Finding some motivation and a paint revolution……

 My biggest issue with my hobby isn’t actually doing it, rather than finding the motivation to keep doing creative/artistic side when I don’t have the chance to do anything with the things I create. I’ve realised (thanks pandemic) that I really need the gaming side to drive my focus and give all the time I waste a purpose. Whilst I do play games solo they lack the needed social interaction and are never as fun or unpredictable as against an opponent .

I’ve recently started trying to get to the point of being able to attend either my original club I used to attend and/or the local one I’d just discovered. The problem is I need to have something finished and ready (including terrain/both forces) as the games I want to play are often in very different scales to most peoples collections. My Star Wars 15mm should be perfect for this but I ran into the classic issue of painting all that white. The first Stormtrooper I did was okay but it was using a range of whites including GW’s latest non contrast (I have the contrast but haven’t got on very well with them past doing fur so ignore them on principal) and it became obvious 40 odd repetitions of this process would be draining. Luckily I then ran into a solution.

I’ve only been to a few hobby events post C19 but nearly every time I’ve been anywhere I’d come away with 3 or 4 new paints - specifically from Monument Hobbies Pro Acryl range. Amongst the first ones that I bought was their white, light blue and orange (initially with the intention of repainting my dwarf Bloodbowl team that had sadly been damaged and helping with the Stormtrooper issue). The paint pots are excellent, although a little messy, and the addition of mixing balls is nice. The paint itself seems to be very smooth and easy to use and after a few experiments I realised I’d be replacing the aging GW paints in my arsenal with Pro Acryl as they’d work well with the Vallejos I intend to keep.

Monument Hobbies then came out with a range of additives for painting (nothing new here as I know about adding things to paint) but I was quite intrigued, after watching some of the less irritating YouTube channels, by a couple of their products: Glaze and Wash medium & Newsh. 

Glaze and wash medium seemed to offer an impossible solution to painters needs. I’ll be honest I don’t like contrast paints. I haven’t seen much contrast paint work that didn’t look like just that - which is fine if you just want to get the pieces painted but doesn’t push my aesthetic buttons personally. Glaze and wash (G&W from here) allows the same bottle to transform your normal paint range into both a contrast like glaze effect and a wash. Just choose your acrylic paint colour (* paint choice will matter - see below) and add a few drops of G&W to make a very smooth contrast like experience that leaves a better finish. You can repeat the same process but add some water to make a wash from any colour you own. 

Now I’ve only really tried G&W with Pro Acryl paints and I suspect that the quality of paint will probably really matter here. Monument hobbies paints are in my experience amazing: the pigmentation is dense and well dispersed (making any painter using them better straight away) you may have problems with other paints (especially if they decided to commit hari kari GW style) but it’s worth experimenting as I added a few drops of G&W to some Vallejo gold that was a little thick and it made it buttery. Most vallejos won’t need it but I may add it to nearly any other paint I use from now on. Maybe it can even rescue old GW paints……………..

Newsh is a weathering medium that I haven’t yet used but do own. The theory is you mix it with a chosen colour (like G&W) and apply it very heavily - think the ‘one thick coat’ GW originally claimed for contrast. Leave it for a little while and then remove from raised surfaces with make up sponges or Swedish paper towels. Ta-da instant panel lining and weathering. This sounds great as I had a spray that did this and was very useful for 15mm vehicles and I’d been struggling to find a solution. I’ll report back on this when I have experience but if G&W is anything to go on I bet it’ll be useful and I can use it to make oil or moss effects……..

There’s a couple of videos by Monument Hobbies on YouTube here covering everything you’ll need to know, the Glaze and wash video (seems a little long but) is worth watching closely for the effects it can generate. 

I went back to club (for the first time since C19) and was shocked. Battletech is a thing again. I had a weird flashback of being little and piloting stumpy cardboard standees of doom. Then I remembered the plastic box set I had and wondered briefly about what had happened to them (I know generally just not where they went). It was pretty cool to see that Catalyst Labs had really bought it back. I started to develop the urge to paint some mechs. 

