Posts made by Spitfire38

@jwo1984:

wow man they way you have them photo’d its like they are being assembled painted and presented straight out of a factory! they look so impressive all in rows together this must have been a lot of work! did you just paint one color at a time per unit just cause of the sheer volume of units ?  The british paratroopers and special forces look very cool! love the burgundy beret hats! hats off to you Spitfire!  are we going to see you tackle the germans or americans next??

Thanks jwo! The red berets for the special forces were based off of the British paratroopers that jumped into Arnhem in Operation Market Garden. Interestingly enough, the PIAT anti-tank weapon that this paratrooper has in the image below was the only anti-tank capabilities that the British troops had to fight off the SS Panzer division stationed in Arnhem. The consequences of bad intel…

As to my painting process: I always paint in an assembly line fashion unless I am painting a few of my personal pieces. I will go through and paint a certain layer on all the pieces, and then move on to the next layer for all the pieces. For example, the infantry begin with the base color of their uniform, which is followed by the base of the piece, then the rucksack, then the helmet, gun, canteen, entrenching tool, etc, and then the flesh. It’s definitely a process. It makes things efficient, conserves paint, and ensures a measure of quality control and consistency.

And John is having me paint the UK Europe pieces next, so you’ll see more of the British!

After many months and so many hours of painting, I am so very happy to present the UK Pacific pieces to you all.

The British Empire will finally have something to protect their interests in the Far East! Though the end of British control was to come soon after the war with independence in India/Pakistan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, they are still alive and well and eager to push the Japanese out of their territory.

Glamour shots below - see the individual photos on the earlier pages. I have edited the UK post with the photos.

Enjoy the pieces, and may you all continue to paint and share!

You’ve outdone yourself! These are wonderfully detailed. I don’t think the variety would be quite as useful without the name placards; they really help keep the carriers good for play while allowing for customization.

For the HMS Furious, did you mod the actual piece off of an old cruiser piece?

@jwo1984:

These are looking good spitfire…some very colourful selections for the brits! Cool green and black combo on the Matilda tanks.  Did or have you painted the Stirling bombers yet? ( if it made JB’s roster selection)  I also like the grey in the Lancaster.

Yes, I have painted the Stirlings! They were fun to paint because their size gives lots of room to play around with patterns.

The lighting is a little off in the photos, so the tanks are a green and a very dark green that appears black. Once I add the tracks and maybe some drybrushing, it should look more complete.

I would have to agree about the Lancaster. The gray and greenish scheme for the air force was my favorite scheme to paint out of all the UK Pacific pieces.

Thanks jwo and LHoffman!

Hi all! Here’s a few teaser photos for the UK Pacific pieces that are to be finished in the next two weeks. Some are unwashed or unfinished, but they are nearing the final stages.

Thanks for the tip!

@Bravehart:

Spitfire…

I have just got my Roundels from HBG. The international shipping a slightly hefty ( outside the states ), but you get 20 I think Roundels ( maybe 15 ).
The quality is excellent.

Hope that helped

BH

Thanks BH! I also use HBG - they’re wonderful. They get their decals from I-94 Enterprises, so I get them from I-94. Did you get Union Jack decals (the UK flag) from HBG or just the roundels?

Appreciate the input.

@cyanight:

I used the British Roundel but made some Union Jacks for my ships. This supplier on ebay sells some that might fit.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-72-to-1-144-Decals-UK-Union-Jack-Scottish-St-Andrews-Saltire-Flag-YK-48-/121171642098?var=&hash=item1c366486f2:m:mWtDu8TXaxi43OkCtmPXB8w

Ah yes, I forgot about this supplier. Thanks! I’ve used him before for the ANZAC flags and was quite happy!

Hi all - I’m looking for some Union Jacks of assorted sizes to put on John Brown’s British pieces. Does anyone have a good supplier? I thought that I had hit on something with Fighting Pirannha Graphics, but communication between us broke down and they never replied. I’ve sent them another email, but I need a supplier in case they don’t get back to me.

Customizers: where do you get your Union Jacks from? If you don’t use them but know where to get them, that would be very helpful as well.

Many thanks in advance.

@LHoffman:

Holy crap those B-17s are nice. Amazing work man.

@Spitfire38:

One effect that I really like but haven’t figured out how to replicate is the powder burns where the cannons would be on the fighter jets. For example, the P-50 Mustang or the Spitfire have a few .50 cals that look very snappy if you put some powder burns on the wings. It really brings a sense of realism if you do it right, but it’s difficult to pull off without overdoing it.

