Earlier this year I thought about 3d printing and got myself a resin printer.  A friend has had a plastic printer for a while and I saw and painted a sample for him.

I investigated 3D printing and eventually bought an Elegoo Mars. Here it is in action. 

I blundered about a lot, and I'm still learning.  I'll offer some cautionary notes later, but for now, here are some early test prints. These figures were free and are 10mm fantasy 'Warmaster' types. 

Here are some figures given a basic undercoat and wash. Just to see what they look like. 

And with a touch more paint. The chaps on the left are 15mm prints boosted/upscaled on the computer file from the 10mm originals. The chaps on the right are the originals. 

Some American Civil War 10mm upscales, 6mm originals, and at the back is a British 28mm seven years war chap.

Here is the British 28mm seven years war chap alongside a Perry Miniatures 28m AWI figure. 

I've done a lot more prints since and I'll post examples later. But for now, here are my initial lessons.

Cost and initial outlay on materials. 

The printer cost about £170. 

In addition, resin is needed at around £16 plus for 500g or £25 for a 1 kg bottle. A model may only weigh about 2-4 or more grams, so you get a lot of models from one bottle, but I wasted a lot of resin on failed prints and learning. Many models will need supports to build, though that is a topic for another day. 

Isopropyl 99% alcohol for cleaning the resin models after printing. I started buying a litre, but later bought 5 litres for less than £20 if I recall. I had used isopropyl before as it's great for using as a paint thinner and brush cleaner.

Suitable containers for cleaning models. I got additional containers to use for soapy water to wash the models after being washed in the alcohol. 

Kitchen roll for general cleaning and mopping up resin spills. The thing with photo-cure resin is that it only cures fully in exposure to UV light, so I spend time cleaning the vat that contains the resin and the build plate and general cleaning. It can get messy. 

And just as important, face mask and latex gloves. The resin smells a bit and the liquid resin may cause skin irritation, so care is needed. 

And finally the cost of the models, or rather the cost of the computer files. For example, the seven years war pack cost me $15 for all ranks, marching, advancing, firing plus officer, standard and drummer.  

And, and ... almost forgot. Do have a decent computer with a good graphics card and capability. I initially put the free Chitubox software that came with the printer, on to an older computer and I couldn't see some files because the graphics card was older. I switched to a more powerful laptop and everything has been fine since. 

I'll write more on my experiences later.  

More on French and Indian Wars highlanders.

Further to last post on the French and Indian Wars highlanders, here is the stage by stage painting.

I thought I'd have a crack with Contrast Paints, just to see what was possible. 

The red was OK but I didn't like the blues I had, so I went back to usual acrylics. The blue here is Vallejo's Intense Blue.  

Incidentally, I decided to do the cuff facings blue, even though I know the Black Watch were not appointed a Royal regiment till after their valiant performance at Ticonderoga. Before that the facings were buff.  

Also, of minor historical interest, is the regimental number was initially the 43rd foot and this lasted for the first 10 years of its regimental existence. Then, when a lower numbered regiment mutinied and was disbanded, the higher numbered regiments all moved up one, and the Black Watch became it's much more famous number, the 42nd, the 'forty-twa'. 

I'm not sure if it's obvious from the last photo, but the kilts are missing the multiple pleats / folds at the back. So I tried just painting them on. 

Here, the kilts are starting to look better and I've decided to paint the uniform jackets red. I tried contrast paint on the leggings, but decided to add a layer or two on top.  

And this is basically the figures nearly done. Just some tidying up and the metallic to do at this stage. 

And so, repeat pictures of the finished articles. 

More later ... 

first posts in a long time

It's way past time I was posting. So I'll post a few pictures of activities, generally going backwards.

Here's my latest activity.  I played a couple of games of the new glossy version of Muskets and Tomahawks with friends. They were good games and a friend bought the British for the French-Indian War.  Some of the figures looked nice so I offered to paint the highlanders and the friend gave me the figures to take away.

To cut a long story short, here are the finished figures. I'll leave the finishing of the bases to my friend. 

Now, one of the things to emerge from this exercise, is a little personal moan - why is it that some sculptors just do not understand the kilt or the way that it hangs or moves. It seems to me that some sculptors assume a kilt is like a skirt and graft on the bottom of a Roman or Greek tunic, or indeed a skirt, onto a British uniform top and think job done.

But no, the back of the kilt has a smooth front but pleats at the back, a deliberate series of folds that allow for easier movement. It's been there since the 18th century. 

