The making of ...the Russian Factory game 28mm ...Barrikady Gun works shed 6.

So we decided to try a Russian factory game this time.

Having won the Targe wargame show two years in a row (Best game)....the pressure is on... We need to get something for this November 2018 and this is a step by step of the build.

We needed a basic factory... we looked at Sarrisa, TT combat (Which we previously bought sheds from) and even the Commission Figures mill (which wee also bought previously). But none of these were large enough... in the end we bought a cc mini. Com 28mm ruined tank factory (model  28mm mdf 170).  This is a great starter kit (p.s. watch out for UK postage we got it from USA). It's good value and well built.

But when it arrived we thought the 2ft x 18 inch model was great but we thought let's expand it to about 5ft x 2ft. Yes... madness I know but ....we wanted it to feel right. It needed to look like the factory (Barikaddy shed 6) - and its huge.

 The original windows make it look more office than factory ...we think.

This is the link for the original 2ft mdf kit.

http://gcmini.mybigcommerce.com/28mm-ruined-tank-factory-28mmdf170/

Final build version video...

We also didn't like the shape of the windows (too much like an office). The original factory had large windows, so we cut these out and 3d printed our own to match the setting and shape. So, one window column was filled in to keep the look correct. We wanted it to look more like the original with a concrete frame around a brick build.

At this point we were also researching via a book ... Island of fire, the battle for Barrikady factory shed 6  Nov. 1942 to Feb 43.

This book  has some great photos and accounts.

So the starting kit...was small for our needs. So we now set about expanding it on all sides. We used 3mm mdf. sheets that started at 8ft by 4ft. We cut the same style windows into the plain mdf and then attached long thin wooden struts (which were covered in concrete paper) to make a concrete frame feel and to help us enlarge the sides. We did the same at the end but also raised the overall height slightly. The concrete done on the inside and outside, top and bottom. The bottom concrete supports were made thinner to emulate the sunken into the ground effect.

But we kept the original angle of the roof. The whole inside and outside was then covered in brick colour printed paper. Red brick outside white brick inside. We have seen lots of pictures which use these colours in Stalingrad. 

You can see our new windows in the picture below...the white brick paper is hiding the filled in window column. The other windows are cut out and new frames glued in.

(Picture is of the inside - you can see the bricks we added/glued in. 

Bricks are Matchsticks cut up and painted.  We ended up making thousands of these bricks.)

At this point I should also say that the entire build needed to be flat packed to save space. Yes, a HUGE challenge...We wanted it to fit into a plastic storage box.

So we made the concrete supports  slide together. With four corner pieces that slotted into the walls (again all covered in concrete paper). A laborious task.

We then took the remaining mdf sheet and cut it into three  2ft 3 inch wide sheets. We were going to use this as a floor (using the extra 3 inches for a pavement on each side).  This was 5ft inches long  x 2ft 3 inches wide. We cut these into 3 equal pieces.  We were going to paint this but then decided to use a concrete  effect  paper ...same as the supports. The reason being to emphasise the footprint and define the footprint on our  Deep Cut grey cobblestone mats. Like the bricks for the concrete we used a picture then multiplied it at the correct scale.

We then used double sided tape to stick down concrete paper flooring. This is tricky messy and again time consuming.  But the effect we felt justified the time.

You can see pink clothes pegs holding the concrete in place, above left. We used gorilla glue for this and all other wood and mdf bonding. Gorilla glue is great stuff we really like using it. The end wall nearest us, is still to be built...

We have no short  end wall sections at this stage...pic above (just spare bits of mdf at the ends).

We then weathered the damaged walls.

The end pieces were made from the mdf sheet but we included the original kit within the end walls. This was tricky but worked well.

 We added 3d printed vents to the outside walls . Placed in the 3d printed windows. We also added a third entrance on the end pieces to match up.

With the scratch built end wall in place.

