553 - Conversion Time

I actually got the chance to do some modelling tonight.

Specifically, I 'finished' building my Cromwell CS by converting myself a 95mm Howitzer muzzle brake with a biro. 

Hooray!

- Drax.

552 - Heavy Metal

Well, life is keeping me way too busy at the moment, but last night I stuck on a film and enjoyed putting together the hull of my Cromwell CS.

Thought I'd share with you how I give my Cromwells a weighty sense of gravitas:

Pebbles.

It's far nicer pushing them around the table when they've a bit of mass to them!

I've played a game of X-Wing recently too, but still awaiting the pics...

- Drax

551 - Painting Bolt Action British Infantry Step-by-Step

Hullo All,

I've been off on valedictory travels around England, staying with old friends, so there's no new hobby content per se. Instead, here's something I've been meaning to post for a while - if only for my own record keeping: it's my own step-by-step for me to follow, copied from the venerable Book of Arcane Scribblings, Volume VII and illustrated with some pics from earlier this year.

Here it is, verbatim. In each case, the number to the left is my estimation of the time taken per figure to complete each step, and all steps are presented in vague order:

20 mins   construct model and base with sand
1 min      prime (Halfords Grey spray)
1 min      base coat (English Uniform spray)
1 min      base: drybrush (Bleached Bone) 
2 mins    webbing, knapsack and spats etc. (Khaki)
1 min      helmet and gas cape (Russian Uniform)
2 mins    boots, Brens, Stens, pistols, bayonet frogs etc. (Black)
2 mins    faces and hands (Tallarn Flesh)
1 min +   rifle furniture and tool hafts etc. (??Brown) 
1 min -    rifle metal (Black)  
1 min      patches and flashes (??Red and ??Yellow)
2 mins     mugs and rank stripes (Bleached Bone)
1 min      bayonets, tool heads etc. (Bolt Gun Metal)
1 min      eyes (White); pupils and 11AD 'bulls' (black fineliner)
1 min -    tidy up cloth and flesh
2 mins     helmet camo (??Brown, Orkhide, ??Tausept Ochre)
1 min      Darkshade all over
1 min      drybrush webbing (Khaki/Bleached Bone)
1 min      edge base (Graveyard Earth)
2 mins +  base: static grass with PVA
2 mins    base: flowers with superglue; grass tufts

>>Don't forget drying time - especially for the fineliner!<<

So there you go. 

Cheers!

- Drax.