Building 15mm scale HMG nests

Hi all!

I've been asked how I did my HMG nests and objectives for Flames of War. What do I use to do them and where do I pull my ideas. The ideas come from everyday life and from experience, everyday life, from the works of others and from reference pictures.

Tools

- tooth picks/coctail sticks (a lot of them)
- PVA glue
- clippers

- pincers (optional, only if you don't want to glue your fingers)
- hobby knife (a sharp one, WATCH THOSE FINGERS!)

- little scissors (for cutting the gauge)
- medium/large bases (depends on what you want to build)
- pumice (you can chose the color and thickness by yourself, I'm using Brown Earth)
- tools to spread the pumice (the smaller the better, you can fit into small gaps)

- diyed gauge (feel free to use any color or method you like for diying, I used tea)
- The Plan

First, before anything, you have to have a clear plan, a visual (drawing, reference picture, plan in your head), what you're about to do. In my case, and example here, I had a visual of an L-shaped MG nest that we used to dig in the army, although we did it open topped.

The Plan

For starters I planned the general shape of the nest and the placement of camo nets, at this point all other, more decorative, groundwork was skipped. For this I used Adobe Photoshop CS 6 but this could have been made just as easily with Paint. The only thing that was measured into correct size was the base as it greatly helps to adjust everything else into correct size. For the HMG nests I use medium bases. which are 2”/50mm wide by 1¼”/32mm deep. If I'd do an objective I'd use large base which is 2”/50mm wide by 2½”/65mm deep.

First part - The Build - Front view

Following the plan closely I started cutting all the needed pieces for the first layer. I did it this way so I could first match up one layer and then cut the rest of the pieces using the firsts as guides.

Once all the pieces were cut I used PVA glue to make up the first layer and let it settle for a while. It's easier to work after the base is stabile. I prefer PVA over super glue because it hardens slowly and you have time to adjust the "logs" into right place. I suggest using pincers to help with the placement (I didn't use and got my fingers glued - luckily only with PVA which you can get off easily).

First part - The Build - Back view

I first built the basic structure without the roof as I added some support beams inside. Then made the roof to stabily the whole built. The entryway and the firing slit outer walls were built last.

First part - The Build - Top view

Second part - The Ground - Front view

After the PVA had dried I glued some tree trunks (the fallen tree trunk was added after the pumice) and then dug out my Brown Earth pumice and started to spread it with a small tool. I tried to leave the roof and one layer of logs visible. I forgot first to put pumice to the roof but put it there later on.

Second part - The Ground - Back view

Now it was time to add the rocks to bring some more life to the bases. I did this before the pumice dried so didn't have to use any glue on them.

Sorry for missing all the pictures of part three which was painting the whole thing up.

Ground:
First a wash with Nuln Oil, followed by multiple drybrush layers of VMC Beige Brown (until you are hapy with it). Then highlighted with Citadel Kommando Khaki (again until you're hapy with it).

Nest:
Basecoated with VMC Chocolate Brown and then washed with Nuln Oil to deepen the reccess. I then used the Beige Brown to highlight the the woodworks and did secondary highlight with a mix of Beige Brown and White (can't remember my mix but you do it with what looks good for you). And naturally you can try with different colors to create different type of trees. Or you can leave the tree trunks as is. I actually tried to mimic birch with the fallen tree, basecoated it with Black, then made random patterns with Pale Grey Blue and highlighted with White.

MGs were painted with Light Grey, washed with Nuln Oil and highlighted with Light Grey.

Fourth part - Camoflage - Back view

Once all the painting was done it was time to add rest of the nature. I tried to randomize the placement for the bushes (suggesting PVA for this) and grass (use watered down PVA for this). Lastly it was time to add camo nets. First cutted the gauge into rectangular shapes and positioned them somewhat where I think it would help to hide the nest. I then applied watered down PVA with a brush and bend the gauge into shape.

Fourth part - Camoflage - Front view

And here you go, the end result of our build. Notice how the gauge has darkened while the PVA has dried.

Finished result - Back view

Finished result - Birds eye

Finished result - Front view

And here is a little flashback of my older I-shaped HMG nests. These are also build on medium base but as they are only I-shaped they have more room inside so I could fit a gunner with MG inside instead of just an MG like in L-shaped nest.

I-shaped, finished, HMG nests

I hope you find this usefull but if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments :)

Long time no post - Please have some HMG!

Hi and sorry for not posting anything up for a long time. I've been quite busy at my work and personal life and thus it has all limited my time to finish anything.

But something has been finished, it's nothing big but I'm quite fond of them although two of them will be shipping out but I hope to still see them on the battlefield and AARs by a friend abroad. So what have I finished, well three HMG nests.

These are built in L-shape with exit routes. The idea came to me thanks to the friend who asked me to do some nests and from my time in Finnish Defence Forces and when we dug up this kind of possitions into the woods. Otherwise these are built just like the earlier HMG nests.

Thank you and enjoy!

Halkomahooli goes Flames of War in Facebook

Hi,

I've created a Facebook page to show you previews of what's going on and what is on the painting table.

You can follow me @ Halkomahooli goes FoW

This is due to being more simple way to quickly share a picture or two of the current stage of an unfinished project than write a full blogtext of it.

But don't worry, I will still write here and show you what I've done and finished.

Thank you!

Last line of defence, objective

While I'm waiting for the Jagdtiger to arrive to LGS for the Nibelungen Works objective, I've started planning for the next build. I think this could be located to either front or inside Berlin itself, a last defence line. It will be an Anti-Tank bunker armed with 3,7cm PaK36 (definately outdated by the end of the war) which will be defended by two German soldiers armed to the teeth with panzerfausts, panzerschreck and an MG42.

This would be either an active bunker made out of concrete (would be build like the wall on the Nibelungen Works) or a destroyed one, I haven't desided yet.

So far there is only a sketch drawing with no thought given to troop or equipment placement. I will get to that once I'm closer to finishing the Nibelungen Works objective.

If you'd like to help with planning and have your "touch" seen in this build, drop me a comment with your suggestion.

Thank you for reading!

Jagdtiger factory - Nibelungen Works, objective

Hello there!

Thanks to some other very good painters and bloggers I've opted to build and paint a red tone Jagdtiger. Difference in my work is, I'm going to use it not only in gaming but also as an objective. I thought that I should do something different on this build compared to what others have do (or what I've seen) so why not build some surroundings. And what would be more iconic than the building site of these behemoths, the Nibelungen Works.

Due to heavy weight of JT I need to do some more work for the building and planning stages as I'll need to add some magnets to hold the massive weight of the JT in place. For this I'll be using 3 or 4 5mm*1mm round rare earth magnets with one side drilled into the tracks and the other smoothed to pavement level with pumice.

The scene will be set as a JT parked next to a concrete wall while a guard watches over so no one will try to steal or sabotage this great beast.

The concrete wall is made with inner core from coctail sticks and a light layer of pumice to create the concrete itself, the coctail sticks create a nice shape, just like the one when builders use a mold build from planks to cast the concrete.

As my pumice is light brownish I first painted it black and then light grey. It was then washed to bring out the details and drybrushed with different shades of light grey. I also reasoned that my wall would need a barbed wire on top of it so I took some wire and rolled it around a paintbrush. I then painted it grey with a bit different shade than the wall itself and clued it in place.

 Thanks for reading and be sure to check out for further updates on the project.