With four walls we then set about the pipework inside....various straws were painted weathered and then hot glued into place for piping. See picture below. You can see them at the roof edge pictured below. We used plastic comb binding for books/documents  to make pipe collars (pipe joins) for the pipes. We added spare mdf to the wall pipe areas as detail. Remember to check out the Targe Stalingrad page to see the final result and our you tube videos. So remember this entire re-build was all hand cut so all you need is a hack saw and a degree of will! Anyone can do it.

We also 3d printed some 28mm scaled gas and oxygen welding tanks, some boxes, oil drums (even spanners) and wheel barrows and placed them on the walls or machinery.

We then placed the inside machinery to ensure we had enough space. It's all mounted on clear sheet to speed up set up/ We also added a toilet block with 3d printed toilets.

3d printed overhead crane (in green - at back) lifting an engine into T34

Crane, Lathes and mills. 

WW2 Russian posters were added to the factory walls. See the picture above at the left hand side.

As you can see the final factory layout below its takes up some amount of space...

 Picture above...quote "on my command unleash hell"said Maximus  ....err sorry wrong era.

Pipelines add some detail to the walls (above)

Below... we used a Sarrissa Chinese half constructed kit building as an internal "bombed office" area.

(with a little redesigning) for the factory. See front right side of the picture below.

3d printed lathes and drill presses added on clear  plastic bases.

Now for the brick rubble... we need a lot so matchsticks have been chopped to size and now need to be painted...err keep chopping them matches.

At the same time.... we are painting Russian casualty markers.

85 markers. 60 from black tree design and 25 off 3d printed. We have 3 packets of Warlord Russians to use so approx. 100+

So back to the bricks...

The matches were washed in red and cream paint. Then left to dry. We did various batches of these. This helped to mix up the shades.

It's the first time we have tried this and the effect we thought turned out really cool. I can imagine a whole mat done with these....loose bricks! We are planning to make some black ones as well.

We also started to make the roof supports.

The roof supports are scratch built using pine strip and toffee apple sticks. Yea toffee apple sticks! These are about 8 inches apart on the top of the warehouse walls and the right side of both is complete...we are still to build the left hand side detail on the support in the picture above.

German troops are 60 Warlord blitzkrieg and a box of about 30 Warlord pioneers, with approx. 70 casualties again 40 from black tree and 30 3d printed. 2 mortars, 3 off 45mm field guns, 2AA guns, 3 flamethrowers, and some tanks.

These are still to have clear bases added.

And here are some of the painted German casualty markers....these are the Black Tree Design ones.

And then there's the Russian side.

 All vehicles are 3d printed except one ...large resin artillery gun

Below... Russian flamethrowers (3d printed Ampulant)

BACK TO THE FACTORY

And we also have an large overhead  crane the length of the factory...so I 3d printed a T34 turret and wrapped it up in chains...to suspend from the crane. It has the old red primer look to it.

The length of the inside...this is exactly what we wanted to depict a huge factory hall.

It should fit below...you can just see the crane across the runners (supports etc. still to be painted). Supports are clear bases and go up to the roof supports. The concrete floor is not used in this photo. We will build another support frame onto the crane side..so that its visually long enough. 

Above you can see the start of overhead crane effect with bombed/broken supports....see updated painted one below.

We are going to add wire to the broken concrete ...to represent reinforced concrete. Chimmneys are plastic pipe covered in bricks. They are held in place by a metal flat base with a bolt inserted into the pipe. This weight keeps it upright.

The overhead crane and engine. ..we've built.

Below: Toilet block for inside the main factory. (we made up 3d printed toilets).

So we then placed the fittings lathes etc. inside...you can see two T34,s inside near the middle on the right...

Pictured above a 28mm guy in the middle of the factory just for scale.

So that's it done - just add roof (again pictures scaled to size) of corrugated iron stuck onto card board and thousands of bricks.

Below : finished look.of the outside wall at a game show

Below: a long shot from the top end showing inside.

More updates soon, remember to come and chat if you are at Targe war-game show...

see also our Targe show page with the final result... and our Stalingrad Game  Report