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Weekender XLBS: Scale Models In Wargaming, Worth The Extra Effort?
September 4, 2016 by dignity
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Happy Sunday!
Done. Both Bootcamps. Woot! See you there guys.
Phew! Got the boot camp I wanted. I’ll see you in November
Dropfleet bootcamp Ordered Now I’m going back to sleep 🙂
Same here. 🙂
Happy Sunday!
Would love to do the Dropfleet Cmdr bootcamp – unfortunately the days are all wrong. Enjoy folks!
Oh boys… you want something like 3d terrain which is then inkjet printed in 3d… you’re so 2010… 😉 Check this out – you’ll want one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgH2p7OxDgg
Did I just hear Warren claim we’re in control of our hobby? Did Lloyd just say we can pick up things in small hits? Get real guys… Unless you have infinitely more self control than most of us the only things applying any control on our hobby is some conbination of the following:
– The depth of our wallets
– The attentiveness (or not) of our significant other (or our ability to sneak things upstairs)
– Available storage space
– Medical incapacitation
During my long break (~25 years) between episodes of TT gaming the PC game that sticks out for me was MicroProse’s Darklands (1992). It was the first RPG game (with a fantastic map based on Holy Roman Empire Mid-Europe) which let you play off the rails.
Yes there was a plot and a main quest line – but the hours I spent ‘off the rails’ were endless.
If we compare that with let’s say a D&D adventure – yes you can go wandering off and the DM will have to adapt – but ultimately you need a narrative thread and purpose to pull you along. In my first game I rolled a half-elf and shared my secret backstory with the DM. “My Elf mother was seduced and abandoned by some Ginger human (hence my stunning looks) and my underlying aim is to find him and get an explanation or I kill him. In the meantime as a loner I’ll join up with whoever seems to be going my way (which is anywhere I’m not, nor have I been) until I find him.” The DM incorporated this wonderfully – my companions were oblivious to why I’d suddenly fly into a rage and chase after a cart through a market or start a brawl in a bar. I never did find him… but what the heck – the journey was the thing.
Ok, I also ordered my place for DFC. Back to sleep now.
November? December! Too early in the morning
Warren mentioned yesterday that there will be a file of more information (bow address, directions from airport…) Can’t see it…
Morning all 🙂
Its on the ticket booking page whefe it says ‘click here’
Heres the direct link anyway 🙂
http://www.beastsofwar.com/downloads/welcome-packs/BOW-VISITOR-WELCOME-PACK.pdf
Yes, I found it. Thanks. The cover says it’s from the 2015 DZC boot camp. Are the train and bus times still up to date?
Just a quick question. Do you pick games to feature as boot camps yourselves or do the game creators come to you asking you to host one for them?
And FYI, if you’re looking for a little more feminine appeal in your zombie films I recommend Return Of The Living Dead 3. When a young boy is so in love with his girl he keeps her from death by breaking into his father’s secret military facility, it’s a winner. Whenever I I have a lady over who wants something a little more romantic from my film collection I just pop it in………….. The movie I mean.
LOL
That file will be made available to anyone who has registered. Just wait for a bit.
Nice elpotof. See you there.
Happy Sunday guys, really excited for both bootcamps. The more I read about The Walking Dead the more I can’t wait for November.
See you at the Dropfleet Commander Bootcamp 😎
crap its gone already?
with the figure you could try to mat the figure and paint on water effects liquid but I don’t know how that would work or look like
Uhu glue, perfect for alien slime
Looking at the original source picture I’d have started with an underlying white/silver metallic colour and then used inks/washes to get the blue effect (perhaps even airbrushed on – see Anarchy Brian’s tutorial from a year or so back) – or tinted something oozy (like a watered down pva glue with some pigment) and applied it.
‘Return of the Living Dead 2’ is the movie you’re thinking of.
Those Hobby-Boss tanks are extremely interesting at the price. I was wanting to have a couple of ‘wrecked’ tanks for my Bolt Action game and was reluctant to spend £20-25 on a model that I would then destroy. But at £8-12, it suddenly becomes doable and affordable.
An option worth exploring – so thanks for the heads up guys!
