Tag Archives: decals

28mm: US Airborne HQ, Jeeps and 57mm Anti-Tank Gun from Warlord Games

Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division load an M1 57mm Anti ...

I took the occasion of the 75th anniversary of VE Day recently to revisit some long-neglected World War II US Airborne models from Warlord Games. I model all my 28mm WWII figures in metal from a variety of manufacturers, preferring the heft, durability, speed to complete and detail to that of miniatures cast in plastic.

Warlord sells their models in conjunction with their Bolt Action game, but I use the miniatures in a variety of systems. The HQ set includes a radio operator, medic and two officers, including one chomping on the stub of a cigar. Each of the jeeps (sold individually) have a group of soldiers piled in and a wire catcher extending up from the front to prevent wire traps from injuring the riders. Finally, the M1 57mm anti tank gun features two loaders I mounted directly to the gun’s base while keeping the command figure separate in case I want to field him separately.

These models paint quickly and I finish them off with appropriate 101st Airborne insignia decals from Company B. As with all Warlord casts, these models all feature some great detail, poses and personality, making them a great mix and addition to my miniature WWII allied forces.

US Airborne HQ (1944-45) from Warlord Games
US Airborne Jeep (1944-45) from Warlord Games
US Airborne 57mm Anti-Tank Gun (1944-45) from Warlord Games

28mm: US Airborne Pathfinders And Willys Jeeps By Warlord Games

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I recently picked up four US Airborne Pathfinder models from Warlord Games via special order from the good folks at The Brooklyn Strategist. As I sat down to paint them up, I did a little online searching and came across an obituary in the NY Times for Jake McNiece, a leader of the “Filthy 13” of the 101st Airborne Division which riskily night-dropped ahead of the main invasion force on D-Day.

McNiece (featured in a photo above from Stars and Stripes) is credited with coming up with the iconic mohawked shaved heads and face paint worn by many of the hearty Pathfinders, and painting these figures adds some great visual diversity to any US Airborne force representing American paratroopers on D-Day. I had previously painted up Pathfinders from Artizan Designs, and these warlord models fleshed out my Pathfinders squad to a full and fearsome force.

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My US Airborne painting scheme is quick and gets my models table-ready in just a couple painting sessions. This latest round of painting my US Airborne collection also included a couple Warlord US Army Willys Jeep models I picked up on sale at this year’s HMGS 2016 Cold Wars Convention. I painted the driver and gunner to match my US Airborne, and they fit in nicely with my models while also adding some mobile gun support on the game table.

AB Paint Scheme

Painting 28mm US Airborne Pathfinders

  1. Clean flash from metal models with a sharp knife and glue to metal washer or plastic bases.
  2. Apply filler putty to bases. When dry, scrape off excess with a sharp knife.
  3. Base coat models and bases with flat black spray primer.
  4. Paint uniforms and bandages on helmets with Tallarn Sand.
  5. Paint helmets and knee and elbow patches with Waaagh! Flesh.
  6. Paint faces and hands with Tallarn Flesh.
  7. Paint webbing and packs with Baneblade Brown.
  8. Paint bases, boots, gun stocks and helmet straps with Dark Brown.
  9. Apply Agrax Earthshade wash to uniforms, helmet netting, webbing and packs.
  10. Mix 50/50 Baneblade Brown and Off White and lightly dry brush packs, webbing and socks.
  11. Lightly dry brush bases, gun stocks, helmet netting, holsters and elbow and shoulder patches with Baneblade Brown.
  12. Paint metal gun parts with black and finish with a light dry brush of metallic silver.
  13. Paint eyes with small dots of Off White and Dark Brown. Clean up around eyes with Tallarn Flesh.
  14. Paint thin lines of red and offwhite face paint to cheeks and foreheads of the models.
  15. Mix 50/50 Tallarn Flesh and Off White and brush highlights on cheekbones, chins, forehead, nose and hands.
  16. Cover bases in white glue and cover in 50/50 mix of fine light green and dark green grass flock.
  17. Glue small pieces of clump foliage to base.

After painting, I added a final touch with decals on shoulders and helmets from Company B, followed by a coat of Solvaset decal fixative from Walthers and a spray coat with matte finish.

This little project not only gave me a break from my regular painting but also added a bunch of new models I can field in my Bolt Action and other 28mm World War II skirmish games. Pictures below show the final results ready to drop onto the table and start rolling dice during the invasion of Normandy.

