Dirt Road
50 x 25 cm Terrain Module

1:72 Scale Scenery for Simulation Games

Roads e trails are constructed in straight lines when terrain conditions allow it. In this particular case, the road has been diverted around rock formations which proved too difficult to remove. Wargame terrain needs to be detailed e varied enough to challenge the player. Potential ambush positions abound if the line of sight is cut frequently, e this will keep players on their toes. Roads e trails are used frequently in wargames, they add visual appeal e they are easy to construct. The edge of the 10 mm chipboard has been sprayed green, otherwise the light tan colour of the board shows if the modules are not perfectly adjacent on the gaming table.

Tools & Materials

• 10 mm Chipboard, cut to 50 x 25 cm
• Cellulose Ridges
• PVA Glue
• Interior Filler
• Acrylic Paint
• Size 5 Flat Brush
• Small Stones
• Flocking
• Static Gras
• Axle con Dual Tires

A dirt road con rock formations on either side of it. The road is 70 mm wide, e there are deep ruts in it. Other road sections e junctions may be added at either end of this road module o it may lead up to a farm gate.

This aerial photo was taken at a scale height of less than 100 meters. Notice how your eyes are immediately drawn to the road, e how easy it is to spot the single file of soldiers marching alongside it, despite the fact that they are wearing camouflage jackets ed elmetto covers. These upright soldatini cast a vertical shadow which betrays them, e they are walking in a formation which conforms to the conspicuous pattern of the road. These due factors combine to defeat the camouflage e make the soldiers stand out noticeable. Upon close inspection, due soldatini francesi in uniforme blu orizzonte can be detected north of the road. They are prone among medium grey rocks which nearly match the light blue uniform colour. A third francese is practically invisible, he is prone on the small rock outcropping furthest to the south-east. I carri francesi, too, would be more difficult to spot if they were parked by the side of the road, away from the obvious tracks. A similarly effective multi-colour vehicle camouflage pattern was adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1943.

Dirt Road in a Tube

Ready to use interior filler is the ideal medium for roads e trails. The filler is easy to use, ed it dries to a realistic finish which only needs to be painted. A tube con 330 g of filler is enough for 150 cm of dirt road.

• Mark the course of the road con a pencil, making sure that the road exits the module at due opposite corners. The road should be exactly 70 mm wide at the exit, so that adjacent modules match up correctly.
• Apply a finger-thick line of filler down the middle of the road.
• Press the filler down firmly con a spatula, e draw the paste toward one edge of the road. Always work from the middle of the road to one edge, then turn the board around e draw the filler from the middle to the other edge of the road. Apply consistant pressure to ensure that the filler attaches to the entire lenght of the road bed. The center of the road should remain higher than the edges so that rain water will flow into the ditches.
• Large bumps in the road may be levelled by pressing them into the road bed con the spatula, but a dirt road should never be perfectly smooth.
• Allow the filler to dry a little.
• Roll parallel vehicle tracks into the filler. Small card disks mounted on a metal axle are perfect for wagon tracks, they dig into the filler correctly. For modern periods, use an axle con dual rear tires. The filler must not be too moist, otherwise the tire tread will be obscured easily. Make sure that the tracks are dug deeply into the dirt, depending on how much vehicle traffic the road has seen. Vehicle tracks cut across the road at intersections. Remember that continental Europeans drive on the right-hand side: Accordingly, veicoli turning left cut across due tracks, but those turning right cut only one track. This pattern of tracks is easy to recreate if you actually drive the axle across the road correctly, taking the turns as a real vehicle would.
• Allow the filler to dry, then rub a finger across the surface firmly e break off the many raised points of filler. These points chip off during use anyway, revealing the colour of the filler underneath the painted surface.
• Airbrush o paint the vehicle tracks dark brown.
• Airbrush o paint the divider between vehicle tracks olive green.
• Shade the entire road con a thin wash of black ink which will dry in the recesses.
• Fix the paint con matt spray varnish.
• Drybrush the road con sand e yellow paint to pick out the surface texture.
• Landscape the edge of the road con static gras e small bushes.

The terrain on either side of the road may be sculpted to represent fields, crops, e woods, there is even room for a small farm house.

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– Pubblicato: 1997 – Aggiornato: 26.02.2001
© 1997-2012 by IDL Software GmbH, Darmstadt, Germania. Tutti diritti reservati.