Over the Top

For years I've been thinking about creating some First World War terrain and painting up figures to go with it.  I remember buying Wargames Foundry Great War Germans back when they were manufactured on the island of Guernsey and sold as individual figures.  I primed some of these white, probably back in 2000, and apart from this solitary test figure, they have remained unpainted since.  My hope now is to bring them to life.

In my next few blogs I plan to lay out the process of making a set of modular terrain boards.  These will feature trench systems, gun emplacements, block houses, ruined villages, and a "no man's land" pock-marked with shell holes.  I'll talk more about my design philosophy and also the practical challenges faced in putting such a complex project together.  I was tempted to wait until I had finished some of the terrain pieces before retrospectively blogging my successful step by step progress towards their completion.  This would have ensured that readers would not arrive at the ultimately disappointing conclusion that my methods and materials contained unforeseen flaws.  I decided against this, in part because I wanted to have some incentive to keep at it over the next few weeks.  Also, I've gotten some great advice from other websites, and I have had some experience crafting terrain pieces over the years I've indulged in the hobby.
By way of inspiration, one could look no further than Sidney Roundwood's amazing blog, packed with all sorts of advice and illustrations.  If you want to see what I'm aiming for, and some of ideas that I will be shamelessly copying, look no further than here.  With my helpers, Liam and Patrick, we are about to go over the top.