@warzan – The zombie movie with the barrels of zombies/chemicals was Return of the Living Dead. One of 2 sequels to Night of the Living Dead that was produced by 1 of the other creators while George Romero went on to produce the much more serious Dawn of the Dead. It was actually Return that introduced the concept of zombies eating brains came from.
Yet again Justin is wrong in that the Return movies with all the barrels actually had zombies, they were only ghouls in Romeros original Night of the Living Dead 🙂
Return of the Living Dead 2 begins with the barrel falling from the military truck and being found by a boy.
It’s been a while since I watched it, was the original Return the one with the 2 plonkers in a morgue kicking a barrel and putting a crack in it?
Pretty much. They”re not in a morgue but they take the body there to burn it after they’ve chopped it up.
Hate to be the one to have to tell you @warzan, but it is Scott Bakula and not Scott Beluga :p
sounds a bit fishy
@lloyd on the subject of scale I went down the 1/72 route for Bolt Action. The reason being was price and the variety of vehicle kits. If you want fast and easy build tank kits then Armourfast models are great, for under £10 you get two really easy to build tanks. I generally use Armourfast for my squadron tanks, then get a more complicated kit for the commanders tank.
The biggest issue in this scale are the infantry some manufacturers produce infantry in bendy rubbery plastic, which are horrible to paint. I’d recommend the following minis, Valiant, Ceasar, HaT or Italeri. Valiant are my first choice as they’re hard plastic heroic scale 1/72 and are nicer to paint.
What I’ve discovered at this scale has been the variety of models that have allowed me to build non typical armies. I’m currently building a Chinese army to fight the Japanese. This has led to me researching the Pacific war in more detail.
Price has also been the biggest bonus, roughly £10 will purchase two tanks, most boxes of infantry will contain between 48-60 troops, so 1 or 2 boxes are needed, at £5-9 a box suddenly makes the scale really affordable.
As for the Alien queen I think their is a lot of different things you can do with the model.
So with one of models of a genestealer who are very inspired by the alien franchies rather than dulling down the white carapace and going doing it on that side I added a terrain effect to try and get that idea of the environment in which he was emerging from. That idea of a claustrophobic environment where there are darkened hallway everywhere, moisture drips from every surface, and steam pours from ill kept vents.
So yeah you could go that rout, or you could put a couple of strong tone layers on the alien to bring her right down. You could also do things like an a water effect on her body instead to give it the idea of this is a glossy new born queen yet to darken into her normal state. So there is quite a bit of options for you there.
But yeah it depends on how you want to go with it.
Well linking never seems to work here so here it what I was talking about…
http://tinyurl.com/hqp8lvb
tinyurl.com/hqp8lvb
tinyurl dot com slash hqp8lvb
[URL
[/IMG][/URL]
Surely one of these will work :’| ha ha
Nice intro guys. Great now I want to buy a man-sized Velociraptor suit. Maybe you can buy a small dog version Warren to have a chicken size T Rex for your young un.
Really happy to have grabbed a ticket for the Drop fleet boot camp and looking forward to the Breezemount breakfasts.
On another note I have downloaded the Re-roll magazine but have been saving it for something to read during my work lunches this week. I think this is great for me to catch up on stuff I may have missed or not have had enough time to get to and which I can access at my leisure. I will post up some feedback later this week.
Happy Gaming
Happy Sunday 🙂
I was really interested in the scale models chat. I do know that some scale modellers look at the wargamer’s vehicles and tanks with a look in their eye saying something more or less “kids stuff”. That’s because of the amount of detail which interferes with the realism of the kit. Lloyd said stuff about skipping the engine build 🙂 now that’s heresy for scale modellers who search through schematics of the engine and replace the original kit stuff with bits to make it as realistic as possible. But…
Do we need this stuff in wargaming? No.
Do we need a Panther to look exactly like a Panther meaning all the tiniest bits? No. (John don’t kill me ;-))
Do we need the interior of the tank in order to play for example BA? No.
With that in mind one could ask why scale models with so much more detail are so cheap compared to the wargaming models. Well wargaming models are more expansive because they are created for a specific clientele and that is the wargamer. A good example are cutters or masking tape. Check the price of the same looking regular cutters or masking tape and compare it to the hobby “specific” stuff. I am not missing the point that sometimes this stuff is really better suited for what we do but as the world goes when something is made and promoted for a specific use or group of people it will be far more expensive than other stuff.
