The Scale Models/War gaming discussion and pictures thread.

[JamesAirsofterAgent]

Trying to finish the diorama. I managed to make a tunnel by burning the side of the polystyrene with a much so it got the right shape, layered it with sand etc. Still waiting on the dead animals and trees. Started making wire.

[b1n0gHo5t]

Shame Games workshop is going down the shitter faster than a bad case of the dehli belly

[Lozart]

Shame Games workshop is going down the shitter faster than a bad case of the dehli belly

 

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch....

[b1n0gHo5t]

 

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch....

lol while they have been total D-bags for a number of years & some very questionable army books

i still loved the table top game & kept wanting to get back into it minus the painting XD

[Maverick231]

I'm currently working in a few including a Tskuda MiG-31, Airfix Bell P-39 Aerocobra and Airfix Avro Vulcan all in 1/72.

[AirsoftTed]

 

 

 

Tamiya 1/6 scale series. First figure I've done and I'm quite happy with it. Disappointed in the air fix paint that came in another kit, the humbrol stuff I bought looks much better ( observe the difference in the green on the magazine pouches compared to the canteen covers)

[JamesAirsofterAgent]

Completed the airfix dogfight doubles Spitfire yesterday, very pleased. First aircraft model that didn't end up a failure after painting! Anyway, I just found the airfix MGB Roadster in my brothers wardrobe and my mum would like me to make it for dad for christmas (when he was younger he had one as a project). However, some of the parts are off the sprues and there are no instructions. Can anyone help with finding out what the instructions are/have you built it etc?

Thanks all,

James.

Edit

My friends are also getting into warhammer so I may be buying 3 space marines and having a go with blood angels. No one wants to do bolt action

[Iceni]

This is the last one I did.

Typhoon 1B. Italeri kit I think.



The next one on the block is either a Trumpeter BF109, or one of the Airfix club BF109's. I have both kits already it's just a case of inspecting the plastics and deciding on how much detail I want to paint.

[AirsoftTed]

I tip my hat to you sir, brillant painting

[Iceni]

Tamiya 1/6 scale series. First figure I've done and I'm quite happy with it. Disappointed in the air fix paint that came in another kit, the humbrol stuff I bought looks much better ( observe the difference in the green on the magazine pouches compared to the canteen covers)

For that model I would add some of the GW washes to the skin to give it some tone. Reikland Fleshshade

And to the pouches to give a little definition. Agrax Earthshade

 

Most of the work on that model is decals. Once you get the right chemicals they go on really well.

 

Micro Sol and Micro Set are the 2 best products you can buy for any project. When you use them with a hair dryer on a gloss finish decals will look painted. Then kill the shine with some flat clear coat.

 

Glue wise, I like brush on glues, I have a super thin Tamiya and a thicker revell contacta, The brush makes applying them cleaner.

 

And to fill cracks I've used a lot of products, Green stuff, liquid green stuff, Miliput super fine. But the one that works the best is Perfect plastic putty by deluxe materials.

 

All my weathering is either GW washes or Humbrol weathering powders. The GW stuff is easy, The powered less so but you can apply and fix it with decal set allowing you to build, smear, or wash with them.

 

All the paint is Revell Aqua color. And I apply it either with a brush, or a cheap airbrush kit.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microscale-BMF128-Micro-Sol-solution/dp/B0006O9K5Q Micro sol

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microscale-BMF129-Micro-Setting-Solution/dp/B0006O9K4W Micro set

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Deluxe-Materials-Perfect-Plastic-Putty/dp/B0076LAVFK Perfect plastic putty

 

https://www.expotools.com/acatalog/AB603-Expo-Airbrush-Deal-AB605.html Airbrush kit

 

 

 

[MagpieTactical]

I was wondering if there was a thread and rather than starting a new one, I thought I would add some of mine.

 

I work in 1:72 scale brushpainting mostly. Haven't completed one for a while admittedly, have a SR71 Blackbird on the go just now.

 

Anyway some of mine

 

[Albiscuit]

Been revisiting my old artistic passion and doing a lot of drawing lately but also started painting again. Been chucking brushes onto some 40K Orks as they were always fun to paint and want to up my game a little.

 

Have read this thread and seen some mentions of airbush work and wondered if anyone uses them regularly and can answer the following:

• What are the difference between the bottom (jar fed) and top fed (Cup) style airbrushes. I ask as I found an old bottom fed one which states it would work for miniatures but all the tutorials on YT for example use the cup versions and I want to save some money
• Is there anything to consider with airbrushes, are cheap ones just as effective for BASIC hobby work? As above I dont want to spend lots of money and these things vary so much...
• Are airbrushes better than brushes, I am thinking of doing some vehicles soon and think the time saved would be helpful but with practice will it improve my painting standard overall?
• Am I ok using one at a covered table? Will I need one of the booths I have seen, or is using one in a well ventilated room ok, I dont think they do but do these things create a lot of over spray? Will I find spots on the curtains is my main question as the mrs would kill me  

[Lozart]

On 03/04/2019 at 11:09, Albiscuit said:

Been revisiting my old artistic passion and doing a lot of drawing lately but also started painting again. Been chucking brushes onto some 40K Orks as they were always fun to paint and want to up my game a little.

