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Entering the Hobby -- Plotting Progress


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#1 Jassal

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Posted 11 August 2015 - 11:02 PM

Hey there! Thought I would introduce myself and show what I've been up to. Just made this as a very general guide to other people just getting into things! In addition to the below, I've started a blog at weeships.wordpress.com so you can follow there, while I figure out the formatting.  :rolleyes:

 

I’ve taken the plunge and decided to get into wargaming. I’ll be using the General Quarters 3 rules (battle reports will be coming) and Figurehead 1/6000 ships to recreate naval battles from the Pacific Theatre of WWII. In this first post, I will be showing the contents of Figurehead blisters, how to prep those models for painting, and how they look along the various steps. 

I opted for 1/6000 scale because it is very cost effective, maintains an appropriate scale with limited table space, and Figurehead models are pretty great. I ordered mine from Scale Specialties, which offer very good prices on these beautiful minis.

This is how the ships come packaged. Destroyers come eight to a pack, cruisers in three or four per pack, and larger ships two to three per pack.

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The number of ships per pack is usually relative to the number of real ships per class. For example, the Japanese light cruiser pack comes with two Tenryu-class cruisers and one Yubari-class, which is how many of either ship was built! To further aid your gaming/modeling, the back of the package includes information on the ship class and the names of ships in that class. Very handy!

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The models are very clean, requiring very little in the way of filing or removal, and having very little flash (excess metal) or mold lines. They also come in re-sealable bags which is nice for interim storage while cleaning/painting.

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As you may have noticed in the above picture, they are not without flaw. The smokestacks on these Craven-class DDs were all bent and had to be eased back into an upright position and cleaned of flash. That being said, it went well and the little guys were in ship-shape in no time.

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So! On to actual work, yes? Use a metal file, sandpaper, or an exacto blade to clean your models of flash, mold lines, and other flaws. If using an exacto blade like I did, make sure the blade is flush with the work and gentle scrape away whatever needs to be removed. The dull side can be used to pick at metal and nudge things (smokestacks) around, too.

Next, prep some warm water with a drop of dishsoap to clean the models. The models are, “dirty,” out of the box with release agent (used to get them out of the molds), dirt, and miscellaneous packaging goop. Use an old toothbrush and clean them off. I use an old mug to hold my soapy water and just wash the ships individually. You could easily use your sink so long as you have a strainer over the drain.

Once that’s done and the models have dryed, the next step will be to prime the miniatures. I use Army Painter white primer. I find that it goes down really smooth and thin so that no detail is lost. You can get away with using cheaper stuff you find at the nearest Walmart/Target/what-have-you, but I have had issues with losing detail with those types. I use white because I like more vibrant colors and because smaller miniatures are more likely to appear darker to the eye.

When using spray-paint of any type, you need to shake the can vigorously for at least 1.5 minutes. I go for two minutes just to be safe. You want to spray from about 6-8 inches (15-20cm) away from the miniatures, starting away from the miniatures (so that any, “spit,” or abnormality with the paint can be found before shooting it on your miniatures) and then evenly sweep it over your models from side-to-side. Then, rotate the models and prime their other side. Two passes is ideal to balance coverage and detail.

Takao-class Heavy Cruisers

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Fubuki-class Destroyers

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Gridley/Bagley/Benham-class Destroyers

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Northampton-class Heavy Cruisers

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As you can see, detail is already visible and they’re becoming more than hunks of metal.The models are on a masking tape which is low-adhesive so they’re very easy to pluck off once finished. Primer takes 24 hours to cure, so do not paint your models until at least a day has passed since you primed them.

Other bits of knowledge: If using spray-paints, upend the bottle and discharge until the spray is clear to prevent paint from clogging within the can. Be patient! Rushing will only cost you time in the long-run. And have fun!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this first post. This will be followed by painting how-to’s, progress on the ships, rule reviews, and battle reports! Stick around!



#2 Kenny Noe

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Posted 12 August 2015 - 10:52 AM

Excellent work....  Looking forware to more.

 

Thanks



#3 Cpt M

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Posted 12 August 2015 - 10:05 PM

Great Post!  Keep it up!



#4 Jassal

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Posted 18 August 2015 - 10:44 AM

Thanks everyone. Still haven't received my set of rules in the mail, yet. Regardless, I have progress with painting and modeling to share.

