Posts made by Spitfire38

Where exactly are you located? (Europe by any chance?) I assume the US, since it’s in $, but I might be interested in D-Day if you’re in Europe.

@Viracocha:

You moved overseas?  You didn’t by chance end up in the UK?  Always looking for players…

Unfortunately not the UK. :/ I mean, I’m very happy in the Netherlands, but we can’t play a game hahaha!

@Tall:

––And you’ve hit a home run with the ‘Combat Tuxedo’ on the “From Russia with Love” character. 8-) You have to “let Loose” every once in awhile.

“Combat Tuxedo”. I like it; I think that will now be his name!

Thanks guys!

No, they’re not coated yet, unfortunately. They lose the rustic look when you spray them, so I always am hesitant to do so, but I’d like them to last. I recently moved overseas, so I’m not sure exactly where I’ll find the spray. I used to use a matte varnish from a spray can, just from Home Depot or Lowes. However, I think I will have to spend a bit more $$$ and go with the Warhammer varnish spray instead, since I can’t find the equivalent of what I used to use. I have heard that there are varnishes you can brush on, but I’m not that interested, although I would love to hear any advantages to using those.

Here is the entire Russian infantry army. Well, just for the Europe1940, as I’m trying to finish that one first. (I’m pretty darn close too; well, relatively close  :-D)

Forest Scheme

Drab Scheme

Here are what I call the “Nationalist Troops.” For each faction I try to paint a few inf with the roundels on the base, just for flair, maybe to put in the capitols or for house rules. And they’re fun to paint.

And every once in a while you have to let loose. The Russian jacket has two lines on it that make for a perfect tuxedo, and so I decided to make James Bond/Hitman/Spy, whoever you want him to be.

Enjoy! I’ll put more pics up when I get the chance.

Well, the last post was about a month ago, but I’ll jump in on the conversation. I haven’t ever used enamels, but I like the sound of paints that you can reconstitute. I often end up wasting paint (granted, I’ve learned to conserve, so it’s not large quantities) if I need to get a color right and end up mixing a batch too large. However, I really like the quick dry of acrylics. Perhaps if I ever stumble on a large sum of money I’ll get me some enamels  :lol:

In other news, I have some more pieces painted that I’ll post pics of. I have been absent from A&A.org for quite a long time for various reasons, but I’d like to get back to posting tutorials/sharing ideas and work! I’ll post my US Navy warships (I haven’t finished CVs, trannies, or subs), and my Russian inf, which I’m quite proud of. Also, I have some HBG Axis supplements (Hummels, trucks, arty, StuGs, etc) that are in a dark grey/black scheme, and a woodland camo, as well as 6 FW-190s. So, I’ll try to get pics up of those ASAP.

Anyone have any tips for taking photos? I can’t seem to get lighting or angles that make them look right; perhaps I need to use more natural light or a different camera.

Yeah, Pearl Harbor is not a “battle” persay. As Yavid pointed out, there’s really not much tactical fighting to be done.

@DrLarsen:

@DrLarsen:

@Yavid:

oh no I hate blue russians. makes me think the purges depressed the russians and to get away they ran to paris to defend the place from the germans.

Well, at this scale a T-34/76 could pass for a Somua S-35, a Yak-1 could pass for an M.S. 406, or, for that matter a D. 520 (which had its cockpit further back like the MiG but was said to be so similar in flying characteristics to the Yak-1 that Free French pilots trained on it in England to get ready to fly Yaks in Russia…)� � The artillery is really a US 105 mm, which has a fairly generic Field Artillery look in any case, and they don’t start a out with any Mechs anyway, so what’s the big deal with the land units?� � It’s the naval units where France was most distinctive (and formidable, actually) and it is where using Soviet units most short-changes them!

Oh, and keeping in mind that they do have an oob Infantry that looks pretty good imho.

Yeah, the OOB infantry is nice… maybe an action pose would be better, but they’re not bad!

I think there clearly is a divide here haha. There are many naval pieces that stay on the board, as there are infantry pieces. So a whole set would be nice, but I think at bare minimum there needs to be a new tank sculpt, a new artillery sculpt, a new fighter sculpt, and a new cruiser and destroyer.

For those who want to see Viracocha’s pics, right click and open them in a new tab. its a good size then

Post away! I am appreciative of the input.

Well, the glue dries perfectly clear. There is no problem with a shiny finish. I need to figure out something that holds better. If I used finer material, it would stick much better!

Haha yes, it did come out quite large! Interesting…I’ll have to try the fibers. It would look more realistic for fields, the Russian steppes, etc.

Enjoy!

So yesterday I whipped up some infantry and then practiced terrain basing…WOW, was I pleased with the results!!

Here are the materials I used.

1. Cut out egg container- This is what I used to make the glue mixture… you can use something else if you want. If you DO use the egg carton, make sure there are not small holes in the bottom, as many sections have 2 small holes. I figured it out the hard way a while ago- paint wash all over my desk  :-P

2. One fairly stiff brush- This brush should be one you do not cherish, and it should be a little bit stiff, so you can paint glue where you want it.

3. Some terrain- Pick what you want. I went to Hobby Lobby for mine… $8 total. You want it to be pretty fine.

4. Tacky Glue- I would actually recommend PVA glue, but I couldn’t find any. So I used this. Its dirt cheap too.

To start out, make your basic infantry pieces. The only difference is, the base of the piece needs to be the color of the terrain you’re applying. (Oh, by the way, I figured out, the darker and more liberally you apply the paint wash, the better the pieces look IMO. just go back over the flesh and the gun, as those are parts you don’t really shadow.)

