What New Zealand Wars game wouldn’t be complete with a farmhouse for Maori to raid or for colonials to barricade? I recently completed the plastic Perry farmhouse kit, originally intended for American colonial settings, but painted to match my view of what a colonial New Zealand farmhouse might have looked like.
Actually, I haven’t got too much info on colonial New Zealand architecture of the 1840s. There is this useful site by Auckland gamer John Moher: http://wargaming.info/2008/maori-wars-colonial-new-zealand-buildings. But otherwise info is rather hard to find. I suspect, therefore, that there will be architectural details on this model that are totally wrong for New Zealand. But it captures the look I had in mind, and that’s all that counts!
When I was in Christchurch last week, I drove past the famous old colonial house near Redcliffs (which looks remarkably intact after the recent devastating earthquakes down there), and saw that it was painted dark red with beige trim. Thus the choice of the colour scheme for my Perry farmhouse.
The only conversion I made to the kit was to make the roof removable. I wanted the verandah roof to stay in position even with the main roof off in order to protect the veranda pillars from damage. So I cut along the join between the veranda and main roofs. The veranda roof is now glued on, but the main roof comes off.
The picture shows a militia man surprised by a couple of Maori toa (warriors). The tree is, of course, from Warhammer 40K, but doubles (rather unrealistically) as a New Zealand ponga (tree-fern).
DRESSING THE LINES 
This is the one.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MILITARY-MODELLING-1983-SEP-WARGAMING-MAORI-WARS-/310317079783?pt=UK_Magazines&hash=item484056dce7
also found this in passing
http://www.balagan.org.uk/war/new-zealand-wars/rules.htm
Pjotr
Looks good Roly. And the tree looks very fern like. I dare say that house would suit a whole host of colonial periods and places. Nicely done.
Great paint job, Roly. I reckon you’ve got the colours ‘spot on’ and I particularly like the weathered look which would be in keeping with New Zealand’s varying climate…..and you can still use it for American colonial games.
Yeah, I wanted the weatherboards to look a bit “distressed” rather than clean and newly painted. Also, my paintwork was a bit sloppy, but on terrain I think that works quite well.
The other evening I painted up the plastic tents I bought at the same time, using the same dry-brushing technique to give a dirty canvas look – they came out quite well too.
Thanks for the links, Pjotr.
Would be interesting seeing that issue of Military Modelling. They had another series on the same subject called ‘Fire in the Fern’.
The Balagan site is also one of my favourites.
Great work, Roly. I think it looks terrific and certainly captures the period feel. Where are your trees from?
Best wishes
Giles
Thanks for that, Giles.
In the picture above the trees are from Warhammer (‘tree-fern’), Woodland Scenics (tall tree) and home-made (round trees).