Also, im not sure im happy with the direction of the art….
Another error found in the OOB… Honolulu is on the wrong island, they have it on Maui, not Oahu
I like it! I prefer some contrast between territories/nations, but that’s just my preference. So your map works for me, especially the bluer oceans/seas. I think you captured the old paper map style well, if that is what you were after? Maybe give it some rough/torn edges? Nice work!
The layer FX eats up the file size….
Ok, makes sense. On mine, In order to keep file size down and number of layers, I did a lot of it in separate stand-alone projects, even much of the text. And then when I was happy with something, I would merge the layers and import the JPEG into the map project. If I wanted to edit, say some text, I would edit the separate text project file, merge layers, and import again. So much of the FX stuff was done outside of the actual map project. One thing that I found also is to try and keep text in the main map file to a minimum as it slows things down. Raserize your text whenever practical. Looking forward to seeing your finished product.
looks good. 4 gigs is nothing for a map this size.
I’d say it is. I just finished a map that is about 30% larger than OOB with over 1000 layers and the .psd file is 1.2 gigs. I was not using 32-bit color so maybe that’s the difference. :?
4 gigs!? Holy cow. Yeah, you must have a lot of layers going on. Still, 4 gigs?!?! Water looks cool, as does the kamikaze and convoy icons! I saw a map that was for a different game completely that was a “vintage” style like what you’re going after. I thought it looked really cool. Looking forward to seeing your finished product.
The key that I’ve seen is the dam rifles like to peel from use and I do use my pieces a lot. So main reason why I asked if there was a better sticking primer.
With some specific parts of pieces, I think moderate chipping and flaking of paint is going to be inevitable, especially with the rifle ends of the infantry pieces. Those end pieces (the rifle barrels) flex and bend around when being handled. Therefore, you need to find a flexible primer and paint to work with that flexing. Latex paint is one type that comes to mind. This type of paint is used heavily by scale RC airplane guys (me included). As a scale RC airplane is flying in the air, the wings and control surfaces get flexed. Furthermore, fluctuations in temperature and humidity make the wooden structure of the RC plane expand and contract. They need a paint that works with all this flexing and contracting so that the paint doesn’t flake off and chip away. Latex paint.
I have not tried it on scale miniature game pieces, so I cannot say with certainty if it works just as well in this arena. All you can do is try it and see.
Cheers,
Busarider
Sweet ! Dont forget Mad Dog. He has played by me and is in Holland I believe or real close to that.
Holland, cool. That’s close to me too. I own some rental properties in Zeeland, which is literally right next to Holland. I’m pretty familiar with that area.
Cheers,
Busarider
You play with Mad Dog or Big Al ?
BigAL and I just recently got in touch, so will most likely end up in his playgroup.
Cheers,
Busarider
Thanks. Ya I used to have a paint booth too for my model trains. Basically weathering. The key that I’ve seen is the dam rifles like to peel from use and I do use my pieces a lot. So main reason why I asked if there was a better sticking primer. I used to use chalks brushed on cars to give them a weathered looked. Then spray with tester’s dullcote. Have you tried using chalks ?
A flat finish is going to eventually start to wear off in the high spots of the piece with a lot of handling. Honestly, I think its probably inevitable. As stated, you could try using a gloss clear over top of your painted finish. Let that cure, then go back over it with a dull spray. Be aware that I have not tried this and it is just a suggestion. I will probably try it myself to see how it works though. The gloss will not wear off nearly as fast as a flat finish. Sure, with handling you will wear off the dull coat in the high spots of the piece with handling, but underneath that will be the gloss protective coat that will protect the color coat against wear. I think the piece would still have its flat appearance as the worn off areas would only be in the high intricate edges of the piece.
For gloss coats, try simple “Future Floor Polish”. I think its just called “Future” now. It is acrylic based, but it is durable. It needs to because its formulated for use on hardwood floors. It is one of the many “tools” in my arsenal of tools in my hobby room. You can paint it on with a fine brush, or squirt a bit in your airbrush, thin it with some water and spray. Because this is an acrylic, it is a “cold” base. I have used Testor’s solvent based flat clear over the top of it, but you need to be absolutely sure that the “Future” is completely cured, and then only spray the solvent flat in very thin coats. Wait at least 3 days before spraying over the top of “Future” with a solvent base flat clear coat, if flat coat is your final coat on your piece.
Yes, I have a full array of pastel chalks and use them often in the weathering process for military models.
Cheers,
Busarider
@SS:
Where in Mich you from ?
