ANZAC Day

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them”.

Lest we forget

I would like to pay homage to those whose sacrifices will never be forgotten.

Panzer Vor!

I completed this Panzer IVH platoon a while back. I used an assembly guide that I had found online by Tomwise. It’s an excellent guide and it provides a step by step on assembling the Schurtzen as well as the best methods to use when painting the tanks. For the painting I used a lot of the techniques detailed in a sticky thread on the Battlefront galleries created by Zoolander. It was also an excellent opportunity to experiment with a lot of the weathering techniques that I had read about and seen used.

For the mud effect I used a technique, borrowed from larger scale modellers, whereby a large paint brush is laden with paint mixture and the air flow from the airbrush is used to blow the paint onto the model. This attempts to replicate a speckled mud effect. To give the mud some texture I used paint mixed with plaster and “blew” it onto the Schurtzen in layers.

Overall I’m very happy with the way that these have turned out. I was also able to learn a great deal from my experiences which I hope to be able to apply successfully in the future. For the paint scheme I mostly used Vallejo paints, however I can not say enough good things about using Tamiya paints in an airbrush. They have a fantastic consistency and just flow very easily. The primary colours used are: Vallejo Middlestone for the dunkelgelb, Tamiya Red Brown and Tamiya Olive Green for the camouflage pattern.

This platoon continues my 7th Panzer Division theme which I look to expand upon in the near future. I hope that you enjoyed looking and feel free to provide feedback or ask questions.

Tutorial – Stripping Paint from Resin

This tutorial is not going to be an in-depth guide into all the of the possible products and techniques used to strip paint from resin. Rather, I’m going to approach this tutorial through detailing my experiences on how I got the job done.

Background

A while back I had painted a Panzer IV D using the Battlefront German Armour Army Spray. Through inexperience I sprayed on the paint too thick; enough to ‘clog up’ the detail on the model. At the time I didn’t realise this had occurred and so I continued to work with it, oblivious to this fact. Later, I used this model as a test piece for applying camouflage patterns using an airbrush. I wasn’t happy with the results and so I decided to strip the paint away and start over. So after reading on the Internet about some disaster stories with using paint strippers that melted the resin, I began experimenting into how to strip the paint without affecting the resin.

Experimentation

Firstly I read about using a product called “Simple Green”. After looking on their product homepage I found that there were multiple products and that the “Simple Green” referred to the manufacturer. After more research I still couldn’t pinpoint which item of the “Simple Green” product line that everyone was referencing. So I grabbed the most readily available Simple Green product which happened to be the Glass Cleaner. I figured, at the time, that even if this didn’t work I still could use the product around the house. I filled up a plastic take away container and put the Panzer IVD, minus the metal component, in solution. I ensured that all surfaces were submerged and closed the lid. I then left it in for around three days, pulled it out and gave it a scrub with a toothbrush, no good.

So I figured that the Simple Green Glass Cleaner wasn’t what everyone was using and instead I repeated the process with the Simple Green All Purpose Cleaner. I read that after a day people were able to take the painted resin out and the paint would be soft and easily scrubbed off. Unfortunately this did not occur for me. I put it back in and left it soak for a week and the paint was still as hard as the day it was sprayed on. This confounded me somewhat as everywhere I had read people were having a lot of success with this. And so I let it soak for three weeks. Much to my chagrin when I removed the Panzer nothing had changed. After this long I had expected the paint to have melted away!

After more research into paint stripping techniques I read about using Brake Fluid and so I thought I would give it a shot. I went to the local automotive shop and found that yet again I had another product dilemma. Car brake fluid is sold in DOT 3, DOT 4, and DOT 5 forms. Once again this point was not referenced in the online paint stripping guides. At the time, being completely ignorant of what these measures were referencing I selected the middle option and purchased a DOT 4 Brake Fluid. For safety and cleanliness concerns I used a glass jar to hold the brake fluid and then put the Panzer in to soak. Having recently experienced less than promising results I left it in the brake fluid for over a week. When I pulled it out yet again I was disappointed to find that, after washing the pieces in water, the paint simply didn’t scrub off with a toothbrush. However I noticed that something was different about the paint on the tank. It had actually lifted off the underlying resin but had still maintained its integrity. So I got a scalpel and started to pick away at the paint. To my delight I found it very easy to lift off entire clumps of paint from the resin without scratching or damaging the detail. In under five minutes I had a cleanly stripped tank that looked like it had never been painted. The paint didn’t even get stuck in the recesses and detail, it lifted off cleanly.

