Well, it's not a lot, but after finally clearing off my hobby desk - which had become a repository for all manner of things - I put paint on a figure for the first time in several months.
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| "Aren't you all a little short to be stormtroopers?" |
All I did was the white kit - and roughly done at that. I will do a second coat today perhaps, and then go back and "cut in" to fix all of the over painting. It's not the most efficient method but I am too shaky a painter to keep my brush on the intended bits.
To keep my new found painting inspiration going, I opted to paint only 4 of the 7 in this bunch. I'm hoping that keeping the numbers small will keep me motivated.
The Playmobil figure was on my desk for foot reattachment surgery, which I'm happy to say was a complete success.
Wonderful job as always!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Reese! They'll look better when I touch them up but I have a way to go yet.
DeleteI'm sure you mentioned this before, but what do you use to prime your AIP figures? (I've heard gesso, Plasti Dip spray paint, or spray paint that claims it adheres to plastic.) I can also sympathize with your hobby desk serving as repair central.
ReplyDeleteHi Peter,
DeleteI would say 90% of the time I use gesso (usually black, sometimes white). The rest of the time I experiment - usually with a thick PVA, like Mod Podge, which I also use as part of my sealing process). The latter works better, I think for not flaking before it's sealed, but I have so much gesso to use up and I seal the figures with PVA anyway, and for the shiny toy look, acrylic gloss varnish.
I recenlty read of someone putting a varnish on plastic figures before painting and I'm intrigued.
Varnish before painting? I would suppose a matt varnish might work but I have a whole pot of modge podge to use up. I normally use PVA but I’m out and I can’t be bothered to buy any even though I have just bought some new Germans.
DeleteI find my mod podge gets taken from my hobby area for use in my son's art projects. I still have the same large bottle of gesso I bought 10 years ago. I'm maybe half way through.
DeleteI think I tried the gesso once, it just seemed to chalky. Mind you I wasn’t happy to find the bubbles on the recent models after I undercoated them. I’m going to have to smooth them over before I work on them.
DeleteFigures coming along very nicely. I look forward to seeing them progress.
ReplyDeleteInteresting your comments and answers about Painting AIP plastics as I was wary of this. One set the Rogers Rangers I undercoated some in PVA before painting, the others and Woodland Indians just undercoated with a brush and base colour Acrylic. All sealed at end with gloss spray Varnish. Yet to tell the difference but time and play will tell me.
ReplyDeletePlaymobil are a great resource, I have not got to the Wild spectacle of http://www.gardenwargaming.com/wargame/wargames/game.html
Instead I have collected the odd special figure over the past few decades and they still get to come out on special occasions like duelling ... some of the skirmish gamers say the western buildings are a good replacement for gold dust Timpo. Duelling rules here - https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/duelling-in-the-sandpit-lunge-cut-and-stop-thrust/
There isn't anything I don't love about the idea of gaming with Playmobil!
DeleteI have been tempted by both their knights and by their samurai. Thank you for the link reminding me of “Lunge, Cut and Stop Thrust” - some day, when my son "out grows" Legos and Playmobil, I hope to acquire both collections for my gaming purposes!
Also, I'd be curious if the base color acrylic with varnish holds up. If so, it would save me a step that often saps my desire to paint (I just want to get on with it, not prime the figures and then start).
DeleteGreat to see progress, that's how I paint mine, also, due to the high "sides" on the gear. I paint the top and both sides of a belt, which gets some paint on the clothes, then I go back and cut in for the clothes again against the raised belt [or pack, or whatever]. Works for me.
ReplyDeleteI "primed" my Brits with watered down PVA glue, but I don't like it. To get it thick enough to stick seems to ruin some of the detail of these lovely figs. I cleaned then sprayed the Pathans with Dupli-Color Desert [dark tan] Vinyl & Fabric Spray Paint 11oz I got at an Auto Zone down the street. I think the Pathans look a lot better and there hasn't been any flaking yet.
I am halfway thru the 10 Brits, and then I will move on to the 20 Pathans, and then I am lining up 10 Ghoorkas and 10 Indians so I've variety to fight the Pathans, then 20 more Pathans, then guns and cavalry, and on and on!! Mwah-ah-ah-ahhhh! :o
Ah yes, the belts! My nemesis. While I think they look great painted, they do make it hard to paint without getting on the uniform.
DeleteI did observe this morning that from "wargame" distance, most of the overpaint is unnoticeable. It's only up close, most obviously in photos, that the overpaint is visible and distracting. A symptom of the modern age I suppose. Yet, try as I might though, I can't handle the idea of not going back and cutting in.
I had some bad experiences with one of those "for plastic" spray primers years ago - it dried tacky, and everything, mostly cat hair, would be attracted to, and stick to, the figures. It was probably the brand but I am a bit wary of them. Plus, soon I am likely to have nowhere to spray. Still, I like the idea of hitting them with a base color other than black or white.
What's your end goal force wise? I've been thinking a lot about this lately (started writing a post about it. I'll see if I finish it though)
I gotta go back and cut in - I'll accept painting btw the lines in lieu of great artistry, but I can't handle sloppy.
ReplyDeleteThe vinyl stuff may not be a primer at all - I think it is to change the color of a piece of your car that is plastic / vinyl. It came out fine, now I have to try to paint on it.
For my forces, I'm looking at 4-5 skirmish units [squads / sections] a side to start. This is enough for 2-4 players. I'll look to double the unit sizes up to about 20 figs for a platoon - company level game, which would only be for about 2 players.
Units types I own now are mostly infantry, with one cavalry unit a side, and then some guns for the British. I am pretty sure I will need another 40 AIP Pathan Infantry at least. "Hordes of the things!"
Btw, do you have a copy of Pith Helmet 2? I can't seem to find the download.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I just saw this!
DeleteHere's the link to the download: https://freewargamesrules.fandom.com/wiki/Pith_Helmet_2