Mt. Haley Township area, just outside of Midland.
-Busarider
@Nowhere:
What about using a paint that has primer built-in and afterwards using a clear coat… is this a good way to paint without having to do a seperate primer first, then paint? Such as the example in the picture?
My best answer for that is to just try it and see. With that said, I’m of the type that I not only like to use the right tools for the job, but I also prefer to use the best tools for the job. I would say any paints that come from the hardware store and are not specifically formulated for scale modeling, may be the right tool for the job, but probably not the best tool for the job. They may work, but may not work the best.
Hope that helps,
Busarider
@SS:
What spray can brand do you use for primer or what brand name if you prime with an airbrush BusaRider ? Where in Mich you from ?
Greetings SS…
The primer that I use is Tamiya brand gray, or “Fine White”. These come in small spray cans and are a bit on the expensive side, but they are perfect for plastics and miniatures that have a lot of intricate detail, as that is what they are specifically formulated for. The consistency of them is darn near perfect, so you get a nice smooth even coat of primer right out of the rattle can. In the scale modeling community, Tamiya brand is “THE” brand of choice for all discriminate model builders that demand the very best quality. It’s the best primer that I have used. If I’m using my airbrush to prime, I use Tamiya liquid surface primer thinned to a consistency that works for me. I’ve also used flat grays and whites from the Testors “Model Master” line of paints in my airbrush as a primer and those work good too.
I have used Tamiya acrylics, and although they are better than any other brand of acrylics that I have used, I still find that they lack the durability that I seek. Therefore I switched back over to using mostly Enamels and Lacquers, with Acrylics used occasionally on some things. The downside to Enamels and Lacquers and why a lot of guys in the modeling community don’t use them is that they are hazardous chemicals and they have very strong odors and fumes, and require solvent based thinners (not water, like acrylics). So paint in a well-ventilated area when using these. I’m fortunate in that I built a paint booth in the hobby room of our home, where it ventilates to a vent to outside of the house. I’ll post pictures later tonight.
Hope this helps,
BusaRider
Greetings from Michigan,
At some point, I’m going to post my own tutorial on painting the pieces, but in the meantime here is my advice:
These are plastic pieces that we are painting so we are getting into the realm of scale modeling. Fortunately, I have quite a bit of experience in that arena since I’m heavily involved in that hobby. Cleaning the parts prior to painting is a good step to take as that will get any oils from your fingers as well as mold release off the pieces. So, go ahead and do that as its an easy step to take. Use an old tooth brush to scrub the pieces a bit. Use a quality primer!! My primer of choice for anything model related, including miniatures for A&A is Tamiya gray or “Fine White” solvent based (not acrylics) out of the spray cans. In fact, I do not like to use acrylic paints (including Tamiya brand) because I find that they just are not durable enough, despite what they or others may claim, especially for pieces that are going to be handled, such as game pieces. If its a show piece that I’ll shelf and it won’t be touched, then acrylics are fine. Otherwise use solvent (enamel) paints! There are a lot of quality brands, but Testors “Model Master” line of paints are fine to use and come in a wide variety of colors, both flats and glosses. I spray with an airbrush, but I believe you can get some of the “Model Master” flats in spray cans too, although I have not used those so I cannot confirm that they will work just as well as the paint out of the capped bottles. Also, avoid putting a “hot” paint over top of a “cold” paint, such as a laquer paint over a water based paint, like acrylic. You can put cold on top of hot, but not hot over cold. Best practice is to just try and keep all primer and paint of the same base, be it laquer, enamel, acrylic, etc. Even better is if you can keep all paints and primers of the same brand as well, although that is not always practical. Most important is that the paints and primers need to be compatible and play nice with each other. A lot of people overlook this and then wonder why their paint job looks “funny”, flaking, or whatever. When painting the pieces, avoid using your fingers to handle them while painting, as the oils from your fingers will get on the pieces. I glue (super glue) each piece temporarily to a toothpick in an inconspicuous location (on the bottom of the piece is a good spot) on the piece so that I never have to touch it during painting. I then stick the other end of the toothpick in a block of clay or cork so that the piece can be set down without it laying down and touching anything, plus that gives me something to handle while painting the piece. Last but not least, be sure to allow the paint to fully cure before handling. This is another important step that is often overlooked. There’s a difference between “dried” and “cured”. When spraying enamels, wait a day and then put the piece to your nose and sniff it. If you can smell any trace of enamel, then the piece is not fully cured yet. With flat enamels, the paint can be dried in a matter of minutes depending on how thick you applied the paint, but can take a week or better to become fully cured when left to cure at room temperature. You can use a heat lamp to help speed the process, but be careful with this as you would be surprised by how very little heat is needed before the piece begins to melt. I once used an incandescent lamp to speed the paint curing process on a fully assembled and painted model, just to come back the next morning to find the model partially melted in one spot, although I didn’t think there was much heat on it at all.