For the painted metal component I placed them in a glass “jam” jar half full of an industrial paint stripper that comes in a gel form. Before I go on I must stress that you use gloves; not latex gloves but leather/tough garden type gloves when handling this product. It will melt latex and if it hits your skin it will give you chemical burns. If it does touch your skin wash it off ASAP, don’t mess about with it. The paint stripper worked really quickly, I gave the glass jar a shake and saw the paint literally melt off. I left it for an hour and then gave it another shake and it was done. I got the pieces out using running water to wash the paint stripping gel away and then put the pieces in some water to soak for an hour. Once this was done I cleaned them with washing up detergent and I had some clean and shiny metal components, ready to assembled and painted again.

Afterthoughts

I suspect that the reason that I had such difficulty in removing the paint was two-fold. Firstly I was using the spray can version of the paint. I won’t use this ever again as I now use an airbrush of which I am getting some really nice results with. I suspect that the paint that comes from the spray is of a thicker consistency and a different make-up from the normal acrylic paint that is used in the paint pots. Secondly, it was the fact that I had sprayed the paint on so thick which completely negated any effect that the Simple Green might have had.

For those that are curious the DOT measure for brake fluid is the Department Of Transportation rating for the fluid. It measures the boiling point ranges of the brake fluid when both dry and wet (contaminated with water). The higher the DOT rating the higher the temperature at which the brake fluid is rated to boil. In order to achieve these ratings manufacturers will use different compounds in the fluid: DOT 3 are based on Glycol and Glycol Esters, DOT 4 contains the same but are combined with Borate Esters, DOT 5 utilises Borate Esters. You can use the DOT 3 Brake Fluid because it’s the Glycol Esters that are acting as the solvent to strip the paint. I recommend doing so as it is cheaper than DOT 4 brake fluids.

Conclusion

If you’re having trouble with standard techniques for stripping paint from resin go soak it in DOT 3 Brake Fluid. For myself, I’m simply going to cut out the middle man and go straight to using the Brake Fluid technique.

I hope that this was helpful and that it saves you some time in the future.

Little Green Army Men

Whenever I have some free time I scour the web reading other people’s hobby blogs. A lot of times they contain wonderfully painted miniatures and also some hidden gems in the form of tutorials. This link contains one such gem, it’s a tutorial on green stuff and the use of sculpting putty in general.

It’s really excellent and it goes into a lot of detail about tips and techniques to follow when using this material. I have been doing lots of modelling of late and I can confirm that it all works as suggested. The tip about the lubricating your sculpting tools with a chap stick is an absolute must to getting a really smooth and polished finish. Even though it demonstrates work at a larger scale it can most certainly be incorporated into the Flames of War space. I’ve been using it to recreate detail on figures as well as create new detail for vehicles.

The site also contains some other useful tutorials which are well worth a read. For future reference I have added the main site to my blog roll as well as here: Rust and the City. Just follow the link and then click on the tutorials tab, the author has produced some fantastic work.

Just a quick update on what I have been doing, in my spare time I have been resculpting details onto figures and vehicles as well as expanding my modelling horizons. I have been experimenting in making latex molds, playing with resin, and even utilising fiber glass to create master molds. Not really ground breaking stuff but, in my opinion, the best kind of research is through experience. I’m playing around with these materials as I have a future project that will involve replicating terrain features that I create (yes I said terrain, a hint at a very large project that has been over a year in the planning). Also it never hurts to expand your knowledge in all facets of your chosen hobby, another weapon to add to the modelling arsenal.

If you like the info let Cameron know that I sent you by leaving him a comment and telling him what you think.

CANCON 2013

Once again I attended CANCON and once again I was blown away by the amount of games being played and the quality of everyone’s work. I learnt my lesson from last time and brought a towel and wore light clothing as it was an oven at the venue.