I badgered one of the regulars for an unpainted mech and he obligingly delved into his collection. Collection doesn’t do it justice though; he had oodles of mechs, many bought into existence well after I last piloted a hunchback and totally unknown to me. They were also all painted. Every single one, each resplendent in their own unique paint schemes without a single repetition (hobby envy).

He eventually found one unpainted mech and very kindly allowed me to spirit it away and paint it in his chosen scheme (which just happened to be white - something that had annoyed and alluded me before). Luckily I find painting for others easier (as I have to get it done) and this particular scheme would allow me to try out my new G&W and (paint a mech without spending loads on tiny robots) help me get over my issues with white paint. The mech is a Mackie which is one of if not the original mechs and I’d imagine quite rubbish. The owner wanted it painted up in an Apollo 11 moon landing style to a tabletop standard.

I cleaned the model (hard going - plastic, one piece so fiddly and easy to miss: maybe embrace the few mould lines that’ll inevitably sneak through as they are nice game pieces not models), did some base detailing and sprayed it first black (colour forge - amazing, try them) then gave it a zenithal with light grey (colour forge). 

I used Pro Acryl (PA) Black wash and washed the whole thing to add definition making it all a dirty grey with nice dark recesses. For the white I put two or three drops of Titanium white (PA) into a palette dish and added for or five drops of G&W. Mixed it with an old brush (need to buy more of these…) and attacked the model. The mixture should pull cleanly when tested on the old hand palette leaving a consistent stroke of semi translucent paint. Quick coat over an area and let it dry. Redo any shading or shadow you want to define (with white you need to do the shadows first). Apply a second coat of the white. That may be enough. Over a dark grey. I’m not saying the pictured mech is perfect either. It was a rushed job that went well. I wasn’t well and continually twitched/shook and had to repair and repaint (especially doing the black bits) previous parts, I painted too many coats of white in places and yet it’s still not chalky (and of course I missed mould lines). G&W seems to be a very useful thing indeed.

I should have taken during photos but I’d spent the week it was in my possession feeling awful and dealing with other things. Club was suddenly tomorrow so I quickly base coated the model and then painted it during the next afternoon, returning it to the owner at club that evening. I’d intended to add some orange stripes and decals to increase the Apollo feel but I think he was pleased with the result.

 It’s made me want to paint more mechs (and maybe even changed how I’m going to approach painting). I also met some excellent, and previously unknown to me, members that happen to play games I’m actually interested in (Tomorrows War/VBCW) and I’ve suddenly been enthused - let’s hope it lasts.

Whilst nice weather is here I intend to tackle some of my painting backlog and a few postal arrivals have helped bump my Bloodbowl dwarves up that list. I received my reusable skill tabs from Mark Latham’s Kickstarter - they’re excellent I’ll put some pics up soon. I also received this exciting package yesterday…

It settles flat after a few minutes. I’d like to add some stencilling if I can decide what.

Hearthforge’s idea is you dig through the beautifully done grid of static grass to create wear and then add a product they produce (a rubbery mix) to represent soil. Fun.

Behold my Pro Turf Bloodbowl pitch by Tim at Hearthforge miniatures. It’s on 9 or 10mm thick rubber that (takes a while to settle down) rolls up and can be customised with aggressive poking. I have plans to add wear and some stencils. It’s a lovely thing and whilst I’m not a big fan of the exact grass colours (why reds - I blame GW) I really love it and I’m going to add more varied plant life to it in the near future (and maybe some stones).

Thank you for taking the time to read this (I know people don’t like to read without being given a timescale). For the few people that do and are kind enough to comment please don’t be offended but for some reason I can’t respond to comments here currently (I don’t know whether this is the iPad or program related).

Stay safe,

Balm

Vehicles for Star Wars: U-Wing in 1:100

One key component of nearly every scene, in any of the abundant shows from the Star Wars televisual quiver, is the vehicles. They are not only vital set dressing that firmly states “This is Sci-fi” but they’re often vital to the character’s wellbeing and way of life. From farming equipment through service droids to personal transports the tech is what allows the squishy humans or not so squishy aliens to exist.

