More contrast!

One of the things that's been bugging me while painting my Desert Rats infantry has been the lack of contrast - the flesh, uniforms, webbing and helmets all use very similar colours - not to mention the bases! Now I know that's the purpose of modern unifroms, to blend in, but it doesn't translate well to the wargames table.

This morning I realised what one of the troubles was. I was using the same coloured wash (flesh) for the uniforms, skin and helmets. So I tried a unit with an alternate scheme - flesh wash for the face, and a chestnut/brown (GW) mixed wash for the uniforms and helmets. So far it looks far better. The figures seem to "pop" more, which means they'll look more detailed on the wargames table. I'll put up some pictures once I've finished the units to demonstrate the contrast.

Something finished!

I've got the first figures off the production line. I'd finished a couple of teams for my motor platoon previously, but now I can add to that a couple of lorries and a jeep. The platoon's command teams are also finished, just the basing to go.

Anyway, here's a couple of pictures to show where I'm at. One effect I'm quite happy with is the faked reflections on the windows of the lorries. It uses a technique from the Flames of War site. The last part - the thin, translucent white lines - is the hardest, the rest was surprisingly quick and easy.



This is the infantry stands with some transport. The camera I'm using (Canon Ixus V) is a great camera, but unfortunately doesn't handle close ups very well. I'll try to get some better pics soon.



This shot shows off the window effect I mentioned. It's basically a modified NMM (Non-metallic metal) effect, which is something I hadn't thought I'd ever try! Still, as the windows are flat, the effect is fairly simple. I started with the sky, using three colours and mixing two "in-between" colours, the sky is just a series of parallel lines. Don't be to fussy here, a bit of variety is fine. The ground is similar, but only uses two colours. Then a thin black ink wash to smooth it all out, and make the effect a bit more subtle. Finally, the thinned down white lines help finish the effect.

10-4 littl' buddy

Managed to get the first of my trucks (oops, lorries) underway last night. They're definitely easier to paint than infantry. So I'm well on the way to finishing my first unit for my Desert Rats army - a motor platoon, one of two or three that I'll eventually have in my army. I'm planning to use the ideas from Lumpy's guide to painting windscreens - maybe I'm masochistic, bit I think the results will help make the trucks stand out a bit.

Hopefully I'll get some picks up soon. My digital camera is not very handy for the up close stuff, so I need to borrow one.

Current projects

To get started, here's a brief run down on what I'm doing at the moment:

• A Khador army for Warmachine. Currently small, only 500pts or so, but will expand to revolve around the combination of massively powerful 'jacks and stubborn infantry.
• A very small Cryxian army for Warmachine. Warmachine is wonderful in that you can play an entertaining game with as few as 3 figures. Having a small second army allows me to introduce non-wargamer friends to the hobby.
  
• A Desert Rats army for FOW. 15mm figures are just so much easier to paint than their 28mm counterparts.
  
• Selling off old stuff on trademe, New Zealand's version of eBay. While I don't need the money to finance my addiction, it seemed like a chance to clear out the garage. I've set myself the target of selling enough to allow me to by the FOW Afrika Korps boxed set to complement the Desert Rats.

Once I've figured out posting images and such, I'll try to get up some details of my Desert Rats army. It's in the formative stages at the moment. I'm still figuring out what painting techniques to use and exactly what combination of units to field. One article of note is by Robert Avery, and describes how to go about building an army with out getting discouraged or distracted. Definitely the thing for me.

Small steps...

Hi all (anyone?),

As a first post, I'll keep this short. This blog is my little corner of the Internet where I can share some of my experiences, both collecting armies of miniature figures, and also playing wargames with them.

I can't promise anything outstanding here, but we'll see. I've been wargaming for about 30 years in one form or another. My current addictions - no, I won't deny it - include Flames of War, Warmachine and Warhammer 40K.

More soon (probably)...