 

Ran into some problems while modeling the second group of Japanese cruisers. They must have been beaten up pretty bad somewhere along the line:

 

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Yubari was very badly distorted in both dimensions and the Tenryu was split in two, requiring it to immediately be glued to the base before further work can be done. Yubari was fixed by boiling up some water and then submerging the model in the hot water. Let it sit for a minute and then remove it from the water -- it should be heated enough that you can bend it back into proper shape without snapping. She came out looking alright for me! No picture, though... Whoops. Good luck if your models are messed up like that! 

 

Needless to say, I was a bit discouraged by those minis and didn't brave any more unpleasant surprises. I turned back to painting the models that I had primed last time...

 

I read that the IJN used a dark grey paint throughout the war and that its decks were done in linoleum. Easy enough. I washed all the IJN ships to pick out details and darken the white, first. The cruisers and destroyers have different methods, however. Here is my recommended approach after experimenting for a while..

 

Cruisers:

Step-One: Basecoat the hull and superstructure in Vallejo Sombre Grey. This should only take one coat. Make sure to cover all angles and the small verticals between decks.

Step-Two: Basecoat the deck in Vallejo Cadmium Skin. This should take two coats to get an even finish.

Step-Three: Mix Cadmium Skin with Skin Wash 2:1. This should result in a ruddy color that flows easily. Lightly apply to the decks to get this warmer tan. It looks very good in-person. 

Step-Four: Apply Sombre Grey to touch-up whatever areas you may have missed or gotten Cadmium Skin into. 

Step-Five: Paint the top of the funnels/smokestacks black and, if daring, a small black lip around the top. Use a black wash on parts of the super-structure that need to be darkened/detailed. 

Basecoat (you can see where I was experimenting with deck colors):

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Near-finished model (still need to paint smokestacks and seal them)

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The photos don't do them justice, sadly. I'm really, really happy with the way the decks came out but the camera can't seem to capture the color.

 

On to the destroyers! 

Step-One: Basecoat the entire model in a 1:1 mix of Sombre Grey and Ghost Grey. The smaller models will appear darker, anyways. This will take two coats to get an even coverage. 

Step-Two: Carefully paint the deck with Cadmium Flesh. The bow and stern will require two coats to get an even coverage on the larger areas. The outboard sides of the ship will only require one coat to get the color there and the human eye will do the rest.

Step-Three: Use Sombre Grey to touch up where you missed spots or accidentally put Cadmium Flesh.

Step-Four: Paint the funnels/smokestacks black and use a black wash on parts of the superstructure that need to be shaded/detailed.

 

Base-coated: 
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Near-finished (need to paint funnels and seal the model)

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Pretty quick method and it produces very clean, presentable models for gaming. I hope this helps someone out there. Constructive criticism and comments are always welcome.

 

That's all I have for you, today! Thanks for looking.

 



#5 MatthewB

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Posted 15 September 2015 - 08:31 AM

1/6000 scale would make my head hurt.

We used to use them for Task Force Markers playing in 1/1200 scale Campaigns.

It is surprising that given the ease today with which new ships could be made with digital tools that there are not better 1/6000 ships available.

But... Keep at it. 

You might want to check your deck color for the USN ships for the Solomons.

Most were in Ms 11/12, Ms 12mod, and Ms 21(Ms - Camouflage Measure) in the Solomons Campaign.

This would be Sea Blue or Navy Blue (Haze Gray was very dark Blue-Gray), on the hulls, and Deck Blue on the decks (The Decks tended to be darker blue than the hulls).

https://en.wikipedia...ted_States_Navy

The Atlanta Class and much of the Destroyer force wore Ms 12mod, which had a mottled Haze Gray/Sea Blue superstructure, but the Navy Blue/Sea Blue hulls remained.

USN Camouflage Schemes/Measures are a complex subject, where we tend to have inadequate information on many ships.

We know that the Atlanta-class AA Cruisers wore the Ms 12mod, as we have many photographs of them, due to the Sullivans' incident with the Juneau, and the Atlanta's death off Lunga Point at Guadalcanal after The First Naval Battle of Save, on Nov 12-13, '42 (where we got torn up by Ad. Dan Callaghan charging right into the middle of an IJN Battleship line, because he kept ignoring the Helena's SG radar - but we got the Hiei because of that).

Of course, on ships as small as 1/6000, the paint is going to be a hard thing to deal with.

MB






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