Well another day down and I seem to be on a bit of a roll with the minis! A few days ago I showed some nearly complete US Marine Corps soldiers on the 6mm Facebook page (link in the right tab) and am pretty happy with the final product, but not so happy with the photos - so I went and redid them after I realised I could get a lot more from my "lightbox" AKA 'My desk lamp bent down almost directly onto the model' by putting the model on an angle so the light hits it directly.
Because, you know, science 101 - light travels in a straight line etc and twit here didn't quite remember that for the last few shots.
Situation resolved! ;)
Anyhow, you may be wondering why the pictures of muddy, cruddy fields? Well that is because that is the look I am aiming for with the bases on my miniatures... I want them to look like they are in a place that is going through some regular storms. These kind of storms make a real, real fine (and really... REALLY gluey) mud that sticks to ANYTHING thanks to the fine red silt of the soil.
So my forces, in their imagi-nation not Africa/ not Australia (still NOT sure which exactly it will be!) are fighting in the onset of the "wet season" wherever they will be... it will be wet, it will be muddy... they ain't gonna feel pretty at all! (Although I hope the painting will be!)
Painting wise, I have completed four stands of DevilDogs to date - two stands of 'Regular' Marines with Green flak jackets, and two stands of the "Marine Raider Regiment" - the reborn MARSOC - to differentiate them, they are using a 'tactical' combat vest... so in reality it just means they have a 'Luftwaffe Blue' vest and helmet cover.
To make the SMAW was a reasonably easy task. As I am using GHQ's "Modern US Infantry" packages, they come with a surprisingly large number of 'Stinger' MANPADS troops - the Stinger is, at this scale, a dead ringer for the SMAW once you cut off the IFF antennae and lightly file the area flush with the missile tube. A lick of paint, and no one would know you had modified a different system!
I think it is what will set apart my Marines from any other force, the SMAW is such a distinctive system for their use.
The trees on the bases are branches from a larger scale railway model tree snipped apart - doused in super glue, and then dipped in either a mix of clump foliage/grass or a few different dips straight into the flock grass... The reason I have done this is that I want the trees to look like the spindly 'Chinee Apple' trees we have throughout the top end of Australia like you see down below.
They're scrubby, shabby looking... and you never, EVER want to land in one... as a bloke who used to live on a property with these terrible, spiky bloody plants, yeah... just don't!
I also had some very good luck with my wash (nothing crazy, just a Strong Tone 'Army Painter' wash drop bottle where I only use a drop or two in my paintbrush until it runs out) and the toner sat quite nicely within the facial features of the models... showing up real nicely for the images.
My personal favourites are the DevilDog lining up a target with his SMAW over the top of a patch of scrub, and the Marine Raider lying down with the Minimi/ M-249 SAW.
Next up, some completed Diggers to go with the DevilDogs!
Nat,
ReplyDeleteHoly crap, what a great blog! You've got to advertise, man! ;) I love everything you've got going on here, and look forward to more. And I can't believe you've got SMAWs; I've got Marines in 6mm, 10mm, and 15mm, ain't never been able to come up with a SMAW.
And I see you've gotten Ivan's "Brush War," and I don't want to be inappropriate (everyone has their own tastes in rules), but if you'll suffer me for a moment, I highly recommend his rules as well. I've got over a hundred fights using FiveCore, from team to squad to platoon to company to battalion (even have forces and the Brigade Commander rules, just haven't actually played them yet), and they've been great.
In any case, great stuff!
V/R,
Jack
Oh, and I just started following you via Google+, but I'm not experienced with it. I hope it works just like the regular old Blogger following widget (where your new posts will pop up when I log into blogger).
ReplyDeleteV/R,
Jack
Looks great mate. I like the red earth effect, and the minis look great. When I'm back in Canberra, we'll have to hook up for a game!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog. And this week I've been doing the exact same thing with GHQ stingers! Will you be at CANCON 6mm Team Yankee? I'm planning on bringing a USMC heliborne company.
ReplyDelete