I went armed with my trusty camera, tripod and lovely assistant. I’ve feel that my photography skills have improved greatly since last time. Which is handy because there was lots of eye candy to take shots of. I won’t go on much more other than to say thank you to everyone who let me take photos of their games and minis. And of course thanks go out to my aide who was able to take some of the load and to scout out potential shots.

All in Formation

Here are the final group shots of the Panzer Grenadier platoon. As this is the final post on this platoon I will take this opportunity to summarise my experiences.

I also look on these figures and I am excited about how far I have managed to progress from my initial starting pieces. I have learnt a great deal about the effects that I can achieve and the direction of my work.

The first item that I take from this experience is that all of the extra time in preparation really pays off. The many hours of cleaning flash and recreating detail really helped in creating a clean and sharp finish. Annoying as it is I will continue to put in the extra effort up front everytime.

The second lesson learned is that the production line system is working for me time wise and with improving my skills. I was finding that as I progressed down the line of figures I was achieving better results that at the start. Even though it can feel like a grind at times the phases of the production line have helped to develop my painting a lot.

And finally every moment spent in research, whether it be colour details or painting techniques, has been one that is well spent. Thanks to the vast resources of the internet and other people willing to take the time to share how they create their effects I have gained much in skill and knowledge.

That’s enough looking back, looking forward I have some interesting posts lined up; I attended a convention, some tutorials in the works, more book reviews and of course more completed pieces.

The War Grinds on Another Year

January 10th marked the blog’s first birthday and so this is as good as time as any to look back at what was achieved, and forward what I have planned in the future. I managed to get a less than average amount of painting completed for the speed that I work at. In terms of what others have completed over the period I would say that I haven’t gotten very much done. This means that I will need to set aside more time to focus on this hobby that I enjoy. Never a bad thing 

This year has seen a lot of learning and research under my belt which I am pleased with. I made the extra effort to research techniques in lots of scales in order to see what I could apply to the world of 15mm. Some things have worked while others didn’t, however it was well worth the effort in my eyes. This has enabled me to develop my painting and improve a great deal. I’m happy that i am still learning things along the way and slowly getting better. It has also helped me develop my “style” for lack of a better word. I have found the approach that I want to take with how I paint all things 15mm and now it’s just a matter of applying it as often as I can.

This year has also marked my association with the WWPD network with some small direct contributions along the way. I have found that these guys have really fostered a strong, like-minded community who are only happy to share ideas, thoughts, and their work. I really enjoy visiting the gallery to see other people’s work and the inspiration that it brings. I have, however, managed to steer clear from posting on their painting queues though. Putting down in writing what I have in the cupboard awaiting completion would shock a seasoned wargaming, let alone myself. I admit to having “completion-itis”, if i’m going to do something I have to get all of the options and all of the variants. In this regard i’m going to maintain my sanity and live in ignorance. So I can look at it as my cupboard of opportunity and not as a repository of dread.

Looking forward I have lots of things planned. I want to put more work into making tutorials and guides on how I do various things which, hopefully, will be of use to others. I would like to complete more book reviews, with an eye towards reference material. I’ve found that these books not only interest me from a historical perspective but they get the creative modelling juices flowing. I find that getting into these books always inspires me to come up with new ideas and research techniques on how to implement them. Another area I may explore is filming. I’m not quite sure how I will go with this but there is an idea or two kicking around that i’m interested in looking at. I also have a major project that I am looking to tackle, the task is imposing and grandiose in nature. I’ve been waiting until i’ve had the necessary skill in order to do the work some justice. I’ll keep this one a secret until I have the gumption, and time, to unveil my plans. Finally I will look to complete more pieces. I have no set plan nor requirement of what I work on and so I may leave it up to a viewers poll to determine what I paint next (Disclaimer:- Kradschützen may or may not be available as an option)

Thank you all for coming and visiting this blog throughout year. I look forward to what the painting future holds and I hope that you come back and visit to see what i’m up to.

 

P.S: I’ll be going to CANCON this year so you may have the misfortune of seeing me lurking around taking pictures of everyone’s work.