Thursday, February 9, 2023

MAKING A LIST AND CHECKING IT THRICE

 

Three sets of lists done. The start of the next project.

Having just reported on the completion of my Joust for the Fun of It rules, the hobby butterfly has alighted on the next phase of this project.  I originally created this game for 28mm figures.  Since I have all the figures and bits I need to run the game in 28mm, I  (of course) came up with the bright idea that I could also play it using the 1:20 scale Schleich toy knights. Of course, this means that in order to take my game on the road and run it for others, I would need at least 6 teams of 4 knights each, 24 in all. Towards these ends, I have been hitting ebay hard...
A snapshot capturing a swath of my recent ebay acquistions of big knights and big knight accessories.  I'll be doing lots of work configuring the knights into teams of four (how to mount them, modify them, etc, etc). Right now, I'm working with some friends who do 3D printing to come up with bits and bobs in support of that effort.  More to come on that in the future (still in development). In the meantime, I decided to tackle something that I could get done: the lists. 
I discovered among the Schleich World of Knight accessories these very nice list barriers (in this post, you may clix pix for BIG PIX as usual).
They're nice enough, but I figured if I'm going to "go big" with my figures, then the lists should add a bit more to the look.  And (above right) having added shields to my 28mm jousting lists... 
...I thought I'd do the same for my big ones. And this is how I did it.

First of all, I used a Heraldic Device clip art set that I've had for ages to produce two shields per list barrier (printed out, cut out, and mounted on a slim bit of plasticard). I also had a bunch of 1.5" x 1.5" wooden bases on hand. These I stained. I then used Gorilla Wood glue to paste the shields onto the wood. 
The Schliech barriers have lots of nice detail, to include this lug that protrudes out of one of the sides (there is a smaller one on the reverse). This presented a problem: how to mount the shields flush given this protrusion?
The problem proved to be the solution. I drilled a blind hole in the center of one side of each of the shield boards...
...and then I put them onto the barriers with the lugs fitting into the holes, which not only solved the problem but provided a flat-pack-like fitting of one thing into another to ensure that they were centered... 
...after the first side dried, I then flipped them over and put the shields on the reverse. It wasn't clear how flush they would sit on the rails, so I added two 1/4" woodworking cubes which were (happily) the same height as the rails (or just about) and put Gorilla Glue wood glue on them, and just to be sure, I also generously slathered the rails with J B Kwikweld (good for bonding wood to plastic, good for bonding just about anything!). This combination covered any variation in how the shields might lay. 

I configure each list with 5 barriers.  Each barrier has a single shield pattern that is repeated on both sides.  To be able to run 3 lists at a time, I fabricated 15 barriers, each with a different shield pattern. This way, no matter how I arrange them, there will be no repeat shield designs visible.  In this case, the outcome pretty much matched the concept: Big toy knights on big lists with big shields. So far, so good. 
 
Work now shifts to the much larger and more extended task of organizing, modifying, and configuring the knights. I just signed up to run this game at the Mayhem Convention (April 22), so I'll be sticking to this project to make sure I can see it through in time for the convention.  

Excelsior!

14 comments:

  1. You have made a good start to the new project Ed and seems like you have been quite successful in locating second hand Schleich knights - this should be a fun collection to watch you build up!

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    1. Yes, Keith, I was pleasantly surprised at their availability and pricing. I've got what I need to move forward. I need to avoid analysis paralysis on all the possibilities for mixing and modding and just get stuck in.

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  2. Great job on modifying the lists. They look great. And having a deadline will really help with focus on a single project. Good luck. 😀
    I haven’t had the chance to DL the rules yet just bc I haven’t had time to use my own computer (I mostly use my phone) but still intent to. I should get on it so I can better appreciate your upcoming posts. 😀

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    1. Interesting point, Stew. I work and access this blog exclusively on my desktop PC, and I visit other blogs either on the desktop PC or on my tablet--but still viewing in the "PC" vs tablet mode. I recognize that I'm probably in a ever shrinking minority who don't use their phones as the primary (my wife, for instance, is almost exclusively on her smart phone).

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    2. I am with you Ed - I check my own blog for new comments on my phone and sometimes reply to them there but that's about it. The screen is too small for anything else, in my opinion!

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    3. Agree, although it does bring up the question of assumptions. I put together content and lay it out as I see it (ie, per the PC view). I often assume that this is how readers are consuming it, which is not always the case (and a review of the platforms on the analytics informs me of as much as well).

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  3. I do like the look of the barrier with all the sheilds on. Especially when they've all got all the heraldic devises on them.

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    1. Thanks, Ray. I'm happy with the amount of open space still remains--I was concerned that they would fill it all in (and I don't think that would have been a good look).

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  4. Looking good Ed…
    I do like the Schleich Knights… there is a shop in Edinburgh that had the full range…including Dragons, I think the next time I visit I may pick a couple up.

    All the best. Aly

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    1. I agree. The Schleichs really are a cut above "toy soldiers" and more like "figures" (if that makes sense). I was pleasantly surprised when the first arrived: the picture really didn't convey that, and my assumptions were more along what I had been familiar with (Elastolins).

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  5. Absolutely lovely! I had to try it and make a proper tiltyard! Rules for beohourd/melee next!

    Best wishes,
    Jan

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    1. Thanks, Jan--a bit of extra effort does elevate the show :) I may get around to rounding out the rules for a complete tournament (melee, etc). In the meantime, if you check out Steel and Steed (it's in the references at the end of my rules), it has a complete system for tournaments (to include different kinds).

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  6. Those shields look superb Ed. Really add to the look of the lists (a new term for my (limited) vocab.).
    April 22nd is not far off, so some big (k)nights 'tween now and then (*sorry*).
    Regards, James

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    1. Nothing like a deadline to make the (k)nights fly bye! (One pun deserves another).

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