Fixing Rivoli Part 2

We got some more work done on the table. The fields are 95% done. Just touch up in a few spots. On Tuesday we got the villages put back on the board. Glued the buildings in place and let them set up for the night. I might do some paint touch up on the buildings, but we'll see if I have time for that. Just something that my bothers my OCD, not anything wrong with them.

We also started in on replacing hedgerows. Anyway here's some pics.

 Fields done

Villages added back on

Touched up buildings

 Really coming together now

The big one is Rivoli

These damn Hi-res cameras show all the flaws

Making Hedgerows

Yarn, sprayed with glue

Roll yarn in your flock of choice

Waiting for Alan to glue in place as I crank out more strips

Trim to fit

Looks pretty good once the glue drys.

So we need to finish the board by Tuesday so everything has time to dry. It's mostly done, but those hedgerows take time. Anyway we are in good shape. If your going to Cold Wars, stop by and say hi.


Xin / Jeff

Test pic

Fixing up Rivoli

My friends Alan and Bob are running a Napoleonic game at Cold Wars 2019. I will be running Frostgrave Ghost Archipelago. The Nap game will be The Battle of Rivoli. We ran this game before at Fall In 2015.

We pulled the board out of storage.

It's in pretty good shape

 Some fields have bare spots where the flock wore off.

The biggest issue is mold on some of the hedgerows

 We used Lichen for the river bank and some parts of the hedgerows. That all has to be removed.

 With paint, glue and time, the soft lichen is harder than rock. We had to chip it off.

 In some spots we used a dremel.

 Not bad looking after clean up

 At some point we decided to redo ALL the hedgerows. During the removal process huge divots were dug into the boards. We filled them with spackle, then painted them our base brown color.

 We had to touch up a lot of spots.

 What was a simple clean up has become a major project, more supplies needed.

 Damage was done to the roads too, so then need fixing. I need small "Men at Work" signs

 Re-flocking the fields

 Hmmm lots more fields to fix.

 Starting to come together.

Don't have the pics, but most of the fields are fixed. Next we put all the buildings on. And last step is all the hedgerows.


A week out and I've been in much worse shape on previous builds. We got this.


Xin

Part 2

Building Aspern-Essling Battlefield, Part 6

I'm sitting in the lobby of our Hotel at Historicon. Monday and Tuesday were too busy to put up the last post.

We had planned out to pour the river on Saturday as the last thing we would do that night. The river would then have Saturday night and most of Sunday day to dry as I was working. Then Sunday night we would be back at it, but I fucked up.

I did not mix the 2 part resin enough. The effect was the river which should be hard, was soft and tacky. Not at all playable. It was a disaster. After reaching out online to the Hirst Arts facebook, the advice I got was another pour on top of the first pour.

So Sunday night we did another pour. I mixed the Envirotex Lite like crazy. We had used most of it on the first build so this was a very shallow pour. If we were an airplane we would have landed on fumes. We lost a lot of time on Sunday fixing the mistake.

Monday morning I picked up the trailer to haul both Aspern-Essling and Frostgrave boards.
Once back home it was work on the board the rest of the day. From 12 noon to 12 midnight. Bob and Lou were basing troops and painted buildings. Alan and I were putting the finishing touches on the board.

Tuesday was loading early and we were off. The loading was a story unto itself, lets just say it was difficult getting the 4x6 boards in the 5x8 trailer, and in such a way, nothing would fall on it and it would not shift around.

Anyway we are here, so lets look at some pics. These are just random shots as we worked thru the day.

 

Packed up and ready to go.


See you at Historicon

Xin/Jeff

Building Aspern-Essling Battlefield, Part 5

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Which is good cause we are running out of track. We leave Tuesday for Historicon. We like to go a day early and hit battlefields or points of interest, on the way down from New Jersey. I have a few odds and ends to get ready for my Frostgrave board and just finish off the Aspern-Essling board. Easy peasy, right?

On to the update.

Flocking the islands and rough area's

Lots of glue and forest floor flock.

More of same.

Outer wall of Vienna. This came out way better than I hoped. Just made it up on the fly as I kept trying one thing or another that I hated till I came up with this.

Alan is laying down hedgerows that I made.

Starting to come together.

Getting the table cleaned up for the river pour.

Different angle.

We make dam's for the river using foam and packing tape. Then we pin them in place.

We seal the gaps with a 5 minute epoxy, that drys clear.

We level the boards before the pour.

 Using Dwarven Forge tiles for levelers.

Here is the entire piece just after the pour. We are using Envirotex Lite. It's a 2 part epoxy resin. it drys water clear in about 8 hours.

 The other side.

Here's a high shot from the basement steps. Now we just have to not touch the table for the next 8 hours. We timed it so the pour was the last thing we did Saturday night. That way we aren't losing time waiting for it to dry. It drys overnight. Full cure in 48 hours.

Here's over 1000 figures Lou painted in that last 4 weeks or so. These still need to be based. Bob, did almost a 1000 as well. While Alan and I worked on the table. It truly was a collaborative effort from all 4 of us.

We are finishing up tonight and Monday. Things left to do.
-Paint 200+ buildings
-Finishing touches on fields.
-Finish Vienna
-Once buildings done, put together the the villages.
-Build and paint pontoon bridges. Intact and destroyed versions.
-Base a 1000 figures.
-And a bunch of stuff I can't remember.

If you make it to Historicon, stop by and say hi.

Xin/Jeff