Pete's Place

[pmskaar]

Hi Hoth

Don't feel bad about using Panzer Gray vehicles with your Dunkelgelb ones. I have learned a long time ago that there are actually 2 sometimes competing universes at play. One is what I call "Pete's World". In this world, all my tanks and vehicles are painted up to extremely high standards and always have the correct scheme no matter what game I am playing. Then there is the real world. This is the world I actually inhabit from day to day and sometimes we have to make some compromises as to actual models representing the models we are depicting, having a camo scheme that is not exactly right or even just wrong or whatever.

As an example, my current Tiger Is are being painted to represent the 2nd Company of the 503rd Schwere Abteilung around the time of Kursk. If I need them for a game to represent the 505th or 502nd then they will be there although a purist might take issue. Most gamers won't notice or really care even if they do.

Having a few panzer gray tanks among dunkelgelb ones is fine. I have used my North Africa Panzers for Russian Front games before. Historically, this is not necessarily wrong as some tanks slated for North Africa did end up in Russia. If I really need more short barreled Panzer IVs and Panzer IIs for a North Africa game right now, I would have to dip in to my panzer gray ones to serve as I don't currently have enough. I am trying to rectify that soon.

Painting. I spray a coat of primer on with my airbrush first. I then do a white undercoat over that. I will generally paint all my basecoat on in 1 session. Since the paint drys so fast, I will keep going over the vehicle all over until I am satisfied that I have hit all the areas with enough paint. If ,for some reason, I notice later that an area is a bit thin, I will hit that area again.

Once the basecoat is dry, that is when the real "fun" begins of doing the camo, tires, tracks and other detail work.

[Hoth_902]

Hey Pete,

I would not say I feel bad about mixing and matching. Though my engineering brain compels me to be as accurate as I can, I know that for WWII that is probably not going to happen. Especially because i have chosen to build units on a 1 for 1 basis.. To have units that are so accurate that a purist would be satisfied, would be far more money than I want to spend and take way more time that I have left on this earth. Even if I was not 53. Plus, I am still in deep with Modern, so I am always playing catch up now that the military's of the world are in a vehicle transition period. In addition, the current gaming group that I currently belong too, does not typically model a game around an actual event and so its more abstract. So my goal is to get as close as possible to one unit and its scheme and then build a new one with another scheme. Or something like that. If I need to use Panzer Grey pieces, then I certainly will do that.

Man, as you talk about the details of your collection, I really would love to see them. I think you mentioned you are down in Arizona... If we ever head down there again, because we love the area, I might have to give you a ring... From the little bit I have seen, it looks glorious.

So for the airbrushing, I think we are close to the same process. I do Med grey primer color and then two coats of Dunkelgelb. Just pulled my PZIIIs off the paint sticks... Next up will be some King tigers, a few more PZIIILs and Ns without side skirts and some PZIV short barrels. O and a few half tracks. Got to have some infantry... LOL. Beyond that, i too have noticed that airbrushed mini's dry quick and doing multiple layers are easy to do, one on top of the other. However, i am sometimes doing 20 to 30 tanks at time, so I need to take a break going into the second hour and then if I wait a day, it clears my site and I can pick up missed spots more. Do you do a clear coat on yours?

yea, the fun stuff.. Detail work.. So far so good, but I am scared to do the camo... Not sure why, I am sure it will be ok.. Just super hesitant...

[BurtWolf]

A little late to the discussion (and it’s a good one), life has been very busy and I haven’t picked up a paintbrush in about six months, but I do think variety makes the board a little more interesting. I would say that some of my items are different shades of Dunkle Gelb or gray, but I like that “skittles” type of effect…

Because I like variety, I try to add extra kit to my minis, and this is why I’m always chirping about a stowage offering for a new release.

[Hoth_902]

Burtwolf,

I am right with you on vehicle stowage. If you remember, I am also a strong advocate as well. I am going to buy more packs of the US halfback stowage for my wwii and modern vehicles.

Post some picks of your molded vehicles.

[pmskaar]

Thanks, Hoth! Let me know if you are coming down this way. It would be great to meet you.

