Completed Trench Sections

Andrew Belsey · Jun 26, 2018

I thought I'd start a new thread on my sections as the old one went splat when the Military Modelling site was closed down. That coincided with a house flood and I'll be out of my house for about 6 months, so life has been challenging!
When I have time, I'm working on a website and possible book about WW1 trenches.
Meanwhile, I 've been creating some display boxes for my sections. They have backdrops from art that I found on the net, and they will also light with LEDs. I plan to make them all in 1:76 which will explain the sections further in there context. That way I will be able to show how French plans were different from British, etc.
I'll post some photos.

Here are the sections before putting them in their boxes.

The figure above is in New Zealand awaiting 'Magic' Mike the Kiwi to paint him with liquid skin and khaki. He will outshine anything I can do. We're painting him as a Kiwi soldier and he'll be shaving, with all his equipment around him.

Andy B

Nap · Jun 26, 2018

These are great creations by Andrew

Following this thread with interest

Nap

akaryu · Jun 26, 2018

Very interesting and well executed! Wouldn't be amiss in a museum.

Pierre

Zastrow.cuirassier · Jun 26, 2018

Extraordinary work!
Really a superb evocation of what were the trenches!
Thank you for the small note on the French trenches.
For the record, do not forget that the French (the headquarters) were always in a spirit of offensive, they did not want an installation too "comfortable" for fear of spoiling the offensive qualities of the troops.
Finally, these trenches represented, are only an example (superb for the rest)
But do not summarize the trench warfare to these models,
First there were several sectors on the front and the trenches took into account the nature of the ground, then there were several lines of defenses (often 3 or even 4)
A particular example:
Verdun, no real trenches but a more or less elaborate connection of the shell holes.
Only common points, mud, rats and smell!
My grandfather enlisted in 1914, he did almost all the war in the trenches as a soldier, then corporal for Sergeant ...
After Verdun he was fortunate enough to be able to order a French officer in charge of liaison with the Canadians (He told me that this is what allowed him to survive the war).
He did almost all the Western front, and his memories were mud, rats and the smell of death ...

Huw63 · Jun 26, 2018

I've seen these in MM and in PF but nevertheless they are fantastically made and explain so much information.

Cheers

Huw

Andrew Belsey · Jun 26, 2018

Zastrow.cuirassier,
I've just been writing exactly what you've said on another forum. It was the High Command who didn't want their troops 'comfortable' but rather gain back lost territory! I did word it 'considered by the British' and did include gabions. Sorry for any offence! Your poor Grandfather must have suffered a lot by surviving right through the war! My aim is to educate, not glorify war.
Andy B

Mike Stevens · Jun 26, 2018

Excellent work and an education as the same time. As stated in an earlier earlier, these examples would be well placed in a museum exhibition.

Steve Brodie · Jun 26, 2018

Simply Awesome

Zastrow.cuirassier · Jun 26, 2018

Hi Andy no offenses.
My grandfather was present at Vimy in 1915 with the French and in 1917 he saw the Canadians at work.
He has always been very admiring of these Soldiers from the seas!
The only thing he did not like about the Anglo-Saxons was ... the food !!!

John Bowery · Jun 26, 2018

A wonderful project and very educational.
Cheers
John

maui · Jun 27, 2018

I work very well done.
I hope you review all the steps with explanations for the creation of these trenches as you did on the Military Modeling forum. I remember a lot of interesting information.
Congratulations on your high-level work.

Andrew Belsey · Jun 27, 2018

Maui, When I get some spare time to create my website, my plan is to include tutorials, explaining all the techniques similar to what I had on MilMod. I'm consumed with house repairs presently - I lost my real home to a flood as well as my online blogs, so a challenging year so far! It can all be rebuilt though.
Andy

Andrew Belsey · Jul 5, 2018

After posting on Imgur and getting 230000 views in a day, I thought that I'd better get a move on with my website. You can find it here https://andybelseymodels.wixsite.com/mysite
It only has low res. photos but is a showcase for my work. I can adapt it if you spot things that are wrong if you spot any? - it's just a free Wix site. There's a section with tutorials of the things I blogged on Mil Mod.

Andy

arj · Jul 5, 2018

Excellent website Andrew.
Your tutorials are very useful.
Your use of car body filler took me back to the late 60s when I saw Malcolm Dawson's magnificent figure sculpts using Isopon (before he came across Milliput).

Cheers,
Andrew

Andrew Belsey · Jul 6, 2018

I've updated the tutorials, so that they are easier to view now. It's WIP.
I've never done any web-building before, so a learning curve. Not rocket science though with WIX.
You'll find sections on my collaborations with Adrian Bay and Mike the Kiwi Butler.
Andy

Andrew Belsey · Aug 25, 2018

Most of you will have seen Mike Butler's wonderful painting of a Tommy's War figure that I adapted for my shellhole section. He still has all his equipment to paint but has done an absolutely beautiful job of the shaving figure.

Meanwhile, I've made a small amount of progress of my own. I've had little time or energy for my own models due to a house flood. I'm back home at last but still very busy.
I have done some work on my 10th section, which features mining and will have two stages - 'Clay kicking' and then laying and 'tamping' the charge.

Here is the basic layout.

I've clad the tunnels with balsa for the support timbers.

The end wall where a guy will be clay kicking was created with car body filler and I've made a crucifix chair.

I'm adapting a Tommy's War figure. When I've sanded his bottom he won't be banging his head so much. I will adapt the nearer leg and make a spade for him.

Meanwhile the second stage shows the explosive charge and miners blocking or tamping the tunnel to force the explosion up rather that back through the tunnel. Here's how far I've got with that.

I'm making lots of Flimsies (petrol cans) which carried the ammonal explosive in carryable sizes. I created a jig to make the numerous handles that I need.

The handles are made from pie tin foil, whereas the cans are clad with aluminium foil.
Andy

Mike - The Kiwi · Aug 25, 2018

Looking forward to hopefully having a small part to play in these tunnelling projects Andy.
ANZACs supplied many miners that were at heart of these units.
http://www.nztunnellers.com
http://www.tunnellers.net/pages/indexpag.html

Excited to see these begin.
-Mike

Huw63 · Aug 25, 2018

Mike's doing a marvellous job with that figure and the mining scene concept looks marvellous- I can't wait to see more.

Cheers

Huw

PropBlast · Aug 26, 2018

Brilliant just brilliant! I particularly like the details in the dugout.

Nap · Aug 27, 2018

Andrew

EVERYTIME you post it's an education , both in modelling and history

Thanks for posting the link to your website , amazing work

Nap

Completed Trench Sections

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