Hearts of Oak (well MDF...)

[Last Hussar]

Pics or it didn't happen

Oh, OK. later, possibly in a day or so.  I'll finish off the current bunch and upload some to Flikr.

You do know I have beer that needs drinking?

[Last Hussar]

Hmmm, camera too close

Grenadiers by Last Hussar, on Flickr

[paulr]

Hats definitely pointer

[Last Hussar]

By way of light relief (ie I am procrastinating painting the boots of the other 3 regiments of grenadiers)

Pendraken mdf 20x40 base - 1.5 grams.  A unit worth of 6 bases therefore weigh 9 grams
Bag of 12 strips (1 unit at 2 to the base) 4 grams. The bag they come in is 2g!  A unit is therefore 13g.

5 units = 60 bases
Infantry 20g
Bases    90g!
---------------
Total    110g
a shade under 2g a base

RUB tray holds 80 bases - which means if mdf weighs the same per cubic mm a weight of 120g
The walls are approx. 23mm high, call it a base depth for the cut outs and to make maths easy, and a total of just over 1240mm (31 40mm bases) long (inc central divider) = Approx 40g
Tray total 160g
80 bases x 2g = 160g

80 bases = 160 strips. =13.3 packs = 53g approx

of the 320g in a full tray of infantry troops, less than 1/6 is the figures!

7 trays in a 9L RUB
Max weight 2.24kg - will probably be less because infantry in close order was weighed - based artillery comes out at approx. 2g a base, skirmish will be less.

Company lists box weight as 900g

I can carry two armies for about 3kg

Movement trays are 20g (6 bases) and 14g  (4) with marker tiles.
33g a unit.

[paulr]

Where's Ian when you need him

Work faster

[Last Hussar]

Since about 8pm Thursday I've painted 288 figures.

[paulr]

Fair enough

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Where's Ian when you need him

Work faster

Right 'ere, I suing you for breach of copyright !!!!! 

[sunjester]

The last photo looks like a typical manoeuvre for Austrians under your command!

The Germans have a Hungarian commander, the Hungarians have a German commander, they are ordered to advance forward, one veers right, the other veers left!

[Last Hussar]

No, they are moving from column into line, this is part way through the Hungarians coming up level.

[Last Hussar]

Back to weights, and rather than just become obsessed by the arithmetic (if somebody wants to check that - I did it in my head), a few thoughts

10 Pendraken (ECW command) come to 10g - and 10-12 is what people put on a 40x20

This means that when you pick up a base of Commission mdf they feel very fragile. I don't think they are, its just the association with lightness (fun fact - Kenwood mixers are designed 'heavy' to help with the impression of quality).

Although I use superglue on metal (actually what I do is pva on the base, glue the superglued figures into that, then immediately flock) my suspicion is with the mdf->pva->mdf the bond will be stronger; the glue soaks in (unlike any metal bond) and the lightness means less strain on the glue - 1/3g on a 40x1mm bead.  It also means that if they do fly around due to a pothole the actual weight hitting the other stand will be a lot less.  Also the mdf is soft, so more give, and I am not so much as painting as staining, as the mdf must be absorbing the undercoat, and paint/ink to paint adhesion must be better than paint to metal, so I think less likely to chip, though I'm guessing the flagpoles and lances may be lost!

[fred.]

I'm not quite sure where you are going with all the maths...

But a base of MDF figures is going to feel very light - with some of the plastic WM figures, I glued them on to steel bases, just to give them a similar heft to metal figures on plastic bases. Not entirely sure why I found this necessary, but it did make them feel right.

For transport, I think you are right the 'painting' will be robust, whether the sticky out bits of the figures will be, I don't know. But perhaps a bit of bubble wrap in the top of each tray will do enough to hold them in place.

[Last Hussar]

I hate painting- I took a break and got engrossed. (Why yes, I do have a diagnosis for high functioning autism, how did you know?)

I'm thinking of gluing felt on the underside of the box trays. Bubble wrap might be too deep, but I'll have a look at that suggestion.

[O Dinas Powys]

This means that when you pick up a base of Commission mdf they feel very fragile. I don't think they are, its just the association with lightness (fun fact - Kenwood mixers are designed 'heavy' to help with the impression of quality).

This is a known phenomenon - probably mentioned in an episode of No Such Thing as a Fish (a podcast from the QI Elves) - eg the weight of cutlery you eat with in a restaurant can strongly influence perception of its quality 

[fred.]

Having moved a number of rocks in the garden this afternoon, there is a point where it tips from weight indicating quality to just being bloomin heavy...

[toxicpixie]

The very expensive Beats headphones are just bog standard headphones with weights in. Never mind the quality, feel the weight!

[O Dinas Powys]

Having moved a number of rocks in the garden this afternoon, there is a point where it tips from weight indicating quality to just being bloomin heavy...

[Last Hussar]

FINALLY finished the basing.

Painting on pause for a few days, going to tidy up the house tomorrow.

Then a bit of an audit to decide what next.

[Last Hussar]

A serious side to my joke about 19th Century needing to pick a uniform - ESPECIALLY Austrians - is in the bit about buying too much.

Metal is far nicer, but that comes at a cost.  I would have had to stuck to an OrBat rigidly, then maybe added units on later. I would have had little chance for variation outside of that.  With these I can knock out a 6 base unit in an evening or two, and adding that extra Grenz or Landwehr to the box costs £2, but gives me flexibility.

If I win the lottery I'd happily replace in metal, because someone else would be doing the painting!  Until then, with my limited time, limited money and limited patience with a brush, I'm happy with these.

[Orcs]

They look great to me L.H.

Happy house tidying.