The fear of getting started in something due to our high expectations of the outcome is known by me as "Pete's Wall of Perfection" or more commonly known just as "The Wall of Perfection". It is that sort of trepidation of starting something new, that we are not familiar with, but our high expectations or the desire for it to be perfect keep us from taking the first step.

I do occasionally suffer from this thing myself but eventually I realize that the project won't complete itself and to do the best I can. Sometimes just working on a single piece at a time might be a remedy. At some point in the modeling/painting process, I have to just say ... Good enough.

I would love to see GHQ do vehicle stowage and maybe some of it for specific common vehicles such as spare roadwheels, track links, and of course the various tarps and crates etc.

[Hoth_902]

I need to make a visit GHQ forum National Tour.. Would love to me everyone face to face.

I would agree on you about fear of getting started.. Not sure why I suffer from it.... Its nothing some LA totally awesome could not take care of... And if I cannot paint a good camo pattern, then I do a mono color only... and leave out the detail, if necessary... LOL.. Ugh.. i definitely suffer from "Pete's Wall of Perfection" Wonder if there will ever be an ointment for that...

Yes,... GHQ needs stowage.. Wheels and treads for different vehicles would be awesome. Then tarps and jerry cans... amo boxes... crates... A kitten.... O wait... Ok, maybe not a kitten...

[Brigade Commander]

... A kitten.... O wait... Ok, maybe not a kitten...

Leave the kitten here. Never had one of them. We usually rescued ones six or older. Although the one we had thought he was a kitten all of his seventeen years. And they need some better emojis on here.

[pmskaar]

Here is a picture of 4 of my Tiger Is that are in progress. I have been working on the detail work such as tracks, tow cables, hull MGs, and the metal parts of the tools.

[redleg]

Those are amazing Pete! How long does it usually take you to complete a vehicle? I don't think I have the patience (or skill) to paint tools and details like that! Fantastic work!

[Hoth_902]

Pete,

Once again, incredibly great looking tigers. I do not think I saw anything that was not visually incredible from your collection. I am about to mount up 10 tigers and at least get them based coated before Turkey day or right after.

[pmskaar]

Thank you both very much, Redleg and Hoth.

Redleg, it is hard to figure out how much time I spend per piece on these things. These Tiger Is with the interleaved roadwheels, camouflage, and all the various tools and accessories do take a while. If I had to guess, probably about 10 hours a piece if I was just doing 1. On the other hand, Shermans with a monotone scheme and somewhat less detail probably take me around 4 hours or so. One of these days I may actually clock it on a single piece to see how much time it takes. It is certainly not "battalions in minutes" that's for sure.

Hoth. Good luck on your Tigers as well.

[Hoth_902]

Pete,

I thought I would ask this question here, instead of where you posted the picture. I think its better to keep all your words of wisdom in one spot.. With that said, here is my question. In the picture below, How did you make your Evergreen trees? I just Bump pipe cleaners for my tree stands. I see that you spaced your trees out a little bit. I am assuming that is to be able to move vehicles and infantry through them. Do you ever put them more dense together so that tanks cannot move between them?

[pmskaar]

Hi Hoth

My trees were made with the bump chenille provided in the Terrain Maker sets. I followed the basic directions for making the evergreen trees and then added some thinned white glue and rubbed with my fingers over the material. This separates it and makes it look more like evergreen boughs than the fuzzy original look. The key is to not put the thinned glue on too heavy otherwise you have it likely to all clump together.

After that, I let the trees dry and then drybrush some flat white paint on them for the dusting of snow.

Spacing. This gets into the realm of realism vs what is practical for gaming purposes. I spaced my trees a bit more than you might see in nature. If I were to do this again or add to it, I might make a few trees around the edges of the hex and then have a group of trees on a separate base which can be inserted in the middle but removable. This way, if I have to move infantry or vehicles into the hex I can do that easily.

One other thing to consider is that at the start of a game, woods can be designated either light or heavy. Heavy woods wood generally be impassible to vehicles except along roads or trails while light woods might be more passable but at a greater cost.

[pmskaar]

Here are some more pictures of my winter terrain.

[Begemot]

Pete - Beautiful winter terrain. It's crying out for a Bulge game to played on it. Good place to put those Shermans of yours to work.


Begemot