My New Project for 2018

[bigjackmac]

All,

Well, still depressed about the @#$%ing Patriots, but the world keeps on turning, and I continue moving ahead with my Wolverines project.  Now I'm on to working on camo for the vehicles, experimenting with Blue-Tack as a mask.  I went to Wal-mart and bought their version of Blue Tack (couldn't find actual Blue Tack anywhere, but reading on the internet told me the various brands are fairly interchangeable), brought it home, and got to work masking a couple of test tanks, one M-60A1 and one T-62.  I primed them yesterday and let them sit over night before messing with the Blue Tack.


Here are my two test subjects, the T-62 at left and the M-60 at right.  To see how it turned out, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2018/01/my-blue-tack-experiment.html

Phil - You're alive!!! Cheers!

Matt - Ta hell with Brady; he definitely has some skill, but for my money, it's the evil genius Belichik.  Coaching is how a mediocre offensive line only gives up three sacks to Sacksonville (and pretty much the only times Brady was even pressured, much less touched), how you end up with Amendola and Cooks being matched up on linebackers, how you can get eight guys in the box and still make the Jax playcallers think running the ball is the right choice...

TP and FSN - You guys are sure pretty worked up about my alt-UK getting alt-nuked by alt-USSR in alt-1960s

V/R,
Jack

[Orcs]

Set it in Alaska.

Yep the KM ground effect "aircraft with a top speed of 400MPH and a 300 ton Payload (6 MBTS) could cross the bering straight in 7.5 mins. For the initial assault then the heavy lift hovercraft the ZUBR to reinforce the bridgehead

The Zubr-class landing craft has a cargo area of 400 square metres (4,300 sq ft) and a fuel capacity of 56 tons.[2] It can carry three main battle tanks (up to 150 tonnes), or ten armoured vehicles with 140 troops (up to 131 tonnes), or 8 armoured personnel carriers of total mass up to 115 tonnes, or 8 amphibious tanks or up to 500 troops (with 360 troops in the cargo compartment).

[Orcs]

I used an Airbrish for my ww2 Polish vehicles. To get small enough patches and lacking fine airbrush skills I used the following method.

Laminate an A4 sheet of white paper.
Cut the paper into 3 inch strips across the width
Using a scalpel cut some very varied very small shapes in the end of the strip approx. 2 inches from the end. making a template
Hold the template  strip very close to the vehicle and spray through the hole.
You can vary the size of the sprayed area by moving the template nearer or further from the tank
because its not tight against the vehicle you get some overspray blending on the edges of the shape.

I used this to do three colour camo on my Polish vehicles. it came out fine for 10mm and was relatively quick to do after a bit of practice on the first couple of vehicles.  You need to make the holes you cut small enough so that if you put the template right on the vehicle they are smaller than the area you want covered.

[Techno]

Looking very nice, Jack.

I'm surprised that the tiny bits of 'blu tak' wouldn't come off by using more b/t.
Years ago I had a 'paint on' masking fluid (Revell ??), which worked well.....But would be a b*gger to get off something small...You had to 'catch' an edge with a pair of fine tweezers and then pull.

Cheers - Phil

[fsn]

TP and FSN - You guys are sure pretty worked up about my alt-UK getting alt-nuked by alt-USSR in alt-1960s

Not really. I was just thinking of a practical way of getting Soviet tanks into the USA.

Orcs got the idea. Is the KM the Ekranoplan thing from James Bond book Devil May Care? Like a plane with short wings that doesn't fly but goes bloomin' fast?

That would be a nice addition to an OOB.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

The blue taj tanks I thought were a branch out into fantasy!!

All looking good Jack

[Womble67]

 coming on nicely

Take care

Andy

[toxicpixie]

I love the Caspian Sea Monster and all the Ekranoplans, WiGs rock

It's not so much worked up as finding something that doesn't seem totally jarring. Mindf, I remember the "Red Dawn" RPG's of the eighties, which were... interesting.

Edit:

Was just reading thru your attempts at masking. Ouch. That's a lot of faff. I did some 15mm sci-fi tanks and 28mm walkers with a sort of jagged scheme, tried blue tac, masking tape, chipping medium. None of it was much cop, and blue tac was a sod as I got bits stuck as well. Took bloody ages to get all the bits out! Will a dark wash in green bring the Soviets more to a "temperate colour"? Or perhaps they're up from Mexico and operating in the scrub?!

