New Major Complex pieces!

@vodot Really useful, thanks a lot

Part 4: Starting the ships, adding decals to the tanks, skin tones on the soldiers

Today spent some time adding paint to the sprayed ships, including painting the water jettisons on the subs black (this was very tricky and ended up looking a little sloppy). Advice for painting the jettisons: toothpicks are not small enough! If you do use toothpicks, you’ll have to dab a dot of black for each tiny jettison.

The battleships were a bit easier, and painting the decks, bridge, and smoke stacks were all done in silver. I plan on adding the final grey coat last after the deck and stacks/bridge dry. I experimented with how to add the national emblem, and will probably opt for a white background with a red dot on the bow of the ship. In the future I may do that with the rear end of the ship.

I painted the tranny smoke stacks silver and added a white background for the emblem on the destroyers. All in all, the Japanese navy is coming along nicely.

The armor is pretty much done. I added a white flag to the front side of the armor and will be adding the red dots later. For the aircraft, I’ll be adding a red band around the rear part of the plane. I was debating between sky blue and red and may alternate just for some variety.

The soldiers got some skin! And I just want to say that adding the paint alone brings out the contours of their facial features in an excellent manner on their own. I may add a touch of black to certain areas of the face but that will be a last step. The next step will be panting their uniforms, rifles, and helmets.

After all this is done, I will be spray painting the japanese bombers white, the aircraft carrier black, and then will add the details to those. The Japanese are about 55% done all in all and I’m pleased with the results so far even if they do look a bit amateurish. Stay tuned.

IMG_6405.JPG IMG_6404.JPG IMG_6403.JPG IMG_6402.JPG

All, I’ve finally gotten a 3D printer of my own, so I have been able to launch my own little Etsy shop with the mission of getting these models out there as affordably as possible! Huzzah!

While my shapeways store will stay open, doing self-fulfilled prints on Etsy is going to be a win-win; much more of the proceeds going directly to creators, which brings the price down for everyone. The only con is that I will have to maintain the 3D printer and do all of my own post-processing…

Anyway, I wanted to welcome everyone here to the shop with a 10% off coupon for the rest of 2021! Just use coupon code AADOTORG21 at checkout. Come be one of my first customers! Visit my etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NathanDetr0itDesigns

I’ll be adding new things and ideas constantly - including bundling items up for complete kits ala G40 etc., so please DM me or respond below and let me know what else you would like to see!

@siredblood:

@IWillNeverGrowUp:

That angled divider in the UK box is going to be a pain to use I think.
I always find corners in deeper boxes like this to be difficult (at least they are in mine), especially as they get tighter like those angles.

Its been game tested! I added so many units to each country (well not China) you will never need to empty anything. I was UK last weekend, never saw the bottom of the box :) If one was in the corner, you can always use a sub to get it out haha.

I wasn’t fond of the angle idea, but it best fit the units with those bombers.

Well, if you never get to the bottom that would be alright. I just pictured trying to pick them out of there and it hurt my fingers thinking about it. lol

I just wanted to pass on to everyone some new units on Shapeways that are now in Axis and Allies size.
C.O.B. Constructs and Miniatures has a set of New Mexico class Battleships in 1/3800 scale that are perfect for your light Battleships and New Aragon Mechanical Works has just made available a Aichi E16A1 Zuiun (Paul) float plane in the 1/500 scale.  So, if your looking for some new units to add to your board then check these two out.

Thanks for the quick reply guys. :-) ill check him out

@jwo1984:

hey guys, so I was searching some camo desert schemes for HBG’s Valentine medium tank and came across this one. � However looking at the sculps I knew it would be tough to paint these blue lines in because most of the tank is all track! so I cut out and shaped some track guard armour like the photo below just using some clear flexible plastic and glued in too the sides…making these two tanks mk II’s which look to have had the side armour as a pose to the Mk V that HBG has sculpted.

I’m sure whatever you do too it, it will turn out great. Can’t wait too see it painted. Good luck buddy! :-D

Redleg,

First, you have a beautiful family. Second, Your paint jobs look great. I have to really give applause to your freehand markings. It’s true decals are cleaner and sharper but I my self have used none on anything I’ve painted and I’m developing a way to layer and paint my own markings (It’s been holding up my project severely) I simply can’t afford to buy sheets of decals that I might only use a handful of.

One tip That I’ve adopted, is to use ultra-fine Sharpie permanent markers for small lines and details where a brush won’t do or may slop (canopy frames). Lastly I’ve learned from table-top gamers of much larger scale (Warhammer, Bolt Action) models that at the scale Axis & Allies models are you can “mass paint” with fewer details on many units to create large armies, fleets and air forces that will look phenomenal from eye level to table top . Anyway us A&A painters have our work cut out for ourselves. I salute you sir.

Anyway, keep on painting, Nice work.