Many of the members here are getting quite old (soma are not though).
What materials did you use but do so no longer. Ether because those materials cannot be found any longer ora better version has come along.
Materials and reasons.
For myself Plasticine and banana oil. Since then I use Duro or Milliput . Easier to work with and far better results.
martin :)
Humbrol enamels. I doubt I need to explain why.
Modroc for terrain building, heavy, difficult to sculpt and still needs texturing. I use Luke's APS sculpt a mold confection now. Much better.
Humbrol Enamels, I gave a local wargammer my entire stock 300-400 a while back to make room for my Acrylics, which does amount to several Hundreds.
I must admit I am glad that plastic card is now shaped into tubes and squares etc, that makes my converting and scratch building easier to do these days.
Miles
Humbrol and Airfix enamels. Acrylics - particularly Vallejo - were a revelation.
Beer mats for basing (MDF and plastic card are much less prone to warping!).
Cheap paint brushes for detailed work, now that I can readily get hold of decent ones.
Simon
I remember mod roc. Transparent bag with blue writing? A real mess.
Vacuum formed scenery. Big, light but delicate and no sharp definition.
martin
Mounting board for bases, difficult to cut accurately, pre cut MDF so much easier and doesn't warp.
Oil paints, take ages to dry and messy. Acrylics so much more user friendly.
On a more controversial note - will metal figures become outdated ? I hope not but there is an increase in plastic and resin ones :-(
Mike
I think plastic rescued 25mm from extinction?
martin
Felt.
The green felt with one tree on is a Forrest. The brown felt is a swamp. The blue felt is a river.
I still use mounting board for bases so I would contest that it is outdated. Cheap as chips and I can cut them within a mm tolerance. Never had any problems with warping once I've put the base of PVA and sand on them.
For outdated though how about Prince August moulds? The figure definition was awful and I never worked out quite what scale they were.
John
Yes Paul, agreed, I have not bought felt for along time.
martin
I still find felt useful for templates in gridded RFCM games in particular.
Nick
Quote from: Mike6t3 on June 22, 2020, 09:05:26 AM
Mounting board for bases, difficult to cut accurately, pre cut MDF so much easier and doesn't warp.
Oil paints, take ages to dry and messy. Acrylics so much more user friendly.
On a more controversial note - will metal figures become outdated ? I hope not but there is an increase in plastic and resin ones :-(
Mike
Metal figures outdated?
I doubt it. 3D printing is the emerging threat but not there yet. I think the tooling involved in injection moulding makes it workable for serious mass production, but unviable for the sort of variety we want.
I'm not sure resin offers much over metal for smaller scales. Don't have any figures so had to say. I do like resin for wheeled vehicles as they're considerably tougher than plastic, and my metal ones all ways end up with wonky wheels.
I like plastic for AFVs but can't love the figures. Flat poses, fragile weapons. I'm not sure that the multipose approach would work on 15mm. Wargames Factory did some limited figures but they didn't work for me. Bottom line, I think metal will be around for a while yet.
I agree Simon.
3D printing is the next big thing (I guess???).
Maybe, one will buy a file and be able to change the animation of the figure.
Thus, you buy a file to print napoleonic infantry. Then there are options within the file to change the animation a lot or a little.
Like action man?? Then you could have his scar as an option. :)
martin
Yes for me artists mounting board for bases, now replaced by MDF or plasticard.
I think I was quite clumsy and could never cut a straight line, but could always manage to slice my finger. I did hundreds and hundreds of card bases for both ACW and Napoleonics back in the day...(mid 90's) and now don't own a single one of those figures ☹
Is that why they call you "No Fingers" Sean?
John
No longer using Humbrol enamels, plasticine, banana oil, beer mats, spray varnish and home made counters. 20mm plastics are also a thing of the distant past for me as well, as are all things 20mm.
I remember using china graph pencils upon laminated record sheets.
Fine at the time though. :)
martin
(https://www.nme.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2016_onlyfoolsandhorses_bbc_140616.jpg)
'Ere, got some of them floppy discs, all the cool kids are using them to store their army stats on... three for a pound
Quote from: martin goddard on June 23, 2020, 09:54:12 PM
I agree Simon.
3D printing is the next big thing (I guess???).
Maybe, one will buy a file and be able to change the animation of the figure.
Thus, you buy a file to print napoleonic infantry. Then there are options within the file to change the animation a lot or a little.
Like action man?? Then you could have his scar as an option. :)
And Eagle Eyes.
martin
Yes indeed; I recently saw an extensive online advert for 3D printed Napoleonic armies and their accompanying scenery and buildings. I think they were 6mm or maybe smaller. Wasn't tempted as I have very little confidence when confronted by new technology of that nature.
Andy
I agree Andy.
3D print may need another 12 years to get easy for non specialist folk like myself?
I think it was mooted that computer games would "kill off" miniature games.
I don't think that happened. In fact computer moderated rules, with a few exceptions, have not achieved any traction in the miniatures hobby. :-\
martin
I have tried a couple of computer games. One had superb graphics, set in what looked like the C18th with cossacks and what have you. Could I actually get the units to do anything? Nope. Never touched a computer game since.
Quote from: martin goddard on June 23, 2020, 09:54:12 PM
I agree Simon.
3D printing is the next big thing (I guess???).
Maybe, one will buy a file and be able to change the animation of the figure.
Thus, you buy a file to print napoleonic infantry. Then there are options within the file to change the animation a lot or a little.
Like action man?? Then you could have his scar as an option. :)
martin
It's already possible to do this in some cases, look at this twitter post, he downloads a generic orc, gives him an armature like a stop motion puppet, animates it in the position he wants and prints that, all in 10mm:
https://twitter.com/Adam_Clark_/status/1266646762791604225
That sounds really exciting Matias.
A new age.
martin
I still prime figures with Humbrol Enamels but not a lot of use otherwise. Obviously replaced by non-smelly acrylics. Cheap brushes are a thing of the past, much better off with good brushes which last a long time when properly cared for.
I remember vac formed Bellona, I may still have a bridge and c couple of tents somewhere in the toy cupbiard but I don't think anyone uses the technique these days.
Liquid solvent rather than tubes of glue.
Superglue and aliphatic glue rather than whatever could be found round the house (like smelly woodworking glue made from boiled down horses hooves and Gloy!).
Otherwise I still use card, balsa, styrene sheet, polystyrene though often now replaced by foamboard, foamed PVC (for bases) and the textured styrene sheets from the likes of Wills and Slaters.
Brass, nickel-silver, soldering, casting resins are all materials and techniques I use now but are additions and not replacements.
I tend not to use plastic figures, I know they're much better at holding the paint but the trauma of watching the paint flake off my Airfix still endures! Which reminds me of a (possibly apocryphal) tale from the early days of wargaming. Observer asks "Which are the light infantry?" Reply "They're the plastic ones"
Brian
I too have stopped using 20mm EXCEPT for my vac form Bellona bridge and river sections, which were always a bit small but have had a new lease of life for 15mm AWI and WW2.