Wednesday 11 April 2012

Ishoo Fifty-For Nissen Huts (One Day Wonders Part 1)


Welcome to One Day Wonders Part One, the first of an intermittent series of ishoos dedicate to terrain which can be built in a day or less! And here to start us of, Nissen Huts (or Quonset Huts, which are very similar). Yes, it's finally time to do something for all those WW2 players out there! Nissen huts are one of those buildings which most people associate with World War Two, and they really are both quick and easy to build - here's Grot to show you how in the popular 15mm scale as used in Flames of War!


Note: This is Novelty Siding; you can actually get corrugated iron plasticard, but I didn't have any...


And there you are! It's really very quick and easy to build a Nissen Hut... even though these are more like Quonset Huts (he said trying to appease the Nissen Hut Enthusiasts Club over the inaccuracies of the model!) In fact, with enough tubes, you could easily build a whole camp or airfield worth over a weekend.
Since this is a One Day Wonders project, you're bound to be wondering, how long did they take? Well, they were on the bench less than five hours - and a good chunk of that was waiting for paint to dry. These would easily fit into a lazy sunday afternoon or a few evenings if you prefer.
Well, stay tuned for next ishoo, when I have absolutely no idea what will be going on because I haven't decided yet! And don't forget the Reader's Choice Poll!

5 comments :

  1. Another wonderful and imaginative use of materials. Great post Sir!

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  2. Very nice work on those things. Would you happen to have any suggestions on ensuring that the sawing of the tubes stays straight? I always find that the most troublesome part! I tend to build up the earth at the sides to hide it when I use tubes to make buildings..

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    1. Pete; I drew a line down the side, and then placed the tube in a vice. I used a wood working tennon saw (that's the rectangular kind with the spine which means it doesn't bend) and tried to be accurate. Things didn't exactly work out perfectly, the bases are on slight angles.
      A better alternative (which I don't have access to) would be a band saw, or a large miter saw which is on rails to make sure it doesn't go out of square. I did think of a miter box (one of those things with the slots you saw down through) but it was too small to accept the tube.

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    2. Cheers, mate! I have got a miter box somewhere or other, but I can never quite get things to work out. I think last time I cut something I marked a tube of Pringles with a pencil, then very slowly cut it with a Stanley knife.

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  3. i like it.......a lot!!!!

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