WWI British Female Mark IV 28MM

Richard over at Warpstone Pile painted a really nice A7V German tank for NOVA(which has been subsequently saved from lacquer frosting). I figured that since I had a Trenchworx Mark IV sitting in my closet that I might as well paint it up to provide his tank some company.

There are many nice features to this model, including magnets included for easy weapon sponson swaps, but there were also significant mold registration issues. The tracks and machine guns on this tank suffer from what looks like a mold mold slip. Regardless, I enjoyed painting the model and decided that I would not cover the bad tracks with mud as would be my standard approach to correcting poor tracks. I think the tracks are important on the vehicle, and despite flaws in the kit, these style tracks form the basis for what Games Workshop would eventually use for their archaic-future aesthetic.

So this is not a Renault, but it is from the great war. Bonus points for that?

Tiger Based

Today I based a Bolt Action tiger. I am beginning to think that all the models I enter into painting competitions need bases. Even a simple all black plinth is enough to make a model stand out more. I'm happy to at least have another entry for the NOVA Open capitol pallet.

Weathered

The German bust I am painting for NOVA is almost completed. The first round of weathering is on the model, which is great fun once started, but enormously stressful prior to committing to it. I am really happy with how the oil paints turned out on the wooden stock on the MG42. I will do a little more work weathering, and then clean up work, but this guy is mostly done.

The base was not planned. It was just a base I added for painting, but after dropping the figure trying to detach him, I think the base hast to stay. At least the position is reasonable!

Face

I started working on the bust's face this morning for a little bit of pre-gym fun. I had intended to just play around with some color using acrylics before re-painting the face using oils. However now I am undecided on whether or not to repaint the face at all. I think this is looking pretty good. I think my new plan might be to use oils as a transparent layer on top of this base coat. I may take a break from this and do some distressing of the black leather straps. I've been wanting to use a pink/coal/black mixture of paint for a while and this gives me the perfect opportunity to do it.

I am dreading two steps on this model now that it is starting to look finished. The whitewash on the helmet, and the snow and mud accumulation. The whitewash will be fun, but it is less controlled than I normally like. I think the helmet has a very realistic look right now, and whitewash will obscure it. The snow and mud are just going to be difficult. I plan to use Secret Weapon Miniatures crushed glass for the snow, and have yet to figure out how to apply it to the model. I'm not going for a wet look, but the look of fallen snow. That rules out using water effects as a binder. Since glass is hazardous, I want to fix it really well to the miniature, but I also want the glue/binder to not be visible. I have no real solution to this yet. Maybe I'll have to reach out to SWM to figure out what they use.

1/10 Scale German Soldier

I've never painted a bust before, but I figured it was time to give it a shot and see how I liked it. What you see here are work in progress shots of a german soldier serving in winter gear. This guy is going to get a white-washed helmet with mud and snow environmental effects on his clothing. To complement that, I am going to give him a warm completion. Another thing I am going to play with is finish. Black leather parts will have a satin finish with matte worn areas, while his clothing will be ultra matte. I am looking forward to playing with the finishes.


(Yes, I see the giant mold line!)

Mass Production of Bolt Action Buildings

I am just about finished with the building construction phase for my new set of Bolt Action terrain. If you read my blog regularly, then you might remember that previously I had made a large number of 28mm or 1/56 scale buildings for Bolt Action using silicon molds and resin. This time around for 20mm, I decided to use dental plaster for the material. The buildings are definitely more fragile, but they are much easier to work with, and overall, it has been a much more enjoyable process.

The essential construction technique used here has been casting basic building blocks and then then plastering over them allowing brick and stonework to show through. Despite a very quick paint jobs intended to just block in color (sub 30 minutes), I am impressed.

Two techniques for quick and easy brick/stone mortar

1. Base bricks with red primer
2. airbrush on thinned white Humbrol enamel paint
3. wet napkin with enamel thinner and wipe the white off of the raised areas

1. Base bricks with red primer
2. airbrush on thinned Tamiya white paint
3. wipe off raised areas using a paper towel wet with x-20A thinner

Both  techniques are easy. The enamel method requires careful cleaning of the airbrush due to switching between oil and water based paints, but provides a white that is much easier to erase from raised edges. The Tamiya acrylic method requires scrubbing and the produces a rough surface. Either method is super fast and easy.