Posts made by sgtwiltan

Spray or paint-on matte varnish will cure the gloss.
I usually gloss coat after the wash and then apply decals due to the smoother gloss coat.
I then dry brush and that’s it. Mostly I apply a coat of matte varnish to add another layer to protect the paint but enamels,
once dry, are unbelievably durable. Looking at old pictures of vehicles, you can still see an almost shiny surface on large flat spaces
and I discovered by accident that a matte coat is not necessarily a must. Might be different with ships where a satin finish is more desirable.

That or we just happen to be the little boys we were and like playing with our toys when no-one else is a round to play with us…Heheh.

That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

Some of you might be wondering why do I go through all the trouble of doing these mods when there are already models with much better detail?
I’ll enumerate.

1. I bought the games for the pieces. I’d be stupid to throw them away and spend the equivalent amount of the game itself in replacing the pieces.
   The OOB models have merit and with a little work, can be made into much better playing pieces visually.

2. Most aftermarket replacement pieces like GHQ are made of metal. Metal barrels end up looking like spaghetti destroying the look of the rest of
   beautifully detailed pieces. Plastic pieces react with the paint solvents so they chip less and are not in as much need of touchups as metal
   models.

3. Weight. Plastic is lighter than metal. Aren’t the game boxes already heavy enough?
   Physics dictates that Force= Mass * Acceleration. A heavier object that is moving generates more force. When 2 metal pieces get jumbled around,
   their weight causes more damage as they hit each other and your beautiful paint jobs get marred with shiny bare metal showing through. Metal does
   not have the resiliency of plastic so when it deforms from impact, the paint chips off. Hardly so with plastic as the plastic provides more support for the
   paint since the paint is bonded to it.

4. Fun. I mod the pieces as a past-time and gain satisfaction in the end result. I’m proud of turning representative pieces into miniature models of
   the real thing. I come from a modelling background so it is a natural progression helped by some OCD in detailing for realism.

5. Insanity. See above.

Hopefully you can gain some inspiration and add another dimension of fun to this game.
I also have recently accepted commissions as a way to allow my hobby to be self sustaining.
I’ll have to judge any offers on a case by case basis due to availability, labor, materials and workload.
This is a hobby I do after I come home from my job and have no desire to make this too time consuming.

Enjoy.

Maybe not for the greater good, But for your own sanity or INSANITY as some might think.
In 4 days it’ll be the start of ODS 23 years ago. We’re like how we perceived Vietnam vets back then.
Semper Fi

@Tall:

knp7765,

––Wow! I knew anything that the “Coach” made would be really detailed, but Wow, that’s a nice ‘kitty cat’ there! Thanks for sharing.
----I’ll to receive my dozen HBGTigers in the sets to add to the dozen OOB ones that Sgt. Wil Tan has detailed for me. I’m pretty sure they’re a different model Tiger.

“Tall Paul”

Sorry to say Paul, but the ones I modded are of the same type.
Too bad I already had them done because the OOB pieces can easily be made into mid production types without the Feifel air cleaners.

http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=28013.0

The 12 year old is in 3 of them pics!!!
Sure is a camera hog!!

Sorry Paul,

I need to take some more pics for your Panzer group and make them bigger as well as get enlarged pics of the scaling set.
I made the picture height 300 pixels but need to double that for the wider pictures.

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Just a sampling from the WaffenFabrik

Ok, Detailed pics of the latest works are on my Thread.

@AxisRommel:

I just found out today that a local store of mine sells Pacific and Europe 1940 in store… guess what i’m buying  :-D

And who says you gotta play Global rules when combining both games. Use 1942 or 1941 rules on the big board.
It’s your game.

@chagadiel:

Some great modding i tried modding some U.S transports but it was messy at such a fine scale. Thanks for mentioning my half tracks too

Your painted Halftracks showed me how good they could look even without added 3d details.
I decided to raise some details and like the vieports, rear hatches, MG, and helmets and will paint them in the same manner as yours.

Love all these Picture threads and at the same time hate them.
Too many possibilities and not enough patience to get my own pieces into a playable finished state for even just one Game.
Maybe I’ll have the original game ready within the year.

Pics comparing OOB units to modded and if possible without base coat coming up for this weekend.

OOrah fellow Desert Stormer!!!

Wish I could get my pieces in Playable state like yours.
I got my start with A&A as a boot Marine in 1988 and never liked the OOB units and thus began scratchbuilding for my original Game.
Great job!!

Doable. Any better close-up detail pics of the PPDs would be appreciated.

Great work and paint jobs!!
I feel better working with you now that I’ve seen these.
Hope you have fun with my pieces.

I’ve been doing this for decades and it took a long time to learn.
You can actually use different shades of paint to give some form of depth without having to make everything truly 3d.
Look at some of the modelling sites to get an idea. Also look for 1/72 scale paper models. They basically do a basic 3d model and the print work
gives an illusion of depth even though most of the model is flat sheets. I choose the full 3d route and enjoy the results but have not really
used them for gaming where they get a lot of handling. Try just extending the glacis below the tank treads and fill in the other details with lighter or darker paint to create an illusion of depth.

Here is an example by Chagadeil for just using paint to add depth

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V, Your anniversary pics on Boardgame geek gave me the painting ideas but I wanted to use my A&A pieces detailed enough so I wouldn’t have to use GHQ lead tanks for my board games. I actually scratch built plastic tanks for the original A&A game before the A&A expansion and evolving scope of the gaming pieces.

I should have new pics of the Tigers in basecoat Panzer grey along with 45 HBG modified and detailed Pz IIIs. I may post more of my old scratch builds and in progress prep work of Shermans and Matildas. I may even have time to basecoat the panthers in DunkelGelb just to see what they look like base coated. I’m too much of a historian to paint my Panthers in grey. I’ll be using the Panzer IIIs for my A&A board games rather than the Panthers and the Tigers will be the elite upgrades. Panthers did not reach the front till 1943 while Pz IIIs and Pz IVs were used thoughout WWII.

Thanks V, I got the idea from your work so that when I paint the pieces, they will be worth the painting effort.
I will also be using these pieces for other games as well.

Paul, I’ve got the prototype for the Cargo carrier made but have not taken the picture as I have a bunch of pictures to take for other projects. I’ll try to get them to you by the end of the week.
The prototype is 2 masted with cranes going fore and aft with a pair of gun tubs port/starboard on the lower deck with a larger gun tub on the Foc’sl. I think this is the design I’m going with. I’m using plastic since metal rods require quite a bit more pressure to insert and can result in more cast-offs. The design seem pretty durable but will require some care in storage. The care will be the same in keeping your painted pieces looking pristine and unchipped from wear. The paint and lacquer coat will also add another layer of durability in the end.

I have also started on some of the arty but mostly just prep work before the real modding starts.
Hope you like.

Rommel’s carreer as a Tank general began with the 7th Panzer with 38Ts as the main tanks instead of indigenous German tanks due to their reliability and superior AT fire capabilities. Pz IIIs had an inferior 37mm gun at that time.
There were as many Czech gun armed tanks as German gun armed tanks in the blitzkreig of the west.