terrain), that I would be happy to put out on the table. For a while I was able to make and sell quite a few pieces, but the pressure of my day job - figure painting - always got in the way. I do enjoy making terrain and it is a pleasant change from the figures, so I have decided that, whilst I can't take on many commissions, I could at least produce the odd piece. It is likely to be a very occasional enterprise, but as and when I can, I will put them on the blog for anyone that might be interested. If, after a while, they remain unsold, then they will go onto EBAY.
First up is a sizeable Normandy farm, around 17" x 12" It is comprised of a farmhouse a stable and smaller barn on an irregularly shaped base. In order to save time and get a better finish, the ever obliging Martin from Warbases makes the walls and internal floors, which I have designed, on his laser cutter and I add the roofs later.
The dry stone walling is made from fish tank grit from the local pet shop, layered and soaked in PVA for strength. Whilst time consuming to make, it is worth the effort, looking suitably rustic and run-down. A home made tree and vegetable patch also add a bit of character and contribute to that lived in look, as does the greenery growing up the walls.
A module of this size obviously involves a fair amount of work as well as material costs. One such as this would be around £175.00. If you are interested in this one, or something a little different, then let me know. You can contact me via the blog home page.
