My first attempts

CountRingworm · Post by **CountRingworm** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 7:24 am

finally found the time to snap a few shots of my first attempts. i did 5 stug-iii models in late-war camo pattern.

i also used some of the bragdon enterprises rust pigments http://www.bragdonent.com on the treads. some are really read (i made a bad mix of red and brown and didn't quite get it all covered

)

also is a test example of some basing i tried as well.

i really noticed the furry appearance of the models in this pic- it's the famous Games Workshop primer fuzziness. i think next batch will have to be with another primer. they don't look that fuzzy at all in person, just in the photos. they're a bit washed out with the flash too, this is my first attempt also at trying to photograph something this small.

well, what can i do better? let me know what you think.

tstockton · Post by **tstockton** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 7:38 am

CountRingworm,

I think they look pretty darned good for a first attempt! But I do note the "fuzziness" you're talking about... perhaps a different primer would serve you well. I am personally very fond of Floquil's white and light gray primers. Floquil is a lacquer-based paint line -- I purchase mine from my local hobby shop, which is about 50% model railroad stuff. Floquil is noted for the "fineness" of the their pigments -- which means when the solvents evaporate, you are left with a very fine coating of pigments -- unless you really "blob on" the paint, you won't obscure any surface detail! I only get them in spray cans, so there's no clean-up involved (other than inverting the can and giving a quick spray to clear the nozzle on the can). Be sure to paint in a well-ventilated area -- I always do mine outside. And do light coats... if you don't get the coverage you desire on the first coat, let it dry a little bit then give the models a second coat.

You also "discovered" a trick for modeling -- in any genre or scale -- take pictures. The camera's "eye" will often discover what the human eye misses... Sounds odd, but it works -- must be a perception "thing"...

Regards,
Tom Stockton

srcurrie · Post by **srcurrie** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:16 am

I like the paint jobs. What are you using for basing? Is it really as thick as it seems?
I normally use just Matte-board so my bases are fairly thin.

Extra Crispy · Post by **Extra Crispy** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:48 am

A Basing Suggestion...

I think the gravel you're using looks too large fopr the vehicles. I'd pick up a bag of craft sand ($3 gets you 2000 bases worth) and use that instead.

But otherwise your StuGs look very good for a first attempt!

rct75001 · Post by **rct75001** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 4:04 pm

I think the painting is great - and not just considering it is your first attempt.

But I do agree with a few other comments on bases - the gravel certanly doesn't look in scale and the thickness of the base to me takes away from teh good job on the vehicles.

Some people don't base at all - I guess it is a personal choice.

Thanks for posting and keep painting.

CountRingworm · Post by **CountRingworm** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 7:10 pm

my bases are of 1/8 inch hardboard left over from a drawer bottom i had to replace in the kitchen (i do a bit of woodworking on the side as yet another hobby). i thought the seemed a bit chunky as well for this size of miniatures. i'll have to pick up some of the matte board mentioned next hobby shop run (which i hope to find the floquil primer as well).

i agree about the gravel as well. years ago, i painted a few battletech minis, and i used that on some desert bases. if i remember correctly, it's medium ballast from model railroading. i had these materials lying around, so i figured i'd give them a try and see what happened. thankfully i didin't glue anything down yet to any bases.

i'll definately look into that other sand and give that a whirl. i was using a technique i saw in the blitzkrieg commander forums in this thread: http://www.blitzkrieg-commander.com/Pag ... orumPage=1

thanks for the compliments! learning lots of stuff already.

Pitfall · Post by **Pitfall** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:55 pm

About basin materials, I think that most flocking materials out there are a little too coarse for this scale.

I think brown or green paint with a little bit of fine silica sand is good enough for micro scale. To give it more texture, a quick drybrush would work fine.

vicvolta · Post by **vicvolta** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:24 pm

Definately agree to that! I seldom use flock for 6mm, silica or fine beach sand works great. For bigger stones, rocks etc. I use more coarse sand. Flock, lite static grass, I think works well as small bush.
But then again, I dont base my vehicles... Just the inf.

Mk 1 · Post by **Mk 1** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 12:32 am

CountRW:

Nice job. I particularly like the shading you've managed on the running gear. Looks very much like a track that has run through the muck and mud of a winter's day in a European forrest.

I think the gritty texture could add "character" on a KV or a T-34, but I agree with others that it is a bit out of sorts with these StuGs. If you say this was a by-product of your choice of primer, I would recommend a change. I have settled on Floquil as my prefered primer, and feel it has given very good results. I don't think I've ever seen this kind of effect with Floquil.