 

Have read this thread and seen some mentions of airbush work and wondered if anyone uses them regularly and can answer the following:

• What are the difference between the bottom (jar fed) and top fed (Cup) style airbrushes. I ask as I found an old bottom fed one which states it would work for miniatures but all the tutorials on YT for example use the cup versions and I want to save some money
• Is there anything to consider with airbrushes, are cheap ones just as effective for BASIC hobby work? As above I dont want to spend lots of money and these things vary so much...
• Are airbrushes better than brushes, I am thinking of doing some vehicles soon and think the time saved would be helpful but with practice will it improve my painting standard overall?
• Am I ok using one at a covered table? Will I need one of the booths I have seen, or is using one in a well ventilated room ok, I dont think they do but do these things create a lot of over spray? Will I find spots on the curtains is my main question as the mrs would kill me  

 

Gravity fed and suction fed to give them their correct names! Gravity feed brushes can work with much lower PSI so can have finer needles and do very fine work. They're more used for "proper" art than model making unless you have a very steady hand!

Even for BASIC work there's still a minimum standard I would expect to get. A lot of hobby shops sell the single action Badger ones with a huge glass jar and while yes, they're good for laying down large areas of flat colour (think large scale planes and tanks) they're gash for anything remotely fine. In terms of not wanting to spend loads of money, get yourself an Iwata Revolution or a Harder and Steenbeck Revolution. They both run a bit over £100 but they'll work well and last. https://www.graphicair.co.uk/product-category/airbrush/

Airbrushes aren't "better" than a normal hairy stick, they're different. Depending on what you're trying to achieve you will most likely end up using both.

In terms of overspray, a small airbrush won't make loads BUT it will accumulate and that shit is HARD to shift. Not only will a booth contain the overspray it'll help with you not breathing it in!

The other thing to consider is your air source. Propellant cans are OK to give it a try but much like gas guns they suffer from hideous cool down so you'll need a couple at a time (one to use and one to warm back up). Otherwise you're looking at a compressor: a basic diaphragm compressor will be cheap (ish) but is noisy and usually works off a foot pedal (you press it when you need air) so that can be a pain. The other thing is that they have no reservoir unless you get the more expensive ones so you end up suffering with pulsing in your air line - basically each stroke of the compressor creates a little puff of air. Try to draw a thin straight line and you'll just get a row of dots. Silent compressors are the go to for indoor work and are basically oil filled refrigerator pumps sat on a big tank. Expensive but well worth it if you need to paint late at night or just...a lot.

 

Happy to give any help and advice, I also have a quite a lot of kit that could do with a new home (brushes, compressors, airlines etc). 

[Albiscuit]

Thanks, let me think this over, a really helpful reply and better than most reviews I have read...

 

In all honesty I have picked it up as a new little hobby. Just painting for myself, not building an army or anything and do not really want to spend proper money on it just yet as I am only really getting to sit down once or twice a week to pick up a brush. The £100 I dropped on paints and a couple of brushes and a few models was painful enough!!

 

 

[Immortal]

Funny thing with this topic is Wolf Armouries started selling Gamesworkshop stuff and space marines etc...

 

I used to paint the little lead figures as a young teen but I was always crap at it. Never could achieve that shop display quality.

 

I can appreciate the skill and I'd probably enjoy it now but damn, I don't need another hobby that's for sure.

 

I like to paint my RIFs and kit though. That'll do Pig, that'll do...

[Iceni]

On 03/04/2019 at 11:09, Albiscuit said:

Have read this thread and seen some mentions of airbush work and wondered if anyone uses them regularly and can answer the following:

• What are the difference between the bottom (jar fed) and top fed (Cup) style airbrushes. I ask as I found an old bottom fed one which states it would work for miniatures but all the tutorials on YT for example use the cup versions and I want to save some money
• Is there anything to consider with airbrushes, are cheap ones just as effective for BASIC hobby work? As above I dont want to spend lots of money and these things vary so much...
• Are airbrushes better than brushes, I am thinking of doing some vehicles soon and think the time saved would be helpful but with practice will it improve my painting standard overall?
• Am I ok using one at a covered table? Will I need one of the booths I have seen, or is using one in a well ventilated room ok, I dont think they do but do these things create a lot of over spray? Will I find spots on the curtains is my main question as the mrs would kill me  

I use mine an awful lot. Not just for block colour either.

There are ways to shade a model using just black and white before you put the final colour on. It's all about layer thickness. You put a thin layer over that B&W layer but only just enough. The final outcome is a model with a tonal shift through the model.

For the actual airbrush, you can spend a lot or a little. The more expensive ones are not always the best to look at.

