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The character of the countryside in late September is altered in appearance by tens of thousands of hay bales. 
Howe of the Mearns, looking NE towards Strathfinella
(In Winter of '79, Vale of Borchester looking to the Hossack Hills)
(In Winter of '79, Vale of Borchester looking to the Hossack Hills)
Modern round hay bales appeared in 1972. The 6 foot hay 'wheels' can weigh up to a ton and are a common feature of many fields in early Autumn.
Harburn Hobbies, CG-212 round bales
5 for £7.66
You still see the traditional 3-4ft rectangular bales, particularly in the smaller farms around here, and you can imagine that back in 1979, both types would probably have been equally common up and down the country.
Harburn Hobbies produce both types in OO scale. I prefer the round ones I must admit, both because they are evocative of the countryside, but also 'cause 1 ton of hay makes great cover!
Harburn Hobbies, CG-213 round bales
Stack of 10 for £6.07
It's very likely in our civil war scenario that hay bales lay uncollected, especially in heavily contested areas. They make just one more interesting tactical and visual element that can be added to your terrain!
Cheers
Mark
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Wow, cool idea!
ReplyDeleteHaystacks in one form or another seem to feature in just about any sort of conflict.
For the record, working hay sucks. Though round bales are easier than square, in terms of manual labor.
ReplyDeleteAlso for the record, I know for a fact that a 6' round bale will stop a .300 Magnum rifle round fired at it from point blank range. Dunno how it would do against a .50 caliber (we didn't have one handy), and I am pretty sure a gun round will shred it. But, anything lighter than a .50 it will stop dead.
Just so you know.