I’ve filled a few gaps in my FoW 15mm army using Zvezda 1/100 models – they don’t even need glue (although I do glue a few key points) and are extremely good value! I particularly pick up support trucks etc. from them.
I know they do 1/72 and 1/35 – anyone got any feedback on those?
On the topic of 3D printers/painters. Wouldn’t there be spots on models that would be hard to reach when fully assembled? Like between gun and the chest, beneath capes.
I know what Lloyd means, I was used to playing 40K and when I first built and played with a bolt action tank I also though is was kind a small.
Concerning the developpment of 3D printers, these are the first step towards the replicators of star trek. It will have a large impact on relocalising the production industry closer to the customer, Are there miniature gamers in China?
By the way it is Scot Bakula not Baluka.
Thanks for the show.
Well, I got to party too late 🙁
Dropfleet bootcamp was sold out before I even had a chance.
Happy Sunday all. Like the alien paint job. Nice to see an alternative to black. On the subject of photographing glossy minis I have had a bit of success using natural light outdoors rather than artificial lighting, must be something about the omnidirectional nature of daylight not making the mini shine in such a distracting fashion. I don’t know much about using proper cameras (I use a cheap digital camera), but I was told that setting a longer exposure time can have a mattening effect too.
On Dinosaurs: that’s an hilarious story @warzan. Iirc something similar was in an episode of the Simpsons a few years back; it was something like they went to a dinosaur experience thing (and all the other kid characters were there for the same showing) and all the kids were excited, just like your sprog, and then the show started and all these actors came out in suits just like how you describe and all the kids start screaming and freaking out because they were expecting something more like Barney the dinosaur.
On Justins & Dragons: I agree with @dignity, that was a great suggestion for one. *glances around shiftily*
On on the idea for a game to pitch to Ronnie: how about going meta and have a game where you control wargamers and you’ve got to send them off shopping for minis, have to get them to paint their minis, get them to play games, etc with obstacles such as the dreaded unpainted/unbuilt pile growing ever bigger and needing to try and stay on top of it, trying yo avoid bringing down the wrath of the misses, trying to resist the urge to buy into a new system before you’ve finished what you’ve already got, etc.
On Re-Roll: is it just me, or does ‘digital digest’ sound like a biscuit a computer dunks in its tea? :p
On the tanuki: erm @warzan, I’m fairly sure those are supposed to be its balls; I only know this because it was mentioned on an episode of The Big Bang Theory. If I’m wrong, I’m sure @dracs will correct me.
Wait … both bootcamps sold out already ?
Do you guys get any sleep at all ? 😉
Not that it matters as I’ve got both kickstarters heading my way anyway, but damn … I’m barely awake and haven’t had time to check anything.
oh well, better luck next time right ?
We’re still ok for Walking Dead tickets, still some left 🙂
I wasn’t quite awake yet 😀
I think flying to ireland would be enough of a horror for me.
WW2™ has a good timeline and maps included
For music for Dads Army it was sung by Bud Flanagan of Flanagan and Allen fame who were famous music hall stars during the 30’s and 40’s and were part of the crazy gang(An attempt to create a British version of the Marx brothers). There must famous song was ‘Underneath the Arches’. When Dads Army came on most people thought the title song was an old one from the 40’s but it was written by the Dads Army producer especially for the show. Flanagan recorded it about 6 months before his death
@lloyd paper clips and pound shop galvanised garden wire make ideal pinning stock
Oh yeah, good call.
play morrowind. dont know if this will help the gloss issue but using pigments then a satin varnish over the top.
Finally saw the light, bit the bullet etc and came over to backstage. talk about some of the best hobby money I’ve spent in ages!!! Great show guys, really really enjoyed. Cheers 🙂
And you have a few years of back catalogue shows to dig in to
I’m no pro miniature photographer.(it’s more that I aspire to be a mediocre miniature photographer) but I’d matt varnish the alien and photograph it against a dark background.
I’m loving Re-Roll guys, keep it up!