[fred.]

Lots of tanks Jack!

I tend to have hand painted camo on tanks - but I don't think I've ever done this many in one go!

[bigjackmac]

All,

Well, fresh off my Blue-Tack experiment, I've decided to go monochrome for the vehicles in my Wolverines project, Soviets going medium green and Americans olive drab.  I was able to pop out to the garage after work and get them spray coated, here are some pics.


The whole mess, Soviets at top left, Yanks at bottom right, each side consisting of a tank company, a mechanized company, a recon platoon, a mortar platoon, a tank destroyer platoon, an AA gun, and a Battalion commander.  To see more pics, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2018/01/10mm-cold-war-vehicles-take-2.html

Guys - Thanks everyone for all the comments, recommendations, and general empathy regarding my Blue Tack experience.  I think I will try it again sometime in the future, with larger scale vehicles, and much fewer vehicles than I working with here. 

Regarding 'worked up,' just joking guys, and as far as thinking of a plausible way of getting Soviet tanks into the US, I don't think there is a way, but I don't really care, I'm gaming it anyway!  

The WiGs are cool, but I couldn't see using them on the tabletop, those things are extremely vulnerable (just like US Navy LCACs), they have no place being anywhere near some shooting.

V/R,
Jack

[toxicpixie]

I don't they expected the Ekranoplan's to be "assault vehicles" (even in the way the hovercraft or conventional landing craft are); they're for rapid transport or naval fast strike - a really fast cruise missile attack craft...

[petercooman]

Regarding 'worked up,' just joking guys, and as far as thinking of a plausible way of getting Soviet tanks into the US, I don't think there is a way, but I don't really care, I'm gaming it anyway!  

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/02/flying-tank-antonov-kt-40/

You know you want to!!

[toxicpixie]

As a member of the flying tank corps you get a triple vodka ration

[bigjackmac]

Flying Tank Corps, that's fantastic!  Why didn't I think of that...

No blog update this evening, but I'm making progress on the infantry.  US troops are painted, Soviets almost, then have to wash and flock both.

V/R,
Jack

[bigjackmac]

All,

Well, it's been quiet here on the blog the past couple days, but I've been slaving away on my Wolverines project.  Lots of painting, washing, and flocking over the past three days has seen my complete all the infantry bases (as well as the Soviet heavy mortar platoon and AA gun, which are not self-propelled).  I'm also making steady progress on the vehicles, though I noticed I may not have enough of my dark tone wash to do all the vehicles once the painting is completed, so I put in a quick order to The Warstore (went in for a box of the new Battlefront Team Yankee LAV-25s!).  Anyway, here's where we're at.


The whole mess: assorted hobby implements at top left and top center, a box of my boys' 54mm plastic army-men at top right, then the project.  All the vehicles are at left (olive drab is US, medium green is Soviet), Soviet infantry at right, and US infantry at bottom right.

To see more pics, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2018/01/infantry-complete-vehicles-on-way.html

V/R,
Jack

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Looking good Jack

[Techno]

Wot Will sed !!

Cheers - Phil

[Womble67]

Very nice indeed

Take care

Andy

[bigjackmac]

Thanks guys!  I'm getting close, nearing the finish line, and can't wait to get the invasion started!

V/R,
Jack

[bigjackmac]

All,

I've been pushing as hard as I can on this, and my Cold War "Wolverines" project is complete.  Well, almost.  The 10mm Pendraken lead portion of this project, which comprises about 97.5% of the total, is now complete, with but a couple more items begging for attention.  Yesterday I showed you I had completed the infantry, and I worked quite a bit last night and today to get the vehicles knocked out.  I am happy to report, they are ready for the table!  Here are a few pics; these are just teaser pics, documenting my project status.  Soon I will post a bunch more pics, nice close-ups, like I normally do, just need to carve out a little time, and a little sun wouldn't hurt, too.  I should be able to totally complete this project in time to start the war next weekend, so stay tuned!


A closer look at the vehicles, US at left, Soviets at right.  Each side has a tank company, a mechanized infantry company, a recon platoon, a mortar platoon, a tank destroyer platoon, an AA gun, and a battalion commander.  To see more pics, please check the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2018/01/pendraken-cold-war-order-is-complete.html

That's all for now.  I'll get close ups of all the gear posted ASAP, and I have a few modern skirmish fights to post over on my Cuba Libre blog.

V/R,
Jack