MDF Forts

Started by Heedless Horseman, 18 September 2021, 04:05:57 AM

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Heedless Horseman

Looking at the new releases from Red Vectors in 10mm... (and very nice too!)... the Afghan walled compound building has got me wondering about the possibility of decent sized 'Western' or 'North African' Forts? Might be worth looking into?
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steve_holmes_11

18 September 2021, 10:38:07 AM #1 Last Edit: 18 September 2021, 12:06:57 PM by steve_holmes_11
Quote from: Heedless Horseman on 18 September 2021, 04:05:57 AM
Looking at the new releases from Red Vectors in 10mm... (and very nice too!)... the Afghan walled compound building has got me wondering about the possibility of decent sized 'Western' or 'North African' Forts? Might be worth looking into?

For Western are you thinking of something like



A small one would be a great fit with the re-release of the Pony Wars rules.

John Cook

Or a Vauban style fort, bastions, curtain walls, ravelins etc.  Like this paper one https://www.paperterrain.com/vauban-forts.

There isn't a Vauban style fort in 10mm/1:150 to be had anywhere in either resin or MDF.

Heedless Horseman

Similar, Steve. Had been thinking Adobe... but 'if' lasers can etch in logs...why not?

Not really sure what materials may have been used... possibly differed with resources.
LOL! Wonder if 'injuns' were actually ever daft enough to attack a Cavalry fort... though in a 'Flashman' novel, a civilian 'trading post fort' was over-run...!

Still, a 'fun' concept... and affordable in 10mm. I looked up the old Airfix forts / castles on ebay... wow! Prices incredible!
(40 Yrs ago. I should have been an Angry Young Man... but wasn't.
Now... I am an Old B******! )  ;)

steve_holmes_11

Quote from: Heedless Horseman on 18 September 2021, 08:10:30 PM
Similar, Steve. Had been thinking Adobe... but 'if' lasers can etch in logs...why not?

Not really sure what materials may have been used... possibly differed with resources.
LOL! Wonder if 'injuns' were actually ever daft enough to attack a Cavalry fort... though in a 'Flashman' novel, a civilian 'trading post fort' was over-run...!

Still, a 'fun' concept... and affordable in 10mm. I looked up the old Airfix forts / castles on ebay... wow! Prices incredible!

I've seen laser-etched brickwork and crumbling plaster, so the appearance of planks, logs ought to be within etching's scope.
So "Fort Apache" seems possible.

I think the Cavalry forts were intended much like 'Nam firebases.
The impregnable base for police actions.
Of course there's no reason an enemy can't isolate the base and prevent supplies arriving.


As for a North African Fort Zinderneuf (Beau Geste) different architecture, but similar materials to the existing African/Afghan buildings.


I can't imagine MDF working for teh surfaces of  Vauban fort: The walls aren't vertical and the meeting angles aren't orthogonal.
I will tip my hat to any designer who can make it work.




fred.

For a Vauban fort would it work if the MDF was the frame, and the interior brick walls, gateways, etc then you cut foam to be the grass banks?

This way you would use the MDF to create the angles and shapes, and the foam to create the volume. I think Supreme Littleness did something similar with trenches / breast works. You could have magnets within the MDF to hold the pieces together.


An Adobe desert fort sounds possible - but outer walls likely to need to be thicker than a single sheet of MDF.

A cavalry fort sounds very doable - planks etched into MDF are very common on 28mm buildings. And MDF seems to generally work well for wooden buildings.
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I just made mine out of Foamboard 5mm thick



Quick paint up and mounted ona  3mm laser-ply base, seemed to do the trick.

Thickness of the walls is always the area people moan at the most.

regards,
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steve_holmes_11

Quote from: fred. on 19 September 2021, 07:12:07 AM
For a Vauban fort would it work if the MDF was the frame, and the interior brick walls, gateways, etc then you cut foam to be the grass banks?

This way you would use the MDF to create the angles and shapes, and the foam to create the volume. I think Supreme Littleness did something similar with trenches / breast works. You could have magnets within the MDF to hold the pieces together.


An Adobe desert fort sounds possible - but outer walls likely to need to be thicker than a single sheet of MDF.

A cavalry fort sounds very doable - planks etched into MDF are very common on 28mm buildings. And MDF seems to generally work well for wooden buildings.

Foam banks sounds like a good plan for a Vauban fort.

Leon

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