The Marvelous Miscellany of MMcV

[mmcv]

Note

I use a bit floppy make-up brush on figures I have just done the static grass on. It cleans off the figure but leaves grass on the bases alone.

Thanks for the tip, don't think my wife would appreciate me using hers but will have to see if she's any old ones. I usually give them a bit of an upside down shake and a light blow before doing the varnish spray which dislodges most debris. 


Probably doesn't help that I try and do the basing all at once, rather than waiting for various stages to dry. Usually comes out okay in the end though.

I realised I only had one foot regiment left to do for this phase of the ECW project so cracked on with it today. Still to do a few artillery and command bases, oh and far far too many horse. But once they're done I'll be good to go for my "medium" Naseby game.

Think I'm going to find a way to speed paint my parliamentary horse. I've seven units of them to do along with the last couple royalists. I see a lot of buff coats in my future... 

[mmcv]

I usually give them a bit of an upside down shake and a light blow before doing the varnish spray which dislodges most debris.

Note to self, check glue is fully dry before doing this...


Not sure if it's the cold or just a bit too much water in the mix but it's been taking well over 24 hours for my bases to dry lately.

[mmcv]

My packages all arrived:

[fred.]

Are you going WWI?

Are the top MDF items from Pendraken? They look like trench breast works?

[mmcv]

Are you going WWI?

Are the top MDF items from Pendraken? They look like trench breast works?

Well spotted old chap! Planning a "big battle" early war project with old contemptables and spike heads then a mid-late war skirmish and trench raiding game. Interest in the period has been peaked on and off over the past couple of years and been reading and listening to a lot recently on it so took the plunge.


Trench works are from here: http://www.supremelittleness.co.uk/sld-10mm/trenches10mm-25mm.htm

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Nice plan!

[fred.]

The WWI range is very good - the late war stuff is probably nicer / newer than the early stuff. 

Will be interested to see how the supreme littleness trench works come out. I decided to cut my own from foam, as I wanted a more gradual ramp up to them. To try and make them a bit more trench like rather than ramparts. 

[mmcv]

The WWI range is very good - the late war stuff is probably nicer / newer than the early stuff.

Will be interested to see how the supreme littleness trench works come out. I decided to cut my own from foam, as I wanted a more gradual ramp up to them. To try and make them a bit more trench like rather than ramparts.

Yeah, I think they'll work quite well for the skirmish level stuff but not sure how well they'll work for big battle, will need to build some up and see. Slightly frustrating they are using a 25mm base size when most games favour 30mm bases, but fairly sure I can get away with 25 without issue.

[mmcv]

Last Royalist foot regiment for the moment, the Lifeguard of Queen Henrietta Maria, led by Lt Col Rhys Thomas.

[paulr]

...
Will be interested to see how the supreme littleness trench works come out. I decided to cut my own from foam, as I wanted a more gradual ramp up to them. To try and make them a bit more trench like rather than ramparts.

Yeah, I think they'll work quite well for the skirmish level stuff but not sure how well they'll work for big battle, will need to build some up and see. Slightly frustrating they are using a 25mm base size when most games favour 30mm bases, but fairly sure I can get away with 25 without issue.

Hi Fred & MMCV

They work very well for big battles, we use them for ITLSU
IMG_2591

You can blame ITLSU and me for the 25mm base size
A few years ago I worked with the very helpful Michael, from Supreme Littleness Designs, to come up with the concept which he executed brilliantly.
He's added a few more components since then.

We decided to not add backs to the trenches to:

• reduce cost
• make it easy to move units in the trenches
• allow for a range of base depths & sizes
• make it clear which way the trenches were facing

Although if you are really keen you could use two sets of trenches to do the front and back.

All my infantry is on 25mm bases but my dismounted cavalry is on 30mm bases and because the trenches are open at the back they can still line the 'ramparts'

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Cool Lifegaurds!

[paulr]

Lifeguard of Queen Henrietta Maria    

[mmcv]

Hi Fred & MMCV

They work very well for big battles, we use them for ITLSU
IMG_2591

You can blame ITLSU and me for the 25mm base size
A few years ago I worked with the very helpful Michael, from Supreme Littleness Designs, to come up with the concept which he executed brilliantly.
He's added a few more components since then.

We decided to not add backs to the trenches to:

• reduce cost
• make it easy to move units in the trenches
• allow for a range of base depths & sizes
• make it clear which way the trenches were facing

Although if you are really keen you could use two sets of trenches to do the front and back.

All my infantry is on 25mm bases but my dismounted cavalry is on 30mm bases and because the trenches are open at the back they can still line the 'ramparts'

Ah that's fantastic. In truth I had initially planned to use 25mm regardless (and 20 or 25 rounds for skirmish) but my only concern was if that would give enough space for labels.


I've not really bothered with labels in the past, as I'm mostly playing solo so I know what's what but with the scale that Great War games are at its probably useful.

Can I ask what size of label you're using? 10mm? They look reasonably readible even on the 25mm bases.

Are you doing two men to an infantry base? I'm between two and three, three looks a little better but might be squished with a label on and given I'll likely need hundreds of bases that extra figure can add up. Though I'm hoping they'll paint up quickly enough.

Need to work out my basing material strategy as need something I can repeat pretty consistently and my flocking mix won't look quite right in these. Think I need a more textured earth look with a few bits of grass.

Cool Lifegaurds!

Lifeguard of Queen Henrietta Maria    

Thanks, she was an interesting character, nice to have made a good bit more progress on this project.

[paulr]

...
I've not really bothered with labels in the past, as I'm mostly playing solo so I know what's what but with the scale that Great War games are at its probably useful.

Can I ask what size of label you're using? 10mm? They look reasonably readible even on the 25mm bases.

Are you doing two men to an infantry base? I'm between two and three, three looks a little better but might be squished with a label on and given I'll likely need hundreds of bases that extra figure can add up. Though I'm hoping they'll paint up quickly enough.

Need to work out my basing material strategy as need something I can repeat pretty consistently and my flocking mix won't look quite right in these. Think I need a more textured earth look with a few bits of grass.
...

We found labels really useful, they help keep track of units and identify special weapons etc.

We use 5mm deep labels with three coloured boxes to indicate the Brigade, Battalion and Company (the company is the tactical unit in ITLSU) and Rifles, MG, HQ, Bde HQ... to identify the type of stand

For Pierre the Shy's early war project we used khaki backgrounds for the British labels and green for the German. These blended with the terrain but clearly showed who was who.

For my desert forces I used a desert background for the labels and used blue text for British, red for Turks, grey for Germans and green for Arabs. If I were to do them again I would use more saturated colours for the text, I printed them a little too desaturated making them not easy to read at times

We used 2 figures per stand which gives an extended line look and the third figure per base really would add up

We used flock for Pierre the Shy's early war project as the ground hadn't really been churned up much before Christmas



More pictures, unfortunately with photobucket overlays, in this long painting thread https://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,10195.msg124706.html#msg124706

[mmcv]

Those look great. I'm planning to try both ITLSU and Great War Spearhead and both have a company as the tactical unit so that should work well. The two men units look the part when all lined up right enough.

That's a good point on the ground being less churned but I think I'll want to use them for 1915 too, I'm thinking of working towards Neuve Chapelle. So want something a little more of a mud and grass mix.