"Building a bridge to Kabul" Topic

Just put up a post on my blog re: building a bridge to span the Kabul River, to replace an inapprorpiate European bridge I had previously pressed into service for that purpose.

I used some leftover pieces of blue insulation foam, finished with some details of model RR rubber and plastic wall textures. If you're interested in seeing a bunch of WIP pics, please visit my blog at the link below, and thanks in advance for your time if you choose to do so…

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Meanwhile, here's a few teaser pics…

Excellent work!

I presume from the pics of the elephants on it that it was on the Grand Trunk Road?

Sweet.

Chalfant

wow…awesome!

Excellently done – a very evocative piece!

and +1 to alan

Rick

That looks great….+2

I built a bridge using not dissimilar techniques some time ago

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Excellent work to both of you!

Excellent project- thanks for sharing. River and myriad other terrain pieces look great, too. These types of pieces really set the scene.

Madguru – What no wood chips? This is a major turn of events.Ha Ha. Looks amazingly good. Now, as usual, I must try and copy it. Damn it, another project to add to the list.

Kind of looks like the bridge on the south side of Kabul heading down to Bala Hisar, near the stadium.

Thanks for all the positive comments, guys!

@Eric The Shed: I remember when you built that bridge, great work on your part, as always! I love the way you seem to make all of your scratchbuilt terrain in "systems" that fit together with seamless consistency, while retaining the ability to be rearranged however you want for a new tabletop game, making for a great combo of high quality visuals and useful playability.

@Rhingyll: it's true, I usually build natural as opposed to manmade terrain, choosing to order the latter from a super-talented master builder, but in this case I needed a second bridge over the river as fast as possible. I'm confident your copy will be as good or better than my prototype! I think you already have the same piece I used to pave the bridge -- the "Small Random Stone Wall" section from Chooch, which I believe you used to press rock/brick outlines into the clay walls for your homemade afghan crop & orchard fields a while back.

@Lou from BSM: THANKS for pointing that out, your comment made made my day!

MG – I hadn't thought of using the Chooch pieces as anything but walls. Great idea you had to use them as road pavers. Nice spanning, Ethan the Bridge Builder.

All those bridges look wonderful, and thank you for sharing!

Bob: your Kipling fandom seems to rival my own, and though I don't really rate the term I will take it as a great compliment!

Alan: sorry, somehow missed replying to your very pithy comment earlier! In full disclosure the reason for putting the beast in question on the spot was to check the new bridge's load-bearing abilities!

GamesPoet: thanks very much, but I myself am only responsible for building the least of them, as shown above! The two smaller bridges over the canal and the gorgeous bridge over the river all came courtesy of master-craftsman Chris The Model Maker, who when it comes to building terrain, on a good day I may be worthy to carry sandpaper for!

Glad to hear that the bridge stood up to the test. Incidentally, I believe that an elephant was also the first passenger on the lift in the Eiffel Tower!

What was the make of the model pack elephant?

Ethan – This table has got more individual terrain features than anything I have ever seen you do, or for that matter, what most others have done.Now that you don't have to build endless numbers of wood chip mountains and rivers, we on this board are expecting more of the bridge and gate projects. Maybe even some buildings. Ha ha.

Alan: it's an old Wargames Foundry elephant from their Indian Mutiny range, which appropriately enough I actually got from Bob, aka: Rhingyll

Bob: hah!!! Never had hobby pressure from outside my own head before! On the positive side, you are almost right about me being done with big-ticket terrain pieces… but I still want/need to build 3 more 2'x2' river terrain boards, one 90-degree turn and two straights. Combined with what I already have, that should enable me to lay out pretty much anything river-wise, including a 12' straight Argandab river, for use behind the Afghan lines at the Battle of Kandahar, or if I ever raise Sikh War armies, the Sutlej on half of those battlefields, and having two 90-degree turns will allow for a more winding river, or even a U-turn, if I want one for a particular scenario.

Only problem is finding the time to cut the wood frames… and then cutting the river channels out of the foam… and then the standard ground cover work… and then the toughest part: mixing, colouring, pouring, and hoping to time "agitating" the resin so it cures with some "wave" action… man, it exhausts me just thinkingbabout it. But I have to do it sooner or later!