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28mm: M4A3 Sherman By Rubicon Models

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I’ve been quickly fitting out my 28m World War II infantry over the past few months with models from Artizan Designs, Warlord Miniatures and Black Tree Design. With scores of figures on the table, I thought it was high time to add some hefty support to the mix. So, at my recent journey to the excellent NJ Con I picked up a copy of the Rubicon Models M4A3 Sherman tank

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Retailing for under $40 USD, the 1/56 scale Rubicon Sherman comes on three sprues of well cast plastic. The very detailed instructions allow for the construction of three versions of the tank with 75mm, 76mm or 105mm guns and multiple turret variations. As this was my first at this scale, I opted for the most common 75mm gun, and the assembly allowed for loose gun for elevation at multiple angles. The interlocking turret also enabled easy rotation as did the top machine gun when left unglued but snuggly fitted into the turret. No stowage parts were included, but since this was my first model, I didn’t mind keeping it a relatively clean, right off the assembly line version of the workhorse Sherman of WWII.

IMG_6250My go-to basecoat for my US wargaming miniatures

After a quick assembly, my Sherman was hit in a basecoat in the US olive drab color from the Plastic Soldier Company. I’ve gotten a ton of mileage out of this product as a foundation for 15mm Flames of War models in the past, and it worked equally as well at this larger scale. Following the base spray, the treads got a black and then metallic drybrush. Seams in the hull were washed with a black-brown, and the hull received layers of dry-brushed rusty metallics and layers of varying brown mud. The included decals were easily applied and then washed and muddied up before the whole model was dull-coated in a final protective spray.

The resulting M4A3 Sherman armed with a 75mm gun is shown below in detail from a few angles and is ready to operate in support of my Allied models in the months to come.

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28mm: US Airborne Support Weapons By Warlord Games

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With my first 101st Airborne troops completed in 28mm, I’ve moved on to adding some support weapons. As a relative newcomer to World War II at this scale, I’ve also taken the opportunity to try another manufacturer’s miniatures for the sake of comparison.

WarlordlogoIn 2008, Warlord Games launched a small selection of WWII miniatures acquired from another manufacturer. To compliment the line of models, about three years ago Bolt Action came to the game scene with a slickly-designed rule set published by Osprey Publishing and a now vastly-expanding line of miniatures from multiple nations and combat theaters of WWII. The Warlord Games plastic and metal line of soldiers, artillery, transports and armor, along with the Bolt Action game system, have come to dominate the market and tournament scene for gamers playing tactical-level WWII in the larger 28mm scale.

For my first figures from Warlord Games, I stuck with a few metal models which scale nicely with my figures from Artizan Designs. The castings display a lot of exaggerated poses, animated facial expressions and detailed equipment which look great on a wargaming tabletop and reveal the influence of the designers who hail from the world of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 from Games Workshop.

AB Paint SchemeIn painting my first Warlord Games miniatures, I went with my same quick and simple painting scheme I’ve been using so far:

Painting 28mm US Airborne Support Weapons

  1. Clean flash from metal models with a sharp knife and glue to metal washer or plastic bases.
  2. Apply filler putty to bases. When dry, scrape off excess with a sharp knife.
  3. Base coat models and bases with flat black spray primer.
  4. Paint uniforms and bandages on helmets with Tallarn Sand.
  5. Paint helmets and knee and elbow patches with Waaagh! Flesh.
  6. Paint faces and hands with Tallarn Flesh.
  7. Paint webbing and packs with Baneblade Brown.
  8. Paint bases, boots, gun stocks and helmet straps with Dark Brown.
  9. Apply Agrax Earthshade wash to uniforms, helmet netting, webbing and packs.
  10. Mix 50/50 Baneblade Brown and Off White and lightly dry brush packs, webbing and socks.
  11. Lightly dry brush bases, gun stocks, helmet netting, holsters and elbow and shoulder patches with Baneblade Brown.
  12. Paint metal gun, bazooka and mortar parts with black and finish with a light dry brush of metallic silver.
  13. Paint eyes with small dots of Off White and Dark Brown. Clean up around eyes with Tallarn Flesh.
  14. Mix 50/50 Tallarn Flesh and Off White and brush highlights on cheekbones, chins, forehead, nose and hands.
  15. Apply Company B decals to shoulders and helmets, followed by a coat of Solvaset decal fixative from Walthers.
  16. Cover bases in white glue and cover in 50/50 mix of fine light green and dark green grass flock.
  17. Glue small pieces of clump foliage to base.
  18. Spray coat completed models with matte finish.

To begin, I’ve painted up a 60mm mortar team and a bazooka crew. here’s a few photos of the final results:

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I’ll probably add a light machine gun and some other models from Warlord Games soon, but for now my US Airborne forces will be able to pack a bit more punch in upcoming games.

28mm: US Airborne By Artizan Designs

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After a lot of modelling and gaming World War II over the years at the 15mm scale and some toes dipped into 6mm last year, I decided to move up to 28mm at the beginning of 2015. At this larger scale, there’s a lot less needed in terms of getting numbers of models on the table and there’s an opportunity for much more detail and personality in the figures, too. At about $2 USD per metal figure on average across a number of manufacturers, a more than healthy sized force for squad level engagements can be had with 30-40 or so figures on a side for under $100 USD.

