28mm Power Poles / Utility Poles Terrain

Since lock down started in mid-March I've had no time to paint or make terrain. That changed when I had Vietnamese takeaway and thought I could easily make some 28mm power poles / utility poles with them. I also remembered that I had saved some glass beads in the terrain bits collection that would be useful.

Each pole needed:

• 1 chopstick
• 1 matchstick (from craft store)
• Some plasticard / styrene / card (I used an old Ikea gift card)
• 4 glass beads (from craft store / old jewellery)
• 1 plastic tube (from a finished pet poop bag roll)
• Superglue
• 30mm round base
• Steel washers (for weight)

Relatively easy to put together, and I would recommend distressing each pole with a hobby knife to get it looking as non-uniform as possible.

One of the poles got a distribution transformer by adding a cylinder to the side (capping the tube at each end with a circle of plasticard). The bases had the steel washers glued to them, then covered in plaster (use whatever basing finish you prefer).

Painting-wise I first spray painted them black, then undercoated in raw umber, followed by a heavy light grey dry brush (as old timber is grey and not brown). The insulators were painted white and the distribution transformer gunmetal with a brown wash. I wanted these to suit any setting in the 20th and 21st century.

To make these six power poles I think it was two one hour sessions, one building, the other painting. Very easy and very quick to make. They were finished off with some static grass and tufts to add some much needed colour. I am very happy with how these turned out.