On My Painting Table - Dwarf Gyrocopter - Intital Assembly

Looking through my Lead Pile, I have finally decided to tackle the neglected Dwarf Gyrocopter. This is the metal model, but not the original design.

 

 

I had purchased this model a few years ago, and it had been roughly stripped of its bad paintjob. It has since sat my lead pile unloved until now. I did manage to find all the pieces, except for the pilot, and started piecing this model together. I tested all the joins, and quickly realised that this model has got some serious problems. There are pieces that need to joined, that simply will not “glue” together, as there is not enough surface area. This was mainly the rotor blades, but also the landing skids and the vertical stabilizer (the thing at the back which swings from left-to-right).

 

After staring at the rotor blades for a while, and trying to figure out, how I was going to attach them to each other. I found myself with no real answers. They were too thin to pin, there wasn’t enough surface area to just glue them. I did consider creating some sort of custom support structure that sits under each blade and attaches to the rotor shaft, but that seemed way too difficult and time consuming. So I did what I always do, when I need some helpful tips. I turned to the internet, and did a Google search on “Dwarf Gyrocopter Rotor Blades”. I wanted to see how other people tackled the problem of attaching the Gyrocopter rotor blades. This is a summary of what I found:

 

• Method 1. Use a small 8mm washer, under the rotor blades. Glue the rotor blades to the washer. The washer is naturally visible, but when painted it looks acceptable.
   
• Method 2. It is possible to pin the rotor blades together but, you need to be very careful. Using superglue and green-stuff really helps to keep it all together.
   
• Method 3. Soldering the rotor blades together is do-able, but you really have to be careful, because the heat can really damage/destroy the actual blades.
   
• Method 4. Use a product called JB Weld. It can be purchased from any auto supply store. It is used for small body repairs. The problem is that it takes a while to fully dry. You need to let it set for a couple of days before it is fully dry.
   
• Method 5. Don’t use the rotor blades on your Gyrocopter. Instead, get some clear plastic like the stuff used on food packaging and cut out a circular disc, the same diameter as the completed rotor assembly. Use a black marker to draw 3 fuzzy lines on the circular disc. Attach this to the Gyro, and now it looks like the rotor blades are spinning, and truly flying.
   
• Method 6. Don’t use the Gyrocopter model at all. Simply make your own proxy model, with something else.

It was really interesting to see how different people tackled this problem. I was initially interested in soldering my rotor blades together, but I wasn’t really concerned, that if it went wrong, it would be disastrous, and I would have some real damage on my hands. So finally I decided to try and use the pinning method. I did have some reservations, regarding drilling into such thin parts, but carefully and slowly I did manage to pin my model together. Once I did the rotor blades, I then proceeded to use the pinning technique on ALL the parts which needed to be joined. I have taken photos of the process.

I used the standard Citadel pin vice, and ordinary paper clips. One paper clip provided all the pinning power I needed.

 

Here are the photos.

 

Here is proof that it is possible to drill a hole and glue a paper clip pin, into the thin rotor blades of this model. You can also see the pins used in the other parts of the model.

 

 

The pins have been passed all the way through the metal. I did this for extra stability. Once everything was dry, the pins were clipped very close to the model, and they are no longer visible.

 

Here is another view of the pins passing through the horizontal stabilizer.

 

The three rotor blades have been 'dry' fitted, but they have not been glued yet. I will probably use some green stuff as part of this process to make sure it really secure.

 

This is the model so far. I still need to attach the rotor assembly to the rotor shaft. I am thinking of using magnets for this joint. This may help when the model is transported or accidentally dropped. 

 

On My Painting Table - Wizard Repaint (update)

I have been working on this wizard some more, and I am happy with the progress. I have removed some (not all) of the shine from his robes. I created a new paint additive, using a mix of matt medium and flow improver, and used this to make a dark purple wash, which I applied to the robes. I also used this new creation and made a black wash, which seems to perform a lot like GW's Badab Black, but I need to test it some more, before I can say, it is the same sort of thing. You can see this black wash on the wizard's hand, the one which is hold the staff. It looks like the old fashioned "Black lining", that used to be painted on minis, back in the 90s. I also created a new flesh tone, quite by accident, but I think I like it more than the "official" flesh colours produced by GW. Again, I will need to experiment some more, and see if I like it.

The next step is to clean up the base, as well as apply some actual basing material to it.

Here are the photos.

On my Painting Table - Hobgoblins

I have returned to painting these hobgoblins, and I am making progress on their skin, and the highlights of their robes. I am happy with most of the progress, but I did do some silly things, which I am not happy about. I drybrushed over some of my highlights, which was really sloppy and crude, which I now need to fix.

The weapons are not finished (or not even started), and I need to base them.

My Ork skin formula

I am sharing my ork skn paint formula. I personally don't like bright green skin on my orks or orcs, so I try and paint them a little darker and a little less green. How do I make green, less green. It's sile, I mix in some brown.

Painting the Ork skin 1. Undercoat black. 2. Mix Flat Earth (VMC)  and Scorpion Green (GW), at about a 4:1 ratio, and paint 2-3 thin layers. 3. Mix some Filthy Brown (VMC) into the above mix, and paint the raised areas if the Ork skin, like the muscles in the arms. 4. Add a small amount of White to the mix, and lightly over-brush the skin. 5. Apply a few wash layers of Devlan Mud and Badab Black, to the skin area. 6. Finally lightly drybrush some Foundation Knarloc Green (GW) over the skin, and your done.

