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 Post subject: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 1:31 pm 
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Along the Eastern border of Buckland runs an enormous hedge, built to keep the trees of the Old Forest at bay. Known as the High Hay, it was tall and dense and well-tended, and it ran for well over twenty miles end to end.

To me, this sounded a little like the dense hedges that once lined the lanes and fields of Lower Normandy, around Villers-Bocage. Since I have an interest in both the Lord of the Rings and World War II, it seemed like a reasonable project that I could use in both (so long as I don't build a machine gun emplacement in one).

The plan is to produce around 20 modules, each approximately 15cm (6") long, with end pieces and corner sections so that I can arrange them on the tabletop in a variety of patterns, and have enough to stretch the length of a 180cm (6') table.

I started with this:

Image

And ended with this:

Image

For scale purposes, here's a shot with some WWII hobbits:

Image

It stands about 8cm tall and is also 8cm wide at the base. The matted tangle at the core of the hedge is 'Rubberized Horsehair' that I bought from Antenocitis Workshop many years ago - they still have it in the online store, but it's out of stock (grrr).

I have many WIP shots that will go towards an article once I get a few more finished (two down 18 more to go).

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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 1:56 pm 
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'Rubberized Horsehair'
Air conditioner filter may make a good substitute if the horse hair is unavailable.I have some that was made to cut to shape. It is blue but can easily be spray painted.I use a dark green or brown base coat then dry brush it with browns and/or greens before I flock.
I like what you have done so far. I look forward to seeing the WIP!

http://s980.photobucket.com/user/CRTray ... s.jpg.html

I could not find any AC filter at the house to photo . The link is to a photo I made some time ago for an example of different ways to make trees. May be it will be helpful to some one as example.

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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:47 pm 
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I like the look of it, you pulled it off well. Quite realistic.

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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 11:34 pm 
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Are those minis from Bolt Action? Just started into that game so I'm just curious.

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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:09 am 
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It'll work great for WW2 too if you're playing games set in Normandy's Bocage area.

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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:24 am 
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Looks very good for a Northern france battle!
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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:35 am 
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The figures are from Artizan, from their British Command group. Fully compatible with 28mm minis from other companies such as Bolt Action (Warlord) and Crusader. The M20 is a Tamiya 1:48 scale plastic kit.

The model is intended to work for gaming both in Middle-earth and Normandy. The "Bocage" hedges were a series of dense bushes and trees on an embankment, that could literally stop a tank. I believe most of them were destroyed during the Normandy campaign and so it's hard to find colour references of how they looked.

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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 5:57 am 
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Great work Alan, I've love to see something like the dried grape stem idea interwoven with the rubberised horsehair material to suggest small trees or bushes that have been in place for years. Even if they are well tended nature tends not to be totally regular. That why I thought the old scourer technique was OK but a bit basic.

The added variety could be useful at an intersection piece where perhaps the hedge becomes a small tree and there might be a bit of stonework like a gate pillar or similar.

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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 6:55 pm 
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A very realistic hedge but a massive one if i might say :yay:

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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 1:08 am 
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John Wayne wrote:
A very realistic hedge but a massive one if I might say.


The hedges that we know as "bocage" in France were over 5m (15') tall, and they sat atop an embankment that made them even higher above the road surface. A Sherman tank could pass along next to one and it would not be visible from the other side of the hedge. And Tolkien tells us that the High Hay in Buckland stood over 6m (20') tall.

So this model attempts to represent both of those hedges and yeah, is massive. There will be gaps in it though.

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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 2:57 am 
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Looks excellent Alan, and a great idea to combine the two 'periods'. I am really impressed with the horse hair/foliage clumps, top jobby.
Do you have a 28mm King Tiger you could pose next to the hedge, along with a Hobbit 8)

cheers
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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 5:12 am 
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Thanks Greg. I have an M26 Pershing under construction but no King Tiger, I'll pose that together with Mr Frodo.

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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 7:59 am 
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Try this for a discussion - there is a great photo 3/4 of the way down the page of a laneway that has an uncanny resemblance to the road where Frodo encountered the Ringwraith in FotR:
http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/591160/ ... the-bocage
here's another one: http://www.d-daytours.com/special_tour_ ... yside.html

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 Post subject: Re: The High Hay - a modular hedge
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2013 7:54 am 
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Any chance of a step by step modelling guide please?
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