Fred's 2012 Painting Diary

[Leon]

Doing a battle 1:1 sounds cool, how big a battle where you thinking? One thing I think is missing is something to indicate that fighting is happening. With gun powder armies this is probably easier as a bit of cotton wool to represent gun smoke.

It was going to be around 2-3000 per side, so it would take a bit of doing.  We'd map out the full movements of each unit through the entire day, and then move the bases accordingly, so it's wouldn't be a game, more a mini-reenactment!  We'd then get all the photo's edited up nicely, with some little cut scenes, like the guns firing and recoiling, officers giving commands, etc. to build a movie out of it.  Plus edited text of what's going on.

Really it was quite a large project and something which would have taken quite some preparation to do properly.

[fred.]

Sorted out some scenics today - a bit of a family project as both daughters helped with the painting

Swamps
Started on making 4 loose swamps to act as scatter terrain. They had clear plastic card as the base (I think these come from excess annual reports at work), built an edge with craft foam, some little islands and the odd tree. Then generally painting everything brown, with extra blotches of colours to give a swampy look.


Next stage was to add various extras like stones, rocks, silfor tuffs and lichen bits, and smears of wood filler as mud. The aim is to have all of these half submerged.



Next stage was to add Vallejo Water effects to the central area - this proved harder than expected as the stuff is very gloopy and doesn't flow into small areas - it took quite a lot of pushing to get it in around the various items - it may have been better to have added these into the Water Gel. No photos of this as the gel is initially white, so it makes it look like a snow scene!! I have also filled one with Klear to see how it works - while it filled better it has been soaked up by the greenery.

Trees
After using these in a game the other day decided the bases needed finishing off, so got daughters to paint the edges of coins and the sand brown. Then later a bit of dry brushing, then flocked. These should blend a lot better with the board now.

[fred.]

Swamps
Finished off 2 of the swamps, as the Water Effects had pretty much dried. Added flock round the edges, and clump foliage to the tree. The water effects looks pretty good now it has dried, there is a good shine to it, and quite a bit of texture, which gives a fairly good water look. I have one left to do, and will try putting the lichen into the water effects.


Here are some Roman skirmishers, who have brought their own duck boards with them! The white bits are areas that haven't fully dried - from test pieces they will probably dry within 24hrs. Not sure if the drying time is longer than given on the bottle because it is cold, or that I have put on quite a thick layer.

US Airborne
Inspired by Snafu - had a go at adding shoulder patches to my 82nd Airborne

Looks OK, wasn't too bad (for 4) not sure that I fancy doing the other 200

Anyone know how to do the US flag in this scale - from photos it looks quite pale. Also it doesn't look like it was warn by all the troops during OMG.

[Dickie255]

Very impressive diary - thanks for posting

They had clear plastic card as the base (I think these come from excess annual reports at work)

I think the best use of those endless voluminous reports I heard of! 

so got daughters to paint the edges of coins

Excellent! The modellers of tomorrow

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Anyone know how to do the US flag in this scale - from photos it looks quite pale. Also it doesn't look like it was warn by all the troops during OMG.

You could reduce one with word to required size print and glue, or make into waterslie transfer (dont know 'ow to do that).

Painting - White rectangle with one of top quaters (rear?) blue, and 1-2-3 red stripes - ont try for 6. (From memory got 4 on a 20mm one).

The ones I printed off for some 1/600th PT's were dark, and would be abot right size.

IanS

[fred.]

Hadn't thought about decals. I have made some in the past for British Armour, but I think US flags at this size will be pushing the resolution of the printer.

I was thinking a bit more abstract, maybe a pink rectangle with a dark blue corner

[goat major]

i think you're right - you'll need to do abstract. Maybe you could do blue square on white background and then use a fineline pen to do 2 or 3 red stripes ?

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Dom Skelton does his 1/600th scale aircraft markings on a printer, but think you could be right about definition.

IanS

[fred.]

Very impressive diary - thanks for posting
I think the best use of those endless voluminous reports I heard of! 
Excellent! The modellers of tomorrow

Thanks Dickie glad you like the posts. The Diary format seems to be working well from both a motivation point of view and a documentation of what I have been doing.

[fred.]

British Armour
Dug out various tanks and trucks and carriers for my army entry - an excuse to finish off a rather large collection of vehicles that never quite made it to the completed stage.


Most of the force in a drawer


Tonight's vehicles, a bunch of camouflaged Shermans and Carriers got some detailing and highlighting

US Paras
Did a couple of attempts at the US flag, a pink block with a blue corner, and a white block with blue corner, then tried to draw some red lines on. Drawing the lines didn't really work, even with a fine nibbed pen, it was too wide.


Close up view


A more arm's length view

Not sure either version really works

[Leon]

I've got a Sherman just like those sat under the monitor in front of me...! 

[fred.]

If 1 Sherman was good , then 20 should be better?

[OldenBUA]

US Paras
Did a couple of attempts at the US flag, a pink block with a blue corner, and a white block with blue corner, then tried to draw some red lines on. Drawing the lines didn't really work, even with a fine nibbed pen, it was too wide.

Not sure either version really works

I think the pink block with blue corner works in this scale. It gives the right impression. I think it works by your brain filling in the stripes that are supposed to be there, even if they aren't!

[goat major]

are the two figures at the back the pink block technique ? they look pretty good to me!

[fred.]

Thanks chaos.

Yes the 2 at the back are pink block.