My Original Minis - Part 2

Here are some orcs I painted in the 80s. If I recall correctly these were some of the earliest slotta minis I purchased. I didn't have any other orcs, so these guys were never part of any army. I dry brushed these with too much white. At least they are matt. I'm fairly sure these were painted with Tamiya paints.

My Original Minis - Part 1

I still own most of my minis from the 80s. I was definitely not a good painter back (I'm only slightly better now - ha ha ha). So I thought it would be a good idea to share these early minis from my collection. Most of them still have their original paint job. Here is the first photo.

The mini was painted using enamels, which I purchased these from a local hobby store. The paints were intended for plastic model kits, and not minis. I had to use my father's turpentine to clean my brushes. Oh what a mess.

 You can see an early attempt at black-lining between the feet and the pantaloons. I don't think I black-lined anything ever again.

 I would love to re-paint these minis, especially the one on the left.

Creating my first Paper Building for wargaming

Hello everyone. I have always wanted to make my own paper buildings for wargaming, and for many reasons, I have was unable to do so - Until Now. Here is my first attempt a creating a paper based model/terrain piece for a wargaming table.

It is a small brick and plaster house, with a slate roof. It has no windows (at the moment), and was created using Photoshop and Illustrator. It is about 28mm in scale. I have photographed it, with a Flintloque mini for scale comparison.

I can already see some changes I want to make to this model, as well as a plethora of future models, but I think it is "not too shabby" for a first attempt. Comments and feedback are always welcome.

I am influenced by the Dave Graffams Models (www.davesgames.net). The quality of his paper models are top notch.

Enjoy the pictures:

Quar Posters

It has been a while since I have posted something here. That is because I now have even less free time than I have ever had, as I have returned to school, to study my life long passion of Art & Design, in this case Graphic Design. I am really enjoying it, and my spare time is now spent reading and doing homework for this course. It is now the mid-semester break, and so I have taken the oportunity to combine my grpahic design skills (I have gained some), with my love for wargaming and modelling. I have started creating some 28mm posters for the Quar world. The following question was asked by 'magog001' over that Quar forums;

the turn of the century was the advertiseing heyday for household goods what sort of adverts would be on qaur billboards for example = "thrips patented moth suace!, all the mothy taste non of the mothy waste!" or "lwrs soap" with picture of a comedicly dirty qaur kit basicly thngs i can paste posters to the side of biuldings im makeing and such

Here is link to whole thread: http://www.quarinvasion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1933 That was enough for me to spend some time using Photoshop. After a few hours, this is what i came up with;

I hope you guys enjoy. Feel free to download, print and attach these to your wargaming terrain. If you do, please post photos, I would love to see them. Note: Most of these are "Derivative Works", which means they are based on other artwork or images.

Space Marine Colour Scheme

I remeber buying my first box of Space Marines, back in the early 1990s. It was a box of plastic Rogue Trader marines. I painted them blue, and then green ... and then brown. That was the extent of it. I never really returned to 40K, except purchasing a few Imperial Guard to paint. I realised I am more of Fantasy fan than a 40K fan.

About a year ago, I purchased a box of 2nd hand Space Marines, and I had intentions of painting them up into the "United Nations" colours. I tried a few test models, but I wasn't entirely satisfied. Which was more of an issue with my painting skill, rather than my colour scheme. So, instead  I looked for a different colour scheme, and I think I have found something I like. Here are a few samples of what I want to do.

Here is the original colour scheme for th "United Nations" Marines.

Bull Centaur - Flesh Coloured

I know that the traditional colour scheme for a Bull Centaur is red, but I personally don't like red skin, unless it is on a demon. Here is my version of a Bull Centaur.

Empire - Cannon

Here is the description of how I painted it.

Painting the Cannon The first thing to do, is undercoat the whole thing black. Cannon Barrel: 1. Mix Glorious Gold (VGC) with Bolt Gun Metal (GW) - about a 50/50 mix, maybe a touch more gold than gun metal 2. paint the whole barrel, but no other metal parts 3. Once dry I washed the whole barrell with Devlan Mub (GW), concentrating in the barrells "ridges". 4. Once this is dry I did several washes of Babab Black (GW) over the front of the barrell Wood: 1. I painted many thin layers of Flesh (Derivan) mixed with Gunstock Brown (Derivan) about a 50-50 mix. This included the wheels and as well as the Cannon Frame. 2. Once this was dry, I painted a few very THIN (Highly diluted) layers of the above mixture of Flesh and Gunstock Brown but I also added some Burnt Brown (Derivan) and thinned this down quite a bit. 4. A final wash of Burnt Brown (Dervian) with Chaos Black (GW) about 80-20 mix was washed into the recesses. 5. The edges were then highlighted with Flesh (Derivan) Metal: 1. Painted all the metal parts, except the barrell, with Bolt Gun Metal (GW) 2. Washed these metal parts with a watered down Chaos Black (GW) 3. Highlighted the metal parts with a mix of White (GW) mixed with Bolt Gun Metal (GW) 40-60 mix. I like this better than using Mitheral Sivler (or any other bright silver colour), as I wanted a highlight, but not one that was bright.

Hopefully all this made sense. As regards to finding the equivalent colours for the Derivan paints, you can use this Paint Comparison Chart.