I find the whole issue of scale fascinating, I’m currently building a Tanks! table and am using a variety of other 15mm scale stuff for fluff and flavour on the table. It would be really interested if you could do an article on similar brands/manufacturers for scales like you discussed in this episode. I.e Flames of war working (or not) alongside Plastic soldier company for example.
I recently discovered the victrix 15mm hawker typhoon model is perfect for my Tanks! table when I wasn’t sold on the Battlefront models in the same scale, there must be many more examples of this out there. Any thoughts? Maybe as a re-roll article?
Morning people.. Have fun at the bootcamps everyone life is in too much flux for me to even of thought about a trip but the dropfleet one I shall be very interested in..
Have to admit on the subject of pre printed, pre coloured hobby materials I’m not sold myself. Yes I know ease etc and it may take me an age to get my stuff done but it’s worth it in the end. The journey is as much fun to me as the end product so I don’t think I would want the instant hit of everything ready for the go.. On the same vein I haven’t picked up my gaming console in over 3yrs now it just no longer appeals to me, i want something to show for my time.
On the same vein scale models, i suppose it depends what you want to get out of you’re hobby for me personally I enjoy the modeling side, I don’t mind spending time on my builds and having a more detailed product in the end.. In fact hollow back running gear wheels on my tanks drives me a bit nuts.. 1/48 to 1/56 debate is hotly discuss on many forums and it seems no one can agree you’re either side of the fence personally I don’t mind 1/48 at all.. Especially when you pick up airfix warrior ifv in 1/48 for £5 each you really can’t complain… 1/72 gives you an abundance of models to choose from in modern or ww2 era.. There still fairly complex little models but not out of this world crazy details level…
For the budget side of things well best bang for your buck has to be 1/72 you can get the rapid fire starter set for £28 plus delivery with many guys, mg teams, mortars and piats plus an armourfast tank for each side… Plenty of gaming scope there.. If you go modern with 1/72 hotwheels cars fit right in humvee for a quid from the poundshop yes please..
Wargaming minis have a premium attached because that’s how it is these days I would rather look for an alternative option than pay more money for less of a detailed model but maybe that’s just me..
For the walking dead rural america terrain have you considered giant fibre-glass men/women? Apparently they were very popular decades ago and you still find lots of them around. The first one was built to advertise a garage so they are referred to as “muffler men.”
@warzan Zvezda Models 1/100 are very good for FOW/TANKS and at only £3 a pop!!! you can’t go wrong
warren and lloyd, with all the massive respect I can mister, that was a mighty unfair dialogue you gave justin about video games vs miniature games – some people – maybe most people are just as beholden to their miniature manufacturer as any gamer to their publisher – everything you said about blizzard can be applied to corvus belli and infinity – if they disappeared tomorrow a lot of people would slowly atrophy from the game. Just like the modding community of video games, the home brewers would pick up the rule sets and expand them in the community but one by one, little by little they would become smaller in scope and scale until the next big game came out and the lack of new players relegated infinity to the fringes of church-basement hobby days along side some mid-50’s squad commander players and a few 40 year olds playing the latest Quake 2 mod they made. If you rewatch you discussion, you can interchange your arguements for and against.
That said, the hobby is special for its social aspect and video games cant compete on that level
I bet you could tweak any miniature game easier than the code of Warcraft?
My point is although reliant, we’re a lot less reliant 🙂
Fair enough!
🙂
From the other angle (of keeping a game going); in my experience miniature games hold my interest for a lot longer than video games. Video games are more like gaming snacks, nice and tasty, but impersonal and the same for everyone. I invest a lot more time and effort in my miniature games.
It might just be different hobbies for different people though.
The thing is that’s a MMO and there’s no way to mod those legally (a few underground servers are the exception). Other games are fair game and usually depend on the size of the community.
Mods for games that are not multiplayer don’t depend on publishers.
Multiplayer games do tend to require more extensive support, because often the developers control critical services. Although there can be work-arounds for that too.
There have been more than a few games that were the mods at some point :
– Counterstrike (mod for Half-life)
– Team Fortress (originated as a mod for Quake, got recruited by Valve)
– Red Orchestra (a mod for Unreal Tournament
– DayZ (a mod for Armed Assault, currently in the process of becoming a stand-alone game)
– Defense of the Ancients which was a mod for Warcraft that basically managed to spawn the entire ‘moba’ genre with ‘League of Legends’ being the most famous
One thing that appears to have changed is that publishers have started to focus on paid content (DLC) as opposed to supporting modding, because the latter takes less effort on their behalf and it results in more immediate return on investment.
