Lentini - more trees

A mixed collection this time. The cypress trees will just be scattered around the board to add colour. The olive trees (centre) will be used to provide another couple of fields to contrast with the oranges. Finally a quartet of tree to provide a small area of scrubwood.

A few of the olive trees turned out a bit large so if I get time I'll try and produce some smaller replacements

For those interested in how I made the olive trees, here's the basic steps
Heather twigs cut to size; rubberised horsehair stuck on with contact adhesive; painted with PVA and rolled in sawdust coloured a light green/grey. Finally sprayed with hair spray to fix in place.

Lentini - a slight diversion

Apologies, I had to post this having used my children's old Thomas the tank engine set for the track. Now rebased and ready for use in another context.


Thomas, "Oh dear, I don't think we are in Sodor any more!"
Annie "Don't be silly"
Claribel "You mean Sicily!"

With thanks to the Rev W Awdrey for may years peace (a relative term)

The Syracusa to Catania railway line now runs past Lentini.

Lentini - Ponta Malati finished

Completed one of the major features for the big game, the Ponte dei Malati, which was taken by 3 Commando. The pillbox had stood out a bit too much so I added a camo net.

Lentini - another progress check

While working on the roads the post-its I was using to identify where the components should go fell off so there was no alternative but to lay out the terrain yet again on the patio and use the opportunity to check how well everything fits together.

The Axis end

The Allied end

and the overhead view, useful for recording the exact fit

All the roads and tracks are now numbered and I've drawn up a plan to speed up laying out the terrain at the big game.

Marshes finished

Getting back in the swing of things, although these marshes are intended for the big game (Sicily 1943) I thought I'd make them a bit more generic and suitable for actions anywhere in a warm climate and something like a watering hole.

All the tall vegetation is a variety of artificial grass.

The Cardona Line

I'm always looking out for anything military while on holiday and yet again I found another part of the Cardona Line, which was built across northern Italy in 1915-18 as insurance against a German invasion through Switzerland! Here it was running west from Lake Maggiore blocking the Ossola valley.

A barracks nearly hidden by vegetation.

A magazine built into the mountain just below the top of Mont Orfano where the guns were planned to be positioned

An information board giving some details

Evidence of another conflict of which I know very little, a memorial to the the short lived partisan republic in 1944, they also made use of the fortifications.

On the workbench - May/June 2015

Normal service will resume now I'm back from holiday. June is going to be a busy month with both the Operation Husky big game and the Phalanx show. The biggest heap on the workbench is still terrain for the big game, but the end is in sight. other bits still sitting around are

• A few figures to complete my US forces for the big game a Navy OP team and Rangers manning a captured gun.
• A pair of US manned bofors guns, Strictly I should be used the US 37mm AA guns for Husky.
• Heavy weapons for my winter Italians and Hungarians - I still need to buy a few bits, hopefully I'll be able to do that at Phalanx.
• A Plastic Soldier Company Panzer III, which came free with the Battlegroup grey panzers deal, this will be painted to match my other winter ones.
• PSC Marder IIIs, two will be the Sdkfz 139 for North Africa and the other a Sdkfz 138 for Russia
• The Saxon Thegns are still sitting quietly in the corner half painted along with some half started archers

Lentini - road & rail WIP

Despite the recent bad weather I managed to get out in the garage and work on more of the terrain for Lentini

First the roads mounted on rubber roofing and painted grey then dry brushed a dusty yellow shade (Wilco Lemon Sorbet) to fit with the rest of the terrain


The railway is no so far advanced the I've used the Hornby track foam glued to hardboard. It'll be painted before replacing the tracks. One piece will be a level crossing.

Lentini - planning the main roads

First, progress on the Ponte Malati

Although I used dirt roads in the earlier pictures (and they are a useful fallback if I run out of time) I decided to work on something more substantial for the N114 road consistent with the village bases.

All cut from "cobbled" wallpaper and will be based on the same left over rubber roofing I used for my other roads.

The finished streams can be clearly seen in this picture

The view from above, I've started work on the marshes around the Lentini river (bottom right)

Lentini - Ponte Malati WIP

Now I've completed the river I've started work on the bridge over the Lentini,the "Ponte Malati"

On the north (left) bank there is a cut-out ready for a pill box. To give an idea of scale I've added a PSC Marder III