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With the Normandy: Mines, Signs and Maps decals proving popular, our minds turn to the future.
Does anyone have a preference for our next decal set’s theatre of operations?
Theatre Call!
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0Monthly Archives: September 2011
0Painting the legendary razvedchiki 1/3:
0When I first started playing Flames of War, I bought figures I liked the look of rather than those required by an army list. I came across just such an impulse purchase when I was rummaging through a box load of unpainted lead for eligible Katyusha crews the other day. Somewhere between under-coating and base painting, this blister pack of Soviet Scouts had been confined to barracks after I’d realised that the Strelkovy had to come first. Despite being knee-deep in Zvezda’s Katyusha – or perhaps because of it – I thought I’d distract myself further by painting these up, now 
:
There are 2 things I’m going to struggle with here: colours and camouflage.
Contemporay photographs seem relatively hard to come by and none are in colour. The only one I’be been able to locate derives from the Lvov-Sandomierz operation in Poland during July 1944:
A close-up gives a slightly, but not significantly, better idea of the camouflage pattern itself:
Kamouflage.net tells me that the 1938 “amoeba-pattern” one- and two-piece overalls worn by airborne forces, sappers, snipers and, of course, the razvedchiki was issued in 3 main colour-variants: pale-green, khaki and dark-yellow:
Is it me, or is this looking like a camouflage Mardis Gras? Part of me really wants to go bright green:
But who am I kidding? I’m a sucker for doing what I’m told, so let’s see what Battlefront have to say. Pick up any of the existing LW Eastern Front Army lists and you’re advised to go either Russian Uniform (094) or Khaki-Grey (113) with Black or German Camo Black Brown (150) ’blotches’.
I’m cool with the colour for the blotches, but less certain about the background colours. Kamouflage.net give 2 nice examples of, presumably, original material:
At this scale, Russian Uniform doesn’t work for me as a pale-green. Trawling through my paints, the nearest I can find is Yellow Green (112). On the other hand, Khaki Grey is a good call and matches the original shade well. But I’m wondering, will the amoeba-patter show up sufficiently well on such a dark background? Thinking about it further, I realise that since I’m going to be dippping these figures, I might be best to go for something lighter. Perhaps Khaki (115) will do?
The base coated results don’t seem too bad. On the right you have Yellow Green highlighted with Citadel Gretchin Green and on the left is just plain old Khaki. I’ll probably highlight with a Khaki / Medium Grey (111) mix:
But what about the – gulp – amoeba pattern? Don’t talk to me about amoebas!
That’s a whole different story…
Having a blast at Bovington
0Had some fun at Bovington Tank Museum last week with the youngster, also saw the landing beaches at Poole used for D-Day training when we joined a small pleasure cruise which went up and down the coastline. I asked if my son could visit the wheelhouse, and the captain was kind enough to let my son have a steer of the boat.
Captain: “…and how old are you?”
Boy: “Four!”
Captain: “And when were you four?”
Boy: “On my birthday!”
lol
Standing Tall
The Germans are coming!
Cut price Katys 2: Sourcing Zvezda’s 1/100th Katyushas
0In between producing decals, I found a little time to pick up a box load of the Zvezda kits I ordered a couple of weeks back. 
As some of you might recall, I’ve been trying to source all of the materials for a Guards Rocket Mortar Battalion in the most cost effective way. As my local model shop is now about a 42 mile round-trip away, ebay’s range of suppliers looked promising even if I had to resign myself paying postage and packing. After a review of my options, I went for MrModels (click here for main website) who was retailing each kit for £2.50 and had everything in stock that I required (including a Pz. IV and T34 for the boy!).
So, thats 8 Katys and 1 Zis-5 truck for £22.50 plus £3.45 postage and packing. £25.95, not too bad.
How do the kits look, well check out the review below:
I’ve had less joy sourcing the ’5 or more crew’ necessary to double the number of weapons firing and = with this number 16 – qualify for a 12″ square “Devastating Bombardment’. . There’s nothnig out there that’s really suitable in either Peter Pig’s, Skytrex or Quick Reaction Force‘s ranges respectively. Looks like I’m going to have to park these for the minute unless anyone has any other helpful suggestions? .