There’s generally two types of (video)games :
(1) the ones that are open for modding (Prison Architect, Unreal Tournament and Quake)
Mods for these games go from basic changes to skins to full conversions.
Steam has a thing called “Steam Workshop” which is a system that allows the community to share mods for games that support this feature.
(2) the ones that were not open to modding but have been hacked by fanatical community members (GTA). Here the level of modding depends on how much the community has been able to reverse engineer.
The one thing to remember is that modding causes a conflict of interest in multiplayer games, because the more open a game is to modding the easier it is for mods to exploit.
This witchhunt for cheaters has resulted in modding getting a bad name.
Find r the walking dead thing. Isn’t it compulsory to have some sort ancient Native American burial ground or something
only if you want to have poltergeists 😉
I feel like it’s hard for most people to comprehind how large some farm lands in the Mid West are. They are massive! Stretching from horizon to horizon in some places, and only the rare patch of trees to break it up. I would not be suprised if there are some feilds larger than some european countries. And Loyd, the deserts are in the South East of the US, Middle America is grasslands and farms, and the South east is swamps, and forests.
I was watching a vid today about how the maps we have make country’s look bigger or smaller than they actually are, because of how a sphere is being portrayed on a flat plane. Any how, turns out Texas on it’s own is bigger than France, or Spain and Portugal together.
This is great so we just need a grass mat with nothing on it for each table lol 🙂
I’m quite a cartography nerd and have quite a few books on this subject. It’s really interesting to see how maps have been presented over the years which give people a completely distorted view of our own planet. Maps have been just as much a political tool as a tool of war for hundreds of years. As such as miniatures game, video game or book that includes a map of the area is a big win for me and I would really like to see more companies introduce maps into their story telling and lore.
If anyone is interested Google ‘Mercator projection alternatives’
Scale models in wargames: I have some 1.72 / 20mm vehicles for Force-on-Force that are actually 1/72 scale models (rather than miniatures). At larger scales like this, I think the extra details help. Also, at these scales you’re not usually building a big army of vehicles (my whole collection is nine vehicles for all factions so far). So scale models on the table are cool, I think, and worth the effort . . . at larger scales and in smaller numbers.
Another awesome show guys! And everyone have fun at the Boot Camps! You’d BETTER have fun, because we’ll be watching! 😀 😀
Great video guys , thanks.
For the alien, the first thing I would do is get a Polariser Filter for your camera, it makes taking shots of glossy stuff much easier, it will look better straight away.
I wouldn’t wash it, but I would use an ink, very dark green, maybe a dark purple, and up the contrast on the model by really making the shadows deep, almost black with multiple coats of that ink, and I’d apply it with the airbrush.
.Leaving the brighter colours in smaller areas will make it seem much more sinister and bring out the details better.
@warzan you should really bring them to the Natural History Museum in London (not to see the neanderthal) to see the T – Rex, I recall when my daughter was 2-3 she was scare, but once I did pick her up she blew it kisses
Happy Sunday guys..well that’s my Dropfleet weekend not happening its sold out before i even got on here…..But I do like the idea of the Mechas in Team Yankee..but being a bit of a army geek no red white and blues..greens and camo job for me, my grunt side just wouldnt let me do it.
Recieved my TANKS gift win, now just got to put them together and get some one to play me…asked the grandaughter and she just looked at me like i was a nut…anybody in the Bangor co down area Play Tanks..???
Have you tried the North Down Gamers out in N’ards?
@warzan now I can’t get the story of a time traveling whale out of my head. Thanks.
With video games, I stick to the rpg type, so look at them as graphic novels that I get to watch come to life. At least the good ones, i.e. Dues ex, Assassins Creed, Bethesdas stuff. I will also go back to some good old ones like the Dungeon Keepers. The smoking and jerking off goblins still make me laugh to this day. But, back to the point that I have completely ignored as to why I started this line, A good video game can be a great place for inspiration if it is done well like any story you have ever read.