In order to make Star Wars in 15mm on my tabletop I needed to be able to put down some key vehicles, not only as scenery but sometimes objectives or even actively taking part in the fights. One particular vehicle I needed was a Rebel transport to rival the Imperial Shuttle: something to transport a squad or key characters into or out of the fight. Rogue One provided the perfect ship for this in the U-wing, the scene on Scarif(?) was excellent with the U-wings swooping in like Hueys, dropping off rebel commandos and providing close air support.

Luckily Revell make a 1:100 plastic kit of the U-wing and I managed to pick one up cheap (using up gift vouchers in the process). It’s not quite perfect: it has a lights and sound function but the gubbins for this take up the transport cabin leaving no space for gunners (unfortunately the cockpit sits on top of this block). I yanked the block out, cut off the un-needed section and discarded it. This left me with the front section (to support the crew cabin) and some work to do to make it presentable. The plan is to build a wall that will slot in behind the cabin (with appropriate door) and then fix a new floor into place. On this I’ll mount some door gunners or gun positions. The pilots seats are a little small but I may replace these or just black out the cockpit canopies….

The button for the light and sound is on the exterior engine but I had a sudden idea how to tackle/disguise it. One thing I love about the ships in SW is the astromechs and their diligent work under fire to keep the crafts moving. Now U-wings don’t seem to have astromechs like some of the smaller ships but I was sitting holding a GZG spider mech body when I realised it would fit perfectly back there with the addition of a small hole. This ship will be my personal craft for smaller adventures so I like the idea of having a droid along to help and will have a painted (and legged) version to bring along as well.

The earlier variants of the U-wing don’t have the boom wings (or have cut down or skeletal versions) so I may adapt them as they look a bit cooler (and will reduce the overall length). The kit in the picture below is not “clicked” together (as I’m not sure it’ll come apart again) but when it is the boom wings will be movable for different flight modes.

This is a great kit that snaps together easily and whilst intended as a toy/display, is of good quality and with a little extra work (paint job and weathering) should produce an excellent scale representation of the U-wing (that’ll see plenty of action in my games). Currently I’m tidying up my workspace (on our dining table) for the festive period and in doing so I’m going through all the vehicles I have and packing them together. As soon as I’ve finished sorting and organising I’ll get back to painting and fettling, and whilst I do, I intend to take photos of what I have so I can see where I’m at and can plan what needs to be done. Plenty more to come…..

Thank you for taking the time, stay safe,

Balm 

15mm Wild West: Starting to build a setting for my games.

 One of the best (in my opinion) potential settings for tabletop gaming is the Old or Wild West. Whilst this is a narrow period in time (1865 to 1890) the setting in itself is very open for gaming interpretation and can easily accommodate additional steampunk, horror or (pulp) sci-fi elements to suit the gamers taste. It also has a very tabletop suitable tech level - guns with iron sights that are generally slow firing with a effective range representable on the tabletop at smaller scales (or bigger tables), the main form of transport being horses and wagons for dramatic travel but at generally 20mph or less speeds. It is also known for combat between smaller groups of Heroes, Lawmen, Cowboys, Criminal Gangs and so on: which is exactly the type of story tabletop gaming specialises in portraying (and I might finish painting). 

If I had to get rid of all of my hobby projects and swap them for one setting that would fulfil all my gaming needs: solo, against an opponent or group games it would be the Wild West. Since coming back to gaming I have often considered doing just that, buying a small fortunes worth of the beautiful 28mm 4ground Wild West buildings and populate them with the many options for excellent metal 28mm figures like Foundry (and now with the fantastic plastic Wild West sets from Great Escape Games) and spending the rest of my days building my own fictitious little part of the west. 

Great Escape Games are currently running a Kickstarter that if you’re into 28mm (and it all looks good even though it’s the wrong scale for me) will provide you everything you’ll need to start your wild/old west adventures including their own ruleset Dead Man’s Hand, some very nice plastic miniatures, scatter scenery and impressive plastic buildings (how I wish they were 15mm). It’s about to end (24hrs) but it can be found here.

Dead Man’s Hand 2 player starter set.

I am however a die hard 15mm supporter and there are a couple of producers of suitable ranges of figures. Whilst Blue Moon from Old Glory UK do a very comprehensive range they are the larger end of 15mm and wouldn’t mix well with the Peter Pig chaps I already had (converted and painted to use in the board game Gunslinger). I only have a few finished gunslingers and lawmen but have found some more unused packets on the lead mountain. For now I decided to use what I could from the Peter Pig range and convert/sculpt anything else I needed. 

