Mark wants to develop a much wider river than is usual in 6mm / 10mm wargaming. Usually these are just a couple of inches across with the occasional bridge but he's talking of something much bigger - almost Rhine-like in its size and scale.
So I've experimented by upscaling one of my small river sections to something much bigger. The same technique applies - it just takes more PVA and paint to achieve. I use Wickes cork floor tiling and cut it to size. Paint the base a light earth colour (to cover the banks) then apply blue in shades (light by the shore, dark in deep water). Then varnish the water to give a liquidy feel.
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| Traditional river section. 3 inch Grand Armee base for scale. |
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| With road and bridge. |
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Monster river - with sandy shore on both sides (which can be coloured to suit but would work for Peninsular War and most ancients battles around the Med. Traditional river section and Grand Armee base for scale.
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| Try crossing THAT, English pigs! |
The 'depth' is provided by adding darker shades of blue the closer to the middle you go. I use 3 shades of Wilkinson emulsion (3 pots for £2.25!) - Dark Duck Egg for near the shore, Electric Teal for the mid-depth and Deep Sapphire for the deep bit in the middle. These are blended together while wet (otherwise you just get straight blue stripes).
I'll see what Mark says as to whether they'll do the job and report back.
