paloalto proffered:
My dear wife came through ... and the in-laws completed my ... requests.
You are either uniquely blessed, or uniquely brave.
I once suggested to my wife that micro armor was what I really wanted for my birthday. A full battalion (35 vehicles) of T-80s, with reactive armor, in fact.
Silly me.
She called, and drove, all over the bay area trying to get me what I really wanted. Found the hobby shops that stocked micro amor. None had enough. Went to several. Bought up most of the stocks within a 5 county area.
From multiple manufacturers.
The result? Some of the tanks (the GHQ ones) look quite nice. Some of them from other vendors are just not up to snuff. Maybe if they stood alone, I could push 'em on to a game table. But not mixed in with my GHQ stuff. The difference is just too stark.
But after all that she invested into the effort, I dared not mention that she was only partially successfull.
So I painted 'em all up. And they sit in my box. And I'm quietly picking up a pack of GHQ T-80s here and there when I see some special pricing (I'm not playing moderns actively these days, so I'm in no rush).
And I don't suggest she buy me any more of my preferred toys. My interests are too specific.
Some painting questions:
Did the Vichy French use the same uniforms as the Free French or those leftover from the battle of France?
Others have suggested Khaki. But I too have a question on this point.
What khaki?
As far as I understand, the khaki used by forces in French North Africa and the Levant (middle-east) was very close to tan. The khaki used in occidental France was kind of brown-green ... ? I've seen pictures (I have several books on France in WW2), but I've never satisfied myself as to what color I should use (should have USED) to paint up my French infantry.
Epoxy is good to use for bases?
I recommend something less extreme. For basing infantry I use regular old Elmer's White Glue. It does a reasonable job affixing almost anything to anything else, with two advantages:
1 ) When it dries, it still has a little "give". Figures on stands get knocked about a bit. Even the slightest give in the mountings protects them from damage, and makes it less likely they'll be bent or knocked off the stands.
2 ) It is not as hard to take off, if/when the need should occur. Many of my infantry have had to be re-based over time. The Elmers is pretty stable, but I can still peel it off without any major effort (or harsh chemicals) whenever I need to.
3 ) ... OK, there are THREE advantages. Third, it's cheap and available. Cheap is good, I like cheap. And if I run out of my stock, I can usually find another little bottle somewhere in my wife's or children's craft supplies. I really hate to get 95% done with a unit, and run out of something.
4 ) There is NO fourth reason.
-Mark 1
