So, with the fact that we all housebound and I've just completed a major project I thought I'd cleanse the pallet with a small project that has been waiting too long. Just as a bit of fun I'd thought I'd document the steps I'm taking. So normally I set a max of 2 weeks for any project, but I'm going to take a more leisurely approach to this. I'm not aiming for prize winning models , but a good playable set.
With that in mind here is my first entry, starting with an ironclad and a fort.
Step 1 - Washing. I always wash the PP resin. I find them very greasy - whether its the mould release I don't know. But I do have problems with adhesion if I don't. I suspect that Cat Kilgore will be laughing as this I I'm always saying I never clean figures.
Detergent in warm water and a nail brush
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi1-1-scaled.jpg)
Step 2 - Drilling. Once dry (don't skimp this step) - finish the drying off on the radiator. Tip is that heating the resin very sightly allows you to carve any flash off easily without it being brittle
I also drilled out the funnels to gets a 'squarer' hold if that make sense. They were a bit wobbly for my liking
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi2-scaled.jpg)
Note. I also clipped off the larger bases for the guns on the fort. I did put the fore aft flags on the Palmetto State, just for a bit of local colour.
Step 3 - Priming. Using Vallejo acrylic polyurethane a light coat followed by a second after it partially dries.
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi3-scaled.jpg)
I even cleaned my airbrush out for this! I'm going to leave it overnight now. Despite being acrylic the instructions do say 24 hours for it to fully cure.
So that dear reader it it for today. Come back tomorrow for pre-shading
thanks
Simon
Simon,
This is a very welcome blog / tutorial. I am of course delighted that your ships are taking their personal hygiene more seriously in the current situation.
I'm also really looking forward to seeing how you approach this particular project. My own ships are undercoated white and awaiting further attention to be lavished on them, so I'm hoping for some ideas and guidance here!
Simon
Next day and the primer has dried. You can see that its struggled in a few places. The resin is very resistant even with a good clean, a lesser paint would have struggled here.
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi4.jpg)
Also there is a finger print - either on the sculpt or when taken from the mould before fully cured :)
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi5.jpg)
We can fix both of these though! :)
I've decided that for a such a small scale I wanted to play on the aerial perspective to make add the impression that the fort was 'far away'. Normally I like things to pop, and increasing the colour saturation is a way to do this. In this case I'm not ... its a bit of an experiment
To start with we need to hide the harsh black - no good on small scales. A nice slate grey/blue fits the bill
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi6.jpg)
You could go a bit further an shoot a bit of violet into the recessess, a bit too much for 3mm though.
Next step pre shading. Just using a hobo mask and lighting up the grey to white to define the edges.
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi7.jpg)
I did do a light drybrush white after this (not in the picture just over the stairs, tiles - anything with a texture
Next step will be just to apply the base colours.
Thanks for this thread Simon, nice to see work in progress. A good way of picking up tips.
I know diddly about airbrushing, what's a hobo mask?
Quotehobo mask
normally you mask off a lot of areas with tape and the like. A hobo mask is just piece of card or plastic you hold against the model while spraying to avoid overspray .... Its quick and dirty :) I subscribe to it a lot!
Onto the base colours now. The earth is AK green khaki. The walls Vallejo Mecha Grey (just what I had laying about)
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi8-scaled.jpg)
Just for you Radar I have included my Hobo Mask ;)
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi9.jpg)
Those are the base colours down, and yes it has that airbrush lifelessness about it ! Don't sweat it , lets dirty it up! 8)
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi10-scaled.jpg)
Getting out the Contrast paints. Griffon Charger Grey is fast becoming my favourite, a lovely Paynes grey that isn't too "stainy". Dotting around the deep shadows and around the men inside. Also using Skeleton Horde in a similar way. If you just work the edges and not worry too much about the blend, gives a bit of colour modulation that we'll tie together later
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi11-scaled.jpg)
Next working on the walls to make them less 'airbrush' flat. A bit of overscale water staining. I've photographed it wet so you can see it. When dry it goes down. Its a balance of making it distant , and yet giving enough for the eye to wander over. I'm not sweating it too much as its a lightweight project
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi12.jpg)
Finally the last of the paint has gone on , just some odds and ends dotting around the cannons and crew. I did paint the interior wall with Griffon Charger Grey just to give slightly more contrast to the edges.
This is sitting wet now with a zap of AK ultra matt...... next, and finally, the powders
now dry - getting out the cheating powder...
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi13-scaled.jpg)
Trick here is not to go over the top. Work the green into the areas where foliage is the most dense. Dusk into corners etc. They re all pale so you can modulate with the colours just to give a bit of surface variation.