Spitfire…

Yeah, I agree. Here are a couple that I did a while back for Tall Paul. He wanted his Marine Corps fighters to have a more used/worn look.

http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=26127.msg1158351#msg1158351

He requested the powder stains on the top of the wings, though I believe they would be more pronounced on the bottoms. Literal downside is that you can’t see them on the bottom though. I even did a little bit on the engine cowling (from oil leaks/wear), which I think added a nice touch. It is hard to notice on these planes though, so in the future I may darken it up a bit.

It is difficult to do in a subtle manner. Upon re-evaluation of my technique here, I would tone it down a bit or diffuse the effect for the guns. I used a watered down black ink, but even then you have to be extremely conservative on how much you apply. It is perhaps easier with fighters because you can pinpoint their guns more easily than you can a bomber. You want it to be noticeable, but not stark. It is a fine line to be sure.

Thanks for the link. Those are the pieces I was thinking of.

Like you said, diffusing it even more would likely be a good idea. I think it would be more forgiving if the plane was more weathered and dirty in general, as jwo1984 was pointing out. When I get around to painting some of my own pieces I’ll probably try it out!

When you say repaint, do you just paint over the old paint job or do you soak them in spirits or something to strip them?

Also, where did you get the jet fighters? They look great!

The watered down black works well. I have decided against washing my planes, as I feel like it doesn’t turn out well.

One effect that I really like but haven’t figured out how to replicate is the powder burns where the cannons would be on the fighter jets. For example, the P-50 Mustang or the Spitfire have a few .50 cals that look very snappy if you put some powder burns on the wings. It really brings a sense of realism if you do it right, but it’s difficult to pull off without overdoing it.

@jwo1984:

Are you still working on JB’s big project? anything coming up in the new year from your studio? Always have enjoyed your showcases!

Yes, I am coming along with JB’s project! The semester is over, so I have some more time to get work done. The air force and navy are done except for the decals, and the rest are coming shortly. JB’s schemes he picked are turning out nicely, so hopefully I’ll have some good work to show you all soon! Thanks for posting your pieces in the interim.

I’m always amazed by the paneling work on your planes. Very crisp. Is that just watered down black paint? The lines look very faint.

Thanks for sharing!

@Scipe:

Hey it’ll be a fun learning experience. Just got back from Michaelswith magnetic tape and the paints you recommend in your guide. Wish me luck.  :lol:

That’s awesome! I’m excited for you. Happy painting, and let me or the community know if you have any questions.

@Scipe:

Just recently purchased my own set of G40 2nd Ed. Was thinking of doing the magnetic Carriers and attempting to paint the units. How long does it normally take to finish a full set? I understand that John had OOB and Aftermarket units.

I might end up purchasing some aftermarket pieces in case i REALLY mess up on painting and can’t rectify the issues with my amateur skills.

Well, the amount of time it takes depends on your process, how detailed you’d like to be, the quality of your paints (and therefore how many coats you have to do, etc…)

However, I can give you a rough estimate for my work. For each group of pieces (navy, infantry, air force, ground forces) it takes me approx 7-10 hours to paint 40 pieces. So, for one OOB nation, it might take (8 hrs x 4 = 32 hours) for one nation. Multiply that by the number of nations, taking into account that some nations have more than 40 pieces in their sets, and that would give you an estimate of how long it takes. It’s going to be a large number, I can certainly tell you that.

Wow! Those stands are beautiful. They really make the pieces stand out. (No pun intended). How did you make them?

@LHoffman:

Great work sir! Your superstructure work on the ships really makes it stand out.

Agreed! Do you wash the superstructure (and sides/hull, or no?) and then paint the wooden decks?

@IdaRed:

For those of you who apply primer before painting your miniatures, are you using cans of spray paint like Krylon or the brush on kind like those sold by Vallejo and others?  If you’ve used both what is your preference or pros and cons of each?

I use spray paint. My last can or two has been Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2x Ultra Cover Flat Gray Primer. Now isn’t that a mouthful…

I would go with the thinnest primer you can find (less than 2x Ultra Cover preferred). But the cans I’ve been using have been working just fine.

Very impressive work Mentok! I’ll echo the others and say that your work is very clean. The lines are crisp, the camouflages aren’t distracting, and the color schemes are pleasing to the eye. I assume you use acrylic paints, from what I can tell from the photos. What brand do you use?

How did you get the “KAGA” lettering to be so precise?