Project: terrain model and GHQ miniatures for Army training

busboy · Post by **busboy** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 3:52 am

A few pics from this last week. Microarmor definitely assisted in teaching the combined arms breach and armored brigade formations.

A student briefs ABCT task organization with a combination of a projected presentation and a camera in the classroom focused on a micro-armor company.

Students task organize for the breach.

Breach force approaches the obstacle.

Setting far side security once past the tank ditch.

Other misc. shots including the student's endstate.

My remaining task is a company of Strykers, and then I have to figure out what I'm going to do for the other terrain models.

chrisswim · Post by **chrisswim** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 4:36 am

Thank you Busboy for sharing the info and pics of your models. I
Appreciate your perspective. Thank you, Chris

tstockton · Post by **tstockton** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 1:25 pm

Busboy,

Interesting idea of using a dry-erase board with different colored markers to add terrain. That way, you're never tied to a fixed set of terrain boards, but you can set up whatever terrain you wish, pretty much on the fly!

Oh, and for the websites' censor... you might try an-aly-sis. I had to do the same when talking about Guad-a-can-al...

Regards,
Tom Stockton

busboy · Post by **busboy** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 7:36 pm

Haha. That reminds me of another forum I once saw where a word was censored to "cirbodily fluidstances."

The dry erase board worked great. For my next project what I think I'm going to do rather than make foam tiles is to buy a tarp and draw the map of a scenario on each side. The two scenarios we train involving mechanized forces will require replicating at least nine square KM of terrain, so the students will need to be able to walk on the terrain model; foam isn't going to work for that unless I made the scale very small. I found that 7 square foot is the largest I can make a "floor tile" model and still be able to let guys use it.

Unfortunately, I think it'll be my next group of students who benefit from my "complete" masterplan. These guys receive their OPORD to plan a combined arms breach tomorrow.

BattlerBritain · Post by **BattlerBritain** » Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:43 am

Really great stuff busboy. Thanks for posting and keep it up. You're not just teaching your students

busboy · Post by **busboy** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 10:54 am

Another class module down, another good round for my students. Unfortunately I think the micro-armor this lesson was more decorative than actually useful. The students learned mech deliberate defense. I used the micro armor to illustrate the array of OPFOR, but not much else as I wasn't able to get an NTC terrain model built this quickly. I hope to have one done for the next class.

I'm gonna need more microarmor too. I thought I was done, but I was short BMP2s. The Soviet horde in the lesson is slightly bigger than I prepped.

I'm shifting my focus to prepping for the next lesson which is based on a Stryker infantry company attack in an urban environment. I sent the wife to get a mosaic poster print of the objective area from google earth satellite pics, but the price was too high. I'm going to use left over posterboard to make a terrain model for this I think, which will be about an 8' square, approximately 1:1 scalre terrain model representing approximately 800m square. I doubt I'll actually put buildings on it in time for the lesson, but I'll keep improving it.

I also need to make infantry icons for the model. I'm not going to get the infantrymen models painted in time.

At any rate, here's how the Strykers turned out:

I did finish my Stryker infantry company (plus a ton of other misc. stryker flavored vehicles that I had left over but painted anyway) today though. I think I'm getting much better in my technique.

Dog Smack · Post by **Dog Smack** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 11:52 am

WOAH! Is that a Timex Ironman?

Just kidding! Your minis look great. Love the added details (lights, bags, etc). Your Strykers look good! Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing your future implementation of micro armor in your training.

Steve

BattlerBritain · Post by **BattlerBritain** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:41 pm

Busboy, nice models but I'd love to also see the results of your 'Google maps' mapboards.

I'm dabbling with making some Town sections myself by screen-grabbing from Google maps. On a 1280x1024 screen and with Google at 50m on the scale I'm getting pretty close to 1":100m . It works out at roughly 158 pixels/inch for 100m ( I'm setting up for FFOT3 rules).

I'm just going to place a 3D building on a Town section to give an impression of the buildings in that sector. I may even try some 2mm buildings that should fit the scale.

I have seen a picture of an NZ group of gamers that did a massive Google maps baseboard for Berlin '45 and the Reichstag. It looked amazing.

Maybe get your Intel guys to get you some geo-referenced map printouts to scale? (Why have a dog and bark yourself?

)

TAMMY · Post by **TAMMY** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 12:53 am

The cost of printing a map of 8'x8' is very high. I tried something similar. I wanted a map of 1.8x1.2m to use on the table of aerial games. A simple aerial view of a piece of ground to fly over. They asked me between 130 and 150$, depending on the paper used.

Peinting it on fabric was much more. Of course I had to produce the file to print.

Anyway i like the idea of a urban area map in 1/300 scale. I will try to make something with my A3 printer, just to find the right sizing. A sheet will be equivalent to 90x120 meters.

TAMMY · Post by **TAMMY** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 1:37 am

Thanks Cama.
The price is equivalent as I need four mats to cover my table but the material is better. 'll check with them the price in Italy as there is the VAT to add being an Italian company.
.

busboy · Post by **busboy** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 7:18 am

Well, the local print shop tried to scam my wife. They quoted her $730, and said they've have to turn the image over to a graphic artist which that alone cost $200. Yea. $200 so you can convert a JPEG to a BMP which I can do myself? I think not.

I'm going to tile print the image myself and paste the pictures on poster-board.

chrisswim · Post by **chrisswim** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:43 am

Busboy,
In terms of a set up. You may wish to consider max. width at 7 feet, not 8 feet. Leaning over and reaching the last foot is a bit difficult to do. If you are manuveuring around, that center 1 square foot will be left out.
I know you are not gaming on 8x8 in the classic sense, but that happened. We migrated to a 7x8 foot table and utilized the center much, much more.

My two cents of experience.
Chris

piersyf · Post by **piersyf** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:05 am

If the tables have wheels you can simply move the row of tables to one side to get to the centre IF the pages are scanned to fit the table (rather than arrange the tables to fit the scans).

If someone would spring for the money, a basic 'spidercam' set up is possible too, to give a chopper eye view over the table (as opposed to from the edges of the table). Not that that has anything to do with moving stuff.

busboy · Post by **busboy** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 10:01 am

For the time being, my set up in is on the floor of my classroom. However, since my terrain models are modular, I can remove tiles that aren't needed in order to allow the students increased access.

I did observe with my last model that I was already at max size to allow manipulation without removing tiles. Maybe I'll shrink the size of this one. However, this scenario is an urban attack that students routinely screw up surface danger zones for their direct fire weapons. As such, I was trying to get as close to a 1:1 scale model with the micro armor as possible. We'll see. I haven't hit print yet...

TAMMY · Post by **TAMMY** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 1:16 am

Cama
the scale has no importance. I will use the mat as a "background" (or groubd below ?) for air games. There will be no connections between the planes and the ground over which they fly. .