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi14-scaled.jpg)
you know what I think I'm going to call it now. Part the exercise is knowing when to stop. For a 'playing piece' I think this is fine. I'm not going to fix the powder, so as I like the organic way they run off when handling, which gives a more natural look
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi15.jpg)
I think it captures the essence of what I was aiming for - that distance fort on the horizon
... next up the ships
Thanks for that, Simon. I'm not sure I could emulate it, but found it fascinating, and may even try when I get around to mine!
Looking forward to the next instalments.
Simon
Simon
I do love hearing your thought processes and execution of the technique. Your artist background pays off!
Enjoying this thread as well.
The only problem is the guns are in a fixed position ? In the game that can be a problem ?
When you place the fort on an island....
Miles
Next up are some trial ships. Starting with an Ironclad - CSS Palmetto State . As before zap with Tamiya grey /blue
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi17-scaled.jpg)
Then the preshade
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi16-scaled.jpg)
So now there is a problem. The surface detail on these ships is slight, and I'm afraid that an even coat would make them look like a grey blob. I actually like the preshaded effect
My original plan was to contrast paint here. But the resin is quite 'grainy', so the paint would pick that up.So it looks like I'll be looking a more airbrushed approach to avoid this
Looking around on the internet the larger scale models all have a similar problem. For them is somewhat mitigated by the weathering. If I look at this example -
(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmodelshipworld.com%2Fuploads%2Fmonthly_2020_03%2FIMG_20200327_235400.thumb.jpg.d0791aef8b600af0bc2c12ea97f18618.jpg&f=1&nofb=1)
Obviously over exaggerated - but effective. The PP ship would be hard to make look this defined.
I'll have to think about this
I'd tried to avoid this step as it always adds a lot of elapse time to a project ::)
The merest light coat of transulent grey, followed by a gloss varnish.
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi18.jpg)
Then pin wash the panels
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi19.jpg)
The pin wash is basically oil paint suspended in turpentine. So you need to wash for the turpentine to evaporate leaving the oil in situ. Oils take a long time to try, so the next step is wait then removed the excess wash. Its looks awful is this point - stay with me tho.
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi20.jpg)
so posting here warts n' all. Proved a challenge really. After cleaning up the pin wash with turps, waiting to dry, and then as bit of spot weathering. I ended up still being uphappy with the plating effect , so I revisted with some edging.
After flattening with AK Ultra Matt I'm going to call him done. Not really what I hoped for. Took quite a long time, for an effect that I'm not 100% happy with.
I'll think about it for the next one.
Simon,
Thanks for posting and sharing your thought process. It looks pretty good to me - you've really brought out the detail on this one.
Could I ask where you got the flag designs from - I guess you were mad / skilled enough to handpaint these?
Thanks,
Simon
(http://home.freeuk.com/gazkhan/palmetto_state2.jpg)
you can just make it out!
The flags are just under 5mm , so not much you can do! But yes, handpainted. The whole model is about 8-9cm
Briallant thread Simon. Great to see the steps in creating the models.
Sounds like it need a thread starting on Air brushes and Air brushing.
Thank you for posting this, a have a few HI ships needing paint but have always been daunted by the small size and intricate detail, your post has certainly helped with this. I'll be interested to see how your technique evolves with the next one.
Thank you and best wishes,
Martin Buck
No Airbrush on this one!
After a little online research it was inconclusive what these ships really looked like -colourwise. I decided to go for a faded unpainted (or at least bleached) plank work type effect as illustrated in the Osprey
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi21.jpg)
With that in mind I still wanted a bit of spot colour to grab the eye. Using contrast paints to lay down the base
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi22.jpg)
Once dry then I'd set to work on the planking. The casting itself was mixed, when it came to the surface details, so it seemed best to go for a 'suggestive' style. For for that using a small brush with a flexible tip. Using paints with a high and smooth pigment content. I'm using AK and Vallejo, but I'm sure that any good paints will do the job. Then thin the paints down to within the inch of their life! Then taking quite a saturated brush - but a good dip, flick along the direction of the planking - following the detail if you can. The objective being to create a pool at the end point of the brush stroke. The key is to create a suggestion of wood work (over-scale of course)
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi24.jpg)
Then using a lightened versions flip 180 and go the otherway.
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi25.jpg)
The majority of this vessel is planking, and other than that there were some block colour, on the boathouses etc, but again always using the brushstrokee in the direction of the underlying construction. On the hull I did some water staining just really to contrast the horizontal effect of the wooden planking
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hi26-scaled.jpg)
This was actually quicker to do that the Ironclad, but does need a steady handy. It has a stylist effect , but is reasonably effective
Simon looks great with the planking effect.
