First Time painting units/starting my own paintkrieg

@Phelan-Kell
Thanks for the great reply! I am hoping to add decals to each as well, so thanks for that tip too. Sounds like I definitely do need to do a bit more homework on this before I get started. I want to do it right!

A few shops make 500 scale at Shapeways.  I’ve gotten Hawker Hurricanes, Spitfires, and Bf-109’s in 500 scale from SNAFU store.  HBG’s planes match up great with A&A pieces, too, and some are even better, like their Stuka G’s.

Thank you for the positive feedback! I forgot to say that in the previous post, and it’s very important that I do. It’s very encouraging and motivating to get good feedback, and we certainly appreciate it. The above mentioned four Essex class carriers are complete, a long with several other ships of the US Navy, so its time to update the thread. Just ships by FOlewnik in this post. More aircraft are almost done but I haven’t put magnets in them yet (so not really done), so no aircraft pictures this post.

We’ll start with the two “odd men out” of the HBG sculpt Baltimore Class Heavy Cruisers. Why “odd men out”? Because in the below picture we have on the left, the USS Unnamed Baltimore Class Cruiser Wearing Measure 31a, Design 9C, and on the right is the USS Columbus (CA 74), which wasn’t commissioned until June 8, 1945. The cruiser with the long name is wearing a design that was never used, but was taken from a period design found at https://www.wikiwand.com/en/World_War_II_US_Navy_dazzle_camouflage_measures_31,_32_and_33:_cruisers. The USS Columbus is wearing a Measure 12 Modified designed by FOlewnik to match the pieces we’ll be using for the US Atlantic fleet. These will get aircraft added, but at the time of the photographs the decals on the wings of the aircraft were drying.
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Next up are some metal destroyers from GHQ. Below on the left, the very brave USS Johnston (DD-557) painted in MS-3_/6D as it looked when it was “Sunk by Japanese Warships off Samar October 25 1944,” and next to it is USS Van Valkenburgh (DD-656) painted in camouflage Measure 31, Design 9d. All Wartime photos taken from Navsource.org, a great resource for US Navy history buffs.
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Below, the real USS Johnston shortly before her final battle, and the official design sheet:
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A great wartime picture of the USS Van Valkenburgh, which is the same on both sides:
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Now on to these two. From GHQ, USS The Sullivans (DD-537) painted in Measure 1, and the HBG sculpt light cruiser USS Marblehead (CL-12) who always wore Measure 2 throughout the war. If I can get FOlewnik to put the Shamrock on the first stack of The Sullivans when he puts the scout aircraft on the Marblehead, as seen in the below wartime photograph, I’ll come back and edit the post.
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The post previous to this post showed four Essex Class sculpts from HBG getting prepped and started with a base coat. Those are now completed and I had too much fun playing with them and the aircraft (that are complete so far) while I was taking photographs. I’m pretty sure I didn’t make any wooshing sea or aircraft noises or FOlewnik would have laughed at me. I was tempted though, and here’s why:
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Above we have the first of the Long Hull Essex Class, USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) on the left looking as she did after her April 1945 refit from suffering a Kamikaze Attack on January 21, 1945, and USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) on the right. The Bunker Hill is wearing Measure 33, Design 6A, of which Navsource says, “Her port side camouflage pattern was the most intricate design applied to any carrier.” One glance can confirm that!
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The final two Essex Class carriers are the USS Essex (CV-9) herself, and the USS Bennington (CV-20). The Essex is wearing a unique pattern, Measure 32v6, Design 10D, adapted from a destroyer pattern specifically for the long hulled Essex. The Bennington is painted in Measure 32, Design 17A.
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Finally, some group pictures just for fun:
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Thank you for checking out the post! If you liked it, please click the little heart. I’m trying to figure out why our post is only rated with a 2 when it seems it should be a bit higher if the other likes are any indication.

@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’ve demonstrated this method in a video on my new youtube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oNBL6d1o0U

@John:

I don’t know what everyone else likes, but I like videos. For example, you showing everyone how to put these I 94 decals on or how you do those awesome dry brush techniques, you are always talking about, or the whole process of a painted piece, from the time you prime it to the finishing coat, including how to place the decals on.

Any of those would be cool videos! :-D

Good to know! I have never tried videos, as I don’t have the camera skills (or the camera, for that matter) to film close up like that. I have friends around who have the equipment though, so I might give it a shot.

@jwo1984:

Hey spitfire… I liked the layout of yor original painting tutorial… With stages photos befores and afters with descriptions under each photo and stage.  I would like too see some face washes you use on infantry men. And some washes you use for a variety of infantry moulds. Even a gallery too showcase some of your personal playing pieces would be cool!

I will definitely do a tutorial on washes! I’m planning on doing another in depth infantry tutorial, so that will feature the face washes you’re talking about.

Thanks Spitfire38, for your kind words and encouragement, as well. Yes, looking forward to meeting you someday as well, whether painting or playing.

Thanks buddy! :-D

Cheers!

John

@Midnight_Reaper said in A&A Unit Identification Charts:

Also, let me thank you for all the work you put into this. It is both practical and beautiful and I think it’s great work, top-notch in all aspects.

-Midnight_Reaper

Much appreciation. I enjoyed putting those charts together. I own a WWII atlas that was actually published during the war, and which contains all sorts of interesting information about the military situation around the world, and one of the sections at the back has a recogniztion chart of Allied and Axis aircraft, depicted as black silhouettes. It’s a neat feature, and it was the main inspiration for the A&A unit chart project