Some additional step that may help ensure maximum durability:
1. After painting, spray the piece with a high gloss clear coat to give the piece a protective coat. After that has cured, you can go back and spray a dull coat back over that if you want it a flat finish, which is what I prefer (flat finish).
Apologies if this was too much of a long read for some, but hope it helps.
Cheers,
D
Greetings from Mid-Michigan, USA.
I’ve managed to “fix” the Alaskan-YT-BC border along with making the Aleutian Islands look a bit better. I realize that this is just a board game, but that OOB border for Alaska was bugging me too much. I just had to fix it. It’s not completely accurate but I think it looks much better than the OOB rendition.
Since my last post, I decided to give each Capital City a unique identifying icon. For London, its Big Ben of course. All of the capital city icons will be of the same art style so it will be consistent. Victory Cities that are not capitals will all have just a simple “VC” icon. All victory cities including capitals will be written in a unique font consistent with that particular nation/city’s traditional style. All airbase icons will have a unique aircraft silhouette. For example, UK airbases will have a Spitfire silhouette. Some players will take notice of that, and some won’t, and then others won’t even care. But it was easy enough to do so I went ahead and did it.
Also, as you can see from the images, I edited the border between Scotland and UK to give a more “accurate” border (plus the original border was crossing Winston’s forehead and I didn’t like that!). That required me to adjust the sea zone borders.
Cheers,
D
I plan on printing some out from Siredblood’s link. I watched his video and you can certainly do it that way. My only concern with adhesive backed “stickers” is that with all the handling of game pieces, I can imagine that the stickers begin to peel up after a while. If you’re going to use the adhesive backed stickers, might I recommend to apply thin CA glue around the outside edge of the sticker after you’ve burnished it down on the carrier deck. You can get some thin CA at your local hobby shop where they sell RC planes, or just order it online. Because it is literally as thin as water, you’ll need to apply it with some sort of makeshift precision applicator. But after that, you won’t have to deal with annoying stickers that don’t want to stay down tight.
Also, if you use a glossy type sticker paper, after you’ve applied it and the carrier is “all done”, spray the entire piece with a light coat of Testor’s Dullcote spray laquer. You’ll get rid of the sheen both on the plastic and from the glossy paper. All the colors will “blend” together and the piece will look much better. :wink:
Just noticed I forgot the airbase for Wake. Oops. :roll:
Update:
Pacific Islands are done.
North America still a work in progress.
Cheers,
D
@Imperious:
Dice towers suck. What is needed is what we use for games like The War Game: World War Two, which is a longer rolling area (about 2.5 feet long by 1.5 feet wide with padded felt bottom) It has legs that allow it to be situated right on the map so you just bring it to the map when a battle starts. I don’t know if i have a picture, but will look. This is a product that should be made, except with one minor provision–that the legs are folded out or in for easy transport.
I’m not sure how I’d like having to place it directly on the map. Maybe a provision for it would be to have it so that it is a “table” in itself with legs that reach the floor. Then put small casters on it so that you just roll it around where you need it during a battle. I would make it so that it is at least the same height as the game table. Maybe make a couple of them so you have one on each side of the game table? Probably a bit much for some, but not for others? Like one said, “different strokes for different folks”. I like the idea though.
Greetings from Michigan!
Attached are a couple snapshots of my map project. There is still a lot of work to do and it is a work in progress, but I like the way it is coming along. I’m open to criticisms, suggestions, etc… I’ll be sure to share the entire map file when it is finally completed so that others can use it too if they want. I used the original scanned map file that is available on this site for download as a base for the project. So a special thank you to those that were a part of that.
The entire map was “disassembled” province by province and reassembled. All of the imperfections of the original scan have been eliminated. Colors “pop” now where they need to. The ocean and seas have been re-done with some subtle texturing added (hard to see in the images). Many of the province shapes on the map have been corrected (to be revealed when the project is completed), especially the island provinces. I’ll provide a complete list of corrections/changes soon. It still looks a bit “flat”, but as the details and texturing get added, it will improve that. Much work still to be done - province names, borders, sea zones, details, etc. etc…
Regards,
D
