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Fencing

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.

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