All,
So I've been working on some 10mm WWII US and German troops from Pendraken to play some tiny skirmish games. What I'm looking at is finally getting back to my "All Americans" campaign (after five years!); previously I played ten games following an 82nd Airborne Division rifle platoon in Sicily, and another two in Italy. You can find them here, on a new blog I created (or re-purposed, but whatever):
https://hakunamatatawars.blogspot.com/search/label/All%20American
Anyway, I'm looking to get back into that, so I took these troops, got them painted up, and wanted to share them. As usual, they're not beautiful, but they're mine, and they'll do what I need them to do. I actually spent a really long time on these guys; rather than my normal block painting, base, and wash, I didn't base them and didn't wash them. I was going for a particular look, so I did a blacklining job on them. Hope they look decent.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NJk2KZ57bmg/XT5WJeE9taI/AAAAAAAAqsI/2Y1OADDU4gcG48h5UC2HdUj_EQDg_cthwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6645.JPG)
An American rifleman armed with an M-1 Carbine.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_jYOBbpv6tQ/XT5Vxcqx5RI/AAAAAAAAqq0/VvEDbM-xWDktvWAo5LTyIibEm5gsXtQqwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6626.JPG)
And how about a bazooka?
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--F5fxHqKfTk/XT5V2uQxpeI/AAAAAAAAqrE/66yI3cb55AI6ItukJFkhxKRAl_ZtBt_rQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6630.JPG)
The US machine gun team.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1wCejnjcZnE/XT5WfBC-TZI/AAAAAAAAqtY/kIMSg0k49dsiFJu45Km8VSi16BNzd9TEQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6661.JPG)
A German Mauser-armed rifleman.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--8Hy5DeBV88/XT5Wpr3kA6I/AAAAAAAAquA/lKp35ar69vM4B3IEcr4X_yCT2C7YfTL-wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6669.JPG)
A German MG-42 team.
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-es7_GkNlZis/XT5WuZCYiVI/AAAAAAAAquY/FamW11KJ4Kw3_smxjICRgBrXg7jUSRX8gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6674.JPG)
And the German Panzerschreck team.
To see a bunch more pics, please check the blog at:
https://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2019/07/moderately-small-ground-combat-project.html
Well, that's them, let me know what you think. I'm pumped to play some games, gotta figure out what I'm going to do about terrain...
V/R,
Jack
These look pretty good, and the painting has to look great from further away, making the guys easily recognizeable.
Although, you could try a chap or two without leaving the black primer showing the edges. And just paint all the way. Then apply a brown wash, you could get some nice results with that. It basically shades your miniatures with little to no work.
I prefer using Army Painter Soft Tone wash.
Edit1: Also for terrain, I might suggest buying a bunch of trees from WISH. Dirt cheap, maybe 5£ for 20-50 trees.
Then paint a round pendraken bases in different sizes dark brown from the top, and just glue the trees on. Simple and effective scatter terrain. You can also drybrush the trees for some highlights, I do suggest a spray varnish before painting trees.
Also I'd cut the lower part of the tree hull away, making those more easy to glue.
They look really fine, Jack !!
Some very nice camo' work !
Like Atte, I reckon they'll look great on the table.
Cheers - Phil
Really good.
After 5 years of an "impresionist" period (Don't paint literally, paint for effect), I've now concluded that our minis are works of modern art.
(Hopefully more Roy Lichenstein than Jackson Pollock - though the latter might work out for the various Para cammos of WW2).
Your little chaps remind me of the darker art styles (heavy on the ink) of the Commando and Warlord comics.
I'm sure they look even better at a distance.
Look fab
All,
Thanks everyone, I appreciate the kind words, and it was nice to finally, once again, have a project that was all Pendraken!
Yes, my normal method of painting is to block then wash, using either Army strong or soft tone, depending on what I'm trying to accomplish, but as this is a skirmish project, to be be played on some very tiny boards (I'm thinking 12" x 12"), I wanted to do something I thought would bring out the highlights a bit better than normal, so I did the blacklining.
Being that we're on the Pendraken forum, you guys know the actual size of 10mm figures, and so while I'm pretty proud of my brushwork on these guys, seeing these closeups of my work is a bit jarring. I was mortified, before realizing the pics were larger than life. Well, maybe still a bit mortified at the shaky lines ;)
Thanks, Noktu, for the tip on the trees, but what is "WISH"?
V/R,
Jack
Jack,
https://www.wish.com/
Chinese shopping site.
This site is popular nowadays in Europe. 100% safe moneyback guarantee which works. I've also used aliexpress.com for some tree hoarding.
