What parts of the hobby do you enjoy least?

Started by FierceKitty, 19 February 2019, 04:35:11 AM

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Cavillarius

- shows that seem to cater exclusively to 28mm, fantasy or WWII, or even worse: combinations of the three...
- removing flash
- too few clubs focussed solely on historical wargaming (I've had to compromise meanwhile, buying a fantasy army that could also serve historical purposes minus the flying carpets, wizards and djinns)

But worst of all:
- the time it takes for my orders from the UK to arrive here in Belgium, if at all.

d_Guy

I don't like painting horse (although my one attempt at a chariot was worse - in fact any thing with wheels pulled by creatures of any sort), elephants would be right out.

Contrary to the know universe, one of my favorite things is (apparently) rebasing.

Although nobody asked - my most favorite thing is doing the base edges (with a black or brown marker) - means I'm done (maybe)!

The think I dislike the most is, while doing the edging (as above), discovering a figure that has some feature NOT Painted!



Sleep with clean hands ...

Leman

You're lucky you've only had to paint that one horse Bill  :d. Seriously though, I have found a way of producing nice looking horses by using a darker base coat and highlighting the raised musculature, eg. I do a lot of brown horses using a chestnut base, highlighting with light brown. The biggest pain for me is then having to add the tack with my big, clumpy hands.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

Cavillarius

I discovered by horsy technique by accident:
Prime them with a white spray can, use a darkish chestnut brown that has been thinned out slightly too much. Makes for wonderful 'highlights' and is fast as hell to paint....
:P

Westmarcher

Might try that.  :)

However, still got the tack, horse blanket, nose, blaze, maine, tail, fetlocks, hooves .... wah!  ~X(
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

Leman

It's amazing how much static grass/flock can hide hooves.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

steve_holmes_11

The basis of my horse technique - not great, but quick and little fuss.
Looks fine for massed cavalry where a sharp-dressed man on the saddle distracts from a host of errors lower down.

1. Colour distribution - take 2 or 3 hours to read this series of artickes on hose coats and genetics: http://troubleatthemill.blogspot.com/2011/04/horse-of-different-colour.html

Summary:
About 75% brown coloured, of which 75% are "bays" black manes, tails and darker ankles. The remainder of the browns are chestnuts (without the black markings).
The remaining 25% are mostly black with the odd white, grey or more exotic colouration.

I sort my horses into groups of 16, then paint a quarter each light brown, mid brown, dark brown, then do the fancy colours (mostly black) on the last quarter.
I then pick out the 25% chestnuts from the browns (taking a higher proportion of the light browns because I prefer it that way) and paint black on the manes, tails and ankles of the rest.

Next a bit of white on some lower legs and almost all faces.
Room for a bit of artistic license here.

My secret for tack is doing the absolute minimum (This is the worst bit).
Brown horses with brown tack require little extra if you manage a satin finish - light will catch the mounded straps and hint that something's there.
For the black and light exotics, I try to keep things minimal as well.
I've no idea why all those bits are there, but I do know that most belts and the like a massively overscale on models.
Imagine reins that are an inch across, how broad would they be if scaled to 15mm - far too fine to sculpt I'd guess.
I therefore apply a very fine touch to the reins and (the straps that lead form the mouth up round the nose, and also back toward the ears.

Saddle blankets and saddles follow the normal uniform guides.
I find a coloured stripe along the bottom or round the edge looks good for irregular horsemen

Then sort them into (usually mixed) groups and base them.
If they're close order charging types, most of the horrid detail will go unnoticed, people will see the head, neck, rider (and tail if looking from behind).



steve_holmes_11

Now to answer the "Least liked" question.

1. Rules that promise much, but turn out to be reheated old-skool, or worse - utterly unintelligible.
    I now wait for reviews as opposed to rushing to be the early adopter.

2. Rebasing - I'm tending toward games that rely less on specific basing requirements, or ones that use a popular standard.

3. Joining in "that" participation game at a show, and realising that you've signed up for 2 hours of purgatory - Thankfully rare.

4. My Monthly trip to see whether TMP has got any better - I'm thinking of reducing it to a bi-monthly event - or opting out completely during the 18 months  American presidential elections.

5. My house has insufficient storage for all the new stuff I'd like to do.


d_Guy

Quote from: Leman on 20 February 2019, 08:06:40 AM
You're lucky you've only had to paint that one horse Bill  :d. Seriously though, I have found a way of producing nice looking horses by using a darker base coat and highlighting the raised musculature, eg. I do a lot of brown horses using a chestnut base, highlighting with light brown. The biggest pain for me is then having to add the tack with my big, clumpy hands.
Andy, it only took one horse to arrive at my opinion.  ;)
Sleep with clean hands ...

Techno

Quote from: Leman on 20 February 2019, 08:06:40 AM
You're lucky you've only had to paint that one horse Bill  :d. Seriously though, I have found a way of producing nice looking horses by using a darker base coat and highlighting the raised musculature, eg. I do a lot of brown horses using a chestnut base, highlighting with light brown. The biggest pain for me is then having to add the tack with my big, clumpy hands.

It's damn fiddly putting the tack on the gee gees with green stuff as well.....Especially the reins....So if I have to suffer...  :P ;)

Cheers - Phil

Leman

Tell me about it! Tried turning a regular C15th knight into an early C16th gendarmes the other day. Adding a skirt with green stuff was not too bad, but trying to create a massive plume falling in three separate strands defeated me. Our gallant gendarme has decided not to risk his precious ostrich feathers in real combat.......and that was in 15mm!!!
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

Techno

Another horribly fiddly thing, is trying to make 'pole-arm/halberd/whatever' type weapons at this scale.

I've just invented a new way of doing this.....It was causing a lot of swearing to start with.
But I got there in the end.  :)

Cheers - Phil

mmcv

New enjoy least... Working from home trying to focus on work when surrounded by all the figures crying out to be painted and based...  :'(

Normally work in the kitchen to avoid this if working from home but as the kitchen is currently an empty shell that's not on the cards.

Sandinista

Things I dislike about the hobby...
1: Painting
2: Opponents who do no historical research and produce ridiculous "list" based armies, then protest "the lists say I can"
3: Unpainted figures in a game
4: Painting
5: The unwashed at shows such as Salute, especially if the have huge backpacks and no spatial awareness
6: Painting
7: Those that whilst not cheating, stretch the rules to ludicrous lengths never imagined by the authors
8: Painting
9: Being called a grumpy old man  ;)
10: Painting

Cheers
Ian

Leman

A man who hates painting who also hates unpainted figures in a game - that way masochism lies. So glad I enjoy the modelling and painting aspects of the hobby, sometimes more than an actual game. The bit I really dislike that doesn't involve other people is taking down and packing away. Sometimes I will fight a battle two or three times rather than go through the hassle of packing away.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!