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To get started, I happened a  timely sale deal for Artizan Designs miniatures ordered from Brigade Games. I’m very much a late war post-D-Day player, so I purchased a variety of US Airborne riflemen, officers, characters and a M1919 30 cal. machine gun team. I really like the detail in sculpts on the Artizan figures, so the prospect of getting these guys painted up was pretty exciting.

AB Paint Scheme
Artizan Designs provides a lot of painting reference information on their site, and the US Airborne painting guide gave me a good jumping off point. I have plenty of experience painting the US 101st Airborne Division in 15mm, and the larger 28mm scale gave me the opportunity to work through a lot more detail with my miniatures. My existing paint inventory as well as a few extra colors from Citadel gave me all I needed to whip up a solid painting scheme.

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US 101st Airborne decals from Company B

To finish off my figures, I really wanted to add that last bit of realism at this scale with the appropriate patches and uniform markings. Since my painting skills don’t extend to the level of detail needed in painting patches and insignia, I was pleased to come across decals at this scale from Company B.

After some minimal flash clean-up, the individual figures got glued to metal washer bases. The prone LMG team went on a 60mm plastic base from Proxie Models and the two-man team on the move was glued to a larger metal washer. Here’s the painting guide in detail for my US Airborne:

Painting 28mm US Airborne

  1. Clean flash from metal models with a sharp knife and glue to metal washer or plastic bases.
  2. Apply filler putty to bases. When dry, scrape off excess with a sharp knife.
  3. Base coat models and bases with flat black spray primer.
  4. Paint uniforms and bandages on helmets with Tallarn Sand.
  5. Paint helmets and knee and elbow patches with Waaagh! Flesh.
  6. Paint faces and hands with Tallarn Flesh.
  7. Paint webbing and packs with Baneblade Brown.
  8. Paint bases, boots, gun stocks and helmet straps with Dark Brown.
  9. Apply Agrax Earthshade wash to uniforms, helmet netting, webbing and packs.
  10. Mix 50/50 Baneblade Brown and Off White and lightly dry brush packs, webbing and socks.
  11. Lightly dry brush bases, gun stocks, helmet netting, holsters and elbow and shoulder patches with Baneblade Brown.
  12. Paint metal gun parts with black and finish with a light dry brush of metallic silver.
  13. Paint eyes with small dots of Off White and Dark Brown. Clean up around eyes with Tallarn Flesh.
  14. Mix 50/50 Tallarn Flesh and Off White and brush highlights on cheekbones, chins, forehead, nose and hands.
  15. Apply decals to shoulders and helmets, followed by a coat of Solvaset decal fixative from Walthers.
  16. Cover bases in white glue and cover in 50/50 mix of fine light green and dark green grass flock.
  17. Glue small pieces of clump foliage to base.
  18. Spray coat completed models with matte finish.

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Filler putty applied to US Airborne .30 cal machine gun teams

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Helmet and uniform base coats on US Airborne riflemen

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Flesh base coat on hands and faces on riflemen and command figures

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Uniform, helmet and flesh base coats on the .30 cal machine gun teams

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Washes and dry brush layers added to the .30 cal machine gun models and bases

And now, a whole series of my completed US airborne troops from Artizan Designs…

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I still want to fill out my US forces with some additional troops and support weapons, so there will be more to come from Artizan and some other manufacturers. Getting some Germans ready for the table is another pending project on the workbench. Transport and armored vehicles are also very much on my mind. I’m also still debating rule sets, and I’ve been reading up on a variety including the popular Bolt Action from Warlord Games and Nuts! from Two Hour Wargames. With my first 28mm troops ready for action, WWII at a new scale is keeping the period exciting for what I’m certain will be another new year of painting and playing.

Micro Armour: Fielding the GHQ German Kampfgruppe and Panzer IVs

kampfgruppegerman

After getting my initial GHQ 6mm US armored infantry and tank force painted-up a few weeks ago, I’ve moved on to my Germans next. My Axis starter force comes from two GHQ box sets. Ten Panzer IV tanks are included in the Shermans vs. Panzer IVs Battle Box. To this armor I’ve added the contents of the German Kampfgruppe 1944 box set which includes two towed 20mm Flak guns, two Marder IIIs, two 150mm Bisons, two Sdkfz 10/1 transports, a Kfz 15 command car, a couple horse-drawn wagons, infantry mortars, machine gun teams and a pile of infantry. All together, this gives me a pretty hefty late war German set of models with a solid mix of infantry weapons, tanks, transports and supporting heavy weapons.