However, I have seen a very similar effect with Testor's Model Master spray paints, which I often use for base coating. Others here have suggested that the effect could be related to spraying at a distance in hot sunshine, a process which causes some of the droplets to dry in mid-air. I haven't been able to check the correlation, but I always do spray outdoors, tend to hold my can some distance from the models (always more than 12, usually 18 to 24 inches), and I often paint on hot afternoons, and I do occasionally see the phenominon, so it seems a reasonable enough possibility to me.

As to the ballast/pebbles/sand... If you happen to have a household like mine (full of family), you also might try this trick: Apply a sugar sifter to stealings from the sand box. We have kids, but they are a bit old for a sandbox anymore. But the sand is still there, used only by the neighborhood cats

. Two buckets and a sugar sifter (used for sprinkling powdered sugar) allows me to "mine" for fine grain and course grain sand. Costs me nothing except 10 or 15 minutes of my time.

jb · Post by jb » Wed Sep 20, 2006 2:01 am

...good job,overall. Ah,the primer thing..No. I posted in the primer thread about running into a problem with a "bumpy" Primer. Toss it or get your money back. Even for the soviet stuff the bumps are way out of scale.Face it its bad primer. The brand i used is Armory. Its really good primer,just not that one batch. I still use Armory brand,or like Mk1 mentioned Testors color for a primer and base coat.But,I now spray paint a piece of cardboard with the first spray of the can,so I don't ruin a whole company...Kind of like a "recon" spray...

CountRingworm · Post by **CountRingworm** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 4:38 am

ok, that can of primer is going in the trash. hopefully the round of infantry i primed at the same time as the stugs will turn out ok. i might take a soft brush to them and see if i can knock some of it away.

any othe comments about the base material size? this 1/8 inch mdf is plentiful and cheap, but if it looks too large, i'll move to something else.

thanks also for the tips on the sand to use. i'll definately be making a change there as well. i'll see what i can find.

tstockton · Post by **tstockton** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:33 am

CountRingworm,

Don't throw that "ballast" away! You can use it for other things...

Here, I've used Woodland Scenics' Buff Coarse and Medium Ballast to model the "riffrap" or "talus" around the base of the bridge (stones used to lessen / prevent erosion).

And here, I've used the Coarse Ballast to build a stone wall running along a road.

I'm sure there are many other uses... and like many things, a lot of it depends on your perceptions. If you are pleased with it, then how much does it matter what anyone else thinks!? (On the fiip side, though... listening to the comments / critiques of others and learning from / applying those lessons learned is how we often improve our own skills!)

For some other examples of what I've done with terrain -- and I know mine isn't the best, but I think I can at least hold my own...

here are a couple of links to my web site:

http://tomstockton.us/tanks/1-285/ghq/terrain_maker.htm

http://tomstockton.us/tanks/1-285/my_pics/my_pics.htm

Regards,
Tom Stockton

CountRingworm · Post by **CountRingworm** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:25 am

that's some beautiful terrain, tom! i have a little tupperware container full of that ballast, i'll keep it for when i attempt some terrain.

you may be able to see on that base i did that i have some static grass as well, and i think somewhere i have "field grass" and "late fall foliage" from woodland scenics.

hopefully i can conjure up something.

miffster · Post by **miffster** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 6:47 am

Count Ringworm

I don't think there is wrong with the primer. The following are primed with GW primer.

[IM

They may be dodgey paint jobs, but they are smooth.

There are two potential problems you may be having:

1) Heat. If the ** CENSORED ** temperature is too high then then the spry starts too dry before hitting the model and "balls up" (sorry

can't think of a better phrase) before it hits the surface.

2) Distance. If you are spraying from too far away then you can end up with the same effect.

The bottom line is find a primer you are happy with. If you have had good results with GW primer before there is nothing about it that should stop you getting good results again. If not, try a different one.

You could try coral sand (for aquariums) as a ballast. Good and fine and easily dry brushed for texture.

All that aside, the camo finish is really good, and if you get your undercoat sorted you will be right up there with the best.

Good luck!

Matt

CountRingworm · Post by **CountRingworm** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:30 am

this particular can of Citadel Colour (Games Workshop) primer has always been fuzzy, no matter how close/far or the weather. i think it may just be a bum can. so it's in the trash

bought a can of floquil the other day, but haven't gotten a chance to try it out yet.

i was thinking some more about my basing material (yes, i obsess about this stuff sometimes). i think the "thickness" of the base is probably due to the 1/8" mdf board and the thick coating of gravel on the top. i'm going to do up a base of infantry on that mdf with just a layer of paint and maybe some grass and see how that turns out. i can always pop the infantry off if it looks haggard.