Trenches for The Quar, Part II Blocking -in the trenches

       The handy tool that I had when I made my Great War trench board has long since burned out so I was forced to come at things from a different direction. The design that Zhodani Commando approved was based on 2" squares, so I began by making a bunch of shapes out of green-board in multiples of two; 6"x6", 4"x6", 4"x4" and so on. From there it was a simple matter to start assembling these on the wooden base-boards to match the design on the graph paper. I roughed up the surfaces of the foam with some 60 Grit sandpaper to ensure that the glue got a solid grip. I use Titebond wood glue which is water-based and won't react with the foam. I drew lines on the surface of the base boards to make sure that the trenches lined up going from board to board to avoid any unattractive dog-legs at the joints.

 

the first board getting laid out, a cross between Tetris and Legos

(I was never any good at either of them!)

 

 

I had to constantly refer to the drawing to be certain that I got it right,

but eventually I got the hang of it

 

from there layout was a breeze,

 I built the boards all in a line just to doubly certain that the trenches lined up

 

 

the hill was another matter.....

 

after finally sorting it out I laid-on a heavy coat of glue,

 can't have things going to pieces down the road!

 

 

tape made sure the little pieces didn't shift as the glue dried

 

and the Good Sir Charles Oman's habit of Victorian loquaciousness 

made certain that everything was held in place as the glue set

 

let the waiting begin!

 I will have to find something to keep me busy for the next ten to twelve hours as the  glue dries

       The two "No Man's Land" sections (should that be No Anteater's Land?) are just a matter of attaching the foam the the wooden bases before we get into the tricky business of duck-boards, revetments, parapets and shell-holes.