IMG_4105GHQ’s Kampfgruppe 1944 Combat Command box set

As with my basic US force in 6mm, I’ve worked up a simple painting method for my Germans. The key is to get an even, thin base coat on the models so tiny details can show through as highlighted areas as I add subsequent colors. Using a magnifier is also a necessity at this scale, and staring at tiny models through the lenses makes painting a downright breeze.

IMG_4111Getting the models and workspace organized is key when working with 6mm

IMG_0599GHQ German infantry, machine guns, Sdkfz 10/11 and Marder IIIs

Painting German Infantry

  1. Glue a small piece of card over the center hole of washers.
  2. Glue models to washer bases.
  3. Basecoat models and bases with white spray primer.
  4. Wash models in a mix of 1 part dark grey, 1 part light grey and 5 parts water.
  5. Paint boots, gun stocks and equipment details dark brown,
  6. Paint hands and faces flesh.
  7. Paint gun barrels and equipment details gun-metal silver.
  8. Paint bases dirt brown.
  9. Cover bases in white glue and cover in 50/50 mix of fine light green and dark green grass flock.
  10. Glue small pieces of clump foliage to base.

 IMG_0603Completed GHQ Panzer IVs

Painting German Armor and Transports

  1. Glue a small piece of card over the center hole of washers.
  2. Glue models to washer bases.
  3. Basecoat models and bases with white spray primer.
  4. Wash models in a mix of 1 part dark grey and 5 parts water.
  5. Lightly coat models in mud brown wash.
  6. Dry brush light grey highlights to models.
  7. Dry brush tracks, machine guns and body details gun-metal silver.
  8. Paint bases dirt brown.
  9. Cover bases in white glue and cover in 50/50 mix of fine light green and dark green grass flock.
  10. Glue small pieces of clump foliage to base.
  11. Paint tire tracks on bases dark brown.

Getting decals applied to the Panzer IVs is finicky, but with some trial and error using my process I did get that last little bit needed to get my Germans rolling onto the table at a very small scale.

IMG_0607GHQ German machine guns

IMG_0605GHQ wagons and 20mm flak guns

IMG_0600GHQ German infantry and Kfz 15 command car

IMG_0601GHQ German infantry and mortar team

Micro Armour: How To Apply Decals To 6mm Models

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I’m working my way through my new 6mm micro armor modelling project using models from GHQ. After painting I arrived at the stage of applying decals which I also ordered from GHQ. Like many hobbyists, I have a love-hate relationship with decals at any scale. Cutting and applying decals can be frustrating as they fold, tear or wind up in the wrong positions on models. On the other hand, getting decals successfully applied to models adds a ton of personality to a paint job and can allow for easier identification during play on the tabletop.

An experienced micro armor modeller and player at Metropolitan Wargamers in Brooklyn, NY turned me on to his technique for applying decals to 6mm models which I’ve found to be fast and easy with great results. Being organized and methodical in an assembly line manner is key. Having the right equipment is also a necessity. Magnifying reading glasses keeps all the tiny decals and models in focus. Working off a clean, flat hobby mat provides an ideal surface to cut decals and also keeps things easy to see. A sharp hobby knife with a fresh blade, some very fine brushes, clean water, white glue, paper towels and a cotton swab round out the basic equipment. Finally, using a decal fixative (I use Walthers Solvaset) gives a good bond for decals once applied, nestling them into the uneven surfaces of the model.

Applying 6mm Decals

  1. Carefully cut around the shape of each decal with a very sharp hobby knife.
  2. Using a finger tip, dot several small beads of  clean water in a row on the work surface.
  3. Apply a small amount of watered-down white glue to the surface of the model where the decal will be applied.
  4. Carefully push a decal into a bead of water using a small brush.
  5. After a few seconds, roll the decal off its paper backing using a fine brush.
  6. Roll the decal onto the model’s surface and gently push it into position.
  7. After a few minutes of drying time, dab the decal area with a cotton swab to remove any excess water.
  8. Coat the decal and the immediate area with a decal fixative solvent.
  9. Once models are completely dry, spray with a protective matte finish.

IMG_4079Applying decals to 6mm American armor

Historic markings varied a lot during World War II, so I largely came up with my own simple plan for my decals. Each one of my half tracks got encircled white air-observation stars on the hood. My Shermans each received two stars, one plain star on the front hull and an encircled white star on the rear deck of the tank. The M10 Wolverines and armored cars likewise received white stars in circles on the rear deck area.

IMG_40776mm US armor and transports with decals applied

I was able to complete all my decals in just two evenings, totaling  just about two hours. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results, and I didn’t lose a single decal in the process. Now that I’ve got my newly-learned technique down, it’s on to my German armor and then the battlefield.