My brave lawmen (both equipped with mkII invisible combat bagpipes) (Miniatures by Peter Pig)

Key to my decision about the west was my actual setting. Nearly every table I see, no matter how beautiful, is a shade of desert and spaghetti western (probably due to cinema and nostalgia) but I fancied doing something more green and forested (I try to limit myself when starting any new projects to using one of the two mats I already have: green or arid.). I will make up a developing town/s for my setting in the near future but initially I will need some basic buildings and tents with a few fancier bigger buildings.

Building wise there weren’t quite so many options. Some of the old 4ground buildings will work (cabins) and I presume these will be available through them (on whatever website they use under whatever name they’ve now decided on). I have a number of old 4ground buildings but probably won’t buy much else from them in the future.

 Sarissa Precision has recently released a range of classic boardwalk shops, a stables and some larger buildings (no bar or saloon yet sadly) found here. I haven’t seen them in person but they seem simple, solid little buildings but not particularly pretty so may need some additional fettling to make them suitable. They are definitely on my list.

Sarissa Precision Old West Town

One range I’d seen at shows previously and gazed at online was by the comparatively small U.K. company Blotz. It’s a new, developing range with only three classic boardwalk buildings so far: one generic and two others that come with the options to make them into either Bank/Baker or Surgeon/Barber respectively (although they could be whatever you wish). There also a Wind Pump which is pretty good, a little blocky (mdf after all) but better done than anyone else’s I’ve seen. What to say about these Blotz buildings……

Blotz Wild West building.

They are amazing. I know it’s just a box…… but look at that box! Look at the simple additional details added by the basswood style (thin wood) sheet that makes them look much more realistic and covers the majority of the lug holes from construction. 4ground (or whoever), Sarissa and literally anyone else that make mdf war gaming products need to stop and learn from this talented chap. Or not, maybe look away and let him profit; yes, I’d prefer that.

If you can’t tell, I love these little buildings. At £7 a go they are affordable but don’t ever feel cheap. Hopefully there’s more to come from Blotz for the range as when I spoke to the designer they said that they intend to produce everything they do in 28mm in 15mm eventually. I for one can’t wait and will snaffle up any new offerings plus as many more of the three I already have. I plan to try working up some simple interiors which will hopefully still allow a couple of miniatures to be placed inside. I’m also wondering if a few Sci-fi additions from GZGs massive range would make them suitable for a Firefly style Sci-fi game.

I’m going to get the other two built and start planning my setting a little better. I’m not sure what rule system I’ll use but have Legends of the Old West and Gunslinger to start with and I have to investigate Fistful of Lead. My other current projects (Star Wars, VBCW and WW2) need some organising but are all progressing and I’ve got quite a future paint queue for the winter months, I just need to get some spray paint base coating done. Maybe I need to buy some Blue Moon Cowboys to see if I like them……..

Stay safe,

Balm.

What have(n’t) I done? (Part I)

 Unlike the last few years this current one has been pretty stressful (who’d have thought it) and I haven’t achieved as much with my hobby as I’d intended and still haven’t played any games in real life.

I participated in a training game for the Fighting Wings system which I enjoyed but came with some issues:

# The other players weren’t always very punctual, dropping in and out which made the flow difficult. This was a play by email game with players from around the world. It wasn’t always their fault necessarily but my own worries about slowing the game made me prioritise my move (above most things) making sure I responded quickly. I would spend the next evening (from it being announced as my turn) getting my move ready and sending it in (you had 24hrs from prompt). It came down from 2-3hrs of prep per turn in the first few turns to 30-45mins by turn 20.

# I spotted an issue with the rules and when I asked about this to the learning game teacher he stated “because” and thought I should accept it - this probably would have been better if I’d been in a learning game with the designer not just an experienced player. The problem involves tailing and a series of tests to see if you qualify - a simple then an advanced one. If you failed one you could see if the latter could be used but as they both had the same set of conditions: if you couldn’t meet the first you could never meet the second. Something I will have to address with the author (He is the system and I’m sure he’ll have a practical and straightforward solution) if I am to play online again.