Desert/Sand- Light brown or tan
Grass/Forest- Olive Green
Dirt/Rocks- Brown
Cobblestone/Gravel/Urban- Grey
Seasons- White (Snow), Burgundy (Autumn), etc.

Here are pics of my infantry. I painted them in 4 hours, which was actually remarkably fast, and they turned out to be my best work yet IMO.

Next, mix some of the tacky glue with a little bit of water… use your discretion. You need to stir it with a wooden skewer or your finger or something like that. You basically want spreadable glue. But not too much water!

Next, apply the glue to the base liberally. Here is a picture… sorry for the bad picture, but I don’t know how much I can show, besides the fact that the glue has beaded on the bristles, and it is still globby sort of.

Now, quickly spread the glue around the base liberally, then sprinkle the terrain all over the base; put a lot on, because some will fall off. If it’s too clumpy, crumble it between your fingers while you do it. OR, just as effectively, you can dip the piece into the terrain materials. See pics for examples.

Tap the pieces, brush off any excess around the base you don’t want, do some touch ups, and voila!!

Here are the final product. (The grey pieces I tried to paint, but they weren’t secure enough, so I couldn’t really get it to work… I’ll figure out a solution.)
The usual disclamier…things always look better in person, but here they are!

@Lunarwolf:

well if its true that reprint of 1940 is coming out this 4th quarter than i say might as well wait until it comes out to see if OOB made anything new

New pieces in a reprint for the French are unlikely IMO.

I would rather get one French set, then focus on other nations, because as much as we need new pieces… the French are on the board for 1-2 turns. However, I know they may be necessary for the 1939 game (which I would buy if I had the time or pieces to play  :-o)

How lucky, I’m moving to Europe! Yes, I’m sure shipping would be a pain… hmmm

No, that’s great info; thanks! I suppose I should just try it out myself to get the hang of things  :lol:

Hello everyone! It has been quite a while since I have posted in this thread or given you guys any new content. I have still been painting, though not as much recently due to school exams. But now we are well into summer and I will hopefully start doing some more tutorials.

For now, here is my most recent project; the FMG Italian Navy!! If you are wondering, I did not purchase the whole FMG set- I bought bits and pieces from HBG. I DID NOT buy the DD, sub, commander unit, medium tank, truck, and I think that’s it. So the DD and sub in these pics are not the FMG molds. I don’t have a tutorial about these, but if you have questions, feel free to ask. And as always, enjoy!!

The Italian Battleship

The Italian Aircraft Carrier. P.S. I really like this deck color- every time I can mix a color straight from my head, I love it  :-D

The Italian Cruiser and Destroyer

And last but not least, the Glorious Regia Marina

Note: The Italian subs will probably have an addition of a few colors to differentiate them from the US sub scheme.

Does anybody have any advice for taking good quality pics of pieces? I have tried a few methods and gotten mixed results. Any help would be appreciated.

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Next up I’m trying my hand at terrain basing for units!!

I am going to be using some HBG Axis Minor Infantry units I purchased ($5 for 100 infantry? YEAH) to try out terrain basing. Ideally, once I get good, I will mount some pieces like tanks and trucks on a chip with gravel/grass/sand to make a terrain piece that can be used on the board… that would be sweet!

Does anyone have any experience with terrain pieces? Viracocha, I know you have done this on your AA50 pieces. Any input from anyone would be greatly appreciated! After all, this is a community thread for all to benefit from, so any knowledge is great  :-)

This looks cool! If nothing else I would buy for the pieces. I wonder where I could purchase it; it’s not on Amazon

I must say, when you guys release pics of the pieces, or even a list of pieces, it makes my heart speed up a bit with excitement  :-D And I really appreciate the fact that you let us give input in the pieces you create… it really brings a whole new aspect of customer service. Thanks!!

And yes, quality over speed!

@Variable:

With the now 2 different oob submarines (we get a new one in AA41), do you all think we could put off doing the I-400? I’m looking for ways to fit in some of the more popular choices for Japan without sacrificing any unit types.

Yes, I am fine with that. In fact, please!

Thank you so much! I was planning on figuring out how to work these in, but you’ve done it already? Just curious, has this had any playtesting? I know I’ll be working it in to my games in the future!

@Lunarwolf:

i’ve always hoped the US would get Pershing maybe in a future set. but i dont mind the japanese player having to use tigers as heavy, since they probably wont be buying nay anyways. and  about the tony that is the same kind of argument about the p38 it looks completely unique army fighter but still HBG made a war-hawk and a mustang even though those 2 Army fighters look alike at the scale. and no one complained about that.

A Pershing would be SWEET!  :-o

Idk, maybe I’m alone in support of the Tony- I can sort of understand the Warhawk and the Mustang…different wing shapes and noses. I guess that could be argued for all planes. I just love the pointed nose of the Tony and the fact that it is an army fighter, not associated with the navy.

My two cents about the Japanese heavy tank: I don’t think it’s necessary. as Yavid pointed out, a Japanese heavy tank is wimpy compared to others. and when would you need a heavy tank?

@Variable:

For those that think the Zero should be included, what would you give up on the current list?

I would say that since there are no paratroopers in this set, scratch the transport plane and release it with the next set. It is not vital to the game IMO. In terms of getting rid of the Tony, I disagree completely (I know everyone has their own opinion  :-P) Here’s why:

1. It’s an army fighter, so it is different from all the others that were used in the navy. It could have a different purpose, perhaps in China, India, and some islands.

2. It is a very distinct shape/mold, which I always enjoy, as it brings variety to the board. It looks great.

In my opinion, get rid of the transport plane or one of the BBs for the Zero. I know they are great to have as the Japanese, but 4 BBs (3 + 1 OOB) is a lot, and they are not purchased much after the initial setup, whereas planes are much more universally used and distributed.