Progress on my MDF forces has been somewhat patchy, pretty much going in fits and starts over the past week or so. Frankly I had forgotten how long it takes (well me at least) to paint even a modest sized force, talk less of an army or two. Well at least I managed to finish one mixed Brigade for the Blue team a few days ago and managed to take a few pics this morning which can be seen below:
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| The Mixed Brigade with its 4 Battalion structure and supporting Artillery, Light Infantry and Cavalry. |
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| The Line Infantry with their simple flags and blue colour scheme, with red accents to make them pop a bit on the table. |
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| The C-in-C with his ADC's. |
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| The Artillery with their red carriages, again to make them pop on the table. |
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| The Light Infantry. |
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| The Cavalry. |
When I've been in the mood they have been a joy to paint, once I got used to painting laser cut MDF, as it can be rather 'rough' in places and flat 6/8mm figures. With a technique sorted they then became pretty quick to do. In the end I went with a gloss lacquer to help the colours stand out more, as a matt or satin finish dulls the end result too much for these IMHO. The red accents across all the figures was something that I realised I needed as a mass of blue at this scale looks too dull and am happy with the result.
I decided to go with simple geometric flag designs as I couldn't find anything that grabbed on the historical front that worked for me when scaled down. The detail simply disappeared. I'm happy with the outcome and enjoyed making and painting them. It's something I've been meaning to do for years and this seemed the perfect opportunity.
So now it's just the small matter of painting the opposition so I can get some games in, followed by all the other Brigades. I can see why my lead mountain doesn't get smaller given how long it's taken me to paint these!
On a general wargaming front, I simply haven't felt in the mood for a game, which is unusual. I think the very wet October (5th wettest on record), combined with painting these figures and now Lockdown 2.0 , has taken the desire away from me. At least I have enjoyed seeing other Bloggers AAR etc, so have been playing vicariously as it were.
Anwya, enough waffle from me and I should get on with some painting, but the weather is for once dry and sunny so I'm heading off outside! So until next time...
a
Looking excellent sir
ReplyDeleteThanks Will.
DeleteOnce painted up it is hard to imagine these are MDF figures. The glossy approach you used certainly makes the figure pop a bit more.
ReplyDeleteI've seen them ixed in with other normal 6mm figures Peter and unless oyu get really close, you wouldn't know they were mdf and 2D. The gloss does make them pop and also gives them an old school look, which is nice.
DeleteWow! They come up much, much better that I would have expected. A marvellous job, congratulations.
ReplyDeleteRegards, James
Thanks James! I'm very happy with how they've turned out. Bright and bold colours are essential to give them some presence, plus the gloss lacquer really does make a difference.
DeleteI agree with James! Your wooden flats exceeded my expectations as well. Very well done! I hope your gaming mojo returns. Until then, keep the paint flowing.
DeleteThankyou for your very kind words Jonathan! Luckily I managed some painting today as I want to get the opposition done so I can start playing with these figures.
DeleteI have seen these in the flesh, so can appreciate how nice they are.
ReplyDeleteI find MDF tough to paint at the best of times, did these need any special prepping?
I just primed them as I would normally with metal figures, then drybrushed some brown to help show up details. This also helped the paint to stick better and sometimes I had to give a second coat, but this mainly due to the thin colour of the pigments, rather than anything else.
DeleteHello there old chap,
ReplyDeleteThey look really good ad with the gloss and bright colours certainly ‘pop’! They are a really good idea and have certainly given me something else to think about!
Lovely job!
All the best,
DC
I'm glad you like them David, but worried that you might waver from your commitment to Wofun figures;)
DeleteFantastic stuff Steve these have come out so much better than I would have thought well done.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Stu
Thanks for the very kind words Stu. I was apprehensive when I started and the didn't look that good until the last details and flock were added, then they came together:).
DeleteThese look very nice and given the scale and the cost effective pricing, I am almost tempted to get a pack or two just to see how they would come out under my brushes! For hex based games, these would be excellent
ReplyDeleteThanks Keith. I would venture to suggest that you get some sample packs and give them a go. I will use them for grid based games now and then on a 2' x 2' table, when space or time is at a premium. Their main use will be for 'normal' games though.
DeleteCool looking MDF, well done on getting them onto the table. Love the simplicity of it all. One day I'll get my hands on these in Brizzle .... Dave F
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave and nice that oyu like the simplicity of it too. Who knows when we can get some gaming in again, but probably not for quite some time yet:(.
DeleteYou've really brought these boys to life Steve. I would have been completely stumped about how to paint them. They look great, despite their small scale!
ReplyDeletePerfect for generic Horse and Musket battle or campaign.
Thanks Keith. I'd done some tests years ago which helped, but one I got the colours and technique sorted, it was pretty easy. As with all things the webbing was the hardest, but once at arms length any errors gel together.
DeleteI'm in the process of sorting out a scenario for their debut and a campaign, if I can keep the painting momentum going!