 It isn’t really an issue with the rules that has potentially stymied my pursuit of the game but rather my own feelings about the level of commitment needed (spread over weeks at a time) if others will simply drop out. If I had a local face to face opponent I think I’d be fine. It’s definitely me but the worse I get, the less energy I have to cope with simple things. Unhelpfully the online system uses io.groups or something similarly archaic and it is nowhere near straightforward or user friendly, so simple things like trying to join a game group left me feeling bemused and frustrated - whilst everyone who already knows how to use it can’t see any issues.

I felt that I grasped the basics of flying and found the system to be relatively straightforward and enjoyable. I ended the game by purposefully straightening out and flying straight across my wingman’s nose. Until this point I’d been evading merrily and trying to stay on the wing of my leader but was being tailed tenaciously by a player (who it turned out wasn’t a beginner at all) throughout and had managed to keep the attention away from my wingman to my satisfaction. I suddenly realised the 20 turns were nearly up and I hadn’t learned about firing so I made myself a target hoping that the attackers greed at an easy tailing kill would leave my wingman with the advantage and set up to respond in kind. Well I died in a hail of bullets (very serious and deadly - which I liked) but the shooting phase was somewhat rushed past (emails of numbers and dice rolls but no step by step explanation - that said none of the other people seemed to think my stated move and thus sudden total change of behaviour was anything out of the ordinary: for some reason I’d suddenly thought that slowing down and flying straight would lose my attacker?) and I didn’t really learn anything. My flight leader positioned badly and missed the easy kill I’d sacrificed myself for………

I have since seen training game transcripts of game run by the designer and they seem incredibly thorough and more what I had expected. Fighting Wings is a thorough (some would say complicated) but understandable system (and weirdly), as it’s just cardboard counters, you really feel like you’re flying a plane (at least more so than any non computer game I’ve ever played). I would advise anyone interested in gaming aerial combat to give the FW system a try as long as they’re not put off by having to commit to learning and practicing the system to play (something not everyone enjoys) it’s not just picked up (although with the right teacher…?). It’s not cheap but if you have a dedicated opponent (or cope better online than I do) I’d say buy it (Wings over the Motherland or Buffalo Wings) as there’s enough provided to game happily for the rest of your days (It would/will work solo but the onus will be on you to learn the rules alone which is a reasonable task and you lose the unknown factor). 

I did enjoy my introduction to the Fighting Wings system and would really like to have another learning game or two but I’m not sure I’m well enough to actually achieve it. There is a WW1 version that I’m more interested in so maybe when I can afford it (it’s not much $30?) I’ll have a look at that as I have lots of Wings of Glory planes and old school kites are a bit slower and (hopefully) easier to game. I chose Fighting Wings (and now own all of it) so I could play online, with others, even when I wasn’t well enough to get up or do anything as taxing as play face to face. I haven’t given up on it but I’m not currently in a position to commit to more online games so I’ll keep looking for other possible solutions. There is another local club which I intend to investigate if I can work out which alternate Sunday they meet!

Stay safe,

Balm

15mm AT-ST for Star Wars Chain of Command

    

 One of the first things that comes to my mind when you say Star Wars is the AT-ST or chicken walker. It’s not practical or particularly well armed but it’s quintessentially Empire and as such would be vital for any SW themed tabletop game I’d want to play. The biggest draw to playing Legion was the AT-ST and how much it reminded me of my childhood toy, but the cost (and scale) helped push me into investigating any possibility in a near enough scale for 15mm. 

     Most manufacturers use 1:100 for their accompanying 15mm vehicle scales but as I didn’t intend to have too many recognisable/real world vehicles on the tabletop (who says how big this speeder is in real life) I could accept some variance around this, probably from 1:90 to 1:110 depending on the subject. Luckily all of the work had already been done for me by the previously mentioned, and frankly excellent, Rebel Scale website which has lists for all the Star Wars toys or models that are or have been available. On it I was overjoyed to find that the Micro Galaxy Squadron toys by Jazwares produced an AT-ST in 1:100 exactly. Being, accordingly, a collectors item they can go for ridiculous prices (that I don’t understand but words like chase are bandied with much reverence in the hallowed circles of fandom) but I managed to pick up two for £13 each which was reasonable.