My go-to modelling airbrush is either a Mig ammo aircobra (£100+ expensive). Or an EXPO AB900 (£40). The AB900 can do everything the Mig brush can. It's just not as refined and struggles on very fine lines. It's normally the first brush I will grab as it's the one I allow to be kicking about on top of the desk.

https://www.expotools.com/acatalog/AB800-Easy-Clean-Airbrush-with-Small-2ml-Colour-Cup-AB900.html

 

For a compressor I have several.

I used for a very long time one of the cheap nail art compressors. They work but will only allow about 15-20 psi in continuous operation. 

The next stage up from that are £60-100 and are generally called airbrush compressors. They tend to have small tanks and can be set to various pressure outputs.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AS-186-Compressor-Tank-Nail-Tatoo-Art-Spray-Gun-Complete-Airbrush-Kit-INCD-VAT/273503213852?epid=25031180469&hash=item3fae0fd91c:g:f9MAAOSw8MZbvs7q&frcectupt=true

 

Because they come with a couple of brushes as well they represent everything you need. Don't expect the brushes to be decent tho. Spending that £40 on the expo one is a good basic investment.


The final stage of compressors is getting something more professional. I have one of these. It doesn't offer anything over the Ebay kit other than the ability to produce air faster and quieter.  You never need one of these, having one is a luxury not a requirement.



Your paint will govern the space you need.

Water-based acrylics need nothing special. Spraying using a box on your knee or desk is perfectly fine. You won't get much overspray, and the box will catch it.

Enamels and oil-based stuff you will need ventilation. The fumes build up, and you will need a mask as well. 

Dual action airbrushes are very good on paint use, and the chances of getting a lot of oversprays are minimal.


Decent paint is key to the whole thing working well.

MIG AMMo and Vallejo model air are good starter paints to use.

Some airbrush flow improver and liquid airbrush cleaner are also worthwhile. Vallejo are decent for these. 


Once you have a few paints and some cleaner you can start to play about with the setup. Masking a model is easy, but you can also mount the masks on balls of masking tape to get feathered edges on the camo effects.

Watch loads of videos. MIG videos are very good to learn basics from.
 

 

[jcheeseright]

While the advice "get the best airbrush you can afford" is 100% valid, you can get great results with a £15 eBay job, I painted this tank using an airbrush setup that cost less than a decent dinner: 

[ImTriggerHappy]

28 minutes ago, jcheeseright said:

While the advice "get the best airbrush you can afford" is 100% valid, you can get great results with a £15 eBay job, I painted this tank using an airbrush setup that cost less than a decent dinner: 

 

While I am always taking the piss about tabletop gamers I do appreciate the effort people put into painting this stuff.  Some of the results people get definitely qualifies it as art.

[jcheeseright]

20 hours ago, ImTriggerHappy said:

 

While I am always taking the piss about tabletop gamers I do appreciate the effort people put into painting this stuff.  Some of the results people get definitely qualifies it as art.

 

Thing is though, in 99% of cases you're right about the smelly, pot bellied, greasy haired, stained tee shirt wearing, aspergers virgins that inhabit GW stores.  

 

Much like airsoft, it seems like fly paper for the inadequate!

 

So much so, I spent an extra £60 on a VIP ticket to Warhammer Fest so I don't have to queue with the literal great unwashed.  🤣

[Albiscuit]

On 27/04/2019 at 20:51, ImTriggerHappy said:

 

While I am always taking the piss about tabletop gamers I do appreciate the effort people put into painting this stuff.  Some of the results people get definitely qualifies it as art.

 

Totally with you on this, I have 0 interest in playing the games (this may change however) but for now its a painting hobby.

I used to be pretty good in my teenage days and have been drawing a lot lately and revisiting my artistic side. Something somewhere caught my eye and for a few months I was reminded of miniatures everywhere I seemed to look and found a load of my dads old equipment sorting his stuff out so I figured I would try my hand at painting them again!

[Iceni]

Latest one. This is the base coat done. Just need to do the details and add decals.

Takom T55 AM2B

 

 

 

[jcheeseright]

Looks good, interesting that you've decided to do decals after weathering though.  

[Iceni]

That's not weathered. All you have there is pre-shade.

Grey primer, White highlights.
Clearcoat - satin finish.
Mig streaker brushes - Green grey grime and Streaking dust.
Base colour - mig XB518 mixed 20 drops transparator, 20 drops acrylic thinner, 15 drops paint. Airbrushed in 3 layers.

A few spots of dark tracks on the darkest pre shade.

Weathering comes after the detail pick, and decals.

[jcheeseright]

Streaking always comes before dust and after decals for me, keep the thread updated though! 

[Lozart]

I have admitted defeat and decided to get shot of some of my unmade kits. Thought I'd offer them here first if anyone is interested. All WW2 aircraft kits and mostly 1/48 scale Revell and Hasegawa. Let me know if you're interested and I'll put a list together