The Place For Model Terrain.
Home -> Projects -> Bits -> FencingFencing
by Gary James
 |
Chain-link fencing is easy to make and very useful in game terms
- fences provide obstacles, create dead-ends and provide a degree
of fortification around take and hold objectives etc. |
Materials
- Small scale metal mesh. This can be obtained from model shops, but
I use the sort that is sold for car repairs. David's is one make in
England - just check out motor factors and DIY stores for aluminium
mesh in sheets next to the tins of Isopon and other fibre glass
fillers. You could also try mesh from vegetable bags and netting
from a fabric store.
- Balsa wood or plastic girder rods (from model stores) for the
posts. If using Balsa, rough cut strips work best - buy a quarter
inch thick sheet and cut the posts for yourself. This is cheaper
too.
- Card or foam card for the bases
- Flock, sand or gravel for the bases
- Some small, large-headed tacks or nails
- Some ordinary dressmaking pins
- PVA wood glue (the white stuff)
Method
- Cut the foam card into sausage shaped sections for the bases of
the fence
- Decide how high you want your fence to be, add a quarter of an
inch, and cut your fence posts to this height.
- Mark the position of the fence posts on the base, and then push a
dressmaking pin through. Take the pin out and push it back through
from underneath. Put a blob of glue on one end of a fence post and
push it onto the pin until it is a tight fit to the base. You will
have to press against the pin head with something to force it into
the post (using your thumb will hurt!) It doesn't matter if the
posts are not very straight!
- Cover the bases with glue and sand, and when dry paint grey and
drybrush with a lighter grey. Paint the fence posts with Bestial
Brown acrylic paint and when dry drybrush with lighter brown to
bring out the grain. The rougher cut the wood the better.
- Cut the fencing to a length to go around /between your posts and
deep enough to leave a small gap at the bottom of the posts. Tear
the mesh here and there to give a more battered appearence. Spray
black and then streak with silver, rust brown etc to get a more
realistic finish.
- Fix the fence to the posts using the fat headed tacks. If you
can't find any, use ordinary small nails and cut off the excess
length with wire cutters.
- If you have used plastic girder rod instead of balsa then paint
this black and drybrush silver. Fasten the fencing on with twists of
fuse wire.