I could always cobble something together by buying a pack of Soviet Artillery Crews (SSO103 Artillery Crew) with some SSO183 Soviet Ammunition or just leave them un-represented (I’m sure Chris won’t mind!). Alternatively, I could use the older SO18 Seated Soviet figures I managed to pick up last year:
These photos would suggest that, on some occassions, crew had their small arms to hand whilst working up a sweat: 
2 down, only another 7 to go!
Applying Model Dads Mines, Signs and Maps decals: a step-by-step photographic guide to applying decals
0So. Your Model Dads’ Mines, Signs and Maps decals have arrived in the post this morning and you’re wondering what to do with two sheets of tiny decals? We hope this step-by-step photographic guide will help you get started.
Opening up your zip-lock bag will reveal the following:
- 2 sheets of decals,
- A set of instructions.
Don’t throw the ziplock bag away. It’s handy for keeping your tiny decals safe and dry.
Here’s what we recommend you use to apply your decals:
- A large craft kinfe or scalpel with cutting board,
- A soft rounded ended brush,
- Microscale’s Micro Set and Micro Sol decal setting solutions,
- Matt varnish,
- Your painted models, in this case, Peter Pig’s road sign set,
- Tap water and a shallow saucer or bowl (not illustrated ).
And, with the benefit of hindsight, a metal Safety Rule if you’re not confident cutting straight lines.
The application of Micoscale Micro Set and Micro Sol products are recommended options, but not a necessity. You’ll still be able to apply your decals with good old tap water if you can’t get hold of these products.
Before you start, make sure that the models you want to apply the decals to are properly painted. By this, I mean that the colours match the edge of the decal you are applying. This will ensure that your decal blends nicely with the colour you are applying it to. Wherever possible, we’ve tried to match the decals to commonly available Vallejo paints.
In the case of this tutorial, I’m going to be using a blue and yellow signs which we’ve matched to 051 Prussian Blue and, oddly, 021 Medium Fleshtone. Rather than 001 White I prefer to use 004 Off White when working with signs with a white background.
Don’t forget to ensure that the surfaces of your painted models receive a coat of gloss varnish before applying the decals. Decals work best on flat, glossy surfaces because the decal film can’t conform to matt paint’s microscopically rough surface. This is what produces silvering, the product of tiny air bubbles trapped under the decal film.
The next step is to select the decals you want to apply. Before it gets too fiddly, I’ve found it useful to separate the images from the main sheet before trimming them to the exact size.
Using the length of the blade (or the tip with a metal safety ruler) carefully cut along the edge of your decal. Don’t worry if you leave a little white around the edges, you can always touch this in later.
Don’t forget to breath! Once cut, check that your decal will comfortably fit your model. Whilst we’ve tried to produces decals that match Peter Pig and Battlefront’s products some variation may occur, particularly in recessed areas. Trim accordingly.
When your comfortable everything will fit, pour some luke warm water into a shallow bowl or saucer and pop your decal in. Whilst your decal is soaking, apply a layer of Micro Set to the surface of your model. This will prepare the surface with special wetting agents.
Wait approximately 20 – 60 seconds for the decal to separate from the backing paper.
Using a soft brush, lift the decal from the water and apply it to the surface or your model. Repeat the procedure for all your remaining decals one at a time.
With the decals applied, apply a coat of Micro Sol. This will soften the decal and make it conform to the surface of model. After applying Micro Sol resist the temptation to keep interfering with your decal. Your decal may break up! In recessed areas, apply a couple of coats if your decal needs a little bit more encouragement.
With the decals applied, touch in any white areas with the base coat. When finished, don’t forget to apply a couple of coats of matt varnish to cover any remaining gloss and protect your handy-work.
You can leave it here if you like but my wife says they look ‘abit bright’ so you might like to consider weathering them a bit. To achieve this, I applied successive layers of Citadel Washes thinned with tap water. I found Devlan Mud and Gryphonne Sepia very useful for this purpose. Try a couple of layers of Sepia over the entire surface followed by Deval Mud in the corners and along the edges. The Sepia is particularly effective when applied in blobs over blue signs, creating the impression of rust.
Done. All you need to do now is glue them to your bases.
Easy Any problems, give us a shout at the usual email address.