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Post by Aaron on Jun 13, 2005 9:52:21 GMT 12
Well my start to this modeling project has been slow, I lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of Rockstar Games & my best mate Brad (who came over from OZ for the week and got me playing GTA: San Andreas again). Finally saw him off on Sunday and got back to painting yesterday!
Well lessons learned so far
1 – don’t file the figure base totally smooth, get rid of the flash then stop
2 – score the base to give more grip for the glue
3 – Battlefront miniatures are not that shit hot
My first reaction to the new mini’s was pretty good. They are certainly pretty small but have quite a good level of detail on the model. The features on the people are pretty basic & the guns have a tendency to bend but that’s just being picky. Overall Im surprisingly impressed with the models.
However once I started getting down to the nitty-gritty I found several molding problems. Including half faces on some models, a huge amount of overrun molding material on 1 tank & a huge number of air bubbles on the command tent. To rectify this I contacted battlefront directly & got a response the next day saying “we’ll send them out ASAP” that was on the 24 of May still no models!
As far as flash & clean-up was concerned it went quickly. Each model required a careful inspection which took a while but mostly a quick file on the helmet and shins & some work on the base was all that was required. I didn’t realize till later that whilst smoothing the base perfectly flat looked pretty it was remarkably stupid for 3 reasons 1 – it took ages, 2 - no one sees it and 3 - it gives the glue less purchase. It was when about the 6th figure required re gluing I realized this particular folly & started rasping the base to get it rough again. It was also about here when I decided scoring the base (as illustrated on the FoW website) was a very good idea too.
My final basing method was to use filler to build up the base, let that dry, then PVA + my favourite sand/rubble/debris mixture (ie the dirt from under my parents house), let that dry, a coat of watered down PVA over this, let that dry, scrub the model and lightly brush the base in soapy water, let THAT dry, finally they got a black spray undercoat which had to dry before a watered down black touch up (which of course had to dry!).
This turned out to be a very long winded way of basing but having drybrushed up my first two bases last night Im pretty sure its worth the effort! I had a quick go at painting my first base of men and they turned out ok. I was a bit heavy handed with the faces so they’ve slightly turned into pink lumps. The sergeant looks pretty sweet but naturally he’s facing back towards the rest of the team so you don’t see him!
I think I’ve got the painting approach figured out now and for shading and highlights I should be able to just do a 2nd coat of the base colour (thanks to the black undercoat). I must remind myself Im going for a complete force not superb little dioramas and when I look at that team from 2 feet away it looks sweet!
(Pictures will follow shortly, I lent my camera to my sister)
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Post by PitYak Studios on Jun 13, 2005 10:33:37 GMT 12
Ah yes, rockstar games. They've been wasting my time for a while now.
I remember one easter the wife had gone away shopping for the weekend, and I was due for a solid few days study. "I'll just buy GTA2 before I get started" I thinks...
For mounting these little figures, you might want to try the quick dodge I use on plastics. You basically need some fine material and coarse material - I use sand and cork chippings. This method lets you quickly and easily hide the figures' own bases without messing around with filler. I use 1mm plasticard for bases, but you could use pretty much anything (old floppy cases are useful)
Mix some black acrylic and pva, paint all over your base, including the figures' bases.
Throw some of your coarse material in the gaps between the bases. You want particles roughly the same size as the the figure bases' height.
Stick the whole base in a bowl with a bout 5mm depth of sand, and tip the bowl back and forth to cover the whole base. Pick it up and shake of the excess sand.
You can paint it now, but I find the black paint, cork and sand combine to create a pretty convincing earth tone. If you want grass or flock, you've got a good starting point for that too. I normally roughly dab a few spots of pva on the base and sprinkle a bit of static down. I don't like bowling green lawns for battlefields.
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Post by Aaron on Jun 13, 2005 11:28:55 GMT 12
Throw some of your coarse material in the gaps between the bases. You want particles roughly the same size as the the figure bases' height. Aaah, that was my prob wrong size! I tried something very similar (less the black paint) first up and it looked great until it dried. At which point it sank down & the bases were too visible, I realise at this point my basing material wasn't course enough. |
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Post by c0d3monk33 on Jun 13, 2005 13:52:01 GMT 12
I foolishly bought Call Of Duty for my PC last week as well. Still it's WWII so I figure I can get away with calling it 'research'. The Pegasus Bridge mission was particularly enjoyable. Scoring the base definitely gets two thumbs up from me as well. Those FOW bases are pretty dang shiny and smooth when you get them eh? I've noticed a handful of miscast faces in my first Rifle Platoon blister...I figure you probably won't notice them once all the bases are on the table and painted up. The quality of FOW figures isn't bad considering the scale imho. They're not Games Workshop by any means...but then GW have been doing this for like 20 years eh? I'd chase them regarding those replaced figures though. They can be a bit poor on the communication front as I've whined about on my blog in the past  |
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Post by Aaron on Jun 13, 2005 16:23:42 GMT 12
I'd chase them regarding those replaced figures though. They can be a bit poor on the communication front as I've whined about on my blog in the past Yeh I read your experience with their service & didn't take it that seriously but having been waiting this long for some replacement parts (fortunately nothing I need till next month) Im gonna give their Online service a miss even tho it means a special trip into Newmarket. I suppose my dissappointment with the Battlefront models isn't so much quality as quality control. The faces on the men I can forgive but that command post is pretty obviously not a good quality piece. Having said that I've probably got 150+/- little men and only 5 or so have a problem (all the same model which is interesting). |
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Ed
Ambitious Upstart
Posts: 70
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Post by Ed on Jun 13, 2005 20:19:46 GMT 12
IIRC, Battlefront are going through and redoing all of their moulds, that may solve the problem.