One of the things in the Cairo museum were a number of black & white pictures showing all the supply paddle wheelers that supported everyone. Hard to say about details but all of those ships were used very hard. No ramp at the side of the river...just ram one up against the bank, add a few planks to the shore ....& tie off others on her side..sometimes several.
Bob
while challenging - I am enjoying painting them ... perhaps because there is only a dozen ! and they all look different
Prepping the next batch of ships -
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi27.jpg)
Taken a bit of a back seat of late as been extremely busy at work. Given the whole retail sector is going into furlough then it will be storm before the calm :-\
Nice - the return of the airbrush?
Going back to a Ironclad. What I was unhappy with on the first was the lack of detail on the model, or more precisely the rough casting. The next model 44.CSS Arkansas in the range couldn't be more different. Really clean, with well defined plating. Going back to my original plan of preshaded with a ghosting of grey and then work up the detail.
One of the problem when working up close is that you forget that their models will be viewed from 2' away. Some may treat this as an excuse for lazy painting, but really for small models at distance you are suspending belief a little. I reality they would appear little more that grey blobs, but reality is not really what we are about. The Palmetto State didn't have enough 'contrast' to the eye when viewed from a distance so for the CSS Arkansas I brightened the highlights and edged the detail in a bright grey.
Here is the finished model -
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi28-scaled.jpg)
It does in fact look rougher up close, but here is a comparison shot to the first one -
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi29-scaled.jpg)
This is a very odd looking ship. A log of the online images show her in the post war colours (very dark). Of the few wartime pictures I could find, it showed her 'light' with a dark band round the turrent, with the crew areas in white.
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Screenshot-2020-04-04-at-12.04.52.png)
Wiki does say that her deck was covered with plates (unsure of the dimensions) the model has them very large. At 38mm thick I wonder if these would be prohibitively heavy.
Painting was the standard press-shade. Here you can see the pin wash to show the panel lines. Being all metal I gave USS Canonicus a enamel primer and a gloss poly coat before the pin wash.
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi31-scaled.jpg)
I did work the deck up with some glazes , just to contrast the plates - which otherwise look very flat
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi30-scaled.jpg)
Here is the finished job
Nice Simon....thx for posting these.
Re the iron plate..i had a discussion at the cario museum... they were suggesting it was a two part problem...how much and size a particular mill could turn out...and how heavy they could handle where they were building them.
Also re markings...somewhere i have a diagram of what a particular union ironclad sqn markings were. Will try digging that up for you.
Bob
great thread and discussions Bob and Simon.
Shedding so much information about these ships to us gamers.
USS Signal
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi34.jpg)
Not too much to say on this one. Standard procedure, this was a but more 'painted'. Again trying to stick to the washed out palette of blue/violet to give the impression of distance. Blowing that all away by zooming in 300% !!
CSS Selma
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi33.jpg)
Long decks tested the steady hand to paint the decking on this. I added the signal flags, as shown here
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Screenshot-2020-04-07-at-12.35.43.png)
just a bit of variety. Given more time I would have added the supports, but you got to know when to stop !
CSS Governor Moore
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi32.jpg)
My favourite of this bunch, this cotton-clad was fun to paint. The masts were challenging as I had broken my last micro drill bit
Looking absolutely spiffing, Simon!
Gun Battery
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi35.jpg)
Same technique as the fort
Commodore Morris
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi36.jpg)
CSS Planter
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi37.jpg)
USS Cairo
(http://badwargamers.com/bad/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hi38.jpg)
better put a link to the real thing!
https://rulesforcommonman.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2447.0 (https://rulesforcommonman.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2447.0)
Another great model Simon....
I am reminded about all those "bumps" on the top rear deck....in amongst those are the officer cabins & the water powered facilities. Apperantly having the large paddle wheel had advantages.
The tall smoke stacks ....after she sank....the smokestacks were the only remaining feature left above water. One of her sister ships proceeded to ram them (removing them from sight) so the confederates had no marker for her & thus couldn't start salvage operations.
Bob
Very nice, Simon - and most helpful for my own fleet that will no doubt get some TLC one day!
Simon
Looks like your building up a very attractive fleet Simon.
Very nice work indeed.
Thank you for the inspiration and color guidelines I'll use on my Hammer'in Iron War Chest vessels I've ordered...
I have found that inks and washes work very well painting ships. I started with them on the pirate ships and will go back to using them on the ACW ships that I have to finish.
Just revisited this series. It has really primed me for the forthcoming land rules.