I’d attack that Alien with a ruddy brown wash and then give it a dusting of matt varnish to bring the gloss down.
The color effect it has now looks almost like Romain’s galaxy effect. Could be an interesting idea, but a bit too bright for an Alien.
If you want to keep the gloss, but change the photography, have you tried to turn off most of the flash/lights and increase the exposure to a few seconds?
Check out 3dpandoras.com, it looks like they have a prety advanced full color 3D printer. Great show as always.
@warzan, I am a daft old monkey. I was so excited about the boot camp that I signed up right away after getting my partner’s OK for “beginning of December”. What I missed was that between 9-11th December lies the 10th, being bespoke woman’s birthday. No idea yet, how I will repair that one, but I hope it is ok for you if I give my ticket to someone else.
@mage, you were the first one in the comments to say you couldn’t go. I am happy for you to have my ticket while I try to rescue my relationship.
And by couldn’t come I meant couldn’t get s ticket.
@severon ouch, treat her to a trip to Coleraine for her birthday
I really like the different scheme on the Alien. How did you do it?
comment burn out .
@lloyd nice tank. Can’t wait to blow it up 😉 😉
great XLBS guys like the mech’s @warzan could be a great game, have you considered mech’s verses GW knights?
Happy Sunday (well, early monday for you UK folks)!
Great show guys.
I went down the same path on scale and scale modeling as you did.. I compared 1/48 and 1/72 and they just don’t work with Bolt action. The thing is, and I’m surprised you all didn’t go into it, for me, I really am disappointed by the product quality. I actually did an unboxing video of Warlord’s ISU-152 offering and it was crap. Downright crap. The left side track and fender assembly was warped, and that was just the most obvious issue. The metal bits were bent, other parts were twisted, etc. I’d also ordered an IS-2, so the chassis was the same.. (the Isu-152 was put on the IS-2 chassis) and it wasn’t that the issue was a one-off mistake, the issues on the 152 were duplicated on the IS-2 kit.
I’m a modeler, and I have a decent level of skill. I couldn’t fix it. It wasn’t that the tracks were just bent, but there was a longitudinal warping as well. The only way to make the thing work would be needing to carve off the front and back of the fenders and completely redo them. While I don’t mind doing model work, I really don’t like dumping $40+ into a kit that is crap. I wrote them and they sent me a replacement set of tracks. Guess what, same issue. Still warped.
I get that these guys aren’t Tamiya or Dragon or Airfix, but there is a serious cost-for-product issue there. Rubicon’s stuff is fabulous and it’s a function of their manufacturing process.
That’s my biggest issue though.. I love Bolt Action, but when you can’t get the pieces to play the game, or when you do and they’re crap, it just ruins it a bit. How much griping did we hear about “FineCast” from Workshop? Same deal. I’ll spend money on good stuff. But with all the experience I have with scale models being so well done and being a third or less of the cost, it’s just tough to swallow.
Now if I can only find some folks to do 1/56 scale BattleTech with.. : )
~M
it sounds like an issue with the mould to me. I dont think i have ever had an issue with a warlord vehicle, i may be just lucky. but i can understand if the issue occurs the way it did for you. one of the things i think has been positive ffor warlord is teaming up with Atileri. you get a good balance between wargaming and models made by model manufacturers
I thought as much too, but then I looked, and each of the 4 sets of tracks are warped in a different way. It actually looks like carelessness, like they were pulled out of the mold while still warm. I got one set of tracks that was acceptable enough..
I figure it is as much an issue of the resources being overwhelmed as anything, but then, cost is cost. Paying a C-note for 2 tanks that really look bad is one thing, but when you compare that to the kinds of offerings out there for scale, then you just have to start asking “why do we accept this?” Warlord is pretty much the only option in town for 1/56 WW2.. That then makes people, or me anyway, question the game. I enjoy it, but I’m not going to buy the product if the value in my eyes is low. It really would be nice to see some better offerings.
I know I am anxiously awaiting Rubicon’s fall line, but again, as a Soviet player, the options are still limited.
