The Wargaming World of Nozza

Ever since my school days, I’ve been fascinated by Stonehenge. There’s something truly captivating about standing in the presence of a monument that has endured for thousands of years, still inspiring wonder and debate in equal measure. These days I’m fortunate enough to live only about an hour’s drive from the stones, which means I can usually find an excuse to visit at least once a year. No matter how many times I go, the sight of those massive trilithons rising from the Salisbury Plain never fails to impress me. When I bought my 3D printer, it didn’t take long before I started wondering if I could capture a little of that ancient magic for the tabletop. As both a history enthusiast and a wargamer, the idea of creating my own miniature Stonehenge seemed irresistible. A quick search on MakerWorld turned up the perfect starting point: a model listed as a " Druid Shrine ". While not intended as a direct replica of Stonehenge, it had all the key elements I was looking for, name...

I recently picked up this Warcradle MDF terrain kit from Wayland Games, and after getting it assembled and on the table, I wanted to share some thoughts for anyone considering adding it to their modern or industrial skirmish setups. What’s in the Box? The kit includes a surprisingly generous amount of scenery: 1× Building 1× Shelter 6× Fences 2× Trolleys and Crates 1× Bench 10× Train Tracks Although marketed as suitable for 28mm - 35mm skirmish games set in modern or industrial environments, the proportions suggest it's better suited to the 35mm end of that range - particularly when looking at elements like door height and trolley scale. What I Liked 💷 Great Value Everything shown in the photos came to just £27 including postage, which is excellent considering the volume of scenery you get. 🎨 Pre‑painted (Mostly) The kit arrives pre-painted - more of a basecoat than a finished job, but it gives you a solid head start. If you enjoy detailing or weathering, there’s plenty of scope...

I recently put some surplus plywood to good use by constructing a double‑sided 2' x 2' tabletop gaming board. While the carpentry may not stand up to close inspection, the project proved to be a rewarding way to repurpose leftover materials and create a compact, versatile playing surface.  The first side, shown in the image below, features a cobblestone urban layout. This side is fully covered with My Village Stone Paper , producing a convincing paved surface ideal for town or settlement encounters. Two edges are lined with hedging made from the offcuts of the moss mat, while the remaining edges continue the stone‑wall theme for visual continuity. Flipping the board reveals a textured green pasture enclosed by stone-effect walls. The playing surface is made from My Village Moss Mat Green Brown , which provides a natural, varied grass finish. The surrounding walls are wrapped in My Village Stone Paper , creating a cohesive frame that complements the terrain. To adhere the ...

Over the festive break, I set myself three wargaming objectives. Two were straightforward, and the third turned into a fun little project. Goal 1: Finish Painting the Last Seven Cold-Weather Survivalists First on the list was finishing the last seven cold-weather survivalists from Athena Miniatures. This was a satisfying start - I got them done quickly, and they’re now fully equipped to face the harshest conditions . ❄️🌨️ Goal 2: Organize My Battle Systems Terrain This was a bigger challenge. Back in the 2010s, I backed two Battle Systems™ Kickstarters : Sci-Fi Modular Terrain Urban Apocalypse Terrain Over time, the pieces ended up scattered across multiple boxes. Being card-based, some of it was starting to show its age and needed a little TLC. So, I dug out every piece, sorted and organized the lot, and condensed everything into two plastic containers. For those unfamiliar, Battle Systems terrain is pre-printed card that clips together using plastic connectors. The early Sci-Fi set ...

Here's my last wargaming activity of 2021. A couple of kits I received for Christmas. Both for my Wild West collection.

Another 'find' in my local Forbidden Planet. Again from the 'Mortal Realms' magazine. This is Sigmar statue. The magazine suggests painting it all as a stone statue, but (to me) it looks too intricate for a stonemason to carve. Therefore, I have tried for a weathered bronze effect on the statue, with parts picked out with gold and the base painted in shades of grey.

Real life has intervened, and hobby time has been impacted by work. As a result, I haven't played a game for a while. However, I have had time to paint up scenery. These are Games Workshop 'Gryph Hound' statues from the Warhammer: Mortal Realms magazine . £7.99 gets you two statues and a magazine guide. I am reliably informed that this equates to a 50% saving on their retail price. I recycled most of the magazine, only keeping the assembly instructions and the painting guide.

With the easing of Covid-19 lockdown in England, this afforded the opportunity to visit my parents and enjoy a much delayed Christmas. The result being, that I managed to pick up this laser cut MDF Castle kit. Also, what was nice, was that my dad had taken the time to add some scenic papers to the walls and steps, so that it is ready to use straight away. Given the number of pieces, it can be set-up in a variety of different ways. Great for a medieval or fantasy village, town or fort.

It's that time of year when shops and garden centres start stocking their Christmas decorations and that's where I saw these.   I have plenty of Lemax pine trees, but this was the first time I have ever seen these Needle Pine Trees. A bag of 10 was available for £12.99, so £1.30 a tree. Not what they are designed for, but will get lots of use.

Been playing a bit of Cyberpunk recently. Not wanting to invest in another set of buildings (and not having room for them), I purchased two sets of hanging signs from Antenocitis Workshop. Once constructed, these contain space for a magnet. You then put a magnet on the inside of the building, which then fixes the sign to the wall. This allows me to add an element of Cyberpunk to existing buildings that I own.

When I say takeaway buildings, I mean takeaway buildings! These are all plastic takeaway containers. They have had a coat of textured paint applied to them. Once dried, they have had some plasticard windows (from eBay) and some doors from Antenocitis Workshop added. Lastly, some weathering and flock to make them look weather-worn.      

So, what do you do with leftover Basswood, matchsticks and a can of stone effect spray paint? I've got back into Dragon Rampant and playing some solo games. With lots of 12 figure units, it was proving a pain to move figures around the table. The answer was movement trays. So I went online and priced up the required number of MDF movement trays and conservatively, the cost would not leave much change from £50!!! So having a look around I found some unused Basswood (I don't why I bought it), two boxes of matchsticks and an unused spray can of stone effect paint (again don't know why I bought it!). A quick measure, some cutting with a craft knife and some craft glue, led me to creating my own movement trays. More importantly, I was able to make trays for different base sizes. All for a lot less than £50! Unpainted Tray Painted Tray Goblin Archers on a Tray

Dug out my Battlesystems terrain for a couple of games. The current set-up is going to get multiple replays for Dr Who, Star Wars, Star Trek and Judge Dredd. Overview The High Council of Timelords The Recreation Area Sick Bay Smaller rooms and corridors

There was a discussion on the The Miniatures Page about pre-painted Sci-Fi/Post Apoc. buildings. I recommended Plast Craft games and their range of buildings. So here are some pics of them on a gaming mat (Deep Cut Studios).