     The plastic is hard(ish) but not brittle and comes with a weird dirty wash on them (rebelscale recommends removing this with isopropyl alcohol which worked well enough for my purposes). The details are sometimes a little soft but perfectly acceptable apart from (in my opinion) the front blasters. These are the main chin mounted weapons and had plastic filler between the two barrels (to add strength). I cut off the guns and replaced them with a plastic set (from a WW2 Flames of War American early AA Halftrack), whilst not exact and missing the barrel detail of the originals I like the look of these replacements and feel when painted they’ll fit well enough for me (field modifications if anyone quibbles).

The toy actually stands up on its own but I decided to make them a base for added stability. Luckily with a little aggressive scraping with a scalpel I managed to enlarge the gaps on the underside of the feet to perfectly fit two 5mm neodymium magnets that were partnered by a pair mounted into a 50mm Renedra round base. Hey presto a stable model that can be posed and repositioned on its base or removed entirely if needed.

I’m really happy with how it looks next to a Highlander Studios Stormtrooper and need to start the second and work out a plan for paint scheme (in classic Empire grey). I’m tempted to add some stowage and bits but I’m not sure it fits the SW look.

Thank you for taking the time to check this out I have a lot of plans for my Chain of Command Star Wars chaps and just received another two Jazwares vehicles today for scenery; which I’ll spend a few weeks getting them out of their carbonite packaging (how kids are supposed to get anything out of this packaging without breaking them is baffling - it’s almost vac-formed around it!) and get them into the production line.

Balm 

A 15mm Sullustan for Star Wars

 A quick picture of my latest 15mm GZG RANG trooper converted into a Sullustan. It’s a little rough and like any picture of something that’s only15mm high I can now see all the flaws (If you’re an aspiring gamer don’t worry about the what tiny errors you can see in your photographs, this way madness lies).

It’s only been blocked in and washed (next up highlights) but I quite like the colour scheme and will probably use the same colours across the whole force (GW Knarloc Green, Iyanden Darksun and P3 Hammerfall Khaki). I always struggle with painting during the blocking phase as I get frustrated and disheartened when it doesn’t look as imagined, but they generally turn out ok eventually. 

To anyone just starting out on your hobby journey: Don’t judge yourself too harshly or by anyone else’s ability. Painting should be an enjoyable pastime that allows you to express yourself. For example GW’s John Blanche’s miniature painting style only exists because, as he admitted, he wasn’t very good at painting and this style was easy but acceptable to his eye. Weirdly the current (YouTube) generation laud this ‘style’ (Blanchitsu - shudder) as something to work towards completely missing the original message it was meant to convey “be happy with what you can do”. 

Back in the day I painted all my local GW’s display pieces and boards (my friend ran the shop and was overworked/treated terribly so I did what I could to help him out) and when he left (not happily but we all know what GW are like) I saw a group of employees fighting over who got to keep my work (I stopped them, took everything out of the cabinet and gave them away to more deserving people). I know I can paint but I still struggle nearly every time. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this, hopefully they’ll be more actual content soon,

Balm 

My 15mm Star Wars project

 So as briefly mentioned before I’m intending to use Star Wars miniatures to lure unsuspecting friends into playing Chain of Command (or literally anything at this point) and then if they bite try and convert them to historicals.

So I’m currently busy watching various bits of the films or series and trying to get an idea for the setting and rebel composition for my vision. My rebels are GZG RANG and I’ve started trying to add some variation by removing heads and re sculpting them.

My first efforts are a Twi’lek platoon commander, a Sullustan RPG operator and a Mon Calamari driver for the lovely GZG skimmer.

I’m quite pleased with the results, although the eyes are maybe too far forward ( a thorough scouring of MC pictures however does show variance so maybe it’s okay). I now just have to decide what colour: blue or red? Cold water or warm? I’m thinking red for this one and I’ll do a couple more infantry for variety. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I apologise for the lack of pictures, I intend to get a few more done and I’ll paint up some infantry to try and rough out my colour scheme.

Stay safe,

BeneathALeadMountain