Back after a break

Buying, and painting, and more painting!

     It's been a while but the fall of 2017 was pretty busy when it came to gaming related hobbies.  I picked up some new tools and started scooping up Matchbox cars for Gaslands.  Instead of reading it all I'll just start with pics and descriptions.

I had to get some items from GameCraftMinis.  This is one of his mdf compound kits I got (the roofs for the rooms aren't pictured) along with a couple more tank transporter boxes and the templates he makes for the spacecraft interior rooms.  Those are scaled down 2d pieces that will help you determine what you can match and how, along with how big it will be (you multiply your length by a set number depending on size, 20mm or 28mm).  After building the compound I covered edges with wood putty, put small rectangles in the corners (see upper left room) and then gave it a coat of non-skid paint, paint with sand in it.  Instead of having the roofs built into the kit I closed up their assembly holes and trimmed off the locater tabs.  It just needs a drybrush and some light weathering and it'll be ready for doors.

 

Soviet defendeers, Mig-21s and SU-24s

    For Little Wars 2018 I'm going to run an Invasion of Monster Island game using ufos, 1/285 Soviet aircraft, an alien mothership (to be built) and of course giant monsters.  The ufos come from ebay and were  one of eight styles in a package of  144.  I think they are for a boardgame.  I painted them up and put magnets in the bottom so the CorSec flightstands will work for all my air units.

1/1200 Japanese planes

  Aircraft in Naval Thunder  can be abstracted with d6s but I like modelling so I had to add some planes.  These are 1/1200 Japanese planes with which to harry any allied ships.  They are mounted on 18x18mm basswood bases using a thin brass rod.  Yes, I put propellers on them!  I do this for my 1/285 planes and I have the small punches to make them so why not?  At tabletop distance it doesn't add anything but I like it.  I have Betty's, Zeros, Vals, Kates, and a ton of seaplanes (including 15 individually mounted Jakes for my  IJJN).  In the future I may get some allied planes just to paint up.  In the background are 1/2400 French battleships waiting for their planes and labels to be done.

Jakes in progress.

     After poking around and reading some painting forums I figured I had to upgrade my paint shaking.  I have a Robart and it works fine but they can break (I'm on my 3rd).  I picked up this one from Amazon and it does a great job.  It has a setting so that it's off until you push down a paint bottle to mix and shuts off automatically.  Not super cheap but if you amortize it over the years of painting to do, it's a good investment.  

     We've been having painting challenges each month to motivate ourselves and this was the output from one of them, Panzerschiffe sinking merchant ships and some scratchbuilt barricades.  No labels needed on the merchants since they're more for dramatic effect than actual game objectives.