Got some good Chinese sourced trees from Amazon, for less than £2 per pack.
Be aware there are some scams starting to appear from some of the Chinese sites.
Always check feedback - which I why I will only buy from China via eBay at present.
I was collecting a parcel - funny enough of over 200 6mm trees for our Cold War Commander game later this year from a Chinese supplier I use regularly (you can never have enough 6mm trees - apparently) - when the guy in front of me was having the post-person behind the counter tell him about the latest scam.
He'd ordered 3 pairs of trainers from China, for £100 post free. Hmmm ... but they had apparently not arrived. The package had been signed for at his apartment block but all that could be found in the mail boxes was an envelope - with a picture of the trainers in it, that looked like it had been opened and stuck back closed again.
A clear case of the contents being appropriated at point of delivery ... Homes.
Well apparently not my dear Watson ... as the Royal Mail has gotten savvy to this one and is now weighing and recording all the packages/letters coming in from China, and guess what, that particular parcel (large plastic envelop - torn and resealed) weight just enough to account for the photo-copied pictures of the trainers it contained, upon its arrival in the UK.
Either the contents are being stripped out on-route or there was never any trainers in the plastic package in the 1st place.
As the parcel is delivered successfully by the Royal Mail and signed for ... there is no come back on RMG for the lost content.
The post-person behind the counter explained to our luckless trainer buyer that he'd been 'had' as this was becoming such a regular feature that RMG had notified its sorting offices of the issue. Mind you - buying 3 pairs of branded trainers from a Chinese website - on a freepost basis - with a 14 day return policy (from date of dispatch) is probably asking for trouble.
I rest my case yur'onour :'(
Wish.com is handled by a western organisation, and I've been refunded in full if the package was not delivered in time. And got to keep the items that popped up a week later.
I'm not sure how aliexpress handles refunds.
But Wish is keeping the money until the recipient receives said items, and only then pays the seller.
We could make a topic of sorts for trusted china sites.
Quote from: Big Insect on 31 July 2019, 04:42:05 PM
.
He'd ordered 3 pairs of trainers from China, for £100 post free. Hmmm ... but they had apparently not arrived. The package had been signed for at his apartment block but all that could be found in the mail boxes was an envelope - with a picture of the trainers in it, that looked like it had been opened and stuck back closed again.
A clear case of the contents being appropriated at point of delivery ... Homes.
Well apparently not my dear Watson ... as the Royal Mail has gotten savvy to this one and is now weighing and recording all the packages/letters coming in from China, and guess what, that particular parcel (large plastic envelop - torn and resealed) weight just enough to account for the photo-copied pictures of the trainers it contained, upon its arrival in the UK.
Either the contents are being stripped out on-route or there was never any trainers in the plastic package in the 1st place.
I suspect the latter - and quite possibly what is being bought is just a picture of the trainers. Not even the trainers themselves.
I've bought various hobby bits from Aliexpress without issue, but its normally under £20, often well under, so not a bit loss if there was a problem.
Oh yes - my regular Chinese tree supplier is as good as gold - I even now get a discount (by way of extra trees) and free samples of new lines of trees as well.
However, paying £100 for 3 adult size pairs of branded trainers - even if they were only "looky-likey" branded - was probably asking for trouble.
I did risk it a while back and bought 3 x 1/300th scale plastic Star Wars AT-AT kits for the equivalent of £3 each. When the package arrived I discovered there were actually 2 per pack.
So my Empire Strikes Back FWC army is well catered for with AT-ATs now ;D
Well, this conversation took quite a turn ;)
In any case, thanks for link, Noktu, I'll check them out.
V/R,
Jack
Just to keep the hijack going.... :D
One of the neighbours over the road....(About 600 yards, as the crow flies).....Recently ordered some stuff from China.
I'm assuming it's for his 'light sabre' business.
Most couriers won't go down the track to their house, as it's a particularly rough and bumpy !
Wednesday....The courier phoned them from the top of the track to say he was leaving three packages at the top of the track, for them to collect.....Which they did.
Last night, we got a panicked phone call from said neighbours, asking if we'd signed for a fourth package.
"Nope.....But we'll go and have a look to see if it's been left somewhere (safe....or not) "
No sign of the package anywhere........But the couriers were insisting that it had been delivered to the neighbours !
This package is worth a few thousand quid, apparently......So we hope it turns up.
We're assuming that if it doesn't, the courier will get his wrists severely slapped.....as there can't have been a signature given.
Cheers - Phil
He wont Phil