Sadly, these FIW highlanders had a smooth tunic type thing all the way round, so I tried to paint on the deep folds at the rear. I think I was reasonable successful. If they had been my figures I would have tried to sculpt or carve folds, but as it was I tried my best with paint. 

Bah humbug, och aye, ye ken...  

My other major activity of recent times has been 3D printing, so I'll post more on that later.

Classical Indians finished and French Light Infantry nearly done

 So here is where I was at the end of the week.  The Indians are done and have already had a game of DBA on the table.  These are all Essex Miniatures 15mm.  

And the Napoleonic French Light Infantry. Nearly finished, but now looking like the finished article. I've still to finish the basing, sort the pompom colours which I mixed up, and finally add the flag. 

Just peeking in at the bottom of the last photo are figures for a unit of French Line infantry. These are next for the brush. 

Classical Indians and Napoleonic French nearly done

Just keeping on, keeping on. The Indians and some Napoleonic French Light Infantry that have been on a tray for a while are nearly complete. 

Napoleonic French light infantry first. These are CGM figures with just the basing to do.  Except, as I look at the photo, I realise I've missed a shako pompom. Ah, well, these things happen. 

Still, not to bad.  As usual, in recent years, I've gone for slightly brighter/lighter tones, just to make he figures look nice from a distance. 

And the Classical Indians. Just the elephants to paint and assemble the chariot crews and the boss man in the howdah. Then I'll move on to finish off the basing at the same time I do the Napoleonic figures above. 

And that's it for now.  

Back to painting

I've not painted anything for a long time, but after a friend mentioned DBA, I decided to have a look in my unpainted DBA box.  

First the box, and in here are Indians, Persians, Greeks and Gauls/Galatians. I decided to start the Indians. 

Here the first flesh paint has been applied. In the centre are two stands of Hordes where I tried the GW Contrast paints. I was pleasantly surprised by the result and I will use them again, selectively.  The other figures were painted with my usual thin semi-wash of flesh with an umber wash on top.  

And this is the stage I've reached. I've tidied up the sarong with a pale flesh colour that looks like unbleached cloth and then added some white. In the bottom picture, I've applied the colours to the horses; again a thin semi-wash so that the paint flows easily in to folds and muscles. Next for the horses will be to add a black or dark wash to the fetlocks, mane and tail.

And that's it for now.  Though one other thing I've found is that my back was starting to ache after a while. I am a bit older, but I think I will have to look at my painting setup and my posture, and try to make sure that painting remains a relaxing and enjoyable part of the hobby for me. 

Games review of the year 2020

Usually about this time I'd do a review of the games I played in the previous year.  This year it's a short list. 

So here are the games I played at our club in January and February 2020, before everything closed down.  

Lion Rampant - 2 

Hail Caesar - 1 

Black Powder - 1

ADG - 1

Maurice - 1 

Xenos Rampant - 1 

And that's it. Seven games. But they were good games.   

In the rest of 2020 I did very little game-wise or painting, though I have read a lot of books; a lot of books.  A recent focus has been World War 2. 

I read a biography of Eisenhower during the war and got a good understanding of the problems he had in leading an allied force.  

I read Patton's War As I Knew It (a sanitised version), then read The Patton Papers (an unsanitised version). The latter had some really interesting snippets, including his perceptions of other commanders.  But two main bits stood out for me; first, an almost throwaway comment that an unknown senior British officer admitted that, after Patton won the 'race to Messina', the British high command tried to restrict his activities and opportunities, so as he would not outshine Montgomery.  

The second comment was that in Normandy, the 21st Army Group commanded by Montgomery, required all armies, corps and divisions to submit a daily report showing the locations of each battalion.  This seems incredible and an example of the pedantic nature of British command. 

There is a command doctrine I understand was used by Americans and other non-British forces, and now standard in NATO, was that officers issued orders to the level below them and knew the location of units one level below that. But that was it, and senior commanders did not get involved in lower levels of command. So, an army commander like Patton would issue orders to his Corps and know the locations of his divisions, and that would be it. This pattern would be repeated down the chain of command to allow each of the lower levels of command to do their job. And orders would be what to do and not tell subordinates how to do it.  

I'm currently reading Nemesis by Max Hastings on the last two years of World War 2 in the Pacific. Interesting bits I've picked up on this time are McArthur's invasion of the Phillipines, and indeed the British retaking Burma, were actually unnecessary as the war was being won by the American amphibious forces closing in on the Japanese home islands.  Also of interest was the level of corruption and incompetence in the Chinese high command. 

None of this is directly related to painting or gaming, but I find it interesting.