This is the same conversion I was having a year or so ago with my war gaming buddies about using scale models for BA and Dust some of my friends use 1/48 for both because they like the way the tanks look next to Both model infantry and they give you options for conversions at a reasonable cost. I came from a model plane background so hi part counts don’t bother me when it comes to scale kits but the simplicity of wargaming models is a plus if you need to get it on the table quickly. The HobbyBoss Tiger is a breeze to assemble and only $12 usd.
@lloyd I am thinking about using walkers from Dust in Konflict47 myself and using 1/48 scale but for me building models kits are reword itself, it is part of my hobby so 6-8 hours that you consider lost or wasted for me is great fun, I play Polish revolutionary army based on Germans and models in that scale are bit more expensive than Russian tanks. but hey, if you want cheap models I also have Die cast from Works for 5 pounds! pumas and half tracks! all perfect scale for dust, and this are solid metal very hard to damage.
To answer your question about 1/72 scale same again die cast models from works 2 pounds,
I’ve got a range of the works models 🙂
John I llike the way how you painted alien queen this is how it could look in real life just like beetle armour. I would prefer to see that tutorial.
@lloyd What colour did you use for the KV1? If I ever get around to paining up my own SSU, I had planned to use a similar shade of green but the paint I bought to do the job – Vallejo Russian Green – comes out a lot darker.
I’m changing the colour at the moment, so it won’t look like that. As u seen it it was war paint nato green spray and army painter army green painted over it to highlight. But that’s not what I’m going to do.
Happy Sunday (actually Labor Day here in the States)! I really enjoy the show.
To talk about models versus miniatures for a moment. I picked up some model magazines from one of my local hobby shops – and the number of parts was in an article….
A standard 1:35/1:48 model can have 1000+ parts (a very basic kit had 828). And a “simplified” kit was 565 parts. So Lloyd you pretty gutsy to tackle kits!!!!
Think you guys need to relax more! That was a hefty narrative this week that felt rather intense until the last five minutes. Nice Alien though John. Right, I’m off to download reroll.
I have been going down route of diecast for bolt action. They are 1:43 painted and cost a £5 for a halftrack they are fine as long as not mixed with other different scale vehicles of the same type ..
I have recently decided to build some 20mms WW2 armies. To save time and effort I have bought a lot of 1/72 diecast models from ebay. They can be purchased reasonably cheaply, don’t need building, come pre-painted and can be supplemented with scale models to fill in the gaps.
I also play a 1/48 scale WW2 infantry skirmish game by Baueda and 48Storm. The figures are specifically 1/48 and look good on the table -top.
Why do I have the urge to watch Army of Darkness?
As for scale models, I use them all the time. You can get modern vehicles from Kitech or Aii for $7.00 or so. They’re a very simple build. For sci-fi vehicles, I then pick up some GW weapon bits (the ones that come as an option in their vehicle kits are dirt cheap) and kitbash it. Total cost $10.00… instead of $60.00!
We already have color 3D printers available. They still have quite a way to go, but they are getting there. Check this one out.
http://3dpandoras.com/
I have a small collection of alien statues & action figures that come pre-painted and the skin on them typically comes in shades of silvery black, through to the really deep blues and even right up into the browns. With the iconic chrome teeth. I’m personally a fan of the deep black-blue style, the blue on this one looks a little too teal. Glazing over it several times with a darker colour will probably improve the cartoon look Warren mentioned. If you want that real authentic alien then gloss varnish is generally a must so that would be awkward to photograph, especially when you have a lot of lighting on the miniature.
I’d much prefer it if skirmish and battle, or indeed any game miniatures were true to scale, and preferably had the option of ‘all the little bits’.
I honestly can’t remember ever being overwhelmed by the number of steps and the parts in model kits.
As a kid I did more than a few military model kits in 1:35 scale (Revell was really big at that time).
There’s an order and logic to these things that made them feel like plastic puzzles.
And unlike the wargame stuff every single bit on those sprues had some kind of identifier so you couldn’t possibly pick the wrong part if you followed instructions to the letter.
I must admit that I never painted any of them and 1:35 is probably a real easy scale to work with.
This was before Revell & co introduced these ‘snap kit’ thingies.
That alien queen does not look too cartoony! It matches with Gates of Antares and other retro scifi alien color schemes, even Rogue Trader Tyranids.
Great job on that alien and the Antares alien, a brilliant striking red!