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Post by c0d3monk33 on Jun 14, 2005 8:33:23 GMT 12
I've certainly noticed the latest blister of 8th Army British I purchased seems to be an updated set of figures. The bases are different and some of the figures appear to be new sculpts. They certainly are cleaner than the original blister I bought about a year ago.
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Post by c0d3monk33 on Jun 16, 2005 14:05:17 GMT 12
That Infantry base you showed me last night is looking pretty good I reckon Aaron. Paint 'em all like that and you'll be set! The ground effect was nice too I thought. Looked like French dirt to me...
Funny how much easier it is to paint military uniforms than fantasy figures eh? Kinda reduces your colour choices somewhat eh?
Crikey...now we've been allowed back into the house (floor varnish has dried) I must crack on with my lot too...
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Post by Aaron on Jun 17, 2005 8:38:18 GMT 12
Thanks for the positive feedback. I was quietly pleased, especially considering that was the first one I'd done.
I got my camera back this morning so should be able to post a picture tonight.
Having a colour diagram to work from makes life much easier but it only shows the main colours (not the belt or entrenching tool etc). I turned the LIbrary upside down yesterday looking for some colour photo's of US military (shock went to the library rather than just surfing the web!) but couldn't find anything.
The particularly good thing about millitary uniforms is that there is no thinking about what colour goes where and when you finish and they all look the same its done right rather than thinking I should have mixed and matched a little to create variety in the unit (like is the tendancy with fantasy).
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Post by Aaron on Jun 18, 2005 10:46:15 GMT 12
YEAH! I Made good progress last night. got 4 more large and 2 small bases about 1/2 finished and 1 tank started (for variety). Ive worked out a better painting technique. I was trying to paint them with a detail brush now Im doing a wet dry brush techniqe so it paints the detail but leaves black in the recesses. It uses more paint (as about half gets wiped off each time) but its much quicker! I've just realised Ive got the last weekend of the competition all to myself (wife off on holiday to rotorua) so Im looking forward to a good solid day or so of painting! Not to mention a trip to get next months purchases |
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Post by c0d3monk33 on Jun 19, 2005 9:16:30 GMT 12
Damnit! A whole TWO days of painting? Crikey you should have your army finished by Sunday night . I so infrequently get 'full painting days' any more and am rather jealous. Toddlers in the house certainly cuts down on your painting time ... |
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Post by Aaron on Jun 19, 2005 21:48:21 GMT 12
Well saved my self a trip into Newmarket next weekend so I'll be able to spend the weekend slothing round the house! I was car shopping with my Dad out @ Ellerslie and convinced him to make a run into Historic Games (he looked a bit conufsed about the whole thing but didn't mind the trip) Also got a pic of my completed base up too: album.co.nz/a?800I have made only a little more progress as I started painting faces tonight and was having problems with my brush (bent tips) so base coated a couple of tanks but will have to buy some new brushes tomorrow before I can get stuck in again. |
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Post by Aaron on Jun 22, 2005 10:29:18 GMT 12
With the deadline looming large things are starting to get tense, my excuses are being prepared and tested…
I made good progress last night. I have totally completed 8 infantry teams, 3/4 painted the tanks and finished painting the bases on the remaining 12 large 6 small infantry teams. My painting schedule has become rather intense but now I know what Im doing things should speed up. I plan to complete the tanks and a further 4 large 2 small bases this week after work then do 4L & 2S bases on both Saturday and Sunday. Typically Im about 1/3 of the way thru with 4/5 of the time gone!
I had a big night last night and was painting till my eyes went fuzzy and repeated visits to the bathroom for a cold flannel wouldn’t clear them but it was worth the effort. With all the bases finished I feel that Im a huge step nearer to hitting my targets this month & if I can get thru this month then next month will be a piece of cake. Im seriously contemplating dropping my HQ sections from this month to next month as I really wanted to do a little converting on them & make them a bit special but we’ll see how things go. What I don’t want to do is end up with substandard work in the rush to get completed!
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Post by PitYak Studios on Jun 22, 2005 11:05:34 GMT 12
I was up late last night with fuzzy eyes too, but mine were down to boiling lead fumes. Your inserts are ready.
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Post by Aaron on Jun 24, 2005 9:27:42 GMT 12
Another good night!
3/4 completed another 4 large and 2 small teams, so Im still on schedule.
Ive come up with a specific order in which to paint them which worked really well last night. It's a pretty straightforward inside out approach.
Faces
Boots
Torso
Legs
Guns
Hands
Webbing
Helmets
But having this sorted out means that no time is lost thinking. Just clean up, grab the next colour and away I go.
At this point I must confess I had some help yesterday. My lovely wife has pitched in and painted the green on about half the bases and I gave her a team of troops to paint so its been a family effort (kind of). I should probably also mention this is only the 2nd time she has ever painted figures so Im not calling in expert help just a spare paintbrush. Altho she is doing very well for a total novice!
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